Another Turbo Option from Prodigy Performance?

[AGOM]

Hi All,
It's been a while, hope all is well with all.
Been following the post and it's interesting to see that efforts are all moving nearly in the same direction.
UselessPickles: we have so far installed a few kits here, it's been very busy working with some issues.
We have come to the conclusion that a dual catch can setup is more beneficial for us, and with the hot climates we operate at the damaging effects that those unburnt gases and fuels we prefer not to let them drain back into the pan, also having the PCV and Make-up air hoses independent proved more efficient in maintaining that cycle of pressure difference.
We are also looking at re introducing the check valve ( pre-catch can kit from prodigy) we think it will help the PCV valve by allowing it to maintain the vacuume and the breather pulling in cleaner air.
We also went for the boost controller option (not received yet) but it's the same one you went with. But we will keep the stage 2 wastgate Spring.

Heat:
We now make it standard when ordering the kits that we go for the Mishimoto radiator and 180 thermostat, it has been a great mode for us as engine heat is at comfortable limits.
But because of how crowded it is in the front we will be removing the transmission cooler from current position in the front and installing a fan assisted remot transmission cooler which will tame the transmission heating we have experienced frequently, but we already fitted the transmission Deep Oil Pan, which also helped a little.

Regarding the boost controller, in their installation they were referring to using the nipple on the turbo as a boost source, can I ask why you chose to go further down stream to get it?

BOV: after reading your post I checked what we had, and I was surprised to find that at steady idle it's open, what was more suppressing that it's not doing it every time at idle. I would have thought that at idle steady RPM that it will be doing it the same all the time, would this mean that we have an issue with vacuume? I would expect small variations but not to go from full open to nearly closed from one idle cycle to another.

I will publish what we have done when everything is in, properly mounted and in working order.
I really would like to read what you all have to say about what we have done, good or bad, please. As our aim is to keep improving this kit because we are loving it.

Our test Vehicle:
2013 JKU
Auto,
3.5" lift
4.1 gear ratio
315/70R17 tiers

[UselessPickles]

We have come to the conclusion that a dual catch can setup is more beneficial for us, and with the hot climates we operate at the damaging effects that those unburnt gases and fuels we prefer not to let them drain back into the pan

I'm interested to see this dual catch can system. I'd also like to know how much it would cost to buy all the parts for it.

I 'm currently running Prodigy's catch can on the breather side of the system only. The PCV side is still connected through a check valve to the intake manifold. I'm not concerned about any unburnt fuel, water, etc draining back to the oil pan because it will evaporate again and get sucked out through the PCV hose when I'm not on boost.

How much oil are you actually catching on the PCV side? I assumed that I shouldn't need to worry about catching oil on that side because the engine should already have a decent oil separator prior to the PCV valve. Air will only flow through that side of the system when not on boost, so it shouldn't really be any different than stock as far as how much oil passes through and how bad it is for the engine.

Have you noticed any improvements in off-boost driveability after adding the catch can on the PCV side?

We are also looking at re introducing the check valve ( pre-catch can kit from prodigy) we think it will help the PCV valve by allowing it to maintain the vacuume and the breather pulling in cleaner air.

The check valve is necessary to avoid exposing the PCV valve to boost. The PCV valve was not designed to act as a check valve against boost, and it may even leak boost into the crankcase.

Check out part #7775K13 in the McMaster-Carr catalog (in the "Quick-Opening Brass Check Valves" section): http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/120/506/=vsmsyx

It should be a direct replacement for the check valve originally provided by Prodigy (same thread size, etc.), but it cracks open at lower pressure (0.3 psi vs 1 psi). This check valve should allow the PCV system to work more closely to the way it was designed to work.

Regarding the boost controller, in their installation they were referring to using the nipple on the turbo as a boost source, can I ask why you chose to go further down stream to get it?

Because of the pressure drop across the intercooler. The intercooler becomes more restrictive (more pressure drop) as airflow increases (higher engine speeds). If your boost source is before the intercooler, boost at the intake manifold will taper off quite a bit at higher rpms. A boost source after the intercooler will work the turbo harder at higher engine speeds to try to maintain more steady boost all the way up to redline (more high rpm power!)

More about this here: http://www.miataturbo.net/diy-turbo-...eed-ebc-47532/

And this post explains why you shouldn't use the intake manifold as the boost source: http://www.miataturbo.net/diy-turbo-...32/#post574757

BOV: after reading your post I checked what we had, and I was surprised to find that at steady idle it's open, what was more suppressing that it's not doing it every time at idle. I would have thought that at idle steady RPM that it will be doing it the same all the time, would this mean that we have an issue with vacuume? I would expect small variations but not to go from full open to nearly closed from one idle cycle to another.

The results can vary based on whether the engine is warmed up or not. My incorrect BOV spring allows the BOV to crack open at about 15" vacuum. When I first start my engine when it is completely cold, it initially idles at high RPM for a few seconds with less than 15" vacuum, and the BOV is fully closed. As the idle speed drops down over the next several seconds, vacuum increases and the BOV partially opens. It seems to idle at slightly higher than normal RPM for quite a while until the engine completely warms up. At this point I see about 18.9" vacuum. Once it is fully warmed up, I see about 19.8-20.1" vacuum, and the BOV is fully open.

I've determined I have the "WHITE" BOV spring (spring chart: http://www.tialsport.com/documents/w3_tial_qqr_sp.pdf). I have talked with tech support and concluded that the "YELLOW" spring will most likely be just a bit too much and cause some compressor surge. The "PLAIN" spring is a bit too weak and may allow the BOV to crack open at idle when the engine is fully warmed up, but it will respond quickly and avoid compressor surge. My plan is to install the "PLAIN" spring and fine-tine it with a couple washers to shim/pre-load the spring enough to keep the BOV completely closed at idle.

If you want to find out what spring is in your BOV, you don't have to open it up to find out. There's a serial number on the top of the BOV. I was able to read it with a small mirror without removing any parts from the vehicle. It starts with the letters "SN", so that will help you identify it and calibrate your breain to read the numbers backward in the mirror . You can send the serial number in an email to tech@tialsport.com and ask them which spring they put in it.

BTW - Prodigy confirmed that they order BOVs with the "PLAIN" spring. Not sure how I ended up with the wrong spring.

[Rexx19]

how much oil are these catch cans catching? when it gets full, does the oil just go right down the pipe?