boosted Miata dies, often.
 

So every time my brother calls me, he starts by telling me that my Miata died on the road. I'm in the Marines so he calls 2 or 3 times a week and every time the same ol story. Hes going to change the fluid, spark plugs and wires, but if thats not what it needs... then whats next? he said the boost spiked up to almost 20 lbs once (according to the random boost gauge) any thoughts?

All this info came from the seller, i just got it this month.

This is 1996 mazda miata m edition it has the 1.8l 4cyc, 5 speed tras, limited slip rear diff
It has a custom top mount turbo kit
header is custom made for the Td05 14b and evo3 housing runs to a 2.5in down pipe to a 3in straight pipe
front mount intercooler and 450cc injectors
all this is controlled by AeM Fic piggy back, laptop tuned and innvative wide band o2
it has aluminium radaitor and coolant reroute 160f thermastate to ensure it can hold up in 100f temps
adj dual stage boot controller set at 9psi street and 15psi strip flip of switch
adj fuel pressure reg

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1327196977

That setup is ghetto as ----. Why the hell are his coil packs randomly sitting there? What on earth?

All his problems are probably due to the piss-poor bandaid engine engine management. Tell him to man up and get a standalone ECU.

The more I stare at it, the more I scratch my head. :bowrofl:

I must admit, that oil feed is impressive in a ghetto sort of way.

At least he has a reroute. I think.

I'm hesitant to say it, but it looks like you need to add one more noodle in the cluster ---- pasta dish that is your engine bay. That hose needs to go from your cold side intercooler pipe to the idle valve below the throttle body.

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

So aside from the cold side to the idler and the razz about how ghetto my set up is, anyone else have any ideas for the car?

I already told you what's wrong, but since you can't read, I highlighted your pieces of shite issue items.

Get a standalone and a manual boost controller off ebay. Profit.

I'm not unable to read, I am just new to the turbo scene so i am trying to figure it out. Thanks for the help though. You made some good points though i will work on it.

It could be half a dozen things, all of which are related to the "razz" you've already gotten. It could be a loose connection in the exposed wire nuts that are apparently holding the injector wiring together. It could be a loose coil pack connection from the coil packs that are free-balling in the engine bay. It could be major engine damage from the (possibly) garbage tune or the (probably) excessive boost. It could be that the engine was blown before you got the car.

Here's my advice:
1. Tell your brother to get his own goddamn car
2. Once you get home, check the AFRs at full boost to ensure they are safe (11.8:1 or richer at full boost, anyone who says otherwise blows up engines for a living)
3. Go through the car and fix the ghetto. Clean up the injector/coil wiring, get a standalone system, and get a decent tune on the car.

Any chance you (he) would just return it to stock and start over with the right stuff? I'm thinking a Begi kit, it'd be relatively cheap and probably much much more reliable then your current setup.
I'd be scared to let my brother drive my car, let alone fix any problems it may have, he's 3rd phase at PI right now btw.

EDIT:
Here is the kit I'm thinking of http://www.bellengineering.net/produ...roducts_id=395

wait, is that radiator even mounted to anything?

....Where the hell is the front of the car :rofl:

You've got your work cut out for you dude.

Wait, is that a zip tie on your compressor to hold your wastegate?

I like the fancy oil line to the turbo.
No need to start all over, but re-do all the "done" jobs.
Also learn to do troubleshooting.
1. Car stalls.
2. Check for spark.
3. Check for injection pulse.
4. check if pump is running when crancking.
5. Check fuel pressure.
6. Check if the engine is getting air.
If all there, engine should run. If not, check ignition timing.
If the engine got to much fuel, get new plugs in. Engine won't run on wet spark plugs.

Problems must be in the wiring. Look at the state of those "joints". They are designed for indoor Solid coper wires. Not for automotive use. You might be lucky. If just one injector (partly) fails you will blow a hole in the piston.
Redo the wiring (in a proper way) and get a decent MS2 + wideband. Get it tuned, or learn how to yourself.

Be carefull. The turbo act as a oxygen pump. Oxygen speeds up distruction is a very impressive way.

What an awful car, lol.

Don't waste money on fluid/spark plugs/wires/etc..

SELL.

Get a stock miata.
Save up and modify it correctly.
Profit.

Someone who knows quite a bit more about miatas then I'm guessing you do will have a horrible time sorting that out. There is a lot wrong and that is just from 1 picture of the engine.

OMG, how could it possibly go wrong

I am amazed at how terrible some of these "projects" are, and yet they're still selling and people are still buying. Holy s***
I hope you paid no more than about 500 bux for that car

See how you're MAF is so close to the compressor inlet? Yeah that can make it a bitch to drive. I know because a) I read it on here and b) I did it myself just for a second. I don't know everything behind it. But I believe the air is turbulent there and can mess up the readings. Leading it to run very rough/stall when you come to a stop. You probably won't noticed it as you're driving, just coming to a stop.

Oohhhh I get it now.

the one on the left looks better:giggle:

That looks like fun. Let me try:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1327196977

vs.

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...10403-1916.jpg

Where is the BOV on this thing? I bet that is the issue as it isn't recirculating, so it's F'n with the MAF causing it to run like $hit.

HornetBall...that photo is a great example of a BOV recirculating to compressor inlet...
However...
Are you seriously running a nonintercooled setup?

Hornetball like a bauce.

I just saw the WI unit...

I'm running with WI and no IC for now. That will probably change in the future. For a lower-powered build (running about 9psi and 180HP right now), there are some pros to going this way. It is a safe build. Have put 12,000 miles on it pretty much without issue, including the hottest Texas Summer since 1930.

Really, I think what we're trying to get across to OP is the importance of quality and craftsmanship. It's not just for looks . . . it's for reliability. T-bolt clamps, adel clamps, pipe beads, carefully thought-out routings, quality wiring, heat protection, etc., etc.

basically not making your engine bay look like "snakes on a plane"

Yeah, I'd add at least 8" of pipe between the maf and compressor inlet.
Properly wire in the injectors.
Mount the coilpacks. They like to be grounded.
Get a manual boost controller.
Don't let your brother drive it anymore.
Go over all the IC clamps and make sure you've got a nice airtight seal.
I really hope that your wastegate actuator is not mounted to the turbo with zipties. But if it is, fix that too.

Turn down the boost to like 5-6psi, get it running good and slowly turn it up while paying careful attention to your CALIBRATED wideband sensor and add fuel/pull timing in small increments. Better yet, spend the money on a dyno tune.

Again, tell your brother to stop driving it or you'll do some nasty marine type ---- to him when you get home. The next time your car sees 20psi will most likely be last time your car sees 20psi. :facepalm:

This intake setup worked for me. It got rid of most of the idle droop issues I was having.

/\ follow those instructions to the tee
seriously

ok, working on it today, thanks for all the help.

OK I don't have anything constructive to add, but did anyone else notice the household eletrical connectors (blue) near the fuel rail? I would be tempted to rip everything out and start over...

Yea I was going to mention that I hope there are no fuel leaks. There is no way that made 20psi with the cold? side pipe having no clamps. Judging by how close the IC pipes are where the IC should be, it can't be a very big intercooler. Also I too am wondering, does this thing have any sort of bypass valve?

Are you certain it's even a cold side pipe? Every time I start thinking I've figured out wtf they did with the engine bay, I realize I really have no clue.

Never mind.

Post in Insert BS, let's go Hornetball!

And as a bonus, the OP gets to learn!

lul that is why I had a question mark after it.

There is a clamp on the cold side its just hard to see in the picture. yeah and anything you guys can do to teach me id be appreciative, even if its a game. I'm going to make it all work, as apposed to scraping it and starting over, and im sure its going to be work, but Im all about learning new things.

Hey, if you're near an aviation or mechanized unit, see if you can get some buds to help you. An avionics tech could really show you how to straighten out that wiring.

^That's a really good idea. However, I still think taking it back to stock and going from there would be best since you could fix any problems you man have now or in the future.

In that case make sure to check out the FAQs in the DIY Turbo section. If you intend to keep it turbo'd then definitely check into the Megasquirt. It is the best standalone ECU for the price and isn't all that difficult if read up on it before hand. There is a section on this forum for the MS as well, read up in there and you will be good to go. If you fix the short cuts taken then you will probably have a fairly well sorted out setup.

Thanks for the help, I will get right on it.

For a noob, you sir win at life. I'll chip in some more stuff that has gone unmentioned.

First off, if you get the MS, be certain to get an IAT sensor too. If you do that, then you can clean up the clusterfuck of clusterfuckery to the intake of the turbo. This also may be related to your stalling.

Secondly, clean up that heater hose from the front of the engine to the heater. You do NOT want a hose having the potential to rub against a stainless steel line like your intake line, it'll saw through it. Related, see if you can do something about that awful oil feed line.

Thirdly, the injector wiring has been mentioned, but it's fubared. Badly. This may be one of the first things that you want to fix - who knows if that rat's nest of wires is even working correctly?

Fourthly, as mentioned, fix the coils. I would personally use this chance to upgrade to COPs to get rid of a chunk of your mess instead of playing around with mounting coils - you could be suffering from issues related to spark, maybe, possibly, whether it's grounding or what have you.

Yeah on second glance, you can see the tail of the clamp to the left of the coupler.

Yea I saw that but chalked it up to a zip tie from something below it. I still don't actually SEE a clamp, but I guess it's there, it would be a huge leak if it wasn't. Ghost clamp!

Thanks, Yeah I have my brother getting the parts and I am walking him through the smaller stuff that can be fixed ie the wiring using proper automotive butt connectors, taping all electrical connections, mounting the coils and extending the piping between the turbo and maf. I'm going to have him get it tuned (super low 6lbs) then when I get home from deployment. I can get on the big stuff. Thanks for the advice, I'm gonna keep a folder of the info I get so I can get the most out of my car when I get it finished.

NOOOOOOO!!!!!

That's not much better than what you have (well, it is better than wire nuts).

To join two wires together, you solder them together and then use heat shrink tubing to make them weathertite. Again, get an avionics tech to help you. Not some dude from Autozone.

Quality = Reliability

You really should park this car until you get home.

I'm with Hornetball in this camp, but the best wiring guy I know swears by butt connectors in the engine bay if you know how to crimp, use good connectors, and have a proper automotive crimper. Using the techniques he told me gave me bulletproof crimps in the passenger compartment, but I'm unwilling to experiment with them in the engine bay. YMMV.

A well done butt connector has always done just fine by me, especially when electrical taped correctly, it provides more protection than the stock plugs and connectors at least. I'm from a pretty dry climate though so maybe i have learned incorrectly for most areas. but i have built full wiring harnesses for my jeep using that setup and submerged the system in water/mud with no issue. Am i just lucky so far? and as far as the park the car deal, I honestly don't mind if he blows the car up, I was kinda planning on a full rebuild in the upcoming year or so. Its my 3rd car, not my daily driver, so worst thing that could happen is i loose some garage space for a while. give it 2 or 3 years, I'll learn up on this stuff and have one helluva car, I'm patient, willing to learn and willing to put in the effort. I guess I'll have to invest in a soldering iron and a heat gun as well ha.

I have no doubt that, if you have the tools, materials, and knowledge, crimps can be as good as solder as noted above.

If you've built a Jeep harness that you've done that too, I would not hesitate to use crimps. Just show the same diligence to crimps that you would to soldered connections.

yes sir but i do understand where you are coming from for sure.

New guy survives initial devouring like a champ...



New guy, where exactly is the car?

Who are the assholes that gave him neg props by the way?(looks like someone gave the whole first page neg props... pozzz props for everyone from me!) Best noob we have had in a while.

Anyways, also interested to know where this car is. There may be some locals willing to help.

Fort Bennings GA. and thanks, its not the first time i have been the new guy on the forum. Not to mention the welcome party i got when I got blood striped ( when you become an NCO in the Marines and they effectively render your legs useless. took me a few weeks to walk right. haha) but my brother would really like the help if there is someone near his base.

I should have room in the shop after next weekend if he wants to bring it up to Huntsville, and I can start cleaning up the mess. My time isn't free, but I will be happy to cut you a deal if I can work on it as time permits between other projects. Your brother may be out of a ride for a while, but he's definitely not doing you any favors by driving it with whatever is wrong with it.

Yes, you've been lucky so far.

What you've done can work for a little while. But it won't last. All kinds of things dissolve and loosen electrical tape . . . oil, gasoline, cleaners . . . basically all the stuff that an engine compartment is exposed to. I'm constantly having to patch up the OEM electrical tape in my engine compartment, and I'll bet the dudes in Hiroshima "electrical taped correctly."

Anyway, you've got a car that sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. I'm recommending proven techniques that give YEARS of reliable service. I'm also recommending that you pair up with other Marines that have knowledge and training on doing high-reliability wiring.

Oh, BTW, I do use crimping where appropriate. But I don't use autozone-grade. Aircraft Spruce FTW.

Yeah the mech's I work with say if its not flying than more than the butt connector is not necessarily. but as I said before I do see where you are coming from, and I think I might go ahead and get a heat gun and soldering iron just to get the more important wiring jobs done correctly.

For the record, I use 3M barrel connectors and heat shrink on anything mission critical that sees any serious vibration. I used to work in the load cell industry, and we were CONSTANTLY repairing solder connections on cells used in vibration heavy environments. I properly sized, properly crimped barrel connector is MUCH less brittle than a solder connection.