New project: 1996 Miata with Ford 5.0
10-23-2018, 05:18 PM
#326
V8 Miata Fanatic
Thread Starter
New springs finally showed up today ( so much for guaranteed delivery of 10/18). Got them installed nice and easy. Set front ride height at roughly 12.5”. Have roughly 2 inches until it hits the bump stop. Much better. Gonna let it sit a week or so in case the springs sag some, then do the final ride height, the align it.
Also started testing wiring for my O2 issues. The O2 harness checks out, good continuity in all necessary wiring. Next will be run it and check O2 voltage, then resistance at ECU depending on results.
Also started testing wiring for my O2 issues. The O2 harness checks out, good continuity in all necessary wiring. Next will be run it and check O2 voltage, then resistance at ECU depending on results.
10-29-2018, 04:49 PM
#327
V8 Miata Fanatic
Thread Starter
So, went out and messed with the springs. Set the front at 12 3/8" gap and the rear at 12 7/8" gap. Been messing with the O2 problem, and decided to change the ECT. Reset the codes, pulled the KOEO, nothing. Ran the car up to temp and pulled KOER, 41 and 91 came back. I did find that my new MSD coil split, and I put the original back in, and it seemed to run a little smoother. I don't know what to do next about the 41/91 codes as I checked voltage, and the O2s are reading lean (.1v measured at the O2 harness/main ECU harness plug).
The best part is that after running it I noticed a few drops of oil on the ground. The oil pan gasket is leaking, again. I have replaced it 4 times now. I am at my wits end with this thing at the moment, I may just slap the wheels back on it, and kick it out of the garage for the winter as I need a break from it. I have parts to install on my GT500, and that sounds much more rewarding at the moment.
The best part is that after running it I noticed a few drops of oil on the ground. The oil pan gasket is leaking, again. I have replaced it 4 times now. I am at my wits end with this thing at the moment, I may just slap the wheels back on it, and kick it out of the garage for the winter as I need a break from it. I have parts to install on my GT500, and that sounds much more rewarding at the moment.
10-29-2018, 08:35 PM
#328
Jason, no doubt you've had an unjust number of challenges with your build. But that said, if I'd not fought my OCD down and stopped reaching for perfection instead of settling for "good enough", I wouldn't have enjoyed driving my car and enjoyed it for 10k miles. It's down now and will be back on the road this winter with some of the niggling issues finally addressed. I have zero regrets (and many good memory's) with the decision to just put it on the road a few years ago.
Good Luck, Oh and who know's, the oil pan leak may self heal with a few hundred miles. If not, at least you enjoyed some fun top down driving, just keep a check on the oil level and if necessary, keep a piece of card board under the leak.
RonR
Good Luck, Oh and who know's, the oil pan leak may self heal with a few hundred miles. If not, at least you enjoyed some fun top down driving, just keep a check on the oil level and if necessary, keep a piece of card board under the leak.
RonR
10-30-2018, 04:54 AM
#329
V8 Miata Fanatic
Thread Starter
Well, it's not drivable now based on how rich it is running due to the O2 problem, just bogs and chugs, so that needs to be resolved regardless. Crap weather is coming, and I need to get it out of the garage anyway so I can pull my daily in, so it may just be a good time to take a break from the car. I'm going to try a few other things with the O2 issue, but am ready for a break from the headaches. The oil leak only happens when it's been running and the oil is good and warm, so I could work around it, and just not park in anyone's driveway, but to me, that's not right. I need to fix it. Plus I don't want the oil mess all over the underside of the car, drives me nuts.
11-04-2018, 04:34 AM
#333
V8 Miata Fanatic
Thread Starter
MAF/injectors showed up yesterday. Hopefully will swap them out next weekend and see if that gets me anywhere. Going to try to clean/isolate the oil leak to make absolute sure it's the pan, and not the rear main or a galley plug. If the pan, I'm going to pull it (again) and really go over it with a strait edge and hammer to make sure there are no rises/bumps/areas where it is not perfectly flat. I'll probably sink the bolt holes a little as well as that is a trick I have read about with the rubber one-piece gasket. Going to try a dry install as well (other than the 4 corners). Definitely going to take my time and make sure no issues before the final install. Getting sick of pulling the front suspension out. Actually tempted to just pull the engine this time. We'll see.
11-06-2018, 02:29 PM
#337
V8 Miata Fanatic
Thread Starter
Yep. Looked up in that area from below car, both rear main and flywheel look fine. I am 99.9% sure it’s the pan, and i’m going to just pull the engine to go over everything the best I can and look for any imperfections/issues that would keep it from sealing.
11-10-2018, 01:37 PM
#338
V8 Miata Fanatic
Thread Starter
Spent time outside working on EFI issues. Cleaned off oil pan with brake clean, ran it for roughly 30 mins, no leak today. Very frustrating.
12-01-2018, 12:06 PM
#339
V8 Miata Fanatic
Thread Starter
Ok, ended up installing 93 Cobra and matching 70mm for 24 lb injectors, and my lean engine codes and bad running are resolved. Car runs great now. Also have not leaked any oil the last few times of running, not sure what is going on there. At this point the weather has turned, so I can’t take it out to test drive it, so i’ll work on completing some other small things and get the alignment/ride height finalized so I can drive it come spring. Feeling pretty good at the moment.
12-01-2018, 03:00 PM
#340
V8 Miata Fanatic
Glad she’s running much better and that dammm oil pan seal has finally bowed to its master - as it should have all along!
Please add some pics of this pretty V8M when you can.
Please add some pics of this pretty V8M when you can.
12-04-2018, 08:37 AM
#342
V8 Miata Noob
Hey Jason just wanted to introduce myself to you. My name is Phil and I built my 1996 M in 2008. It was my daily driver for 9 years (over 100,000 miles) and I am currently replacing the old 5.0 with a 347 that I built this summer. I looked over your posts since you started and we are brothers in solving problems! We should compare notes some day.
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jrmotorsports55 (02-18-2019)
12-04-2018, 09:24 AM
#343
V8 Miata Fanatic
Thread Starter
Lol, yeah, it’s been an adventure. I’m just bummed that I have to wait until spring to drive it now that it’s running right. Guess it gives me plenty of time to finish the little things on the to do list.
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jrmotorsports55 (02-18-2019)
The following users liked this post:
jrmotorsports55 (02-18-2019)
12-04-2018, 10:06 AM
#347
V8 Miata Fanatic
Thread Starter
Yeah, I have coil overs so I can bring it back down, control arm geometry a little off, and it does being the crossmember lower to the ground. I still have to find the right height for mine, on the to do list.
12-09-2018, 03:15 PM
#348
V8 Miata Fanatic
Thread Starter
So, spent a little time out in the garage today. Re-did the PCV hose under the intake as I had used regular fuel line and the u bend with my explorer intake was pretty kinked. Bought molded hose with a nice tight 180, and installed that. Also replaced the gasket between the upper and lower since they had been on and off so many times. Ran the car after making those changes, warmed it up and ran it at roughly 2250 RPM for a good 15 mins, got the oil temp to 225. No leaks. That's a good sign. We'll see. Ran KOER again, idle code is gone after I adjusted it last weekend, now only codes 44 and 94 remain, which are fine as I don't have the air injection system installed. Pretty happy, pretty sure I am on the right path now to getting this thing on the road.
12-16-2018, 03:15 PM
#349
V8 Miata Fanatic
Thread Starter
Happy guy here. Picked up a project car to be a new daily driver, and since it needs a little work, I have to pull the Miata out of the service bay. Did a quick toe set on the suspension, as I am still trying to decide on ride height and didn’t want to do the full alignment. Put the tires back on the car, set the pressures, and took her for a little spin since it was nice out. Holy crap! This thing pulls nice now that it’s running right. I don’t think I ever got over half throttle as it’s not insured, so I was just saying in my development, close to home. Wow, very impressed. Can’t wait to get all of the little remaining items done, but it’s now number 2 in line behind the new driver. I definitely need to do a little adjusting/clearancing of the exhaust, as I had some banging when modulating throttle. Best part, no oil leak when I got it home. Still nice and dry. Fingers crossed that does not change. Won’t be any more updates for a little while as I have to get my future daily in order, hopefully I can get back to this one in a month or so.
01-27-2019, 06:26 AM
#350
V8 Miata Fanatic
Thread Starter
Got my new daily up and running right (2006 Mini Cooper S, pic blelow), so now it is back to concentrating on the Miata. I think I'm going to change up the spacers on the k member to drop it down a little more as the hood clearance is pretty tight. Once done with that I can finalize the ride height and alignment. Also need to address the exhaust banging, I think I'm going to weld in some mount tabs in the back to keep it from moving side to side and banging on the rear subframe where clearance is really tight with the bracing in place. I also have to pull the power steering pump and reseal it, install my hood vent kit, and I'd like to fab up some sort of oil pan protection since it sits so low. Lots of little things, but itching to get driving this thing.
