FM3 is in / build thread. *56K don't look*
#482
Antisaint
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Once the car is in better running order and I have more faith in her, I will surely be posting videos tearing it up on some fun roads. But for now, that was the best I could do.
#485
Antisaint
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Well, not much going on with the miata lately. Its been sitting since the above posts. It sucks, but I know once the spring is here it'll be worth the wait.
In the meantime, I have some stuff thought out that I need/want before I take it back out on the road.
-1.6 test pipe from Abe to complete the mani>exhaust system.
-Replace the ******* window crank bs inside the driver door that I broke.
-New door sills and hardware since mine is rusty and shitty.
-BBK. Not sure which one, but I've got my eyes open on the classifieds.
-Coolant re-route and heat shields.
-Have my DIY tint job re-done by the tint guy that did my hardtop.
-Another dyno day to see my gains from switching over to my ARTech setup.
And of course the list goes on, but that's the stuff I have in my head for now.
Looking forward to spring/summer!
In the meantime, I have some stuff thought out that I need/want before I take it back out on the road.
-1.6 test pipe from Abe to complete the mani>exhaust system.
-Replace the ******* window crank bs inside the driver door that I broke.
-New door sills and hardware since mine is rusty and shitty.
-BBK. Not sure which one, but I've got my eyes open on the classifieds.
-Coolant re-route and heat shields.
-Have my DIY tint job re-done by the tint guy that did my hardtop.
-Another dyno day to see my gains from switching over to my ARTech setup.
And of course the list goes on, but that's the stuff I have in my head for now.
Looking forward to spring/summer!
#486
Antisaint
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Well the car is back to DD status and so far so good!
The exhaust leak was finally starting to **** my health up so I spent the entire day Friday fixing the exhaust system.
Thursday I found 2 small threaded holes in the downpipe and they were letting the fumes out and right into the car. I bought 2 allen key caps and put them in with some locktite high temp (tried the lazy way first) and they fell out later that night.
So Friday I pulled the turbo off (again), the downpipe, and the rest of the exhaust system. I had the neighboring welding shop plug up the holes for me on the downpipe first thing in the morning. Then I wrapped the top section of it with some heat wrap. The guy that owns the honda garage gave me a sheet of gasket maker so I made gaskets for the where the dump tube attaches to the manifold, the downpipe flange, and the 2 for the test pipe.
Amongst everything else I was back and forth between the bodyshop working on painting the exhaust with some high temp flat black. I hated the fact that the exhaust was visible through the rear bumper, so before I spend more money buying a rear bumper, I figured I would spray the exhaust and see how that looks. I think it looks a ******* whole lot better, minus the fact that now the clamp sticks out like a ****. The next non-rainy day I'm going to spray the clamp.
On Thursday I also took apart the driverside door window regulator and replaced that, so now I can put the window up and down normally again. lol
The car runs good and is way smoother and quieter since I fixed all the exhaust leaks. Not to mention I can drive it now without worrying about passing out from the fumes. The turbo whine isn't as loud as it was with the cat in place. Its wierd, I would think that taking out the restrictive cat and putting in the 3" test pipe that it would have been louder. But I guess now that there's less restriction, the turbos not working as hard, so its not as loud.
The only issue I have now is some smoking coming out from under the hood and out the vent. I think its the wrap I put on the downpipe. I'm not sure how long its supposed to smoke for, but just to be safe I have a fire extinguisher in between the seat and center console. lol
The exhaust leak was finally starting to **** my health up so I spent the entire day Friday fixing the exhaust system.
Thursday I found 2 small threaded holes in the downpipe and they were letting the fumes out and right into the car. I bought 2 allen key caps and put them in with some locktite high temp (tried the lazy way first) and they fell out later that night.
So Friday I pulled the turbo off (again), the downpipe, and the rest of the exhaust system. I had the neighboring welding shop plug up the holes for me on the downpipe first thing in the morning. Then I wrapped the top section of it with some heat wrap. The guy that owns the honda garage gave me a sheet of gasket maker so I made gaskets for the where the dump tube attaches to the manifold, the downpipe flange, and the 2 for the test pipe.
Amongst everything else I was back and forth between the bodyshop working on painting the exhaust with some high temp flat black. I hated the fact that the exhaust was visible through the rear bumper, so before I spend more money buying a rear bumper, I figured I would spray the exhaust and see how that looks. I think it looks a ******* whole lot better, minus the fact that now the clamp sticks out like a ****. The next non-rainy day I'm going to spray the clamp.
On Thursday I also took apart the driverside door window regulator and replaced that, so now I can put the window up and down normally again. lol
The car runs good and is way smoother and quieter since I fixed all the exhaust leaks. Not to mention I can drive it now without worrying about passing out from the fumes. The turbo whine isn't as loud as it was with the cat in place. Its wierd, I would think that taking out the restrictive cat and putting in the 3" test pipe that it would have been louder. But I guess now that there's less restriction, the turbos not working as hard, so its not as loud.
The only issue I have now is some smoking coming out from under the hood and out the vent. I think its the wrap I put on the downpipe. I'm not sure how long its supposed to smoke for, but just to be safe I have a fire extinguisher in between the seat and center console. lol
#489
Antisaint
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Thanks dude! I'm lucky that my buddy lets me use the booth whenever I need to. I ******* love that thing! lol
I actually got it to use as a laptop mount but it came with a camera adapter so I've fooled around with it a couple times. Its not super stable out of the box. I plan on adding a little brace of some sort to help it out. Holding a laptop for tuning purposes on the other hand it works really well.
I got it off ebay. Here's the link to the ebay store that sells them.
eBay Store: Search results for Laptop Car Mount.
I actually got it to use as a laptop mount but it came with a camera adapter so I've fooled around with it a couple times. Its not super stable out of the box. I plan on adding a little brace of some sort to help it out. Holding a laptop for tuning purposes on the other hand it works really well.
I got it off ebay. Here's the link to the ebay store that sells them.
eBay Store: Search results for Laptop Car Mount.
#494
Antisaint
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It was louder with the cat believe it or not.
I like it better with the test pipe in place. Its not as loud all the time now and it has a deeper, smoother sound to it.
When I'm out tomorrow I'll throw the camera on the mount and take a video.
I like it better with the test pipe in place. Its not as loud all the time now and it has a deeper, smoother sound to it.
When I'm out tomorrow I'll throw the camera on the mount and take a video.
#497
Antisaint
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It works great as far as dyno tuning with the laptop. I haven't tried it yet in the car and driving though, so I cant comment on that. The camera mount is a pretty cool option too. I didnt even realize I would use it so much. Looks pretty ******* serious seeing the camera up on the stand through the windows. lol
The mount is strong, but it does move around some. I tried stuffing a shirt between the stand and the seat and that seemed to help a ton. I have some videos on the camera still that I need to upload to the computer.
If I get time tomorrow I'll post up a video with the test pipe in place. I doubt I'll be taking more videos anytime soon with the current situation. :Cry:
#499
Antisaint
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I figured I would update the never ending thread of mine with some recent progress. My gf and I got in a pretty major fight and I'm not sure what to make of it, other than I'm taking some much needed time the **** away for awhile. So to keep myself busy and my mind from straying too far into drama, I am working on the miata again. lol
The good news is that with a good compression test, and now the evidence of oil in the turbo, I feel confident that once I replace the turbo the car should be good to go.
The DIY gasket material I used worked, but boy did that **** flake apart once I starting pulling the turbo off. I decided on going with copper gaskets for both the manifold-turbo flange, as well as the turbo-dp flange. I will keep the other gaskets in the ewg flanges the **** alone.
I will say that the turbo is fighting me to not bolt up to my dp. I tried it at first with the longer studs, but to no avail. I swapped in a couple shorter studs from the old Garrett and it seems like once they are all on it might bolt up, but its going to be a tight fit. And for the record, swapping studs is such a ******* pain in the *** it makes me crazy! I should have just got a new set rather than dick around with it how I am, but ohh well.
This weekend into Monday I plan on welding the wg flap on the turbo shut, and attempting to clock it the proper way (never had to take apart a turbo before to clock it so I'm nervous). I also contacted Abe about some oil/water lines, but after some thinking and budgeting it looks like I'll just be grabbing the oil lines from him, rather than a full set.
I should also note that without that notch cut away into the frame, there is NO WAY this turbo would work. I was actually thinking about cutting the notch bigger for more wiggle room, but for now it seems to be just enough space. And I'm happy to say the IC pipes pop on just fine and will work with this setup. Only other thing I haven't mentioned is I need to grab a new air filter that has a 3" inlet.
Hopefully I can stay on track and get everything back together fast. I've just been in such a mind **** for the past few months that I haven't really given too much of a **** about anything, but I'm looking to change that.
The good news is that with a good compression test, and now the evidence of oil in the turbo, I feel confident that once I replace the turbo the car should be good to go.
The DIY gasket material I used worked, but boy did that **** flake apart once I starting pulling the turbo off. I decided on going with copper gaskets for both the manifold-turbo flange, as well as the turbo-dp flange. I will keep the other gaskets in the ewg flanges the **** alone.
I will say that the turbo is fighting me to not bolt up to my dp. I tried it at first with the longer studs, but to no avail. I swapped in a couple shorter studs from the old Garrett and it seems like once they are all on it might bolt up, but its going to be a tight fit. And for the record, swapping studs is such a ******* pain in the *** it makes me crazy! I should have just got a new set rather than dick around with it how I am, but ohh well.
This weekend into Monday I plan on welding the wg flap on the turbo shut, and attempting to clock it the proper way (never had to take apart a turbo before to clock it so I'm nervous). I also contacted Abe about some oil/water lines, but after some thinking and budgeting it looks like I'll just be grabbing the oil lines from him, rather than a full set.
I should also note that without that notch cut away into the frame, there is NO WAY this turbo would work. I was actually thinking about cutting the notch bigger for more wiggle room, but for now it seems to be just enough space. And I'm happy to say the IC pipes pop on just fine and will work with this setup. Only other thing I haven't mentioned is I need to grab a new air filter that has a 3" inlet.
Hopefully I can stay on track and get everything back together fast. I've just been in such a mind **** for the past few months that I haven't really given too much of a **** about anything, but I'm looking to change that.