+TheCarPassionChannel just curious, when you drill the oilpan that low wont the oil level in the pan cause backpressure in the turbo oil return line? if it's below the oil level in the pan that is, even if the fittings are one-way only? The tip I got was to remove the oilpan and check how far the dipstick pokes down and drill the hole above the Max line, which kinda is in the block itself.
Helping Greg with some questions here... *I have a turbo 1.8* I'll post the one I'm working on soon. 1) the oil does not come out when the drill goes through because the car is lifted or on jack stands in the front so all the oil is resting at the back of the oil pan. 2) The shavings not trapped by the grease on the drill bit flutes will go into the oil, some of it will be drained out and you can spray mineral oil or brake clean to help flush it out when you are done. 3) The oil pick up screen and oil filter won't allow the chunks and fine particles to reach you engine bearings or hydraulic lifters but the turbo might get some so do plenty of drains and refills 2-3 work fine for me before I fire up the car. I mean a journal bearing or ball bearing turbo is expensive/ish unless you are running a China Charger... Oil is cheaper than a Churbo or rebuilding stuff. 4) don't use a step drill bit(Christmas tree drill bit) they will hit the pick up tube, don't ask how I know. 5) have a spare threaded plug incase you need it to block of the oil drain hole. 6) not necessary but you can change oil and oil filters after a couple hundred miles 2 times works for me. This makes sure anything trapped can find it's way out. 7) happy boosting.
I will be definitely using the hose on the drill trick, makes it a lot safer. Oh and finding tools in the engine bay is something I believe every car guy has experienced a lot haha.
TheCarPassionChannel im always shocked at how well things stay in there. i once had to check my coolant and left the radiator cap off. like the actual radiator cap. and i got home and it was laying right there on the radiator. didnt even leak that much coolant.
Dude...awesome video. Short n sweat, to the point, and most of what you talked about applies to almost any turbo install on a vehicle. I'm about to install a turbo system on a 4 cyl Chevy S10. Thanks bud
A good well thought out procedure that has applications for many devices that has fluid lubrication. My issue is that I need to tap a sheet metal oil pan, for an extra oil drain... without removing the pan from the engine!
Well done and well explained as usual. Great job doing this video! You're always thorough, but keep the videos concise. I used the grease trick to fix my #4 spark plug hole when the plug kept being emotionally distant from the head...works every time!
lol love watching your videos man. i literally laughed out loud when you found your tool at the end, i leave mine in the same spot lolol. i actually just found out about your channel about a month ago when i was doing some research on cost effective turbo builds. currently about to finish my 1.6 rebuild and cant wait to break it in and boost it. keep up the videos man, im subscribed and enjoy your work!
Im from Germany and while watching your Videos I just feel really Bad about our Street-Security-laws because every change I do to my Miata has to be checked and confirmed by an institution which makes a selfmade turbocharging close to impossible of you dont want to spend more than 4000€ ... I really like what you do, because it shows what at least might be possible ..
+Bosse Brimnes But on the other Hand the good checkups and inspections in germany give you the Autobahn with no general speedlimits. Should be thankfull for german tuv and dekra.
I live in germany and i started boosting my 2000 mx5 yesterday. today i have to make the oil reverse then i am done. i spend 500 Euro on this. hope it will run With Stock ecu on 8psi
@@TheCarPassionChannel I’ve got a belter of an engine/transmission set up about to be reunited with its restored from hella rusty to clean af if anyone is interested... it’s been a long journey. This will be my second and damn i missed the first one 😅
Bwahahahahahahahahaha!!! Years ago, I owned a 90 Civic Hatch, I left a pair of needle nose pliers in the engine bay...found it when I went to sell it over a year later!!! So I'm not the only one...good vid brother...keep it up...
+TheCarPassionChannel I know what you mean...I worry now...thinking I'll drive down the road and some phantom tool will fall out from some magical crevice in my engine bay...that's why you count tools...and you always count them again at the end...lol. Happy tuning...and check out my blue monster...hoping to clean her up in the spring and get her ready for some road courses...
Great content! I have a 93 Miata LE that is in need of some power, so these videos really help my research. I like your idea of installing one part at a time rather than doing a complete turbo build in one shot. This idea works well with my college budget. Time to find a used wide band. Thanks for the videos and keep them coming!
You can hook up an air compressor on low pressure or even an air mattress pump to a crankcase vent so when you break through the pan, the pressure will blow the shavings outward.
Usually you pressurise the pan, ie compressor or a reverse vacuum cleaner in the oil filler. Or as a last resort, or both, put a vacuum cleaner hose near where you are drilling to suck the swarf.
A unibit (step drill) is a much better way to drill a hole through metal. Self centers once started and no danger of the bit striking something on the other side once the hole is made, since the next sized step on the bit acts as it's own stop. Anyone who drills holes through sheet metal needs one (or better yet, a small set set). Try it...you will never use a twist style bit again in sheet metal.
Rene Neron usually the step big enough for an oil return line puts the end of the bit too far into the pan, especially in his case with the oil collector line right there. They are great for starting holes and also widening holes in metal.
damn, I'm coming back to this video to remind me what size oil drain I have, my broke and boosted clone didn't start having problems until 5 years after. solid for
At the end of the series (once the budget turbo build is complete). Could you do a separate video explaining what are some things you could do to improve performance. Upgrading the clutch to run more boost, etc.
+TheCarPassionChannel c'mon man you can say you got the idea from me😉 jk. Also another question. When you go turbo do you have to have a certain exhaust?
Diego Reyes Not really, you can use the stock cat-back if you want to. The more it flows, the faster the turbo will spool and the more power you'll make. You do need a turbo manifold and downpipe, but after that any exhaust will work.
"Just take it nice and slow..." proceeds to full send 😂😂 Thank you for this brother! I'm at this crossroads on my SC300 build and it's scaaaaary. I will eventually turbo my 90 Smurf Blue Miata as well which is another reason I stumbled onto your channel. Looking forward to learning more from your experiences 🤙
If your scared of hitting the oil pick up line its always a good idea to wrap a good wad of tape on the drill bit so theres no way you can push it in too far
you are not suppose to put tefflon on npt thread to avoid leaks. these kind of thread are made for being sealed and for the tap your can go untill there is between 8-10 threads left on the tap
+Raphael St-jean Cool thank you. I know they're meant to seal but I figured it won't hurt anything. Some people JB Weld the fitting in "so it won't leak", lol. Seems a bit extreme to me.
+TheCarPassionChannel ahah jb weld is always good ;) but trust me these are used on pressurised line on airplane without any other stuff it will never leak if so it because you didn't tight it enough. keep going, I love your content and I'm planning soon to get myself a little miata!!
Another great vid. Only thing I would of changed is adding a how u got the x mark on the pan. Mine is already done but some others may not know where to measure from. Again, great job.
hello peter,i d like your opinion on this....for avoiding the drilling and the possibility to do something that it can t be undone ....if we use a filter relocator and connect the oil returning line istead the drilling process it ll be the same?
The oil needs to drain vertically from the turbo or the line can back up. Some people drain it into a small tank with a pump that sends the oil back up to the valve cover, so they don't have to drill the pan.
+Bridget Schoney A small amount usually isn't a big deal because it will settle to the bottom of the pan an live there forever. A lot of people use mineral spirits to rinse the pan out, just be sure to let it dry before adding oil.
Is this process relatively similar for a Mazda 6, do you know? That's what I've got and I'd like to assume that since they're both Mazdas, the process is fairly similar, but I don't wanna take that chance. I can't find a decent tutorial on turbo-ing a 6.
Hi there Greg! Cant say im certain about going turbo/supercharger on my daily 1.6, however the motor is already out and i figured it would not be too rough to go ahead and tap/plug it now. In the video you mentioned plugging it off if you didn't have your turbo to install yet. Any recommendations on plugs? Great videos by the way already a huge help to my two NA builds! Keep up the good work! Thanks Theo
+Theodore Jones Most auto parts stores sell rubber caps that you can throw on there with a hose clamp, OR you can be super cool and do an AN drain, then just thread on an AN cap until you decide to go turbo.
+TheCarPassionChannel Thanks for this tip! Definitely going to pick up those AN fittings this week. you should do a brief video showing the feed location on the bp16 motors! Cheers!
+Fernando Ma I'm thinking late January to early February. When I do it, I want to make sure these coilovers are available in case people want to buy them, and they're out of stock right now.
I was wondering the same thing bcuz I'm doing this today yet the #1 rule for safety is to not drain the oil b4 drilling?! a little confused. Should I just drain&collect the used oil, then drill & tap Then refill with the used oil , to let it flush out some metal then insert the fitting, then refill with good oil afterwards?
Hi Greg,I got a question about those drilling bits on the inside of oil pan, that were shown from 7.09 min of you video, they at the end off your thread ,they looked like stuck to pan. what you do with them ? are you trying to take them out or are you pushing them in to oil pan ? thanks and btw. Great job man !
+Lukasz Trela You want to do anything you can to get all the shavings out of the pan. There are several techniques that people use that were not covered in the video, q-tips, flushing with mineral spirits, etc. Check out some other how-to's as well and see what others are doing :)
Hey greg I have a question about Hardtop security: I recently got mine stolen sadly, and had already ordered the security bolts and brackets from garage star before the steal. But my question is, is that really going to deter a thief from stealing it entirely? How do you have your hardtop secured? Is there any way to fabricate something to add the 110% security it needs? thanks
+Frankie V. The solid brackets with security bolts is much more secure than just having the stock latches on there, but you still can unbolt it with the security torx. I'm not sure of any practical way to make it more secure than that, if they want it bad enough they'll find a way to get it unfortunately. But, if you had the security bolts and solid brackets, they probably wouldn't have been able to get it, at least at that point they have to have tools and it will take a while to unbolt it.
TheCarPassionChannel Well that really settles it then for the most part! I wish those brackets and bolts would have came a day earlier :'( damn thieves. Thank you man
***** That is exactly what I was thinking too, I definitely dont plan on taking it off, but the hard part is searching for another hardtop or striving to find my old one that got stolen
+TheCarPassionChannel the best way to combat theft if you are speaking about torx is to soder in the security torx. To remove, all you have to do is heat up the torx wrench and presto more theft proof!!!
The drill spot is above the oil level (it needs to be above the oil level to drain properly). Doesn't look like it in the video because you can't see the part of the pan that drops down behind the subframe where all of the oil lives.
when learning about turbocharging my future miata what should i study about. Could u give a a small list of what i should be studying about before i do stuff. and could u make a wideband video. I'm really scared I'm gonna do something wrong.
+Avien Gnat I already have a wideband video, and head over to this thread: www.miataturbo.net/diy-turbo-discussion-14/diy-faq-all-your-answers-one-big-post-4288/
I know its the most common way to drill the oilpan adn was a nice video to watch, buuut i think im to scared of lil metal swarf on the inside that the grease will not catch. Ok Greg, as im planing to go turbo next year another question: would you recomend turbo charging on a 1990 miata with the short nose crank? No wobbling an the pulley and good keyways till now, but how high is the risk and do you have own experience on charged short nose cranks?
+Bla Blupp You can use a 90 degree pick or any variety of tools to get those little shavings off. The only experience I have with a boosted short nose is my friends Miata, 240+whp and still going strong at 220,000+ miles. As long as the pulley is torqued right and there's no keyway damage, they seem to be okay.
No - that's not how NPT threads work. They are tapered so as you thread it in the seal gets tighter. If it bottoms out, you went too deep with the NPT tap 🙂
TheCarPassionChannel ah ok that makes sense, I thought the npt tap was just another name for a starter tap where it’s tapered at the start to let you get the thread going. Thanks for clarifying 👍
+himeh702 This is a 1.6L, and the 1.6L does have a blocked off feed line. But this is the for the drain line, not the feed. The 1.8L actually doesn't have a blocked off feed, most people tee off of the oil pressure sender.
ok have have a problem I can't find that fitting that you put in the pan all I find is 5/8" x 3/8" npt. it does not say 5/8" x 3/8" NPT 18 the 18 is not on the picture. do you have a link where I can get one this is holding me back lol
+Anthony Diaz Most times it won't say "18" on it, but I believe all 3/8" NPT are 3/8-18. All you have to make sure of is that you find the same size tap for it.
+TheCarPassionChannel yea all its say is 5/8" Hose and there'd 3/8" NPT so what you think that's good enough if you go on ebay it's the first one they show
+Ethan Millard In all of my experience and from everything I have read, I believe the stock 1.6L and the 1.8L are nearly identical in strength, but the 1.8L makes power easier due to better head flow and more displacement. My 1.6L is plenty fast though. Both are estimated to be safe up to around 240 lb-ft of torque at the wheels with stock connecting rods. Some have gone past that. Tuning is extremely important at that level.
+mansen1414 From what I've read and seen, it's the best complete turbo kit you can buy. The only thing I would change is I'd get the "No Electronics" version of the kit and use Megasquirt instead of Hydra. I think the Hydra might have a few more features? But it sure is expensive, and Megasquirt has a lot of support since so many people use it!
How come you say not to drain the oil first, but when you drill the hole no oil comes out? Is the level of oil just so low that it's all just in the sump?
Also, do you clean up the rough edge of the hole on the inside of the pan at all, like you can see around 7:08, where it looks there are a few shavings still attached on the inside?
+Joe H Yes you should clean up those shavings right inside the hole, it was hard to show so I didn't put that in there. Yes the oil level is below the hole, whenever you're drilling a hole for a turbo drain you must drill it above the oil level or the turbo might not be able to train fast enough.
I'm not sure if I'll get a spam tag if I post a link, but if you search "3/8 npt 5/8 barb" there should be several available. Also on my website, I have a full build list with links for B&B, thecarpassionchannel dot com, on the FAQ page!
+Biker jon Absolutely! The only guidelines you need to follow are that the drain needs to be ABOVE the oil level in the pan, the fitting has to be big enough to flow the amount of oil going through the turbo, and you need to make sure to drill into a spot that doesn't have anything important directly behind it. You should be able to find a picture of your engine with the oil pan removed online to help you figure out where to drill it.
Why so intent on keeping power steering? I understand living in CA why AC is a "must", but I gotta tell ya, my PS belt fell off about a month ago and I love the feel of the car without it. I can only imagine that is I went ahead and did the full FM endorsed de-powering of the rack it would be so much better, but at the moment I really like how it feels now, even if it is a bit heavy (especially at low speeds). The car is my daily, and I usually parallel park at least once a day.
+coolestpyro I run a de-powered rack on my other Miata which I actually prefer. But, I'm going to be selling this car once I finish with the project, so I want to leave as many things in tact as I can.
TheCarPassionChannel Ah, ok, makes sense. How much of a struggle is it to remove the rack to do the FM depower? Subframe drop required or can you slide it right out?
Man very good videos, I will turbo my 90' Miata but I wanna start with FMU and then with Megasquirt, what do you think about FMU turbo project? Can you do a video about that? Congratulations... Miguel Gonzales F.
+narasha johnson I think there are generic rubber caps sold at auto parts stores, just be sure to use a hose clamp to secure it. The dipstick tube is very small and I don't think it can flow enough oil.
+TheCarPassionChannel Thank you so much for responding. I wasn't sure how much would actually be flowing through the drain on the turbo. Just thinking outside the box a little before I decide to drill the pan. Keep up the good work on the videos. I check about 8 times every day for them haha.
narasha johnson Haha thanks! I think there is a setting so you get phone notifications when a new video goes up :) I'm not sure quite how much the turbo flows, but a 5/8" fitting is significantly larger than the dipstick tube, and you do not want the turbo drain line to get backed up.
+Nick Racicot You should drill it about where I did in this video. Also, Google Images works wonders. The reason it needs to be above the oil level is so the drain line doesn't get backed up.
haha yeah ive been referencing google images but ive never done this before so it makes me a little nervous. just trying to gather as much info on it i can ahah thanks dude!
Not even gonna lie i was scared enough when i had to drill my pan for the oil return that i actually did remove the motor. Luckly though since the sump is the same for the TT and na models it had the flange there just not drilled. The part with supra's atleast is the only way to get a drill in there is if you use a 90 degree piece for the drill. And i just felt more comfortable taking the motor out so when i take the sump off the metal shavings would just not go anywhere. Even though it was a pain in my ass it made alot of the work i did easier. like upgrading my head gasket and head studs it was all easily accessible. Good video!
Hey Greg I need ur help! Here's wat I hav, 91 Miata 1.6 turbo running on megasquirt 2, 255lph walbro fuel pump, fuel regulated pressure at 40psi. Running great until I replace the injectors(420cc yellow injectors from rx8), I have set the fuel regulator around 100 psi to keep the from stalling. Any advice?
No I did not change the req_fuel, I will look more into that and thanks for the tip. I'm actually new at this. Im still learning, it would be nice if you post "How to upgrade injectors" in your next video.
I see that your are autocrossing, canyon racing that MX5 pretty hard but I'm surprised that you don't have a baffled oil pan. I don't know this car/engine well but you never had issue with oil starvation on heavy turns ? Thanks. On a side note, the inside of the oil pan you've shown looks like a double side wall so may be the trick is there ?!?
+Daily Cup of Justin When you're cruising and driving normally, it's no extra strain on anything over a stock engine. If you keep it at a safe power level and have a good tune, and use quality parts (some of the parts in this build not recommended for max reliability) it will be as reliable as stock. I turbocharged mine at 176,000 (my daily driver) and it's almost at 212,000 now. It's been over 220whp the whole time, now at 276whp.
TheCarPassionChannel thanks for the reply man, but my worry is that a stock one would leave me stranded. I work in sales and I'm driving a lot. The mx5 is my dream car, and I really want a car I can work on, but I drive literally no less than 60 miles a day. Would a mx5 be able to handle this
Hi Greg, you'll probably never see this comment but if you do would you mind telling me what size drill bit you used for this? I've got a 3/8 npt return and unsure as to what size hole to drill in the sump? Thanks in advance☺️
JoshuaBrah Ohhh got it,. You can do it this way, but I prefer to buy the drain plug that has a 1/8" NPT threaded hole in it for the sensor so you don't have to tap the pan. I just JB welded the sensor into the plug to make sure it couldn't come loose.
@@TheCarPassionChannel First of all you're a legend for actually responding. Enormous respect for that! And, secondly, I don't have a Miata, nor do I want to turbocharge my car. I'm just curious to know if there's a way to identify the oil level. (ask a forum probably) And cool, you drain the oil after this. Wash the shavings into the oil then drain it, right? Sounds ok. Still a bit sketchy but I guess the oil pickup has a mesh over it. Thanks again for the response!
@@A55455In47I0n ah okay; so it's a little deceiving in this video but the Miata pan actually drops down again in between the subframe. And that's where all of the oil sits. So in the video it looks like I'm drilling into the bottom of the pan but it's actually the upper area. many oil pan designs are like that where there's a small lower portion that the pickup sits, and that's where all of the oil lives.
@@TheCarPassionChannel You're a legend mate, that's the knowledge that we want. Nice to get a solid answer rather than people hypothesising and flaming you for asking!
+27daz The spot I drilled is above the level of the oil (The pan carries pretty much all of the oil at the back where it drops between the subframe) and while the engine is running, the level is even lower in the pan. You definitely need the return to be above the oil level so the line doesn't back up.
When you said "keep them miatas ont he road" damn mustang yesterday cut me off and ended up hitting my front bumper... his mustang got more messed up than my miata lol i only got a big scuff,broken front blinker and a small hole in my front bumper lol
Instructions not clear, drilled the wrong oil pan and got fired from mcdonalds :(
Shadilayyy accidentally turboed the mcflurry machine?
Turbofries now only $99
dude the hose on the drill is genious. mad props.
For anyone wondering, you drill it in the same spot on the 1.8L cars as well!
Me and my black 94' thanks for that. Won't email you that question now lol
+TheCarPassionChannel just curious, when you drill the oilpan that low wont the oil level in the pan cause backpressure in the turbo oil return line? if it's below the oil level in the pan that is, even if the fittings are one-way only?
The tip I got was to remove the oilpan and check how far the dipstick pokes down and drill the hole above the Max line, which kinda is in the block itself.
***** That hole isn't below the oil level, so no it won't back up.
Ok! thanks for clearing that up :)
can I use an oil filter sandwich to feed and drain the turbo?
Helping Greg with some questions here... *I have a turbo 1.8* I'll post the one I'm working on soon.
1) the oil does not come out when the drill goes through because the car is lifted or on jack stands in the front so all the oil is resting at the back of the oil pan.
2) The shavings not trapped by the grease on the drill bit flutes will go into the oil, some of it will be drained out and you can spray mineral oil or brake clean to help flush it out when you are done.
3) The oil pick up screen and oil filter won't allow the chunks and fine particles to reach you engine bearings or hydraulic lifters but the turbo might get some so do plenty of drains and refills 2-3 work fine for me before I fire up the car. I mean a journal bearing or ball bearing turbo is expensive/ish unless you are running a China Charger... Oil is cheaper than a Churbo or rebuilding stuff.
4) don't use a step drill bit(Christmas tree drill bit) they will hit the pick up tube, don't ask how I know.
5) have a spare threaded plug incase you need it to block of the oil drain hole.
6) not necessary but you can change oil and oil filters after a couple hundred miles 2 times works for me. This makes sure anything trapped can find it's way out.
7) happy boosting.
I drilled my sump today and nailed it thanks to this video. I honestly watched it 30 times. Thanks Craig 😉🤙😁
Today haggard garage, Speed Academy, CarsandCameras, and now TheCarPassionChannel all uploaded today :D perfect!
+ramiro lucio don't forget b is for build... if you don't know about the channel ... you must check it out
+David Sinclair McCabe cool beans I'll look them up right now!
i watch all of those!!
I will be definitely using the hose on the drill trick, makes it a lot safer. Oh and finding tools in the engine bay is something I believe every car guy has experienced a lot haha.
+Luca Car Mods I was stoked to find that thing, been missing since I did the timing belt video, lol.
TheCarPassionChannel im always shocked at how well things stay in there. i once had to check my coolant and left the radiator cap off. like the actual radiator cap. and i got home and it was laying right there on the radiator. didnt even leak that much coolant.
Dude...awesome video. Short n sweat, to the point, and most of what you talked about applies to almost any turbo install on a vehicle. I'm about to install a turbo system on a 4 cyl Chevy S10. Thanks bud
A good well thought out procedure that has applications for many devices that has fluid lubrication. My issue is that I need to tap a sheet metal oil pan, for an extra oil drain... without removing the pan from the engine!
I've done a steel pan on a 240Z before using the same method!
Well done and well explained as usual. Great job doing this video! You're always thorough, but keep the videos concise. I used the grease trick to fix my #4 spark plug hole when the plug kept being emotionally distant from the head...works every time!
lol love watching your videos man. i literally laughed out loud when you found your tool at the end, i leave mine in the same spot lolol. i actually just found out about your channel about a month ago when i was doing some research on cost effective turbo builds. currently about to finish my 1.6 rebuild and cant wait to break it in and boost it. keep up the videos man, im subscribed and enjoy your work!
Awesome to hear man, plenty more videos coming. Good luck on your build!
Im from Germany and while watching your Videos I just feel really Bad about our Street-Security-laws because every change I do to my Miata has to be checked and confirmed by an institution which makes a selfmade turbocharging close to impossible of you dont want to spend more than 4000€ ... I really like what you do, because it shows what at least might be possible ..
+Bosse Brimnes But on the other Hand the good checkups and inspections in germany give you the Autobahn with no general speedlimits. Should be thankfull for german tuv and dekra.
welp, not moving to Germany anymore lol
I live in germany and i started boosting my 2000 mx5 yesterday. today i have to make the oil reverse then i am done. i spend 500 Euro on this. hope it will run With Stock ecu on 8psi
You can only be as free as you are willing to be.
And that my friend is why you dong give up your guns, cause then the government makes your their BIOTCH and you dont have a say about it.
Sweet video man, really appreciate your effort in making these.
I’m not gonna lie I was gonna work my way up to 3/8 NPT by tapping slowly. But the drilling seems a lot easier 😂😂😂
AhhHHHhHhHHHH!! Its so scary. This is really the only thing im afraid to do
+Gingium Bring your car to San Diego I'll take care of it for you :) Collab style haha
TheCarPassionChannel Id love to haha, If only you were a 30 plus hour drive away
TheCarPassionChannel if I brought you my car would you drill the pan for me? :) lol I'm in Temecula
@@TheCarPassionChannel I’ve got a belter of an engine/transmission set up about to be reunited with its restored from hella rusty to clean af if anyone is interested... it’s been a long journey.
This will be my second and damn i missed the first one 😅
Bwahahahahahahahahaha!!! Years ago, I owned a 90 Civic Hatch, I left a pair of needle nose pliers in the engine bay...found it when I went to sell it over a year later!!! So I'm not the only one...good vid brother...keep it up...
+Jessie Ortiz I was stoked when I found that thing, it's been missing for a month LOL
+TheCarPassionChannel I know what you mean...I worry now...thinking I'll drive down the road and some phantom tool will fall out from some magical crevice in my engine bay...that's why you count tools...and you always count them again at the end...lol. Happy tuning...and check out my blue monster...hoping to clean her up in the spring and get her ready for some road courses...
Great content! I have a 93 Miata LE that is in need of some power, so these videos really help my research. I like your idea of installing one part at a time rather than doing a complete turbo build in one shot. This idea works well with my college budget. Time to find a used wide band. Thanks for the videos and keep them coming!
Thanks for posting! Appreciated the useful tip about the grease on the bit and tap to catch the shavings.
I've never seen anyone drill without pulling the pan first. That is crazy lol. Even with grease. But still is nice to do less work.
You can hook up an air compressor on low pressure or even an air mattress pump to a crankcase vent so when you break through the pan, the pressure will blow the shavings outward.
Usually you pressurise the pan, ie compressor or a reverse vacuum cleaner in the oil filler. Or as a last resort, or both, put a vacuum cleaner hose near where you are drilling to suck the swarf.
A unibit (step drill) is a much better way to drill a hole through metal. Self centers once started and no danger of the bit striking something on the other side once the hole is made, since the next sized step on the bit acts as it's own stop. Anyone who drills holes through sheet metal needs one (or better yet, a small set set). Try it...you will never use a twist style bit again in sheet metal.
Rene Neron usually the step big enough for an oil return line puts the end of the bit too far into the pan, especially in his case with the oil collector line right there. They are great for starting holes and also widening holes in metal.
damn, I'm coming back to this video to remind me what size oil drain I have, my broke and boosted clone didn't start having problems until 5 years after. solid for
@TheCarPassionChannel I am so grateful for your videos
Smart kid. Nice work with the hose on the drill!
Excellent video. Hard to find such a clear HD tutorial on oil return lines
congratulations, you have the best how to turbo a miata (or most cars) video. thank you!
How do you feel about those dipstick drain installs, compared to drilling the pan?
At the end of the series (once the budget turbo build is complete). Could you do a separate video explaining what are some things you could do to improve performance. Upgrading the clutch to run more boost, etc.
+Diego Reyes My plan exactly.
+TheCarPassionChannel c'mon man you can say you got the idea from me😉 jk. Also another question. When you go turbo do you have to have a certain exhaust?
Diego Reyes Not really, you can use the stock cat-back if you want to. The more it flows, the faster the turbo will spool and the more power you'll make. You do need a turbo manifold and downpipe, but after that any exhaust will work.
"Just take it nice and slow..." proceeds to full send 😂😂 Thank you for this brother! I'm at this crossroads on my SC300 build and it's scaaaaary. I will eventually turbo my 90 Smurf Blue Miata as well which is another reason I stumbled onto your channel. Looking forward to learning more from your experiences 🤙
If your scared of hitting the oil pick up line its always a good idea to wrap a good wad of tape on the drill bit so theres no way you can push it in too far
+MalaysianFirePotato That's... what the hose was for. It's actually safer IMO. I've used the tape before though, it works well.
TheCarPassionChannel
Yes I made to comment before i saw you using the hose thats a great idea sorry my bad
Keep up the awesome videos =D
Just wanted to post you were correct about the pan. I missed the part where you showed the location where the return fitting will be. Apologies.
you are not suppose to put tefflon on npt thread to avoid leaks. these kind of thread are made for being sealed and for the tap your can go untill there is between 8-10 threads left on the tap
+Raphael St-jean Cool thank you. I know they're meant to seal but I figured it won't hurt anything. Some people JB Weld the fitting in "so it won't leak", lol. Seems a bit extreme to me.
+TheCarPassionChannel ahah jb weld is always good ;) but trust me these are used on pressurised line on airplane without any other stuff it will never leak if so it because you didn't tight it enough. keep going, I love your content and I'm planning soon to get myself a little miata!!
Raphael St-jean Cool good luck!
Would the entire broke and boosted build steps work for a 1.8 Miata?
+Kaleb Zweigle It's going to be very very similar. I'll try to note any differences that I know of in the coming videos.
Noob...you can boost any car. Also your tire size doesn't matter lol
Another great vid. Only thing I would of changed is adding a how u got the x mark on the pan. Mine is already done but some others may not know where to measure from. Again, great job.
Hey my truck. 2006 trailblazer does not have a oil drain plug is it the same procudure for this as well ?
hello peter,i d like your opinion on this....for avoiding the drilling and the possibility to do something that it can t be undone ....if we use a filter relocator and connect the oil returning line istead the drilling process it ll be the same?
and oil sending of course....!with oil cooler :D !
The oil needs to drain vertically from the turbo or the line can back up. Some people drain it into a small tank with a pump that sends the oil back up to the valve cover, so they don't have to drill the pan.
What happens if you do get metal shavings in the drilling process? Probably best to do this when the pan is out instead of on the car????
+Bridget Schoney A small amount usually isn't a big deal because it will settle to the bottom of the pan an live there forever. A lot of people use mineral spirits to rinse the pan out, just be sure to let it dry before adding oil.
So if my car is already turbod and i want to add braided lines i just need a fitting to plug the original return line to oil pan hole?
Nice video great job as usual Greg!Greetings from SwedenKai
Is this process relatively similar for a Mazda 6, do you know? That's what I've got and I'd like to assume that since they're both Mazdas, the process is fairly similar, but I don't wanna take that chance. I can't find a decent tutorial on turbo-ing a 6.
Hi there Greg!
Cant say im certain about going turbo/supercharger on my daily 1.6, however the motor is already out and i figured it would not be too rough to go ahead and tap/plug it now. In the video you mentioned plugging it off if you didn't have your turbo to install yet. Any recommendations on plugs? Great videos by the way already a huge help to my two NA builds! Keep up the good work!
Thanks Theo
+Theodore Jones Most auto parts stores sell rubber caps that you can throw on there with a hose clamp, OR you can be super cool and do an AN drain, then just thread on an AN cap until you decide to go turbo.
+TheCarPassionChannel Thanks for this tip! Definitely going to pick up those AN fittings this week. you should do a brief video showing the feed location on the bp16 motors! Cheers!
Great video as usual. Any idea of when the coilover install video will be released?
+Fernando Ma I'm thinking late January to early February. When I do it, I want to make sure these coilovers are available in case people want to buy them, and they're out of stock right now.
You sir, are a hero.
Would it be easier to drop the pan to do it? Seems like it would also make getting the shavings out easier
Technically safer, but a lot of work. Need to remove the transmission, suspend the engine, and drop the front subframe
5:32 *Why doesn't the oil come pouring out!!*
I was wondering the same thing bcuz I'm doing this today yet the #1 rule for safety is to not drain the oil b4 drilling?! a little confused.
Should I just drain&collect the used oil, then drill & tap
Then refill with the used oil , to let it flush out some metal
then insert the fitting, then refill with good oil afterwards?
NVM it makes sense now after further reading!
Thanks for the awesome videos & info Greg!
so what's the answer then?
From Greg, "No, you need to make sure you drill above the oil level, the way I did in this video."
because all of the oil is in the sump of the oil pan (rear/lower part of the pan)
Hi Greg,I got a question about those drilling bits on the inside of oil pan, that were shown from 7.09 min of you video, they at the end off your thread ,they looked like stuck to pan. what you do with them ? are you trying to take them out or are you pushing them in to oil pan ? thanks and btw. Great job man !
+Lukasz Trela You want to do anything you can to get all the shavings out of the pan. There are several techniques that people use that were not covered in the video, q-tips, flushing with mineral spirits, etc. Check out some other how-to's as well and see what others are doing :)
Anybody know where to buy one of 5/8 hose barb to 3/8 npt fittings cant see to find it
Hey greg I have a question about Hardtop security: I recently got mine stolen sadly, and had already ordered the security bolts and brackets from garage star before the steal. But my question is, is that really going to deter a thief from stealing it entirely? How do you have your hardtop secured? Is there any way to fabricate something to add the 110% security it needs? thanks
+Frankie V. The solid brackets with security bolts is much more secure than just having the stock latches on there, but you still can unbolt it with the security torx. I'm not sure of any practical way to make it more secure than that, if they want it bad enough they'll find a way to get it unfortunately. But, if you had the security bolts and solid brackets, they probably wouldn't have been able to get it, at least at that point they have to have tools and it will take a while to unbolt it.
TheCarPassionChannel Well that really settles it then for the most part! I wish those brackets and bolts would have came a day earlier :'( damn thieves. Thank you man
+Frankie V. If you don't plan on taking the hardtop off you can tack welt the head of the bolt to the solid plate.
***** That is exactly what I was thinking too, I definitely dont plan on taking it off, but the hard part is searching for another hardtop or striving to find my old one that got stolen
+TheCarPassionChannel the best way to combat theft if you are speaking about torx is to soder in the security torx. To remove, all you have to do is heat up the torx wrench and presto more theft proof!!!
Hey question: why didn’t oil come out all over the place when you tapped the pan? Did you drain it first just for demonstration purposes?
The drill spot is above the oil level (it needs to be above the oil level to drain properly). Doesn't look like it in the video because you can't see the part of the pan that drops down behind the subframe where all of the oil lives.
Quick question. How come oil didn't start pouring out when u drilled the hole? Did u partially drain the oil already? Thanks in advance!
No - the hole is drilled above the oil level in the pan (it needs to be above that level so the turbo drains properly)
@@TheCarPassionChannel Ahhh got it! thank you so much!
when learning about turbocharging my future miata what should i study about. Could u give a a small list of what i should be studying about before i do stuff. and could u make a wideband video. I'm really scared I'm gonna do something wrong.
+Avien Gnat I already have a wideband video, and head over to this thread: www.miataturbo.net/diy-turbo-discussion-14/diy-faq-all-your-answers-one-big-post-4288/
thanks
think you could skip all this if u get a sandwitch filter adapter for a oil cooler it has a in and out port and goes in between the filter and block
awesome video,who could even dislike this???
You're gonna be big on TH-cam, guaranteed
+thelineafterbang Maybe someday :) As long as I can help keep the turbos boostin' and the Miatas rollin' I'm happy.
+TheCarPassionChannel you re gonna put a whole freaking roll of tape on the drill bit ?
~Ž4RÄLHØ ĐŽN™ Huh? I didn't use any tape at all.
+TheCarPassionChannel but you recommend
~Ž4RÄLHØ ĐŽN™ You mean in my "How To Turbo" video? You can use tape, I just figured out this way which is a lot better and easier.
But I ain’t gonna lie that’s a gangster ass way to put in an oil drain lmao
love the videos greg! keep up the good work bud!
+Capt Fuzzy Plays Thanks man, thanks for stopping by!
+TheCarPassionChannel you will definitely see me often! i am addicted to you and haggard garage!
I know its the most common way to drill the oilpan adn was a nice video to watch, buuut i think im to scared of lil metal swarf on the inside that the grease will not catch.
Ok Greg, as im planing to go turbo next year another question: would you recomend turbo charging on a 1990 miata with the short nose crank? No wobbling an the pulley and good keyways till now, but how high is the risk and do you have own experience on charged short nose cranks?
+Bla Blupp You can use a 90 degree pick or any variety of tools to get those little shavings off. The only experience I have with a boosted short nose is my friends Miata, 240+whp and still going strong at 220,000+ miles. As long as the pulley is torqued right and there's no keyway damage, they seem to be okay.
Surely it’d be better cutting the brass fitting down so it can fully seat against the pan instead of relying on the sealant on the threads
No - that's not how NPT threads work. They are tapered so as you thread it in the seal gets tighter. If it bottoms out, you went too deep with the NPT tap 🙂
TheCarPassionChannel ah ok that makes sense, I thought the npt tap was just another name for a starter tap where it’s tapered at the start to let you get the thread going. Thanks for clarifying 👍
I thought 1.8 had blocked off oil feed lines you could use? So you don't have to drill into the pan?
+himeh702 This is a 1.6L, and the 1.6L does have a blocked off feed line. But this is the for the drain line, not the feed. The 1.8L actually doesn't have a blocked off feed, most people tee off of the oil pressure sender.
Is this the same miata that you have now?
ok have have a problem I can't find that fitting that you put in the pan all I find is 5/8" x 3/8" npt. it does not say 5/8" x 3/8" NPT 18 the 18 is not on the picture. do you have a link where I can get one this is holding me back lol
+Anthony Diaz Most times it won't say "18" on it, but I believe all 3/8" NPT are 3/8-18. All you have to make sure of is that you find the same size tap for it.
+TheCarPassionChannel yea all its say is 5/8" Hose and there'd 3/8" NPT so what you think that's good enough if you go on ebay it's the first one they show
How high do you need to drill it ? I've heard different both ways.
What is the drill bit sized used? And what is the tap used? A 3/8ths tap? NPT?
1:28
Awesome video again bro!!!
Could you use a sandwich adapter for the oil return line for the turbo???
Not sure how you'd do that, never seen anyone do it before. This way just keeps it so clean and the line really short.
Is it true that the 1.6 handles boost better than the 1.8? Some people say its complete rubbish?
+Ethan Millard In all of my experience and from everything I have read, I believe the stock 1.6L and the 1.8L are nearly identical in strength, but the 1.8L makes power easier due to better head flow and more displacement. My 1.6L is plenty fast though. Both are estimated to be safe up to around 240 lb-ft of torque at the wheels with stock connecting rods. Some have gone past that. Tuning is extremely important at that level.
Thanks for this man , have to do this in the coming month or so this is a good reference
may the force be with you
what do you think about the FMII turbo kit from flyin miata
+mansen1414 From what I've read and seen, it's the best complete turbo kit you can buy. The only thing I would change is I'd get the "No Electronics" version of the kit and use Megasquirt instead of Hydra. I think the Hydra might have a few more features? But it sure is expensive, and Megasquirt has a lot of support since so many people use it!
What rims are you rocking on your main Miata (the on on the right of the screen with the roll bar) the white volk look alikes
+mrgallonsof Rota Grid Concave
+TheCarPassionChannel hey mate what size are they!? Great vids man keep up the good work
mrgallonsof 15x9
What did you use to cap it? I'm going to change the oil on one of my miatas soon and figured I'd I should tap it while I'm at it.
+Alejandro Mora Auto parts stores should have a generic rubber cap, just be sure to hose clamp it on.
always great content can't wait to start my boosted Neon build
How come you say not to drain the oil first, but when you drill the hole no oil comes out? Is the level of oil just so low that it's all just in the sump?
Also, do you clean up the rough edge of the hole on the inside of the pan at all, like you can see around 7:08, where it looks there are a few shavings still attached on the inside?
+Joe H Yes you should clean up those shavings right inside the hole, it was hard to show so I didn't put that in there. Yes the oil level is below the hole, whenever you're drilling a hole for a turbo drain you must drill it above the oil level or the turbo might not be able to train fast enough.
hey Greg can you pleease send me a link where i can find the fitting at? cant seem to find that one on ebay
I'm not sure if I'll get a spam tag if I post a link, but if you search "3/8 npt 5/8 barb" there should be several available. Also on my website, I have a full build list with links for B&B, thecarpassionchannel dot com, on the FAQ page!
Very informative, keep up the good work.
Hey Greg my turbo is using a 3an fitting instead of 4an will your oil drill pan fitting measurements still work for a 3an oil line?
I believe you're getting the oil drain mixed up with the oil feed. 3an/4an are sized you would use for a feed, the drain is much larger.
what about other cars i have a mitsubishi galant and i am planning to boosted with a turbo. can this help me?
+Biker jon Absolutely! The only guidelines you need to follow are that the drain needs to be ABOVE the oil level in the pan, the fitting has to be big enough to flow the amount of oil going through the turbo, and you need to make sure to drill into a spot that doesn't have anything important directly behind it. You should be able to find a picture of your engine with the oil pan removed online to help you figure out where to drill it.
What size drill bit and tap??
Great video very helpful plan on doing it this weekend.
this measure is standard?
does not influence the diameter of the outlet hose turbo?
You can make the outlet for pretty much any T25/T28/TD04/TD05 etc into a 5/8" drain
Why so intent on keeping power steering? I understand living in CA why AC is a "must", but I gotta tell ya, my PS belt fell off about a month ago and I love the feel of the car without it. I can only imagine that is I went ahead and did the full FM endorsed de-powering of the rack it would be so much better, but at the moment I really like how it feels now, even if it is a bit heavy (especially at low speeds).
The car is my daily, and I usually parallel park at least once a day.
+coolestpyro I run a de-powered rack on my other Miata which I actually prefer. But, I'm going to be selling this car once I finish with the project, so I want to leave as many things in tact as I can.
TheCarPassionChannel Ah, ok, makes sense. How much of a struggle is it to remove the rack to do the FM depower? Subframe drop required or can you slide it right out?
coolestpyro Super easy! Don't even need to loosen the subframe.
Hey man thanks for the replies! Your channel is one of the top NA Miata resources on the internet; keep up the amazing work.
Man very good videos, I will turbo my 90' Miata but I wanna start with FMU and then with Megasquirt, what do you think about FMU turbo project? Can you do a video about that? Congratulations...
Miguel Gonzales F.
+Daniela Antezana I always advise just starting with Megasquirt, why do it one way and then have to pull it out/sell it and start over?
Hey Greg I was wondering if I could just tap into the bottom of the dipstick tube or is that not going to be a big enough return from the turbo?
+narasha johnson I think there are generic rubber caps sold at auto parts stores, just be sure to use a hose clamp to secure it. The dipstick tube is very small and I don't think it can flow enough oil.
+TheCarPassionChannel Thank you so much for responding. I wasn't sure how much would actually be flowing through the drain on the turbo. Just thinking outside the box a little before I decide to drill the pan. Keep up the good work on the videos. I check about 8 times every day for them haha.
narasha johnson Haha thanks! I think there is a setting so you get phone notifications when a new video goes up :) I'm not sure quite how much the turbo flows, but a 5/8" fitting is significantly larger than the dipstick tube, and you do not want the turbo drain line to get backed up.
It doesn't matter anyway. My boyfriend was rear ended yesterday and totaled his car. It was sandwiched between two suv's.
narasha johnson Oh bummer!
Good idea with the fuel line.
where can I best source the fitting?
🤙Bro I live down the block. No wonder why does miatas look familiar lol 😅. Good video
about how far up or down on the oil pan should i drill? i just to make sure its above the oil level to prevent leaking
+Nick Racicot You should drill it about where I did in this video. Also, Google Images works wonders. The reason it needs to be above the oil level is so the drain line doesn't get backed up.
haha yeah ive been referencing google images but ive never done this before so it makes me a little nervous. just trying to gather as much info on it i can ahah thanks dude!
Not even gonna lie i was scared enough when i had to drill my pan for the oil return that i actually did remove the motor. Luckly though since the sump is the same for the TT and na models it had the flange there just not drilled.
The part with supra's atleast is the only way to get a drill in there is if you use a 90 degree piece for the drill. And i just felt more comfortable taking the motor out so when i take the sump off the metal shavings would just not go anywhere. Even though it was a pain in my ass it made alot of the work i did easier. like upgrading my head gasket and head studs it was all easily accessible.
Good video!
Hey Greg I need ur help! Here's wat I hav, 91 Miata 1.6 turbo running on megasquirt 2, 255lph walbro fuel pump, fuel regulated pressure at 40psi. Running great until I replace the injectors(420cc yellow injectors from rx8), I have set the fuel regulator around 100 psi to keep the from stalling. Any advice?
+Ken Li You were running stock injectors and then you replaced them with the 420cc? Did you set up the MS so it knows the injector size changed?
Yes I did change the setting at MS from 205cc to 420cc
Ken Li Did you change the req_fuel though? Changing the injector size doesn't re-scale the fuel mapping
No I did not change the req_fuel, I will look more into that and thanks for the tip. I'm actually new at this. Im still learning, it would be nice if you post "How to upgrade injectors" in your next video.
Ken Li Injector upgrade with Megasquirt adjustments will be coming up pretty soon.
What would you recommend capping the fitting with?
+Alex Folkner I think there are generic rubber caps sold at auto parts stores, just be sure to use a hose clamp to secure it.
I see that your are autocrossing, canyon racing that MX5 pretty hard but I'm surprised that you don't have a baffled oil pan.
I don't know this car/engine well but you never had issue with oil starvation on heavy turns ? Thanks.
On a side note, the inside of the oil pan you've shown looks like a double side wall so may be the trick is there ?!?
+spark972 Double side wall? No I have no baffles and haven't had any starvation issues. It's not common on this car until you get into big track.
Hey man I really want to get a Miata, but my worries are that they won't be reliable enough for daily driving. I drive around 60 miles a day
+Daily Cup of Justin When you're cruising and driving normally, it's no extra strain on anything over a stock engine. If you keep it at a safe power level and have a good tune, and use quality parts (some of the parts in this build not recommended for max reliability) it will be as reliable as stock. I turbocharged mine at 176,000 (my daily driver) and it's almost at 212,000 now. It's been over 220whp the whole time, now at 276whp.
TheCarPassionChannel thanks for the reply man, but my worry is that a stock one would leave me stranded. I work in sales and I'm driving a lot. The mx5 is my dream car, and I really want a car I can work on, but I drive literally no less than 60 miles a day. Would a mx5 be able to handle this
Daily Cup of Justin With proper maintenance you could drive 600 miles a day
TheCarPassionChannel awesome! Thanks so much man. You da real mvp.
TheCarPassionChannel I'm so glad I stumbled upon your channel
Quick question - what did you use to cap the oil fitting?
+Leo Krugeri They're just these rubber cap things I found at Autozone that come in different sizes, that and a hose clamp.
+TheCarPassionChannel Sounds easy enough. Thanks for the quick reply
Hi Greg, you'll probably never see this comment but if you do would you mind telling me what size drill bit you used for this? I've got a 3/8 npt return and unsure as to what size hole to drill in the sump? Thanks in advance☺️
Dan Smith 9/16" drill bit for a 3/8" NPT tap. :)
TheCarPassionChannel perfect, thanks buddy.
Hey dude is it the same procedure for the oil pressure sensor? just in a different spot?
+JoshuaBrah The drain doesn't relate to the oil pressure sender, are you confusing it with the oil feed?
Sorry i meant oil temp sensor if I decided to put it in the pan
JoshuaBrah Ohhh got it,. You can do it this way, but I prefer to buy the drain plug that has a 1/8" NPT threaded hole in it for the sensor so you don't have to tap the pan. I just JB welded the sensor into the plug to make sure it couldn't come loose.
TheCarPassionChannel Oh okay thank you
How do you know where the oil sits so you can drill above it?
You drill it in the same exact place as this video and you won't have an issue
@@TheCarPassionChannel First of all you're a legend for actually responding. Enormous respect for that!
And, secondly, I don't have a Miata, nor do I want to turbocharge my car. I'm just curious to know if there's a way to identify the oil level.
(ask a forum probably)
And cool, you drain the oil after this. Wash the shavings into the oil then drain it, right? Sounds ok. Still a bit sketchy but I guess the oil pickup has a mesh over it.
Thanks again for the response!
@@A55455In47I0n ah okay; so it's a little deceiving in this video but the Miata pan actually drops down again in between the subframe. And that's where all of the oil sits. So in the video it looks like I'm drilling into the bottom of the pan but it's actually the upper area. many oil pan designs are like that where there's a small lower portion that the pickup sits, and that's where all of the oil lives.
@@TheCarPassionChannel You're a legend mate, that's the knowledge that we want.
Nice to get a solid answer rather than people hypothesising and flaming you for asking!
Hi Greg, Should the hole be above the level of the oil ?
+27daz The spot I drilled is above the level of the oil (The pan carries pretty much all of the oil at the back where it drops between the subframe) and while the engine is running, the level is even lower in the pan. You definitely need the return to be above the oil level so the line doesn't back up.
Why do you want to use an npt tap? Why not just use a regular tap?
NPT thread seal as you tighten the fitting, no need for any o-ring/copper washer/etc
When you said "keep them miatas ont he road" damn mustang yesterday cut me off and ended up hitting my front bumper... his mustang got more messed up than my miata lol i only got a big scuff,broken front blinker and a small hole in my front bumper lol