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4 minute(s) of a 390 minute read
8-1-2012
Mazdaspeed hood came today. Fitment is fantastic, quality is on point. I don't like posting pics that are mediocre quality, but I couldn't resist snapping a few with my phone. The hood will be painted of course. Hi Res pics in a few weeks.
Heading to Disney World for a week, then the FD it gets tuned the day after my return!
Next update should be a dyno chart. 
8-11-2012
Well guys..... the numbers are in and they are pretty disappointing.
401whp/ 326 ftlbs at 19psi. Yes.... that is right.
After looking at all the variables, we had a few issues. First, my intake temps were climbing a bit higher than they should. After only 1 pull, they would jump to 55C. Definitely not what should be happening spraying 500cc of 50/50. We suspected the WI system wasn't spraying as it should, but we were seeing the mixture shoot out the BOV during release. It didn't make sense. The cool side pipe should have been nice and cold, but they were still too hot to touch after only one pull.....
Dave & Brian are really sharp. We talked a bit about why the numbers are low. So it came down to three things... Engine compression, turbo issue, water injection.
So I did some poking around today.
1. Compression - Tested it today with a piston engine tester. Both rotors were identical. With release pin held I saw 60psi on all bounces. Pin not held, it built to 100psi. So the engine is healthy. Not amazing, but it is healthy. At this point, I will likely press forward with it.
2. Water Injection - I pulled the filter today and fully tested the system with my air compressor. A beautiful mist with no weirdness. Tested 8-20psi with no problems.
3. Turbo - Well boys... its toast. Compressor blades show no wear from the water injection. It spins freely, but the shaft play is sloppier than a **** star who just broke the gangbang record. I can almost get the wheel to touch the housing when moving it with my fingers. In fact, I noticed tiny metal shavings on the inside of the housing with a very slight scratch ring consistent with the wheel placement. Looks like it's a new CHRA for me.
I have another tuning session on the 25th. If I get my new CHRA in, I should see better numbers.
As it sits, I won't drive the car until it's replaced.
I did drive the car today before all of my testing. I flogged it around at 19psi and it felt strong. Another sign the engine is solid. But while driving I had a stutter at 5k during a 3rd gear pull. It got my attention so I started watching my gauges closely as I got back into it slowly. I immediately noticed my intake temps were around 35C and the AFR's seemed richer at around 10-10.4. In fact, temps NEVER climbed over 38C. Even after consecutive 3rd to 4th gear WOT runs, it stayed rock solid. This is definitely a far cry from what we were seeing on the dyno at 50-55C. There may be a slight air flow factor, but not that much. I don't have ducting on my Vmount yet either. Not to mention that the temps would climb on the dyno on the very first pull...
So my theory.... When I installed my nozzle I used a few drops of red Loctite on the nozzle ring. This ring holds the atomizer nozzle to the body. I used it to also mount the nozzle. With a rubber O-ring it keeps the nozzle tight on the filter body, and keeps me from having to weld studs on the body to mount it to the filter (Brent's method). So it's possible some Loctite seeped into the nozzle causing a blockage. I used washer fluid before I swapped engines so the system never saw the meth until yesterday. With this, it's possible that blockage was deteriorated by the methanol and broke through.
It would explain my instantly cold intake temps, and richer AFR's. With a new CHRA and some more time on the dyno, we should know immediately. 