dnewton3
Staff member
I finally got my Verus "catch can" installed on my ND2. While not difficult, it's not a simple job; I give it a 3 out of 5.
However, as this video shows it can be done, it's HARD to do it their way. I decided to add some work and remove more stuff, because I simply cannot get my large hands and big forearms into that space they show in the video below.
What I did was to create more space by removing the full shock-tower bracket from the firewall. This means a lot more work, but it also gives a LOT more space to curl your arm around under the intake manifold in front of the firewall. You have to take off the wipers and cowl covers to access the rear bolts of the tower brace. At first, it appears simple as there are four small 10mm bolts on the front. But what you cannot see until you remove the cowl covers is that there are four more 10mm bolts under the cowling.
When installing the hoses, I used a small flex-stalk mirror to help me assure I was aligning the hoses to the barbs of the PCV and intake; that really helped! Once all that is done, the rest of the job is as simple as it appears in the video.
For me, it was worth the extra hour of work because it made getting the two hoses onto their respective barbs (PCV and intake) super easy. I was either going to fight the system as it was, spending an hour cursing at the men who designed that engine bay, or spend the hour removing and reinstalling more stuff, thereby having total confidence they hoses were fully seated in the proper places. I took the long road and it was worth the trip, so to speak.
If you've got small arms and are a contortionist, then you can probably save the time and do it the way in the video. If you're a big guy like me, you'll find the extra time is well spent taking off the full shock-tower brace; it's SO much easier to get a good hose connection!
PS ... the Verus is high-end quality, but it's also not cheap. As I live in the Indy market area, I saved about $40 and picked it up locally. Also, the Verus is one of the few that looks stock in black color, and fits neatly in the prescribed location. Other "catch cans" look like add-on's; this one looks stock if you didn't know any better.
In this video, you can see what the Verus unit looks like (in black) installed; see min 6:45 ...
Note that in this video, the ND is boosted, so the long hose running across the engine bay is to the intake tract. Most MX-5s are not boosted, so they just run to the normal intake after the air box.
However, as this video shows it can be done, it's HARD to do it their way. I decided to add some work and remove more stuff, because I simply cannot get my large hands and big forearms into that space they show in the video below.
What I did was to create more space by removing the full shock-tower bracket from the firewall. This means a lot more work, but it also gives a LOT more space to curl your arm around under the intake manifold in front of the firewall. You have to take off the wipers and cowl covers to access the rear bolts of the tower brace. At first, it appears simple as there are four small 10mm bolts on the front. But what you cannot see until you remove the cowl covers is that there are four more 10mm bolts under the cowling.
When installing the hoses, I used a small flex-stalk mirror to help me assure I was aligning the hoses to the barbs of the PCV and intake; that really helped! Once all that is done, the rest of the job is as simple as it appears in the video.
For me, it was worth the extra hour of work because it made getting the two hoses onto their respective barbs (PCV and intake) super easy. I was either going to fight the system as it was, spending an hour cursing at the men who designed that engine bay, or spend the hour removing and reinstalling more stuff, thereby having total confidence they hoses were fully seated in the proper places. I took the long road and it was worth the trip, so to speak.
If you've got small arms and are a contortionist, then you can probably save the time and do it the way in the video. If you're a big guy like me, you'll find the extra time is well spent taking off the full shock-tower brace; it's SO much easier to get a good hose connection!
PS ... the Verus is high-end quality, but it's also not cheap. As I live in the Indy market area, I saved about $40 and picked it up locally. Also, the Verus is one of the few that looks stock in black color, and fits neatly in the prescribed location. Other "catch cans" look like add-on's; this one looks stock if you didn't know any better.
In this video, you can see what the Verus unit looks like (in black) installed; see min 6:45 ...
Note that in this video, the ND is boosted, so the long hose running across the engine bay is to the intake tract. Most MX-5s are not boosted, so they just run to the normal intake after the air box.
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