Building a built build
 

14 psi on stock internals.

Merciless detonation for weeks on end, before I had the sense to start tuning the car.

AS low as 9 AFR before I had the sense to LEARN how to tune the car.

Two episodes of almost destructive overheating spells due to a burst hose, and then, a stuck fan.

Oil consumption - to the tune of a quart in maybe 500 miles, or less.

The shame of smoke on acceleration, and the lingering clouds on cold start-ups.

Oh, and, great power. 180 psi across all cylinders, quite a few expensive car owners admiring a thirteen year old Miata, trying hard to not look envious.


That's pretty much the background on my car, in a nutshell.

So, I decided it was enough punishment for the stock internals. Had a nice talk with my wife, made my plans and started collecting parts, tools and the necessary bits for a complete rebuild before the engine let go.
Engines have way of letting go at the most inconvenient time, such as at those times when you have no time, or worse, no money for a job of this magnitude.
Call it proactive, preventive maintenance.

First order of business would be a full on assault on the electrons.
So, I pestered Dimitris till he succumbed to my countless emails and phone calls, and my efforts paid off in the form of a package I received at my doorstep one winter day.
That's how I tackled a steep learning curve, equipped with a keyboard, and a direct line to mt.net, and an MS in my backpack.

I fiddled with it till the car ran great, and to a point where I felt comfortable with playing around with the settings on the MS. Just removing the intimidation factor from the equation.

Dimitris is a great guy. Period.

OK, this is a build thread. Let's get on with that.

My plan was to tear the engine apart during Ramadan - the holy month for muslims during when they fast, and do not do much work because a) they are all high and mighty, selflessly displaying their devotion to Allah, b) they are starving in the gazillion degree summer heat and have no energy to even lift a finger, and, c) they are far too busy making arrangements for the all important "iftar", the first meal at sunset, to make sure they are seen with the right people, and consequently our own business has a chance to take a break.

I need to stop writing long sentences.

So, I sent all the parts to a friend in AK. Individual shipments would be far too expensive.

Since I had the luxury of having time, I had a chance to get great deals on most of the stuff I had to buy. (Thanks, Sam - Renown)
So, I bought a set of 84mm 9.00:1 JE forged pistons, Mtuned rods, ARP everything, 650cc EV14 injectors, Clevite this, Fel-Pro that, the works.

When the list was complete, my friend sent it over to Turkey via military transport. For free. In your face, UPS...

So, here's my loot (like you guys have never seen this stuff before)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343177024

Sometime before Ramadan, in early June I had an opportunity to start on the rebuild, and I took it.
The plan was doing everything at home, in the parking lot. It's a private parking lot, at the end of a dead end street, and it's the sort of a place where you can leave a suitcase of cash for a week, and no one will touch it. Out of the way. Five ferocious dogs guarding the place. Nice porch to work on the engine.
Did not happen.

The owner of a Mazda service facility - very nice guy, and a long time friend - heard of my project and called me. He said he felt offended - Turks can be that way - that I had not considered his place for my project. I told him I did not want to invade his place. He really got offended. It came to "my place is your place". I had no choice.
So, I packed up and drove over to his place.
He said I was not a customer, and I should proceed as I wished, using whatever I needed.
Three lifts. Jacks, compressor, tools, equipment galore. I obliged.

His name is Taber Ayaz. Very cool guy. He helped me a great deal throughout the project.

And, this is him removing the first nut of the whole project:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343177645

I should get on with the pics, or it did not happen...

You need to start removing everything around the engine first.
So, the supercharger (I know, blasphemy) came out first.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343177922

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343177922

And, there it is.

Turbo owners, please feel free to avert your eyes, and remove your children from the room..

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343177922

Then, after a couple of hours dotted with tea breaks, it was time to remove the engine from the car for the first time since some guy in Hiroshima put it in there.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343178084

And it was pretty dirty in there

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343178084

There was good and bad news...

Good news was the fact that the crank, bearings, the cylinder head, all the moving parts were in great shape.

The bearings looked brand new even.

Not bad for 180,000 Km, and 13 years.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343178264

Bad news was the clutch itself.

Do not buy Spec clutches. This stage 2.5 was used for just about 10K miles. With proper break-in. No abuse, no hard launches.

I was very upset. I even said the f word. To the clutch, I mean.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343178443

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343178443

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343178443

And, yes, the flywheel was machined at the time, too.

Oh, and the knock sensor was dead, too.

I got on the phone to get me a clutch and a knock sensor.

(Again, thank you Dimitris)


So anyway, I tore the engine apart. No surprises.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343178855

And then, I cleaned the block as best as I could.
I bet the guys at the machine shop appreciated that. And it made me feel better.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343178855

Another good thing was the still intact cross hatching on the cylinder walls (those iPhones take pretty good pictures, I guess)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343178855

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343178855

There's water spots in there from pressure washing, but you get the idea.

Since I did not have a car to take the block to the machine shop, I strapped it on my scooter, and took it across the bridge (20+ miles on the freeway) to this one place I had picked after a lengthy investigation. They did a great job, and bored the block out to accept 84mm pistons, line bored it, leveled the deck (was off just a tiny bit) and checked everything over.
I paid them about $190 for their trouble.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343179187

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343179187

The cylinder head was a whole different story.
I bought Supertech everything for the head, and wanted a competent machine shop to surface it, install new valve guides in it, and check it over for cracks, etc (remember the two overheating episodes)

It turned out to be a massive, all encompassing surgery.

I found this guy who is an automotive engineer, and his specialty is flow. The real deal.
He kept the head for 10 days, working on two flow benches back and forth, and doing his magic on the head.

He ported the intake and exhaust side, the intake manifold, and the throttle body, optimizing flow.
He removed about 650 grams of aluminum from the cylinder head only.
The net gain is +40 CFM flow per port.

(I had the car set up for 14.8-15 AFR on cruise at moderate load, and during the first drive after the first crank - with no adjustment on AFR or timing tables - the AFR was lingering right at 18. That much more flow...)

Here are the intake ports

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343179941

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343179941

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343179941

The car feels very, very different - in a great way - now.

Like 14-16 inches of vacuum at 4000 rpm on steady cruise.

And, here's the throttle body

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343180563

The cylinder head was delivered, ready to install with new everything.
The cost was steep. About $800.

Wait, did you bore the block WITHOUT having the pistons?
I thought for correct piston-to-wall clearances you had to measure the pistons then bore. I had to bring pistons to machine shop and the block was bored for THOSE pistons exactly.

Of course I took the pistons to the machine shop. They were in a box, in the top case on the scooter

LOVING THIS THREAD.

Entertaining read, and very good progress:)

Im in love, thanks for posting this up. After reading your W/I post i know it will be nothing less than perfect.

40+CFM gain on the head is baller tits.

Awesome thread.

Awesome thread indeed :)

I’ve also moved from MP62 to turbo and loving it

For the record, I have not abandoned my supercharger.

So, where was I..
OK, machine shop stuff...

I have an idea.
Since I am posting this thread a bit after the fact, I feel like I should concentrate on one subject at a time, rather than a chronological rundown of the events.
It should make it easier to follow, and make more sense, I guess.

Having said that, let's move on to the

COOLANT REROUTE

I knew I would have to wait for the reroute project till the engine was out of the car.
So I made some plans, took action as soon as the engine was in full daylight.

First order of business was to find a water neck.
Screw Kia. I stuck with Mazda, an 323 Lantis with a BP motor, in this case.

I just went to a parts store and asked the friendly guy behind the counter to put all the water necks he has on the counter, and proceeded to pick the best of the litter. That's how I ended up with the Lantis water neck.

But first, I needed an adapter. I took everything apart at the back of the head

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343342801

After measuring everything, I went to the nearby machine shop. The col guy operating the lathe ordered tea for both of us, and I explained what I wanted - with uber technical sketches on a paper napkin.

We started producing large amounts of shaved aluminum.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343343025

The result was, well, shaved...

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343343025

The brass nipple is the pre-thermostat heater outlet.

Next item on the agenda was finding a new home for the temp sender/sensor (I still don't know what it is).
Really, is it a sensor, or a sender?

I noticed a purposeless plug on the head, not too far from the water outlet.
Hmmmm.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343343534

And I am pointing right at the hole, once occupied by the said plug in this pic.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343343534

I drilled the hole with a bigger bit, and tapped it to accept the sensorder. All I had to do was lengthen the wiring just a bit to reach to the new location.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343343534

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343343534

Here is the sensor in its new location:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343343534

With that sorted out, I got a couple of new studs to mount the adapter and the water neck to the head. Two studs, one 70 mm, and one 100 mm fit perfectly.

Here is the new thermostat:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343343853

and everything buttoned up

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343343853

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343343853

Heater hose lined up perfectly. I am an eyeballing god.

There was still the matter of finding a proper radiator hose....

Another parts store owner agreed to let me loose in the radiator hose section.

I -again - eyeballed three different hoses and bought them.
I also bought a 1 meter length of 32mm OD aluminum piping.
(you do get the idea)

I spent enough time for two cups of tea and a couple of cigarettes to sort the shape of the radiator hose.
The result looked like a reject from the Klingon alphabet.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343344120

And, this is the rough fitment stage

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343344120

As it is painfully evident in the above picture, the heater hose plumbing was practically hugging the intake manifold with all the warmth and heat it could deliver.

That called for some color matched insulation...

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343344833

Again, a dress rehearsal:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343344833

The insulating sleeve cost me something like 75 cents at the hardware store. (We have Bauhaus here, kinda like Hopme Depot)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343344833

I dipped it in boiling water for a while to see if it would be OK at high heat. The thing did not complain at all.
And, it works like a charm.

I must be the only guy with 8 clamps on a single radiator hose.

(I counted a total of 43 clamps on the engine. A 4 cylinder, 43 clamp engine...)

And yes, I forgot to tighten one of them. Number 4 on the upper rad hose, counting from the radiator. It reminded me in the form of a series of blue drips after the initial test drive.

All in all, the reroute is a success. I am consistently seeing 10 degrees (C) less on the gauge during these hot summer days. (Around 32C, 90F)

My LCD gauge setup says 84 to 89C on the road. Mostly mid 80s.

Almost forgot..

There's the front water outlet to deal with.

I bought a 32mm plug for that.

There's the hole left over after removing the stock water outlet, the plug I bought, with some ultra grey silicone, and my finger, again.. (My finger will be famous on the internet..)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343346135

It's halfway in...

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343346135

And there is some added protection to seal the deal.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343346135

Final look:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343346135

That was the reroute..

While I was waiting for the machine shop to do its thing, I took to some other stuff..

The exhaust manifold, for instance..

I had wrapped the header using some exotic stuff a couple years ago. That was done with the engine, header in the car, and looked kinda botched.

I had also heard horror stories about the negative effects of wrapping an exhaust system, in the form of rotting, rust, etc.
So, I unraveled the wraps with some trepidation.

And, everything was just peachy.
Except for some discoloration from the funky stuff I had used.

I promptly cleaned it:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343346202

Then I lopped off the heat shield mounting standoffs and brackets to make life easier on myself, and wrapped it using ceramic wrap.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343346202

And, heat resistant black paint made it "invisible"...

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343346202

I did not forget about the starter and the alternator. They need love, too.

New brushes, new bearings, a thorough cleaning, and some TLC gave them a new lease on life.
(THAT sounded like the lifetime channel. I gotta finish this post and get some sleep. There are two instances when I don't sound like myself: when I first get up, and at such times when I am tired and sleepy. It has been a long day.)

Anyway, I present you the innards of the starter motor, and the alternator:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343346708

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343346708

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343346708

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343346708

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1343346708

I had no idea the starter was packed with grease like that. I'm assuming what I'm seeing is the gear reduction?

That is correct.

Whoa, almost a month since my last post on this thread... I need to get on with this thing.

So, since I said one subject at a time, let's get into the oil trap..

After some reading (mostly here) I decided it would be best to change the way the engine is breathing. I mean, I no longer have a MAF, so, I don't need a closed circuit anymore, right?

First order of business would be to modify the valve cover. Some say it is an immensely successful method to contain the oil vapors in the actual valve cover itself, and there are those who argue against it because it would not be cool enough there for the vapors to condense, but I just opted for the "steel wool" method, anyway. It is, after all, reversible.

I started by removing the covers and cleaning the passages inside the valve cover.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345585235

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345585235

Then I drilled a small hole for the oil to drip back into the engine

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345585419

And then came the steel wool

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345585419

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345585419

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345585419

I took this pic before I wiped all the excess silicone

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345585419

The next step was installing a checkvalve into the PCV hose, for obvious reasons.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345586108

This pic is here to show you guys I can cut a hose all by myself:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345586108

Then I vented the other side of the valve cover to the great outdoors, with a breather filter, and blocked the port on the SC throttle body. No more oil vapor in the intake tract.

(You can see it on the driver's side of the valve cover, sorry it's a shatty pic)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345586108

The results are nothing less than stellar so far. About 5000 Km, and not a drop of oil lost.

OK, let's get on with the actual engine:

I received the bored, honed, decked and checked block from the machine shop, and proceeded to prepare it for painting.

I know the crank is installed while I am wirebrushing the block, but that crank, journals and all surfaces were subjected to about four rounds of paranoid cleaning (including high pressure gasoline blasting) before I started final assembly)
I even rubbed the counterweights on the crank with gasoline soaked steel wool till it was as clean and shiny as it was on the day it was machined at the factory. Removing all the crap makes for a better - and cleaner running engine.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345587090

The result was not bad

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345587090

Then came several coats of hi-temp paint:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345587136

At some point during disassembling the engine, I called and spoke to BogusSVO to get some ideas. His contribution to this forum goes without saying.
He advised I should REALLY clean the block, meaning, I should pop the plugs on the oil gallery and go at it..

That seemed like a good idea, so I went at it.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345587517

I drilled one of the factory installed brass plugs, threaded a hole in it, screwed a bolt in there and used a sliding hammer to convince the plug out. The other one was easy: a long steel bar, and a hammer popped it out.

I used a drill and a soft wire brush with a long extension to clean all the oil passages:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345587801

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345587801

Squeaky clean:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345587801

The solution for plugging the main oil gallery was threading the openings, and using threaded plugs, with locktite and liberal amounts of grey silicone:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345587801

This pic was taken before I tightened the plug. I did not leave it loose like that.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345587801

I did the same thing for every oil passage, every bolt hole on the engine

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345587857

So it was time to assemble the engine...

After about four rounds of cleaning, I did the WD-40 thing BogusSVO had described in one of his threads.

Here is how much crap is left on the cylinder walls, no matter how much you bust your ass.
That was a perfectly clean, brand new cotton rag, BTW.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345588144

I went three rounds with that, too.

No grinding was needed for the rings. All ring gaps were perfectly to spec. I used JE's spec sheet for that.

(That's the owner of the shop double checking while I take a picture)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345588293

ARP fasteners all through the engine:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345588359

A shot of the oil squirters:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345588359

I made a point of checking all the clearances using plastigauge, they were all perfect.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345588476

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345588476

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345588476

I then cleaned everything with gasoline (again), and started final assembly.

After much debate for how much I should torque the head nuts, I decided on 54 pounds.
I went 18 - 36 and then 54, all in three steps, a total of nine rounds, and waited for a while between rounds just to be safe.
I did not have the ARP brand lubricant, so I used Moly assembly grease.

Also, instead of the washers that came with the ARP stuff, I opted for the larger stock washers.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345588777

I arranged the ring gap directions per JE's specs and installed the pistons, as well.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345588858

Meanwhile, the car was patiently waiting for its new engine...

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345588908

So, the engine was slowly beginning to take shape.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345589201

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345589201

Also, I made a point of clocking the oil cooler assembly slightly, to prevent heat damage to the knock sensor from the coolant line.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345589201

I didn't feel perfectly comfortable with that setup, so I went ahead and insulated that hose altogether...

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345589201

The oil pump may look "old" in this pic...
The thing is, I had bought an aftermarket pump. I installed the plunger and the spring from that pump, together with a thin washer, in the original "old" pump, per Bogus's suggestion.
The original pump was in perfect shape, save for a slight wear on its plunger.

I am maintaining 66 to 72 psi, on a hot engine at cruise with this setup now. Not bad.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345589504

Lemme just post post these pics for posterity..
(It's not like you guys have not seen a timing belt installation before)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345589707

If you install the timing belt paying attention to these three areas, the cars fires up on the first crank.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345589707

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345589707

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345589707

Then came the superdupercharger...

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345589869

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345589869

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345589869

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345589869

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345589869

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345589869

There is a reason why I call it superdupercharger...

I rebuilt that while I was at it, too. And it was a biatch. Too me two and a half days.
But, I am known to be a stubborn guy.

There are special cup style bearings pressed at the back of the aluminum housing. Those, according to Magnuson, are impossible to remove, and only they can extract them at the factory. Right.

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/3483/20509653.jpg

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345590453

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345590453

There is a reason why I call it superdupercharger...

I rebuilt that while I was at it, too. And it was a biatch. Too me two and a half days.
But, I am known to be a stubborn guy.

There are special cup style bearings pressed at the back of the aluminum housing. Those, according to Magnuson, are impossible to remove, and only they can extract them at the factory. Right.

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/3483/20509653.jpg

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345590468

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1345590468

Nice work mate. Always nice to see an engine come together.

And den?


BTW, you mentioned using some kind of really light weight insulation in the insulation thread. What was that?