In reply to Keith Tanner :
Good to hear. When I talked with Brandon it didn't sound that close to release.
In other news, the NC is back together with the stock flywheel and civility has returned. Hope to get started on the turbo install in the next couple of days.
I'm a little tired of the 6 speed transmission in the NA... I thought it was a necessary upgrade when I was considering turbocharging the BP, and I do think it helped lap times with the BP at 135whp. With the K swap, I don't think it's necessary anymore. After looking at other drivers' results with similar cars and 5 speeds, looking at data and modeling it on the sim, I decided I wanted to try going back to a 5 speed. Should lower the driver workload, and any performance decrease from gearing should be offset by shifting less. As I noted in a previous post, a very similar local car, running similar lap times with a 5 speed was shifting 4 times per lap compared to my 12 times per lap with the 6 speed.
I found an NB 5 speed out of a 120k mile car in Tucson, so on our monthly Sam's Club run today I swung by and picked it up. Moves through the gears and turns fine, we'll see how it does when it's installed. NA won't be back on track until it cools off in late September, so I've got plenty of time to go through it and do the swap.
Finally got going on the turbo install this morning. While nothing is particularly difficult, this is definitely an involved install, so I'm taking my time and doing it by the numbers. The FM instructions are excellent... far beyond what you usually get with turbo parts! I did my usual OCD thing and printed the manual and put it in a 3 ring binder.
I made some progress, and decided to call it for the day after getting fluids drained. The next step is for me to break away from the turbo install to install the new radiator. Then I'll get back to the turbo stuff.
My transmission jack made a nice platform for the drain pan...
Frustration and much bad language in the shop this morning, but ultimately, progres...
Today's agenda was replacing the radiator and water pump with upgraded parts, and then continuing with the turbo install. First up was the water pump, which was pretty easy, as water pumps go. Three bolts on the pulley, three to fix it to the block. O-ring seal, so no gasket or silicone mess to deal with. The upgraded pump is from a Ford Ecoboost application, IIRC, and has a better impeller design than the factory Mazda part. Stock pump on the left, new pump on right with plastic impeller.
When researching, there was conflicting information on which Ford P/N was correct, so I punted and ordered it from a vendor. Here's the Gates info, for posterity...
Next was pulling the radiator. Not only did Mazda find a way to keep about a gallon of coolant in the system after draining, but it's all in places where it will dump out when you take things apart. Mostly on you. The biggest issue though, is the packaging. The radiator, fan and A/C condenser are stacked together tightly, and the only way to make any real room to remove the radiator is to discharge the A/C and remove the condenser first. Otherwise it's a game of trying to inch it out without damaging the condenser. I failed... I had the radiator within about an inch of being free and something scraped across the condenser and I got covered in a mist of oily refrigerant. Lots of bad language.... 
Anyway, it was out.
I took a break (and ordered a new condenser), got my blood pressure down and went back to it. The CSF radiator, just like their NA version is very nicely made, with all the factory mounting points and brackets accurately reproduced. Without the A/C condenser in the way, it was easy to install... 
Then it was back to the FM manual... removed some coolant lines from the passenger side, and then removed the manifold. Still have one heater hose to get to on the driver's side rear of the block... I need to buy a pair of very long needle nose pliers to get to the hose clamp. It's not easy to reach.
At this point, I'm very happy I didn't try to rush this install... would have been a disaster. Nothing particulary difficult just involved and time consuming.
Short day in the shop today. Humidity is over 60%, which isn't bad for most places, but if you've lived most of your life in AZ it feels like it's time to build an ark... 
Once the sweat is running in my eyes, I'm done for the day, one more advantage of being retired. LOL
Picked up a long set of pliers so I was able to remove the last heater hose at the back of the cylinder head, and started in on the oil supply line for the turbo. This step is basically installing a 'T' fitting between the oil filter block and the stock oil pressure sender. Unfortunately, there's not enough clearance with the block to spin the fitting in so the oil filter block has to be unbolted from the engine block. Anyone who's done an NC oil change knows what a PITA the stock filter location is... oil drips onto the crossmember and goes everywhere. I made a tinfoil funnel to get the oil into a drain pan without making a mess.
If you're not a cheapskate like me, FM now sells a very cool NC drain funnel that does a nicer job of directing the oil away from the crossmember.
Once the filter was out of the way, I could pull the filter mounting block and get the 'T' fitting installed. Tedious... the bolts are easiest to access from the fenderwell, but you'll need a swivel socket for the rear bolts. FM includes a replacement gasket in the turbo kit, which is nice.
Then the feed line gets routed down from above and attached. FM includes a rubber hose to shroud the braided line, and zip ties to secure it... more thoughtful details.
Had a pistol match on Saturday, and a rifle match Friday, so finally got back to the NC today and made some progress. I'm at the point where more is getting put together than taken apart and that's encouraging.
First up was the coolant feed for the turbo, which is tapped off the block. Again FM comes through with the attention to detail, including heat sleeve and a mounting bracket for the line.
Next was the manifold. A couple of the nuts are much easier to access from beneath.
Next up was getting the turbo ready for mounting and here's where I ran into the first issue with the supplied parts. The bolts for the turbo drain were too long and interfered with the turbine inlet flange. I had to take about 1/8" off the bolt to get it threaded.
Other than that, the hard lines provided are nicely made and worked perfectly. That's not to say that the usual access issues didn't exist with the turbo mounting bolts...
Then I dropped a nordlock washer, and spent about 20 minutes looking for it. One of the drawbacks of my shop floor... if you're thinking about epoxy finishes for a shop/garage floor, I highly recommend a solid color!
I did finally find the washer, on top of the lower control arm.
But, the turbo is in.
Next was the downpipe... it's a complicated shape and has to be fed in from the bottom. At least the bolts were easier to get to.
Final step for the day was cutting apart the stock manifold to use the stock catalytic converter with the FM downpipe. First, I needed to rehab the midpipe mounting threads which were giving me issues after the last transmission R&R.
Next was separating the cat from the header by cutting around the edge of the factory weld and cleaning up the surface in preparation for welding on a V band flange.
Next step will be mounting everything up to tack the V band flange in place then removing it for welding.
Lookin good!
Watch JRGo did a video series installing this turbo kit, if you haven't seen it...
In reply to docwyte :
I did see some of it, and also saw that car and talked to the owner at Summer Camp. I'm glad I didn't try to do the install in that timeframe...
docwyte said:Watch JRGo did a video series installing this turbo kit, if you haven't seen it...
Today started out hot in the shop... 84* at 0530. We normally get down to the low 70s overnight, but not last night. And 101* is forecast for today. Yuk.
Time to finish the modifications to the factory cat. The V-band is installed onto the downpipe, and then the cat is bolted into place using the factory support bracket, which was previously marked to make sure the mid-pipe end of the cat was in the proper location. I double checked fitment with the mid pipe before continuing. As you can see, the cat does not sit completely straight in the V-band cup, leaving a pretty big gap.
Next step was to tack weld the cat to the V-band... overhead welding is always fun. The tight quarters and big gap didn't improve things. Not my prettiest tack job, but good enough to hold it in place for welding.
Now it could be removed from the car and fully welded. Again, not my prettiest welds, but it fits and it's not coming apart.
Next, the heat shield is trimmed and re-installed, and the cat goes back in the car for good.
And the exhaust and bracing are back on the car... so the hot side is done.
My replacement A/C condenser showed up the other day, so that went in and the cooling stack is finished, ready for the intercooler...
Spent the rest of the morning working on some of the coolant/heater hoses and called it day. Turbo water and oil plumbing is now done.
Plodding along...
First up today was relocating the power steering tank. Since the factory tank is plastic and gawdawful ugly, I picked up a Moroso aluminum tank to match the expansion tank.
The FM kit moves the PS tank a few inches towards the driver's side of the car. Old and new together.
New tank in place.
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Next up was mounting the intercooler.
For the charge piping, the factory inlet opening is used on the driver's side, and a 3" hole needed to be drilled on the passenger side. FM includes both a template for the drilling, and trim pieces for both sides.
Next was completing the run to the throttle body using the FM supplied MAF tube.
Final step for today was the inlet piping, airbox and relocated battery box. Very nice components from FM here, all of the hoses are custom molded silicone to minimize connections, and they include a Turbosmart recirc valve.
Getting pretty close... still have some vacuum hoses, the injectors, MAP sensor and a few other things to go.
Check out that custom battery box, too :) That took up a lot of time.
Brandon is addicted to those custom silicone hoses. They never fail, they make the install easy, they look good - what's not to like?
Did you notice the water coolant feed off the side of the block was a custom fitting? We based the water flow on what Ford did with the Ecoboost, and it was very nice of Mazda to leave a big honkin' plug in that spot.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
I was actually thinking the water coolant feed had to be custom... seemed too specific for an off the shelf piece.
I was expecting a well developed kit after seeing it and talking with Brandon at FMSC 2024, and it was a big factor in pushing us back into an NC. Now that I'm most of the way through the installation I can say the attention to detail and the included components are at a level that I don't think I've ever seen before in the aftermarket.
Bravo!
Almost there...
Can't wait for your first impressions once it is on the road - even in 100+ degree heat
Not much in the way of pics today, and an early stop because I have some errands to run...
Big project for this morning was replacing the stock MAP sensor with a 3 bar MAP sensor provided with the kit. This is the part of the install that everyone is complaining about, and it's a bitch. Mazda/Ford put the MAP sensor on the back of the intake manifold, which is probably fine when the engine is transverse in a FWD application. In the Miata, it's right up against the firewall on the driver's side and access is extremely limited. It's completely blind, and mostly working with your fingertips, while trying not to shred the back of your hand on the firewall sheet metal. All in all, about 2 hours just to swap this little bugger.
I jumped a little out of order from the instructions and removed the fuel rail/injectors to gain a little more room and went in from the top, basically laying across the passenger fender and engine. Stubby 1/4" ratchet, short extension and T25 socket. Lots of fun.
Other tasks this morning were swapping the injectors and running vacuum line to the recirc valve and wastegate.
Today the only NC turbo-install related steps were re-gapping the plugs and refilling the new PS tank... both of which required a trip to the local auto parts store since I couldn't find my plug gap tool and I didn't have enough of the proper fluid on-hand. I'm at the point where it's time to do the software flash, and I'm going to wait until Monday morning so tech support should be available if necessary during the process.
I did complete a couple of 'while I'm in there' projects that I've had planned for some time, but was waiting for the bumper cover to be off for this install. First was replacing the ridiculous 'meep-meep' OEM horn with a Stebel Nautilus type air horn. I've used these in the past and they're far superior at waking the inattentive. Mounted easily on the stock horn hanger, and there was plenty of room for the relay where the stock airbox used to reside.
Next up was headlights... the car had some typical UV oxidation when we bought it and it was time to correct it. I've used 3M and Sylvania kits in the past with decent success, this time I decided to try the Cerakote version.
The UV protectant applied easier than other brands I've used... it was thinner and less 'paint like', so it went on without piling up or running. These headlights weren't terrible to begin with, but I'm pleased with the results. We'll see how it holds up.
Close to wrapped up now... just need to refill oil and water, load the software and tune and then it will be time for the first start. After checking for leaks, I'll reinstall the bumper cover and it will be time for a test drive.
This morning I started with the part I generally dread the most... the computer stuff. FM is using Versatuner through an OBD plug in link... it's funny, but a standalone doesn't really bother me, but I'm always apprehensive screwing around with a factory ECU. In this case, everything went fine between downloading and installing the software, then loading the software and tune to the car. Only hitch in the works was needing to update some drivers for the OBD link and that wasn't a big deal.
First start went fine, I let it get up to operating temps while monitoring live via the Versatune software and checking for leaks. Everything looked good, and no leaks observed, so I reinstalled the bumper cover, undertray and splash guards and reinstalled the wheels. I put all the cowl parts, wipers and trim panel back on, and it was time for a drive.
The first drive was really just another heat cycle to check for leaks, and some mild driving to listen for any unexpected problems. With the laptop on the passenger seat, I was able to look at some data to see how things were going and everything looked great. I didn't want to put a lot of heat into it, as I haven't installed the turbo blanket yet, but I did three pulls to determine max boost so I can adjust the wastegate. I was paying most of my attention to getting the pulls that I wanted and listening for problems, so I'll give some driving impressions later.
When I got back to the shop, I pulled out my laser thermometer and took readings on the downpipe, turbine housing and compressor housing... for science. This was after several minutes of residential speeds and being turned off for a couple of minutes. Doesn't really mean much, but I can see why FM is using a blanket for this application. I'll take the readings again once the blanket is installed to see the delta.
One of the drawbacks of sticking with the stock ECU is that it has no ability to control boost. The price you pay for 50 state legality.... As a result the max boost for the FM kit is set mechanically with the wastegate actuator rod, with the target being 176kpa for the NC2/3. Since I live at nearly 5000ft, and don't want it to overboost when I drive it at lower altitudes, I adjusted that target down to 161kpa. This should realize a max around the FM target boost at sea level. Down the road, I'll probably install a manual boost control so I can easily make changes to known values and that will allow me to make max power at my home elevation.
I used the Versatuner logging function to look at the numbers from my test drive...
The interface is a little different, but gives similar information to what you would get from a standalone datalog. I was able to see my max boost at 158 kpa, so I made an adjustment and will check again on the next drive. Looking at lambda and converting to AFR, it looks like it's going to ~10.6 at max boost. I'll play with some more datalogs to see what's going on with the tune.
I checked again for any leaks, and after everything had cooled off, installed the turbo blanket. Along with the MAP sensor, this is the one part of the install everyone complains about. And it was a PITA... fiddly, and not much room to work. After the blanket, I installed the re-located washer reservoir and put the hood back on. And, I think that's about it... all done.
That turbo blanket was the last thing signed off on the kit. We tested heat shields, Magic coatings, a bunch of stuff. Problem is that there's very little room, a plastic valve cover and a bunch of brake lines right there. We even went through two different manufacturers before we came up with one that suited our needs. And yeah, that tight clearance means it's a bear to install.
As for boost, get a manual controller for sure. It'll improve spool a bit as well.
Considering the complexity of a turbo conversion, only having the turbo blanket and MAP sensor being worthy of gripes is a pretty noteworthy accomplishment. And the blanket works... Some temp readings from approximately the same conditions as above, but with the turbo blanket in place.
Still putting some heat cycles on to check everything for leaks and loosness (nothing so far), so no extended review yet. What I have experienced so far is impressive. This thing is going to be fun!
MBC is ordered.
Hey, we'll admit to the blanket - but the MAP sensor was 100% Mazda's doing :)
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