Hey everyone. Haven't been on here in a good while because I haven't even been driving my miata because it ran like poo (if anyone remembers from my previous posts) because the Link Engine management system wasn't tuned right. My buddy that races turned me on to the guys here in Georgia @ Balanced Performance & Ed Senf handled the tuning duties. Awesome dude & he did a spectacular job. I highly recommend the shop & Ed. That being said, the miata FINALLY runs right. Not as powerful as most of the turbo miatas you guys have but fun none the less. Came out with 155rwhp & 145 lb. ft. of torque. Car is set up with a DIY turbo kit that was on there before I bought the car. Ed thought it was a 25 or 28 but there aren't any markings so we don't know WTF it is. It works ok...so I can't complain. Now I am enjoying driving it! Sorry for blurry dyno chart pic...my phone wouldn't focus on that.

 

What boost level?

 

gets a little lean towards redline, if those numbers are accurate...

sure spools slow...stock exhaust?

 

Not stock exhaust...2 1/2" all the way out...no cat. Air Fuel are flat @ redline so I'm not sure what you are looking at. Ed said he could have tuned it a little leaner for slightly higher HP numbers but since I'm not racing it, he felt it was safer this way. Car is running about 10psi boost. I'm no expert on these things but I think it may be spooling slow because there is a slight exhaust leak I need to attend to right @ the turbo. Would that cause that? Since I don't know much...it could be that the turbo is a POS. Like I said, it's a cobbled turbo that one of the previous owners put together.

 

10psi is netting ~50hp. How damn small is that turbo?

 

if there is an exhaust leak pre-turbo why the hell did you get it tuned? that will significantly slow down spool and lower power. and now that its tuned that way fixing the leak could result in overboost and possibly leaning out. you have to take care of stuff like that BEFORE you get it tuned.

150whp at 10psi is very low. should be in the 180-190 range.

 

I'm glad that you are running smooth. but same as above - you are way down on power...about 15-20%.

 

Well, with 2 full time jobs & 6 kids I'm lucky to have the car at all so that's probably why I didn't take of it before I got it tuned. Could also be that I didn't even notice it until after I got it tuned because, as I said, I haven't been driving the car because it ran like crap. I was actually hoping for 190rwhp so hopefully I can correct these things & get there at least. The tuner guy said the turbo was tiny. When I get a chance I'll pop out from the fire station & take a picture of the engine. Maybe you guys can help me figure out what the heck I have. I'm a decent wrench but I've never owned a turbo (except a Volvo 760 wagon & I really don't think that counts) car so I really am a little ignorant about them. Thanks for any help.

 

6 kids?! Holy moly!

I think the natives would like to see a bunch of close up pics (various angles and such) even if you don't know what's on there.

We'd all love to see you hit your target numbers.

 

+1

+1

and +1

 

Well, sorry it took so long. Here's the pic of the turbo. Yes, it's ugly. No, I didn't build it. Yes, it works.

 

That's it! We only get 1 pic! What happened to various angles, closeups, and pics of the leaky area?!

 

Hahaha! Sorry. I'm in a rush today as usual. I'm tryin to get this thing to pass emissions & I'm having a hard time. It's failing on HC & CO. I have to fiddle with the Engine Management System w/ help from the guy that tuned it. We'll make it work, run it to the emissions place, get it to pass...then as soon as the car is turned off, it'll return to the tune that is on it now. In order to do all of this, I have to swap...some stuff... which I already did. Now I was coming back from picking up my youngest boy from school & it started dumping water out from an unknown location...the water wasn't hot when it was on the ground. I can't locate where it's coming from. It became warm but not really hot after the car was cut off. Now it isn't leaking at all. It tapered off when the car was off & then stopped. I can only assume that when it gets pressurized again, it'll start leaking again. The radiator has only water in it right now...no antifreeze...so I assume that is where it is coming from. Anybody have a clue what this is all about?

 

Looks like a greddy turbo kit, 10 psi on this should net you near 200whp. Your spool is slow because of the stock greddy downpipe, as it is around 2" diameter and really chokes the system. I'm sure your power is down because of this as well. (also.. we cannot tell from your pics but I'm assuming it has a FMIC? Hopefully so, because 10psi non intercooled is asking for it.

As for your water leak, let the car warm up until it starts leaking, then search the engine bay and radiator for a leak. Should hopefully be an easy fix.

Otherwise does the car smoke or anything at all? If I were you: Id fix those leaks, get a leakdown test done to see the condition of the motor, then replace that downpipe.

 

It does look like a greddy turbo but thats not a greddy manifold. There are welds around the runners and it doesn't look like a cast manifold. Maybe a homemade replacement manifold?

Either way you should be able to make 150whp @ ~7psi

 

Looks like a greddy turbo with an ETD manifold

 

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I found the leak. I jacked the car off the ground on all four corners. When I slide underneath, I can see the leak from a spot on the rear of the engine by the firewall. There is something that bolts in & you can see it through the transmission tunnel on the passenger side. There is a part that sticks off of the part that is bolted into the back of the engine that is capped with a little rubber cap...this is where the leak is coming from. My buddy brought out his pressure tester & said that I blew a head gasket. I tried to take a picture of the spot that I was describing where the leak is coming from but there is no way to tell WTF you are looking @ in the pic because the space is just too tight. If the part I'm describing needs to be changed, I honestly don't see how it could be done w/o pulling the engine. There is barely enough room for me to touch it with my finger much less get a tool in there. Any assistance is greatly appreciated. I hope it's an easy fix because I don't have the money right now to tackle a head gasket but if I pull the engine, I'm building a stout bottom end & pouring more boost to her. Might as well, right? Oh yeah, car does have an intercooler.

 

Post pic of spot anyways. I doubt you blew a head gasket.

 

I just pulled the pics up off my phone to the web & they are beyond worthless. This computer @ work is so slow that it'll take me half the shift to load them & then you guys will tell me that you can't see anything. I should have brought a box light under the car & shined it on the spot when I took the pics so they might have been useful. If I can get under the car tomorrow when I'm home I'll do that. I hope it's not a head gasket. I just got the car running right for crying out loud. I just want to drive it for a while before I pull the motor & do the upgrades I want to do...plus save the money to actually do them.