Oil return options
 

well I'm new to turbos and such...I've made a good bit of progress putting it together (cobbled Greddy kit)...


So I'm wondering...is there any option besides drilling and tapping the pan for a oil return (not interested in the original greddy return).

I assume a return into the lines for the oil cooler is a stupid idea since I haven't seen it done.



Anyway thanks for the advice.

if you search you can find all the info you want on that and more.
Also I don't really understand what you mean by tapping into the oil cooler because thats coolant that cools the oil going through it and the filter. I suppose it sorta looks like a sandwhich plate though.
This is what I learned from searching here and the miata turbo wiki site a couple days ago.
There are a few ways to do it and a couple tips. There is one "best" way too that is well accepted in the miataturbo community.
tips:
There can't be any pressure in the return line or anything to stop oil from gravity feeding back to the pan, it shouldn't even have any dips in the line because if it does, you can end up pushing some oil through the seals instead of out the return. You want it to go as straight down as possible.
Everyone is going to say just tap the pan. And I tend to agree. Its the safest, most reliable way to do it. Use lots of grease on the bit to catch chips and go slow. Even if you do gets chips in your pan and they somehow manage to get off the bottom of the pan, and through the mesh screen of the pickup, they will still be caught in the filter

Now to the part you care about:
To answer your question, hks made a contraption that used the dipstick as a drain which was interesting and nobody (using a small turbo) has had any issues doing that as long as the right restrictor is used. Its just not exactly.. whats the word.._________. People have had other ideas too just search man. There are even threads on miata.net on it.

Drilling and tapping the pan is the best method in every way, shape and form.

The org Greddy return is garbage, so its good you weren't interested in it.

Get yourself the bit and tap then go to town.

1.6l?
just run it to the other side of the block like the greddy until you pull the oil pan to tap it.

I was intimidated the first time I drilled my pan, but after that I realized it was very simple and straight forward. You will be much happier with a drilled pan.

i bought a 'kit' from ARtech... I liked that is was silicone and shit so I could get the exact length i needed. working fine iwth some oil drain fitting from ATP

thanks all....I've been over the FAQ and wiki page a LOT...just exploring alternatives. :)

time to drill I suppose :)

I completely removed my pan, had a -10an bung welded on, and then reinstalled the pan. This is way more difficult then drilling and tapping, I just happened to have the motor out of the car and wanted to reseal everything before it went back in.

I had to remove my pan when I discovered that my 3/4" NPT tap couldn't make the hole large enough without hitting the pickup tube.

Intel is your friend. You don't want to hit the pickup tube.

My build thread shows a nice, safe and easy location to drill that has worked well for thousands of miles.

This site has some great pictures of the pan and oil pickup tube relationship:
http://www.miata.net/hakuna/oilpan.html