Up and running... Albeit many mistakes and issues
So, after a lot of issues pertaining to various loose ends i had not buttoned up on the engine, i was finally able to get the car running to its full potential!
Getting here wasnt an easy path to take- for every step i took, 3 more things went wrong... let me explain my journey!
BEGI...
My first attempts at using BEGI's reflashed ECU got me to an awkward AFR curve while the stock injectors were leaving me lean near the top of the RPM range- So to give them the benefit of the doubt, i asked them to do another reprogram to accept larger 450cc injectors; this would get me into a safety zone for my hp ranges injector duty cycle.
After they took care of their work, the sent it along the way back to my hands- unfortunately somewhere along the way, USPS confused my address with someone elses and deemed the package undeliverable... so the whole shipment was put on hold for 2 weeks. When i was finally able to track it down, they had told me that it had been sent back to the person who shipped it- so i called BEGI up and asked what had been happening, things became worse when i learned that they had not heard any news on the package and were completely out of the loop... 3 more weeks passed and i got tired of waiting for a solution, so i bought the DIYPNP featured in my previous post.
PNP woes
Now, more issues ensue.
I mounted up the megasquirt, welded a bung onto my charge pipes, and ran the new AIT- all i thought would be left was to take it to our tuning guru at Churchs Auto Testing.
So, fast forward- im at Churchs, on the dyno, everything seems to be going well- and then my car putters out and dies mid tune!
a check of the battery voltage showed i was completely dead in the water- we suspected a dead alternator. So to quickly remedy the issue, i picked up a new unit and had it installed along with my FM clutch and diff/engine bushing set.
after the install, my mechanic informed me that despite the new alternator, i was still getting no voltage anywhere... i was getting upset now!
so i figured the car worked fine until i installed the DIYPNP, so it had to be related to that. after spending a few nights researching, i pieced together some information that made this all more complicated.
Alternator knowledge gained
It turns out that NA alternators are self regulating... and NB units are controlled by the ECU. With my luck (or maybe, lack of knowledge) i had purchased a megasquirt built for an NA!
So i contacted Brainiac on miataturbo to see if he could help me convert it (because i was under the impression that he built it), he quickly responded and obliged to give me a hand. so i sent it out to him.
Brainiac corrections!
When he received it, he began the rebuild, but informed me that he definitely did not build this unit! and that the ECU did infact have an alternator circuit... but it was wired to feed a constant 12v to the system... so chances are i fried my alternator and battery... luckily i had already replaced the alternator- but the battery was checked for health and was surely dead- so a new one was needed... ugh
Anyways, back to the rebuild of the megasquirt- he finished it up quickly so i could have it back to drive to Project-G's one year anniversary- maybe it wasn't a good idea to ask him to rush!
When i got it back, i remounted it, and started it up to see if i was getting voltage... the first thing i noticed, was my A/C was coming on when i would depress the clutch! not good- so i contacted him, and fixing it was a simple programming change in tunerstudio.
Afterwords, i checked my voltage to the battery... i was still getting nothing! So again, i asked for help- after taking a few photos of the wiring inside the DIYPNP, he informed me that he had simply forgot to rewire the circuit on for the alternator switch after testing- so i went and re-soldered a few things and remounted with success!
Keep in mind, this all happening a few hours before the big event at Project-G! so in my rush to get the car running, i never realized that since my car was tuned on low voltage- when i finally got full electrical charge through the system, my tune would be way off... i was running SUPER rich- back firing, stuttering, and stalling
Project-G's One Year Anniversary
I knew it wasnt a good idea to drive the car to the event, but i really didnt want to miss it- so i went through with it- worth it, awesome event by some great guys! the music, food, giveaways, and the huge community that showed up to support the event made it unforgettable.
Dyno Re-try, more woes
The day after i had a re-tune scheduled at Church's
Again, loaded up on the dyno, everything was going well- correcting the rich issues from the extra voltage... then my car started spewing white smoke and gained boost at an unsafe level- my power level also dropped from 209hp to 184hp
We couldnt figure out why this was happening- an engine at 40k mile shouldnt have any reason to lose its health after a few rich runs.
So we checked for
Oil blow by: none from either the cam cover nipple or the PCV
Coolant burn: no particulate or gasses found in the coolant, no overheating, smoke didnt smell sweet
Oil burn and compression: checked all spark plug and did a comp. test- all even pressure across the board, and no junk found in the heads
We even went as far as to check the Rotrex for leaks
Then we realized, my giant cast stock manifold cat had failed... the clogging was sending all the pressure back through the engine... cause the off white smoking and boost gain/power loss!
New pipes
So, to get rid of that issue completely, i tracked down this OEM euro spec header- i had heard the 4-2-1 was the best flowing of all the OEM pieces. I also added a roadstersport mid-pipe.
I sandblasted and VHT white ceramic coated the rusty header to refurbish its appearance.
Made a trip back to Church's and retuned- wow, the header and mid-pipe gave me huge gains! and no white smoke!
After seeing the gain from the OEM piece, i wanted to see how much i could get with an aftermarket unit- so i picked up a Racing Beat header and gave it another go- even more stunning results! Now we are on the right track!
The power is amazing! i cant believe how much fun the car is now! i can break loose the tires any time i want to, and with the linear build of boost- it feels completely under control, no big surprises!
Church's suggested i fab up an intake that locates the filter down near the headlight to keep the incoming air away from the header heat- they estimated i might be able to gain another 5hp just from that!
A few small things
To monitor my boost, i built this awesome Speedhut gauge! the piece is very solid and feels like a quality item! The aluminum bezel and glass sight window are nice touches- i designed it to look like the OEM gauges (you can customize it anyway way you like on their website)- lighting and all (This will incorporate into the OEM+ gauge faces im ordering in the future from our own Revlimiter).
You'll notice i mounted it in an A/C vent cup, im going to place it to the left of the steering wheel.
I also grabbed these, Ive been wanting a nice key set for a long time- a gold silhouette key and a tan eunos fob will do!
I came across an awesome closeout on this GoPro, so i grabbed it to document the upcoming MRLS trip! so everyone can see my amateur driving skill!
Im also trying to work on these windshield sun banners for all the KINOD buddies, i still need to change up a few graphics after showing it to them. Im waiting on my school print shop to give me pricing so i can get these made ASAP
Placed an order for a set of Group 4 PAG wheels this weekend! they are coming from the UK- and are made to order according to your specs. i told them id like to show them off at MRLS, so they obliged to help me out with that- they informed me most wheel sets took about 3 weeks to build
Front spec: 15x9 -10et 54.1 hub
Rear spec: 15x10 -12et 54.1 hub
In Lancia Stratos Group B yellow
check them out here!
Group 4 Wheels
I also informed Mike at Autokonexion of my fastback and rear quarter canard needs, he was busy shipping some awesome stuff to Japan this week, but im sure he'll get back to me soon!
Stay tuned!
I should also note... after all this, just last week, that BEGI ECU was returned to me- to late for that...
Originally Posted by DazedAndConfused
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