BeGI-S installation *updated*
 

I am starting this thread to document my install on my BeGI-S system for the mt.n noobs (like me). As I get farther along I will add more progress updates and pictures.

Some up-front notes
1. Install now complete. Well, sort of... Is it ever REALLY complete? IC? WI? Clutch?
2. Still in Pre Fab and proud of it.
3. I am not trying to document every aspect of this installation, just what I think is useful to everyone. There are some other good threads that cover additional details I have not shown here.
4. No whining about the image size. The pictures were a lot bigger before I resized them for upload. If you do not like it, get broadband
5. I mention a few snags I had with the kit in this thread. This does not mean it sucks, quite the contrary. Overall it has been a great kit. What problems I did have were promptly taken care of by Stephanie at BEGi.

For this go to well you just have to read the instructions, look at the parts, think about what you are doing, read again, etc. It is not an insert tab A into slot B kind of thing, nor do I think it should be. This is not an oil change, so you need to have some aptitude for engines and wrenching. Above all, take your time and do it correctly the first time.

OK so let's get started...

This installation of course starts with disassembly. Here is the stock manifold with the heat shield removed. The wetness look is from the spray oil/penetrant I used to soak all of the bolts for a day or two before I started. I used Sea Foam, some stuff they sell at NAPA which I bought because... well I was there buying some other parts and that is what they had. It works just fine, and has a nice foaming action that last for a few seconds and helps the lubricant stay in the target area a bit longer.

The only bolt/fitting that did not come loose easily was the %^&*(# EGR tube connection. I soaked it thoroughly in penetrant for a couple of days, made no difference. So, I ended up removing the manifold with the EGR still connected after disconnecting it from the intake mani. It took some maneuvering but I got it out. Once I had it removed I clamped the fitting in my bench vise and broke it loose by rotating the manifold around.

In my opinion, the infamous stock exhaust manifold looks like something that comes out of my butt a few hours after I have eaten a large porterhouse steak. It is also pretty heavy.

Here is what the head looks like with the manifold removed. You can see the tube from the heater core which is now gone thanks to the BeGI coolant bypass.

Here is the stock O2 sensor. I just set it to the side in the engine bay since I planned to reinstall it in the turbo DP (CEL countermeasure).

Since I already mentioned it let's cover the coolant reroute real quick. This is the standard reroute from BeGI, not the 'racing' reroute kit. So the way it works is simple. You get rid of the pipe that runs under the exhaust from the heater core. BeGI provides a coolant inlet manifold with the pipe hole welded shut. The new coolant line runs behind the engine, then tees into the upper radiator hose (return hose) using a BeGI supplied tee. They also supply a splice that connects to the stock heater hose for two reasons I can see. One, the lines are slightly different sizes so it acts as an adapter. Two, the pre-bent heater hose makes for much cleaner routing into the bypass loop. For now, since the parts store did not stock the heater core hose, I trimmed off the ends and reused the existing one.

Stephanie at BeGI indicated I would have to loosen up the a/c compressor to swap out the coolant manifold. I was able to do it by only removing the PS pump. It was a bit tricky to get to the lower bolt, but easier than messing with the a/c compressor.

The pictures show the modified versus stock coolant manifold, and the reroute starting at the heater core, running to the aforementioned radiator hose tee. The heat wrap for the heater core hoses is already in place. The brass fitting in the last image is a tee I made and added for the sending unit of a coolant temp gauge I am installing. There is more space here than over by the heater core, and the temp will be close enough.

Can you do me a huge favor and circle where the bracket on the coolant tube under the manifold bolts too.

Here is the turbo installed on the car. It took a few hours working carefully to install the mani, turbo, and DP, including preparing the turbo (installing fittings and studs). It is tricky to get it all in, as it all has to fit together just so, and a couple of the nuts are a bitch to get to and/or have to be tightened down while the flange is being moved into place. The turbo for example has to be loose on its studs in order to get the DP in place. Not a problem with the kit, just space limitations in the engine bay.

Pretty sure it slides on a manifold stud and is followed up by another nut. Can't really see it in these pictures.

Yes it fits on a manifold stud. You can see a bracket/eyelet on the tube right next to the manifold stud it fits onto. It is the third stud from the right.

The BeGI down pipe fits really well, and I am really pleased with the location of the O2 bungs. There are actually three of them welded in already. The first one is well placed for the stock O2 sensor which screwed right in no problems with placement or wires. The second one I am not using so I just plugged it. The third one is pretty much perfect for a full-time WBO2 sensor; I am installing a LC-1, and it fits in no problem, placed at just about 12 o'clock, with plenty of space overhead, and close to the shifter boot, which I am going to try to use for the LC-1 wiring feedthrough into the cab.

Note that the stock exhaust bracket is still in place. I tried REALLY damn hard to remove the bolts to remove the bracket (no longer needed) but they would not budge. I used penetrant, a 5 foot cheater bar, and an impact hammer. They did not budge. But since the DP clears the bracket I am going to leave it there for now. I'll take it out when I change the clutch.

The DP routing is fantastic, no clearance problems at all. I shook it around after installing it and it does not hit anything. It also bolts right up to the stock cat flange. I'm keeping the stock exhaust for now but plan to put in a full system later.

The pictures start at the turbo and move towards the cat.

OK one last post for tonight then I am going to bed cause I am freaking tired. :sleep:

This covers the routing of the oil line from the tee at the oil pressure sending unit to the distribution bracket by the turbo. Again this is the upgraded BeGI SS setup. The line length was just right for the routing. Too short, or too long, would be a problem. It is a good idea to keep the ss lines from rubbing on anything softer than they are since they will apparently saw through it eventually. There are a couple of areas where this was unavoidable, so I tightly zip-tied the line to whatever it was so that they would not move back and forth against each other.

Not to hi-jack. Would it be possible to run the oil feed line around the back to keep it away from pulleys and things of that nature then along the VC as seen here?
Attachment 214299

Nice routing, I like that.

If you went straight to the turbo and skipped the distribution bracket it might make it, otherwise I do not think it is long enough. Really though the routing is not as bad as it might look from the pictures. The only really tight spot was getting past the intake mani brace. After that it was pretty easy to route. I am not even sure I routed it in the manner BeGI intended but it should work. I am going to keep an eye on it at any rate.

OK I cannot get to sleep yet :vash: so I'll post up some more stuff.

Next I'll show the coolant routing for the turbo, not to be confused with the previously discussed engine coolant reroute. It is pretty simple really. Normally there is a small diameter line that runs from the thermostat housing (front of engine) to the coolant inlet manifold. The kit reroutes this connection, through the turbo coolant circuit. So basically the routing is now thermostat->distribution block->turbo inlet->turbo outlet-> distribution block->coolant intake manifold.

The picture below shows the coolant lines connected to the aforementioned locations on the engine, all the way to the distribution bracket. The attachment point for the coolant manifold is hard to see here. But if you scroll up and look at the manifold pictures you can see the small pipe where the line attaches.

Look for the blue hose clamps to see the ends of the coolant hoses. The upper left is the thermostat, the lower left is the coolant inlet manifold.

The object dangling in the middle of the image is just a stock item that will not stay there. Let's see if the :noob: bunch can identify what it is. :)

Here is how I am handling the air intake. The black flexible duct runs up and to the right through the firewall and into an air filter. This is a DIY cowl induction setup I put together, more info here.
https://www.miataturbo.net/forum/showthread.php?t=16531

The black duct connects to a 3"-2.5" reducer (Spectre), which is connected to a 2.5"-2.25" exhaust tubing reducer which is barely visible. This is connected to a 90 deg. rubber elbow with 2.25" connections on both ends. The elbow is connected to the compressor inlet which is 2.25".

You can see the distribution bracket in the bottom center of the image. The intake clears it with no problem though I did have to change a bit the way the oil feed line was routed to the turbo.

thanks for doing a writeup! Can't wait for the finished product!

Wow! Looks great!

I just did this 2 weeks ago on a '99 Automatic using the BEGi-S 2554 turbo kit; but no stainless...

Tell ya what, I Love that stainless... time to call Stephanie!

Cheers,
Prospero

Thanks. Yeah I think the stainless lines do look cool, better yet they should be more durable.

That is about it for the pictures for now. More coming as the build progresses. I should have it completed by the end of this weekend. Who am I kidding, it never really is 'complete' is it? ;)

If there is anything in particular you want to see let me know.

intake temp sensor!!!

DING! Correct! Now it is useless as the MS has its own IAT sensor, soon to be mounted in the inlet piping. I have to tap the pipe first however.

Looks great!

One suggestion, where ever your SS lines contact something, slip a small piece of rad hose or heater hose over it. The SS will rub, even zip tied. For example the heater hoses they will expand and contract and over time the SS will work into them.

Yes I was thinking about doing something like that. Thanks

EDIT: Just got some feedback from Stephanie at BeGI who has seen the pitcures above. She says I should definitely shield the ss line where it is in contact with the water lines. Made the same suggestion, split open a piece of hose and wrap it around the ss line.

OK more progress this evening, so here are some more pictures. Here is the IAT sensor installed in the post-compressor tubing just before the throttle body. I drilled and tapped the hole in the BeGI tube, using a 9/16 drill and a 3/8" NPT tap.

Alright so now that I was warmed up tapping the tubing for the IAT, it was time to go for the big one... tapping the oil pan. Sometimes the trepidation is worse than the actual act. Now that I have finished it, I can say that this was the case here. It was pretty easy really. Tapping the pan and installing the fitting took less than an hour, even going slowly and taking my time.

Some tips:
1. Drill a smaller pilot hole before drilling the big 9/16 hole.
2. Grease the drill and the tap to catch the shavings.
3. Tape the drill to keep it from going in too far.
4. Drill slowly and carefully, especially when the bit is about to completely penetrate through the wall. Aluminum is soft and will grab that bit and pull it into the oil pan if you drill too fast or use too much pressure.
5. Before starting with the tap, check the clearance in the hole to make sure you are not going to damage anything.
6. Tap a bit, try the fitting, tap a bit more... You only need to tap enough to get the fitting installed. It is easier to tap a bit and try it, than to go too deep and have to fix the resulting major screwup, like a damaged oil pickup tube.

OK now for the pictures. The first shot shows the 9/16 hole before tapping. The second shows the taped drill bit. The third shot shows the oil drain fitting screwed into the pan. The fourth and fifth show the routing of the drain line up to the turbo. Notice the zip tie holding the lower radiator hose and the a/c hose together. This was necessary to keep the oil drain line from rubbing on the a/c hose.

Thanks for the pics...I'll be doing the same thing this weekend

Lookin' Good!
Stephanie

I'm getting excited just watching the progress!

So when ya going to get that install done, anyhow? :)

Good luck and cheers,
Prospero

Interesting, seems those kits have really matured since my last FM2 install (4yrs ago). Those stainless lines are awesome!

Prospero hopefully I will have it complete this weekend. Really all I have left is wiring and gauge installations, and one last check over everything. Then it is time to drive and tune.

One step closer.... I checked everything over, flushed out the oil pan with mineral spirits, and refilled it with oil. I unplugged the megasquirt and cranked the engine for a good bit to make sure the turbo was well oiled. Then I reconnected the MS and started up the engine. I idled it until the coolant was up to temperature and the radiator fans were running. Not a single leak anywhere, not even a drip, nada.
How sweet it is :yippee:

I do have a CEL, but I can live with that for now.

Tomorrow the LC-1, boost, and coolant temp gauges go in, then it is time to get it off the jack stands and go for some tuning runs. Fortunately I live in the boonies so I can drive around the 'neighborhood' without much if any other traffic around.

OK got the LC-1 installed, calibrated, and working. I could not stand waiting anymore so I took the car out for a spin around the neighborhood to see if it runs. It does :bigtu: I grabbed a few datalogs and ran them through VE analyzer in megalogviewer.

Some items of note: run is at WOT, max RPM is 6300, the flat portion of the AFR (green) is about 11.8-12.0. It is all over the place when the throttle is closed.

what injectors are you using?

Stock injectors for now. The log indicates the peak duty cycle was 85% so they are running at the upper end of their capacity. If (when) I turn up the boost I will be installing the 550cc injectors for sure.

ah ok, i was wondering why your fuel values were really low

Very nice install. Makes me wish BEGi had offered this setup when I was doing my car a year ago. :P

OK a quick update. I took the car out for another tuning session after fixing some incorrect settings on the LC-1. It is running great and even though the boost is only 5-6 psi the additional power is noticeable.

I need more boost though... MOOOOOORE BOOOOOOOOOSSSTT!!!!:skid:

More pictures

First one is of the turbo blanket I bought from Alamo Autosports. I really like this particular accessory since it seems to insulate the turbo well. I have not seen any signs of nearby components getting too warm. It also cleans up the look of the installation and gives it that low-budget-sci-fi-movie look :)

It stinks a bit but the smell is going away with use. I cut a slit in the side for the wastegate actuator and used safety wire to hold it in place; I keep safety wire around for my race bike.

The second picture is of the completed install with the clamps all in place and the wiring completed.

I am hitting 95%+ duty cycle on the stock injectors at high RPM WOT according to the ms log files so I think the 550cc injectors will be going in soon. I already have them, cleaned and flow tested, so I just have to install them. After that I think I'll be adjusting the wastegate a bit too :giggle:

The install looks good. Those turbo blankets are supposedly pretty great, glad it works well with the internal WG as well because people are always asking if you can make them fit right with the internal gate.

How high of IATs are you seeing without the IC at that boost level?

Well hopefully they will do a search on 'turbo blanket' and find this thread :bigtu:

IAT temps? Hmmm... let me check my log files... really sweet being able to do this BTW... Hey Megalogviewer has an update. I need to send Phil Tobin some money... Dang running out of mt.n account image space already... OK here it is. The ambient air temp was probably in the 80s IIRC. This is a WOT run in 1st-4th gear. IAT peaked at 166 deg F

Hey cool this thread broke 1000 views :)

How much was the turbo blanket?

$100

So you just slit a hole in it? It doesnt want to continue seperating or fraying?

I measured where the wastegate arm was then cut a slit in it with a razorblade and dikes (to cut the steel mesh). The fabric is coated so it should not fray. The fiberglass insulation could start fraying some so next time I have it off I'll probably try to stitch up the area on both sides of the slit with some safety wire. Real safety wire is very ductile so it can be bent around quite a bit before it breaks.

If you are interested I'll post some before and after pictures. It will give me something to do tonight since I forgot to get the dang fuel line fitting release tool when I was at NAPA today. My injector swap was suddenly halted... :vash:

EDIT: Well that did not take long, all of 30 minutes from start to finish. Here are some before-after pictures of the slit. You can see a before picture of the blanket still installed earlier in the thread. The first picture shows the blanket removed from the turbo (duh) before stitching. The second shows after the stitching is complete. The third shows it reinstalled on the turbo. Much better! Basically I just looped the wire around it like I was sewing it up. The cut end of a piece of safety wire is very sharp so there is no need for a needle. I've jabbed myself with it before (and drew blood) while wiring up my bike.

Very cool. How did you sow with the safety wire if you dont mind my asking.

Still awake watching the F1 Australian Grand Prix. Raikkonen has cajones grandes.

I looped it around the cut edge over and over, pulling it tight after each loop. Think of a spiral bound notebook; Take a look at this zoomed in image and see if that makes sense.

Very, very nice job, turbo install and mod to blanket. You certainly DO take pride in what you do.

I have been considering using a thermal blanket as well. I currently have a stainless heat shield. Where did you get that blanket from? I think I just might take that route.

Thanks. Turbo blanket is from Alamo Autosports (see above). They are sold by several places, including some ebay vendors.
OK since I just did the injector swap I am including a picture of the RX7 Turbo 550cc injector next to the stock '99 injector for reference. It is a lot larger in diameter as one can see. However it drops right into the engine; the rail, manifold, and connector all fit like it is stock. Whoever first figured out this is a plug-and-play solution for the Miata, thanks :bigtu:



Duty cycles are much lower now, less than 50% which is what one would expect with the injector being about twice as large. I changed req_fuel after the install, but even so had to tweak the idle and do some log runs to get it worked out. I also ended up enabling accel enrichment and tuning that as well. The car drives very well and I am quite pleased.

The turbo inlet is loud with my CAI setup; it sounds like a big vacuum cleaner. And when I close the throttle the compressor surge is even louder plus it makes this goofy raspberry/farting sound. I think I need a BOV :)