My (probably) misguided build thread.
03-18-2016, 04:10 PM
#22
In this post, Nick thinks out loud about (how to avoid) blowing trannies. This post could also be titled "My Struggle", a title which I'm sure the PO of my car would approve of.
My debate between the Rotrex and EFR comes down (heavily) to my drivetrain... I currently have a 5sp/4.3 torsen.
I could get an EFR 6758 and run it at super low boost with a goal of around 200-230whp and drive it nicely until I save up for a 6sp/3.63. At which point I could turn it way up.
Or I could do the Rotrex C30-94 and shoot for 300whp for similar torque numbers to the EFR at super low boost, drive it nicely, and still save up for a 6sp/3.63 but maintain a little confidence that I'm not a gnat's *** away from grenading my transmission while on the 5sp.
Or I say "**** it", get the EFR and turn up the boost, and hope that I can find a good deal on a 6sp before I inevitably grenade the 5sp. And then live with shitty short gearing until I break down and get a 3.63 R&P.
And then there's the 3.9 R&P which is better than my 4.3 but would still land me shorter gearing with a 6sp.
Decisions, decisions.
My debate between the Rotrex and EFR comes down (heavily) to my drivetrain... I currently have a 5sp/4.3 torsen.
I could get an EFR 6758 and run it at super low boost with a goal of around 200-230whp and drive it nicely until I save up for a 6sp/3.63. At which point I could turn it way up.
Or I could do the Rotrex C30-94 and shoot for 300whp for similar torque numbers to the EFR at super low boost, drive it nicely, and still save up for a 6sp/3.63 but maintain a little confidence that I'm not a gnat's *** away from grenading my transmission while on the 5sp.
Or I say "**** it", get the EFR and turn up the boost, and hope that I can find a good deal on a 6sp before I inevitably grenade the 5sp. And then live with shitty short gearing until I break down and get a 3.63 R&P.
And then there's the 3.9 R&P which is better than my 4.3 but would still land me shorter gearing with a 6sp.
Decisions, decisions.
I has built motor, EFR 6758, the name Nick, butt-dyno 200 ish hp on break-in wastegate 5psi , and a 6-speed/4.1 drivetrain combo.
Next will be meth, 15psi, and new underwear/tires.
When in doubt, ALWAYS go EFR.
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03-18-2016, 04:20 PM
#24
I think everyone is going to vote for the EFR and all of it. Sounds like you've still got some time to look for a transmission. Run low boost for a while, find a 6 speed and then turn it up.
IMO the 3.63's just cost more than it's worth. You're better off just going with a much cheaper 3.90 and having a little shorter gearing than ideal. Or spend pretty close to the same money for a V8roadsters getrag swap that you would have spent buying and setting up the 3.63s and you have an awesome selection of gears to pair with the 6 speed.
IMO the 3.63's just cost more than it's worth. You're better off just going with a much cheaper 3.90 and having a little shorter gearing than ideal. Or spend pretty close to the same money for a V8roadsters getrag swap that you would have spent buying and setting up the 3.63s and you have an awesome selection of gears to pair with the 6 speed.
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04-04-2016, 12:20 PM
#28
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Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Erie, CO
Posts: 143
Total Cats: 20
Getting close. Motor should be going in the car next weekend.
Remember that oil pressure tee that I installed in a previous post? Well I had to take it off to reach the knock sensor. Came out looking like this. I'm baffled, as I threaded it in by hand most of the way so I'm positive that it wasn't cross threaded. Threads in the block were fine, so I cleaned them out, emailed Pegasus, and got them to send me another. It's threaded in the block and I'm praying that I don't have to remove it for any reason.
Bumper off, looking at oil cooler fitment options. In case anyone was curious about the fog light cutout marks, there are two circles outlined with bumps in the plastic. Not exactly sure why there are two, was there an alternative offered by the dealer or did Mazda just screw up? I used some silver sharpie over the bumps that make up the outline so y'all can see them a little easier. My oil cooler inspiration can be found in post 246 of this thread, hence why I'm looking at where to cut fog light holes: https://www.miataturbo.net/race-prep...3/#post1266577
In the meantime, we got some snow. As fun as a Miata is with snow tires, there's something to be said for big vehicles.
Quick intermission. Here's what I'm envisioning for my exhaust. Obviously it's a little ways down the line and totally pending my FI decision, but a shotgun center exit with a bumper cut makes me all tingly inside. Regardless of what I choose, the 2.25" on the car now simply won't cut it, and a friend of mine offered to help me weld up a new one so I get to play around with ideas like these.
I bolted up more miscellaneous parts, including the header, mazdacomp motor mounts, heater line, lift hooks, etc. EGR got bent to **** to fit around the coolant reroute.
Transmission party. Too bad it's not a 6sp, but it'll do the trick until it doesn't. Pretty excited to drive the car on the fresh clutch. This is the 13.45lb flywheel and Stage 2 clutch/pressure plate. It's also getting new master/slave cylinders and a braided hose.
*sigh* Here you go.
Remember that oil pressure tee that I installed in a previous post? Well I had to take it off to reach the knock sensor. Came out looking like this. I'm baffled, as I threaded it in by hand most of the way so I'm positive that it wasn't cross threaded. Threads in the block were fine, so I cleaned them out, emailed Pegasus, and got them to send me another. It's threaded in the block and I'm praying that I don't have to remove it for any reason.
Bumper off, looking at oil cooler fitment options. In case anyone was curious about the fog light cutout marks, there are two circles outlined with bumps in the plastic. Not exactly sure why there are two, was there an alternative offered by the dealer or did Mazda just screw up? I used some silver sharpie over the bumps that make up the outline so y'all can see them a little easier. My oil cooler inspiration can be found in post 246 of this thread, hence why I'm looking at where to cut fog light holes: https://www.miataturbo.net/race-prep...3/#post1266577
In the meantime, we got some snow. As fun as a Miata is with snow tires, there's something to be said for big vehicles.
Quick intermission. Here's what I'm envisioning for my exhaust. Obviously it's a little ways down the line and totally pending my FI decision, but a shotgun center exit with a bumper cut makes me all tingly inside. Regardless of what I choose, the 2.25" on the car now simply won't cut it, and a friend of mine offered to help me weld up a new one so I get to play around with ideas like these.
I bolted up more miscellaneous parts, including the header, mazdacomp motor mounts, heater line, lift hooks, etc. EGR got bent to **** to fit around the coolant reroute.
Transmission party. Too bad it's not a 6sp, but it'll do the trick until it doesn't. Pretty excited to drive the car on the fresh clutch. This is the 13.45lb flywheel and Stage 2 clutch/pressure plate. It's also getting new master/slave cylinders and a braided hose.
*sigh* Here you go.
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04-04-2016, 12:28 PM
#30
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Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Erie, CO
Posts: 143
Total Cats: 20
The one I got from Pegasus looks pretty similar, but it's not zinc plated and looks to be a little taller. I think I'm just going to run it and hope I don't have issues, unless someone comes forth with evidence that I'm an idiot for doing so.
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05-23-2016, 11:07 AM
#34
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Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Erie, CO
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It's been a while. But something magical and beautiful happened this past weekend: the Miata started. And I drove it. And it didn't blow up.
Great success!
Since the last post, I buttoned everything else up on the motor. Here is a new slave cylinder. Didn't use the braided hose that came with it, the hard line seemed to be sufficient.
I also got a replacement tee for the oil pressure sensor, and it didn't disintegrate.
I got some DEI Transmission Tunnel insulation and did this:
I did some more miscellaneous crap but at this point, the motor was ready to go home. The coil pack was a little problematic and had to come back off to slide the motor in nicely, but everything else went fairly smooth. Lining up with the motor mounts took a bit of effort but eventually we got them to drop in.
Then I found a big puddle with my truck. Bad things happened.
Then expensive things happened, but tow rig possibilities grew three sizes that day:
Everything under the car got buttoned up (bracing, exhaust, wiring), and it touched the ground for the first time in far too long.
Finished hooking up everything under the hood, filled it with coolant and Rotella 10w-30 dino oil and nervously sat down in the driver seat with a key. I stuck it in, turned it, AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. I was expecting to crank on it for a while before getting it to fire, but there was almost no hesitation. I almost jumped, and then I felt a lot of emotions hearing the car run for the first time in six months. I drove it around the block, and returned safely to report that no explosions or chunks of metal shooting out of my hood occurred. Backed it into the driveway, and noticed oil dripping from the front of the motor. Oh ****. This can't be good. Got under the car with a flashlight, couldn't see a clear source, so I got to ripping all the belts and pulleys off the front of the motor to find what was leaking. Pulled the t-belt covers and valve cover off and.... I forgot cam seals. Major sigh of relief. So I stuck them in, washed all the now-oily belts and pulleys and covers, put the VC back on and washed the front of the motor, and bolted everything else back up. Turned the key again and it started, so I let it warm up and then checked again for leaks and found NONE.
Took it for another lap around the neighborhood, pulled back into the driveway and changed the oil (which had a bit of a metallic sheen to it) and adjusted the clutch (which, I might add, is a bit of a pain in the ***), and took it for another quick lap of the neighborhood. I pulled back into the driveway and the car died while the clutch was to the floor. It started again when I gave it a little gas and was able to idle on it's own, so I'm thinking it might have something to do with the 6 month old fuel in the tank. I was able to go drive it around town at this point without much hassle. I'll replace the fuel filter and fill it up today and hopefully that issue disappears. If anyone is curious about my break in procedure, I'm pretty much just going to change the oil frequently and make sure the motor sees the full RPM range and plenty of vacuum while I watch for any issues. Dino oil for the first 800-1000 miles, then I'll switch to synthetic.
Next Steps:
-Finish break-in
-Wire gauges
-Cut fog-light holes in bumper for oil cooler ducting. Design bracket for oil cooler (it'll be going on the passenger side, and the oil cooler for the Rotrex will go on the driver's side).
Oh yeah. I settled on Rotrex.
-Bolt up ebay GV style lip I bought, make mild splitter out of plywood to force it to sit straight.
-Hook Megasquirt up, hope that Brain's fixes worked and that it starts right up.
-Buy and install fuel pump, injectors, COP ignition. Maybe harmonic damper? I'm still not sure I need this with the Rotrex, but I might go with one anyways to be safe.
-Buy expensive belt-driven turbo. And an intercooler (Fab9?)
-Tune.
I'm just really, really excited to have a running car again. Even if its a lot slower than my truck (for now). Brb, gonna go sit in the driveway and stare at it.
In other news, I signed up for Miatas at MRLS. I am excite. If anyone in CO wants to join and make a road trip out of it, let me know. I'll be trying to find a trailer that fits two Miatas to either borrow or rent for the trip, feel free to point any leads on that in my direction.
Great success!
Since the last post, I buttoned everything else up on the motor. Here is a new slave cylinder. Didn't use the braided hose that came with it, the hard line seemed to be sufficient.
I also got a replacement tee for the oil pressure sensor, and it didn't disintegrate.
I got some DEI Transmission Tunnel insulation and did this:
I did some more miscellaneous crap but at this point, the motor was ready to go home. The coil pack was a little problematic and had to come back off to slide the motor in nicely, but everything else went fairly smooth. Lining up with the motor mounts took a bit of effort but eventually we got them to drop in.
Then I found a big puddle with my truck. Bad things happened.
Then expensive things happened, but tow rig possibilities grew three sizes that day:
Everything under the car got buttoned up (bracing, exhaust, wiring), and it touched the ground for the first time in far too long.
Finished hooking up everything under the hood, filled it with coolant and Rotella 10w-30 dino oil and nervously sat down in the driver seat with a key. I stuck it in, turned it, AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. I was expecting to crank on it for a while before getting it to fire, but there was almost no hesitation. I almost jumped, and then I felt a lot of emotions hearing the car run for the first time in six months. I drove it around the block, and returned safely to report that no explosions or chunks of metal shooting out of my hood occurred. Backed it into the driveway, and noticed oil dripping from the front of the motor. Oh ****. This can't be good. Got under the car with a flashlight, couldn't see a clear source, so I got to ripping all the belts and pulleys off the front of the motor to find what was leaking. Pulled the t-belt covers and valve cover off and.... I forgot cam seals. Major sigh of relief. So I stuck them in, washed all the now-oily belts and pulleys and covers, put the VC back on and washed the front of the motor, and bolted everything else back up. Turned the key again and it started, so I let it warm up and then checked again for leaks and found NONE.
Took it for another lap around the neighborhood, pulled back into the driveway and changed the oil (which had a bit of a metallic sheen to it) and adjusted the clutch (which, I might add, is a bit of a pain in the ***), and took it for another quick lap of the neighborhood. I pulled back into the driveway and the car died while the clutch was to the floor. It started again when I gave it a little gas and was able to idle on it's own, so I'm thinking it might have something to do with the 6 month old fuel in the tank. I was able to go drive it around town at this point without much hassle. I'll replace the fuel filter and fill it up today and hopefully that issue disappears. If anyone is curious about my break in procedure, I'm pretty much just going to change the oil frequently and make sure the motor sees the full RPM range and plenty of vacuum while I watch for any issues. Dino oil for the first 800-1000 miles, then I'll switch to synthetic.
Next Steps:
-Finish break-in
-Wire gauges
-Cut fog-light holes in bumper for oil cooler ducting. Design bracket for oil cooler (it'll be going on the passenger side, and the oil cooler for the Rotrex will go on the driver's side).
Oh yeah. I settled on Rotrex.
-Bolt up ebay GV style lip I bought, make mild splitter out of plywood to force it to sit straight.
-Hook Megasquirt up, hope that Brain's fixes worked and that it starts right up.
-Buy and install fuel pump, injectors, COP ignition. Maybe harmonic damper? I'm still not sure I need this with the Rotrex, but I might go with one anyways to be safe.
-Buy expensive belt-driven turbo. And an intercooler (Fab9?)
-Tune.
I'm just really, really excited to have a running car again. Even if its a lot slower than my truck (for now). Brb, gonna go sit in the driveway and stare at it.
In other news, I signed up for Miatas at MRLS. I am excite. If anyone in CO wants to join and make a road trip out of it, let me know. I'll be trying to find a trailer that fits two Miatas to either borrow or rent for the trip, feel free to point any leads on that in my direction.
Last edited by nick470; 05-23-2016 at 11:18 AM.
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05-24-2016, 10:13 AM
#37
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Erie, CO
Posts: 143
Total Cats: 20
Got some gauges wired up last night, and drove the car ~150 miles. No fluid spraying, explosions, random losses of oil pressure, or anything like that to speak of.
Idling after driving ~30 miles on the highway, I'm getting the following readings. At a highway cruise, water temp drops off to ~180F, oil temp hovers between 210 and 225F, and oil pressure is around 60psi. Coolant reroute and my radiator seem to be doing their job. The oil cooler isn't installed yet, so I should be seeing oil temps a fair bit lower when it is... may need to cap off the ducting to the oil cooler for driving around town.
I just noticed a small spot under the car since I parked it after driving last night... Can't tell what it is, might be just some remnant oil or coolant that warmed up and dripped off of stuff, hopefully not a leak but we'll see. EDIT: It's coolant! Hopefully just a loose or cracked hose, I'll take a closer look later today.
Idling after driving ~30 miles on the highway, I'm getting the following readings. At a highway cruise, water temp drops off to ~180F, oil temp hovers between 210 and 225F, and oil pressure is around 60psi. Coolant reroute and my radiator seem to be doing their job. The oil cooler isn't installed yet, so I should be seeing oil temps a fair bit lower when it is... may need to cap off the ducting to the oil cooler for driving around town.
I just noticed a small spot under the car since I parked it after driving last night... Can't tell what it is, might be just some remnant oil or coolant that warmed up and dripped off of stuff, hopefully not a leak but we'll see. EDIT: It's coolant! Hopefully just a loose or cracked hose, I'll take a closer look later today.
Last edited by nick470; 05-24-2016 at 11:16 AM.
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05-24-2016, 11:28 AM
#39
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Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Erie, CO
Posts: 143
Total Cats: 20
So far I love the VEI gauges. Dual display in almost any combo you could imagine, sweet looking bezels and faces, not too expensive. I want to replace the Innovate MTX-L to match, maybe with a dual boost/AFR gauge.
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05-25-2016, 01:39 PM
#40
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Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Erie, CO
Posts: 143
Total Cats: 20
Fueling and ignition bits ordered... Walbro 255, ID1000cc, TSE COP kit
Break in is going well, still no issues. Now that the gauges are installed, my next steps are Megasquirt and oil cooler. I signed up for an autox on Sunday, those will wait until after.
I'll do a bit of work on the car on Saturday: Install the ebay lip, bolt check under the car, install the EGR Vacuum Solenoid thing (The stock one got dropped and one of the vac fittings broke, so the lines are just capped right now), and replace the PCV hose which is cracked at the VC end.
Break in is going well, still no issues. Now that the gauges are installed, my next steps are Megasquirt and oil cooler. I signed up for an autox on Sunday, those will wait until after.
I'll do a bit of work on the car on Saturday: Install the ebay lip, bolt check under the car, install the EGR Vacuum Solenoid thing (The stock one got dropped and one of the vac fittings broke, so the lines are just capped right now), and replace the PCV hose which is cracked at the VC end.
Last edited by nick470; 05-27-2016 at 12:28 PM.
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