350whp generic build thread
 

This is my attempt at a 350whp mid-budget build 😊 I’m 19 so I still have so much learning to do, I hope you guys can give me your criticism in this thread! I don’t want to sound like every naïve teenager on here but I completely understand if you think I do! 😂
BTW I'm Australian, but I'll use Imperial terms for this thread xx I hope this is actually successful and people can use this thread as a resource while studying their own build

Goals:
E85: 350whp+ safe for 6 speed
Pump: 250whp fun on the street

TURBO SETUP

Shooting for 350whp+ Here's my parts I've gathered and will assemble in January

Engine:
99 BP4W, Ebay Rods, Stock Pistons, Hastings Rings, ACL Race Bearings, Boundary Oil Gears, ARP Main Studs, ARP Head Studs, Balanced Assembly, MLS Headgasket, Refreshed head (regrind, seals), Exhintake

Fuel: Injector Dynamics ID1000, Adjustable FPR (Will Run at 72.5psi), DW300 Pump, Flex Sensor

DriveTrain: NB8A 6 Speed, 4kg lightweight flywheel for 1.6, Xtreme Stage 1R (400ftlbs) 3.6 Torsen

Coldside:
Squaretop IM, 64mm Throttle Body, 2.5" IC piping, Ebay medium size Intercooler

Hotside:
Ebay China Taco Taco Manifold, 38mm Wastegate, Mamba GTX2867R Gen 2 with .71 Turbine, 3" Exhaust, Magnaflow Cat and Muffler, Ebay electric bypass

Brakes:
NB8A, Braided Lines

Will be tuning it with my MSPNP2


Approx total inc machine work:

$3600USD… FU**!!


Where it’s at right now

MSPNP2 running N/A on the 1.6l street ‘tuned’ by myself, 15x8 RPF1s, MCA XR coils

I bought and (brutally) molested a wrecked 99 NB for $500, when I bought it, all that remained was the drivetrain and dashboard… Perfect!

BP4W, 1.8 5 speed and 4.1 open diff however…

Rear subframe + diff were swapped into the car + bigger brakes… yippee

Been driving it around like this for about a 1.5 years as I slowly accumulated my parts and I’ve enjoyed it! But it’s time to become a man...
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...7609e05985.jpg

good luck with a 320wtq goal and a 5 speed gear box.

mine sheared 3rd gear at a track day pushing 230wtq

I've got the 6 speed man 😁

oh, my bad, i missed that part.

i just read that you pulled the 5 speed from the wrecked 99.

all good, carry on.

are you planning to run e85? you might need 1000cc injectors for 350hp on e85

Yeah I'd second injectors. I have FF640 and ran out of injectors around 326whp at 60psi fuel pressure. Still fucking fast as hell.

I cannot quickly find my log file but recall calcs that showed my ID1050x’s would have taken me to 460-480 WHP on real E85 which isn’t necessarily on every street corner.

Thanks guys, I'll definitely grab some bigger injectors for e85
Couple things I forgot to mention are I've got toyota cops, from a Yaris, might be on the upgrade list but I'll run them and see how they go

What are your guys thoughts on Exhintake with FI? I've heard mixed things, I have no problem using either, I bought it a while ago thinking I was going to run N/A

That turbo won't make 350whp.

If it's a GTX it will. If it's not then you are correct. GT2860rs is good for maybe 330whp being pushed to the max. The new gtx2860 can probably hit high 300s

Update on part selection
Sacked the 2860rs for a GTX2867 gen 2 CHRA, mamba .71A/R turbine housing and mamba .60AR Compressor housing

Sourced ID1000 injectors from a WRX for $280usd (no miata ev14s up for sale)
I haven't heard of anyone has attempted to adapt ev14 wrx injectors to miata, however I'm confident I can do it... cheap of course!
I purchased 12mm EV14 spacers, which adapt to a 11mm bore (12mm long spacer to compensate for wrx length)
There are several options online, I purchased them from AeroFlow as I'm in Australia, part number AF64-2885
Other options: FlowForce part number FFTHI-4 (32USD)
Five-0 Motorsport part number IMP12X (36USD)
I bought: Aeroflow part number AF64-2885 (17USD)

Cost of gtx2867 gen 2 with my sourced components: $710usd
Cost of ID1000 with spacer solution: $300usd

With these parts, I should be able to have headroom to go 350whp+ on e85, now the stock pistons and damper being the weak link :)

Imo, the exhintake with adjustable cam gears are one of the most overlooked upgrades. I'm curious to hear the downside. I've run it NA and boosted with good results.

Merry Christmas and happy new year!
I'm back home in Australia and I've been busy with this build :likecat:
Here's what I've done today!
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...781958f6d7.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...e120d5556f.jpg
ACL Main bearings and ARP Main studs installed




https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c4f1bb9a80.jpg
Sorry for the lack of photos but:
- installed crankshaft
- installed main caps and checked clearances, all in spec thankfully
- installed the pistons and rods, scary task but no issues even with the crappy ebay compressor. Slight scare as the top ring on the last piston slipped out! I was being gentle with the hammer though and ended up finessing it in by hand!
- installed rod bearings and caps but I'm waiting on a multi point socket to torque it down to spec :sadwavey:

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c7083c4863.jpg
ARP headstuds installed and then I turned my attention to my diff!

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...425b227dc2.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...eecf4b4158.jpg

Took me some learning to use these things haha, never been so precise in my life but an awesome couple tools



https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b858175760.jpg


Here's my preload specs, 185.41mm or 7.299 inches, about 0.005 inches more preload than factory spec

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...1a3537d0f4.jpg

and my backlash is within spec at 0.096mm or 0.0037" but on the tighter end of the spectrum


Next up I will very carefully lift the head onto the block! It's coming along alot faster than expected and shoutout the the machine shop who balanced my stuff in 1 day before christmas!

Been very busy with this thing, I'll let the photos do the talking
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...2845797dde.jpg
Head installed and sump ready for install
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...7c4f26e43f.jpg
Oil and water lines 99% complete
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c2e4c5cd93.jpg
Had a 1.8 IM gasket laying around but was for 94-97 so made my own with some gasket paper
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8e163b220c.jpg
WRX ID1000's with the 12mm spacers fit perfectly like a stock injector! Also got my oil tee installed
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...fe66365fc6.jpg
Made a bracket for my Toyota Yaris COP 's
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...468b2dfc7b.jpg
I tried making the pigtails myself but gave up and ordered them on amazon
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...de6f421470.jpg
The 1.6 entire drivetrain ready to drop with the help of Pirate

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8a50be743a.jpg
Front bumper removed for the subframe to roll out
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...510568bcc6.jpg
A good impact gun makes easy work out of the hub bolts torqued to 400,000 ft lbs, handbrake wasn't even on
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5e524aea92.jpg
The old 1.8 4.1 Open diff ready for swapping (I already have nb rear subframe)
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b45b4cdcb9.jpg
Definitely recommend finding a friend if you're gonna drop the front subframe, but did it alone and didn't die which is definitely a good thing
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...20e140a188.jpg
Whole drivetrain is out! Time to remove some unnecessary stuff

Front nb subframe engine and gearbox is next!

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...97717b5b46.jpg
NB drivetrain complete!
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...7f2442f0ad.jpg
Seeing this in the car makes me very excited... I think I'm gonna cream my pants when I drive it
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f037bdd902.jpg
Ebay Radiator installed
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8a413e2b2f.jpg
Terrible photo but 3.6 torsen is in F**K the 1 piece shafts are insane to install! Managed to superman thrust it in somehow after losing my mind for 30 mins
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...55aecb89a3.jpg
DW300 install
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c670b98f34.jpg
Thought I'd find some sneaky rust but to my surprise the fuel tank looks brand new
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f480ae2dcf.jpg
Plug and play with 90-93 chasis, will see if I need to hardwire the pump though

Next up I have to finish wiring, fuel lines then start this thing up hopefully this week

You'll really want to hardwire that pump. What fuel regulator are you using?

I'll most likely end up hardwiring it so it's not a problem on the dyno, I'm using just a generic ebay style afpr with the stock 1.6 fpr upside down. I plan to run 73.5 psi base pressure

I wouldn't skimp on the dampener. You'll need a strong clutch plate. I presume you'll do a coolant reroute. Looks like fun!

I would have loved a damper but just didnt make the budget, I do have the be billet oil pump gears and balanced internals so hope the harmonics aren't too bad

Clutch is rated to 405ft lbs but we'll see if it's dailyable, its an Xtreme KMZ20002-1R, 4 puck sprung

This build is nice. Sub'd

Just been knocking out little things step by step, started on the exhaust making a 3" downpipe (extreme noob)

FPR and fuel system complete, mounted on the overflow tank, never even seen a drop of coolant in it
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3ec0e6175e.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d7b619730e.jpg
Looks pretty good here, prepare your eyes for the welded version
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...36a08a447e.jpg
Clears the wall nicely
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...91c0d53524.jpg
First time welding pls dont make fun of me hahaha

My welds were getting a little bit better at the end when I realised I didn't have to drown the puddle with filler rod

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...4d4953185f.jpg
Finally got the downpipe 99% complete, just need to throw the o2 bung in

I have a new found appreciation for those who can tig weld, this thing looks like a mess!

I like the frankensteinish look :giggle:

I know i couldn't do that, so probs to you for building this thing

Long time no see
 

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a9abacbbae.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a5de578fa8.jpg
Back at it again after being overseas and coronavirus letting me finish what I started here. Got the exhaust 95% complete, just have to add some hangers and swap my bumper out for a cut one I have.

This week I'll route the intercooler piping and go for the first start soon!

Quick update here, after testing oil pressure to the turbo feed I found coolant mixing with the engine oil! Not too much but even after a couple engine flushes there is still coolant mixing with the oil... I've ordered a new OEM head gasket hoping this fixes the issue otherwise im thinking the turbo is internally leaking

I'm Not an engineer, but I think you'll be fine with that turbo at 350whp. I have a Garrett 2876R and my motor is low compression at ~8.5:1
The build was intended to make 350whp on 93 octane pump gas. To do that and have fairly quick spool was the goal.

It does what it was intended to do and makes 350 whp on 93 pump gas with VERY low timing. Boost is at 28psi to do this. Full boost is around 3800. If already cruising at higher rpm and flooring it, full boost is very quick. I drive the car at 10/10ths at some point every time I drive it. I take very good care of it and maintain it but I drive it hard. It has been dead reliable and has not broken anything to date.

six speed trans, flyin Miata stage 1 happy meal. (So far so good at 328wtq) and Torsen 4.10

I like your build direction...I think you'll be very happy with it when done..

Wow it's been a while since I updated this thing!

I ended up changing that headgasket to OEM and it fixed my problem.

I redid the downpipe and routed an external wastegate dump and... Got it tuned! (sort of)

I got it remote tuned by Yianni @merlotmx5, and it idles great, just need to dial in the autotune.
The car is ROWDY! I need to actually turn the boost down, max boost I've logged is 280kPa ... 26PSI
I don't know how much power its making, I have yet to truly plant my foot and let it rip through the gears.
The butt dyno tells me its about as fast as my 135i, when I change the wastegate spring and get boost control going I'll be sure to get a virtual dyno run in. For now its too risky I just have no clue if its gonna send all the boost if I put my foot down 🤣

It makes some beautiful noises, it has scared me a couple times when the intercooler pipes blow off. My girlfriend has some good clips in the passenger seat Ill link


sorry for the lack of pictures I'll be sure to get some content when i fix the boost "problems"
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9343219425.jpg

Filmed this clip on the go pro on a quiet backroad (actually a private racetrack)

i will get that full throttle, redline pull soon!

Good tuner choice, Yianni is great at what he does :)

Just wanted to say congrats man! Looks awesome.

This list of parts is also extremely useful to have around ;)

2 hours trip to an mx5 meet
 

I drove the car up to Brisbane , Australia last weekend to meet up with all the other mx5 degens. I was extremely nervous as this was the first time I was driving out of a 20km radius (I can get a free tow within 20km). To my relief it drove great and temps were perfect, which was a huge confidence booster. Logged the whole drive too so got lots of good data.

fingers crossed over Easter I can get it into the paint shop for a respray

here’s a couple pics from the meet

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9dcbad9b4.jpeg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...07950ca43.jpeg

Oh hey man, I met you on Saturday morning at the parking lot. I have the silver SE with the EFR6258. Your car is coming along well!

Nice looking ride man! Sounds like a beast.

Hey man! You found my thread haha, I’m jealous of your turbo, really nice build

I have another update

This whole time I've been running an NA6 alternator with the NB8A pulley. TBH I never had any problems with it, my voltage with the na6 alternator was around 13.2v running, maybe a little bit low? what's your thoughts? anyways to the point!

60A wasn't doing it for me, I managed to find an EL series ford falcon alternator for $70 usd rated at 110Amps. I had to change the stock positive terminal eye connector to a larger size, and one of the pulley ribs is unused, but other than that its plug and play.

I say I never had any problems with the NA6 alternator because I thought it was the cause of my weird idle problems. Sometimes I start up the car and fuels lean, or sometimes its rich, even sometimes driving it just decides not to idle. I've had the thing tuned and thought it was due to inconsistent battery voltage. I now suspect its the DW700 injectors I chose... I've heard hundreds of bad things about these injectors and I'm ready to finally give in.

Theres a set of 640cc flow forces up for sale for $220 usd and I'm gonna grab those! I simply cant justify spending $500 usd for IDX1050s even though I really want them. I also would rather be safe than sorry, especially with how hard it is to get my hands on another 6 speed if this one blows. I suspect with the flow forces and my fuel pressure to be able to hit maybe 300whp. I hope you all still love me, and I'm gonna max out the flow forces regardless. Im looking forward to some drivability because tbh I dont like taking the car trips more than 20kms at the moment!

Nice looking ride man! Sounds like a beast.

Fully sending it today with 100% throttle full boost tuning. Man the thing builds boost like a monster once the turbo starts spooling!

Hit a new (personal) record of 303kpa (29 PSI?) without any boost duty at 70% throttle. I better swap in a smaller spring before I blow the engine up LOL. Either the spring in there is just crazy stiff, or im getting some crazy boost spike (Ebay wastegate BTW). I'm still conservative on ignition timing until I get fuel and boost dialled in. I'd rather mess with that on a dyno, but good lord she gets down.

Heres how I've been going about tuning my fuel table at high boost. I start with something obviously rich, hit auto tune, it'll touch the rich cells and it acts like a little rev limiter lol. It will take some fuel out, enough for me to interpolate the cells around it, and eventually creep up from 10AFR to my target ~ 11.2 AFR. It's tedious but I am running stock pistons with some OEM piston rings.

At this point I'm still running the DW700 injectors, DW300LPH fuel pump and my fuel pressure is 5 bar or 72.5psi. Idle is rough, inconsistent and hard to tune.I'm waiting to bite the bullet on the FF640cc and I'm also looking into building a trubo kitty MS3X instead of mspnp2. Some luxuries like sequential ignition and table switching would be really nice as I already have en ethanol sensor and COP setup.

Smaller things I have planned first are:

Fixing the annoying exhaust rattle caused by the eBay 3 inch exhaust cutout -> just apply high temp gasket maker to where the shaft seals (not perfect but stops the metal on metal rattle, 80% good enough)

Tinting all windows with ceramic tint (I've had it unopened in the box for 3 years so hopefully it's still good)
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...76eaf0eead.png

great thread - im also in aus (ACT) have you got it painted yet? taco taco still holding up? hows the clutch to daily??

Havent got it painted yet, I will probably end up wrapping it myself when I get some time

Taco taco is still holding up fine, never had any issues with it

The clutch is really light, amazing while driving, but needs revs to get it going. The lightweight flywheel adds a bit of complexity to the mix as well. I would buy it again for the pedal feel and how it feels while driving. (pedal weight it like stock maybe even lighter)

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9e29e64be7.png
painted valve cover wrinkle black
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...af260650ab.png
new wheels - konig hypergrams 15x9 wrapped in 225/45 rs4s

New wheel and tyre setup
I loved the RPF1s but I was getting a little bored so bought these 15x9 konig hypergrams, +35 from memory.
pokes out a little further than the 15x8 +25 setup but didn't need a re roll - full steering lock, highly recommend
These are wrapped in 225/45 hankook rs4s, initially impressions are it hooks up waaay better really happy with the wheel and tire setup
wheels: $1300AUD (~$850 usd)
tyres: $750AUD (~$500 usd)

Got a catch can setup to address the crank case pressure.
Before this i was running an open air breather on the hot side and the gtx turbo valve on the cold side.
Now I have a catch can intercepting the cold side and still running the breather on the right (the clear tube is temporary was just curious if anything was coming out)
So far so good with this setup, if needed I'll widen the holes and plug some AN fittings in.

Gave the car a much needed polish
looks a lot better and hopefully it'll last for at least a couple months
I think I'm going to try wrap it myself, starting with the roof which is in terrible condition

Your catch can setup on the cold side - it looks like you have turbocharged your catch can with boost?

lol, thats exactly where i installed my catch can.
i thought i was the only one :)


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...2fb246025e.png

I was scratching my head for a bit, but because I'm using a PCV valve I should be good.

Boost will never actually make it into the valve cover because the valve operates one way

and the catch can will do its job by catching any oil while the engine is under vacuum (when the pcv valve is open)

please correct me if im wrong!

Skuse: You're still going to run up to 2 bar of boost from inlet manifold to catch can to PCV at all times on boost. It doesn't seem a great idea and I'd expect it will make a fair mess if something pops off or fails. Doubt the catch can wants to be at 2 bar.

i would completely separate the oil form the manifold, if you really need those gases back, install a line to before the turbo.
you gonna have a bad time, PVC valves are not designed for that amount of boost!

you aren't wrong, just not ideal.

completely separate both as i did.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...52948df509.png

Thanks guys, I'll switch it up - you're right sending boost into the catch can doesn't seem right. Maybe with a small amount of boost you could get away with it.
I love what's going on in your engine bay Alejo


Did a few things over the weekend
- 3 inch intake
- Properly de-powered steering rack
- Wheel alignment
- Ordered some wrap

The intake is a small thing that's really made the car that much more enjoyable to drive. At first I installed a 2.5 inch 90 degree aluminium intake and the sound was hilarious; a little too much for me. It sounded like a VL Commodore Dosing. Decided to change it to a shorter 3 inch intake and now the sound way nicer. I'll get a sound clip when I take it out on the road next time.

I de-powered the steering rack - I originally just looped the lines on an NB power steering rack but it always felt unnecessarily heavy, like another 300kg got added to the car. It was something I knew I cut corners on so I got back in there, plugged up the ports and cut the ring off the shaft. I saw a lot of debate online about welding the pinion or not, I decided to weld it (beginner welder, just took my time and feels fine).

My alignment was way out of whack after putting it together so I got an alignment. I'm waiting to hear back from a guy who is selling DIY rear camber plates for $100, so I can have more tire on the road so if they come through I will probably have to go to the alignment shop again.

Lastly yep I bought some wrap, it could be the best or worst decision I've made we'll have to wait and see. I went with CYS Soul Red, I wanted to get something half decent but wasn't prepared to fork out the money for Avery. The wrap cost me about $600 USD for 1.5m x 18m (5ft x 60ft). I spent ~ $150 on wrap supplies (magnets, blades, heat gun etc.)


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b1954ed6c7.png

You may need to provide a translation for our Murican viewers ...

I use modified uppers with a stock suspension adjuster on the RUCA-O location - bags of adjustment. MX5 Mania sell them, on an exchange basis IIRC.

Looks like you're using the Mishimoto catch can? If so it is sealed and designed to handle boost. If you're concerned you could just add a good quality check valve before it so no boost reaches it if you wanted to keep the PCV operation.

Haha love me a good VL turbo dose. Needs more mullet though

Re: catch can and boost. Just put a 1/2“ check valve between the manifold and the catch can and you're good to go. Pcv is safe and idle crankcase vacuum is preserved.

Really? Thats amazing! The guy was using the same technique with the adjustment washer

Do you know how many degrees adjustment it gives you?

Thanks everyone for your input

Wrap arrived a few days ago and I was super eager to get started. I bought a hardtop second hand (when they cost a finger instead of a leg) and the paint has always been terrible... to say the least. It's almost embarrassing to drive with this travesty on my car so I'm both relieved and excited no one has to witness it anymore! Spent the best part of 8 hours sanding back the 'paint'. Sometimes it would loosen back into liquid form and I'd have to replace the sandpaper, but rather therapeutically I got it done. If the science behind those weight loss vibration machines backed up their claims, my right hand should be a lot lighter now (I have serious doubts though). Anyways lol, I'm very happy with how easy the wrap is to work with. It wont stretch unless you hit it with the heatgun, it doesn't show small imperfections in the paint, and I haven't been able to tear it yet, and i've been really pulling on it. Really happy with the color too.

Time it took to wrap bonnet:
30 mins prep: wipe off dust, clean with instant detail + claybar, finish with solvent
4hrs to wrap

It isn't perfect, but unless you really look for the imperfections they don't catch your eye. That's good enough for me :)

I'll keep you guys posted with wrap updates, I really just want to button this thing up before resuming with the performance upgrades.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8fb037e2c7.png
Hardtop paint was absolutely f**ked, looked like it was painted with a shower head
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...99160af1fe.png
Bought a cheap random orbital sander and went to work with 120 grit
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...cfa7058ce7.png
Finished sanding with 240 grit
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5c95447460.png
Wrapped bonnet and headlight covers

Was that Q directed to me re the RUCA-O solution?

The answer is I don't know, but it is additive, you can set up both to max the neg camber. I normally use the RUCA adjustment because it is one button rather than two, unless toe needs a tweak when the inners are used, and have never experimented to see what is possible at the extreme end.

Nice build I want to do something very similar with using stock pistons. You say you used 99 stock pistons? How many miles were on those? Did you swap the oil pump gears if so was that a difficult task?

This thing still on?
I tend to get these motivating periods to work on the car every few months, I thought this time I should document what I'm up to!

Updates:
The wrap has been at about 80% complete for a couple months, some panels are definitely better than others, the hardest part to wrap has easily been the GV panel. If you can get a friend to help with the big panels (rear quarters, hood) do it. But its not impossible to do by yourself.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...22bcf03ceb.jpg

New Parts
I splashed out on some parts recently...
I touched on the inconsistent tune on my car, sometimes it would idle hunt and change with the outside temperature. I put this down to two things: Lack of sensors to calculate proper fuel in megasquirt and bad injector data for DW700 (mostly dead times). To remedy these issues, the obvious thing to do would be fix the exhaust leak and reach out to deatschwerks for some better injector data.

So naturally I got rid of the megasquirt and injectors 😬
I upgraded to a Link G4X with 1000cc injectors and complimented the setup with a canbus lambda sensor 🤠.
It is a little scary jumping out of the megasquirt eco system, but it makes sense given Link is a local brand and their ECU is very capable and somewhat affordable.
I also upgraded the flex fuel sensor to a link sensor, I dont think this will make a difference but it should be more reliable than the ebay unit I was using.
(I have to say though, the ebay unit gave me consistent readings over the 3+ years and I will definitely be keeping it as a spare).
Mounted it under the fuse box
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...4b1b0c2790.jpg



A local shop called MotorsportTuningSolutions 3D prints these enclosures for G4Xs (and probably any other ecu that fits the stock enclosure) for a really reasonable price too at $100 aud ($65 usd). He has an online store too and if the mx5 enclosure isnt on the website, reach out to him and tell him I sent you! I've been toying with the idea of mounting it in the unused airbag compartment for stealthy and easy access.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...730a0232e5.jpg
Side note: I actually had a lot of trouble finding an ECU enclosure because I threw mine out when I got the megasquirt. People were giving them away for free back then. Now the cheapest stock ecu I could find was $200 aud 🤯.

The link and megasquirt calculate fuel in pretty much the same way, and a big part of the equation is the fuel pressure and fuel temperature. Flex fuel sensors have a fuel temp sensor built in, so provided you mount it somewhere close to the fuel rail you dont need to buy an extra temp sensor. Installing the pressure sensor should be pretty straight forward; I plan on intercepting a fuel line close to the rail with a T fitting. The injectors I got are raceworks INJ-505-11 1000cc, they have decent injector data and were a bit more affordable than the ID1050x's. They're also an aussie brand and are pretty popular here. They need a USCAR adapter to be plug and play. So with those changes, I'm hoping for a really consistent idle no matter the outside temperature.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...990dc174b4.jpg
Oh and I got a dog, this is bear 🐻


Engine bay cleanup
I deleted the adjustable FPR to clean up the engine bay, I'm actually a little confused since I was running the stock FPR along with the adjustable one, was the AFPR actually doing anything? Usually you would delete the stock FPR right? Don't know how I skipped over that detail 😂

I did a little wire tuck on the cold side, this involved cutting out a couple slots in the fender to route the harness through and extending the wiring for TPS and IAC valves. I might do the same to the hot-side as it really does make the engine bay a lot cleaner.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...cc0466eeae.jpg


Currently re-routing the fuel hoses so they dont go over the intake manifold like in the previous setup. And bought a black 3 inch to 2.5 90 degree silicon coupler to replace the blue one I currently have. Going to probably re-route the catch can to a stealthier place too. I feel like I kinda neglected the appearance of the engine bay when I installed things the first time. Should be done in the next update I post, but here's where things stand at the moment!
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3a0197069e.jpg
Looking ugly as at the moment but trust the process 😌


Whats next?
Once the ecu is installed and the wrap is complete, I want to take it to the dyno. I'll be getting it tuned by the same guy I got the ECU enclosure from. In the meantime, I imagine I'll need to spend a bit of time getting familiar with the link ecu software and there are some small electronic things I want to fix up like hardwiring the fuel pump, but this car will move! I'll post some updates as a complete some tasks! Sorry to leave you hanging

Hey man build seems to be going great. Any more pics of your car with the wrap? I've been thinking about wrapping my car in a similar color.

i thought link was a UK ecu? whats the price for one in AUS? alot more than my speeduino i bet...

They are Nzedders actually. I'll dig out my invoice and PM you the bad news ...

Bear in mind these are pnp, and up there with high end Haltech Elites ...

i picked mine up for $1400 AUD on sale just the ECU though. I got the CAN lambda kit, ethanol sensor and 2 expansion looms for a total of $950 aud. You could totally get away with just getting 1 expansion loom so you can connect a serial wideband.

i don’t have any good ones yet! I’ll be sure to take some next time it’s out of the garage. It’s similar to soul red but isn’t as deep as a red.


Update
“Wire tuck” is pretty much done, I just have to figure out the catch can routing and temporarily re install the washer bottle. I saw a nice setup using an eBay washer bottle I’ll post it up when I find it again

here’s the before vs after, huge different and very much recommend doing it

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f208d8533.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...38646ddac.jpeg

ethanol sensor and fuel pressure sensor are tucked in under the fuse box, rerouted the fuel hoses to go behind the intake manifold and got a new connector for the throttle body

I’ll probably end up mounting the catch can on the hot side of the firewall to keep those big hoses out the way

You have to be a masochist to use MegaSquirt.
Welcome to the Link family and modeled fueling. I tried megasquirt and didn't even make it all the way through setup before I gave up on it.