I'm gonna restart the rebuild story from here so it's more cohesive.
Ok so I managed to overheat the engine pretty badly on the freeway because my new alloy radiator sprung a leak.
Long story short i decided to rebuild the engine instead of dropping in an used one. Many nights spent scouring the net for deals and more info on parts and the tear down; mentally preparing myself and making sure my finances were in check as well.
Here's the turbo removed!
IMG_1270 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrAnd here is the engine out of the car!
IMG_1343 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1344 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrI removed my head to see if it was salvageable but unfortunately it went soft from the excess heat. So a new head was on the list of things to get.
New engine internals were purchased to take advantage of the situation:
ACL race bearings, ARP bolts throughout...
DSC_1170 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrSupertech oversized 84.00 mm forged pistons...
DSC_1171 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrWith forged Manley rods.
DSC_1173 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrI sent the block to be cleaned and machined at Harris Engines in Ozzy Park.
While that was getting done I decided to delete the power steering. Pump and lines were removed first:
IMG_1536 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrThen the rack had to be pulled. I had to cut the piston seal to allow a full depower:
IMG_1415 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrThe pinion was also welded to remove the slop necessary for power steering to work:
IMG_1613 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrThe components were all thoroughly cleaned:
IMG_1610 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1611 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1612 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrAnd MiataRoadster plugs were used to cap off the orifices:
IMG_1615 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrAll the internal parts were then covered in grease and reinstalled:
IMG_1616 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrNice and clean!
IMG_1617 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrI was predicting that removing the tie rod ends would damage them so I had some R-Package tie rods ordered at the same time as the plugs:
IMG_1622 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1623 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrFurther work in the engine bay involved removal of the standard intercooler support:
IMG_1625 by AndyPhan123, on Flickrwhile keeping the bracket to mount the intercooler piping:
IMG_1624 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrMy block came back from Harris in amazing shape. So i started working on checking tolerances and placing bits in. First piston rings:
IMG_1454 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrI used my old pistons and rings to make sure that my new rings were seated square in the cylinder:
IMG_1453 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrI then ground away the required gap using feelers to make sure I wasn't removing too much:
IMG_1457 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrAfter the 1st and 2nd rings were gapped I had to install them on my pistons:
IMG_1485 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrAnd then have them mated to the new rods:
IMG_1489 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrBy matching the pistons, rods and gudgeon pins I was able to get the sets within 1 gram of each other!
The crank had to be measured to make sure that it was within tolerance with the new bearings:
IMG_1482 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrARP studs and nuts were used to clamp down the crank and plastigage used to measure the tolerance:
IMG_1483 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1484 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrAt this point everything checked out. So I checked the tolerances with the rods and rod bearings. They were in range too, so I buttoned her up with the supplied ARP 2000 hardware:
IMG_1504 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrTurned the crank to make sure that nothing bound and all was good!
IMG_1497 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1499 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrThe pistons at TDC
IMG_1501 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrYou may have noticed the oversized oil filter. I decided at this point that I would be making up a DIY oil filter relocation kit an external oil cooler. This meant the standard oil cooler had to go, which meant I needed to source a shorter threaded oil pipe. I received one from a NA6 from MX5 Mania.
I stored the block to focus on other parts of the build.
IMG_1508 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrI started cleaning all the parts that were going to be reused.
Main Bearing Support Plate (MBSP)
IMG_1568 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrSump:
IMG_1571 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrOil pickup, baffle and rear main seal housing:
IMG_1573 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrI went to mount the MBSP and ran into some clearance issues. It didn't fit with the ARP studs for the crank bearing caps, so I had to grind a little away until all studs cleared:
IMG_1602 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1603 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1604 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrNot the prettiest but it does the job.
The sump and pickup were then mounted with the seals and a heap of sealant:
IMG_1657 by AndyPhan123, on Flickrand then the rear main seal was also torque down and sealed:
IMG_1659 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrWater pump and oil pumps were new items. I opened up the pump to fill it with grease to decrease priming time when starting for the first time and shimmed the relief valve. New belt tensioners were used too:
IMG_1674 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrYou can see the new engine mounts in the background too (Mazda Motorsports mounts). These were the old ones:
IMG_1618 by AndyPhan123, on Flickrdistorted and cracked:
IMG_1619 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrOld vs new:
IMG_1621 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrWith the bottom end coming together, I still needed to source the head. I managed to get one (BP4W head) from MX5 Mania.I stripped it down and sent it to Harris Engines to get the work done on it. Nothing serious. Just new valve seats and had it decked to make sure wit was flat. Oh and it passed the hardness test
Standard valvetrain reused with new valve guides:
IMG_1684 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1688 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1689 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrAnd solid lifters back in!
IMG_1693 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrAfter this the head was placed on top of the fresh bottom end with ARP head studs and nuts to clamp down tight. OEM head gasket from earlier BP engines as a reroute was in order. Cams and cam gears mounted with new timing belt. You can also see the relocation block mounted.
IMG_1702 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrValve cover and timing covers all placed back on along with accessories:
IMG_1705 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrAnd remounted the manifold and turbo:
IMG_1708 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrI had difficulty bolting the the oil return line so i hacked off the middle and attached a hose to make life easier:
IMG_1706 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1719 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrMagnacore leads were installed:
IMG_1710 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrEGR valve was removed along with the piping. If anyone was wondering the exhaust size if the EGR tube can be capped off with a M22 bolt.
IMG_1721 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrThe oil cooler then arrived and was mounted:
IMG_1711 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1747 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1746 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrI was getting closer to getting the car running at this point. Just had the clutch and flywheel to put on the engine. My choice; 949 Racing twin disk organic face and flywheel combo:
IMG_1727 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1728 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1730 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1732 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrSuper light flwheel!
IMG_1732 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrSetup mounted!
IMG_1740 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1743 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1744 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrGearbox bolted back on:
IMG_1749 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrAnd then had it ready for its triumphant trip back into the engine bay!
IMG_1750 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1751 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrHappy days!
IMG_1755 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrI then was able to get my hands on a great deal for a new Adaptronic Select ECU!
IMG_1778 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrAfter fitting the engine, the oil relocation kit came together.
Earl's thermostat:
IMG_1780 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrFilter relocation block. I drilled the front frame and tapped it so I could mount it here:
IMG_1782 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1786 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrLines slowly coming along
IMG_1788 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrSemi completed engine bay
IMG_1792 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrNext was the fuel system. New Deatschwerks 200 pump and a fuel filter replacement.
IMG_1801 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrNew vs old:
IMG_1800 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrSoldered and heatshrinked new wires
IMG_1805 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrAnd all mounted
IMG_1806 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrThere was so much gunk in the old fuel filter!
IMG_1808 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrI then decided to tackle the coolant reroute. I swapped the front and rear housings around and placed the thermostat (180 deg F) in the rear. Couple of random hoses used and joiners:
IMG_1815 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrAnd mounted to the new 52 mm alloy radiator
IMG_1818 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrWith the new radiator, the stock fans didn't fit so I had to get some slimline ones:
IMG_1840 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrI modified them a little to allow a little more airflow at speed:
IMG_1841 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrAnd on the radiator, sealed at all sides with some adhesive foam strips
IMG_1843 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1844 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrI also installed Innovate Motorsport MTX-D and MTX-L gauges. Oil pressure and temp, water temp and volts and AFR. I had a O2 bung welded into my midpipe upstream of my cat:
IMG_1826 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrIntercooler and hood back on
IMG_1833 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrPretty much everything was done at this point and I was getting pretty excited to start her. Topped up all the fluids and put the battery back in to prime her. I installed a cheap mechanical oil pressure gauge into a spare port on the oil thermostat just to make sure the oil pump actually prime. Luckily it did!
Attempted to start her... And nothing. Smell of fuel but nothing else. Rechecked timing (was off by a tooth) and spark. Everything was there. Then I checked compression. Big fat 0 across all four cylinders. I was pretty gutted. Jumped on the forums to ask others for suggestions. Someone had asked me about the valve clearances which didn't even cross my mind! So I went off to check that and they were completely out of spec.
A couple of measurements and orders to Precision Shims later and I had the clearances where they were supposed to be.
I started the car this time and... Success. Car ran smoothly and I let her warm up. At this point I went to try and drive. The car wouldn't get into gear!! Something had gone wrong with the install so the box had to come out
. With the box off I noticed that I had not tightened the pressure plate all the way down (rookie error ). With the box off I noticed the half moon seal was leaking oil from the oil pan. So I tightened the bolts near it some more and applied RTV over the whole seal.Box back on and I still had issues getting the car into gear. Reverse wouldn't go at all and the forward gears where very rough to slot into. I made pushrod adjustments to no avail. Thanks to a forum member, he pointed me in the right direction. I was making the rod adjustments in the wrong direction. The clutch needs minimal travel to engage and disengage and my previous adjustments had made the slave cylinder push the clutch fork past the point of disengagement. The new adjustments allowed to smoothly slot in gear
And that takes me up to now. I'm still running the car in and working out small niggles.
IMG_1933 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1932 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1931 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1934 by AndyPhan123, on Flickr
IMG_1940 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrI forgot how small my car is. Parked next to a random S2K
IMG_1935 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrSo after about 150km I did a compression test just to see how well the rings were seating.
Cyl 1
IMG_1939 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrCyl 2
IMG_1936 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrCyl 3
IMG_1937 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrCyl 4
IMG_1938 by AndyPhan123, on FlickrSo yeah I pretty chuffed right now
Thanks for reading a super long post haha
Keith from Flyin Miata states that a lot of aftermarket fans are "inferior".
