*Important Note:* A lot of folks saying "obviously the car needs to be tuned if you add a supercharger." If you watched the supercharger install video, you'd see the *very first thing I did* was flash the ECU with the supplied calibration file to support the supercharger/boost/etc (the tune). If parts of this video do not seem clear, I'd recommend watching the installation video - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/r7WBp8Wo3qy6ZJs.html

"It's extremely unwise to rush to judgement when you don't know absolutely everything about a scenario... Just focus on what's the problem and how to fix it." Words of wisdom.

Now this is a real explanation of engineering! All the whiteboard math is nice, but boy if I don't do more "huh, this was supposed to work.... why doesn't this work" as an engineer lol

Yes please keep this format. As a mechanical engineer this content is gold! For all those car “gurus” getting upset about the engineering being explained please ignore them, they mostly only understand putting gas in the car and flooring it.

"with me sadly shifting in my garage" i felt that.

This was super informative. I don't have a Miata nor a supercharger but I love learning this stuff.

Some real gems in your comments: "you learn things when you don't understand them and try to figure them out." "Maybe I'm broken but..." Most of us are broken somewhere. Keep on dude, we love you.

"Maybe that's because I'm broken" Me too Jason, me too.

Enthusiast: *buys a supercharger kit excitedly Throttle-by-wire: I'm about to end this man's whole career.

When Engineering Explained turns into Engineering Experienced

Man SO HAPPY the issues are worked out. Great logical path dude. I LOVE IT!

The engine feels great, much slower than before. Amazing!

I love how you explained your thought process and loved your eagerness to learn and resolve the issue. I just want to thank you for actually sharing this info with us, because most KZfaqrs just make a video about the end product rather than the process taken to get there. It shows that with a bit of reasoning, you can troubleshoot an issue and narrow down the causes

"and I genuinely find as much joy... diving through these data logs and trying to figure out what's going on with this car as I do actually driving it. Maybe that's because I'm broken." The words of a true engineer.

Haha idk why but when he acts like he's plugging the computer in at random places it cracks me up every time

Really enjoyed watching this. Kinda glad something was wrong so you could figure it out and we can all learn from it.

Love the humility. I've always found the wisest people understand their limitations and work on fixing them. The foolhardy hide behind their hubris in blissful ignorance.

"It wouldn't be a proper project car if there weren't some headache along the way" Advice of today

In response to your ending talk on content like this: Hell yes, please keep making genuine content, I love it.

It's refreshing to see real engineering and problem solving at work. Thanks for showing us the process. I'm a software engineer and totally enjoyed your problem solving and investigating process. It shows that no matter what field of engineering you're in, the discipline and drive to solve problems remain the same. Well done!

I, for one, greatly appreciate that your videos aren't just project cars and dyno runs and driving. This is what sets EE apart from every other car channel on KZfaq, and why it's my favourite. I love learning about this stuff!

The best part of this video was the very end when you defended what this channel is all about. I’ve been watching for a few years and haven’t ever said anything but I thought this comment was appropriate.

Most project-car videos only show the beginning, install and the perfect end result. They rarely delve much into the difficulties that come up during the installation and even less into the actual problem-solving process when something doesn't go to plan. In my experience, things rarely go to plan and most installs are not absolutely perfect (though functionally correct). Personally, I would rather see the process of diagnosing an actual problem than just the shiny end result. I thought this video was informative and helpful and I'm glad you took the time to really explain the problem and your line of thinking.

I was watching the minutes pass by and you weren't near to say how you solved it, but my breathing finally got back by the of the video, great content!

Showing vulnerability to the learning process is awesome man. That’s a man who is smart and the one I’d trust .

This was like watching a Sherlock Holmes mystery. It held my interest for the entire video. Learned something today. Thanks for sharing.

Mechanical Issue: Spend half an hour finding it and 1.5 hours fixing it. "that was two hour fix". Electronics/software issue: Spend two days chasing it and 10 minutes fixing it. "That was a 10 minute fix. I'm so glad it wasn't a mechanical issue".

I am glad you didn't cut this episode. I wish there was more well explanted troubleshooting videos out there.

Jason. It's far better to reveal the process and articulate the issues( even if you're the cause) , than to just jump to a rectified fault . Bravo man Bravo!

if something involving engineering is explained, that’s all we need 10/10 video

Name of the Channel says it all. I am currently living in Bangkok thailand, working on a rwd suv with a 6AT 2trfe 2.7(tacoma equivalent) Toyota engine with a similar set up, facing the same problems. Great lesson learnt. Thank you so much Jason!

Jason I'll be honest I don't watch a lot of your videos all the way through. But I love troubleshooting too, so I was glued to this one. Looking forward to the dyno runs, keep up the good work!

11:36 ah yes, that well known mechanics trick. Wave the OBD connector at the engine to threaten it into behaving.

Did you try shutting it off and turning it on again?

It's funny because I was having a very similar issue with my new-to-me last year '06 Mazda 6 with the 3.0 V6 and 5 speed manual. I would push the accelerator and the throttle valve wouldn't move according to the FORScan readout. I even took the snorkel off and filmed the throttle plate, and sure enough, it wasn't opening when I put the throttle to 100%. It would eventually move, but it would take about 4 seconds to fully open. Resetting the computer would fix it, but then it would come right back. After a while, I started doing basic troubleshooting stuff because the forums were saying the PCM needed replacement and i wasn't about to spend a grand on a car I had just bought as a beater. There were no codes and the car was acting like it was in limp mode, so I was leaning towards PCM as well, but I figured it couldn't hurt. Well, I took the MAF sensor out to clean it and it was completely coated in a sweater of dirt. I have never seen a MAF with even a visible speck of dirt on it, but this one was so bad you couldn't even see the filaments. I'm not sure how it got that way, although I'm speculating that the PO had a K&N filter on that was over-oiled, but I have no actual idea. Anyway, I cleaned it up, put it back in and the car ran like a new car. I still don't like the throttle mapping of the factory tune. It lags almost like a turbo would, which is incredibly annoying, but it makes good power now and I can actually get the thing to accelerate when I tell it to. Long story short, the Mazda PCMs seem like complete garbage. It should have spit out some kind of code to at least let me know that the car was acknowledging limp mode. Also, the AFR's must have been way off with crazy fuel trims and the like. How is the PCM designed to not detect that as a problem?

That last segment of the video about how you enjoy figuring things out and how you dedicated this as an educational channel really got me. You've been explaining stuff to us for years, you've been dedicated to doing this for years. While I don't hate new subscribers, I hate people who subscribe then boldly and rudely ask you to change your content to fit their liking. I love your content even though I'm not very mechanically inclined (I'm a med student) but I thoroughly enjoy physics and basically understanding how things function and the mechanisms behind it. Thanks for the content Jason! All the support!

Not sure if I'm more impressed with the actual engineering that has went into this kit, or the fact that he is humble enough to not only admit that he didn't know what was wrong, but actually vlog'd his troubleshooting process. We all learn from others. (Unless your name is either Orville or Wilbur... those guys truly learned things by themselves). Awesome project sir. Cant wait for the dyno pulls.

For those considering after-market forced induction: when I did my first supercharger install (on my '03 Mercury Marauder) I tried several different vendors for tuning and it was a really eye-opening experience at just how much impact the programming had to just about every aspect of the car's operation. I mean, intellectually you know it, but actually experiencing it is something else. I cannot stress this highly enough: go with somebody to do your tuning that has a proven track record of success with your model of car and that is highly reputable. This is not an area you can save money on and have success. Great video man, thank you!

The "By Pass Valve" is just that and not a "boost recirculation valve". Air By Passes the supercharger. Air comes in thru the throttle body and during idle, cruise, light throttle, the BPV is open and air then goes thru the BPV and into the intake manifold and engine. The air is "Bypassing" the supercharger and the supercharger is basically "free wheeling" passing no air and only consuming 2-3 hp. During WOT, the BPV closes and all the air goes thru the supercharger, gets compressed and heated and then to the intake manifold and engine. The BPV allows for smooth transition in and out of boost and lets the supercharger freewheel and consume no hp during cruise and light throttle. You can test the system by wire tying the BPV open all the time, no boost, and then closed all the time.

it's a diagnostic skill where most dealer mechanics still lacks this. Great video and science

You, sir, are a saint. There are far too many youtubers who would title this video "Company X WRECKED my car!"

Please ignore the "get to the driving/dyno" comments... There are loads of videos on this platform you can go watch of cars making noise and burning tires. This is an engineering education channel, as the name makes pretty clear, and that's what I come here for. As an ex-engineer turned mechanic, this is gold content for me, and I'm obviously not alone. Maybe the comments don't reflect that very well, because comments are usually more of a way to complain about stuff than point out the good. So if I may speak for myself and people like me: We like figuring things out, seeing machines/technology working (or not), looking at spreadsheets to understand what happens where we can't see, and fixing issues or optimizing things. The graph that comes out of the dyno is a lot more exciting to me than watching the test happen. I wish there was more supercharging Miatas involved in my day job, so for me this is basically mechanic escapist entertainment that is also educational. It's freakin' great.

I for one appreciate you not glossing over or omitting the troubleshooting done for this problem.

I own a 2017 Mustang GT with a Gen 3 Whipple and I needed to absorb this training because I have questioned the supercharger bypass valve and you have totally nailed it brother!! Thank you so very much!!

''sadly shifting in my garage'' Story of my life and cars..

Brilliant insight man, I respect the fact that you actually went in depth without the blame game and didn't give up on asking questions and actually learning and sharing that experience. Brilliant vid and look forward to enjoying more of your content and learning from your hiccups along the way.

Finding the solution to a hard-to-figure-out problem is way more interesting to me than watching a guy spin his wheels on a dyno and then show me a graph. And it is helpful to anyone with the same problem.

Only recently discovered this channel but I have to say it's brilliant. I like engineering and I'm finding this too be a really easy consumed way off learning more about our cars and how they work. Keep it coming!

"All your data are belong to us" 🤣🤣🤣🤣 He's a total nerd and i love it. One of us, one of us!

I appreciate a real deep dive into "Something broke, lets find the actual cause"

This must be one of the most valuable video you have produced. there was absolute important factoids that can be used to trouble shoot all different types of problems other than just the super charger issues. The approach to trouble shooting was enlightening. thank you .

I appreciate that you keep your videos focused on learning. This is an educational channel not an entertainment channel even though your educational videos are very entertaining as well. It's fun to learn.

I feel your pain, Jason. I did a clutch on my '91 in November of last year. I put it back together and a month later my throw out bearing is squeaking, the expensive FM clutch started chattering and it still had an oil drip. Just because you used good parts and invested a lot of time and care doesn't mean the car will be better when you're done. The automotive world is a cruel mistress. That said. You did great though going down the list and doing some proper diagnosis and not just busting out the parts cannon. Modifying cars to this level requires a lot of patience and care.

"What position is your throttle?" "Well duh, my foots all the way to th...... DOH!!!" Great, brilliant, amazing video. Vehicle diagnostics is a pain and the value of a good mechanic is so under appreciated at times, number of O2 sensors I have seen replaced for a manifold leak where someone checked their air filter and left a vac line off is crazy... They were only just introducing throttle by wire on mass in Aus when I left mechanics, can only imagine how few people would have the skills to diagnose this over the phone. Hope you brought that bloke a 6 pack ;) I had a L67 with similar charging setup and racked my brain the whole time video ran and was stumped, thought it has to be an air flow/pressure issue possibly caused by tune and even focused on the throttle and seen it was electronic but it didn't click until you said he asked what the TP was >.

Explaining your previous understandings, and then if necessary, corrections on those thoughts afterwards. It is a humble approach and an excellent educational process. You create a positive atmosphere! Great video.

you just helped me fix all my problems with my truck it has a turbo and doesnt make any boost under 2k it was basically dying i thought i had to change the throttle body and egr valve and i just connected it to a computer and found out it was only a software not hardware like yours, thank you, you just saved me a ton of money!!

I did driveability when I was a mechanic, having a computer background I've always enjoyed the data and looking for data point to find the issue...I really enjoyed this video (I generally enjoy all of your videos) as you didn't just drive it, you showed the data, theorized what the problem might be, found out you were wrong, but you were "man" enough to seek assistance when you needed it, admitted you were wrong, and learned from the experience..that is great!

Me: spends 2 weeks straight in the garage and a bunch of money to make my car faster My wife after 2 weeks: Yay! You're done is your car faster? Me again : Nope way slower.. My wife: tight....

as someone who doesnt mess with cars and is just here for the engineering, i really appreciate your walking through your thought process while debugging this.

I love that you picked my car as a project car. I really enjoy my car and have always thought superchargers were cooler than turbos. Thank you for what you do!

JASON I would like to remind everyone else this channel is called "Engineering Explained" not "Dyno tune a drift sessions". If that Dosent sum up what you are getting into when watching you have bigger problems. You are amazing and so is this channel keep on Explaining bro!

I really like the whole story approach! Keep it up!

Hey no need to apologize man everybody watches your channel because it's not just about cars we actually learn the hows and whys .thanks for all the knowledge!😎👍

Thank you for being an engineering channel, and not a dyno channel.

The first thing that came to mind when you said there is boost at sometime and no boost at other time was " this problem has something to do with throttle body ". well i guess my automobile engineering degree is not that useless...

"From failing you learn, from success not so much" - Billie Robinson, Meet The Robinsons

I much prefer being educated in how things work than just seeing them being used. I applaud your dedication - thank you!

The guys over at Fab 9 are on another level!! The cars they have at their shop are amazing

Sadly shifting in my garage. Way to go quarantine. :(

Yeah, I'm happy you walked us through your process. Disregard the comments saying "get to the good stuff!" All your content are belong to us

Thanks for yet another lesson. My first thought was the bypass valve. You have taught me more than school ever did. And it's free information 😁. Keep up the good work

Had the same problem when i swapped a motor out of my truck with a friend. Throttle position is suppose to be reset whenever the throttle body is removed. Didn’t know that, and the truck would idle and run like crap. Happy you got it fixed

I have learned so much with this video. good storytelling, details, technical info, good problem-solving thinking. nice job!

_"It wouldn't be a proper project car, if there weren't some headaches along the way."_ My Jetta is definitely a proper project car. 🤨

We get cars in for tuning with similar issues all the time, and troubleshooting like you do here is so paramount! Love stumbling across even these old videos, keep up the great work!

I have a 2016 club not super charged and never will be. Gota say absolutely love your videos!! The way you explain everything in intricate detail is truly amazing !!!

Well, on my first year on engineering school one teacher said: "an engineer is a guy that solves problems, not replaces them". So this vid is a perfect example of that.

I can only imagine your expression when asked "what's your throttle position?", lol! :D

Don’t ever change. You’re not broken. You are why I come to watch your vids.

Liking to look at data does not make you broken, it makes you an engineer! SO awesome watching you use your project car to school us. Do you have a project car channel? I would watch that.

"Maybe because I'm broken" lol awww Jason, I love all the videos you release. Extremely educational, even to a layperson such as myself when it comes to vehicles. Keep up the great work and don't worry about all the greedy people, this is your channel and you'll always have viewers with you as long as you enjoy what you do as well! =)

The content of this video kept me on the edge of my seat. I had a feeling something was up with the explanation of bypass valve. Great stuff - stick to your presentation format! "Give me the answer people in 10 seconds or less" isn't your target audience.

You are not broken, just super smart !!! I wish I was half as smart as you. Thank you for sharing your talents

How much better would the USA be today if we understood nothing is perfect and no matter how much you think you know there’s always more to learn and room to grow and change. Jason, that message supersedes the automotive industry. Well done on multiple levels!

All at once a million boomers cried out, "glad I've got a throttle cable!"

Your waternator's busted

I appreciate that this channel is more geared towards the educational content. Its helped me out!

I agree with your opinion of showing the full process of discovering a problem and going through all your attempts of understanding what's actually wrong.

man I wish I had a project car but having space for parts and equipment to work on the car are must have I suppose

"what's wrong with my miata?" There is a supercharger stuck to it m8 *This message has been brought to you by Turbo Gang* Really liked the explanation of a thought process

A bit late, but wanted to let you know, I enjoyed your video. There are too many people who just replace the parts without proper diagnosis. This is the way to fix cars!

This video illustrates how to find a root cause, this is a very important topic in engineering, it's so beautiful when you find the root cause in a problem

As a former car mechanic and enthousiast this level of problem solving warms my heart

Is it just me or does this feel like a smarter everyday moment

I dont think there is anyone who wants you to rush through your explanations. Keep up the great work

Jason, I completely agree that sharing the trials and tribulations of working on (especially modifying) a complex system (automobile) is very valuable, since it shows that problems can & will occur and that (eventually) with careful, patient, logical investigation and analysis and controlled application of theory, we can arrive at a solution. This type of content helps teach or reinforce the concepts and practices of scientific & engineering problem solving (troubleshooting) that is used to solve difficult problrms. And it demonstrates that perseverance is so important to overcoming the obstacles. Thank you!

“ i was wrong by the way ” - said with such passion. could be a great motto / tag line edit: this a great video. Thank you

Now I know the right place to plug in the computer

Enjoyed seeing this as this is always the sort of thing that happens with projects.. something always doesn’t go as expected and you gotta figure out what’s wrong. Looking forward to seeing the results now (I have a Miata ND2)

I can't be the only one who also smile along with you when you finally solved the issue at 15:16. Very good video, sometimes it's all about enjoying the process.