M2cupcar's 1990 Mazda Mx-5 Miata FE3 Turbo (35th)

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m2cupcar
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Re: M2cupcar's 1990 Mazda Mx-5 Miata FE3 Turbo (35th)

Post by m2cupcar »

Yes- the stock oil pump had a shim added to it first time around. At 7k rpm with hot oil it was showing over 90psi. Hot idle was 15-20psi. This indicated on the stock pressure gauge. I can't tell you why I pulled the shim because I never had any issue with oiling or seals. Everything was fine and I had to mess with it. The Benz 123 oil cooler is a Behr tube and fin. Not the most efficient, but it fit my available space perfectly and was readily available for the nominal price of $40 delivered thank you eBay. FC Rx7 oil coolers are similar tube and fin, larger and designed to run width wise with the inlet/outlet on the same side for a dual pass. That is the grassroots go-to oil cooler for those that have the space for the price and greater capacity.
90 Miata | 302rwhp @ 6450rpm | 281rwftlbs @ 4800rpm | FE-dohc 2.0L turbo
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Re: M2cupcar's 1990 Mazda Mx-5 Miata FE3 Turbo (35th)

Post by Fred »

So I have to ask, what oil are you running, exactly? And is this motor build on the loose side intentionally? I never put a gauge on the ute, but it clearly had solid oil pressure except when I ran it out while doing donuts and ran that big end :-D I guess what I mean is, how is your factory pump not good enough when mine was/is fine? Something is different.
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m2cupcar
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Re: M2cupcar's 1990 Mazda Mx-5 Miata FE3 Turbo (35th)

Post by m2cupcar »

Right now it has 10/40 Rotella synth in it. Which is what it's always had. The motor is an unopened honest to god Mazda FE3. Make that a JDM FE3. It was one of the clean ones too- no paste in the head to hold the cams and lifters in. :D What the gauge shows now is pretty typical to what a stock Miata shows on a B6/BP. But a common practice for Miata owners is to shim the oil pump when going turbo. Which is why I did it last time, which was the first time around on the turbo train. At this point I have yet to determine that my factory oil pump/pressure is inadequate and I hope not to.

Screen grab of a cold start to warmed up engine showing CHT:
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Does that not look like a rise in temp to the Tstat opening, the a repeat of rise/fall as the engine heats and then the fan cools?
90 Miata | 302rwhp @ 6450rpm | 281rwftlbs @ 4800rpm | FE-dohc 2.0L turbo
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Re: M2cupcar's 1990 Mazda Mx-5 Miata FE3 Turbo (35th)

Post by Fred »

It does, and because I saw your email first, my detailed reply is there. Feel free to quote most/all of it here if you like. :-)
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Re: M2cupcar's 1990 Mazda Mx-5 Miata FE3 Turbo (35th)

Post by m2cupcar »

Yep, your Tstat is clearly working perfectly! But you're generating too much heat at idle for the passive cooling of the setup. My truck is the same with the thick radiator, there is no airflow without the fan...
This is exactly how the first car's cooling system worked. Never overheated, but with everything crammed in such a small space and thick stack, the temp rose to fan trigger quickly in the summer heat when the car stopped moving.
Your warm up curve needs to end by about 75C to not be enriching when the tstat is open which we must deem as "warm enough".
That makes perfect sense.
Your idle is a tiny bit high at a bit over 1k, but I guess that's on purpose to assist with cold running, right? Cold right now of 28C and you have what appears to be unassisted 1070 RPM.
This ford throttle body came to me with a large hole in the throttle plate. Apparently this hole is typical for base idle and changes in size depending on which model car the throttle body comes in. This hole put my idle at nearly 2000 rpm fully closed. There was no removing the screws without grinding the ends off them- they looked pressed on the ends. I brazed the hole shut which dropped the idle to where it is now. But in the process there was enough heat to slightly warp the plate, so there's a throttle leak around body lip/flange when shut. If little pressure is applied to the plate it seal enough to where the engine will pull the idle valve open.

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Lowering the RPM and getting back to stoich should make it a bit happier and cooler. Pull the warm up curve back just a little more, 100% by 75C (or lower if you want/can, sooner into stoich idle, the better, really, only add fuel where necessary to run acceptably)
I need to pick up another throttle body without a hole in it. They're dirt cheap since they came in so many different fords- typically around $25 delivered.
90 Miata | 302rwhp @ 6450rpm | 281rwftlbs @ 4800rpm | FE-dohc 2.0L turbo
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Re: M2cupcar's 1990 Mazda Mx-5 Miata FE3 Turbo (35th)

Post by Fred »

OK, no big deal, but get it back to stoich, it's too lean at the moment, which could be contributing to the heating up thing. I did two screen shots for Rob in the email the quotes come from, so here they are:

http://stuff.fredcooke.com/RobsThermost ... anTemp.png
http://stuff.fredcooke.com/RobsIdleMayH ... chment.png

And inline, same order:

Image

Image
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m2cupcar
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Re: M2cupcar's 1990 Mazda Mx-5 Miata FE3 Turbo (35th)

Post by m2cupcar »

Yep- ford 65mm v8 TBs are cheap and plentiful:
Image
94 Crown Victoria / Grand Marquis appears to be one of the few with NO holes in the throttle plate.
90 Miata | 302rwhp @ 6450rpm | 281rwftlbs @ 4800rpm | FE-dohc 2.0L turbo
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m2cupcar
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Re: M2cupcar's 1990 Mazda Mx-5 Miata FE3 Turbo (35th)

Post by m2cupcar »

This car is being used- and that means sorting it out. I had a serious lag in cold start up oil pressure, some bad HLA (lifters), a whacked out oil pressure sender I couldn't get removed and an oil pan needing some adjustments. I got crafty with some scrap lumber and built a rig so I could drop the front subframe to address these items. A good option since I was going on a road trip and didn't want to break any of my leak free fluid/air connections.
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Subframe removed.
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The Miata's oil pressure sender is buried deep in the side of the FE3 block and impossible to remove using the cast hex at he base with a wrench. The only option is to use the hex on the shell, but in my case that shell was spinning on the base. I had to remove the sender in pieces and then clean up the collateral damage. The shell on the new sender was tack welded to the base prior to install to aid in any future removal if needed. Fortunately all went as planned and the "new" sender is in place and functions perfectly.
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90 Miata | 302rwhp @ 6450rpm | 281rwftlbs @ 4800rpm | FE-dohc 2.0L turbo
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m2cupcar
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Re: M2cupcar's 1990 Mazda Mx-5 Miata FE3 Turbo (35th)

Post by m2cupcar »

The oil cooler adapter plate was also adjusted while I was in there, but then new position in favor of the cooler lines placed the fittings in interference of some bosses. Those were adjusted with a grinder for a clean fit.

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Oil pan sump was shortened length wise and at the drain to improve clearance to the ground and transmission. This meant adjusting the oil pickup for proper clearance also.
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90 Miata | 302rwhp @ 6450rpm | 281rwftlbs @ 4800rpm | FE-dohc 2.0L turbo
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m2cupcar
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Re: M2cupcar's 1990 Mazda Mx-5 Miata FE3 Turbo (35th)

Post by m2cupcar »

I managed to get a good 45 minute varied drive in on the car before my road trip so I could test it all out. I was hoping to have the AC working before the trip, but when I pulled vacuum on it, there was a leak. So AC is still on the list. Fortunately the heat wasn't bad during the trip. First stint was from Atlanta to just south of Tallahassee on the coast of Florida. The trip was completely uneventful- except for growing noises from the transmission. I knew it was tired but figured good enough for the trip, but even during this first stint I could hear the groan getting louder. And then synchro issues started arise as I drove through Tallahassee. Joy. I spent the week hanging out on the beach and just inland at Ochlockonee River before moving on.

Instagram pic I snapped on my iPhone at the Ochlockonee River State Park boat slip.
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90 Miata | 302rwhp @ 6450rpm | 281rwftlbs @ 4800rpm | FE-dohc 2.0L turbo
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