Engine Building Basics (FM Live)

This week on FM Live, Jeremy gives us the basics of building an engine for your Miata. Goals, expectations, advice and some best practices.*
(Links to the Knowledge Base articles and specs are now added below!)
QUICK JUMPS:
What is/why do an engine build? 00:49
"Meat & Potatoes" (Rods, pistons, valve springs, ATI damper, bearings) 3:49
Valves 14:42
"Icing on the Cake" (Efficiency, porting, polishing, crank scraper) 16:40
Goals/How to know if you need a rebuild 19:02
Best Practices 21:43
FM "Knowledge base" 22:32
Naturally Aspirated Engine Builds 24:05
Specs (Rings, torque etc.) 29:10
Costs? 30:10
Valve seals 31:06
Recommended sealant 32:25
Sodium filled valves? 32:48
Power limitations on stock components 33:47
High RPM engines 34:21
Adjustable Cam Gears 36:15
Honesty/Build Philosophy 40:00
Timetables 41:12
More ATI Damper Info 47:27
What is a Crank Scraper? 51:14
Is a V8 swap cheaper than a built 4-cyl? 53:56
DIY? 57:00
*(This is a tech talk overview, not a "how-to" video.)
FM Knowledge Base - Introduction to "Built" Engines:
help.flyinmiata.com/en_us/bea...
FM Knowledge Base -Engine Assembly Worksheet:
help.flyinmiata.com/en_us/mea...
FM Knowledge Base -How to Break-in a New Engine:
help.flyinmiata.com/en_us/new...
The Flyin' Miata Knowledge base. Articles and technical help that is growing all the time!
help.flyinmiata.com
Engine Rebuild Parts & Kits:
www.flyinmiata.com/default/ca...
Wiseco Forged Pistons for 1.6:
www.flyinmiata.com/default/wi...
Wiseco Forged Pistons for 1.8:
www.flyinmiata.com/default/fl...
Boundary Engineering Upgraded Oil Pump:
www.flyinmiata.com/default/bo...
ATI Damper Kit for 91-95:
www.flyinmiata.com/default/at...
ATI Damper Kit for 96-05:
www.flyinmiata.com/default/at...
Original Live video recorded 10-7-21. Join us every Thursday on Facebook at 2:00 PM Mountain Time for new Live content, and don't forget to subscribe to our KZbin channel to watch all our Miata videos!
Flyin' Miata is the world leader in Miata performance. We offer a wide range of parts for all years of the Mazda MX-5 Miata.
www.flyinmiata.com​​​​​​​​​​​​​
970-464-5600 • [e-mail]
#engine #building #build #basics #motor #refresh #power #bore #stroker #tech #talk #QandA #JeremyFerber #mazda #miata #MX5 #compression #rebuild #performance #bestpractices #FMLive #Live #video #FBLive #Facebook #KZbin #IGTV #FM #FlyinMiata

[@xninpo]

This video is like a life lesson for some carguys. i have to say thank you guys all the way from germany for these eyeopening facts!

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

We seriously appreciate it!

[@shimmytube777]

I could listen to this man all day. I wish that I had more money to upgrade my baby.

[@maneki9neko]

Agreed. Jeremy is extraordinary in the depth of his knowledge of these cars, and especially these engines. Also there is no condescension, or pretense, in his presentation. The only other expert Miata engine tuner who comes close is Greg Peters, who has his own channel.

[@e630fnr]

After this video, I'll definitely have meat and potatoes for dinner!

[@mannys18s]

Wow. This video came out that the perfect time. Great info thanks 🙏

[@josuesalazar502]

"some people take pleasure from just researching things and not ever actually doing anything" hahahahahah that's me! tho I already purchase my NA ;)

[@nobodynoone2500]

And some people buy the stuff, and never install it. I know a guy with multiple 20k-300k cars, with parts worth most of the cars are piled next to them. Most are disassembled just enough not to be usable. Some handy dude is gonna have a field day when he gets bored or passes. Wish I had the money to be that guy.

[@philjones5728]

Loved this video Jeremy - so much information (which was perfect) based upon your own experience. I like your no nonsense approach especially your analogy: 'meat & potatoes vs 'icing on the cake' items. There are several spin off videos that you could do going in to more depth. Perhaps a little more detail of what can be done on the earlier 1.6 engine (yes, I have a turbo'd 1.6 1991). Interesting that porting the head doesn't really give much more power but the payback is the learning and satisfaction of knowing you DIY. More please...... P.s. I can't understand why you guys haven't got a bigger following (100K+)!?

[@mastercricket7626]

Love the knowlage... ty to the whole crew for the years of experience and knowledge... peace n love fam keep it rad stay safe and build on l8z famz

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Thank you!

[@rp6523]

I'm only just discovering these videos now and really enjoying them (+1 subscriber). The longer ones I'm having to do in chunks around work but I always finish them. I have a 1.8 VVT NB2 Sport that I use as a daily. My dream is to get a new daily and give the Mazda a decent refurb, then keep it as a weekend classic. I'd love to add some power but using the stock engine components. I'm not fussed about big numbers but would like a little extra kick. Time to define some goals and make a plan!

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying the videos!

[@chrisdeli7547]

love the cricket

[@outlawden5ity676]

Can you make a video on lifter tick and other engine general tips and information.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Thanks for the suggestion, we'll add it to the list to do eventually!

[@markfelkey1720]

Excellent video and presentation Jeremy (maybe the best in 2021??). So I'm starting an NB1 build soon..... what is the ETA for the knowledge based article on this topic? Any chance to get it in October? Thanks.

[@gordoncox8082]

Great video Jeremy !! I am still a bit ahead of the curve with an 06 2.0l NC and most of your topics center specifically around the NA/NB. I am in the middle of a core rebuild of a motor from a 2010 ( 09 motor ) and am upgrading the internals as they were pre-forged facelift. Stage 2 Crowder cam and springs with 11.2 pistons and forged rods. I may or may not add headers at this time but don't have them yet so stock manifold/Magnaflow cat back in place. It will get a tune to complement these components. Unfortunately I do not have a forged crank but the intention was to get a little more from the motor in naturally aspirated mode but not something astronomical yet have some strength should I or someone else want to add a turbo kit in the future. With all the engine builds you have done, is there a target HP I can realistically get, naturally aspirated with this setup? Stock is 167HP give or take. Is 200HP a realistic target, a pipe dream or selling myself short. There is a lack of NC information and videos in this area. I am doing this because I enjoy doing this, love the car and currently have the time and some budget. I hope I don't end up like your LS loosing time after the upgrades but I won't be taking it out in any case :) .

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Give us a call directly or drop us an email at [e-mail]. Our team may be able to help you find the answers you are looking for.

[@Reed_Spacer]

I have a '96, I plan on using stock Mazda 10:1 pistons from a VVT engine and forged rods for added strength while also trying to be more cost effective. From my research, stock pistons can hold a decent bit more power than the stock rods. What are your thoughts on this? I want to do a supercharged build with a rotrex c30-94 and possibly put close to 350whp with proper porting/headwork, VVT, and e85. Also, ATI or Fluidampr? I've heard the Fluidampr is much easier for install but I want to know which one is more effective at dampening.

[@gedavids84]

I know you said adjustable cam timing depends one what you want to do, but are there settings you'd suggest if we have a very specific goal? Like I'm building an exocet and I want to maximize low/mid range torque. Is there any range you'd recommend as a starting point? I'm going to be stripping a crashed '94 for said exocet build this winter/spring. I want to rebuild the engine because it was formerly a rental rallycross vehicle operated by my friends. Eventually I want to do about 8psi sort of power. Is there anything you'd recommend while I have the engine in pieces? Just ARP fasteners and an ATI damper?

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

We really recommend tuning the adjustable cam gears on a dyno, based on the specific goals you have for the engine characteristics, there are no real one size fits all starting points since every engine/mod combination is going to be slightly different.. ATI damper, and ARP fasteners are a good start, but depending on how much race time the car will see, you might want to think about valves and springs too. You might want to reach out to our customer support team directly for a quick conversation. They can give you some specific recommendations, based on your specific build and use much easier than we can in a KZbin comment. :) 970-464-5600 M-F 8-5 Mountain time or email [e-mail]

[@jameschamberlin1444]

Tips for building a forged 1.8 non vvt in the garage? Only head and block deck from machine shop

[@FMJeremy]

Other than the machine shop work and any special assembly instructions for specific aftermarket parts the assembly process is the same as outlined in the factory service manual. If you come across any specific questions feel free to reach out to our support staff!

[@marxxs]

How about doing a build on the 1.8 ND engine??

[@martinrodger9565]

I think I missed head gasket recommendations. Example, building a reliable 400hp level BP? Standard MLS, Cometic, Athena, Fire rings, wire ringed etc.? I suspect a standard Mazda mls is up to the job if the block and head surfaces are prepped to a very low RA and the arp studs are torqued carefully with a calibrated torque wrench. Please give your 400hp/ high hp head gasket and prep recommendations through your experience. Many thanks

[@FMJeremy]

Hi Martin, your suspicions are correct. With a properly machined head & block, a factory BP MLS gasket & ARP head studs properly torqued 400 wheel has never been an issue in our experience. It's around 500 that things start to get challenging for the headgasket.

[@martinrodger9565]

@@FMJeremy Really appreciate your straight talking experience. Many thanks.

[@nothingsworking]

I know this is engine building basics but you could have mentioned if you need to change anything else in the drivetrain when you get into the 2-3-400HP range to stay reliable.

[@4cyl]

Ik he said 6 speeds will start to break around 350rwhp so there isnt much insurance for those numbers

[@pabloporras4169]

With the stage 1 turbo kit for a B6 engine do I need to replace anything on the engine for it to be long term reliable? I just finished the engine rebuild but I did it with al OEM parts (gaskets, piston, rods, valves…) so the engine is healthy.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

On a healthy engine, our stage 1 turbo kits are perfectly fine on the stock internals, tho you might want to consider upgrading your clutch if it's still oem. Depending on how you will use the car, some other items you may want to think about upgrading are your cooling components (Crossflow radiator, better fans) and possibly a coolant reroute, just to help with heat and long term reliability. Give our customer support team a call or email, and they would be happy to talk to you about your goals and make some recommendations.

[@Nasonix2]

@@FlyinMiataVideo yes! I did the same thing, I rebuilt my 1.8l with OEM parts because the first time I turbo'd it, it was on the stock ecu and the engine only lasted 3 days of use because I got frustrated that the $16 ebay timing light gun didn't want to work. So I couldn't retard the base timing down to like 8degrees lol. I had a rising rate fuel pressure regulator and AFR sensor n gauge to make sure I wasn't going to run lean. I did everything the way I should to boost it reliable on the stock ecu except at the end of it all I got impatient with needing to wait for another timing light gun to ship so I ran it at like 10-12° is my guess base timing on 93 octane and another thing is the turbo wastegate was 10psi minimum instead of what it should've been for stock ecu reliability 6-7psi maximum. Lol I got so excited the first time "test driving" it hearing the awesome noises that I did it again and again after 3 days huge amounts of smoke out the exhaust and finally it blew a block away from home. Luckily the rods were fine and reusable. But 2 of the Pistons were detonated to smitherine which also scored up the cylinder walls. So when I did the rebuild, I went with 0.5mm oversized pistons got the block overbored and honed. New rings gapped just a hair over stock recommended specs. Went with a $20 multilayer steel head gasket. Torqued the head bolts down to the higher end of the factory specs. All of the bearings were still good by miracle, all within factory specs. Thrust bearing n all. I did replace the oil pump, water pump, timing belt idle pulleys and cleaned everything really good. Only replaced the seals that were old. But let me say this, aside from the damage I caused by blowing the Pistons, before I got it bored, the actual bores still had the factory crosshatching and that was a 200k+ mile engine. So just letting it be known that a 200k+ Miata motor can still be perfectly new if maintained right. Compression was also perfect before I turbo'd it. Anyways moral of the story is ever since I did the rebuild it's been boosted and pushing well over 265whp for 19k miles now. Running 👍 great! Just like flying Miata said, do the clutch while it's out. And the coolant reroute is way easier to do while the engine is out. I'd also suggest flowforce 640cc injectors if your going the standalone route. They can supply you with enough fuel for 300whp on gasoline with the stock fuel pump and they're very reasonable for the price and are good quality. If you want e85 go with bigger injectors. Another good mod to do before putting the engine in the car is the fluidampr or ATI superdamper. It's not needed but it's a great mod and they also retain their resell values anyway.

[@Nasonix2]

Just make sure u do a multi later steel head gasket. And if you're re using the stock head studs torque them very carefully correctly. I personally went towards the higher end of the factory torque specs. Like I know my tongue wrench has a 3% give or take accuracy so for example say the target spec is upwards of 60ft lbs (it's not) then I'd set my wrench to 58lbs. To get it as close as I can to the higher value without risking overshooting. However it can't hurt at all to go with ARP head studs. But definitely recommend the multi later steel head gasket just like FM said. Upgrade the clutch and do a coolant reroute!! My earlier recommendation of injectors doesn't apply since you're not talking about a standalone

[@Von2097]

Hello FM greetings from the UK. What's the best way to see 180BHP out of a VVT motor N/A.

[@GR44N]

Go to one of the top forums butthead. If you’re in the UK I don’t know probably mx-5 nutz

[@menehune-mx5186]

Would Fluidmpr do the same job as the ATI? especially in regards of protecting your oil pump.

[@andyvolk2796]

Yes

[@mastercricket7626]

Yes I'm running fluidamper n push uo to 30psi but usually stay between 20-26psi to be safer, I have heard diff stuff on both who is better n blah blah tbh I think they are both just as good I hear the fluid damper is better at higher rpm but that just hearsay Peace n love fam keep it rad stay safe and build on l8z

[@liamcoleman2135]

Hi, I'm looking to turbo my Mk2.5/NBFL 1.8 vvt to around 300BHP. I will be installing forged rods/pistons and new studs. Will I be ok not changing anything in the cylinder head and leaving it as stock? Thanks!

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Good question! If you plan on maintaining high RPM or increasing the RPM limit closer to 8K, it'd be a good idea to do some headwork. If not, as long as everything is in good shape, you got the easy button with boost to compensate for any restrictions.

[@liamcoleman2135]

@@FlyinMiataVideo Thanks for the advice! Your channel has helped me out a lot! I'm going to have a wicked track car by the end of this project!

[@jacobduncil4702]

What is an “A” beam connecting rod? I search it and can only find “H” “I” etc

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

They have a ridge around the edge of the rod and a recessed center. Basically, the material is on the thin face of the rod instead of the fat one. The stock Miata rods fit this description. Googling "a beam rod" should get you a number of descrptions and pictures.

[@mihaiserbanescu8676]

Is there a way to keep the non interference feature of the engine if the pistons and rods get changed?

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Definitely. It's all about the shape of the piston top.

[@mihaiserbanescu8676]

@@FlyinMiataVideo this is great news! Any brand and model that would help me with that?

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

We're partial to the Flyin' Miata pistons :) They will not cause interference. Generally, only very high compression piston designs will do that.

[@mihaiserbanescu8676]

@@FlyinMiataVideo that's a great thing to know! Thanks for the information, I searched for quite a while and found nothing. It is greatly appreciated!

[@Thatdavemarsh]

Ok, what is a crank scraper? Is this an oil/windage management feature? Sounds like I need to go google....

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Correct! It's a very low tolerance baffle that removes excess oil from a crankshaft while it's spinning.

[@user-hi6uh8sb3m]

Do you ever update ur inventory a lot of the parts ur talking about for the BP are sold out on ur website.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

We are constantly updating our inventory, we have millions of dollars of parts on the shelf. Our suppliers are struggling to deliver.

[@user-hi6uh8sb3m]

@@FlyinMiataVideo awesome response times I’ve recently gotten a 93 miata with a 1999-2000 BP4W swap it needs lots of TLC!!!!

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

@@user-hi6uh8sb3m Feel free to give us a call if you have any questions or need an ETA on a part you need!

[@wellsloan975]

TLDR if you came for some N/A application tech talk: "don't waste your money, just turbo it.. fully built high comp N/A will only make you 160WHP. Buy our stage 1 turbo kit" -FM We know turbo is cheaper and make more power this has been true since the beginning of time. Great insight into a little bit of N/A tuning/motor building. What would work better? what have you seen make a greater impact? ITBS? porting? high comp 11:1+? e85? cams? stroker kits? crank knife edging/lightening balancing?. All the bells and whistles (completely built motor for N/A application) and only had 160hp at the wheels? somehow I don't believe that one bit. If you don't know much about N/A motor building/ tuning just say that. Don't talk your costumers down that decide to go with that route. It just felt like you said "if you're into that, that's fine! you're just an idiot and should just buy our turbo kit!" "just sell it and buy a Honda" (I know you mentioned this under high RPM but it would also apply to N/A HP) By this same philosophy why are we even putting a turbo on a Miata? just sell it and buy a car that already has a turbo from factory.. Example: Genesis Coupe. Buy turbo upgrade kit for 3K and a dyno tune so all in ~4k (same as stage 1 FM turbo kit) and you're already around 450WHP and ~300-350WTQ(ft/lb) and you don't have to worry about breaking diffs or transmissions. So what's the point?

[@rennkafer13]

Your 3600+ lb Genesis Coupe with 450whp is pretty similar to a 2200lb Miata with the 260whp an FM kit can easily provide looking at power to weight. And why would they spend a bunch of time on N/A mods when they do so little good compared to the turbo systems FM is famous for. You expect a business not to promote their products? Seriously?

[@FMJeremy]

We've built & calibrated a lot of high comp BPs over the years and for many guys it is the right answer. With that it's always important to us to make sure to put everything out there for the customer so they go into it fully aware of what to expect compared to the alternatives since N/A mods are not the best HP/$. I understand what you mean about how a particular statement felt, and if this wasn't live I would have had more time to think about how to relay the information in a way that was more genteel so apologies if it came across harsh. That being said we have a goal of testing & offering the most effective solutions out there balanced by what our customers want! For N/A building the things that have the most impact are compression & displacement. For example a ~11:1 Stroker is going to have the most potential compared to anything else that can be done. We've done a bunch of these in the 180 wheel range, and even one with IRTBs that hit 190 wheel. IRTBs are a PITA though and we'd only recommend them for a dedicated track car that's not changing elevation (without recalibration of the mapping). Even so, I'd personally rather have a square top on a track car because reliability is paramount. In theory the right cams will also make a notable difference, however out of the 15 or so sets we tested on the dyno over the years I only recall one set (on a high comp 1.6L) that made an improvement that was worth the effort in terms of area under the curve. To be fair this is coming from a perspective of street car building where single-digit HP increases really have to be weighed against the time/cost. For cars that are racing for time of course every HP counts. E85 is a similar story here. It's magic for turbo cars. For N/A cars we calibrated a number of HDPE & Autocross cars over the years and on a N/A BP we'd see increases in the 4-6hp range. We'd take that all day for a track car, but for a street car it may not be worth the extra cost & reduction in fuel economy. We have a friend who's an engineer for OEs and significant professional race teams that recommended we not knife edge cranks. He's at the level of "when he speaks, we listen" so that's not a service we recommended. As far as porting / bowl / valve work that does increase efficiency on the margin. I'd say about half our customers would opt for those services in an engine build based on the additional cost. For N/A tuning outside of the engine, intake & header choice is pretty key. There are a lot of options, and even the best ones only add a handful of ponies, so testing what makes the most benefit to your system on the dyno is pretty key if you're looking to optimize power. Similar to cam gear tuning there really isn't a magic answer- for example there's a big name header that I've seen make 5hp on one car and actually lose 2hp on a different car compared to stock. Intake design is a similar story- they're all a little different. Moral of the story is that serious N/A tuning takes a lot of time & money to test various options on the dyno to discover what's best for YOUR car- otherwise you're guessing. If the process of testing & discovery is important to you like it is to us, by all means go for it! If however you just want to bolt on 60-ish HP & go drive your car then our 50 state legal Stage 1 turbo kit is more logical.

[@wellsloan975]

@@FMJeremy Ahh thank you for that! I do apologize my initial comment was very rude! This is a great read and appreciate you for taking the time to comment! This is a great bit of information. I see the pit falls of going deep into N/A tuning, and understand completely most people decide going with a turbo. I like to tinker with stuff and money is not much of an issue so time($)/HP is not much of a concern. Currently messing around with a 1.9L 11.5:1 engine and already looking for ideas and experiences to build a step up from that. Good to know about crank knife edging no-no, definitely wont attempt that now. I'll research more about stroker kits and IRTBs. Also have a couple spare heads for some light and heavy port work with different off the shelf cams. BTW My first Miata has a Voodoo kit on it, 50k miles later still doing great!

[@FMJeremy]

@@wellsloan975 Glad to hear about the Voodoo kit. :) If you do IRTBs your best bet is to have a standalone that can be tuned in Alpha-N or at least a blend since MAP tuning on IRTBs is kind of a joke. With IRTBs runner length tuning is pretty key as well. They can make good power when done correctly, just don't expect street car drivability. 11.5 is pretty stout! Based on testing & development with Wiseco we put a ceiling on BP high comp pistons of +8.5cc dome. This never got us much over ~11cr. Given what you've said here it sounds like you're on the right track. It's always important to us to have honest conversations with customers about desires vs. goals & budget so you can have all the information to make your best decisions and begin with the end in mind.

[@barrycomer3688]

I sure wish you guys supported the NC better. Compared to the other revisions the support is lacking.

[@nobodynoone2500]

The NC trans has the most adaptions for other engines around, because the trans is a common swap. As for the rest of the car, it's just the fattest, ugliest miata ever. No, it's not fat or ugly at all, but compared to the other years of the miata it is. So other than big engines, (and big drivers lol) it doesn't get a lot of love. Additionally, they never got as cheap as the NA/NB, so less people have been modifying them.

[@gerglmuff]

i mean you can build 8k spinning B series motors, they just have things like "headgasket" as a once per weekend maintenance item.

[@4cyl]

🤣

[@nobodynoone2500]

Sorry your mazda can't rev, but the b-series sure af can. I hit my redline of 9200 once a week and i'm at 230k. It's true, the b20 and b18b will beat themselves apart at those rpm, but some like the b18c5 and b16b rev to over 9000 in stock form and last 200k+ Stick to talking about what you know.

[@gerglmuff]

@@nobodynoone2500 nice job not understanding what B series i was referring too.

[@MD-zu9do]

Great video. Can you kill that cricket please. Lol

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

LOL He was the worst audience ever!

[@mihaiserbanescu8676]

A good question is, do you need a different head gasket if you go turbo for a 230-250hp goal.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

If the car is healthy and well maintained with solid seals and gaskets, your biggest issue will be fuel delivery and management. A quality metal head gasket should be fine.

[@onlywenilaugh6589]

Take "Turbo kits we sale" lightly as they have been out of stock for over a year that I've been checking. Not sure why to advertise them if can't sell them and we can't buy them:(

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

We do apologize for the turbo kits being out of stock so often. Just like others in the industry, we've had some sever supply issues for some of the kit components. We are working hard to get those kits back in stock as soon as we can! Please feel free to reach out to our customer support team if you need more specific timetables for when we hope to have those back. So sorry for all the delays and stock issues!

[@nobodynoone2500]

Blame Chyna for the Wu-Flu-han Institute backing up the flow of Shanghai Spinny-bois to us 'merican masochists! /s? It's mostly better now, but about to get worse again. Order your parts while you can. Talk all the trash you want, but all the turbo, piston, and rod blanks come from there, even for the American companies. Supply chains are important, hard to circumvent, but easy to disrupt. Politics, a random ship, a war (ahem, I mean 'special operation'), or even a nasty head-cold, can have lasting effects on what you can buy and how much it will cost to get to you. Some poor ol landlocked hotrodders are at the mercy of the market.

[@jordanrose5480]

Meat and potatoes

[@joelyjowell3]

So here’s my story . I hade a sw20 mr2 which I really miss and regret selling it few years ago for 3k 🥲 . I been trying to get another one but since people got them hype they went up in value . So I decided to get an NA miata . No it’s not an mr2 but it honestly makes me just as happy . It’s fun and the support they get on this platform it’s what now I really like about this car . I don’t regret buying one instead of saving for mr2 and it handles better than my mr2 honestly . I’m so glad I got one .

[@gonzalocastillo749]

Meat and potatoes

[@miatarescue]

🥔🥩