VERY NEW here, as in I only got TunerStudio installed a week ago and I've had the boosted NA Miata for a month. Total Rookie so please keep that in mind...

The Cam Position Sensor on top of the engine cracked and fell apart in my hands the other day. BEAUTIFUL day, beautiful weekend ahead and the car is dead. The LS Coil Pack rail/rack pushes on this assembly (as I discovered) and over time just fractured the sensor (work to be done on that thing too). So I ordered a Walker from Amazon just to get going again, the car started and ran fine I even did a high speed loop (I'm close to an Interstate so I enter on one exit and zip to the next). Yesterday afternoon while running errands the car was running fine, and then just sputtered and died. It refused to restart. Long story short, got an OEM from Mazda (after an Uber ride back and forth, this dealership doesn't return phone calls!), installed the OEM Cam Position Sensor and nada. Same issue. I had to have the car towed home (small low cars getting towed, great fun!).

NOW onto MS/TS, I guess Data Logging has to be activated somehow/somewhere, it wasn't natively on. Being new to all this I was disappointed we didn't have this "failure" documented. BUT, I can turn it on now, try to start the car and we should see what's what; right? Start TS up, Start Data Logging, try to fire the car, grab a copy of this file and share it here? Is this the process?

Now let's talk about the very few data points that the MS seems to be sending to Studio/Pi. The only thing I get reliably is engine temperature and RPM. I "think" Boost might be working, though it likes to live in negative numbers, when you get on the throttle it seems to come alive BUT I didn't really get to test this as the car died before I could! Honestly the Pahl's Performance Upper mount screen is nearly useless, the glare in the cockpit is too much to see so this setup may not be long for this car. But in the meantime, how do you get more data points to actually connect/talk??

Previous Introduction Thread to get Studio installed plus...

 

Video of the post sputter death... I don't know how to get the video to be natively in this thread, sorry!

 

Ok, as I figured TunerStudio won't really start "recording" until the it's started back up, the car is running, etc. I don't know if there's a way to get data natively from the MS3Pro or not so let me know.

Grounding strap to the chassis and the engine is good, in the back the battery to the overall frame also good. The Fuel Regulator is showing fuel going to the Radium rails. On first attempt to start it backfired (scared the crap out of me, that was a first!).

Thoughts? Ideas? SWAGs? FWAGs?

Anyone in Central Ohio?? THANKS!

 

Tuner studio can definitely take a data log when the car is not running. The shortcut (at least for me) to start a datalog is Ctrl + L (Log) and Ctrl + K (Kill) will stop the log.

Have you verified fuel/spark? It could be something unrelated to the ECU.

If you can capture a log of the car cranking then post it here coupled with the tune file.

 

Take the log simba said, if you have access to a compression gauge, that’s worth a shot too. Can’t tell if compression is muted through cell phone video or if it sounds like timing belt snapped. Another quick check is just to see if RPM registers on TS, and look for a spinning cam underneath the oil cap. Obviously you need a 2nd person for this.

 

Check your main relay

 

Great suggestions guys; thanks.

I will put my laptop on the ECU later this afternoon and see what we get from the MS3Pro. If that doesn't get us what we need I'll try the above with the on board TS/Pi and see if we can get anything there.

@SimBa You tag line applies to my car as well! Someone spent a LOT of money building this engine and beast overall, and then cheaped out at the end and finally decided enough money had been spent and it was time to cut their losses. There have been all kinds of "discoveries" with the Beast from loose and missing nuts and bolts all over, the MS3Prol just rattling around behind the back seat completely unsecured, the Cam Sensor appeared to have been broken before and "glued" back together and it's mounting hole is kinda cracked (getting a new VVTI Valve Cover now), the bash rails underneath all the nuts and bolts were loose, etc., etc., etc. SO with all that in mind, it could be anything going wrong but we'll start the process and collect some info and report back.

ADDED: All that said, Holy $hitski this thing is AMAZING when it's running right!! I mean, WOW. Low Boost setting alone it's a handful, at full boost it's downright scary, The Turbo Woosh is GLORIOUS! But this bugger needs a lot more cleanup and help that I was expecting, I don't think it's going to make it to the track anytime soon...

THANKS!!!

 

That's a great idea! 80 amp JE16 or what should I replace/try? Even if this isn't the issue, sounds like I should have a second Relay in my kit!

 

Just one other thought, having been reminded by a build thread. I believe the CAS can be installed backwards. Since you've been fiddling with it recently you might double check that it didn't get installed backwards.

I could be wrong on that. Just wanted to throw it out there.

 

You MAY get lucky if the previous owner had the MS3Pro set to always log on startup to the SD card. When you get the laptop hooked up just put the key into the On position so that the ECU is recognized as being online, then click "Data Logging" in TS and go down to "Browse/Import SD Card" after that screen opens (if it does) select "Stop logging and wait" (I'm going on memory here). At this point if it was logging you will see log files listed and you can find the one that was being created when the car stopped running.

Hope this helps :fingers crossed:

Bill

 

It was NOT setup, but I finally figured it out. The Serial to USB needed a driver, back and forth between the Squirt, Microsoft, the drivers and the dashboards and they finally communicated. It was raining last night, windy, nothing was communicating/working so before I started smashing some $hit I called it quits!

Now I have no idea what this is telling me.

Short just attempted crank to kick it over. Plus I just looked around and I'm not sure where the darned Starter Relay even is on this car. It started life as a '96, and got a VVTI 2001 engine so it's Mix and Match. Those photos to follow.

 

Is that a Fan Relay, what the heck am I looking at and where's the Starter Relay hiding?! Is it the big black jobbie at the top of the fuse box? It's just not looking like all the other stuff I'm seeing online...

 

Well the new relay arrived, a different clipped animal than the new one and a real PIA to remove.

installed the new unit and…. Nada. Same $hit, different day. The cam belt looks good, brand new OEM Cam Position Sensor installed, looked over all the grounds (engine to frame, battery to frame), hopefully the data stream I gave will give you guys some ideas caused I’ve got nothing.

 

There is no starter relay, the relay you pictured above is some sort of aftermarket light or fan relay probably. Your log shows you have RPM, so the starter and crank sensors are working properly. Your main relay is "fuel inj", but since you're connected to the MS, it's working.

MAP is stuck at atmospheric, make sure it's connected. I don't have a starting log in front of me to compare, I forget if cranking RPM is enough to register a change in vacuum.

Do a compression check, check for ~40psi of fuel pressure, check spark and injectors in test mode. If everything you've said above, and all the tests I listed checked out good, you either did the tests wrong or you found the problem.

 

MAP and Canister Assembly example

Can the MAP “assembly” be removed and “tuned out?” Cause well, I ain’t got one. None
of the stuff that I see pictured online is on my engine bay, the canister, small diameter
lines to the brass colored tower w the MAP on top. Nopes…

I have a video of positive Fuel Pressure, 45 psi-ish. So it’s back to basics to see if there’s fire/spark. WHY would that just stop in the middle of the freakin road?!?

THANKS!!

 

That's all OE emissions equipment. Your ECU has a MAP line that should be going from the intake manifold directly to the ECU. This is an extremely important vacuum line, that should be protected and uninterrupted.

Check for fuel and spark in test mode, search around, I'm sure there's some posts describing how to use test mode.

 

Well, we have fire; confirmed spark. Also rechecked the vacuum line from the "block" in the engine bay back to the Squirt. It was a bit of a mess but it's obviously not the "cause" of this issue (so just solving FUTURE problems while dealing with this one!).

So we have Fuel Pressure, but are the injectors firing? I'm borrowing a Noid later today to see if this is the case and I'll report back.

 

The MS went back to Georgia for a check-up, we think the MAP circuit is goofed up. Time will tell but that's the only thing that makes any sense unless there's some wire buried in the bundle the suddenly decided it was it's time to be dramatic...

In the meantime, lots of touch up and housekeeping work to include Wilwood Dynalites/G-Loc/big rotors on the front...

 

UPDATE: The MS3ProPNP went on down to Georgia and got a clean bill of health, the DIY crew got it turned around and on it's way back in one day! I mean that's good news overall, but well...

I will completely start over when I get back home (work trip), I ordered an 80a EFI Relay from FlyingMiata just to rule that out once and for all (though I already swapped). I'll run all the tests, I completely swapped out the main vacuum line, checked the vacuum block, Noid, spark, fuel pressure,replaced the pigtail for the Cam Position Sensor, aahahahhH!!!!

This all started when the "glued together" Cam Position Sensor fell apart, it was replaced with a temp, it ran fine for 5-8 miles including a high-speed run, then went driving around the 'hood, and then sputter-sputter. Got an OEM CPS, still of no use. I'll post the MSL file once I try this all again.

 

As per the other thread on FI Identification:

The Pigtail was replaced, nope. New 80a EFI Relay installed, nada. The Squirt came back from it's visit home to Georgia with a perfect bill of health, I added a completely new "I can see it going from the ECU directly to the vacuum black thru a big hole in the firewall" vacuum line so I can confirm there were no kinks/twists/etc. NOPE! I have fire, the cam belt is moving, the engine is turning/cranking/pistons moving, fuel pressure 43.5 on the reg. The battery is on a tender and is new, there is fuel in the system, I am at a loss...

The Cam Position Sensor fell apart (the Coil Rail assembly was banging into it - now modified!), this is what started this whole adventure. I tried an aftermarket CPS, that worked for a few miles and that's when the car sputtered and died. So I added an OEM CPS, still no go.

Why oh Why my beautiful Turbo Miata to you hate me so!!??!?!