When I pulled my motor 1.5 weeks ago I had to have someone under the car manhandling the transmission to keep the qmax from hitting the firewall. I suspect I will have to do the same thing when I put the engine back in shortly.

 

Agree - it's close enough to worry about. I would wrap a towel around the housing to minimize damage if it hits the firewall.

 

Has anybody has an issue where coolant leaks from the bottom of the housing? I felt that I torqued the 2 bolts down equally that hold it to the engine but there was a visible 1-2mm gap at the bottom.The top half sat flush so I thought it was nothing but after I put the car back together, it's leaking a good amount...Lesson learned, don't get impatient.

 

I got everything installed and started filling up with coolant only to discover it was leaking from the bottom of the rear housing. I think I smeared the sealant when I was installing. Now the problem is I can't get this bolt holding the housing to the head off. It's not too tight I just can't get a wrench to turn enough and a socket won't fit. Which is weird since I used a wrench to tighten it... Any ideas on how to get it off? It looks like the kit used to come with a different bolt to replace the oem bolt but mine didn't come with one.

 

 

I just installed my reroute today and there is no way to get a socket or wrench on the stock m8x1.25x20 hex head flange bolt. A wrench can't even get 1/4 turn, so that went nowhere. I thought I could get a 1/4" m12 socket with an extension on it, but the clearance between the reroute and the socket was just a bit too tight. I wasn't about to grind down a socket just to make it fit, so I had to remove everything and scrape all the RTV off it. I went to lowes and replaced it with a socket cap screw; went on like butter.

 

I finally got a socket on the bolt after loosening the bottom mounting point so the housing could wiggle a little. Replacing the hex bolt with a cap screw. Hopefully this goes better.

 

quick search yielded no results, asking for a buddy:
what is a common/average installation time on one of these bad boys? NA8 Miata, engine in car, this will be getting installed by a guy that wrenches a lot on cars, but 1st time on a Miata.

 

How big are his hands? Between and hour or two max I'd say. Replacing the heater hose and CAS o-ring wouldn't be a bad idea either. I had to bang my egr pipe out of the way, no turbo yet here.

I didn't take off the hood, but did remove the front ppf bolts and used a jack for more clearance back there. Use enough sealant and or teflon tape!

 

Figuring out how to get the coils off and making room back there might take a while if he's never worked on a miata before. I tried doing it with the CAS still on the car but quickly realized that wasn't going to work. Make sure to mark the CAS so you don't have to adjust timing. I also recommend replacing the upper bolt that holds the housing to the head with a SHCS. A lot easier to fit an allen wrench back there than an open ended wrench or ratchet. Also I don't know if this is necessary but I let all the sealant dry overnight before filling with coolant.

 

Stupid question here.

I just bought one of these, and will be swapping in a new engine shortly. 95 NA8 - engine is on a stand getting seals/TB/WP etc.

I still have EGR. I was initially planning to swap the engine without the reroute, and leave the CAS on as I heard it was a bastard to align the CAS and slip it on, but also that it is a ***** to drop the engine in with the reroute mounted as it wants to hit the firewall.

So what would be the consensus? Install motor with reroute AND CAS mounted? CAS only? Although by the sounds of it with CAS in place I will not be able to get the reroute on?

Install naked with neither then install the CAS and reroute in situ?

Curl up in foetal position and sob gently?

Any pointers appreciated :-)

thanks!

 

As you are installing the engine, leave them off. Before fastening the PPF to the transmission, jack the back of the tranny up as far as you can, tilting the engine forward. This will allow plenty of room to install both the reroute and the CAS. Then lower the transmission to the proper position (look for threads on aligning the PPF) and Bob's your uncle.

 

Well that sounds disgustingly simple. Thank you!

 

Just installed this and the crossflow radiator and am wondering what my water temps should be. I have an aftermarket coolant gauge mounted in the rear housing that reads about 210-215f while driving highway and fans kick on around 220-225 at idle and will cool very quickly - usually are on no more than 30 seconds before they cool back down to 215ish. I'm not happy with those moving temps though - is the only way to fix that to go with a 180 thermostat?

Also on my 97 1.8 there was no way to install the back housing without removing the egr tube. It's fairly obvious for most but might want to put that in the instructions.

 

Car shouldn't run that hot on the street. Dithering around 195* is typical. Don't know what's wrong with your car but there is something wrong. Either the Qmax installation or something else that's affecting coolibg system performance.

 

The stock factory under tray and plastic that seals the bumper mouth to the radiator must be retained in all cases unless an after-market solution is constructed. Cars will overheat without the ducting.

 

What temperature thermostat do you have in it?

 

Ok I will check into other things. Thanks for the quick response.

This is likely an issue as my car did not come with this tray and I have always run a bit hot. Only thing that still doesn't make sense is why my gauge displays around ~220f when the fans turn on while car isn't moving. Not sure where the thermoswitch is located on a 1.8 but shouldn't it be closer to 207?

The one that came in the kit - Stant 195f

 

Also, contact us directly by phone or email for assistance. Forums posts, facebook posts, PM's, Instagram comments.. are not efficient for this purpose

 

I was curious if anyone has put in new motor mounts AFTER the Qmax install? I'd like to install some Mazdaspeed comp motor mounts. Normally you would jack up the pan with some wood, but there like no room back by the firewall.