A few things I learned (and some I should have known better) while putting that 5-speed into my NB1;

1. Make sure that you have all of the necessary bolts. Two of the six pressure plate bolts "left the building" so I had to make a quick trip to Lowes Racing Supply to get what I needed. I'll replace those (one day) with OEM bolts.
2. Check the fitment of EVERYTHING before slapping a new part into your car. I discovered that the bolt holes for the NB1 starter are ever so slightly off. I was tearing my hair out - figuratively - trying to get the second bolt in, only to find out that it was about 1/8 inch off. So now the starter is hanging on y two bolts.
3. Check the bolt holes for the clutch slave cylinder while the trans is out of the car. It's Much easier to drill and tap an Easy-Cert where the previous owner butchered one of the holes. I opted for the "****-it and tap for the next larger bolt size (this is where a hoarder's cache of assorted nuts and bolts comes in handy).
4. Did you know that transmission fluid will ALWAYS find the nearest upholstered surface no matter how you prepare and take precautions?
5. I never thought how much I would miss the Miata Roadster "short" angled shifter until I laid hands on the stock 5-speed shifter. It is like shifting a mushroom.

ANYWAY, The new-to-me trans is in as well as the ACT clutch (which restored faith in my ability to modulate clutch engagement). So far, the pedal effort feels only moderate-heavy and the feel is smooth and progressive. ME LIKE!

I'll be driving this until my original trans gets rebuilt.

 

So you got the XTSS?

I loved the smooth engagement and the absolute certainty that MF'er was gripping when I released the pedal.

 

I did indeed get the XTSS and I love the engagement! I haven't done any WOT pulls - I'll save that for when I get the 6-speed back in the car. But so far, so good.

 

Okay "...query me this Batman...": For years I've been running an alternator from a FD RX7 and it has been over-charging the battery in the car, subsequently ruining several batteries over the course of those years. To be able to start the car, I've wired in a plug-in port where I can attach a jump box to temporarily supply enough "oomph" to start the car. I recently decided to rectify that problem by fixing what was wrong and am now getting a solid 14.5V from the alternator. With that resolved, I decided to get a generic replacement for the tired, old battery thinking that FINALLY I could start the car without the jump box.

After leaving the battery on a trickle charger overnight, I tried a cold-start this morning. With the new battery in, the car would crank but not start. When I plugged in the jump box, the engine felt like it was cranking faster (but the attached datalog doesn't seem to support that) and would start. There HAS to be some kind of voltage/current thing going on that I'm not seeing in the data. "Eletrical stuff" is NOT my forte and I freely admit that it has been (and is) a constant source of frustration for me. So I'm asking is wiser heads could weigh in and point me in the right direction.

The battery-only cold start is at 34-ish seconds in the datalog and the jumbox-assisted start is at 40-ish seconds in.

I've lived with using the jumbox for 5 or 6 years, so if I'm stuck with it, no worries. I just would like to understand what I'm missing. MSQ and log are attached.

 

Looking at this now.

What injectors? Wired for seq fuel? What coils? Base fuel pressure? Fuel type?

 

Try this, prob an improvement in a few areas.

But need the prev questions answered to prob totally fix it.

 

Injectors: ID1050, batched, AMP EFI coils - batch fire. I'll have to check the fuel pressure (I think 45 psi, but that's just a guess) on a converted full-return system. Fuel: 93 octane 10% ethanol.

FWIW (if it makes any difference); EFR 6758 on a Kraken hi-mount. 3-in exhaust all the way back. Degreed, cam wheel w/ 0* on the intake and 1* on the exhaust (exhintake cam swap). Let me know if you need anything else.

 

Why batch on injectors? They are wired batch? Can you fix that? It will help a lot.

Coils are the IGN1A version, right?

 

I think he meant the coils are batch

 

Assuming they are wired batch (?), try this. I adjusted a dozen diff things I thought needed it. Should run/drive/idle better. May need to tune fuel as I messed with req fuel, injector deadtimes, and ignition.

 

Neither the injectors nor coils are sequential - I have yet to re-wire either fro sequential. Yes, the coils are the IGN1A versions.

I'm checking out your changes and we'll see what happens.

 

If this is a nb1 (I’ve lost track), it should already be sequential fuel. Is it a 1.6 harness? That’s the only one that’s batch from the factory.

 

By Jove! I think he's got it!

I put in your changes without the adjustment to the req fuel, injector size and VE table and she started without the jumpbox. I'll keep it around for "security" but it's nice to know that it's not necessary.

Yes, it's (basically) a NB1 with a NB1 harness. I was operating under the assumption that the injectors were "batched". I've had that "Sequential On" set to "Off" since my MS2 days. Are you telling me that I can run semi- (or Full-)sequential without re-wiring my injectors?

Enlighten me...

 

Correct, only the 1.6 manuals were batch injection. 1.6 autos and 94-05s were all sequential injection. 89-05s were batch fire ignition though. MS2 might have only utilized 2 injector drivers, but they're wired from the factory as sequential.

 

I'm going to "flip the switch" RIGHT NOW ("Full", or "Semi"?)! I needed an excuse to do more fuel tuning!

EDIT: OMFG! All these years and I've been scared of sequential fueling FOR NO DAMNED GOOD REASON!!

 

Nice!

You should see improvements in other areas too. MPG, idle, idle stability, power not in boost, low end torque.

If you're now full sequential, make sure to enable the injector timing table. I set it up, but couldn't enable it with batch.

 

Just set injector timing to 360 unless you're running giant injectors or exotic fuels.

 

I had no idea that the ITT even existed. Then I read this thread and my head exploded. Until I get an understanding of what this is about, I'll use DIY's "default" table until my head stops spinning.

Until then, I've got some fueling changes to make.

 

[A Cautionary Tale]

Just when you get all puffed up and think, "I've got this Megasquirt thing all figured out. I'm a genius!", your car says "Not so fast Buckaroo"

If you saw some of my other "Mystery..." threads, you know I've come across - and solved, with help from a few friends here, some pretty strange problems And I was feeling really full of myself - to the extent that I didn't even bother to make any datalogs for the past few days. But my car threw me for a loop this morning.

The drive into work today was uneventful - almost boring - until I got within blocks of work and all of the sudden the idle jumped from it's normal 950-ish up to about 1800! Of course, I thought "vacuum leak" but a cursory inspection when I go to the parking lot didn't show any disconnected, or cracked vacuum lines. So I decided to let the car cool off until lunch time so I could do a more thorough inspection.

So I went out at noon and disconnected each line and performed the "blow-test" and found no leaks. Just as I was about the curse the car-gods I decided to wiggle the connector on the idle air valve, in case that circuit (or the valve itself) had failed and was stuck open. What I found was worse...the IAV was loose on the TB - hanging on for dear life!

Well, that was the source of a massive leak and the reason why the idle shot up like it did. Of course, Saturday I had cleared out all of the tools that I had been carrying around for the past ??? months, so I had nothing to work with. And I didn't want to drive the car the 10 miles or so back home and risk that the screws would let loose entirely and have the IAV fall into the belts (or worse). So I will be getting an Uber to retrieve some tools and do a parking lot repair (with some red Loctite on the IAV screws).

So, in true Project Manager form, I have a "Lessons Learned" list;

1. Never drive around without a nominal tool kit.
2. A "pre-flight inspection" doesn't hurt, even if it seems like a PITA.
3. Leave the "big-head" at home - sh*t happens when you least expect it.

So...until the next episode of "This is takin' FOREVER!!"

 

It's been a while...time flies when you're having fun!

Anyway, after my latest fiasco with a blown head gasket caused by an apparent overheating incident (partially documented here), I am now faced with re-setting the valve lash because I was experiencing some clatter prior to the HG failure. I discovered that 6 out of 8 of the exhaust valves are out of spec (and one, was monstrously out), and three of the intake vales were out (one was badly out) of spec. so now I am faced with a stop-gap "shim shuffle" until I can get some replacements.

So now I'm singing that old song "Where Have All The Valve Shims Gone?" (to the tune of "Where Have All The Flowers Gone?"). That old favorite, Precision Shims out of Australia, seems to still be in business. But who wants to wait until that boat comes into port! There's a place in Phoenix (Phoenix Specialty) that will make custom shims. But I have no idea of their quality, or pricing (I sent off for a quote just for ***** an giggles).

Anyone else have any suggestions?

PS - about 10 years ago, or so, there was a guy on M.net that was supposed to be setting up a "shim exchange". The idea was that he would take in your unused shims into a "reserve". Then when someone needed a specific size, he would exchange what you have for what you needed - if he had it. It sounded like a good idea, but I don't know if it ever came to fruition.