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A few small updates. The relay switching didn't fix my bucking issue. While checking my TPS, I noticed it had a deadspot in it. I popped a new TPS in it and now when it bucks, it just goes straight to bucking and doesn't stall before it happens. It threw a check engine light while cruising the other day. CEL 15 which is o2 sensor voltage below .45v for too long or something. What bugs me is a just changed that sensor with a universal Bosch about a year ago. I'll be going OEM this time.
As for cooling issues, RCCAZ was nice enough to hook me up with some foam for the radiator. It was nicely precut for a stock set up and really directs all the air to the radiator. I'll have more news on how it turns out at the track in September.
I had some funds come in and splurged a bit. Sakebomb garage really knows how to take my monies. But man their products are just so good.
The install went fairly smooth. I left the front bumper on while I did it, and in hindsight i will take the extra few minutes next time to remove the bumper if I ever have to do this again. Routing the harnesses with the bumper on can be a bit of a pain but it's all back together. The ballasts mount perfectly right to the side of the buckets. I took the time to cleanly route all the harnesses with zip ties and even reused the factory clips for the ballast wire and the high beams. Highly impressed with these lights. I can finally see!
As for cooling issues, RCCAZ was nice enough to hook me up with some foam for the radiator. It was nicely precut for a stock set up and really directs all the air to the radiator. I'll have more news on how it turns out at the track in September.
The foam for the rad and under tray, is this something RCCAZ offers for a nominal fee?
My foam is pretty beat after all these years so I am wondering what people are using to re-seal this area.
It's not something he offers. They sell the foam at any hardware store and then you just cut it to fit in the gaps between the radiator and the undertray. You can also get window seal foam (for like a window AC unit) and use that to seal up around the power steering cooler lines and what not. Just secure it in place to the undertray with a good double stick tape.
isn't it a great feeling to fix a whole heap of someone else's incompetence-riddled work and finally make it to the track with no issues?
every time i've tracked my FD the car has gotten more attention than (almost) any other car at the track, and i'm definitely the only FD at the track...
Let's see where do I begin. I'll try to sum this up and keep it short.
I've had three track days since I last updated this I believe! Did a night event that the SBG headlights came in handy at! The clutch master cylinder started leaking from the rod seal. Replaced the clutch master and slave with new OEM as is the standard. I got some new tires; Bridgestone Potenza RE-11's in 245/45's for the stock wheels. I picked up some Banzai mounts and resealed the oil pan with the banzai pan brace. I used Hondabond Ultra Flange II for the sealant. She still drives me to the track on the weekends and to work during the week! Up to 74,000 miles on her now. Let's move on to pictures and videos.
Here is where you can see the master was leaking from
New master installed. Nice and shiny
Banzai products rock.
New mounts!
Super dirty.
And OILY
Cleaned up and new stuff in place
The new tires!
So much wider than the 225's
My buddy and I at the track. It was his first time.
Session 2 from Wild Horse Pass Main track.
Fun track! Only two braking zones and the rest is just lifting for the turn. Very fast! Towards the beginning I'm going about 60-65MPH through the back turns, and towards the end I'm getting them closer to 75-80MPH!
My coolant temps get pretty warm depending on the weather. I've seen 235 from the TB coolant line measured with my Defi on a 95* day at the track. If I short shift at like 6500-7000 it keeps temps around 220*. I don't have a way of tracking IAT or oil temps. Today at the track it was in the 70's and I could run it hard all day and it never left 200*. So the weather plays a huge roll when I track her. I'm probably going to stop going to events in May-Oct because my car can't take the heat. Ive removed the air guides in the bumper to open up the mouth and the radiator is as ducted as it can be. Removing the AC is a no go because it's my daily in AZ. I would like to go V mount (rotary extreme or greddy kit) or I've been wondering whether or not the SBG electric water pump will help me out (less cavitation, better flow at low RPM, and a peaceful cool down in the paddock). But to run that I'll have to delete the Air pump and what not. I currently have the R1 dual oil coolers. Since I currently don't monitor oil temps, I'm not sure if upgrading to SBG dual track coolers would make a huge impact on my coolant temps either.
235 is playing with fire. Think that's around where i was when my engine let go. Get a SBG oil pedestal and install an oil temp gauge. That should tell you how well the OEM coolers are working. You should also think about upgrading the SMIC.
yes 235 is well into the danger zone.
stock intercooler is playing with fire as well.
on my previous FD i had just installed my single turbo, and used the stock IC setup just to get the car running and making sure everything boosted correctly.
i was watching my haltech engine data and watched the air temp go from 90*F to 170*F in 3rd gear in a single pull. granted, that was more airflow than the stock twins, but i was only running 10psi, and probably ~300whp. nothing crazy.
the stock intercooler is simply not acceptable for any kind of track driving.
even if you had kept your coolant temp in check, you were probably scary-close to pre-ignition from intake temps.
Last edited by jacobcartmill; 11-21-16 at 01:48 PM.
I agree that I should start monitoring more parameters. A SBG filter pedestal and another Defi will be on my list of things to do for oil temps. I am curious to see how well the R1 coolers are performing. I definitely know the stock SMIC sucks. It's puny. I've been trying to figure out if I can justify getting like a Greddy SMIC or if I should hang on to my duckets for a V mount. If a Greddy SMIC will be good for stock power levels at the track, I can swing it. Right now I'm running the Stock ECU still with a new knock sensor. So I still have the safety margin of the ECU pulling timing for knock detection. I agree that I've been playing with fire. I guess I like to live dangerously. LOL. 5 track days and my coolant and apex seals are all in tact in a 99% stock form. For my coolant temps I've been doing a bit more research on the crappy stock water pump and it's blender wheel. I'm thinking I'm gonna try the RE-medy water pump and see if I'm still getting heat issues at high RPM. In theory it should be reduced due to less cavitation and more circulation. I'm going to couple this with their improved thermostat. Next track day is the end of January so I'll have updates by then.
On in a side note, I've got a light steering wheel vibe at freeway speeds. It's very subtle but I notice it. Was wiggling the steering wheel in the garage with the car off the other day and I could hear a mild clunk when turning it. I think this is my right side inner tie rod. I think the ball and socket joint is worn beyond limits. So I'll be doing a nice rack rebuild with new boots and inner and outer tie rod parts. Pictures will of course be posted.
Thanks for the suggestions! I promise they don't go unheard.
I would personally ditch the re-medy water pump idea and just focus all efforts on a VMIC setup
the smaller aftermarket SMICs like the greddy and blitz are still not quite enough, unfortunately.
the dual coolers (if you have the stock ducting to go with it) will be fine.
Thanks for the advice. That's kinda what I was thinking is that the larger SMIC still wouldn't cut it. I like the Greddy V mount kits because they come complete with intake and AC stuff and all that. Have you used the RE-medy pump or know anyone that has? There doesn't seem to be a huge amount of feedback with them. The stock oil coolers I have were refurbished and all ducting is 100% in tact. So that's good to know they should be sufficient (at least at current stock power levels). Maybe around tax season I can swing the V mount kit.
On another note. I took some extra time to look at my light clunk situation. I disconnected the tie rod from the hub and the clunk didn't exist in the tie rod. I could faintly hear the clunk by turning the hub back and forth. I used my dial indicator on the hub after I re connected the arm and the wheel bearing has about .007" play. I remounted the wheel and I was able to produce a light noise by pushing and pulling on the wheel at both the 3 and 9 and the 6 and 12. So I went ahead and ordered new wheel hubs for the fronts and new tie rod end boots (they were sad looking and I tore one open).
Hey Matt.... with stock dual oil coolers, your oil temps (at speed) will "roughly" parallel your coolant temps. At least that's been my experience. In slow and go traffic they will creep higher due to lack of airflow, but then drop once you get the car moving. If you plan to continue tracking the car, you really should consider switching to an aftermarket ECU sometime soon. The Power FC is an inexpensive way to have a tuneable solution that monitors critical items, such as air intake temps, knock, coolant temps etc. If you respect the limits of what you see displayed, i.e., knock, AIT and coolant temps, it will greatly extend the life of your motor. Also, are you running a more aggressive water to ethelyne glycol mix? If you run 80% distilled water to 20% coolant you'll notice some improved cooling as well. Also, an inexpensive water injection setup would be of significant help on those warmer track days. Just some thoughts!
I am running a 80/20 mix with water wetter. I've got all the ducting installed but I still get hot at the track with extended high rpm situations. If I short shift it doesn't get nearly as hot. I go back and forth on getting the powerFC. I want to get one once I go V mount so I can tune for the changes and what not. But I'm on the fence on whether or not the stock ECU with its knock safety would be better for my stock intercooler and what not. My reading says that the stock water pump cavitates at high RPM and that's what has led me to the RE-medy pump which is supposed to not cavitation until 10K RPM. I just can't seem to find any substantiating information on the pump other than the "seat of the pants" reviews. Nothing solid. Would a simple water injection set up effect my coolant temps? Or would it effect my intake temps only? I know you've mentioned helping me build a V mount previously. My problem is I can't justify the downtime with the car as it's my daily :P that's why I lean towards a kit normally rather than custom. I'm tempted to try the RE-medy pump to get some solid evidence myself.
I feel like I can help out here by responding to several things you said in the above post:
Originally Posted by Mrmatt3465
I am running a 80/20 mix with water wetter. I've got all the ducting installed but I still get hot at the track with extended high rpm situations. If I short shift it doesn't get nearly as hot. I go back and forth on getting the powerFC. I want to get one once I go V mount so I can tune for the changes and what not. But I'm on the fence on whether or not the stock ECU with its knock safety would be better for my stock intercooler and what not. My reading says that the stock water pump cavitates at high RPM and that's what has led me to the RE-medy pump which is supposed to not cavitation until 10K RPM. I just can't seem to find any substantiating information on the pump other than the "seat of the pants" reviews. Nothing solid. Would a simple water injection set up effect my coolant temps? Or would it effect my intake temps only? I know you've mentioned helping me build a V mount previously. My problem is I can't justify the downtime with the car as it's my daily :P that's why I lean towards a kit normally rather than custom. I'm tempted to try the RE-medy pump to get some solid evidence myself.
overall, I think the concept that you haven't quite accepted is that the FD in stock-ish form is not adequate for what you're trying to do. mazda did not engineer this car to do track days. mazda engineered it for daily/weekend spirited driving in a high performance car, not 20 minute hot lap sessions at a race track in 90+*F ambient heat. the suspension and chassis underpinnings makes this car a great candidate (one of the best in my opinion) for upgrades to be able to track and abuse, but it can't do this reliably without modification.
your car is basically at the limit of cooling capacity (both air and water), and doing a few little mods like a slightly different water pump or thermostat or water injection simply won't do much.
Originally Posted by Mrmatt3465
I am running a 80/20 mix with water wetter. I've got all the ducting installed but I still get hot at the track with extended high rpm situations. If I short shift it doesn't get nearly as hot.
I've never seen the coolant / glycol mix make a noticeable difference in temps if the rest of the cooling system is doing its job. I think a lot of people go this route first, as it's pretty easy to drain and refill coolant to change the mix, but it really won't matter if your overall cooling capacity isn't good enough.
Originally Posted by Mrmatt3465
I go back and forth on getting the powerFC. I want to get one once I go V mount so I can tune for the changes and what not. But I'm on the fence on whether or not the stock ECU with its knock safety would be better for my stock intercooler and what not.
I think you think the stock ecu's "timing safety" is much more effective than it actually is. i'm not an expert on the stock ECU, but i think it simply retards the timing slightly and also activates an aux rev limiter (but *only for one rotor*) which i discovered when troubleshooting a knock sensor issue on one of my FDs years on the stock ECU.
even if the stock ECU has some level of added safety when it senses knock, don't count on that saving your engine. if your engine is running at 240*F coolant, 250*F oil, and 200*F air temp, you're already done. knock won't matter much.
Originally Posted by Mrmatt3465
My reading says that the stock water pump cavitates at high RPM and that's what has led me to the RE-medy pump which is supposed to not cavitation until 10K RPM. I just can't seem to find any substantiating information on the pump other than the "seat of the pants" reviews. Nothing solid.
my friend with an RX8 was curious about this as well, and he went ahead and got the RE-medy pump for his rx8. we saw no difference, and he was still right above the threshold of being able to go all out on the track for a 20 minute session, coolant temps creeping up to 220*F after a few laps of full throttle high RPM.
Originally Posted by Mrmatt3465
Would a simple water injection set up effect my coolant temps? Or would it effect my intake temps only? I know you've mentioned helping me build a V mount previously. My problem is I can't justify the downtime with the car as it's my daily :P that's why I lean towards a kit normally rather than custom. I'm tempted to try the RE-medy pump to get some solid evidence myself.
water injection (and other aux injection setups) inject water into the intake tract, so they affect your intake temps and combustion temps. this can affect your coolant temps, but maybe not enough to measure in the real world.
TL;DR
to be able to reliably track your car you need:
1. upgraded cooling system (radiator, at least) with and good ducting, good stock thermostat, stock water pump, and stock fans
2. upgraded intercooler with good ducting (large SMIC setup maybe?)
3. EMS like powerFC, or at least gauges so you can monitor your temps
it makes most sense to simply do a VMIC setup with a powerFC. it addresses the cooling, air temps, temp monitoring, and tuning needs all together, but it's a pretty big cost
Last edited by jacobcartmill; 11-26-16 at 12:54 PM.
I'm tempted to try the RE-medy pump to get some solid evidence myself.
You have at least one other party interested in knowing what impact, if any, this water pump makes. It's probably not a magic bullet but the design is intuitively better and the guy behind it is one of the best rotary minds in the business.
yea for real the V mounts are NOT cheap. However it's been decided. I'll be grabbing a Greddy kit in June or July this year.
Followed Dale Clark's FAQ and got the power FC installed. Currently learning the idle. I wired up the warning light function to the CEL as well using his guide. I had some left over pins from when I repaired my air pump plug. They came in handy for sure.
yea for real the V mounts are NOT cheap. However it's been decided. I'll be grabbing a Greddy kit in June or July this year.
man just make your own vmic kit! you can buy the rx7store VMIC radiator (brackets and everything ready to bolt in).
i bought:
1. ebay "rx7 vmic radiator" basically a copy of the cx racing radiator, made my own brackets to mount it. got some generic radiator hoses from autozone and they work fine.
2. cx racing cold air intake box (had to alter it slightly due to my custom radiator mount brackets)
3. XS POWER (or equivalent) cheap SMIC flipped over with some cheap piping mounting it VMIC style with the radiator.
^that may sound like more work than it is, but the whole thing cost $600, and i bet it will perform as well as the $3500 greddy kit...
if you have something to cut some piping and make some simple brackets, you could easily do it.
also, great news on the powerFC. i actually just bought an OLED commander for mine. i love it.
Last edited by jacobcartmill; 12-06-16 at 05:29 PM.
For the last few months I've been purchasing parts and preparing for a bit of an overhaul. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
I've got everything I need to delete the AST, replace the clutch [includes rear main seal, rear stationary gear o ring, front and rear transmission seals], go V mount, and start doing less OEM and more track stuff.
I took a week long vacation next week. It's gonna be an exciting week.
07-26-16, 04:02 AM
. A good read and very nice job you're doing of looking after that FD 
.
