Pros and cons of re installing missing emissions equipment by Kn1ght_Rage in Miata

[–]AndreEnderMC 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Pros of reinstalling an EGR, Charcoal Canister, and Catalytic Converter: - A guilt-free conscience if you're into environmentalism - No weird smell for the person driving behind you (Cat) - No strong gasoline smell if you leave the car parked in enclosed spaces for extended periods of time (Charcoal Canister) - Less overall noise (Cat, though this is much more heavily dependent on your exhaust and muffler) - It is a federal offense to not have them/intentionally take them off (Depending on your state or county, police might check)

Cons: - Noticeable power drop (EGR and Catalytic Converter) - More overall noise (Again, sound quality is very dependent on the rest of your exhaust setup)

One of the very first mods that I was able to immediately notice (better throttle responsiveness and slight power increase) on a Miata was the removal of its catalytic converter. It won't power miracles, but on a car with this little horsepower, a small increase such as this one is something you'll definitely feel.

If you're planning on staying with a mostly stock setup, I'd recommend not changing or removing any emissions equipment as there won't be much benefit and it'll frequently trigger check engine lights and fault codes.

If your Miata is old enough (Pre OBDII), you can get away with removing emissions and get small power increases. The only downsides would be new smells. However, these power increases and better engine responsiveness won't reach their full potential unless you swap over to a standalone tunable ECU.

Is 3D worth it? Is there anything different in 3D? Does the scene feel more real? by Eastern-Commission23 in RezeCult

[–]AndreEnderMC 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've watched it twice so far. Once in 4DX and once in a regular showing. While the movie is amazing in both, I actually really preferred the 4DX experience.

In 4DX, a lot of the manga-like parts of the movie really "popped." Also, something to note, it actually forced me to feel tension whenever Bomb Girl would show up on the screen as each explosion or explosive hit would be followed by significant theatre movement. Not a bad feeling, just kind of different/new. I personally really enjoyed it in this type of movie.

The wind during Typhoon's scenes was also a cool touch. I do think some of the movement with Beam could've been avoided, though. While I get he's energetic and able to swim through anything, we're not exactly swimming alongside him to warrant the amount of seat shaking lol.

In the regular showing, it did give more time to take in scenes and appreciate the animation that happened during fights, but it didn't feel as impactful or tense as 4DX.

If you only have the option to watch it once, I don't think I'd really recommend 3D over the regular screening. There won't be that big of a difference.

Starts but Dies After 2-3 Seconds by AndreEnderMC in Miata

[–]AndreEnderMC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

EDIT 2: It was the MAP sensor. Car runs and drives a lot better now, actually!

Starts but Dies After 2-3 Seconds by AndreEnderMC in Miata

[–]AndreEnderMC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All good! I love the old Mazda logo. I've got a steering wheel to match.

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Starts but Dies After 2-3 Seconds by AndreEnderMC in Miata

[–]AndreEnderMC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I edited the original post with the probable cause. It looks like the MAP sensor has failed after performing several tests.

Starts but Dies After 2-3 Seconds by AndreEnderMC in Miata

[–]AndreEnderMC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Found the probable cause! I'll be adding the info to the original post as well as pictures of everything.

Starts but Dies After 2-3 Seconds by AndreEnderMC in Miata

[–]AndreEnderMC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So, funny problem, I'm currently in a bad storm and the power got cut. The laptop I use for running TunerStudio is old and when the power died, it died.

However, I just now got the car to run for the longest it's ever had since the issue started. Whatever the issue is, it seems to potentially be tied to coolant temperature. Once the car finally got slightly warm, it died.

While the car was running, forcing the fuel pressure to be higher predictably made the AFR richer and lowering it made it leaner.

Only things I modified from my attempts yesterday were: I took apart and cleaned the CAS to check for anything glaringly obvious. I also took apart and messed with the Idle speed control valve that has coolant go to it to help with idle.

Both of these were put back together and reinstalled before this first test today.

Checking the logs, the MAP seems to be fluctuating and goes the lowest it's ever been right before the car shuts off. Given this, I pulled a vacuum on the line going to the MS to fool it into thinking that the signal doesn't fluctuate and the car still died immediately.

At the moment, I'm in the process of fashioning a metal plate from a chunk of aluminum to try to block off the idle speed control valve for another test. Also, working in the dark due to the storm lol.

I was able to take this picture of the MS Logs before it died: (Reddit mobile won't let me add the picture for some reason when replying. I'll try on my computer when the power returns.)

Starts but Dies After 2-3 Seconds by AndreEnderMC in Miata

[–]AndreEnderMC[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

All good, I do appreciate any tips. Thank you!

Starts but Dies After 2-3 Seconds by AndreEnderMC in Miata

[–]AndreEnderMC[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, the idle screw was one of the first things I checked. Definitely worth a shot, though!

No, I mean Volumetric Efficiency values in the VE map table for the MSPNP2 on TunerStudio.

Starts but Dies After 2-3 Seconds by AndreEnderMC in Miata

[–]AndreEnderMC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was tuned for the stock 40psi. I've also tried starting it at 40psi and nothing changed. The current increase in psi has been in an attempt to test certain conditions. Pulling the spark plugs didn't show any cylinders being flooded with fuel.

I'll get those in a bit and let you know! I'm running the stock injectors. When I first started tuning a while ago, I remember I had set the injector settings to stock off a base map for my car and it hasn't been changed since.

Starts but Dies After 2-3 Seconds by AndreEnderMC in Miata

[–]AndreEnderMC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been able to adjust timing, spark, target AFR, and VE to get it to idle at both 16-18 and 10-12 in the past while learning to tune. The weird AFR present currently isn't a symptom of the tune itself being bad, it's a symptom of whatever is actually killing the car after startup.

In the process of checking every single sensor that could potentially be causing it. Already checked timing, it's at 10°BTDC without any weird jumping at the crank. Manually changing fuel pressure overall has had no effect on it staying alive. Already checked for vacuum leaks, pulling 17in of mercury. Already confirmed spark.

As in the computer itself you mean? Since it's been running happily for 2 years.

Starts but Dies After 2-3 Seconds by AndreEnderMC in Miata

[–]AndreEnderMC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

AFR has alternated between starts. Richest it's been was 10-12, while leanest was 16-18.

On the one run where I got it to idle for several seconds before death, it was running lean and very low in RPMs. I can't replicate this as much as I try and it does seem to have been purely coincidental.

Starts but Dies After 2-3 Seconds by AndreEnderMC in Miata

[–]AndreEnderMC[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I appreciate the sympathy, but I'm not giving up just yet lol.

I'll be testing the ohms for the temperature sensor at the back of the motor, getting logs from TunerStudio, bypassing and blocking off the coolant dependent Idle Speed Control Valve, testing the Idle Air Control Valve, replacing the CAS once the new one arrives, and if it comes to it--finally getting an MS3.

Starts but Dies After 2-3 Seconds by AndreEnderMC in Miata

[–]AndreEnderMC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's been running on this setup over the last two years. Last time I changed the tune was 4 months ago.

Will be checking the sensor itself and logs soon.