ITT: Rebuilding for reliability - 2011 edition (more parts)
 

So, my built 94 engine broke down due to bearing #3 failure. Root cause was determined to be temporary oil starvation. This time we're doing things slightly different. Full car spec:

Chassis and safety:
- 1994 Mazda MX-5 EUDM DONE
- Full cage, welded, CrMo ENHANCING
- Sabelt 6-point harness DONE
- Sparco Pro ADV seat DONE

Engine bottom end:
- 1999 1.8 block, 55k miles IN STOCK
- M-Tuned Connecting Rods IN STOCK
- JE Pistons 84.0mm 9.0:1 ORDERED
- ARP Head and Main Studs ORDERED
- Maruha Racing Oil Pan Baffle IN STOCK
- ACL Race bearings IN STOCK
- ATI Damper pulley kit IN STOCK
- Ishihara-Johnson Teflon Crank Scraper IN STOCK
- Gates Racing Timing Belt 90-05 Miata IN STOCK
- Boundary Engineering Chromoly Racer Oil Pump Assembly, 1 shim ORDERED

Engine Head:
- 1999 1.8 intake manifold w/VICSIN STOCK
- Port matching
- IL adjustable cam gears IN STOCK
- Supertech Inconel I+E valves + 3-angle valve job
- New OEM valve retainers
- Hondata Miata Intake Manifold Heatshield gasket IN STOCK
- Injector Dynamics ID1000 Fuel Injectors ORDERED

Cooling and filtering:
- BEGI Intercooler #3 ORDERED
- IL Oil filter relocation kit IN STOCK
- Setrab oil cooler DONE
- K&N Oval air filter DONE
- Catch can (hot side only) DONE
- Dual-Row Race Radiator ORDERED

Turbo and exhaust:
- BEGI log manifold with Garrett GT2560R DONE
- Trackspeed Engineering Inconel Stud Kit IN STOCK
- EBC Electronic Boost Control Solenoid Kit IN STOCK

ECU:
- DTAfast S60PRO ORDERED
- 36-1 wheel ORDERED

Low comp ceramic coated top pistons!!!!!!!!

I just posted this earlier today :)

There is no good reason unless the answer is ls3/7... when my motor finally pops...:drool:

I think Supertech's will be fine up to 300whp or so, probably higher.

If I wanted more I'd look at Arias or BME.

Somewhere I hope my oil pump (OEM) is shattered because then it's a know defect so I can trust the next engine will last longer...

Well $ or € is the reason for me. The LS1 plus transaxle plus parts (subframe) plus labour will sum up to ":youwish:"
and forces me to look into a Radial SR3.

Very true. A good swap done on the cheap would be upwards of $7-9k US, and I'm sure they are much harder to source over there.

Bringing the car in to see what is going on.

Meanwhile, specifying the build:
- 94 short block
- 99 head (better flow, no fancy stuff to control)
- M-tuned H-beam rods
- Supertech low comp pistons, max overbore
- Larger IC (BEGI #3)
- Larger turbo if the GT2560R is dead
- V-bands if replacing turbo
- Ditching MSPNP and probably use DTAfast (http://www.dtafast.co.uk/) and with that:Meanwhile, keeping the 949 Twin Ceramic and all that.

Sourcing a 99 head (and block if needed). Will my 94 alternator and starter fit or do I need the 99 version of those?

I can still track this?
http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/vid...51215718232788

What about a 250-270rwhp track engine? Keep the upper limit factory spec, or how much above?

Ok, so the word is out: I spun bearing. Don't know why yet. They've asked to open the block to see further. What will that bring me?

Shopping list so far:
- Remove MSPNP and go with DTAfast S60PRO (http://www.dtafast.co.uk/S_60_PRO.htm)
- 99 1.8 NB8C
- JE Pistons 84.0mm 9.0:1
- ATI Damper pulley kit
- Street/Strip Oil Pump Assembly
- Miata Intake Manifold Heatshield gasket Hondata
- Gates Racing Timing Belt 90-05 Miata
- ARP Head Studs
- ARP Main Studs
- 12-tooth OEM-location crank trigger wheels
- Relocate oil filter

Not sure if I keep the GT2560R on BEGI log, or:
- ABSURDflow BEGI/FM Tubular Manifold v2, Stainless, V-Band, EWG
- 3" Downpipe, Stainless, V-Band, EWG, Flex section, Blended
- Garrett Gt2871R w/TiAL .86 V-Band housing
- TiAL MV-S EWG

Might do:
- Dual-Row Race Radiator
- 11.75" Wilwood 4pot Front BBK Upgrade Kit

Comments please?
I want reliability over horsepower. I am plenty fast with the 235rwhp I had. If I can run a 2871 at less than 1 bar to keep IATs down then that is good.

Meanwhile, I am marking the splitter outline:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1313435836

If your power level were good before I would just keep the 2560 and upgrade brakes and radiator which you listed as your two other options.

Might do that, but what are the chances of debries in the oil and thus turbo with the spun bearing?

depends how long it ran like that and how much debris was in tyhe oil

you could see it with the turbo shaft play.

Engine will be removed in the next few days, turned upside down to inspect what happened around the crank bearings. Pretty LARGE bearing flakes were in the oil that was drained...

Will check the turbo too for play.
Need to wash out the oil cooler too...

So far:
- M-Tuned Connecting Rods IN STOCK
- 1999 1.8 block w/intake and all, 55k miles ORDERED
- JE Pistons 84.0mm 9.0:1 ORDERED
- ARP Head and Main Studs ORDERED
- Maruha Racing Oil Pan Baffle ORDERED
- Oil filter relocation kit ORDERED
- EBC Electronic Boost Control Solenoid Kit ORDERED

Which relocation kit? I want one too.

Actually, I bought NAB-5155 but will use my own oil cooler (Setrab).

Nice. I still have a brand-new cooler, t-stat and adapter plate in a box. Just need to find a decent cheap relocator.

Turbo shaft has near zero play so I expect it to be good. I will keep the GT2560R for now. Engine will be torn open tomorrow, so I should know more then.

Update on goodies:
- M-Tuned Connecting Rods IN STOCK
- 1999 1.8 block w/intake and all, 55k miles IN STOCK
- JE Pistons 84.0mm 9.0:1 ORDERED
- ARP Head and Main Studs ORDERED
- Maruha Racing Oil Pan Baffle IN STOCK
- Oil filter relocation kit IN STOCK
- EBC Electronic Boost Control Solenoid Kit IN STOCK
- ACL Race bearings ORDERED
- BEGI Intercooler #3 ORDERED
- ATI Damper pulley kit ORDERED
- Miata Intake Manifold Heatshield gasket Hondata ORDERED
- Gates Racing Timing Belt 90-05 Miata ORDERED
- Dual-Row Race Radiator ORDERED
- Boundary Engineering Chromoly Racer Oil Pump Assembly, 1 shim ORDERED
- Injector Dynamics ID1000 Fuel Injectors ORDERED
- Adjustable Cam Gears ORDERED
- DTAfast S60PRO ORDERED

Have you downloaded the DTA software? You will be so dissapointed....

'94 alt. and starter will fit fine, though a NB starter (6sp?) is much smaller.

I have a BP4W starter, but unsure if it's any different from what is on the 94 engine now. It does have way less miles so it's an upgrade anyway.

Have you downloaded the latest software?
It is not that bad actually. It may not have some of the nicest features of TunerStudio, but the ECU itself is miles ahead and that is what counts.

Spoke to the shop owner about the old engine. He didn't have much detail as he had not spoken to the mechanic himself but one bearing was dead the others appeared fine.

What does this tell us?

Will speak in more detail to the mechanic tomorrow.

Je pistons imo are just not up there in built quality compared to cp or arias. Too bad you ordered then already our I would ave tried to talk you out of it.

I am not going to defend myself here, but that is a very silly statement IMHO. I had Supertech in my old engine and they were fine. Where is this information coming from other than hearsay? How many 'build quality' related failures on shelf piston have you seen?

No thats fine its why I said imo rather than saying its fact. Personally I've seen in person two sets of je pistons that had at least one piston in the set that was not round. Neither set was for a miata though. I know of one engine builder that also refuses to use then and his current ash tray is a JE piston. There are many je motors out there working just fine though so gets hoping you have better luck.


Keep in mind I'm using supertech pistons in my motor without issues. However my next motor will likely be built with mahle or arias.

Haha, well your original message said:

It looks exactly like a 1990-94 Mazda 323 / Protege starter.

Those have enough juice to crank high compression motors easy! Usually what goes bad is the solenoid. If you have racing mounts be sure to apply some locktyte to the solenoid bolts, mine fell off weeks after the poly mounts mod.

Lol yeah. I edited it to be a but more specific rather than just sounding like another internet superstar.

I ordered a 2000 starter but looked the same as the 94 if I remember correctly but havent had them next to each other.

Any ECU will do as the engine processes are slow compared to industrial processes. MS2 is by far fast enough for demanding stuff. It it how easy you get it tuned properly. And DTA software is not good at that. You could say years behind.. You'll find out.

Well, I had MS1 so I needed to upgrade to a new platform anyway. The price difference between doing MS2 (or your version of it) or a commercial (and well known and well supported) system like DTA is not that huge.

And the tuning is done by human, not in software. I am much more interested in continuous onboard looping data logging, gear or VSS related boost, extensive tests and diagnostics, CAN output, etc.

I agree, MS1 is too slow indeed. I ditched that ~5 years ago as the MS-extra developement got more advanced for the MS2 than for the MS1. I actually wonder why most PNP units for the Miata still run MS1.

All I know is that most people running DTA ask me to pull it out and install something else as there is no one that seems to getting it right before the engine dies on the dyno. But you have to put that in perspective: A car that performs on the TRACK can be a total nightmare on the ROAD. A well tuned car that is performing nice on the ROAD will do a good job in little dyno time on the TRACK. You could say a ROAD car is more demanding then. I have found most of the dyno-only tuned cars aren't running well at all and if you have a system like DTA it is very hard to get a nice tune for the road. Running an engine WOT is always easy, just open the injectors long enough and put the right amount of timing on it. Your demands are probably minimal so the DTA might work for you after all.

But I am not trying to start a discussion here at all... Just let us know how it worked out for you, we might learn something from it. Keep building, keep posting.

:BSmeter:

:useless:
therefore:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1314295469

Updated the first post (here: https://www.miataturbo.net/showpost....12&postcount=1)

The 94 engine broke down due to bearing #3 failure. Root cause was determined to be temporary oil starvation. Long left sweeper ending in heavy breaking zone is probably what triggered it.

More enhancements:
- Maruha Racing Oil Pan Baffle IN STOCK
- Ishihara-Johnson Crank Scraper ORDERED
- Boundary Engineering Chromoly Racer Oil Pump Assembly, 1 shim ORDERED

Wanted to mention here that Kevin Johnson from Ishihara-Johnson Crank Scrapers (www.crank-scrapers.com) provides excellent customer service!

More stuff is coming in:
- M-Tuned Connecting Rods IN STOCK
- ATI Damper pulley kit IN STOCK
- Ishihara-Johnson Teflon Crank Scraper IN STOCK
- IL adjustable cam gears IN STOCK
- Trackspeed Engineering Inconel Stud Kit IN STOCK

Still waiting on some critical parts, such as pistons and BE oil pump.

To combat oil starvation issues, I am using:
- Ishihara-Johnson Teflon Crank Scraper
- ATI Damper pulley kit
- Boundary Engineering Chromoly Racer Oil Pump Assembly, 1 shim
- Maruha Racing Oil Pan Baffle

Nice!

Coolant reroute?

Yes, from the early days.
I run the BEGI racer version, slightly modified. And this time, it will be:
- no tstat, but gutted tstat at the back of the head
- no heater core circuit

Finally, the JE Pistons arrived so the build can begin!

All the bits back together:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1320916892

Full sequential, 36-1, DTA ECU
ID1000s
ATI Super Damper
Big ass cross flow rad, not tstat, no heater loop
Largest #3 BEGI intercooler
Low compression JE Pistons
High flow racer oil pump
Adjustable cam gears
Sump baffles
Same old GT2560R at 15psi
No idle or emission control

Ok 245rwhp (290 fly) and 280lbft (fly) will do for now
All on a 4WD SuperFlow

So you picked up ~10 rwhp from all that? At least I remembered 235-ish last time we dynoed together?

Two things
1) Topic is reliability and I've added little to no performance enhancements. Same old turbo. The 99 vs 94 engine is what makes a difference here.
2) It's not just 10hp (it's 20 really), it's about the area under the graph:

No need to go all high and mighty on me, I was just asking.