I did it again!

:)

I'm not yet comfortable with turning up the boost. Too many unanswered questions still.

One of which manifested itself last night. Almost positive my alternator is crapping out on me now. Something is definitely up with my voltage. With the only electrical load being from driving, headlights, and dash lights (no heated seats, no interior fans, no ac, etc...) I can see my headlights and my dashlights oscillating in brightness randomly. Periodically there was significant dimming which was accompanied with a sudden drop in vehicle power lasting less than a second before coming back up. Was doing this at idle as well as when driving.

While driving it is being reported as generally within .1 of my target voltage, although on the way home last night it kept falling for a bit, losing .1v about every minute till it was down to 13.2v. I stopped for gas and it was back up to 14.3v and hovered around there the rest of the way home. Playing with the alternator controls in the Hydra, i was able to get it to whatever voltage target I set without issue, the oscillations in brightness continue.

Battery connections clean and secure. Battery chassis ground clean and secure. I can't think of a single point in common other than the alternator that would affect every light source plus the engine electrical network. Even a lightbulb circuit tester on the battery at idle was showing the oscillation of the light brightness. My multimeter appears to have crapped out on me, as it reads 0.0001v if I don't touch the leads to anything, and 0.0000v if I touch the leads to the battery terminals. Ohms and mA are just DOA. Running out to buy another one shortly.

Installing the alternator from my 99 today to see if anything changes. It's older for sure, but it also didn't have any problems. If that appears to fix it, then I'll stick a new alternator on my 'to buy' list.
 
All the grounds were clean and secure. I removed the MSM alternator, only to find that there is a very very tiny difference in the base of where they mount to the engine block, the 99's being about 1mm narrower, and thus it won't even fit around the mounting point.

So I'll be going to get an 01-05 alternator from Planet Miata in the morning.
 
Oh, good. I uh... I forgot to email you the tracking number didn't I? Ah well, sorry about that :) Glad you got them.

The problem still persists with the replacement alternator. I checked all the grounds and can't find any that are corroded or loose, so not sure what is going on. I don't really know where to go from here. Hunting for what all grounding points exist, maybe I missed one? (or more)
 
Some recapp and additional progress:

So I ran into an issue last Wednesday. It actually started back in January. At night I would see a very momentary dimming of the lights. Maybe only once every few days. So fleeting that for a while I wasn't even sure I was actually seeing it. Over the last week or so, I definitely noticed it getting more frequent, but couldn't pin anything down. Wednesday on the way in to work I felt pretty sure that it was my alternator failing, as the frequency had ramped up quite a bit. Wednesday heading home I nearly didn't make it because of how much the voltage was flickering. All of the lights were randomly 'pulsing' in brightness, with the deeper dimming also having a noticeable power cut on the engine. My radar detector voltage output (hard wired, not 12v socket) was showing 14.3 to 13.5v, higher RPM would have lower voltage, lower RPM would have higher voltage. The display wasn't showing a voltage oscillation, just periodic changes up and down that would stay for a while.

I could find no link between the oscillations and bumps (which might indicate a loose connection) or oscillations and other power usage. The more electrical power I demanded the more severe the range of oscillation, but no frequency change.

At home, my circuit tester (simple light bulb) showed the same flickering of brightness. The Hydra voltage controls seemed to work just fine, adjusting the output to where I set it. Multimeter showed a steady voltage at the battery at idle, 0.3v higher than whatever I set the Hydra's target to (which makes sense given the voltage drop through the system).

All the grounds I can find are clean and secure. Everything I am finding says that this points to an alternator about to fail or a grounding problem.

However, I replaced the alternator Friday morning and the problem remains. I did forget how much has to come out to get to our alternator, including the intercooler-to-throttlebody charge pipe, intake manifold bracing, and one of the oil lines:
IMG_20130411_191041.sized.jpg

IMG_20130411_191056.sized.jpg


Saturday I attended an online tuning webinar (which was fantastic!), then went back at trying to diagnose and fix my voltage problem:

  • I removed and cleaned the PPF ground near the diff, no change.
  • Removed and cleaned the alternator connections, no change.
  • Added a ground to the engine block on the passenger side, no change.
  • Added a ground to the alternator directly to behind the headlight, no change.
  • Removed and cleaned both ends of the main engine block ground, no change.
  • Thought I was hearing the plugs firing at the same frequency as the light's flicker, so change my plugs with new ones, no change.
  • I pulled every fuse I could that would allow the engine to keep running, no change
  • Disconnected both ends of the Hydra harness and re-connected, no change.
  • Checked the resistance through the alternator power harness from the battery to the starter, starter to the 100a main fuse, 100a main fuse to the alternator. Only ohms reading higher than 0.000 was starter to main fuse, at 0.097. Not enough to be concerned about.

  • Flickering is present only when the engine is running, battery power only is steady.
  • Does it with two different alternators, two different batteries, and it's everything in the car that is flickering slightly.
  • Voltage at the battery remains 0.3v over the Hydra target voltage (which I've played around with at several voltage points), voltage at the Hydra remains exactly on the target voltage.
  • When electrical load is introduced it dips briefly as expected and then returns to where it was. The dip for the headlights, windows, and fans is QUITE severe however. More severe than it used to be.

Searches across the various Miata forums all point to a connection problem or an alternator problem, but haven't been able to figure it out yet.


Sunday afternoon I took a break and finished the venting on the hood. It's not too radical, perhaps even undersized for the venting. This is intentional as it's easier to add vents than it is to remove them. :) Will it be a radical benefit? Certainly not. Just a little bit of help. I will not be running at full power and it certainly won't be a clear track next weekend, so I'm not concerned about it. Will add additional similar vents as my power and speed go up and the cooling starts demanding it.

IMG_20130414_164922.sized.jpg

IMG_20130414_164930.sized.jpg

IMG_20130414_164945.sized.jpg


I bent the sections in rather than just cutting them out to help the exiting air flow a bit. I will be adding some rubber weather edge stripping (that grips 2 sides) on the tabs to prevent any future blood letting from the edges.
 
I decided to go through the Hydra firmware to see if there were any Hydra control changes introduced, but zero changes. BUT, I ended up getting two data logs with the problem I am seeing. This HAS to be the alternator. Either the physical unit or the control commands it's getting are horribly flawed. This CAN NOT be wiring from what I logged. It simply can't be.

Tuesday I am going to revert to stock ECU and stock injectors. I can't datalog that, but I can re-do all the tests. This is all if FM doesn't give me a better answer.

This is a screen shot of the voltage logged at idle when I caught it at really low voltage. You can see how unstable it is.
ECU+Internal+Datalog-7-voltageproblem-idle.bmp


This is a screen shot of the voltage and RPM for the below log. This is while driving, voltage just drops off on a WOT pull, then stays off till I manually pop the revs to redline with no load on it, then the voltage climbs back up, and then eventually just starts falling off again.
ECU+Internal+Datalog-7-voltageproblem.bmp


And a cut and paste of the two big state changes for the voltage from the CSV file, same log as the above pic:
Code:
Time (sec)	Load	RPM	Advance	Throttle	V	AFR
0.000s	 160.7mmHg	 3353rpm	 34.5deg	25.70%	 14.02V	 17.1afr
0.083s	 90.9mmHg	 3383rpm	 31.0deg	43.85%	 14.26V	 17.2afr
0.167s	 53.4mmHg	 3284rpm	 29.0deg	69.23%	 14.33V	 16.3afr
0.250s	 33.2mmHg	 3386rpm	 28.5deg	95.65%	 14.20V	 14.6afr
0.333s	 22.7mmHg	 3527rpm	 28.0deg	99.87%	 14.22V	 13.4afr
0.417s	 6.9mmHg	 3564rpm	 27.5deg	99.87%	 14.27V	 12.9afr
0.500s	 0.3psi	 3603rpm	 27.0deg	99.87%	 14.27V	 13.1afr
0.583s	 0.6psi	 3729rpm	 26.5deg	99.87%	 14.33V	 13.1afr
0.667s	 1.0psi	 3817rpm	 26.0deg	99.87%	 14.26V	 13.1afr
0.750s	 1.5psi	 3895rpm	 25.5deg	99.87%	 14.06V	 13.2afr
0.833s	 2.2psi	 3983rpm	 24.5deg	99.87%	 14.10V	 13.5afr
0.917s	 2.7psi	 4088rpm	 23.5deg	99.87%	 14.10V	 13.5afr
1.000s	 3.5psi	 4188rpm	 22.5deg	99.87%	 14.14V	 14.3afr
1.083s	 4.3psi	 4314rpm	 21.5deg	99.87%	 14.24V	 14.4afr
1.167s	 5.0psi	 4442rpm	 20.5deg	99.87%	 14.41V	 14.0afr
1.250s	 5.5psi	 4549rpm	 20.0deg	99.87%	 14.00V	 13.5afr
1.333s	 5.5psi	 4661rpm	 20.0deg	99.87%	 14.10V	 13.2afr
1.417s	 5.3psi	 4783rpm	 20.0deg	99.87%	 14.10V	 12.9afr
1.500s	 5.2psi	 4899rpm	 21.0deg	99.87%	 14.29V	 12.9afr
1.583s	 5.1psi	 5025rpm	 21.5deg	99.87%	 14.37V	 12.8afr
1.667s	 5.0psi	 5135rpm	 21.5deg	99.87%	 14.39V	 13.1afr
1.750s	 4.9psi	 5250rpm	 22.0deg	99.87%	 14.22V	 13.2afr
1.833s	 4.9psi	 5375rpm	 22.0deg	99.87%	 13.94V	 13.4afr
1.917s	 4.9psi	 5501rpm	 22.5deg	99.87%	 14.08V	 13.2afr
2.000s	 4.8psi	 5596rpm	 23.0deg	99.87%	 14.06V	 13.2afr
2.083s	 4.8psi	 5710rpm	 23.5deg	99.87%	 14.14V	 13.1afr
2.167s	 4.8psi	 5836rpm	 24.0deg	99.87%	 12.55V	 12.9afr
2.250s	 4.7psi	 5930rpm	 24.5deg	99.87%	 11.90V	 12.8afr
2.333s	 4.8psi	 6034rpm	 25.0deg	99.87%	 11.82V	 12.8afr
2.417s	 4.7psi	 6140rpm	 25.5deg	99.87%	 11.73V	 12.6afr
2.500s	 4.6psi	 6240rpm	 26.0deg	99.87%	 11.71V	 12.6afr
2.583s	 4.6psi	 6334rpm	 26.0deg	85.76%	 11.67V	 12.6afr
2.667s	 3.3psi	 6560rpm	 28.5deg	20.67%	 11.63V	 12.6afr
2.750s	 132.9mmHg	 6546rpm	 37.0deg	0.00%	 11.57V	 11.0afr
2.833s	 349.7mmHg	 6306rpm	 49.0deg	0.00%	 11.59V	 12.8afr
2.917s	 496.7mmHg	 6078rpm	 52.0deg	3.44%	 11.51V	 12.2afr
3.000s	 443.5mmHg	 5984rpm	 51.0deg	53.30%	 11.55V	 10.9afr
3.083s	 96.9mmHg	 5476rpm	 32.5deg	99.87%	 11.63V	 13.4afr
3.167s	 0.3psi	 5025rpm	 27.5deg	99.87%	 11.63V	 17.1afr
3.250s	 2.1psi	 4570rpm	 24.5deg	99.87%	 11.75V	 16.5afr
3.333s	 3.3psi	 4874rpm	 23.0deg	99.87%	 11.69V	 16.2afr
3.417s	 4.1psi	 4978rpm	 22.5deg	99.87%	 11.65V	 15.1afr
3.500s	 5.1psi	 4850rpm	 21.0deg	99.87%	 11.57V	 14.3afr
3.583s	 5.1psi	 5046rpm	 21.5deg	99.87%	 11.43V	 13.4afr
3.667s	 5.0psi	 5051rpm	 21.5deg	99.87%	 11.55V	 12.9afr
3.750s	 5.0psi	 5081rpm	 21.5deg	99.87%	 11.63V	 13.1afr
3.833s	 4.9psi	 5185rpm	 22.0deg	99.87%	 11.57V	 13.1afr
3.917s	 4.9psi	 5217rpm	 22.0deg	99.87%	 11.65V	 13.2afr
4.000s	 4.8psi	 5264rpm	 22.0deg	99.87%	 11.41V	 13.5afr
4.083s	 4.8psi	 5336rpm	 22.5deg	99.87%	 11.45V	 13.4afr
4.167s	 4.8psi	 5370rpm	 22.5deg	99.87%	 11.35V	 13.2afr
4.250s	 4.8psi	 5435rpm	 22.5deg	99.87%	 11.33V	 13.1afr
4.333s	 4.7psi	 5470rpm	 22.5deg	99.87%	 11.39V	 13.2afr
4.417s	 4.8psi	 5527rpm	 23.0deg	99.87%	 11.35V	 12.9afr
4.500s	 4.8psi	 5585rpm	 23.0deg	99.87%	 11.43V	 12.9afr
4.583s	 4.7psi	 5623rpm	 23.0deg	99.87%	 11.26V	 12.8afr
4.667s	 4.8psi	 5672rpm	 23.5deg	99.87%	 11.27V	 12.5afr
4.750s	 4.7psi	 5722rpm	 23.5deg	99.87%	 11.29V	 12.6afr
4.833s	 4.8psi	 5772rpm	 23.5deg	99.87%	 11.27V	 12.8afr
4.917s	 4.7psi	 5824rpm	 24.0deg	92.47%	 11.12V	 12.5afr
5.000s	 3.7psi	 6160rpm	 26.5deg	24.72%	 11.22V	 12.3afr
5.083s	 111.2mmHg	 6306rpm	 35.0deg	0.00%	 11.14V	 11.0afr
5.167s	 350.5mmHg	 6084rpm	 49.0deg	0.00%	 11.12V	 11.9afr
5.250s	 496.7mmHg	 5876rpm	 52.0deg	0.00%	 11.16V	 11.6afr
5.333s	 589.0mmHg	 5683rpm	 53.0deg	0.00%	 11.26V	 10.9afr
5.417s	 622.0mmHg	 5486rpm	 49.5deg	1.54%	 11.12V	 10.6afr
5.500s	 593.5mmHg	 5355rpm	 52.5deg	24.56%	 11.29V	 10.4afr
5.583s	 276.2mmHg	 4866rpm	 46.5deg	49.25%	 11.29V	 10.4afr
5.667s	 49.7mmHg	 4302rpm	 30.0deg	70.00%	 11.24V	 15.6afr
5.750s	 0.2psi	 4428rpm	 28.0deg	77.86%	 11.16V	 16.6afr
5.833s	 0.9psi	 4402rpm	 26.5deg	72.98%	 11.31V	 15.0afr
5.917s	 1.8psi	 4415rpm	 25.0deg	48.72%	 11.29V	 14.7afr
6.000s	 2.0psi	 4455rpm	 24.5deg	32.83%	 11.26V	 14.6afr
6.083s	 0.3psi	 4428rpm	 27.5deg	14.71%	 11.29V	 14.4afr
6.167s	 188.5mmHg	 4369rpm	 39.5deg	0.00%	 11.20V	 13.4afr
6.250s	 373.0mmHg	 4261rpm	 49.5deg	0.00%	 11.18V	 11.6afr
6.333s	 493.0mmHg	 4455rpm	 51.5deg	0.00%	 11.20V	 11.2afr
6.417s	 587.5mmHg	 4372rpm	 52.5deg	0.00%	 11.26V	 12.2afr
6.500s	 622.7mmHg	 4327rpm	 48.5deg	0.00%	 11.31V	 12.9afr
6.583s	 638.5mmHg	 4359rpm	 44.5deg	0.00%	 11.22V	 12.9afr
6.667s	 643.7mmHg	 4305rpm	 43.5deg	0.00%	 11.16V	 11.8afr
6.750s	 646.7mmHg	 4317rpm	 42.5deg	0.00%	 11.10V	 11.3afr
6.833s	 651.2mmHg	 4289rpm	 41.5deg	0.00%	 10.86V	 12.1afr
6.917s	 651.2mmHg	 4283rpm	 42.0deg	0.00%	 10.96V	 12.6afr
7.000s	 649.0mmHg	 4249rpm	 42.0deg	0.00%	 11.04V	 13.2afr
7.083s	 649.0mmHg	 4252rpm	 42.0deg	0.00%	 11.08V	 13.2afr
7.167s	 654.2mmHg	 4218rpm	 40.5deg	0.00%	 11.10V	 13.4afr
7.250s	 648.2mmHg	 4197rpm	 41.5deg	0.00%	 11.14V	 13.4afr
7.333s	 652.0mmHg	 4161rpm	 41.0deg	0.00%	 10.92V	 13.5afr
7.417s	 649.0mmHg	 4140rpm	 41.5deg	0.00%	 11.14V	 14.1afr
7.500s	 651.2mmHg	 4100rpm	 41.5deg	0.00%	 11.06V	 15.3afr
7.583s	 647.5mmHg	 4080rpm	 41.5deg	0.00%	 11.08V	 15.9afr
7.667s	 646.7mmHg	 4052rpm	 42.5deg	0.00%	 10.96V	 16.8afr
7.750s	 649.0mmHg	 4016rpm	 41.5deg	0.00%	 10.98V	 17.1afr
7.833s	 641.5mmHg	 3996rpm	 43.5deg	0.00%	 11.18V	 17.6afr
7.917s	 642.2mmHg	 3956rpm	 43.0deg	0.00%	 11.10V	 18.4afr
8.000s	 643.0mmHg	 3943rpm	 42.5deg	0.00%	 11.04V	 19.0afr
8.083s	 639.2mmHg	 3893rpm	 44.0deg	0.00%	 11.08V	 19.6afr
8.167s	 639.2mmHg	 3882rpm	 43.0deg	0.00%	 11.06V	 20.0afr
8.250s	 641.5mmHg	 3872rpm	 43.0deg	0.00%	 10.94V	 20.3afr
8.333s	 640.7mmHg	 3827rpm	 43.5deg	0.00%	 10.88V	 20.4afr
8.417s	 637.7mmHg	 3822rpm	 44.5deg	0.00%	 11.08V	 20.4afr
8.500s	 635.5mmHg	 3799rpm	 44.0deg	0.00%	 11.06V	 20.4afr
8.583s	 637.0mmHg	 3777rpm	 45.0deg	0.00%	 10.96V	 20.6afr
8.667s	 636.2mmHg	 3765rpm	 44.5deg	0.00%	 11.10V	 20.6afr
8.750s	 637.7mmHg	 3732rpm	 44.5deg	0.00%	 10.90V	 20.7afr
8.833s	 635.5mmHg	 3729rpm	 43.5deg	0.00%	 11.00V	 20.6afr
8.917s	 633.2mmHg	 3694rpm	 45.0deg	0.00%	 11.04V	 20.6afr
9.000s	 637.0mmHg	 3708rpm	 44.5deg	0.00%	 10.98V	 20.7afr
9.083s	 632.5mmHg	 3696rpm	 45.0deg	0.00%	 11.14V	 20.7afr
9.167s	 632.5mmHg	 3706rpm	 45.0deg	0.00%	 11.12V	 20.9afr
9.250s	 635.5mmHg	 3689rpm	 45.0deg	0.00%	 11.06V	 21.0afr
9.333s	 637.0mmHg	 3662rpm	 43.5deg	0.00%	 11.06V	 21.0afr
9.417s	 634.0mmHg	 3680rpm	 44.5deg	0.00%	 11.12V	 21.0afr
9.500s	 634.0mmHg	 3666rpm	 44.5deg	0.00%	 10.98V	 21.0afr
9.583s	 635.5mmHg	 3671rpm	 44.5deg	0.00%	 11.02V	 21.0afr
9.667s	 633.2mmHg	 3664rpm	 44.5deg	0.00%	 11.16V	 20.9afr
9.750s	 632.5mmHg	 3657rpm	 44.5deg	0.00%	 11.12V	 21.0afr
9.833s	 634.7mmHg	 3659rpm	 44.5deg	0.00%	 11.02V	 20.9afr
9.917s	 637.0mmHg	 3643rpm	 44.0deg	0.00%	 11.06V	 21.0afr
10.000s	 632.5mmHg	 3650rpm	 44.0deg	0.00%	 11.10V	 21.0afr
10.083s	 631.7mmHg	 3634rpm	 45.0deg	0.00%	 11.14V	 21.0afr
10.167s	 633.2mmHg	 3641rpm	 44.5deg	0.00%	 11.12V	 21.0afr
10.250s	 634.7mmHg	 3632rpm	 44.0deg	0.00%	 11.02V	 20.9afr
10.333s	 635.5mmHg	 3641rpm	 44.5deg	0.00%	 10.90V	 21.0afr
10.417s	 636.2mmHg	 3632rpm	 44.0deg	0.00%	 11.00V	 21.0afr
10.500s	 631.7mmHg	 3637rpm	 44.0deg	0.00%	 11.10V	 20.9afr
10.583s	 634.0mmHg	 3628rpm	 44.0deg	0.00%	 11.14V	 21.0afr
10.667s	 634.0mmHg	 3637rpm	 44.5deg	0.00%	 11.14V	 21.0afr
10.750s	 631.7mmHg	 3614rpm	 45.0deg	0.00%	 11.08V	 21.0afr
10.833s	 634.7mmHg	 3634rpm	 44.5deg	0.00%	 10.98V	 21.0afr
10.917s	 637.0mmHg	 3612rpm	 44.0deg	0.00%	 10.84V	 20.9afr
11.000s	 622.7mmHg	 3032rpm	 41.0deg	0.00%	 11.04V	 20.6afr
11.083s	 626.5mmHg	 3023rpm	 39.5deg	0.00%	 11.00V	 20.7afr
11.167s	 622.0mmHg	 3017rpm	 40.5deg	0.00%	 11.06V	 20.6afr
11.250s	 628.7mmHg	 2989rpm	 38.5deg	0.00%	 10.90V	 20.6afr
11.333s	 622.0mmHg	 2987rpm	 40.0deg	0.00%	 11.10V	 20.7afr
11.417s	 624.2mmHg	 2968rpm	 39.5deg	0.00%	 11.00V	 20.6afr
11.500s	 621.2mmHg	 2944rpm	 40.0deg	1.95%	 10.98V	 20.6afr
11.583s	 607.0mmHg	 2971rpm	 42.5deg	3.95%	 11.08V	 20.9afr
11.667s	 577.0mmHg	 2965rpm	 42.5deg	6.50%	 11.08V	 20.6afr
11.750s	 527.5mmHg	 2923rpm	 41.5deg	8.13%	 11.04V	 20.4afr
11.833s	 466.0mmHg	 2915rpm	 40.5deg	12.32%	 10.88V	 20.1afr
11.917s	 338.5mmHg	 2934rpm	 38.5deg	19.46%	 10.90V	 18.7afr
12.000s	 177.2mmHg	 3026rpm	 34.0deg	25.66%	 11.10V	 17.6afr
12.083s	 97.7mmHg	 2935rpm	 30.0deg	28.65%	 10.98V	 16.9afr
12.167s	 75.2mmHg	 2971rpm	 29.5deg	32.83%	 10.86V	 16.2afr
12.250s	 45.2mmHg	 2984rpm	 28.5deg	41.59%	 11.04V	 14.8afr
12.333s	 27.2mmHg	 2997rpm	 28.0deg	43.87%	 11.08V	 14.6afr
12.417s	 18.9mmHg	 3012rpm	 27.5deg	44.81%	 10.90V	 14.1afr
12.500s	 1.7mmHg	 3028rpm	 27.0deg	45.07%	 11.16V	 14.3afr
12.583s	 0.2psi	 3054rpm	 27.0deg	45.09%	 10.96V	 14.3afr
12.667s	 0.6psi	 3070rpm	 26.0deg	44.69%	 11.06V	 14.4afr
12.750s	 0.9psi	 3093rpm	 25.5deg	42.31%	 11.06V	 14.4afr
12.833s	 1.0psi	 3120rpm	 25.5deg	36.54%	 10.82V	 14.1afr
12.917s	 1.1psi	 3148rpm	 25.5deg	29.85%	 10.98V	 14.0afr
13.000s	 0.8psi	 3162rpm	 26.0deg	22.03%	 11.12V	 14.0afr
13.083s	 0.2psi	 3177rpm	 27.0deg	19.60%	 11.14V	 13.8afr
13.167s	 22.7mmHg	 3201rpm	 27.5deg	17.53%	 11.08V	 13.8afr
13.250s	 42.9mmHg	 3219rpm	 28.5deg	16.54%	 11.08V	 13.7afr
13.333s	 67.7mmHg	 3237rpm	 29.5deg	15.56%	 11.06V	 13.7afr
13.417s	 81.2mmHg	 3255rpm	 30.5deg	14.43%	 11.10V	 13.7afr
13.500s	 117.9mmHg	 3267rpm	 32.0deg	12.81%	 11.04V	 13.8afr
13.583s	 159.2mmHg	 3288rpm	 34.0deg	11.92%	 10.94V	 13.7afr
13.667s	 193.0mmHg	 3302rpm	 36.0deg	11.27%	 10.96V	 13.7afr
13.750s	 218.5mmHg	 3306rpm	 37.5deg	9.34%	 10.98V	 13.5afr
13.833s	 285.2mmHg	 3308rpm	 42.5deg	6.49%	 11.06V	 13.8afr
13.917s	 367.7mmHg	 3304rpm	 45.5deg	4.36%	 10.90V	 13.7afr
14.000s	 437.5mmHg	 3308rpm	 46.5deg	2.41%	 10.98V	 13.2afr
(remains that way for a while, low-ish RPM))
Code:
48.583s	 515.5mmHg	 997rpm	 8.5deg	0.00%	 11.08V	 18.1afr
48.667s	 514.0mmHg	 994rpm	 8.5deg	0.00%	 11.06V	 17.6afr
48.750s	 507.2mmHg	 970rpm	 8.5deg	0.00%	 11.00V	 17.9afr
48.833s	 500.5mmHg	 934rpm	 8.5deg	0.00%	 11.14V	 17.5afr
48.917s	 496.0mmHg	 933rpm	 8.5deg	0.00%	 11.08V	 17.6afr
49.000s	 490.7mmHg	 907rpm	 8.5deg	0.00%	 10.96V	 17.3afr
49.083s	 485.5mmHg	 894rpm	 8.5deg	0.00%	 11.06V	 16.8afr
49.167s	 479.5mmHg	 901rpm	 8.5deg	0.00%	 11.00V	 16.9afr
49.250s	 446.5mmHg	 918rpm	 8.5deg	12.28%	 11.08V	 16.2afr
49.333s	 199.7mmHg	 944rpm	 9.0deg	33.60%	 10.94V	 16.5afr
49.417s	 29.4mmHg	 922rpm	 9.5deg	44.26%	 11.08V	 16.5afr
49.500s	 30.9mmHg	 1284rpm	 12.5deg	52.83%	 10.96V	 15.9afr
49.583s	 39.2mmHg	 1773rpm	 18.0deg	61.08%	 11.08V	 16.0afr
49.667s	 48.2mmHg	 2443rpm	 23.5deg	77.37%	 11.02V	 14.1afr
49.750s	 51.9mmHg	 2983rpm	 28.5deg	89.03%	 10.96V	 12.8afr
49.833s	 58.7mmHg	 3599rpm	 29.5deg	96.61%	 10.67V	 12.1afr
49.917s	 69.9mmHg	 4200rpm	 30.5deg	99.87%	 10.59V	 12.1afr
50.000s	 79.7mmHg	 4779rpm	 30.5deg	99.87%	 10.69V	 11.6afr
50.083s	 72.9mmHg	 5390rpm	 31.0deg	80.98%	 10.67V	 11.6afr
50.167s	 72.2mmHg	 5930rpm	 32.0deg	23.06%	 10.47V	 11.6afr
50.250s	 281.5mmHg	 6058rpm	 46.0deg	0.00%	 10.71V	 10.9afr
50.333s	 434.5mmHg	 5858rpm	 51.0deg	0.00%	 11.78V	 11.9afr
50.417s	 552.2mmHg	 5655rpm	 52.5deg	0.00%	 12.37V	 12.9afr
50.500s	 609.2mmHg	 5445rpm	 52.5deg	0.00%	 12.75V	 12.1afr
50.583s	 626.5mmHg	 5259rpm	 47.5deg	0.00%	 12.88V	 11.5afr
50.667s	 635.5mmHg	 5103rpm	 45.0deg	0.00%	 12.94V	 11.3afr
50.750s	 644.5mmHg	 4932rpm	 43.0deg	0.00%	 13.04V	 11.8afr
50.833s	 648.2mmHg	 4759rpm	 42.0deg	0.00%	 13.22V	 12.2afr
50.917s	 648.2mmHg	 4584rpm	 42.0deg	0.00%	 13.10V	 12.5afr
51.000s	 645.2mmHg	 4415rpm	 43.0deg	0.00%	 13.24V	 12.5afr
51.083s	 643.7mmHg	 4242rpm	 43.5deg	0.00%	 13.16V	 13.1afr
51.167s	 640.7mmHg	 4069rpm	 44.0deg	0.00%	 13.16V	 14.3afr
51.250s	 634.0mmHg	 3898rpm	 45.5deg	0.00%	 13.27V	 15.7afr
51.333s	 626.5mmHg	 3727rpm	 47.5deg	0.00%	 13.31V	 16.9afr
51.417s	 619.7mmHg	 3566rpm	 47.0deg	0.00%	 13.26V	 17.6afr
51.500s	 614.5mmHg	 3386rpm	 46.5deg	0.00%	 13.31V	 18.4afr
51.583s	 607.7mmHg	 3221rpm	 46.5deg	0.00%	 13.08V	 19.0afr
51.667s	 603.2mmHg	 3069rpm	 44.5deg	0.32%	 13.41V	 19.4afr
51.750s	 576.2mmHg	 2903rpm	 41.5deg	9.61%	 13.33V	 19.7afr
51.833s	 445.0mmHg	 2812rpm	 38.5deg	13.58%	 13.41V	 20.0afr
51.917s	 298.7mmHg	 2872rpm	 36.5deg	11.21%	 13.43V	 20.1afr
52.000s	 347.5mmHg	 3069rpm	 41.5deg	2.90%	 13.61V	 19.6afr
52.083s	 442.0mmHg	 3083rpm	 44.0deg	2.76%	 13.37V	 18.5afr
52.167s	 491.5mmHg	 2947rpm	 41.5deg	2.76%	 13.51V	 17.2afr
52.250s	 519.2mmHg	 2718rpm	 37.5deg	2.76%	 13.47V	 15.9afr
52.333s	 532.7mmHg	 2470rpm	 33.5deg	2.76%	 13.59V	 14.8afr
52.417s	 528.2mmHg	 2498rpm	 34.5deg	6.02%	 13.63V	 14.7afr
52.500s	 469.0mmHg	 2538rpm	 34.0deg	9.83%	 13.75V	 15.4afr
52.583s	 367.0mmHg	 2544rpm	 32.5deg	11.67%	 13.73V	 15.9afr
52.667s	 272.5mmHg	 2576rpm	 31.0deg	15.56%	 13.75V	 16.6afr
52.750s	 178.7mmHg	 2509rpm	 28.0deg	16.52%	 13.73V	 17.1afr
52.833s	 129.9mmHg	 2573rpm	 27.5deg	19.48%	 13.78V	 17.1afr
52.917s	 96.9mmHg	 2538rpm	 26.0deg	19.60%	 13.71V	 16.8afr
53.000s	 90.2mmHg	 2573rpm	 26.5deg	19.39%	 13.67V	 16.2afr
53.083s	 99.2mmHg	 2562rpm	 26.5deg	13.01%	 13.78V	 15.7afr
53.167s	 147.2mmHg	 2573rpm	 28.0deg	12.32%	 13.98V	 15.0afr
53.250s	 169.7mmHg	 2582rpm	 28.5deg	11.85%	 13.92V	 14.4afr
53.333s	 175.7mmHg	 2585rpm	 28.5deg	12.34%	 13.86V	 14.3afr
53.417s	 166.0mmHg	 2603rpm	 28.5deg	13.84%	 13.84V	 14.3afr
53.500s	 131.4mmHg	 2612rpm	 28.0deg	15.40%	 13.96V	 14.4afr
53.583s	 107.4mmHg	 2618rpm	 27.0deg	15.89%	 14.00V	 14.6afr
53.667s	 96.9mmHg	 2633rpm	 27.0deg	15.89%	 13.84V	 15.0afr
53.750s	 90.2mmHg	 2644rpm	 27.0deg	14.75%	 14.12V	 15.0afr
53.833s	 131.4mmHg	 2646rpm	 28.5deg	10.17%	 13.90V	 14.7afr
53.917s	 219.2mmHg	 2646rpm	 30.5deg	4.13%	 13.98V	 14.6afr
54.000s	 335.5mmHg	 2641rpm	 34.0deg	0.02%	 14.20V	 14.0afr
54.083s	 422.5mmHg	 2653rpm	 35.5deg	0.00%	 14.16V	 13.1afr
54.167s	 484.7mmHg	 2662rpm	 36.5deg	0.04%	 14.10V	 12.2afr
54.250s	 530.5mmHg	 2648rpm	 36.5deg	0.00%	 13.59V	 11.5afr
54.333s	 557.5mmHg	 2659rpm	 37.0deg	0.00%	 13.96V	 11.2afr
54.417s	 571.0mmHg	 2671rpm	 37.5deg	0.06%	 13.96V	 11.2afr
54.500s	 580.0mmHg	 2657rpm	 37.5deg	0.00%	 14.00V	 11.5afr
54.583s	 584.5mmHg	 2665rpm	 37.5deg	0.00%	 13.88V	 12.2afr
54.667s	 585.2mmHg	 2685rpm	 38.0deg	0.00%	 13.77V	 13.1afr
54.750s	 586.7mmHg	 2654rpm	 37.5deg	0.00%	 14.14V	 13.5afr
54.833s	 588.2mmHg	 2700rpm	 38.0deg	0.00%	 14.20V	 14.1afr
54.917s	 588.2mmHg	 2660rpm	 37.5deg	0.00%	 13.67V	 15.3afr
55.000s	 589.0mmHg	 2693rpm	 38.0deg	0.00%	 14.02V	 16.8afr
55.083s	 589.0mmHg	 2680rpm	 37.5deg	0.00%	 13.94V	 17.3afr
55.167s	 588.2mmHg	 2686rpm	 38.0deg	0.00%	 13.96V	 17.8afr
55.250s	 588.2mmHg	 2675rpm	 37.5deg	0.00%	 13.88V	 18.4afr
55.333s	 586.7mmHg	 2690rpm	 38.0deg	0.00%	 13.61V	 18.8afr
55.417s	 587.5mmHg	 2662rpm	 37.5deg	0.00%	 13.78V	 19.0afr
55.500s	 589.0mmHg	 2692rpm	 38.0deg	0.00%	 13.86V	 19.3afr
55.583s	 586.0mmHg	 2671rpm	 37.5deg	0.00%	 14.12V	 19.7afr
55.667s	 586.7mmHg	 2687rpm	 38.0deg	0.00%	 14.14V	 20.1afr
55.750s	 587.5mmHg	 2671rpm	 37.5deg	0.00%	 13.86V	 20.6afr
55.833s	 588.2mmHg	 2684rpm	 38.0deg	0.00%	 14.31V	 21.0afr
55.917s	 589.0mmHg	 2696rpm	 38.0deg	0.00%	 13.96V	 21.3afr
56.000s	 589.0mmHg	 2685rpm	 38.0deg	0.00%	 14.14V	 21.5afr
56.083s	 587.5mmHg	 2674rpm	 37.5deg	0.00%	 13.92V	 21.6afr
56.167s	 589.0mmHg	 2645rpm	 37.0deg	0.00%	 14.06V	 21.8afr
56.250s	 587.5mmHg	 2636rpm	 37.0deg	0.00%	 14.18V	 21.8afr
56.333s	 587.5mmHg	 2632rpm	 37.0deg	0.00%	 14.20V	 21.8afr
56.417s	 587.5mmHg	 2647rpm	 37.0deg	0.00%	 13.82V	 21.9afr
56.500s	 588.2mmHg	 2627rpm	 37.0deg	0.00%	 14.00V	 21.9afr
56.583s	 589.0mmHg	 2627rpm	 37.0deg	0.00%	 14.00V	 21.9afr
56.667s	 588.2mmHg	 2623rpm	 37.0deg	0.00%	 14.02V	 21.9afr
56.750s	 586.0mmHg	 2618rpm	 36.5deg	0.00%	 13.98V	 21.9afr
56.833s	 587.5mmHg	 2620rpm	 36.5deg	0.00%	 13.96V	 21.9afr
56.917s	 588.2mmHg	 2611rpm	 36.5deg	0.00%	 14.14V	 21.9afr
57.000s	 586.0mmHg	 2600rpm	 36.5deg	0.00%	 14.08V	 21.9afr
57.083s	 585.2mmHg	 2590rpm	 36.5deg	0.00%	 14.16V	 21.9afr
57.167s	 586.7mmHg	 2611rpm	 36.5deg	0.00%	 13.90V	 21.9afr
57.250s	 584.5mmHg	 2586rpm	 36.5deg	0.02%	 14.10V	 21.8afr
57.333s	 585.2mmHg	 2584rpm	 36.0deg	0.00%	 14.02V	 21.9afr
57.417s	 585.2mmHg	 2553rpm	 35.5deg	0.00%	 14.08V	 21.9afr
57.500s	 586.7mmHg	 2549rpm	 35.5deg	0.00%	 14.18V	 21.9afr
57.583s	 584.5mmHg	 2550rpm	 35.5deg	0.00%	 13.96V	 21.9afr
57.667s	 584.5mmHg	 2544rpm	 35.5deg	0.00%	 14.00V	 21.9afr
57.750s	 585.2mmHg	 2524rpm	 35.0deg	0.00%	 14.06V	 21.9afr
57.833s	 584.5mmHg	 2527rpm	 35.5deg	0.00%	 14.02V	 21.9afr
57.917s	 583.0mmHg	 2511rpm	 35.0deg	0.00%	 14.10V	 21.9afr
58.000s	 583.7mmHg	 2508rpm	 35.0deg	0.00%	 14.16V	 21.9afr
58.083s	 583.7mmHg	 2492rpm	 34.5deg	0.00%	 14.16V	 21.9afr
58.167s	 583.0mmHg	 2494rpm	 34.5deg	0.00%	 14.06V	 21.9afr
58.250s	 583.0mmHg	 2479rpm	 34.5deg	0.00%	 14.08V	 21.9afr
58.333s	 581.5mmHg	 2471rpm	 34.5deg	0.00%	 13.98V	 21.9afr
58.417s	 580.0mmHg	 2465rpm	 34.0deg	0.00%	 13.92V	 21.9afr
58.500s	 576.2mmHg	 2434rpm	 33.5deg	2.03%	 14.06V	 21.9afr
58.583s	 556.7mmHg	 2511rpm	 34.5deg	4.72%	 14.14V	 21.8afr
58.667s	 520.7mmHg	 2476rpm	 34.0deg	5.45%	 14.18V	 21.9afr
58.750s	 488.5mmHg	 2424rpm	 32.5deg	6.36%	 14.08V	 21.6afr
58.833s	 456.2mmHg	 2449rpm	 32.0deg	7.01%	 14.12V	 20.6afr
58.917s	 427.7mmHg	 2414rpm	 31.5deg	7.11%	 13.94V	 19.4afr
59.000s	 410.5mmHg	 2426rpm	 31.5deg	6.97%	 14.06V	 18.5afr


I simply can't believe this is a wiring or connector problem. It's either internal alternator failure or a Hydra control problem. I suspect the latter more than the former, simply because I have had 2 different alternators in there, one 47,000 mile one, one probably more mileage but "confirmed good" by Planet Miata.
 
mike, i thought you said this started before the hydra install? voltage regulator?
 
Momentary dimming of the lights did, but I am now thinking that I had two different problems that were similar in nature. Perhaps even the current core problem is a cascading failure from the first problem, which I suspect was the heavily corroded PPF ground that is now clean and secure.

If reverting to the stock ECU doesn't solve the problem then I will be doing a last minute conversion to a 94-97 alternator setup and removing the ECU from the equation. Calling FM now.
 
Talked with Jeremy, and he agreed with reverting back to the stock ECU (and injectors)

If the problem persists, then it's just 2 back to back alternator failures the same way and I will be doing a last-minute conversion to a 94-97 alternator (looking for the DIY instructions on that).

If the problem does not persist, then something is up with the Hydra and he recommended I send it back to them for testing and/or replacement under warranty.

Terrible timing with my track event this weekend.
 
Hey, sorry to hear about the issues you have been having. Especially with that upcoming event! Is FM going to send a replacement out right away or wait until they finish their test?

Hood looks good, def. not as radical as I thought you were going to do but as you said, you are just getting started.
 
They wouldn't send a replacement until they determine what is wrong with this one, and we aren't making the call that it IS the Hydra until I swap back to the stock ECU tomorrow.

After lots of measuring on the hood, most of my original thoughts went out the window, so started over. I'm fine with that. I generally prefer subtle mods over obvious in-your-face ones.
 
Swap to stock ECU complete, no voltage control problem at all, no flickering lights. All I did was swap injectors, unplug the Hydra, and plug in the OEM ECU. Swapping injectors DID mean that I had to remove and reconnect the throttle body ground, but I did that before too with no effect, so I think i can rule that out.

Calling FM and will be converting to a 94-97 alternator.
 
Nevermind. I dropped the Hydra off at UPS and by the time I got home I had the battery light on in the cluster and sure enough, 11.1v on the battery and dropping, while at idle. The OEM ECU has something different about the voltage control that prevents the lights from pulsing, but clearly the ECU isn't the problem. Something else is. Has to be just another defective alternator.

Picking the Hydra back up from UPS (doesn't get picked up till tomorrow) and will be re-installing that Thursday, and attempting a 94-97 alternator swap at the same time.
 
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