Finally my 1st (water cooled) turbo build
#463
SADFab Destructive Testing Engineer
![](/mt2011/images_td/ranks/supporter1.gif)
![](/mt2011/images_td/ranks/moderator.png)
iTrader: (5)
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Beaverton, USA
Posts: 18,642
Total Cats: 1,866
![Default](https://www.miataturbo.net/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Stage 8 is awesome. Their fasteners work well. And their customer service is unbelievable. They have sent me new nuts when I rounded some off, new retainer clips when I destroyed em taking it off, new locking bits. Basically new kits, all for free. And they are helpful, and found me a kit for my downpipe too.
#469
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (6)
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: A cave in Va
Posts: 3,395
Total Cats: 456
![Default](https://www.miataturbo.net/images/icons/icon1.gif)
My ultimate downpipe transmission heat deflector. I stole this idea from someone else on here, I forget who but I liked it. 22 gauge stainless, by far the most difficult thing I've ever welded. Also going to wrap the downpipe with that heat wrap tape stuff.
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/build-threads-57/158289-finally-my-1st-water-cooled-turbo-build-80-20151229_195342_67c176fe1a67d4ed525726960f30fed2b87e7ca7.jpg?dateline=1451442183)
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/build-threads-57/158290-finally-my-1st-water-cooled-turbo-build-80-20151229_195615_1008eccc582a5fad9f7fafbdd5db9cf060b6b299.jpg?dateline=1451442183)
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/build-threads-57/158289-finally-my-1st-water-cooled-turbo-build-80-20151229_195342_67c176fe1a67d4ed525726960f30fed2b87e7ca7.jpg?dateline=1451442183)
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/build-threads-57/158290-finally-my-1st-water-cooled-turbo-build-80-20151229_195615_1008eccc582a5fad9f7fafbdd5db9cf060b6b299.jpg?dateline=1451442183)
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/build-threads-57/158291-finally-my-1st-water-cooled-turbo-build-80-20151229_204559_0beffdd6f3d305b27eb1faabeb1d714553ffcb00.jpg?dateline=1451442183)
#471
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (6)
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: A cave in Va
Posts: 3,395
Total Cats: 456
![Default](https://www.miataturbo.net/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Like I said it was not easy, but I start to get the hang of it. I only tried it for about 10 minutes, I was getting super tired and shaky. I got up at 4:45 a.m. and it's 9 o'clock now motor skills are dwindling
#473
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (6)
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: A cave in Va
Posts: 3,395
Total Cats: 456
![Default](https://www.miataturbo.net/images/icons/icon1.gif)
All back together again. As suggested, I had definitely over tightened the oil pan bolts. They need like, nothing plus 1/4 of a turn. Finished all of the breather lines, and installed my sucker intake thing. After experimenting with it, I'm concerned that it might make TOO much vacuum.
Chickened out, and went with -8 lines to the valve cover, but I figure it has two so....
Chickened out, and went with -8 lines to the valve cover, but I figure it has two so....
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/build-threads-57/158522-finally-my-1st-water-cooled-turbo-build-80-20160103_175741_878acd3a2cfb69dad2a451a86e752ef6b28831bb.jpg?dateline=1451863318)
#474
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (6)
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: A cave in Va
Posts: 3,395
Total Cats: 456
![Default](https://www.miataturbo.net/images/icons/icon1.gif)
The inlet and outlet on my intercooler always bothered me. Nuclear pipe wall thickness, and a crap transition into the cooler itself. So I cut these turds off.
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/build-threads-57/158728-finally-my-1st-water-cooled-turbo-build-80-20160104_211436_0f3306859fc8fa9322fd7db3746d5b7b6cabea89.jpg?dateline=1451960917)
Replaced them with ones like this.
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/build-threads-57/158729-finally-my-1st-water-cooled-turbo-build-80-20160104_191258_a817ad1f97fbaa3fcb662483863d333657f4231b.jpg?dateline=1451960917)
You can kind of see, before I cleaned up the inside edge, how much of a bottleneck those other things were.
I like it a lot more.
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/build-threads-57/158730-finally-my-1st-water-cooled-turbo-build-80-20160104_192934_108951f42c789eff19e9e038fe50850ba9ee2ab3.jpg?dateline=1451960917)
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/build-threads-57/158728-finally-my-1st-water-cooled-turbo-build-80-20160104_211436_0f3306859fc8fa9322fd7db3746d5b7b6cabea89.jpg?dateline=1451960917)
Replaced them with ones like this.
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/build-threads-57/158729-finally-my-1st-water-cooled-turbo-build-80-20160104_191258_a817ad1f97fbaa3fcb662483863d333657f4231b.jpg?dateline=1451960917)
You can kind of see, before I cleaned up the inside edge, how much of a bottleneck those other things were.
I like it a lot more.
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/build-threads-57/158730-finally-my-1st-water-cooled-turbo-build-80-20160104_192934_108951f42c789eff19e9e038fe50850ba9ee2ab3.jpg?dateline=1451960917)
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/attachments/build-threads-57/158731-finally-my-1st-water-cooled-turbo-build-80-20160104_192921_e3c86cd0aa9dc5829563c9e580cc52cba1df95b1.jpg?dateline=1451960917)
#475
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (6)
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: A cave in Va
Posts: 3,395
Total Cats: 456
![Default](https://www.miataturbo.net/images/icons/icon1.gif)
It runs! Really well too. Well, sitting in the driveway. Still not nearly road worthy. I'm positive that I had a bad ground, on the last go around. It idles now, and I have good signals all around. MT.NET is a real place to learn TURBO.
Still trippin on the turbo though. It spins for like a minute and a half after I shut down the engine.
Still trippin on the turbo though. It spins for like a minute and a half after I shut down the engine.
#480
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (6)
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: A cave in Va
Posts: 3,395
Total Cats: 456
![Default](https://www.miataturbo.net/images/icons/icon1.gif)
It was the main ground, from the block to the chassis. I found it to be loose when I was pulling the engine. Facepalm. My new rule is: if you attach it, it gets tightened. Period. Not, I'll tighten it when I find the socket.