F. Supercharger New Engine Start Up

The fan shroud needed some trimming to allow full volume of air to be moved by the 12" fans. Then new mounting holes were needed.

The kit came with some stainless button head screws that self-threaded into the holes in the fan frames.

The shroud had holes that were very close to the needed locations to bolt onto the radiator. But several of the holes had to be adjusted to fit the bolt holes.

We used some aluminum duct tape to close the gaps between the radiator and the shroud. Hopefully, it will stay put.

Now we test fitted the radiator assembly.

This power steering tube from the reservoir was interfering with the fan housing. So, first we tried to bend it out of the way. We did move it some, but were concerned the steel tubing or the reservoir would crack.

To get the clearance needed, we had to remove the relocation bracket for the reservoir and elongate the mounting holes. This moved the reservoir back enough to give good clearance.

Both lines now had clearance.

New silicone radiator and heater hoses were installed.

The top radiator mount was installed and the overflow tube attached. We put a zip tie on the tube to keep it in place.

This is the FAB9 coil over plug kit. It is plug and play.

The kit plugs into the OEM wiring harness on the connector just below center in the photo below.

The plugs had to be changed with iridium plugs that came in the kit. The tops are removed to expose the threaded stud on top of the plugs so the coils can make connection.

We mounted the controller to the firewall.

Now the connectors that are no longer used had to be covered to keep them from deteriorating. We will remove these from the harness when we install the larger injectors later.

Matt covered the connectors with a rubber glove finger and then electrical tape. That should last for a while.

Now we removed the horn from its original bracket and bent the remaining mount to allow the horn to be put back where it was.

We had hoped to start the engine today but we were tired and knocked off for the day. It was over 95 degrees during the afternoon so finishing would have to wait until the next day.

On 07/24/2016 we started early. We had a list of things to get done and each of us again chose a task.

Matt started with the fans.

The Spal fans come with a connector on the power leads. However, the connector does not fit a Miata. We cut them off and wired one fan directly to the OEM harness.

The other we attached the OEM connector to the wire from the fan.

Fabrication of an intake was necessary since the one we had on the car would not clear over the radiator. We just started trying parts to see what fit.

I had some flexible duct that came with a bunch of extra boost parts I bought that a guy had left over after his project.

We also had a U bent aluminum duct that was left over from Matt's @#%&@ VW (I really don't like that VW) turbo build and the supercharger kit included a KEM filter that fit the air flow meter.

The U tube was cut to make an elbow and the extra straight length was used to make a coupler. A hole was drilled in the coupler for the temperature sensor.

I had fabricated the intake Matt had been using and the air flow meter had already been modified to fit on the power steering pump bracket. By mounting it there again, the wiring fit back to the air flow meter and the temperature sensor.

The flexible duct allows the radiator cap to be removed and coolant to be added using a funnel.

Three relays had to be relocated. A piece of 1/8" thick aluminum made a handy bracket. The holes were tapped into the aluminum and the old snorkel bolt was use to attach the bracket.

Flyin' Miata clutch instructions insist that the clutch pedal be adjusted to allow full travel of the clutch pedal for more travel of the clutch slave cylinder. The new clutch needs the additional travel to function correctly.

This is me contorted to fit under the dash to make the adjustment. And while I was there I zip tied some of the harnesses we added to be sure they did not drop down onto the pedals.

We had a list of things that had to be completed before starting the engine. We were now down to only connecting the battery and starting the engine.

Matt connected the battery. When he turned the key to on, the gauges came to life! Boy was I glad to see that. After all the wiring attachments we made this was a win. Also, we let the fuel pump run to move fuel up to the fuel rail.

I got into position to look for fuel leaks around the injectors while Matt cranked the engine. It did not start on the first 10 second try but there were no visible fuel leaks.

The engine started quickly on the second try and ran smoothly at idle. Still no fuel leaks and the gauges started registering. We let the oil circulate for a few minutes then shut it down to check again closely for leaks. None!

Now we moved the car out of the garage to keep fumes down and let it run about 5 minutes up to temperature. We cut it off and left a fan blowing on the radiator to cool it down so we could check the fluids. We also checked the oil. Both needed topping off.

Matt followed the Flyin' Miata suggestions for breaking in the new engine. He followed their instructions to run it from about 2500 rpm up to around 5500 rpm then lift off the accelerator until back to 2500 rpm. He did it the recommended 5 times and drove it about 50-60 miles. He then changed the oil and filter.

Now he has to drive it an put about 1000 miles on it before we change over to synthetic oil. We will probably also start the supercharger install at that time.

I am very proud of the results of all our work so far. I am most impressed that we got it working the first time which has not always been the case. I guess we are getting better as a team.

Have fun breaking in the engine Matt!

Subpages (6): A. BRP M62 Hotside Kit B. Supercharger Parts List C. Supercharger Engine Build D. BRP Intercooler Kit Install E. Supercharger Gauge Set Intall G. BRP M62 Supercharger Install H. AEM FIC Tuning for M62 Supercharger I. Engine Start with M62 Supercharger