Climbed 6000-10000' in elevation, car is E36 M3ting bricks

Did not test fuel pressure under full load. Highly doubt fuel pressure at all is the problem.

The ONE constant is that when E36 M3 starts going really bad, the TPS sensor has started doing weird stuff.

UNFORTUNATELY, the new TPS is doing the same thing. Gotta look at the signal ground. Entirely possible that it's getting heat soaked since it seems to take a while before anything starts getting weird.

New TPS tested out perfectly at 0.0% foot off gas, 99.0% foot to the floor. (Normal for Haltech.)

I think the key to the problem is in the TPS. Car drove perfectly from FM to my hotel. Car drove perfectly from hotel to Men's Wearhouse. Car did not drive perfectly from Men's Wearhouse to dinner. (Big heat buildup by that point.) Car drove perfectly from dinner to hotel. (1.5 hours to dissipate heat.)

If fuel pump was the problem, it would have showed at FM. The car had just been driven 5.5 hours and was hot as hell.

I have a good log of the problem if anyone wants to download Haltech Data Log Viewer 1.0 and take a peek.

Did not test fuel pressure under full load. Highly doubt fuel pressure at all is the problem.

Probably right since the issues happened during low-load.

Yeah, that pump is looking fine - especially since the problem does seem to manifest under all load conditions. We didn't really have a way to test it under load, but since the problem seems to manifest itself at all load levels that's not really relevant. Pump holds pressure nicely too.

Also, Ben reported that on his trip to our shop, he didn't notice a change in behavior despite a 7,000' altitude variance. Seems to be heat related. And the car was definitely hot when it came to visit us.

Too bad to hear the new TPS didn't solve it. It was worth a shot - the fact that the TPS signal seems to be wandering around as the car heatsoaks certainly says something is going on in that area.

BTW, I saw your car in the parking lot of the restaurant when we left Janel decided she didn't want to be bothered with home-cooked food so we went out. I didn't have a way to contact you to let you know, but we didn't blow you off!

I'm really wondering at this point if the new radiator being all metal and protruding an extra 1-2" further towards the TB/TPS is causing massive heat buildup there and toasting the sensor.

ESPECIALLY since i'm having heat issues with these crappy fans in the first place.

I bet the plastic tanked OEM radiator didn't throw as much heat at the TPS.

I wouldn't be surprised at this point if the opposite of what we thought is actually true. That being that instead of the lean condition causing the cooling issues, that the cooling issues are causing the lean condition.

Derp.

Logic, i has it. I'm 99% sure this is the problem. I've made 2 hour long trips with the car since i had it tuned.... but NOT since i put the new radiator/fan setup in. I bet at low elevations it's not such a problem because everything sheds heat more efficiently, but in the higher dry areas, it's no bueno.

Oh, and Keith, your mexican food recommendation was spot on.

I had a HELL of a mojito, and we both had the Chili Verde Chimis. Awesome.

No worries on the "blowing off." We'll be back. Maybe not in a Miata again, or at least this Miata, but we'll be back. (I want to try to talk her into letting us take the 93 next time.)

Any way to make a heat shield as a quick fix? Make one with a soda can and wire cutters maybe? (just remember not to slice the E36 M3 outta yourself on it).

Is it time to light it on fire and walk away yet?

GameboyRMH wrote: Any way to make a heat shield as a quick fix? Make one with a soda can and wire cutters maybe? (just remember not to slice the E36 M3 outta yourself on it).

I'm not sure a heat shield will be necessary once fans worth a damn are on it and it's not running at 210-220F. With what we have planned for today, the car should be running under 190F all the time.

Ludwig Motorsports confirmed that the manifold heat soaking will cause slight mechanical movement of the TPS.

Bobzilla wrote: Is it time to light it on fire and walk away yet?

That'll be decided after today. Not sure if fire is the answer, but...

Either of these might look pretty good with me wearing them.

http://www.oremmazda.com/pre-owned/mazda-rx~8-4dr_cpe_man_grand_touring-2010-13499.html

http://www.oremmazda.com/pre-owned/mazda-rx~8-4dr_cpe_man_grand_touring-2010-13398.html

MMMMMMMM R3 MMMMMMMMM.

Blue One. But knowing your luck, the Renesis would explode on your trip.

Went to FM this morning for a fairly major cooling system overhaul. Car now cools beautifully.

Unfortunately, seems to have made no bearing on the actual AFR issue. I recalibrated the TPS when the car was hottest in an effort to keep it from moving any further up so i could avoid it from creeping up to that magic 1.0% in which everything goes bad.

No luck.

At this point, i'm only seeing IATs in the 105-120 area, and it was over 100 degrees ambient today, so i'm calling those IATs pretty good.

Something is causing the TPS to slowly drift the longer the car runs.

To make this even STRANGER, i drove the car for about 3 hours today. The first 30 minutes, perfect. The next hour, garbage. Then SOMETHING happened and it randomly drove perfectly again for the next hour and a half.

At Keith's recommendation yesterday, sounds like i need to check my signal grounds in that area.

At least the car is in no danger of overheating, ever again, under any circumstances.

Probably a stupid thought, I'm not an EFI person by any means, but what about over voltage? Failing regulator maybe?

And yes... i should have bought an S2000. Or an RX8. (There's a really nice one in Orem right now that i'm contemplating trading the MSM in on... seriously.) Or pretty much anything else. Really frustrating to battle the car for 2 years in every possible way, then finally get it running right by swapping out the entire engine management system less than a month before the trip.

Then have it all go sour.

C'est la vie. Or some other French E36 M3.

Get that sick ass MR2 ;-)

Toyman01 wrote: Probably a stupid thought, I'm not an EFI person by any means, but what about over voltage? Failing regulator maybe?

Voltage controlled by ecu, and I've been logging it. It's all good. Could use some slight tweaking at idle with the new insanely powerful FM fans but otherwise is spot on.

ANY UPDATES?

Is wrapping the TPS in something that reflects heat feasible?

I've recalibrated the tps 4x since he last update. The 4th time was a couple days ago... has not acted up since then. Done almost 1000 miles I think. Car seems to be running well.

The bad news is that I now have a windshield that needs to be replaced, a tire that's almost corded, and am in dire need of an alignment. Hoping someone can recommend a good shop to me that knows Miatas for the alignment down the coast somewhere. (I'll make a new thread too.) I'll handle the windshield when I get home.

Give my buddy Aaron Hambleton a call at Precision Glass in Clackamas, Oregon. Tell him Stefan sent ya and he'll get you a good deal on a new shield and while youre waiting for the install I can take ya for some food/beer, siteseeing, etc.

https://www.facebook.com/precisionautoglass

http://www.precisionautoglass.com/

Thanks man, but the alignment is more important right now, the shiekd is just a big-ish chip. Itll make it home.

Matrix Performance can do the alignment. Tell Eddie hi from me

Same deal on food/beer if i drop the car there?

That's Matrix Integrated, right?

AR Auto Service was also recommended to me.

Glad to hear the running is sorted out.... I was going to suggest the fuel cap vent... Why? I don't know...

Never mind.. Your fuel pressure has been ok...

Glad to hear the running is sorted out.... I was going to suggest the fuel cap vent... Why? I don't know... Never mind.. Your fuel pressure has been ok...

Hah, ive been there! Pretty rare issue, but good thinking!

Proof of surviving the Rockies before heading back into the Cascades ;)

Car also made it from Seattle to San Francisco in "one sitting" as defined by the thread a few days ago "yesterday." About 18 hours of driving.