glad none of the walls were cracked
sow im in the process of getting everything together and will assemble the block soon
Car looks great 
Any tips for using the VHT?
Do vertical, horizontal, and crisscross coats. Let it dry for 8-10 min and continue adding until u see it start wrinkling in between heavier coats.
finished assembling my bottom end, and here is what i shouldve done from the very beginning but oh well, you live and learn. Here is whats going in
cp 9:0:1 81mm
manley rods
after using the cheap autozone piston ring compressor, and having it collapse on me. I decided to get a real piston ring compressor
gapped and filed the pistons rings
bottom end assembled and torqued to spec. I got the oem green rod bearings as i did not take the crank to get machined, because well there was nothing wrong with it so OEM it is
If anyone needs the oem piston ring clocking for a b18c here is the one i used
finished product
Now im looking to do an oil catch can set up, im not sure if im going to go custom and make the catch can myself to reduce costs or say f*uck it and get a complete kit. your thoughts and pics of your engine bays are aprreciated
Looking good. I just had to re modify my catch can because it kept filling up even though rings and compression were good. The problem was the rear block fittings that mount right where the oil galleys are. They were sucking up oil like crazy. I ended up modifying the stock black box to connect to my catch can with one 3/4 hose (12an equivalent), and used the stock vent on the valve cover with a 3/8 hose (6an I believe maybe 8). So far so good with it like that. I’m finally gonna up my boost to 13lbs (currently on 6) because I’m confident the catch can issue is fixed.
I know some people like to run drain backs from their can, but I DO NOT suggest that. The stuff that collects in there is disgusting and after the catch can has heated up, it cools and that causes it to condense on the inside like a cold drink on a hot day. Water collects inside and you definitely don’t want that draining back into your oil.
Best catch can setup is a simple one. No need for fancy $200-400 shiny boxes with a bunch of fittings welded on. A simple baffled can will work. Oh and btw the stock black breather box is baffled as well just so you know.
This is the most recent photo I have of the catch can in my engine bay (back left corner). I can get a closer more detailed photo if you’d like
I hope this helps
yea im thinking about making a custom catch can, but still welding the 2 -10an fittings on the valve cover, not doing the drain back like you said, deleting the black box and buy the plug for the rear of the block. Just a question…why did you vent your catch can? and pros and of doing a vented vs non vented.
That should work for you. Just make sure you’ve got baffles behind the valve cover vents. The reason a catch can has to be vented in some way is to release the crankcase pressure. If there isn’t a vent, the catch can is pointless because the pressure isn’t being released and continues to build up in the motor until seals start leaking and oil pushes passed rings. Bad bad. Most people vent with a filter on top of the can itself cause its cheap and easy. You could vent with a tube to the ground, but your car wouldn’t be aloud on a track like that because of the crap that comes out would get on the track. Another way people vent is to use something called a slashcut tube. This is a tube that goes into the exhaust from the catch can at a 45 degree angle or so and uses the flowing exhaust gases to pull a vacuum in the catch can and suck the crankcase pressure out. I opted for the filter…it’s easy and cheap. I’ve never seen a non vented catch can btw. Don’t see why someone would so that.
So you have the other part of the catch can going back to the intake manifold? And you plugged the hole where the black box was correct?
No. I still have my stock black box that I modified on the back of the block (the one in the photos I posted before). That black box is connected to one fitting on the catch can. The other fitting on the catch can is connected to the stock vent on the valve cover. The catch can is vented with the filter on top. That’s it. The catch can is not connected to the manifold at all.
I hope this link helps anyone trying to make their own catch can. I will of course put a breather on it but I’m thinking of putting two copper tubes, one for each line coming from the valve cover. And packing it with steel wool. What’s your take on this one 512_sir?
http://mazda3revolution.com/forums/2010-13-mazdaspeed-3-how-guides/9284-how-build-ultimate-diy-oil-catch-can-under-50-a.html#/forumsite/20910/topics/9284
Well that’s a new one for me. Haven’t seen that type of design before. I’m all for diy project believe me (I’ve done many on my own car), but that setup is a bit odd. Personally I would just buy a cheap can off ebay, weld some -10 fittings on the valve cover and to the can and be done.
Here is a link to basically the same one I bought for around $60
Here are the weld on an fittings for the valve cover and can - change qty to how ever many you would need
And then buy some an hose and fittings to connect it all. Or use brass barb fittings which is cheaper. I went that route because I wasn’t welded anything onto the valve cover. You can’t weld brass to aluminum.
Or you can try that pcv design, with a filter or vent of some kind. I don’t know how well that would work though
Im almost done with the build, so there are lots of updates.
finally put the head back on
I wanted to minimize the lenght of piping from the turbo to intercooler and here is what I did. What are your thoughts? It goes from a 2" coupler to 3" with a 2.75" pipe all around. There are no kinks.
and here is how it looks from the front. At first i used a blue 90degree, but had too much of a kink, so i had to get a 135degree coupling
I also got my valve cover bungs welded, but had a problem with the FPR right in the way, so i got an adapter, and its now good to go
The solution, it turns the fpr 90 degrees, so itll clear
Ill post pictures of it installed, im waiting for new injector Orings, as i have not replaced these ever and they are starting to crack.
I finally got hondata s300. I was tuned on crome before, cant wait to see how it does in the dyno
and my bird plotting against me lol
shouldve went Vband EVERYTHING!!! this is such a pain to put on and take off
finallyy got the car on the road, got rid of the fart can and went with a more low profile 3" magnaflow. Its quiet and i love how it sounds.
fartcan GONE!!
A picture in front of my buddies’ shop
before i go for a tune im having an issue and hope you guys can help me out. My temp goes up on the load after about 20-30min of regular driving I keep the revs under 4K. If i turn the heat on the temp stays at normal, before the middle of the gauge. Ive bled the system, checked for leaks, pressure tested the cooling system and it stayed at 16psi for 30min so its holding. The oil and coolant is not mixing because i changed the oil after 20miles of breaking the engine in. Im stuck however here are some pics
This is a DB2 shell with oem wire harness and here is a picture of the back of the b17 block
I am running a b18c, but in the back of the block this sensor is not there
So i just have it hanging
Hope you guys can help point me in the right direction as this is the only thing thats holding me back from getting tuned and seeing what this set up can do
I don’t know if I’m seeing things, but in the picture that shows your wastegate, it doesn’t look like it’s tight to the manifold. That may have already been fixed, but if not, that could have something to do with it. Otherwise, I’m not sure what it could be.
Thanks, but it’s on tight. The shadow makes it seem like it’s loose.
Nice to see a Jersey DA. i used to live out there in North jersey. Great build good luck.
Sounds like there’s an issue with your cooling system. What’s your radiator setup? Have you confirmed that your radiator fans are working? Have you confirmed your thermostat is opening completely?
[QUOTE=Ozzman3k22;2329121]
This is a DB2 shell with oem wire harness and here is a picture of the back of the b17 block
I am running a b18c, but in the back of the block this sensor is not there
So i just have it hanging
Hope you guys can help point me in the right direction as this is the only thing thats holding me back from getting tuned and seeing what this set up can do[/QUOTE]
Just to confirm… the black sensor near the deck of the block is your knock sensor and should have a single wire gray connector. The green sensor is our oil temp switch and should have a 2 wire green connector. Your b18c should have a knock sensor from the factory but will NOT have the oil temp switch. Technically you do not need a knock sensor and often tuners will disable them anyway. I’d call our tuner and see what he wants. Your block has provisions for the sensor, so if you want to add one all that you need to do is buy one, install it, and connector our wiring. You can ignore the oil temp switch entirely as it is not needed, so you should have an extra connector left unplugged.
[QUOTE=Colin;2329136]Sounds like there’s an issue with your cooling system. What’s your radiator setup? Have you confirmed that your radiator fans are working? Have you confirmed your thermostat is opening completely?
Just to confirm… the black sensor near the deck of the block is your knock sensor and should have a single wire gray connector. The green sensor is our oil temp switch and should have a 2 wire green connector. Your b18c should have a knock sensor from the factory but will NOT have the oil temp switch. Technically you do not need a knock sensor and often tuners will disable them anyway. I’d call our tuner and see what he wants. Your block has provisions for the sensor, so if you want to add one all that you need to do is buy one, install it, and connector our wiring. You can ignore the oil temp switch entirely as it is not needed, so you should have an extra connector left unplugged.[/QUOTE]
Thanks colin, the radiator has been pressure checked, the fan is turning on, and the thermostat and water pump are brand new and oem as well, at this point I think I’m just going to try and have the fan running at all times and see what happens or make a switch.
I have a half sized rad