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+--- Thread: Project: 1995 Miata (/showthread.php?tid=7919)
Re: Project: 1995 Miata - Jake - 04-26-2013
SlimKlim Wrote:ispoonwithmugen Wrote:Teal?
I tried.
It was a tough choice between teal and my other option.
Re: Project: 1995 Miata - Kaan - 04-26-2013
GOLD? the universal kind?
Re: Project: 1995 Miata - navin - 04-26-2013
Niiiice -- now come get the hoist :thumbup:
Re: Project: 1995 Miata - Jake - 04-30-2013
My buddy Joe came over (again) after work last night to help me replace things on the new motor. It needed a timing belt/water pump job (which included cam/crank seals, water pump/neck seals, gaskets, etc) and a thrust bearing on the bottom end.
Joe is a fast worker and has done a lot of Miata work, so it ended up being more of a "me watching, Joe crankin' on the motor with my impact gun" evening. But I paid him in pizza and many thank-yous.
The "new" 99 motor, upside-down:
![[Image: q9apt6k.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/q9apt6k.jpg)
Old thrust bearings... the crank had double the proper amount of play, so it was good we replaced these:
![[Image: JhhdLPS.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/JhhdLPS.jpg)
I need to get the oil pan back on (easy), paint the valve cover and torque it down (also easy) and have the 40k-mile flywheel resurfaced once it shows up at my house (very easy). Then we can pull the old motor and plop this guy in.
Anyone free on Sunday? Thinking that could be the day to pull/drop in if the stars align and I get everything else done in time.
Re: Project: 1995 Miata - navin - 04-30-2013
I'm possibly down for some Sunday-funday wrenching... I'll be out of town Friday/possibly Saturday if you wanted to pick up the hoist sometime this week just incase you decide to yank it before Sunday.
Just shoot me a txt and we'll figure it out.
Project: 1995 Miata - Jake - 05-05-2013
Joey and I got the old motor/trans/header out yesterday. Pretty easy, all things considered.
![[Image: qOAZQ21.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/qOAZQ21.jpg)
The garage is a disaster now, and today is re-assembly/reinstall day. Everything electronic needs to be moved over to the 99 motor, install clutch/flywheel, and drop 'er in.
We are getting started around 10, if anyone wants to come by and lend a brain/set of hands, shoot me a text.
![[Image: YxP0MfS.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/YxP0MfS.jpg)
Re: Project: 1995 Miata - Jake - 05-05-2013
People who deserve more thank-yous than I can say: Joey, DJ, Mike D., David M., Navin, Sacha and Joey's friend Laurens.
Joey, Laurens and I got the old motor out yesterday (Saturday). That was the "easy" part of this weekend.
Started wrenching around 10 AM this morning. I had heard "everything with a plug has to be moved over" and that was true.
We ran into an issue with the fuel rail. The '95 has a fuel pressure regulator (FPR) and the '99 has a "pulsation dampener" which does I-don't-know-what. Between our collective brainpower (mostly not-mine) and Google, we figured out we needed the '95 injectors, on the '99 rail, with the '95 FPR mounted upside-down in place of the '99 dampener and new custom-cut fuel lines to replace the hard lines that were a part of the old rail.
If you followed the above paragraph, go have a beer because you deserve it.
Anyway, the motor is in, everything is bolted down, everything is plugged in. The battery was too flat to actually start the motor, but it did crank with the proper noises. So, the battery is on Joey's trickle charger and we'll try again tomorrow.
Current issues to address:
• Coolant gushes out of the "water outlet" that holds one of the coolant temp sensors. I had to put the old outlet on the new motor, and in my haste, didn't move the gasket. So, need a gasket for it. And more coolant to replace what poured from the bottle onto the ground. Twice.
• When ignition is turned to "run" the temp gauge goes straight to full-hot. Not sure why. Probably a sensor. (Edit: we accidentally grounded a temperature sensor wire)
• Needs transmission fluid, because I forgot to buy it when I was at AutoZone last time.
• Check fuel lines to make sure send/return are in the right spots.
• Figure out where the open vacuum lines go. Probably can use some T-connectors to split a few vacuum ports.
• Either find a few new nuts for the cat/exhaust connection, or replace the catback. One is cheap, the other is what I'd really want to do.
What's left after that:
• Re-install front bumper
• Re-install hood
• New tires. The Azenis on it right now have the pliability of a Lego wheel.
• Detail the friggin paint. A lot.
• Driiiiiiiive.
Project: 1995 Miata - JPolen01 - 05-05-2013
Sounds like this thing is ready to come back to life! Can't wait to see it again.
Re: Project: 1995 Miata - Goodspeed - 05-06-2013
Nice work! Wish I could of been there (especially with this weather) - spent all day inside studying for exams :x
Jake Wrote:• Coolant gushes out of the thermostat housing, which is inexplicably located on the back of the block. I had to put the old t-stat on the new motor, and in my haste, didn't move the gasket. So, need a gasket for it. And more coolant to replace what poured from the bottle onto the ground. Twice.
I'm confused by this - my '99 motor had the thermostat located in the water neck right at the front of the block. Did this motor have a prior re-route performed? I know the BP carried with it the modified coolant routing from when Mazda took the B6 out of the 323 and turned it sideways. I just thought there would be a plug/block off plate back there that would be leaking instead of a t-stat housing?
Re: Project: 1995 Miata - Jake - 05-06-2013
Goodspeed Wrote:I'm confused by this - my '99 motor had the thermostat located in the water neck right at the front of the block. Did this motor have a prior re-route performed? I know the BP carried with it the modified coolant routing from when Mazda took the B6 out of the 323 and turned it sideways. I just thought there would be a plug/block off plate back there that would be leaking instead of a t-stat housing?
I'm dumb. It's not the thermostat housing that it's leaking from, it's the "water outlet".
See this image:
![[Image: ecu_sensor_2.jpg]](http://www.rivercityroad.com/garage/jpg3/ecu_sensor_2.jpg)
It's the thingy with the bolt and the nut that holds the green plug. The plug is for coolant temp, I think.
Anyway, there's a $3 gasket that just... isn't there, and I need to buy one on my way home tonight.
Re: Project: 1995 Miata - SlimKlim - 05-06-2013
We also just assumed the single wire that disappeared into a pile of sludge on the back of the old motor was a ground, when its actually the temp sensor for the dash/trigger for the fans. We need put a new blade terminal on it and get it clipped onto that housing so the car doesn't think its melting.
Re: Project: 1995 Miata - Jake - 05-07-2013
I stopped at Advance and picked up some things last night, which meant more wrenching.
Pulled the coil pack off and replaced (well, added, really) the gasket to the "water outlet" - which is the doodad that holds both coolant temperature sensors on the back of the block. This was, naturally, a giant pain in the ass. But, the gasket is on, the second temp sensor has been moved from the '95 to '99 motor (it was covered in a layer of filth, so I didn't see it before...) and... it still leaks coolant, dammit.
I need to get in there tonight and have someone look to see where it's leaking while I run the motor.
HOWEVER. Coolant be damned, I wanted to start the motor last night. So I replaced the gasket, moved sensors, fixed wires, etc. and it wouldn't fire. Cranked all day long, but wouldn't catch. My first thought was fuel - because we had to re-engineer the fuel rail, maybe a line wasn't going to the right place.
There are two hard lines that come out of the engine bay. One is send, one is return. I triple-checked, and in our/my/DJ's guessing, they were on backwards. So I un-did them, got a spray of fuel to my face (after tasting coolant while replacing sensors, yum) and swapped them. Jumped the fuel pump to ground to prime the system for ~20 seconds, and still nothing.
At this point, I'm frustrated... get out and look again at plug wires, coil packs, so on. My eyes are scanning the firewall and I spot an orange connector that doesn't have anything plugged in.
The motor starts on the first try when the damned cam angle sensor is plugged in. Who'da thunk it. Anyway, there was much rejoicing, much pulley/belt squeal from rusty pulleys sitting for a long time, and I only revved it to 3k, briefly. But it runs.
Up next...
I need to find and fix the coolant leak, add transmission fluid, install exhaust gaskets, re-install hood and bumper.
Getting closer by the day!
Re: Project: 1995 Miata - .RJ - 05-07-2013
Might want to try some hondabond on the gasket for the water outlet thing.
Re: Project: 1995 Miata - Jake - 05-07-2013
.RJ Wrote:Might want to try some hondabond on the gasket for the water outlet thing.
That was kinda my thought. If it will hold up to heat cycling, I have no problem using it to seal around the water outlet.
Re: Project: 1995 Miata - navin - 05-07-2013
I'm pretty sure I pointed out that plug when I stopped by last night to pick up the hoist! Congrats on getting her fired up, it's a great feeling..! Hope you cracked open a beer and reveled in all the ghetto engineering and wrenching that took place.
I have some hondabond at my house if you want to use it on the coolant neck thingy, this just reminded me that I need to apply some on my thermo housing as well.
Re: Project: 1995 Miata - JustinG - 05-07-2013
I use the Grey RTV from Advance, pretty much the same as Hondabond. I have it on the hatchpile's oil pan, valve cover, and thermo housing. No issues thus far and its been almost 3 years.
Re: Project: 1995 Miata - Jake - 05-07-2013
I have some gray RTV, it's what I used on the oil pan and valve cover. I'll try that tonight, assuming that's where the leak is coming from.
And yes Navin... I think you did! It was far more of a pain to install on the new motor than it was to remove from the old one. And they had the new one plugged - it required an allen key to remove. Which was just a ton of fun in tight quarters.
Re: Project: 1995 Miata - .RJ - 05-07-2013
The Hondabond is similar, but far easier to work with. Its worth buying a few tubes to have around for stuff like this.
Re: Project: 1995 Miata - Kaan - 05-07-2013
.RJ Wrote:The Hondabond is similar, but far easier to work with. Its worth buying a few tubes to have around for stuff like this.
+11ty billion
Re: Project: 1995 Miata - xvxax - 05-07-2013
Hondabond is the Sriracha of automotive sealants. Don't ask questions, just buy. Stuff works miracles.
Edit: when i say miracles, i mean it did a great job sealing my oil pan, t-stat, and diff.