Any one know what to torque the FB idler arm castle nut to? FSM skips right over that little item.

Thanks.

 

sorry i have no idea. most of us just replace it with the moog brand replacement part.

this is what i replaced mine with:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...idler+arm,7328

 

with a cotter pin, you don't need to worry about torque specs.

 

^^^ bad advice...
OP,torque spec of 22-25 ft lbs will suffice. Make sure you have bushings slathered in grease.

Idler arm on this car was used on a prior model Mazda and engineers decided to use what they already had in parts bins. On 1st gens the proximity of exhaust manifold to idler arm cooks the grease out of arm in short order causing premature wear of bushings.

When bushings wear out again,consider replacing with Moog part mentioned above. It is very stout and will never wear out. It has grease fittings to allow you to purge old grease with fresh grease.
The sturdiness of the arm will change steering response for the better.

 

That is what I was thinking... Looking at the other steering components it seemed that 20 - 25 lb-ft would be about right.

 

GSLE, this is a site about cars, and not a slam site. As for your comment, the idler arm bushing that I replaced in 2003 without using a torque wrench is doing fine. And I take pride in fixing something with having to blow +$60.

 

Alright now... this is about a castle nut, not nut cracking. So, everyone to their respective corners and play nice next time! Agreed, the torque isn't critical but note that other steering components with castle nuts and cotter pins have torque specs in the FSM. Even more pointless is the FSM gives a spring scale procedure to test if the bushings need replacing. My shop rate is pretty cheap for me, but, still, $6 in parts, grease, and 15 minutes of time to replace. Probably take longer than that just to find my spring scale.

Thanks

 

Maybe this will help: Mazda RX-7 1979-85 Suspension/Steering

 

Why i suggested the torque spec,should work fine for you,done it this way for years. The Moog unit is a substantial improvement in steering,why it was mentioned. Pay no attention to mm,he has a beef with me from prior threads.

 

GSLE, you are the one name calling, insults, and negative comments. You are also the one with the access to a hydraulic lift, a full set of professional mechanic tools, and were a professionally trained mechanic.

While I'm the one that makes do with tools that fit in a 20"x12"x3" box minus a timing light and socket set, and does everything in an apartment parking lot

My car is my only daily driver, while yours is a garage queen.

 

Last time i'm going to address this with you...in this thread i told op that was bad advice,it was,he knew it. Didn't slam you,insult you. Yes you're right about tools,lift,training. Nobody gave me any of this,i worked for and paid for all of it,training included.I'm not insulted you called my car a garage queen,i've busted my ***** to get what i have,choices i made...
There was a time i too lived in an apartment,working on my only vehicle,borrowing tools to get car back together. Did a clutch in a snowstorm 3' in parking lot.you do what you have to do. I get where you're coming from.

I enjoy helping people here,educate people as to how different systems work on these cars,how to diagnose problems and fix them the 1st time from experience with precise information,the same way its done in a professional shop.Your disdain for technicians,repair shops,dealerships is well known here,like @every 10 posts.I know you're not a mechanic,with minimal tools and skills. Misinformation is misinformation and why i prompted op with a time tested workaround to his problem. The $60 dollars you saved...the point of me mentioning the idler arm upgrade to op was the fact that it makes a night and day difference in steering response and feel,were you to install one you would understand. There's fixing things and there's upgrading. The fact is these cars need as much help in the steering department they can get.

If you started a thread asking for help with some issue,i would give a well thought out response to your problem,as i would every other member.Likewise,i would respond to a pm for help.Keep this in mind in the future,i'm here to help that's all. There's a lot of educated people on this forum willing to help you,and you can learn from.
As it stands,lets agree to avoid each other,i'll do my part.

 

Well to get back to your question Zener, I'd just tighten it down until it felt good.

Then back off until I could get the cotter pin in.

But that's just me.

 

Just so you know,i'm not correcting you Ray...When ever you're dealing with a castellated nut with a torque value-and one that may not,torque the fastener to low end of torque spec and tighten a bit more to get nut aligned with holes to put cotter pin in,without going out of the upper limit of torque spec. Backing off the nut to align a slot for cotter pin takes away the force that keeps interference fit tight. Make sense? Oh,and how's the ac work progressing?

 

Yep Mike, that makes sense. That's what I mean by "until it feels good", you just put it in better words.

AC work is going fine, the MP5 is done and works great.

The Jeep is on the back burner because Cathy has the doors off for the summer.

And I'm having second thoughts about AC in the LE.

It's a sports car after all, not a luxury sedan and I'm busy with the suspension and brake upgrades.

 

It's the backing off part to align slots for cotter pin that compromises the tight factor.

Could not imagine,with your commute,with temps and heat index local to you,car sitting and baking in sun all day,not having ac. Maybe when i was 18...I don't get to drive my SE much these days,thanks to you i do have functional ac in my car again.

Include putting ac back in the car with your other upgrades,you have all the components i presume. The sports car originally came with it,i know you're all about originality,lol...it's there for you to enjoy when you want and makes driving in the rain when humid much easier to keep windows clear.
As far as the weight of ac components...there are those that strip these parts from the car to lighten it in the interest of speed. Unless the car is being tracked competitively,removing these parts for a car driven on the street takes away some of the fun of driving it year round without that much return in the speed dept.,imo. When it's stinking hot out,you go for your other car that has working ac...

 

If there's a torque spec for any specific bolt or nut, why someone would not torque it to that spec is beyond me, regardless of any cotter pins.

 

I agree,original posters inquiry there is no "torque spec"for. Mazda wants you to tighten idler arm nut to achieve a specific pull rating on a spring scale. Having replaced enough of these idler arm bushings to fill a box a case of beer comes in,after having done the spring scale measurement many,many times i checked the nut torque with a beam type torque wrench to see what it was and subsequently used that spec to tighten nut to saving a lot of time while still getting same results.

 

The torque spec is what feels good, like I said earlier.

Torque it until it feels right and then just a little bit more to line up the cotter pin.

Quick, easy and it works every time.

On the Georgia AC Mike, I might be Old School but in my book AC is for pussies.

Did James Dean have AC in his Porsche?

 

Hey guys, as a frequent benefactor of all of your knowledge, let's all make peace and get back to helping everyone on the forum. Everyone has different levels of capabilities and tool access, but we are all here to ensure that our cars live long happy lives!

Hopefully the OP got what he needed out of all the information posted.

 

Ok Ray,gotcha. Your post #12 didn't reflect that and my #13-#15 was trying to clarify. All good.


Re the ac,i'm limited to 22oz fluid intake a day,sweating screws up my dry weight,causes complications with treatments so ac it is. Puts me in the ***** department i suppose.

Prior to how things are currently,ac use in the car when dressed up and going to a function,out to dinner where you don't want to arrive to the occasion "damp". Other than that,enjoy the out of doors.

No,i'm sure James Dean didn't have ac in his Porsche. At that time very few cars had ac,Cadillac 1st that comes to mind.

 

I'm just joking of course, AC is fine with me. I live in Georgia after all.

And I wouldn't recommend the "until it feels right" torquing technique to beginners.

You need to break off a sufficient number of bolts and have a few nuts come loose to get your autotorque tuned in.

 

lol

 

Gsle,
So it is your contention that you never called me a troll, and never have leveled criticism at my posts?

Today is the 36th anniversary of when the Denny's waitress ran a red light and plowed into my porsche with her 1973 lincoln station wagon. If that didn't happen, and if the porsche lasted as long as the rx-7 has, it would be 2011. Funny how the porsche would of been viewed as being more on an anomaly in 2011 than the rx-7 currently is now.

 

MODERATOR INTERVENTION

I'm in here because posts by midnight mechanic and GSLSEforme have been reported as inflammatory.
If you all have beef to settle, please settle it in private messages or ignore each other.
We're all adults and this is a technical section of a car club. Please let's remain civil and on topic.
Thanks.

As for the original poster's topic, Remember that anything with a castle nut and cotter pin usually is on a moving or rotating part.
Your wheel bearings and ball joints are also going to have castle nuts.
Anything that moves is going to have a preload and/or free play specification as well.
As Hot_Dog mentioned in post #8 the spec is 18-25 Ft Lbs and is ranged so that you can align the nut to fit the cotter pin in.
When in doubt about a torque spec on anything with a castle nut, tighten it until free play is limited but motion is not restricted... That is, tighten so that it's not loose, but not so tight that the thing can't move freely... If that makes any sense.

 

I'm making the executive decision to close the thread. The question has been answered and we don't need to elaborate on the topic any further, nor do we need to fuel any fires. If anyone has an issue with this feel free to message me.