Title says pretty much everything.

Looking for a square top to put on an NB. Can't be too modified. It needs to play nice with the EGR and other things to keep the stock computer happy.

Thanks.

 

Do untouched squaretops even have EGR?

 

Yes.

 

I have a few stuck in UK Export Control, so it might take a while to get them. They were held because of "potentially hazardous fuel vapors".

Most come with EGR. Some don't and have an OEM steel block off plate where the EGR valve goes.

 

Just a steel block-off plate bolted in place of the EGR? One like that sounds like it would still be fine.

 

I don't know how much experience you have with installing the intake manifold, but, on my car, a 2001 LS it was HELL. The more curvaceous IM plus the miataroadster phenolic gaskets meant I had almost zero room to install it, even having the engine jacked up a couple inches.

I would not recommend switching intake manifolds if your engine is still in the car.

Total R&R including changing studs was easily a painful 6 hours, if not longer. My car still has brutal hesitation on cold starts, and less power. Coincidentally, the only two reasons I switched manifolds was to get better cold start driveability, and more power.

 

Yes, it will still be in the car.

I've only installed one square top for an NB1, but I've pulled IM's off and on of this generation of car a good many times. For that one job, it took.....2 hours? Maybe up to 3 to get things on and off. It was tight, but not impossible.

That doesn't include time spent prepping the new intake.

Not sure why you're experiencing those problems, but the only square top I've had a chance to work with made a noticeable difference with no cold running problems. Now that it's paired with a BP5A cam and RB header, the results are predictably decent for a little track car. It just needs ECU.

 

I'm guessing it's the phenolic spacer that makes it so painful. There's limited space to get at the lower row of nuts, and if you move the intake manifold outboard a half inch or so then it's going to be a lot worse.

What I don't understand is why you'd go to all that effort to add a phenolic spacer, the intake manifold doesn't get that hot.

--Ian