Miata update: IT WORKS!

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
08/15/2016 at 23:02 • Filed to: Miata, crapcan miata, turbo, cheap

That right there is a picture of the sort of thing that would make miataturbo.net have a complete fit: a super-budget turbo build done without a Megasquirt. Here’s what I did today:

Bought a 7psi wastegate actuator, but due to the way the turbo has been clocked (and the fact it’s aftermarket) it doesn’t mount to this turbo. I improvised.

I got a PCV valve for a Mazda 323 GTX from Autozone and installed it with some new hose, put a breather on the exhaust-side valve cover fitting, teed off the FMU vacuum line to run the wastegate actuator which I *believe* might have been a mistake (not sure if it makes any difference), replaced the vacuum line running to my boost gauge which melted because it was some horrid chinese clear plastic garbage.

Went for a test drive and the car would reliably boost to 5psi, though it was PAINFULLY slow and didn’t seem to build boost quite right. It got slightly better the more I drove it (I don’t get how that happens every time with this car, it’s utter shite until I drive it for a little bit) but was only slightly faster feeling than I remember the car being stock. Huh. On the plus side, no pinging and the car never leaned out despite being on stock 1.6 injectors. No smoke out the back or weird smells except for a faint burning smell when I popped the hood.

Oh. My exhaust is red hot. Huh. My best guess is the timing needs to be advanced a bit more. Base timing right now is set to 6 degrees BTC, stock is 10 I believe. Tomorrow I’ll put an intercooler in the system and advance the timing to 10 degrees and then back off 2 degrees at a time if there’s any pinging.

Here’s where the intercooler is going. Since my car has both A/C and power steering my routing options are VERY limited so the intercooler, which is from a 3000GT VR-4, is going to be mounted just in front of the driver front wheel in the wheel well. Airflow won’t be stunning, but it’ll be better than nothing.

One of these two radiators. Probably the one to the upper right side. Turn it on its side so the two pipes come into the engine bay just past the driver’s side of the radiator, from there it’s 6 inches straight up to the turbo or 6 inches across the engine bay to the charge pipe. Most of the after-turbo piping will be heat-wrapped probably though it never goes near the exhaust so I’m not sure how important that will be.

DISCUSSION (26)

Birddog > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
08/15/2016 at 23:19

You are my new Rednek Turbo hero! Bite it MS!

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
08/15/2016 at 23:25

Man goes turbo without megasquirt, forum shit show ensures.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Birddog
08/15/2016 at 23:27

Seriously. Spending $800 on a ECU for a 7psi turbo setup is idiotic.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
08/15/2016 at 23:29

miataturbo is one of the most awful forums I’ve ever been to. Racist, blatantly sexist, incredibly rude to ‘n00bs’, and the mods are just as bad as the worst members. If you’re not doing a 40psi 500whp megasquirt build with forged internals and a turbo the size of a watermelon and $70000 worth of supporting mods you’re a stupid piece of shit n00b who should stop wasting the forum’s time and will inevitably fail.

Fuck ‘em all.

Life and Times of Magoo: The People's Champ > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
08/15/2016 at 23:38

I have loved every step of this experiment. If we cross paths, I got the tab Lol

S65 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
08/15/2016 at 23:46

Neat little car

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
08/15/2016 at 23:53

You ever been to a jeep forum or bmw forum? If you own a 7 you’re regarded as land yacht of a limo that can’t hustle and drives like a boat and the e32s and older are forgotten. bimmerpost gives more of a damn about a leased fxx chassis m4 or m3 than a old e23 that needs help. Then on jeep forum most of the time its “bro why isn’t your 2.5 running 38s” “bro 2.5 slow with big wheels” “bro led lights bro” “beer cozy sleeve bro” “bro why your jeep stock bro?”

Next up jake gets a turbo the size of a watermelon off a rusty old caterpillar bulldozer thats been abandoned in a field for 20 years. And creates a legacy of pissing off miataturbo.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
08/15/2016 at 23:56

It’s my life’s goal now to piss off miataturbo.

Birddog > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
08/16/2016 at 00:01

No joke. That’s why the Turbo Mopar guys and some Ford folk found ways around doing that. You may be a groundbreaker here!

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
08/16/2016 at 00:02

If you were local I would have sold you a 7.3 international turbo I have in my/dad’s parts horde.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
08/16/2016 at 00:12

that would be so undrivable though :P

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
08/16/2016 at 00:21

tbh i don’t even know if that turbo can give enough boost for 1.8s or too much lag

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
08/16/2016 at 00:38

ooooh I want it for my ls swap rx7

Decay buys too many beaters > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
08/16/2016 at 01:06

Ok, I’m curious. How are you tuning fuel for it? Just letting the computer figure it out with the higher air flow sensed?

I’d love to throw something like this into my pile.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time
08/16/2016 at 02:42

Are you in the tri-state area?

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Decay buys too many beaters
08/16/2016 at 08:15

I’m using a vortec-knockoff rising rate fuel pressure regulator with a 7:1 disk that raises the fuel pressure 7psi for every 1psi of boost it sees.

DeLM > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
08/16/2016 at 08:47

As a Miata owner, and make my own way tinker’er.... I totally condone this behavior! Well done! hope you get to work all the kinks out. Btw could you swap in 1.8 injectors if needed? and how about swapping in the FC rx7 MAF? just a couple of little thoughts. I really want to see this little guy sing! also they make a coolant reroute to the back side of the block, engine runs 25-35 degrees cooler and gets rerouted around the intake side.. might give you a little more oomph.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > DeLM
08/16/2016 at 08:54

Yeah, the $120 coolant reroute is on the slate to be done soon. I have a set of 1.8 injectors I can pop in if it becomes necessary but other than a brief blip when the car comes onto boost I’m not leaning out with the stock injectors so I’ll leave it for now. I don’t think the RX7 VAF makes any difference on turbo cars but I’ll see.

Noah - Now with more boost. > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
08/16/2016 at 08:58

I used to spend a bunch of time on the E24 section of bimmerforums. Never really went anywhere else because they were a bunch of nice dad aged dudes haha. Everyone else was such a dick...

DeLM > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
08/16/2016 at 09:24

I know that they make a difference over 4,000 something rpm, which is where i am guessing boost comes on, that is why I was asking. Could be why it doesn’t seem too much faster than stock, but then again, it might lean out the engine requiring the 1.8 injectors to be put in. either way B/A build on the cheap! keep us posted. I live close to a miata specialist outside of Road Atlanta, I go check on some of the builds he does for people, friendly as all heck. They are called Miata afterworld. 770-965-5610 they are super helpful and are the type that will help you right over the phone just because they love miatas. he is also really well connected and get all sorts of parts on the cheap so he could put you in contact with them.

uofime-2 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
08/16/2016 at 09:57

Do you have a wideband gauge?

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > uofime-2
08/16/2016 at 10:12

Nah. Just a narrowband.

uofime-2 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
08/16/2016 at 10:41

You should pick one up you can probably find a used AEM for like 100$.

If you can hear detonation it’s really bad, not a good way to determine engine health.

Also make sure you check your plugs constantly if one is damaged that would cause your egt issue and with audible pinging damage is pretty much assured.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
08/16/2016 at 12:40

no... :( Michigan.

Plan is once the car is running to turbo it but budget wise so i was going to get a diesel turbo and rebuild it then slap it on the LS1

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > Noah - Now with more boost.
08/16/2016 at 12:41

lol did your try big coupe forums or mye28? they seem ok

Noah - Now with more boost. > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
08/16/2016 at 14:43

I used their guide a lot but actually never spent any time there