My catch can setup! Ran the engine for a minute and when I opened up the drain valve on the catch can, it made a nice vacuum hiss. Will add some clips to prevent the hose from messing with the throttle cable but overall it feels done.

Routing is:
[Intake Valve Cover] -> [Catch can] -> [PCV] -> [Intake]
[Exhaust Valve Cover] -> [Outward facing check valve to release pressure] -> [atmo]

My thinking is that the stock setup is ideal except for how the exhaust side lets in air. A check valve lets me keep the exhaust side as a safety valve (in case the can somehow stops working, gets full, whatever) but basically allows the stock PCV valve to keep the crankcase at 10-15 in of vacuum most of the time. Any blowby during boost should get quickly evacuated.

 

Without a fresh air source how will it flow out?

 

Is outside air really that important to clearing the crankcase gasses?

My thinking was that if there's blowby, this will increase pressure in the crankcase and this pressure will increase flow towards the catch can (low pressure) from the rings (source of pressure).
If there are volatiles dissolved in the oil, decreasing the pressure will cause them to come out of solution, increasing the pressure in the crankcase... and again generating flow towards the catch can.

If there is nothing but oil and partial vacuum in the crank case, what is there to evacuate?

 

Yes, you want a fresh air source.

 

Removed the check valve, exhaust side just has a breather now. It will probably not maintain any vacuum tho.

Are the two sides of the valve cover separated or something? Is that air forced to travel down to the crankcase and back up to the other side?

 

Yes and no.

 

Holy ****, I had forgotten what it was like to drive in Florida with working AC. It's like I can just drive places and not arrive covered in sweat. (daily driver has AC, I'm being dramatic)

 

I've been procrastinating and putting off fabricating proper supports for the intercooler. Anyway, I think it's time to do that, on account of the zip ties breaking. Fortunately I wasn't going very fast at the time so the damage was minimal.

Good times.

 

Minor update. We had a kid in October, so I'm just now getting the car running this weekend. I basically get to work on the car for an hour or two after my daughter goes to sleep each night. Between work/chores/baby/sleep, I'm stretched very thin.

Things changed:
-oil cooler and thermostat delete. I think the 180 degree thermostat was hurting more than helping at least around town.
-wired an air solenoid up to the intake so that when my radiator fans kick in, the idle will get a little increase to prevent stalling. There is a check valve to prevent it from becoming a boost leak.
-intercooler mounting stuff is no longer zip ties. Lots of sturdy ******* aluminum, thing is rock solid.

future mods
-have all the stuff I need to finish the intercooler/radiator ducting, haven't put it in yet.
-wife is still on board with me getting xidas, so that will hopefully be soon

 

Driving to work the first time in six months:

Tru cool oil cooler and thermostat delete have raised my oil temps from 185-190 to 220. Coolant at the usual 195. I think any oil cooler for daily driver use has to have over 215 thermostat. Can't wait to see how much water is in my catch can.

Putting a voltage regulator with my gauges didn't fix the EGTt gauge flutter at high electrical load.

Edit
Really got a chance to beat on it and do a whole bunch of highway pulls. Coolant got up to 205, oil got up to 240. I'm running the rotella stuff so no worries, but I guess my theory about the low dollar oil cooler doing nothing were wrong. Even tucked out of the airflow with only a tiny spal fan, it kept oil temps in the 180 to 210 range at all times.

I think the coolant temps will be lower once I do the ducting, this is just a baseline to gauge the effects of the ducting. The oil cooler will go back in, but with a higher temp thermostat and its own air supply.

 

Car back on the road this weekend. Also, this arrived today.

 

I was making some ducting with those sturdy aluminum button rivets and my riveter split down the middle of the casing.

Any suggestions for a better quality riveter? I would say this is cheap chinese crap, but it's apparently made in the USA.

 

Clutch master and slave cylinder both decided to leak out all the chocolate milkshake holding them together. 60 bucks later, I have replaced the master, the slave and the curly lines connecting them. Job took like 2 hours in the dark, including an hour spent trying to flush the lines without tightening them down fully.

Original, NA Miata clutch hydraulics, in their natural environment: