Witty title, 94' Laguna Blue 6758 EFR inbound.
 

Hello all, my name is Lewis. Classic forum lurker and long time Miata enthusiast. I'm on Miata number 2 at this point in my life and finally stepping into the horsepower/turbo game with an order to TSE (during Andrew's absence) hopefully getting me back on the road later this summer or early fall. Local to San Diego and huge car nerd so I can't wait to meet some of you (eventually) and maybe even track my rig some day.

The first 90' NA that I owned was a little red gem that I dearly regret getting rid of. At that time in my life, I was in need of something mildly reliable getting me to to and from work and when the crankshaft failed rather dramatically (classic 1.6 L wobble) left me stranded; it was time to let it go. Little did I know that I had a completely rust free NA tub and almost tolerable paint. Whoever the lucky owner was likely saw through my ineptitude and threw another shortblock under it immediately doubling the value.
http://i63.tinypic.com/2ujl8hv.jpg

Cue two years without a soft-top and lots of forum/classified ogling spawned the Martian Maggot. This little turd was a listed Laguna Blue by a lexus dealer and the low low price of $2200. I should have smelled trouble but was flush with cash and opportunity. Sight unseen, I bought it and had it shipped to my house on the cheap. Upon discovery, I immediately noticed the respray paint job (no longer true "laguna blue") and wash of rust and problems. My house however is a no-kill Miata shelter and thus, the current saga began.
http://i65.tinypic.com/10i6ozl.jpg

Originally a blue and tan, the first things to do involved solving the mirad of problems that always plague NA cars that are at or above 20 years old. Here's a quick snap of the janky interior from 2013 when the car first appeared on my doorstep. On the plus side, the NB surfboard seats were a definite upgrade to the previous shorty NA ones and thats about where the "good" stops. The turn signals had a strange habit of not engaging the detent to stay left (it would turn right) to which I quickly determined was a loose screw mechanically blocking the stalk from moving. Why this was not addressed by a certified Lexus dealer who sold it to me, I will never know. More to that later.
http://i64.tinypic.com/2yl4ls9.jpg
Other random problems included the steering wheel in which the 20 year old foam had long since departed its eternal connection to the steel underneath resulting in an extra 10-20* of twisting action every time I wanted to go anywhere but straight. A razor, some rubber cement and an order to Redline goods put me in touch with some new leather and a more obvious connection to the road. Living on the panhandle of Florida at the time I was quick to find out that the original tan top leaked like a sieve and was more of a suggestion against UV than any sort of barrier to airborne water. Another ding on the mastercard and I had a new robbins econotop and some rain rails from R-Speed. The second being a completely non-functional upgrade but supremely satisfying non-the-less.
http://i63.tinypic.com/21mt9w7.jpg
Lastly the most obvious to all, a timing belt. It was clear upon inspection that someone had at one point replaced the radiator but when was a mystery. After draining the coolant and finding as many chunks of rust as to be expected from a sewage pipe underneath NYC, I feared the worst for the engine. Multiple flushes with CLR and distilled water eventually ran clear and my paranoia about a torched bottom end of my iron block 1.8L were muted but not forgotten.
http://i66.tinypic.com/nvnyip.jpg

The car was still drive able though and as my work took me from the panhandle of Florida to sunny San Diego, the Miata followed in trail. New problems unfolded though once there when the heater core decided unceremoniously one day to begin a subtle but direct assault on my daily footwear. I decided a re-route was in quick order as new parts were prohibitively expensive and I had just made the switch from a 94' dash with a blown airbag to a 90-93' model that I picked up on Craigslist. Overall, the new(old) dash was a huge improvement and minus the impending deathtrap of the passenger airbag and discarding the propellant weight, a vast improvement to the cars acceleration and looks.
http://i66.tinypic.com/2iiwpiu.jpg
http://i68.tinypic.com/2nrkj1t.jpg
The next step was getting the car semi-road legal which resulted in an inspection by a California smog agent. After laughably failing the test, despite having all the requisite parts under the hood I quickly determined the cause of my mistrail.
http://i64.tinypic.com/e9dmhl.jpg
The obvious question at this point isn't of course "why did a Lexus dealer sell me a car without a cat" but a more apropos question would be what could possibly be next with this rust bucket?

The car was still drive able though and as my work took me from the panhandle of Florida to sunny San Diego, the Miata followed in trail. New problems unfolded though once there when the heater core decided unceremoniously one day to begin a subtle but direct assault on my daily footwear. I decided a re-route was in quick order as new parts were prohibitively expensive and I had just made the switch from a 94' dash with a blown airbag to a 90-93' model that I picked up on Craigslist. Overall, the new(old) dash was a huge improvement and minus the impending deathtrap of the passenger airbag and discarding the propellant weight, a vast improvement to the cars acceleration and looks.
Attachment 229958
Attachment 229959
The next step was getting the car semi-road legal which resulted in an inspection by a California smog agent. After laughably failing the test, despite having all the requisite parts under the hood I quickly determined the cause of my mistrail.
Attachment 229960
The obvious question at this point isn't of course "why did a Lexus dealer sell me a car without a cat" but a more apropos question would be what could possibly be next with this rust bucket?

Somewhere in this time frame, the car made a couple trips up north during my winter breaks and I finally had to shed the super old and crusty summer tires. Cue co-pilot pic prior to 3000 mile adventure.
Attachment 229953
On the way back from one of these winter excursions, the failing battle between my $100 plastic eco-top and the cold elements of the Idaho/Utah winters finally was lost. Traveling at highway speeds, an already warped thermoplastic top exposed to the "sudden" heat of Las Vegas decided to shatter rather spectacularly during a one handed attempt to transition between roadster and speedster. I decided to splurge on the $500 robbins canvas/glass to future-proof the maggot and add a little class while all the while rapidly approaching the point of spending more on upgrades than the original vehicle. Add to that and my winter trip finally smoked the summer only tires which further nailed in the coffin that the 45lb steel italian wheels had to go as well. The upgrade of choice was a set of advan 15x7 wrapped in BFgoodrich rubber for the summer and Kumho all seasons for the trips up north.
Attachment 229954
At this point, I think I finally started to get the picture that I if ever wanted this thing to be more than a rusty, faded blue, oil burning daily I needed to spend more than "just a little" here and there to get it moving. I started with the nicest exhaust I could find, some fresh sway bars, end links, and a brake kit from 949.
Attachment 229955
Attachment 229956
Attachment 229957

Don't mind the utterly random imgur size choice while I attempt to standardize for future postings. The brake kit was long overdue and I ended up discovering a rather useless right rear caliper that had sized and begun dragging incessantly. Fresh lines, Motul 600, rotors, and carbotech pads (before they became g-lock) installed to great satisfaction.
Attachment 229952

The pad bedding was exceptionally fun due to some erratic driving and smoking brakes. I'm sure the neighbors were amused.

Attachment 229950
Attachment 229951

Somewhere around this stage of ownership the car started to become actually fun to drive (excellent exhaust and brrrrrap noises) but the suspension still needed drastic upgrades and the car was obviously super low on power (NA....1.8L with no intake upgrades). Unfortunately, it also started consuming oil...a lot of oil. I was driving 60 miles a day and probably downing 1q a week. I feared the worst for the rings or maybe some sort of valvetrain issue, front main seal, etc. It got to the point where it was no longer trustworthy to get to and from work and finally had to be sidelined just before I deployed in the fall. I did my best to protect it despite my complete/semi detachment to its overall condition, I overpressurized the tires, pulled the battery, and stuffed dryer sheets everywhere I could. Despite best efforts including a fancy covercraft cover, what I didn't suspect was the rodent problem. Normally a scenario reserved for a warm engine block after a hot day, I would find some turds on the valve cover from time to time but I had no idea what the roof rats of San Diego had in store for me.
Attachment 229946
Attachment 229947
Attachment 229948
Attachment 229949

Those photos are post cleaning. Seriously hantavirus everywhere. I must have removed 2-3 GALLONS of turds, nuts, and random trash from the engine. The only thing that was fortunate was that everything else was cherry. No signs of entry or rat shit in the actual vehicle/trunk but the engine bay was toasted.

Post cleanup, I decided to give her one last try before tearing down the motor to investigate the oil consumption and after a replacement battery and lots of cranking, it fired up. Idle was horrible and puddled on top of the exhaust was a huge pool of oil that I assume had seeped out of the valve cover but it nearly caught on fire as it smoked out the whole hood. Not a good look.

I rolled her into the garage and began a more serious investigation.
Attachment 229944

Peaking out in that pic is the new block. Another poor choice on my part, I picked up an MSM block on craigslist with promises of low miles and rainbows. On external inspection, I would easily have told you that it was a no shit new motor. shiny, no a drop of oil outside the block. I pulled the head and the cams looked great. I snagged several of the sensors as well but perhaps missed one or two that might bite me later.
Attachment 229945

Next up in the build sequence I put in the big orders to everyone's favorite companies and started piling up parts, plans, and credit card debt.

949
Coolant Reroute with appropriate early model cometic head gasket
Dual clutch and flywheel with organic plates
New balanced driveshaft w/ ARP studs and washers
MSPNP Pro 94-97
Xidas with billet mounts, 700/400 springs
ES bushings
ID750 injectors

Fab9
Supertech 84mm pistons 9:1, wiesco rings
Manley rods
ARP head/main studs
ATI crank damper with trigger wheel
Boundary stage 2 oil pump
Gates timing belt/water pump kit

TSE
EFR 6758 Kit with 350hp precision intercooler

Priority Mazda
Ball joints, tie rod ends, suspension bolts
Mazdacomp engine mounts

Overall a pretty stout list and quite a dent to my fico score. The engine was dropped off at a local builder for the headwork including supertech valves/seals/subs and some new seats/bronze guides along with overall machine work and assembly. As she sits, the suspension is about half done but waiting on more engine parts to come in and keep the project rolling.

Good start and a fun story. Rats suck.

If 949 has not already shipped your injectors, call them back and upgrade to ID1000's. The price difference is minimal, but they will give you more head room. Especially with a built motor. Won't be any difference in idle quality so no need to go smaller for that.

Unfortunately I've already had them in hand for a while but still uninstalled. If I don't do E85, I'm hoping the 750s will take me to ~300 whp on 91 but message received non-the-less. Maybe Emilio will have pity.

My daydreams have me buying an exocet once I get this thing up and running which would deal with the paint, rust, and future 15x10 wheel and tire combo. I'm leaning towards an ARtech 3" exhaust but I've been spoiled by the Fujitsubo one. If only they made a turbo friendly product, their build quality is fantastic.

One note, I've had the shortblock for a few years sitting in my garage (call it "insurance") but had I known all the different little peccadillos that the MSM block would give me, I would never have sprung for it. I'm leaving the MSM cams in, despite evidence to the contrary that they are not the highest lift/flowing product for my turbo application and the super fancy red valve cover is actually a PITA trying to get correct aftermarket plug wires for the two different size shelves on the top. Even though it isn't a VVT motor, would VVT wires from one of the vendors here have the two different plug boot lengths required to accommodate?

So, a long time without a big post. It's been a rather serious process to get the new motor built, install all the various plumbing bits and pieces and build my fully sequential ls2 and ignition coil harness with all the NB sensors mapped (correctly?).

So engine is in but it won't catch. It cranks over at 63-78 rpms per megasquirt and since its below the minimum to trigger both cam and crank sensors into sync with the ms3, it doesn't add fuel or spark. [Rpm not synced]

Things I have checked that may matter. Main relay, swapped old with new, same effect. Grounds, all cleaned on the head, throttle, and powerplant frame. Battery (obvious...) 13.6v from a Bosch U1RT which is brand new and should be giving 320cca and was just tested on a bench to verify. Clutch switch is jumped so no longer in the loop.

Alternator is new and is a BP4W from priority Mazda. Using MS3 control for it. Starter is a used 80k NB starter using the 2 bolt method to connect to a NA 5-speed trans. Lead wire seems fine, as does power and terminals.

As I understand it, most miata starters crank at 200-300rpms which is why the base map of the ms3 is set to 450-700. Any ideas?

60-73 rpm is really slow. One revolution per second. This would sound painfully slow when you cranked it.

Does it sound normal to you? Or does it sound painfully slow?

If it sounds normal, then you have a sensor problem. The ms3 is not getting the correct signal.

If it is, in fact, only turning over 60rpm on crank, then that's a different problem. But I have to think that you would notice this, which leads me back to a sensor problem.

Double check that your cam and crank sensors are reporting correctly.

Edit: and that you have the settings in the MS3 proper for your sensors.

Exactly. It sounds painfully slow. My suspicion is the starter itself since nothing in my unprofessional wiring harness changed inputs to the starter or a maybe a grounding issue sapping the amps needed to crank it over. Its certainly possible that my ms3 settings are imperfect but I don't think even with the "rpm not synced" it would affect starting speed.

Would any of the alternator control settings affect the start sequence?

Maybe others with greater experience will chime in but as I understand it, you turn the key and the starter should crank the motor, regardless of the alternator even being physically present. I can't see where ECU settings or alternator anything affects the starter. The key is turned, the relay is engaged, voltage is applied, and the starter turns the engine. So either insufficient voltage/insufficient amp delivery to the starter, or a bad starter.

Clean the connection of the main battery ground at the rear of the ppf by the diff. Scuff it with sandpaper or a wire brush.

Ground is cleaned off, but the wire itself seems corroded. I might try to replace the whole line from the battery to the PPF (ah...another adventure). It never had a problem starting the old motor with the same ground and sitting in a garage in san diego so likely no moisture or exposure to affect it. Of note, I removed both the antenna and CD player head unit which other than the MS3 install are the only major changes to the electrical system that I can think of. I think the next thing is a new ignition switch? I've already jumper'd the clutch switch so it isn't the problem.

I took the starter out today and did a quick bench test. With the battery reading 13.4v across, the starter bench tested seemingly okay with both the solenoid engaging and spinning up but hard to measure how much actual torque it was putting out. One note, when reading the cross voltage from the solenoid, it only showed 9v, maybe a bad starter? I took it to autozone and their version of the bench test said it passed. New one ordered anyway to rule it out but I'm getting a little more afraid that its either battery wiring (solveable) or something actually wrong with my new motor...

Quick way to check for inadequate remote battery wiring is to use some jumper cables as supplemental cables, if they're long enough its easy to ground the battery directly to the block, and depending on your hand and cable clamp size one to the supply side of the starter solenoid.

It was enough to get my heat-soaked solenoid to trip on my RX7.

So, small Saturday update.

Installed a brand new 4AWG ground from the battery all the way to the PPF with a freshly sanded and cleaned up mounting point. Good stuff. Wire was corroded a tiny bit so certainly possibly some increased resistance there. 2nd, I changed out the ignition switch. a cool $30 later and fresh contacts underneath the steering wheel so no possible intermittent ground/contact there. Last, new starter. The one I had tested fine at autozone but again, not a huge deal with only two bolts and two contact wires. Additionally I cleaned up the cable post from the battery to the primary lead.

Where did this take me?
115 rpm. Still dog nuts slow and a lot of head scratching. I might just go buy a new optima battery and try it? The Bosch one again, tested fine at local parts store X and claims to have all the volts/amps that it should require to be successful.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ff5fbed867.png

A couple other things to note that I may have screwed up. I'm basically going by the notion that the diypnp ms3 auto syncronizes my CAM and CRK sensors through the original CAM harness without me changing settings. I've wired them up according to the VVT swap megathread. Second is that I wired my AEM X-series wideband to the 5v ref on the options plug pin "H". I still don't think though that any of this would lend towards a slow cranking RPM. I keep going back to the idea that it has to be volts/amps and the primary relay since the circut only has two or three total stops before hitting the juice on the alternator!

So, going around the car with a multi-meter attempting to locate the source of this stray voltage drop is rather frustrating indeed. I have a couple ideas though for the crowd that maybe someone else with more experience can shed light on. The way I understand our starters, a 1kW starter is going to pull somewhere in the neighborhood of ~60-85a @ 12v. Longer cables suck and most online voltage drop tests state that anything greater than 0.5v drop across the battery primaries to the starter can cause slow starting. This means that the Miata starting system with a 15' cable from the trunk inherently drops more voltage just due to distance. It is also slightly undersized for an initial amperage draw from a 400cca battery but most OEMs do this and it doesn't necessarily mean much.

Where does that leave me? My tests indicate that voltage drop is above 1.0v at the starter and that there is some parasitic voltage in the system which actually increases the amperage draw to the starter. High amp load and lower voltage (i.e cranking rpm below 10v) which is indicated both by my voltmeter and by the composite log. In my mind however, this would pop the 80a main fuse and it hasn't (more head scratching). I've tried pulling various fuses to isolate parts of the wiring harness to see if anything (wipers/windows/o2 sensor/fans) might have been shorted causing this but so far, nothing seems to change the drop and the rpm.

My bird brain knowledge of the starting system following the mellen's diagram is that the only stops the battery cable makes prior to the 80a main fuse is the starter and the alternator. I've tried disconnecting the alternator as well entirely just to see if it was sapping volts. I think my next replace might be the ppf cable itself from the battery. Debating running a full 4AWG lead directly to the starter then a "Y" to the junction box and alternator. I hate messing with factory wiring and it has to be something else though.

Don't eliminate the easy stuff first. I've seen some incredibly rusty, corroded, shitty looking Miatas crank just fine. Either put a new battery in or try your battery in another car.

Agreed, I keep coming back to the "simple solution" has to be the answer idea. I dropped by the local auto store and had them check it again, it passed. I told them it was the root cause of failure in my car and they agreed to let me credit it towards something else. I picked up an Optima yellow top 51R which I assume is a higher quality unit than the Bosch U1RT and only for twice the price! It didn't solve my problem. A few more cca's and probably less charge/discharge cycles than the previous based on how many times i've tried to isolate this problem ended up spinning it a few rpms faster but not an order of magnitude change. So, its not the battery, and its not the starter or main relay unless both new and old units each are failing.

I'm starting to dive deep into the wiring diagrams and think that the only other changes I have made besides the obvious ignition related stuff (when disconnected, same slow rpm) is removing the radio head unit, rear retractable antenna, and cruise control. I'm chasing down what feels like something has to be shorting, but only when the key is in "start" and most of the connectors in the engine bay are disconnected (so they can't be drawing current).

Have you tried another starter?

Yeah, I have a brand new unit on there. Exactly the same effect as the previous NB unit. Unless I am 0 for 2.

Same with batteries. "New" battery that tested fine, sat on my shelf while this rebuild was happening and now replaced by an actual new yellow top. Now 0 for 2.

Tried unplugging the alternator and various fuses to see if any of them were leaking volts. No change so far.

I had a similar problem, and it was a problem with a replacement main cap... Apparently clearance was tighter and wouldn't let the engine rotate much at all.

Well, the engine rotates by hand well enough so back to the drawing board. I've gone full circle on the wiring harness and rebuilt everything from a fully sequential ignition to a batch fire setup. Additionally, I rewired the o2 sensor to use the factory plug vice the options plug in the MS3 and I'm thinking that may have done more to get good signals to the right places than tearing apart the alternator wiring harness. Again, the simple solution....

So here we sit. It cranks at ~150-100rpm as battery voltage drops and holds pretty steady there without plugs. Laughably, I just realized after some serious headscratching that my composite log doesn't have a cam signal. FML. If this whole no start issue is due to no cam signal, well.....I would say I'm going to burn the car down but I'm already trying to do that as it is.

I took apart the pigtail again and confirmed with the 99 manual and VVT megathread that the wiring should be, yellow blue input direct center of the three inputs from the original CAS sensor, then power and ground to the opposing sides. I tried swapping them but still no signal so maybe its possible I fried the sensor? Is there any way to check and can someone confirm my wiring is good. The trackspeed engineering pigtail was helpful to get the connector, but had three black wires coming out of it so I easily could have miss-assembled it.

On the product page for the pigtail, there is an image which calls out which wire does which function. Just re-select "Cam" from the dropdown and the image shows up. FYI

Beautiful. If I haven't said it before, I will again. No blame other than my own noobishness for this type of stuff. I don't mind learning the hard way and I think all the information is on these forums (or trackspeeds website!). I'm supposing that the slow cranking rpm is just one symptom of high resistance wire and poor battery voltage but the cause of no start is at least CAM signal if not other problems as well.

Right now fuel pressure at the rail is static at 70 psi and unscrewing the radium DMR all the way doesn't change it. My guess is well. I have no clue on that one. I think a new fuel pump might be ok n order once this thing is running.

The good news is that the only way as I understand it to test a hall effect sensor (CAM) is a bench test oscilliscope which...surprisingly I don't have. Maybe its fried or not. Looking hard now at it the MS3PNP pro to see if a VR pull up resistor is required or not for the 94. Ordering another sensor anyway just to disprove it.

She lives! Or he. Possibly hard to say which one like all the kids these days who refuse to identify. It ran for a total of 10 seconds a couple times before I stopped to check for leaks. So thank you again for all the good suggestions. Now for the hard part. I don't know what fixed it in total .There were many small issues but no one single thing that brought it all together.

The big shout out goes to Toby at AED who thought that the fuel lines were swapped (they were) which allowed me to get fuel to the rail and set the pressure correctly. Genius. Also helps if you read directions and pay attention about where to install gauges in a fuel system. Second, I went through every single fuel related setting from ID725 in TS to battery and dwell settings for the LS2 coils. Not sure any one of the settings specifically was the issue, but it helped me start to rule things out. My going in fear was proved incorrect, that the battery or starter were bad the second time around and it was still those things. It wasn't, everything else was just shitty.

A couple things I have high confidence in. Timing was definitely an issue. I double checked mechanical timing and with the TDC mark lined up with the cover, a dowel in place of spark plug one, and both cams verified (and the ATI pulley checked as well for manufacturing error!) and it was correct. 36-2 tooth was installed correctly on the pulley and tooth gap was fine. Cam signal after verification was present in the high-speed logger. I had been getting lots of starter kick back and my guess was that either old fuel in the tank was causing pre-mature combustion or the coils were spontaneously discharging...or they weren't at all and they were just pulling high current. I re-did my coil harness, checked grounds to no avail, but the new loam looks better and I feel more confident in it. I also removed a dealer added interlock/kill switch that may have been causing issues as well.

Now for the hardest part. Tuning. It won't start until I give it 20-30% throttle and then it does not idle. It surges high (3000) and then dives to 0 unless I play with the throttle and it will stabilize near ~1500 with 4-7% throttle. I've backed out the idle screw on the Skunk2 a bit and I've pulled ignition timing back on my entire map since it likes to jump up and around in RPMs quite a bit. At fixed advanced (10*), its a bit better behaved but once I switch to use table, it goes nuts.

I set the trigger offset at 4.4 after verifying with a timing light it was damn close. 5 was right out, and 4ish was pretty rough. It likes falling edge, skip 1 pulse, 0% cranking advance, and only 3ms on cranking dwell. 4 with a battery correction is probably overdwelling it.

I moved the MAP line up to post throttle body. It was on the plenum but didn't really ever show any drop during cranking. I've been told this spot has non-laminar airflow and I respect that, but the flat top manifold with no EGR doesn't have any place at the back of the head to put it. Additionally, my AEM X-series is wired into the narrowband inputs into the MS3. No CAN inputs.

I've set the NB 2-wire IACV at 511Hz, which is the closest I can find in tunerstudio to what is on these forums for the ~500Hz resonant frequency.

Its dead jim. More on that topic in the build thread I'm about to start but needless to say, I've learned a lot of rough lessons in a very short period of time about machine work, engine shops, built engines, and aftermarket engine control units. For those curious, The engine didn't sieze, but it refused to develop oil pressure during cranking (suspected air bubble) and after start which significantly damaged the thrust bearings, all mains and rod bearings, and crank journals. Block is trashed. Crank is trashed. Every bearing and seal in the bottom end of it is trash. All of this was new, to include the crankshaft after the previous engine tear down revealed un-repairable damage previously. The engine was pre-oiled but based on discussion with the builder, it seems that I used the wrong oiling port (drivers side of the block) and too low of a psi setting on the compressor. furthermore. The oil pump seems to have survived this event in its entirety unscathed and I'm not sure I want to try it in another engine anyway.

This is after not driving the car for nearly two years after putting it in storage for deployment then coming home to start this project. Fortunately, (or not for my bank account) this saga isn't over. But its going to take a new direction. I still have all the trackspeed turbo bits, MS3, and an entire parts catalog worth of suspension stuff for my next victim.