DanM's Westfield Miata

[fastg]

Connet to the squirt and check the values, IAT, coolant temp, throttle position should move with the pedal. If all looks good, disconnect the fuel pump so you can crank the engine over and get oil pressure. Reconnect the fuel pump and make some noise. Just run it for a few seconds and check for leaks. Second start, get it up to temp so the thermostat opens.

 

Graham

[DanM]

Thanks Graham,

 

So things have sadly ground to a halt today.......

 

To get things start off I took out the plugs and poured some oil into the cylinder, left it a short while and then cranked over the engine by hand.  I'm very glad I did, because a lot of burr and chaff came out from my accessory belts and pulleys.  Must have got stuck in there after I drilled some holes for the loom or body work.  After blowing it out with compressed air and gently brushing the belt with a nylon brush all was cleaned up. The engine cranked over well. 😀

 

Next, I got my Wideband sensor set (I took it out of the dash panel and held it in place with a cardboard box) up by heating it up and calibrating it to the atmosphere.  Good to see my wiring was working so far!!

 

Finally, I loaded up the Megasquirt Tuner Studio to my laptop. 

 

This is where things ground to a halt.....  Unfortunately, the cable provided does not fit my laptop and so I'm not able to download the base tune to the ECU until I get one ordered.  Close but no cigar!!! Now I have to wait for the new cable to be delivered before I can continue.

[DanM]

 With a couple more garage hours allocated today I decided to press on with some other tasks.  One of which was filling up the brake system. 

 

I made myself a rudimentary break bleeder just to make sure the pipes were filled. I'll bleed them properly when I have someone here to help.

 

Now time for a shower, dinner and beer! 🍺 

[DanM]

While waiting for my ECU cable adapter, I decided to continue with other stuff.  Next on my list was to position my windscreen.

 

I still have to figure out how I'm going to get them more "chromey" but in the mean time I wanted to get everything test fitted and the holes drilled.

 

First, I secured the scuttle and made myself a windscreen support out of an old pallet I had laying around.  I noticed that I had a bit of difficulty getting the 6mm bolts through the layers of fiberglass (Scuttle and tub) so I think I'll get some longer ones for the final fit.

 

Once everything was secured I positioned the windscreen and side pillars.

 

Looking closely I noticed that although the windscreen positioned itself in the channel, only the edges were actually touching.  Has anyone else experienced this? Is this a problem?

 

Next, I assembled the side screens so I could adjust the windscreen rake.   There are no obvious marks identifying where to position the hinges so I carefully put pressure on the frame with my fingertips and once I felt something that seemed like a hole I gently marked it with the end of a pen (Nib in).

 

Then I punched the bolts through the holes and secured the hinges.

 

For me the set up position (1007mm - screen to back chassis rail) was a little too long and the doors did not sit on the side of the tub.

 

After tilting the screen back a little on both sides the sidescreens lined up pretty well. 

 

Once I was happy, I removed everything, drilled the holes and then test fit everything again.

 

Finally, in preparation for receiving my ECU cable adapter (hopefully) tomorrow I put the wheels back on, lowered the car and then rotated it so I could easily push it out of the garage for my second attempts at a first start.

Edited August 16, 2023 by DanM

[DanM]

Todays attempt to start the engine was full of thrills, disappointments and a lot of frustration...

 

My RS232/USB adapter arrived last night so the first thing I did this afternoon was connect the Tuner studio software to the ECU and load the base map for the 1990/93 Mx5.

 

The FDTI adapter

 

Tuner studio connected to the ECU

 

While I plan to use the base map until I get a proper tune, I did have to make some minor configuration changes to account for the AFM delete (replaced by a GM IAT) and Wideband O2.  Once loaded my daughter helped me push the car outside to see its first bit of sunlight in nearly 2 years.

 

What then followed was approx. 2 hours of pure frustration while my laptop died, and I somehow lost connection to the ECU. By the time I eventually got everything back to where it was, it was time to collect my son from his summer activities and make dinner.  Back in the garage it went. 😑

 

Keen to make progress after dinner, the kids helped me push the car back out this evening and I got straight on to seeing if I could turn the car over without any fuel in it......Click!  ****!!!! Nothing!  After what seemed like a few minutes of scratching my head, I remembered that I had installed a clutch safety switch. Well, good news Mr Safety Inspector, it works!!  I engaged the clutch, turned the key and the engine turned over. Yay!! Happy Days!!

 

With that major milestone achieved (for me at least), I added some fuel to the tank.   Thankfully, the first hose clamp was a little loose and started to leak after a a few drops of fuel were poured. This was enough of a reminder to go around all the hose clamps and give them a bit of a tighten before putting anymore fuel in.

 

Finally at 21:30, I was ready to go.  I hopped in the car and turned the key a couple of times to allow the fuel pump to push fuel into the system. Then I cranked it over.  No change.  It sounded exactly the same as it did without fuel.  After doing some basic checks I tried two or three more times, without any change.

 

Too exhausted to do anymore problem solving this evening, I pushed the car back in and packed up for the night.

 

Tomorrow is another day of learning!

[MV8]

Did you reconnect power to the fuel pump after initial cranking with the fuel tank dry? If you did not disable the pump as Fastg suggested, you may need a new pump. Run a fuel hose into a bucket or a water bottle to test the flow. A bad gerotor pump can be heard running but still not pump enough or any fuel.

 

 

[Anaximander]

DanM,

Your post shows that you definitely have your priorities straight in that you took care of your family as the top priority yesterday. Now, send them off to a boarding school along with the wife and work feverishly on that car day/night until it is ready to race (Just kidding!).

 

Having helped build my Stalker AXR last year, I completely understand how much emotional energy it takes to get over the last humps after all of the hard and excellent work you have put into the car. When you get first fire, I assure you that most of the memories of pain and suffering will quickly evaporate. It is amazing how few ever get to experience what you, myself and others have gained from putting a car together that did not exist. It is quite a feat and you are getting closer by each attempt. Keep up the good work and if possible, enjoy the thrills of your current challenges and the satisfaction of knowing that YOU have almost built a running custom made car!

[DanM]

5 hours ago, MV8 said:

If you did not disable the pump as Fastg suggested, you may need a new pump.

I installed a fuel pump toggle switch so I could isolate the fuel pump if needed and I'm sure the pump was switched off.  I'll check it out just in case... 

[DanM]

Checklist for this afternoon.  Not necessarily in this order!

 

[DanM]

So I started going through the list:

 

• Fuel Pump - Disconnected (and got blasted in the face with pressurized fuel- yuck!) and tested. All good.
• Intake - Disconnected and checked for blockage. All good
• Battery - Checked with multimeter - All Good
• Starter - Engine turns over - Assume good.
• Injectors - Disconnected injectors and connected a light bulb to the harness.  First I tested the against engine ground and the light came on.

 

 

Then, I connected the signal ground from the harness and cranked over the engine....No light.  Looks like I have no signal ground from the ECU.  Time to retrace my engine harness to see where the issue may be.

Edited August 17, 2023 by DanM

[fastg]

My order is always 

1. Fuel pressure (does the fuel pump run).

2. Sparks

3. Injection. 

 

Keep up the good work, you will figure it out. 

 

Graham 

[DanM]

So, at the end of another head scratching evening (again between kids activities, etc.).  Here's what I think the status is:

• Fuel Pump - Working
• Intake - Clear
• Battery - Delivering Power
• Starter - Working
• Spark - Present
• Injectors - Have voltage, but need to test further.
• Cam Angle Sensor - Not tested yet.

Enough for tonight. Next, I will either buy a Noid light for the injector harness or perhaps remove the fuel rail and test the spray on some cardboard.

 

More learning tomorrow.

[Anaximander]

DanM, When I had a 1992 Miata, I found that I had to take off the valve cover and replace the valve cover gasket to properly re-install the Cam Angle Sensor. The reason for this was that the two flat ends of the sensor are square and the ends are not chamfered at all and I had a devil of a time getting the Cam Angle Sensor with square tangs into the cam shaft female part that is also square and not chamfered/bevelled at the end of the cam shaft. In some YouTube videos, they suggest that you can do it by feel but there was only one video where the installer actually was able to do it with the valve cover in place. All the other videos paused as they figured out how to get that darn thing back in. Maybe you will be one of the lucky ones that can get it in without having to remove the valve cover on the Miata engine?

Edited August 18, 2023 by Anaximander

[Anaximander]

Dan,

Did you ship your wife and family to a boarding school arrangement so that you could work on your project day and night? With beer if necessary??? In the day, craft beers made wrenching seem more worthwhile. Where are we at in the process? What have you ruled out so far? Curious but bored minds would like to know

Edited August 22, 2023 by Anaximander

[DanM]

So, here is the latest:

• Fuel Pump - Working
• Intake - Clear
• Battery - Delivering Power
• Starter - Working
• Spark - Present
• Injectors - working

I am currently trying to understand the Megasquirt data logs.  My Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP) is way off the chart like some crazy boosted engine without even cranking it over.  I loaded new firmware on the controller but still the same.  

 

I'm reading all the megasquirt forums to see if I can get some kind of lead to follow....very frustrating. 

[DanM]

Timing also seems to be good!

[MV8]

I don't know what ms you have. I'd check the setting/constants since there are many different maps that can be installed on the board. I recall a testing setup for checking that the ms is good once assembled.

 

Should read about 100 kpa near sea level with the hose disconnected.

Edited August 23, 2023 by MV8

[Anaximander]

Dan,

I experienced a niggling problem with my FiTech system and had to make several calls to the manufacturer and talk with their technical help desk. Even after numerous calls, there was one last element to perfection that had eluded me and so I re-read the installation manual and found a partial sentence that I thought might be explaining the problem. I called the FiTech help desk and they advised that switching the O2 sensors leads could not lead to any problems for my rich/lean condition. When I did this, my AFR's almost instantly reached stoichiometric balance and the car has been running beautifully and the ECU continues to learn my driving habits and the engine is a dream. You may have to call Megasquirt and find out if you have the correct parameters (firmware) set into your ECU to match up with your model year engine? Much good luck on this interesting journey.

Edited August 23, 2023 by Anaximander

[DanM]

Thanks everyone for your input.  I have the MSPNP2 (Plug and Play) MS, so in theory other than configuring the IAT and Wideband (from Drop down) I have nothing to do to get the engine firing (albeit un-tuned). I have checked that I am using the correct firmware and the Miata 9093 base map for start up.  I am now at the point where I have had to recharge the battery 'cos of all the cranking and tests since last thursday........so who knows what the state of other components are now. 

 

I will definitely reach out to MS and see if it might be the unit.

[fastg]

How are you checking the sparks? Do the plugs look wet? Looks like you using IAC, are you giving it any throttle during starting process. I would get some starter fluid, remove the inlet setup back to the throttle body. A little starter fluid and a little throttle, if the timing is even close it should go vooom. 

 

Graham 

Edited August 23, 2023 by fastg