It Started!

Once the engine was installed, I wanted to get it running as soon as possible, so I worked into the night with the lights on. December in Matsumoto is cold. Maybe because I was so absorbed in the work, I only took this one photo.

To be honest, that's what I kept thinking while assembling the engine. After all, I'm an amateur just putting it together haphazardly. I reused the cylinder without boring it, put in standard size pistons without even measuring, and while I used an expensive torque wrench to tighten the bolts, I wasn't really sure if they were tight enough. A pro would probably know by feel or from how the bolts stretch, but I'm not only an amateur, I've never even assembled brakes or suspension before, only taken them apart, so it's no wonder I can't feel anything.

Still, once you've taken things apart, you have to put them back together and install them. With that resolve, I pressed on.

That engine is now sitting in the engine bay. It looks exactly the same as before I pulled it out. I tightened the big bolts connecting the engine and transmission from below, one by one. I'd gotten used to working under the car and handling the tools, so things went pretty smoothly.

I attached the air conditioner, which had been lying in the engine bay, to its bracket. The coolant hoses were new. The pipe connected to the radiator lower hose had been used for 10 years, so its surface was hard, and just removing it made it unusable. I scraped off the little rust that had stuck to the aluminum pipe and installed a new hose. It felt refreshing.

I installed the radiator and hooked up the piping. I cut the upper hose in half to insert the water temp sensor. After putting in the joint, there was extra hose, so I removed it and trimmed it a bit.

I realized I'd forgotten to attach the pipe that goes straight to the water pump. It's really tough to install with the air conditioner in the way. I managed to tighten the bolts using a box wrench, but it made me wish I had a thin gear wrench.

The exhaust manifold. Only the head-side gasket was new; the rest I reused. The bolts for the catalytic converter, which were tough to remove, were starting to strip and the threads were messed up, so I swapped them for bolts from a dismantled NA8C. According to the dealer's manager, the thread pitch is designed to prevent loosening, making them hard to remove. If you loosen it and it gets stuck, don't just force it—tighten a little, then loosen again, and it'll gradually come free. Tricks like this make all the work go more smoothly. Following this advice, when tightening, I also turned it back a little when it got tight, and it went on with no trouble.

Still, I was careless with bolts—I'd just toss them onto the drying rack as I removed them, without sorting, and the bolts I took out from the bottom end were scattered everywhere, so it was hard to know which went where. Maybe I even put the wrong bolts in some places. But since it all stays together, I figured it was fine. Pretty careless.

I wasn't sure how to wire up the alternator and starter motor, so I called the dealer manager on his cell. He told me which wire colors went where, so I got it right with no mistakes. That's a real pro.

At the oil filter location, there are two oil cooler lines. I'd heard that mixing them up would kill oil pressure, so I stuck tape on the hoses and wrote "top" and "bottom" on them.

The intake manifold. I always spend the most time here. It's hard to get the bolts into the holes by feel. Still, jobs I've done before go quicker now. Regular tools won't reach at the right angle, so you have to figure out the right spot and angle for each tool. Get the fuel hoses wrong and the engine won't start. I'd checked with the dealer in advance. Of the two pipes coming out of the chassis, gas comes out the lower one, and the upper one returns to the tank. You attach the outgoing fuel line to the front. So, connect the lower pipe to the front. I bought new fuel hoses. Old hoses are really stiff when you remove them, and twisting with tools ruins them. A gas leak could cause a fire, so you have to use new hoses. Still, they're expensive.

Lots of wiring. The wires around the water temp sensor on the back of the head were a pain.

I've been rambling, but this all took about a whole day off. December in Matsumoto is cold, so I worked outside, keeping warm by a kerosene stove that was mostly wasted heat. I lay down newspapers on the frozen ground and sprawled out on top. Gloves on, but the tools were still freezing cold to touch bare-handed. Even after nightfall, I kept working. The yard is surrounded by buildings, so the only people who could see the weird work were the students in the house to the east and the house to the south overlooking from the second floor.

It was already 10 p.m. Apparently, I was out of things to do. Starting an engine at this hour in the middle of a residential block is downright criminal. Of course, I shouldn't do it. But after coming this far, there's no way I could just go to bed. At least, I wanted to check if I could get oil pressure.

I poured in the WAKOS 4CT I'd bought. I got a magnetic drain plug at Yellow Hat and installed it. Poured water into the radiator. Since I'd have to flush it several times to clean out the inside, I didn't add coolant yet.

"Will it turn?" My mouth was dry. My heart was pounding. The key was already in the cylinder. First, I pulled the crank angle sensor connector and left the plugs out, then cranked the engine. Turned the key.

I couldn't believe my ears. I immediately tried again. The starter made noise, but that was all—just the sound of the motor!

I'd had the starter overhauled, so it was almost like new. Maybe the starter gear wasn't popping out? Or did I install it wrong?

Maybe if I tried a few more times, it would work. I tried several times, turned on the lights to see the oil pressure gauge. But all I could hear was the starter. The engine wasn't turning over, and the oil pressure wouldn't rise. I thought I remembered a "shukokokoko" sound when I did a head tune...

The blood drained from my head. To check the starter, I'd have to remove the intake manifold. If the problem was with the flywheel, I'd have to pull the transmission. Maybe I should call the dealer manager to come help. All sorts of bad thoughts raced through my mind. Maybe an amateur really can't build an engine...

Out of desperation, I tried cranking again, this time a bit longer. The starter slowed down a bit. I knew if I kept going too long, the battery would die.

And then—suddenly, the oil pressure gauge needle shot to the right. Oil pressure! Still only the starter sound, but if there's oil pressure, that means the crank-driven oil pump is turning, the pistons are going up and down, and through the timing belt, the cam is turning! Why was there only starter noise?

Is this the effect of balancing? An engine that turns without making a sound seems like it'll run really smoothly. My tension, which had been at rock bottom, instantly shifted into top gear. Now I had to try firing it up. Never mind how late it was.

I'd meant to get new plugs, but it was already 10 p.m., so no shop was open. So I put in some IRIWAY7s that had about 20,000 km on them. The electrodes still looked fine.

Installed the plugs, plug wires, and wiring. Turned the key! The joy of seeing oil pressure made me turn the key without hesitation.

After cranking longer than usual, "gyungyungyungyon," I finally heard exhaust sounds—"bububu, buuun." Really rough idle, like a car with cams over 300°. Sure enough, it stalled. Since I overhauled the HLAs, they hadn't bedded in with the cams yet, so valve timing was a mess and of course it ran poorly.

I started it again, and this time gave it some gas. The tach needle revved up crazily. Even a light touch took it up to 3500 rpm. The lightweight flywheel and bigger throttle were making a huge difference.

The tappet noise was insane from the cams and HLAs not bedding in yet. Still, both cams were 264°, and I worried about idling with a single throttle, but it ran fine. I'd set the valve timing for 37° overlap, and apparently I got it right.

It's running! But I wasn't overwhelmed. After thinking for so long, "It won't run, it won't run," and then it actually does, it just doesn't feel real.

Even if it doesn't feel real, there's still work to do. I shined a light on the oil cooler lines and oil pressure sensor area to check for leaks, and did the same for the coolant. The burning smell was probably from fluids spilled on the manifold. I kept pouring water into the radiator.

Once the radiator was full, I stopped for the night. It was almost 10:30. I couldn't just let it idle forever at this hour. But one worry—if I left water in the radiator, it might freeze overnight. I wanted to add coolant, but since I was hesitant to run the engine, I had no choice but to leave it. If it froze, I'd just have to heat the radiator with the kerosene stove in the morning.

Work done for now. I called the dealer manager to report, "It started!" Out in the frozen yard, when I touched the warmed-up engine, the sense of accomplishment and happiness finally started to sink in. "I really put this together, huh." Tomorrow, I'll flush the radiator a few times and finally get the MX-5 Miata, which hasn't moved in over a month, running again.