DanM Posted July 11, 2022 Author Share Posted July 11, 2022 Oil Pump time! It was a beautiful day here in Ottawa. After a nice bike ride and a couple of hours on the patio I decided to do a little more on the engine. Time to unpack and install the Boundary oil pump. Cleaning the surfaces After installing a new crank seal I applied some Permatex "Right Stuff" gasket maker to the back and slid it straight in to place. After finding my box of refurbed bolts, I located the "Oil pump" bag and installed the bolts...... ...well almost. For some reason one of the bolts wouldn't torque down and just stretched! I'll have to pick up another one this week. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 (edited) Inch/lbs, not foot/lbs. Only main, head, and connecting rods are foot/lbs. Go for mid-spec rather than peak spec. Edited July 11, 2022 by MV8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanM Posted July 11, 2022 Author Share Posted July 11, 2022 Thanks @MV8. I used Inch/Ibs with my small Husky torque wrench, but it just kept spinning. I think there may have been some wet gasket material on the thread and it just wouldn't bite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee break Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 I've had that happen also. It's good to figure it out before you have a two part bolt. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 Me too, but it was hardware included with a greddy turbo kit for a miata about 20 years ago, holding the td04 to the manifold. Bolts had no head marking. I guess these bolts were new replacements and not the originals? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 Set the wrench lower than the end torque so you know it is clicking properly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanM Posted July 11, 2022 Author Share Posted July 11, 2022 3 hours ago, MV8 said: I guess these bolts were new replacements and not the originals? They were the originals from my donor. I am now trying to source a full set incase the others are now weak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanM Posted July 14, 2022 Author Share Posted July 14, 2022 I finally got around to finishing the bottom end of the engine today. This involved installing the new rear crank seal, the windage tray, oil pump pick up with new gasket and finally the oil pan. I had a bit of a discussion on tech talk about whether or not to install an aftermarket oil pan baffle and ultimately decided against it. Thanks to everyone who gave their thoughts and feedback. New rear crank seal. Windage tray and oil pump pick up Now for the oil pan. Can you guess which side I did first? 🤣 Sparkly clean... All buttoned up and torqued to spec. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanM Posted July 15, 2022 Author Share Posted July 15, 2022 Finishing the bottom end yesterday really gave me a boost, so I pushed on with the top end assemble this evening. I set myself the goal of installing the head, water pump, and camshaft cranks. Reaching into my shelf of parts I found the gates water pump that I bought from Treasure Coast Miata last year. It didn't come with new hardware so I dove into my box of refurbed bolts and pulled out the water pump bag. All the hard work I put in last summer stripping, de-rusting and painting parts is really starting to pay off and I feel like I'm using new(ish) parts. Assembly is becoming a real joy! Next is the head gasket and the head. The head gasket came as part of my full gasket and seal set, but the head bolts were original. Looking in the Miata service manual it says you can re-use them so I gave them an inspection, oiled them up and cracked on. Initially the install went well, the gasket looked good, the head positioned well and the bolts slid in like butter.... As normal, I began to torque the bolts down in 2 or 3 stages. As I started the 2nd round something didn't quite feel right. As I was approaching the mid torque setting the wrench slipped and the bolt head started to round......sh*t! Having already stretched or snapped bolts, and experienced the pain of having to get them out, I decided to back off completely. I really don't want to mess things up this late in the game after all the time and money I have put in. I decided to order a new set of bolts and will patiently wait to do it properly. Not to be deterred, I continued with the plan and opened up my coolant re-route kit from Supermiata to find the thermostat neck block off plate. The kit comes with everything you need including gasket sealant so I smeared a generous amount over the block off plate and installed it on the head. Followed by the timing belt sealing plate (de-rusted with a fresh coat of pain and new seal) ...and finally the camshaft cranks went on. I'm really happy with the progress today, even with the head bolt scare. Tomorrow I will install the idler and tensioner pulleys and maybe the water pump pulley and then take a pause to do a bit more research and spend some time with the family over the weekend. I'm getting close to installing the crank pulley bolt and woodruff key, the part I've been dreading. I want to triple check everything so I don't fall foul of the short nose crank issue! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanM Posted July 24, 2022 Author Share Posted July 24, 2022 (edited) So, I just had a week off work with the family to go camping on the shores of lake Ontario. Unfortunately, the weather forecast for the week showed rain and very high temperatures so we had to cancel at the last minute. Staycation!!! With the weather not much better in Ottawa, we decided to spend time around the house and do some day trips instead. What did that mean for me.......Garage Time!!!! In fact 9 days of quality garage time that enabled me to finish my engine and still have fun with the family. As a result, I'm a bit behind on photos, so bare with me over the next couple of days while I bring you up to speed. One thing's for sure. I'm very happy with the aesthetic result...only time with tell on the mechanical quality!! 😅 Edited July 24, 2022 by DanM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanM Posted July 24, 2022 Author Share Posted July 24, 2022 (edited) While I was waiting for my new head studs to arrive a pressed ahead with the crank pully. To prepare for this I took my time to do 3 three things: 1. Make a tool to stop the crank from rotating while I torqued the bolt. 2. Cleaned out the crank bolt thread with a tap 3. Checked , checked and checked again the crank bolt torque spec. The Tool You can buy a tools from places like Flyin' Miata or Miata Mecca in the states and they will set me back at least $45 Canadian plus tax and shipping. Instead I bought myself some 3/16 steel bar from the hardware store $13 plus tax and thought I'd try to make one myself. Making a template from a paint stirrer. Drilling out the basic shape Then hogging out the rest before smoothing it out in the belt sander. Once I was happy with the shape and fit, I gave it a quick coat of paint. Why? you might ask, well, the rattle can was on the bench within arms length so I thought, Why not?! lol All ready to go with a new pulley, woodruff key, crank bolt and balancer bolts. Cleaning the thread. Well call me paranoid, but I really wanted to give this engine a good rebirth and hopefully another lifetime of use out of it. With so many forum comments about the short nose crank I wanted to ensure that everything was spotless before installing the woodruff key and bolt. Short Nose Crank Bolt Torque So hear is where I needed to check, check and check again, because getting it wrong has caused the dreaded short nose crank issue. As with a lot of information you read these days, you have to really find a solid credible source to differentiate fact vs opinion. I decided to go with the Flyin' Miata recommendation. Red loctite and 80-87 ft/lb. Flyin' Miata - short nose crank bolt No turning back! Now that I was happy with my source, I installed the crank pulley, woodruff key (the right side up) and installed the bolt. Fingers crossed that's the last time I need to touch it for a long long time! Edited July 24, 2022 by DanM 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanM Posted July 25, 2022 Author Share Posted July 25, 2022 (edited) More bolt ons.... Before turning my attention to the intake manifold and injectors, I installed a couple of my aftermarket bolts-ons. The coolant reroute kit from supermiata comes with billet parts, high flow thermostat, bleed valve, heater fittings and blanks. You just re-use your OEM sensor. Installed on the cylinder head. For those with good observational skills, you will notice that the hose will run around the intake side of the engine. As this is a LHD car, I am trying to keep as much away from the exhaust side as possible. This area will get crowded very quickly with the steering shaft. The Water Pump Intake is from G19 engineering in the uk. Its a bit pricey (especially when you earn Canadian dollars), but I like it because it it takes up minimal space and can take a fitting...ideal for rerouting my Air Valve coolant. Installed. Edited July 25, 2022 by DanM 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin David Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 16 minutes ago, DanM said: ... for rerouting my Air Valve coolant. is that an air bleeder to help burp the system? I'm trying to place the water intake in my head. Is that on the LHS of the motor near the front? Like, near the knuckle / u-joint on the steering column to rack interface? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanM Posted July 25, 2022 Author Share Posted July 25, 2022 @Austin DavidYes, The water pump inlet is on the LHS of the motor. The air valve unit is located on the 1990 Miata Air intake manifold (It has just been removed in the picture below but hoses are still attached). Because I have deleted the coolant neck, I need to reroute the coolant return hose and will use the water pump inlet as my destination point. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanM Posted July 25, 2022 Author Share Posted July 25, 2022 You can see the location of the water pump inlet clearer here, as well as the orange block off plate for the coolant neck. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin David Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 ah, thanks. I nuked pretty much the entire intake system (including TB) on my 98 NB (very similar block). I forgot about the coolant line to the TB. You would have had a lot of tubes at that front left tho, this oughta help a bit. It's looking great! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanM Posted July 25, 2022 Author Share Posted July 25, 2022 (edited) Injector cleaning Last summer a 1990 Miata ended up in a local salvage yard, which is not very common here. The high demand for used parts on these early cars means that a lot of good stuff is sold off without even being advertised. I was one of the first on site so took a bunch of stuff off it including spare injectors. With bunch of cruddy injectors in hand, I decided to have a bit of fun and try out one of these wacky injector cleaning tricks that I saw on Youtube. My Macgyver cleaning rig consisted of: Safety glasses 9V battery Multimeter cables and Croc clips Vise grips Short hose with jubilee clip Carburettor cleaner with straw In summary, you add power to the injector to open it up, then shoot carb cleaner through it. It's simple if you have 3 hands! lol Spray!! (Action shot courtesy of my 11 year old son.) Half way through. Once tested I cleaned up the outside of the injector. Installed. Edited July 25, 2022 by DanM 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosteri Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 Looks like new!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanM Posted July 25, 2022 Author Share Posted July 25, 2022 36 minutes ago, Rosteri said: Looks like new!! Thanks, Lots of time spent scrubbing and painting! It came out better than I had ever hoped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanM Posted July 25, 2022 Author Share Posted July 25, 2022 Head studs I ordered some ARP studs to replace the dodgy cylinder head bolts. As soon as they arrived I screwed them into the block and reinstalled the head. This time I torqued down with confidence! A few more seals For those interested in the part numbers, here are some more seals and gaskets I replaced. Cam position sensor O-Ring Throttle body gasket Dip Stick O-Ring 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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