Cali Build - Sport

[calibuild]

Got the rims and tires mounted, having wheels makes it look a lot more like a car.

Rims are JNC 003 with 0 ET at about 14lbs ish per wheel (my scale is neither digital or perfect), and tires are Hankook 205 50 15 at about 20 per, for a 34 ish total. Since the donor had 17 inch rims it should cut around 8lbs per wheel which is great. Stretch is minimal, looks nice.

[calibuild]

Hey All - turned the car on this weekend, and it ran for a second before I cut it off. Checked everything over and found the gas lines weren't tightened down quite enough (using brass fittings as it goes from metal line to nylon). Tightened it down further, and now it won't start. Took the gas line off the pressure regulator, and spewed petrol everywhere, so I know it's pressuring the line. Swapped out the spark plugs for a new set, and checked the coil pack by linking up each spark plug and visually seeing it spark off the coil wire. Still won't start. Plugs are wet from gas.

Any quick thoughts?

Video (with sound) of it cranking (disconnected the air filter in case it wasn't getting enough air):


Here's a picture of the left side of the engine bay (wiring not yet cleaned up):

[SeanW]

Hard to tell from the video. How much fuel did you have in the tank? I know that sounds like a dumb question but I had a situation about a week ago where I ran the car for a few minutes, then turned it off, then I went to turn it on a few minutes later and it wouldn't start. Would turn over, but it wouldn't start like you show in your video. Couple of gallons of gas fixed that. I'd only put a small amount of fuel in the tank to start with and guess I burned through it more quickly than I thought I would. Anyway, you might be at a spot now where you've not got enough fuel in the tank for the pump to pick up.

Second, I don't think that it's this but you never know, I had some issues getting the car to start once when I'd accidentally left the MAF unplugged. Would crank but would die almost instantly.

[SeanW]

Oct 11, 2016 0:45:34 GMT calibuild said:

Okay, updated a couple pervious post above with pictures   Progress is being made. 

Now I'm trying to figure out how to lay out the engine bay... thoughts welcome. Flyin Miata seems to put the coolant reservoir over by the brake cylinder.  SeanW's build (green frame, black hood) has a good pic, but wasn't sure where the reservoir was (it might be the red canister). I was going to put it behind the shock / spring mount, but seems like from the side people will see a bright white box (the coolant reservoir)....

A couple build seems to use a fabricated bracket to mount some of the sensors.... still trying to figure out if the pressure regulator and oil can.

My overflow bottle is that big red thing at back of the engine bay.

[calibuild]

Thanks SeanW. Also great build thread, appreciate the opportunity to learn from your experience.

Added about half a gallon more gas, as that's all I had. Also checked the fuel injectors, each 1 is ticking which is good. Wiped down the MAF sensor as well. I'm stumped at the moment. The plus is I've got all week to read up before I get another crack at it. I'll add even more fuel to the tank next week to fully eliminate that potential issue.

[calibuild]

Got a few minutes in tonight, added another 1.5 gallons, so should have at least 3ish gallons in the tank (speedometer fuel gauge still shows "E" but that's likely a wiring issue). Used the Top Dead Center gun, and it flashed every time spark plug 1 was TDC, and spark plug 2 was the opposite.

It smells like gas after cranking it, so seems like fuel is getting there... but its not becuase after spraying starter fluid got it to start... fuel problem... thoughts?

[gwnwar]

Do you have the fuel hoses on the right way.. I thought the fuel rail hose should go to the top nipple in your pic.

[calibuild]

Nov 19, 2016 19:53:07 GMT gwnwar said:

Do you have the fuel hoses on the right way.. I thought the fuel rail hose should go to the top nipple in your pic.

I think so, I went back and looked at pictures taken while tearing it down to double check, and thought I'd labeled it correctly, but may have made an error.

The bottom of the unit in the picture (the tube with the curve and blue tape), that goes into the engine? The straight piece, or top, that connects to the fuel rail that comes from fuel filter / gas tank?  That's how I had it.

I did try reversing it with no luck.

Tried a fuel pressure test kit, but hooked it up incorrectly and pumped fuel everywhere... so the pump works, at least a little bit........ also tried switching the fuse with the blower fuse, no change. I'd already multimeter checked it, but at this point, I'm ready to try anything. 

Update: after much effort, went back to spraying starter fluid and then gassed it.... and it starts and holds 6K RPMs, billowing white smoke out the pipe. Gave it a minute, started it without starter fluid, revs high, settles into 2K - 2.5K RPMs, self reving back and forth.

Best guess is it's a massive vacuum leak at the EGR valve where I swapped for an 2001 header. Will check tomorrow.

[gwnwar]

Fuel rail is the rail that the injectors are installed to on the intake manifold..
You had damper tubes right.. Straight goes to tank.. Curved to engine fuel rail..

[calibuild]

Thanks.... more trouble shooting... and doesn't seem to be the EGR leaking. I can now get it to start, but it still billows massive amounts of white smoke, presumably because it's running really rich. The RPMs drop down fairly quickly from 6K to 2-2.5K, just revving up, then falling back, up, then back.

From what I've googled, guessing it's a bad O2 sensor... The 02 sensors got moved with the 2001 header swap. The clip that connects to the back of the engine is the 02 sensor at the base of the exhaust header. The O2 sensor post the CAT, connects at the front of the engine. Hope that's right.

Update: Replaced the O2 sensor that came with the 2001 Header (black one on the left), with the one off the donor. Now it revs 2.5 - 3K RPMs...



Will see if I can't get it figured out over Thanksgiving! Also discovered a small leak in my radiator. Any great tips on finding that so I can just solder it shut would be appreciated, but that's a distant second to the engine.

[gwnwar]

What do you mean you wiped down the MAF. All you do with them is spray cleaner made for MAFs. Don't touch the wire..
Do you have a little slack in the throttle cable.. Does throttle linkage go to close when throttle is opened/closed by hand engine..
off.. Are you using OEM intake cross over tube.. Any cracks,loose clamps,missing hoses.. unused vac port on throttle body plugged.
White smoke should be coolant/water. A rich mixture would be black smoke.. Blue smoke is oil..
Does the white smoke hang in the air or go right away.

[calibuild]

You are pure genius! Let nobody tell you different. I had reset the cable and thought I had it right, but it appears it was pulling it slightly. I'm still idling high, around 2.2K RPMs (replaced the PCV valve to no effect), but it doesn't do the rev thing anymore and no more 6K RPMs. Yay! Thanksgiving weekend is off to a better start.

The new challenge is the cable is as long as it will go May end up taking that bracket off, and see if I can drill 2 new holes 5mm back, and remount.... but am pretty sure it'll hit the black round thing.

To your other questions, smoke more hangs (if have time I'll edit a post a video, it's just too long right now).... I had gently swabbed the MAF with a Q-tip, but I'll pick up the spray cleaner. Since the stock air filter was to big, I moved the front sensor (before the MAF) to the middle of the stock pipe (2nd picture below) as this is what the aftermarket systems seemed to do.

Sensor relocation:

[gwnwar]

With the cable do you have the fastener going though the fire wall flush on the engine side.. Is cable snapped into the top of rod right.. If so you might want to try bending the upper part of the pedal rod above the pivot point a little toward the firewall that will put more cable out front at the throttle body..
Before doing that check that the cable housing is flowing nice and not bound, bent, sharp turns..Does the cable move freely in housing.. it looks a little short coming out of the case/housing at the throttle body.. You can see the different color on the adjuster screw part were it use to be..
Is the hole for the cable in firewall lined up straight to the top of the pedal were it hooks up..
The hose from the cam cover to the intake cross over tube (in your pic) make sure you still have the restrictor plug in it by the cam cover..
FOR the temp sensor i like drilling a hole into the shoulder of the cone filter and putting it before the MAF but it should work were you have it..

[calibuild]

Thanks! Got it mostly sorted. Idles around 1800 RPMs, and am 90% sure it's a couple vacuum leaks, as it idled around 1200 when I bought it. I'll come back to perfecting the engine.

Updated: Big weekend! Finally got the turn signals quasi-sorted. I had trimmed a few wires to the motor blower that I had to re-solder. The rear backups, that was just a connection that wasn't together as a donor and was driving me mad. Ughh lights are "mostly" there.

 

[calibuild]

Alright..... lesson is don't clip any wires before hooking up the entire harness! Could use some thoughts:

Turn signal now works.... but when the headlights come it on, it blinks super fast like a bulb is out (both bulbs are on). Any thoughts? The set up in the video is off a wrecked Miata tail light, once I get that sorted out I'll switch to the LED pictured below and add in the necessary resistors.

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On a similar but different note, any thoughts on the gas gauge not working? Power is making it to the pump (brown and black wire), and seems to make it to the gauge pod (brown and black), but it doesn't move, doesn't show "E" or anything if the fuel is to low. Has me stumped as well.