Miata Turbo Forum - Boost cars, acquire cats.

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-   -   pdexta's build: round 3 (https://www.miataturbo.net/build-threads-57/pdextas-build-round-3-a-68244/)

pdexta 12-07-2013 07:34 PM

It's just the wastegate for now. I haven't had any luck figuring out electronic boost control so I'm just planning to do a manual controller later.

18psi 12-07-2013 08:13 PM

what psi spring?

pdexta 12-07-2013 10:11 PM

2 Attachment(s)
I can't remember what color they were, they're the 2 smaller springs. I had trouble getting the boost/afr on the virtual dyno but looks like I figured it out now. Gives you a better idea what's going on, it's 190-195kpa so more like 13psi but not getting there til 4600rpms and still piggy rich.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1386472224

18psi 12-07-2013 10:34 PM

reason I ask is I'm thinking its cracking open early...with a stiffer spring or the mbc I think it will improve significantly

pdexta 12-07-2013 10:57 PM

That makes sense. I assume one big spring would be better than the two smaller springs? It's a pain to swap them out, but I'll give that a try tomorrow. I'm not overly concerned about it right now, but not hitting 8psi until 4000rpms is pretty horrible for a small gtx turbo.

pdexta 12-11-2013 02:12 PM

2 Attachment(s)
Injectors came in today, ID1000's. I've got a few stainless fuel lines/fittings I'm waiting on so I can install the lines, injectors and Fuelab FPR all at once.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1386789141

I added a manual boost controller to see if it would resolve the slow spool issue, it raised the boost but spool was virtually identical. I'm assuming I've just got a bad boost leak somewhere but haven't had time to check for it.

I also saw a video someone posted on facebook of my 1/8th pass I made and realized how horribly pink my hardtop is. I knew it was faded, but I didn't realize how bad it was until I saw what other people are seeing. So I dropped it and the spoiler off a few days ago to get painted. I feel like seeing the fresh paint on a couple pieces will certainly lead to me realizing how faded the rest of the car is, but we'll see how that goes.

I don't know if the video will show for you guys, but here's a link: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=479479902173013 The race was against a "500hp" 35r Sti, he barely edged me out at the line... so I'm thinking it was a ~300hp Sti. :giggle:

Fireindc 12-12-2013 11:10 AM

Content is unavailable :( Dang i'd like to see it too. however 1/8 mile sucks, so no biggie. LOL

Build a i/c boost leak tester, i did on my old setup and found tons of small leaks - i'm sure they added up. Just get some PVC pipes the same diameter as your IC pipes, cap off both ends of your IC setup, drill/tap/jbweld a schrader valve on one end, leave the other end capped, apply pressure, listen for leaks.

Soap/water can help find em too.

Miata99 01-04-2014 01:27 PM

Need moar updates!!! I miss watching all your old YouTube vids. Keep up the good work

pdexta 01-05-2014 07:13 PM

4 Attachment(s)
I'm having problems tuning the car. The AFR readings in Megasquirt are all over the place. I can calibrate the AFR table and get it perfect, drive around and tune the car, then the next time I crank it up it's 1 point or more off what the gauge says. I've done this several times and it seems to change every time I drive the car. I grounded the wideband on the intake manifold, that I read was where the ECU was grounded, but I'm thinking maybe that was the wrong spot now.

It's also building boost really slow. I boost leak tested it and didn't find any significant leaks. I tighted up the vband clamps on the wastegate but no help there either.

It is nice just driving the car around, still on 12-13 psi. I'm trying to take it easy on it til I get all this stuff figured out and get it running on the crank sensor.

Took a couple quick pictures today:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1388967192

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1388967192

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1388967192

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1388967192

Fireindc 01-05-2014 07:32 PM

Well, it sure looks damn nice :).

How slow of spool are we talking here? have you compression tested the engine to make sure all is well there? Obviously running EWG, but is there a boost controller of any kind? Not sure if that helps spool with the EWG, but i know on the internally gated turbos it will.

Also, with the AFR thing are you sure there are no other factors changing there? Weather mainly, i mean. I know I've got some things to figure out with the temp corrections on my tune, I tuned it in the summer and when temperatures dropped sub 40* things were getting wonky on me, and i'm almost certain its the IAT correction table which i've never tuned :giggle:

pdexta 01-06-2014 07:38 AM

You can see boost on the virtual dyno a couple posts up, it's hitting 13psi at ~4600rpms. It feels fine driving around, but I feel like it should be coming on a lot earlier. Right now I don't have a boost controller on it. I put one on about a month ago and it didn't help.

As far as temperature differences it happens all the the time and doesn't seem to be affected by weather. The issue I was referring to is the wideband says 14:1 and tunerstudio says 15:1. Then the next time I drive the car the wideband says 14:1 and tunerstudio says 11:1. I don't think that's something that should be affected by weather. I've had to be really careful with it not to completely botch the tune up when it randomly decides to pull 20% fuel from every cell in the fuel map.

Fireindc 01-06-2014 09:19 AM


Originally Posted by pdexta (Post 1088861)
You can see boost on the virtual dyno a couple posts up, it's hitting 13psi at ~4600rpms. It feels fine driving around, but I feel like it should be coming on a lot earlier. Right now I don't have a boost controller on it. I put one on about a month ago and it didn't help.

As far as temperature differences it happens all the the time and doesn't seem to be affected by weather. The issue I was referring to is the wideband says 14:1 and tunerstudio says 15:1. Then the next time I drive the car the wideband says 14:1 and tunerstudio says 11:1. I don't think that's something that should be affected by weather. I've had to be really careful with it not to completely botch the tune up when it randomly decides to pull 20% fuel from every cell in the fuel map.

I've been there; done that, too! I had a wbo2 sensor fail so don't rule that out. One day it just started pulling fuel like mad with VEAL, until the point the car ran like complete shit and I had to limp it home. Flashed the old tune back on it, and it tried to tell me it was lean as all hell, but the car ran fine. When VEAL tuned the car to my targets, the car ran like shazbot.

The next day, the sensor was reading fine again and I could use it to tune.. but then it happened again randomly and I knew not to trust it.

Replaced the sensor only, and things were back to normal, no idea why it failed or became wonky like that. AEM uego, if it matters. I'm sure they can all fail that way.

shlammed 01-06-2014 10:06 AM

tune it once on the dyno, and then turn off autotune.

18psi 01-06-2014 10:17 AM


Originally Posted by shlammed (Post 1088902)
tune it once on the dyno, and then turn off autotune.

Good advice, except that its TERRIBLE and he definitely shouldn't follow it.

Autotune is doing what his car will try to do in closed loop. So setting it and "forgetting it" by turning off veal (and I'm guessing closed loop ego correction) is a great way to make the car run unstable and rich/lean and destroy itself.

Proper wideband reading and communication is cruicial and must be fixed if it isn't working perfectly. Period.

Fireindc 01-06-2014 10:24 AM


Originally Posted by 18psi (Post 1088906)
Proper wideband reading and communication is cruicial and must be fixed if it isn't working perfectly. Period.

QFT, even if you got WOT tuned in and steady (no ego, and in open loop), you still need a functioning wb02 for 80% of your driving so that it's smooth as butttttah. Also, with that much $$ invested in the car, it would be silly not to have a wbo2 to keep an eye on.

18psi 01-06-2014 10:42 AM


Originally Posted by pdexta (Post 1088861)
You can see boost on the virtual dyno a couple posts up, it's hitting 13psi at ~4600rpms. It feels fine driving around, but I feel like it should be coming on a lot earlier. Right now I don't have a boost controller on it. I put one on about a month ago and it didn't help.

As far as temperature differences it happens all the the time and doesn't seem to be affected by weather. The issue I was referring to is the wideband says 14:1 and tunerstudio says 15:1. Then the next time I drive the car the wideband says 14:1 and tunerstudio says 11:1. I don't think that's something that should be affected by weather. I've had to be really careful with it not to completely botch the tune up when it randomly decides to pull 20% fuel from every cell in the fuel map.

That sounds like a software issue to me. I've experienced that before, but usually only on mspnp's not a ms2 or newer.

What wbo2 are you using? Are you using pre-set calibration or did you "define" the voltage/afr settings?

ScottyP3821 01-06-2014 11:00 AM


Originally Posted by pdexta (Post 1088861)
You can see boost on the virtual dyno a couple posts up, it's hitting 13psi at ~4600rpms. It feels fine driving around, but I feel like it should be coming on a lot earlier. Right now I don't have a boost controller on it. I put one on about a month ago and it didn't help.

As far as temperature differences it happens all the the time and doesn't seem to be affected by weather. The issue I was referring to is the wideband says 14:1 and tunerstudio says 15:1. Then the next time I drive the car the wideband says 14:1 and tunerstudio says 11:1. I don't think that's something that should be affected by weather. I've had to be really careful with it not to completely botch the tune up when it randomly decides to pull 20% fuel from every cell in the fuel map.


I had a similar issue with TS and the LC1. It wasnt as drastic as that but what I did was change the values in the calibration software and select custom sensor in TS. Now the LC-1 and TS are only off by like .1-.2 and that might have something to do with a slight delay. The presets in TS never worked for me.

pdexta 01-06-2014 11:07 AM


Originally Posted by 18psi (Post 1088921)
That sounds like a software issue to me. I've experienced that before, but usually only on mspnp's not a ms2 or newer.

What wbo2 are you using? Are you using pre-set calibration or did you "define" the voltage/afr settings?

It's an AEM. I'm defining the settings since the stock setting was off. I've adjusted it several times getting it just perfect and it seems to stay until the MS is powered off, then it is off again.

It's funny that you mention a software issue because I've had some strange issues with it. One day I opened tunerstudio and got a message that my project was corrupted. I tried to make a new project and it wouldn't let me. I ended up uninstalling and re-installing tunerstudio and it worked fine.

Since then I've had a couple times I'll load a tune and all the gauges in tunerstudio will go nuts (ex. the car is reading 94rpms at idle, wideband is reading 38:1, coolant temp is 352 degrees). I can reload the tune and everything goes back to normal.

I tried to find a new basemap to just start fresh from, but I couldn't find one that matched my firmware or whatever and I get an error message. Maybe I'll try to dig up the install disk that came with the MS and see if I can start clean with that. If you have any other suggestions I'd appreciate it.

18psi 01-06-2014 11:19 AM

I'm not sure, but you might look into re-installing the firmware. It sounds like its definitely not right.

Why not just download the most current firmware, back up your current project/tune, then re-do everything completely fresh with newest firmware, software, and tune using old values in the maps/trims?

Fireindc 01-06-2014 11:20 AM


Originally Posted by pdexta (Post 1088927)
It's an AEM. I'm defining the settings since the stock setting was off. I've adjusted it several times getting it just perfect and it seems to stay until the MS is powered off, then it is off again.

It's funny that you mention a software issue because I've had some strange issues with it. One day I opened tunerstudio and got a message that my project was corrupted. I tried to make a new project and it wouldn't let me. I ended up uninstalling and re-installing tunerstudio and it worked fine.

Since then I've had a couple times I'll load a tune and all the gauges in tunerstudio will go nuts (ex. the car is reading 94rpms at idle, wideband is reading 38:1, coolant temp is 352 degrees). I can reload the tune and everything goes back to normal.

I tried to find a new basemap to just start fresh from, but I couldn't find one that matched my firmware or whatever and I get an error message. Maybe I'll try to dig up the install disk that came with the MS and see if I can start clean with that. If you have any other suggestions I'd appreciate it.

Make sure to try re-flashing the firmware too if all else fails. One morning my car ran like SHIT and I spent frustrating hour after hour with it. Weird things weren't working like the fans wouldn't come on, no matter what i set the temperature to. Reflashing my firmware and re-uploading my known good map fixed it.

Not sure if this is relevant in your case, but i know MS can be a finicky beast.

Edit: vlad beat me to it :P


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