Mad Max!

As the Blue Meany looks right now...If only I had an engine I might be able to strike fear in the hearts of the general public rather than having them say "oh look at that cute convvertible" ...grrrrrr

Blowin' Smoke

Came across this pic of the moment the engine blew, literally.

From blown engine

Cosworth Update

Just got a mailing from Cosworth today. I am eager to get my engine back, hopefully wtih some Cosworth magic applied.

I am still very confident that this product is a good one, I question the engine quality though.

edit: Born on date

a correction is needed. I just took a look at a buddy's more recent NC engine and found that the year is the first digit in the born on date. This makes alot more sense. Outrage averted.

What the @#$?

Look what I found when I pulled the engine of my 2006 car. A born on date of 2002!!!

From blown engine

engine on vacation

I'm sending off the heart of the BlueMeany to get a spa treatment at Cosworth.

From blown engine

From blown engine

The rest of the story

This is a post I made on miata.net. I felt some insinuations brewing and they needed to be answered before they were asked.

Before there are any insinuations made, here is my history w CW.
After having paid full price, I think I was the second person to have the CW on my car and I was the first from the general public to write a review. If you go back and look I was glowing about the hardware, and not too enamored with the tuning and critical of the support. I also pointed out that the instructions were error laden. This prompted CW to contact me off board and we discussed what issues I had and how to correct them. CW asked me if I would supply them w my revisions to the instructions, and I was glad to do it. They gave me nothing but a thank you. I felt that the effort I made in this would make its way to the next guy buying a SC and that guy would avoid the frustration I had w bad instructions. Good Karma was my only reward.

Right out of the box I had major detonation w the supplied tune, and I posted on what I did to correct it. I was the very first to make these MAF xfer adjustments and it fixed my car, this was while Brian was in Italy, and he contacted me off board to get the low down on what was needed as he had been experiencing detonation as well, which he posted about as well. As I understand it, this led to a revised tune being sent to those who had full exhaust and subsequently ordered a CW SC. Good Karma again.

Once my car was running right, I made a couple videos, like I have done for most mods on my car. The versus video now has nearly 20000 views and is featured on Cosworths home page and somebody selling CW SCs on eBay is using it as a prominent selling tool. I have never been thanked by anyone who may gain from it's use, but the karma is still there.

As more SCs were sold and guys were posting about the trouble they were having w the install, I realized that CW had not assimilated my revisions into their manual, and thus I started sending my marked up version to all that requested them. I also contacted CW off board and asked them to correct their instructions, as I had gone through the effort to supply them w revisions. I also informed them that I was suppling their customers w corrected editions. They said that they would get the issue corrected and thanked me. Again all I received was good karma.

I'll admit, I have been a voluntary cheerleader for this particular mod. It deserves it. Others mods I have panned. Search and see what I have said about the MS CAI. I do feel an obligation to be damned sure I am right about a negative review though. There have been a few parts that after data logging, db metering, or weighing just didn't live up to the claims. but after discussing my findings with the manufacturer I concluded that my testing methods could leave some room for error, and thus I am not going to be responsible for hurting a guys business. As a guy in business for myself I am very wary of negatively affecting a business that I am not certain deserves it.
So with that frame of mind when my engine blew in mid to late May, I did not run to the forum to start a panic. I first contacted Sniper and asked them to look over the tune I was running, and I sent them both the tune from the car and from my laptop. I also pulled the plugs and sent a pic. Pat said everything looked ok. This all took a few days.

I then contacted CW. After suppling them w the available info, whereby they told me what I already knew, I had to get the motor apart and see what happened. It took me a while to get it done (if you think putting the SC on the car was a pain, that ain't nuttin compared to pulling the motor out) but eventually I got it apart and discovered that my #4 piston had broken a ring land. I spoke w CW about this and supplied some pics, where they postulated with some certainty that it was detonation that caused the destruction, but they wanted to inspect the rods and pistons. So I sent them out, at my cost.

By this time CW had sent out their letter telling everyone to park their cars. You know the reaction everyone had at that, and you know that some people chose to quietly ignore their direction. Had I not already been "forced" to park my car, no way would I have. Brian continued to race, most other went on w life as usual. I called around frequently to see if there had been any other reports of failure, and except for the ones in Europe (likely too much boost) and a guy in Japan (CW didn't even know about this guy, and with the language barrier evidently it has been difficult to ascertain the cause) there had been none definitively detonation related.

Had CW not issued their extreme direction, I would have posted and given warning of a possible issue. However when a manufacturer, and Cosworth no less, pulls their product from the shelves costing them $xxxxxx and tells you don't drive your car and that they are working on a fix that will cost them $xxxxxx, how much more convincing do you need???

After what seemed like too long, my pistons and rods arrived at CW and were inspected with no other damage found. The rods were not damaged and showed no sign distress as had occured w the Euro cars. I was still the lone case of detonation related failure. CW assured me that they had a fix in the works though never commited to the Sniper being the issue though they did say that they were working with ECUTek in Europe already.

After conversation w other CW SC owners off board I discovered that another owner had experienced some random detonation, though not to the point of failure. This led me to conclude that the ECU, or more accurately the Sniper tune was not consistently keeping the engine parameters in check. I recalled that when I had had my car on the dyno I would get very different AFR readings with the same tune on different runs. I then became certain that the Sniper was the issue. However w 35+ ECU editions perhaps only certain cars will have the problem, as there has been no other failures nor reports of det.

I am now certain that for my car the Sniper doesn't hold the tune stably. I dread the thought of going back to their convoluted software with fuel tables that don't display correctly and user controls that are clumsy at best. I will have little confidence if the fix CW proposes is a Sniper update, now new and improved. That said, I don't know and can't be sure if your ECU holds a tune stably given the apparent plethora of ECU editions. If we were talking about a bypass valve on the supercharger itself that was an issue, and is common to all CW'd cars it'd be a different story.

I have not yet been told what the remedy to this issue will be, and through the entire last week I attemted to call Ken@CW and never got an answer. I am not worried that the issue will be resolved, but I am waiting eagerly with a disassembled car and engine.

So here I am, the lone case of catastrophic engine failure due to detonation. My car has been a celebrity of sorts in the community. My videos and stories probably put food on the table for some, and my publicly jumping to a conclusion w/o all the facts could cause unnecessary panic or hardship . I do feel that Cosworth is taking the necessary action and has issued the appropriate warnings, they are on the case.

More info on my blown engine

The car has 20k miles on it and I have less than 2000 miles with the SC install.

I hadn't had knock since fall of last year when I first got the SC on and was working out the tune. I also have not hit the revlimiter like in my video since then. In my video I hit it plenty as I had not gotten used to the extremely fast reving of the newly moded engine.

I also always run the highest octane fuel I can get, which is usually 93.

one other thing, the rods have been checked and are fine.

Where is your engine soldier? Blowd up sir!

Well she blew. Funny thing is she went at under 25% throttle, on a cool down lap. Here is a recap: The car is running great, has been running great for the last several sessions, the AFR is reading mid 11s and then all of a sudden there is some detonation. I let off the throttle and baby it for 10 secs or so, checking the gauges, everthing seems fine so I get back at it though easier on the car. I shift at 6k or so, plenty of power, no detonation. Must have been a fluke. I go another session, still going strong, I shift at 65oo, no det, maybe I imagined the det earlier. My 20min session is up, car is going strong, AFR is good, eng temp is about 200, charge air temps are in the 90s under boost. It's all OK.

I'm into my last session of the night, the brakes are toast, these Maruha pads can't take the supercharger speeds. I'm down to the metal on the front pads. I decide to make this a cool down lap, no brakes. I come around a corner at maybe 30mph and ease into the throttle when BRRRRRRP, gargle, smoke. Awww hell.

It's the next morning, my pillow is soaked w tears. I call Pat at Sniper and send him my tune. He says "looks good". I send him my dyno sheet (the one posted earlier). He says" looks rich". I send him pics of my plugs. He says "looks great except that one oil fouled plug".

Cosworth is aware of the issue, and working on a remedy. My own theory is that the tune doesn't have sufficient and reliable control of the ECU and caused the car to go lean, causing detonation.

stay tuned.............

I just came accross this data sheet and thought it was kinda cool. Also here is the window sticker for my car.

Ohlins adjuster hole

Here is a pic of the hole I put in the rear trunk liner to adjust my Ohlins. I used a 3" hole saw, realized I slightly missed the mark and adjusted the hole with a utility knife for easy and comfortable adjustment of the shocks.

My slightly disapointing dyno numbers and the higher po run is an attempt to tune it better. more on this soon.  Yes I am aware that the graph show mph rather than rpm but the "professional" at the dyno shop had a broken printer and emailed me just this bmp after a week of calling him. What a deal for $275. If you want to know where not to go, look at my dyno video and notice the banner in the background.

As a note, I drove in on run the file 19 tune, and I drove out on the same tune. the other runs were attempts at tuning the car, but alas did not yield a satisfactory AFR.

Now that's a fire

I just found this pic of my front brake pad from the posts below. Holy S@%#!

Here are my alignment numbers. I have been very happy with the settings. The car does follow the crown of roads a bit, but it's not too bad. Could be the 235s and the 2550lb wet car weight that causes that though.

I do have a fair bit of inside tire wear in the rears, which is also to be expected with the relatively aggressive negative camber. I've got prolly 10k miles on the Advan Neovas and they have a ton of life left in them so the wear isn't that bad. I think I will have my tires rotated inside out soon though.

I may take a little camber out of the rears, though I will have to raise the car a bit to do so. My current ride height is 2.5" below stock, so I have a little room to play with without getting back to the monster truck looks of stock.

See the Boost!

I have had several inquirys about my boost gauge and its installation. 

How'd I do it they ask.

Well those looking to add a gauge to their NC need look no further. I used a kit that I developed, which includes a CNC cut and powder coated bracket and several other things needed for the install. I include fully illustrated instructions which make the install easy. If you are interested email me at  adaly@forgeindustries.net

Springness!

Well we have had a bit of reprieve here in the ol' midwest. The weather was in the mid 60s and it was time to pull the cars out and stretch their legs a little. 

The Cosworth has affected the way the car starts a bit.  It was this way from day one. The diference being that the starter cranks for maybe a half second longer and when the engine comes alive it is more of an event than previous. The various noises all seem a bit louder and more abrupt than stock. This is not to say that there is a problem, just that there is a difference.

 After sitting for 6 weeks or so, the Blue Meany came to life in less than a second and purred like a lion. We then did a few laps around the storage unit, enough to kick most of the oxidation off of the rotors. I didn't dare risk going on the road because I still have my Ohlins shocks on and the finely machined aluminum is quite a wuss when "pitted" against road salt.

I also got my buddys red NC out of storage, dropped the top and proceded to do some uncommon top down February driving. It was fantastic. 

Track report with the Cosworthed MX-5

This is my report from Oct 08. I enjoy telling the story and hope you enjoy reading it.

The day looked bleak, Air temp was 45F, we had rain every 20 mins for about 10 mins. There was standing water on the track, mostly at the apex of the corners. All of my tires are decidedly summer dry tires. My street tires (Yokohama Advan Neova) are fantastic when it is warm and dry, but lackluster in the cold and wet. Then there is my track rubber. Toyo RA-1. They are at the end of a season and the end of their life. They have held up great to many a session but are now hardened slicks. 
Before heading to the track I had decided that I would not run in the rain. Maybe it would clear up and dry out and then I could give the Cosworth a good shaking down, but if it stayed wet I’d just be a spectator. So I mounted my track rubber and headed off. 

The day stayed as it started, wet and miserable. Turnout was low, maybe 12 cars, a new Z06, several M3s, a couple Carerra C4Ss, an STI, a very fast and very light racing Honda CRX, and a couple other decent cars. After a session most people sat in heated cars to stay warm. I was content to just watch the drift fest, as everyone struggled for traction. Laptimes were a third slower than normal.

A couple guys decided it was time to add another car to the mix and ganged up to peer pressure me into getting on the track. These guys weren’t accepting my excuse of having overly heat-cycled slicks as a reason not to run in the rain. Well, after having already aired my excuses for any future spin-outs or way slow lap times, I succumbed to the pressure and got my helmet on.

The track management had us running in 2 groups, randomly chosen, because nobody was running too fast that day. They stagger started us to keep plenty of wiggle room. The track felt like it was all greased up and ready for some RiceCrispy treats to be made on it. The corners would allow no side loading. It was easy to even drift in the straights if judicious application of the throttle was not excercised. I put the car in 4th gear and left it there, even then exiting a corner at 2000 rpm I had to feather the throttle. I began to alter my driving style, entering a corner very slowly and wide in attempt to get the straightest shot out of the corner. The Cosworth has given this car an incredible powerband. Stuck in 4th gear, it would pull through the straights with alarming speed, though the power never came on unexpectedly. Given the conditions, it was still easy to drive. There were so few cars on the track that there was never any traffic to worry about, I just had to contend with driving on marbles and having more than enough power on hand to send the rear end out at any time. 

My lap times we off by nearly 40 seconds from dry/naturally aspirated. I had my buddy time some of the other cars as compared to my times. There were only 2 cars that were pulling better times and they were both all wheel drive. A well prepared C4S and a nicely modded STI, and then they were only besting me by a second. Not too shabby.

Several sessions went by, the rain stopped and laptimes started dropping. The fast C4S went home. The track was still slippery, but a little less so. The Z06 decided to start running again, after having taken an extended lunch in hopes of waiting out the weather. I staged in front of him because I wanted to see how long I could keep him at bay. The staggered start put about 1 turn between 

us and I expected to see him on my bumper after a lap or two. I started to get some heat in my tires finally and could feel some lateral grip at last. I still kept the Cosworth working 4th gear. At the end of the 20 min session, still no Z06. Next session I staged behind him, and the STI was behind me. This was going to be good. The Z06 had earlier stated; after having spun his car, that he was now going to leave the TCS and DSC and any other driver aids in the ON position as it was way easier to keep the car pointed the right direction. I commiserated with him and told him that today was the only time I have ever wanted those things in my car, but I did not have them. 

The Z06 was sent on the track, after about a turn I was sent out, then the STI then the others each with a turn between us. The warm up lap was a rather brisk one, but we still had a corner separating us. By half track of the second lap I had a wide tires, 4 oval taillamps and a GM badge in my sight. 2 more turns and I was on his bumper as we entered the fastest straight of the track. Here I expected to I’d have to start hunting him down all over again. But wait, the

 Cosworth, never having come out of 4th, isn’t losing much. The Vette was accelerating faster but not by much. We entered a hard slow right after heavy braking with less than a Smart Car between us, and then into the longest straight of the track. Again, he pulled us, but no so much that by the time we entered the 90deg slow left I was waiting on him. As we entered the more twisty parts of the course I was having to lift early to keep that Union applied paint off my car. Our track has a rule that passing may only be done in the straights, and here I was pushing this Z06 around the track. The driver was not happy about this. The other part of the passing rule is that the slower driver must stay on his line, let off a little and point the faster car around. Well this Z06 driver was not going to let some rice burning, girly car pass him. So we went like this for a few laps. Me riding the guys ass (keeping the car in 4th still) till the straights where he would make up a few car lengths. Then the STI caught us. Like a proper gentleman, I yielded to the STI after a lap or two of him riding me while I am riding the Vette. I pointed him around and slowed a bit. The American muscle was having none of it though and we went a lap like a Z06STIMX5 choo choo train. The STI got pissed about the Vette not yielding and took matters into his own hands. On a longish sweeper he took a low line had all four tires spinning and digging him

 through the turn and got in under the Vette, then he bid us both farewell. I was stuck behind the Vette when the checkered flag came at the end of that lap.

The next session the STI did not go out and I made sure that I staged in front of the Vette again. The track was getting dryer and I was determined to run a good session. I went and hammered down. I was able to get on boost earlier in the corners and thus my exit speeds were going up. The car felt great, the power available now is fantastic. The low end pull is exactly what the car needed, always ready and very controllable. My entry speeds were rising and my brakes were telling me so. I have been running Maruha SS27 pad that have been perfect dual purpose pads, but they were starting to loose their bite. The combination of higher speeds down the straights and the increasing lack of deceleration made things a bit hairy. Down the long straights I was now running out of gear, but I did not shift due to the brake issue. I decided to keep up the pace but to start decel and braking early. With about 5 mins remaining in the session and after having passed all other cars on the track, there it was, the Z06. He was a turn ahead of me, though he started right behind me. I pushed a little more, only a couple laps to go and I had to catch him. I still kept the car in 4th, but I pushed the corners a little

 harder. Within a lap I had done it. I was right on his bumper pushing him around the track once again. I had lapped him. I was cheering in my car and waving to my buddy who had a big grin on his face having seen what had been done. This car is fast.

We pitted and I decided to check out my brakes. Here is what I found 
The pads were gone and I had been braking with metal on metal, so I called it a day. I threw my stuff in the car and headed down the road to get some Taco Bell. Upon coming out of TB the STI from the track was sitting there parked next to my car, the owner ooogling into my window. I said “hi”, and he said “I’m glad I tracked you down here, I have to know, is it turbo or what?”. I told him of the Cosworth to which he replied “ Oh thank God, I was worried that a stock Miata was pulling me down the straights, I couldn’t keep up with you in the straights. On a dry day that car would crush my STI on this track” What more could be said about the Cosworth’s power?

MazdaSpeed Motorsports

This may seem like a wierd first entry into my blog, but hey I'm kinda stoked. 

If you are a MazdaSpeed Motorsports member than this is old news, but if you are not you are missing out on deals.

I just priced some new front calipers for the ole' Blue Meany after having fried them at the track.

My local Mazda dealer quoted the pair at $695.15. OMG!  Apparantly there are no remanufatured pieces on the market yet, thus the cost. 

MS Motorsports price $406. That is a nearly a $300 savings for the same parts.

To join you must be building or have a Mazda to be used in competition.  If you run 2 autocrosses in a year, you qualify.

What a deal.

http://www.mazdaspeeddevelopment.com/