Project 'Add Power'!

[huzeeee] · 5 Apr 2007 at 23:08

Ohh yeah, so are you hoping for 230bhp ?
To be honest 200 useable horsepower is more than ample for an mx.
The bonus is with a supercharger, you will have loads of low down torque and then a fair whack more top end, whereas with a turb on a standard engine you can run say 230bhp but with no gain at less than 2.5-3krpm. Seems like an ideal application.

agw_01 · 5 Apr 2007 at 23:10

Firestar_3x said:
Cheers Andy

I'm pleased i've got it underway as well, having 4 full days off from work just seems like the right time to do this, coupled with the good weather we have been forcast for this weekend, feel free to pop down if you want, i can't promise it will be finished but i will have my head stuck under the bonnet till it is

heh, great minds think alike.

I started work on mine tonight. Got a number of jobs I want to get done while I'm off work for the next couple of days.

Nothing as exciting as a supercharger conversion, but at least it's a chance to get jobs done that I couldn't do while the car is my daily driver.

I'll be sure to pop down and have a nosey very soon.

Firestar_3x · 5 Apr 2007 at 23:12

[huzeeee] said:
Ohh yeah, so are you hoping for 230bhp ?
To be honest 200 useable horsepower is more than ample for an mx.
The bonus is with a supercharger, you will have loads of low down torque and then a fair whack more top end, whereas with a turb on a standard engine you can run say 230bhp but with no gain at less than 2.5-3krpm. Seems like an ideal application.

I will be trying to get as much out of the setup as possible, i expect a getting started tune to get me around 180bhp at the fly and after some finer mapping towards 200 - 210 at the fly then i may just squeeze 220 - 230 with some additional messing about, i don't think you can spin an M45 too fast and max boost is around 12psi out of the unit, after then i will be looking towards a 62

but thats a little while off yet.

Next on the cards after this is fully running is a set of supra injectors to flow more fuel and at that stage i may need a new walbro fuel pump.

agw_01 said:
heh, great minds think alike.

I started work on mine tonight. Got a number of jobs I want to get done while I'm off work for the next couple of days.

Nothing as exciting as a supercharger conversion, but at least it's a chance to get jobs done that I couldn't do while the car is my daily driver.

I'll be sure to pop down and have a nosey very soon.

If i get chance i may bob up at some point, depending if i manage to bust my car or not

agw_01 · 5 Apr 2007 at 23:35

Firestar_3x said:
If i get chance i may bob up at some point, depending if i manage to bust my car or not

Feel free

El knows where I live so you should both come up.

thedazman67 · 6 Apr 2007 at 00:09

Nice to see this finally happening mark, amazing amount of progress done in so little time. When do u think it will be back on the road again. Shame i cant make it the RR this year would have like to see what it got on the rollers compared to will.

thedazman

Firestar_3x · 6 Apr 2007 at 00:14

thedazman67 said:
Nice to see this finally happening mark, amazing amount of progress done in so little time. When do u think it will be back on the road again. Shame i cant make it the RR this year would have like to see what it got on the rollers compared to will.

thedazman

Fingers crossed it should be ready to start mapping Sat morning, the worst part of the project is running the new throttle cable, it currently comes in the drivers side but with the SC it needs moving replaced to the passangers side.

Just been thinking about the next major parts i may have issues with, another one i'm not looking forward to is moving the PAS pump, however i've just read that this new 'toy' i have sat infront of me from the states means i don't have to do several akward things, more on that tomoz

You will see it at the MM, whenever thats going to be

Firestar_3x · 6 Apr 2007 at 20:53

Well today has been a case of two steps forwards and one back.

Made a start in the morning removing the supercharger since i wanted to fit some heatshield matting to the manifold :

Which now looks like:

The i moved onto the power steering bracket, this needs to be taken off so some pullys can be fitted to tension the SC belt.

PAS Bracket pre new parts :

New Bracket setup :

Firestar_3x · 6 Apr 2007 at 20:59

Next problem was the throttle body, once removed and placed on the other side of the engine it wouldn't fit!

Throttle body removed :

Fitted to the SC :

We needed to fab up a sealed bracket that would connect the ICS valve to the new dummy throttle body, this proved to be a pig of a job since the dummy TB was from a MK1 mx, which as we know now is diff to the MK2!!!

A pillar drill, many scratched heads and several missing bits of alloy from my dummy TB we have a fully working home made bracket

Firestar_3x · 6 Apr 2007 at 21:09

After all this hard work EL decided it would be a good idea to sample some 'Top Down Motoring' :

... Hmm i think he got the wrong idea somplace down the line!!!!!!!

He was really trying to remove me stock mazda throttle cable so we could fit the longer USA cable with would reach the newly located TB.

However we had other 'issues' along the way which ment the cable needed to be removed about 3 times, these problems include, stupid mazda rock solid clips, cable 'nipples' and the TB bracket all not wanting to play.

After this it started to go dark very quickly so we went in to spray up my crossover tubes and intake bends, pics to follow tomoz!

So after about 6 hours work today the engine bay now looks like this :

Jobs for tomorrow are :

Refit crossover pipe & intake bends, connect up the Throttle cable, Pickup new belt (mine is too long) TPS sensor wires cut back from loom and moved.

Then start the thing up and see what goes bang.........

We've had the supercharger running today (but not pushing air into the engine) sounded really really good!!!!

Fingers crossed for tomoz!

TaKeN · 6 Apr 2007 at 21:35

Looking good

, any chance of a video of it being " Gently Driven

" Once she's done ?

Bri · 6 Apr 2007 at 21:45

Looking good. There always seems to be some kind of problem along the way, but it wouldn't be fun if it went easily

I'm changing the headlight units on my 147 tomorrow, of course it's practically a full front end off job

agw_01 · 6 Apr 2007 at 22:20

Fantastic work guys. The 'top down motoring' made me laugh

I carried out some work on my car today. I spent the day swearing, banging stuff with a hammer and generally just not doing much in the way of mechanics.

However, having spent the day fiddling with suspension components, hub assemblies and rear lower arms, tomorrow should see my car sitting on its new set of stilts... hopefully.

How much is left to get the supercharger all plumbed in? A days work?

paradigm · 6 Apr 2007 at 22:26

Assuming the new belt a) fits and b) is the correct length, the number of physical jobs to do shouldn't be hugely time consuming. Still need to source either a double ended barb or some copper piping to connect two coolant hoses together, need to reconnect the throttle cable (so looks like i'll be upside down AGAIN), and need to sort out the gaskets on the TB and the dummy TB.

Mapping it will be the most time consuming job, and I'll be of no use whatsoever for that part.

Firestar_3x · 6 Apr 2007 at 22:43

Just been speaking to some friends and looks like a good safe starting map is :

&

I will prolly crack on with some of the jobs in the morning before going over to macc and getting that blasted belt!

Firestar_3x · 6 Apr 2007 at 22:55

TaKeN said:
Looking good , any chance of a video of it being " Gently Driven " Once she's done ?

Sure thing, a video will indeed be uploade

paradigm · 6 Apr 2007 at 23:35

Firestar_3x said:
I will prolly crack on with some of the jobs in the morning before going over to macc and getting that blasted belt!

If you could be so kind as to do all the "upside down" bits before coming over, that would be appreciated

loltim · 6 Apr 2007 at 23:54

Nice work guys! Look forward to seeing it done.

Firestar_3x · 6 Apr 2007 at 23:59

paradigm said:
If you could be so kind as to do all the "upside down" bits before coming over, that would be appreciated

MK1 & MK2 ICS aint the same, so that thing we fabbed up won't work, i have two options either get the mk1 ics valve to match my mk1 dummy tb or phone a friend at performance 5 and see if he has any dummy mk2 tb's in stock, if he has looks like its either drive down south time or wait till tuesday / wednesday for the part!

Faithless · 7 Apr 2007 at 00:00

Holy Brown Pant Stain! :eek:

Only been away a week and come back to a thread like this! Great work and glad to see you cracking it all yourself.

PMKeates · 7 Apr 2007 at 02:19

When it's done I'll give you a permanent paramedical escort, because as soon as you accelerate on the motorway the car will twist flip over and roll you down the barrier.

Seriously though, you're right in that you're fixing the one thing "wrong" with the MX-5, which is lack of power relative to the handling capability. Unusual for it to be that way round in today's day and age, what with there being plenty of over-powered pocket-rockets about, and it's half the reason the MX-5 is such an appreciated car. However, it's an awful waste not to use the full extent of the chassis by loading it up with a supercharger

Hope it all goes well, and am looking forward to seeing it come RR day!