1st Generation Specific (1979-1985) 1979-1985 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections

port actuators

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Old 05-23-14, 09:25 PM
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port actuators

hey guys how do I know if they are all opening correctly? what exactly tells them to open? I wasn't sure if it was throttle driven or backpressure
Old 05-23-14, 10:04 PM
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exhaust backpressure
Old 05-23-14, 10:44 PM
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Here's a good test:

The Peritrochoid: A Quick Test For Six-Port Actuators

Haven't done it yet but plan to.
Old 05-24-14, 08:06 AM
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When I installed the port sleeve inserts, I cleaned the ports in the Irons till they were spotless. also I installed a full Racing Beat exhaust. The RB presilence has the split air attach point. I can rev the car in the garage, and watch the port actuators move.
Old 05-24-14, 10:09 AM
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Thank you. Might has a y pipe on it so I'm not sure if the exhaust shop did it correctly. Would there be a noticeable performance difference in the last ports not opening? The car is quick especially headed into third gear for some reason.
Old 05-24-14, 10:18 AM
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No top end.
Old 05-24-14, 11:10 AM
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My 85 SE pulls hard all the way to red line (and beyond. It hits 8,000 so fast)
Smear a little grease on the actuator shafts then go drive it hard, if the open you will see the grease wiped.
Old 05-24-14, 11:18 AM
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Originally Posted by HRnico
My 85 SE pulls hard all the way to red line (and beyond. It hits 8,000 so fast)
Smear a little grease on the actuator shafts then go drive it hard, if the open you will see the grease wiped.
He asked if there would be a noticible difference if his 6th ports Did not actuate.

I replied nno top end
Old 05-24-14, 10:27 PM
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Originally Posted by rebel101150
Thank you. Might has a y pipe on it so I'm not sure if the exhaust shop did it correctly. Would there be a noticeable performance difference in the last ports not opening? The car is quick especially headed into third gear for some reason.

Yes, there is a noticeable difference if your exhaust ports are not working. When they open up at about 3,500--3,800 rpm, it's like a 4 barrel opening up on a carburetor. However, I don't trust the design, as they tend to bind with a little bit of build-up where the sleeves go. Therefore, I have mine opened all the time. I didn't notice any loss on the lower end, and now I know for sure that they are open.
Old 05-26-14, 12:00 PM
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Originally Posted by mjm4jc
Yes, there is a noticeable difference if your exhaust ports are not working. When they open up at about 3,500--3,800 rpm, it's like a 4 barrel opening up on a carburetor. However, I don't trust the design, as they tend to bind with a little bit of build-up where the sleeves go. Therefore, I have mine opened all the time. I didn't notice any loss on the lower end, and now I know for sure that they are open.
How do you keep them open all the time? Does it kill gas mileage? I still have to fix my gas gauge so I watch my mileage when I drive
Old 05-26-14, 12:42 PM
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Originally Posted by rebel101150
How do you keep them open all the time? Does it kill gas mileage? I still have to fix my gas gauge so I watch my mileage when I drive
Doesnt really hurt gas mileage on my S4, but I did for sure notice a lack of off idle pep after changing to a configuration without them...

But to contribute to information, the RB exhaust has the split air fitting in their presilencer for this actuation.

For those NOT using RB exhaust components, theres a modified header sold by Mazdatrix that has a nifty fitting right on rotor 1's header tube to do the job. My SE ran a header like this for around 100k miles and never leaked, and worked flawlessly.

Heres the link: https://www.mazdatrix.com/getprice.a...um=16127-6PMOD
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It really is sexy.
Old 05-26-14, 12:50 PM
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Originally Posted by rebel101150
How do you keep them open all the time? Does it kill gas mileage? I still have to fix my gas gauge so I watch my mileage when I drive
I used heavy duty zip ties to keep them open.
Old 05-26-14, 03:48 PM
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Originally Posted by mjm4jc
I used heavy duty zip ties to keep them open.
And this doesn't affect power off the line? Someone described the ports opening up as an effect similar to vvt or vtec. Not sure on the accuracy there
Old 05-26-14, 05:28 PM
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All I can say is that if it does affect off-the-line power or even low-end/lower RPM range, I didn't notice it. I know there are other guys here on the forum that have their aux ports fully open that may want to give their opinion. Give it a try and see what you think. If they're not seized, you can work the actuator up and down to free it up some, then zip tie them open. Just hook up a long vacuum hose and blow into it to extend the rod. If they go up pretty easy, then they should be opening up as designed under back-pressure.
Old 05-26-14, 05:48 PM
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Originally Posted by mjm4jc
All I can say is that if it does affect off-the-line power or even low-end/lower RPM range, I didn't notice it. I know there are other guys here on the forum that have their aux ports fully open that may want to give their opinion. Give it a try and see what you think. If they're not seized, you can work the actuator up and down to free it up some, then zip tie them open. Just hook up a long vacuum hose and blow into it to extend the rod. If they go up pretty easy, then they should be opening up as designed under back-pressure.



i'll have to check mine. It seems to be hit or miss on whether they open up, sometimes I feel a huge difference and others it a slight drag. But I have an exhaust leak in 2 spots that I know of so backpressure may be an issue.
Old 05-26-14, 07:31 PM
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An exhaust leak with definitely affect back-pressure.
Old 05-27-14, 09:07 AM
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Originally Posted by rebel101150
And this doesn't affect power off the line? Someone described the ports opening up as an effect similar to vvt or vtec. Not sure on the accuracy there
Did you read my post...? I went from a set up without aux port actuators to one with one, then back again in a 3 month period. With aux ports there is for sure a difference off idle.

The cars torque production in city driving is night and day...
Old 05-27-14, 05:40 PM
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Originally Posted by wankel=awesome
Did you read my post...? I went from a set up without aux port actuators to one with one, then back again in a 3 month period. With aux ports there is for sure a difference off idle.

The cars torque production in city driving is night and day...
That noticable? did you just keep them closed? i'm genuinely intrigued by this. I love the rotary engine, it's so fascinating.
Old 05-27-14, 11:44 PM
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Originally Posted by rebel101150
That noticable? did you just keep them closed? i'm genuinely intrigued by this. I love the rotary engine, it's so fascinating.
No, I had a stock GSLSE intake system running on the car for years with the above pictured mazdatrix header, and then switched to a 4 bbl set up that didnt use the port actuators. After that, it drove like a 12A, having to ease off the clutch at 15oo-2ooo RpM to not stall the engine at a red light. The lump of its torque was at around 35oo-4ooo RpM, and the gas mileage was much worse. It did have some more top end ponies, but that was only because of the higher flow intake system required to run the carb. I switched all of that again to a side draft weber DCOE that still had the aux ports in the lower manifold, and the combination was perfect. I had the torque, and top end horsepower. Gas mileage was better than the 4bbl, but I think it wasnt as good as stock FI.

With the port actuators hooked up, mine at least seemed harder to stall, and had great (for a rotary) MPG's.



Its your engine though, but know that I kick myself every day for not having a 6 port as a daily. And I mean a stock 6 port lol.
Old 05-28-14, 01:43 AM
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Wiring them open is great if all you do is drive around at WOT everywhere you go.

For the rest of the real world, having an intake system that responds to demand (exhaust backpressure) is what gives it enough intake air velocity to make difference at low RPM's and is why the -SE's have such a broad power curve. Make it breathe well only at WOT and you're back to a peaky power band that's not as powerful in street driving.

That said, I'm a big believer in the 6-port design specifically based on the fact that Mazdatrix and Racing Beat won't even try to port these engines - because there's not enough meat, and because Mazda already extended the port opening timing by giving the engine 6-ports from the factory.

Set them up correctly, and you can feel the difference off the line. Wire them open or let them get clogged up, and the engine will feel very 'flat' when you drive it - it just doesn't develop power in the right places anymore. Good luck,
Old 05-28-14, 10:31 AM
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Originally Posted by wankel=awesome
No, I had a stock GSLSE intake system running on the car for years with the above pictured mazdatrix header, and then switched to a 4 bbl set up that didnt use the port actuators. After that, it drove like a 12A, having to ease off the clutch at 15oo-2ooo RpM to not stall the engine at a red light. The lump of its torque was at around 35oo-4ooo RpM, and the gas mileage was much worse. It did have some more top end ponies, but that was only because of the higher flow intake system required to run the carb. I switched all of that again to a side draft weber DCOE that still had the aux ports in the lower manifold, and the combination was perfect. I had the torque, and top end horsepower. Gas mileage was better than the 4bbl, but I think it wasnt as good as stock FI.

With the port actuators hooked up, mine at least seemed harder to stall, and had great (for a rotary) MPG's.



Its your engine though, but know that I kick myself every day for not having a 6 port as a daily. And I mean a stock 6 port lol.
haha I was honestly considering selling my rx7 for a bit, this model in general is becoming increasingly difficult to find in the northeast and my wife got into a bad bike accident recently (one less kidney,spleen, and aortic tear) and the car intimidates her pretty bad now because of how low you are and how light it is the car feels like your going much faster than you are. I considered doing a carb conversion i've seen guys get more power out, a friend runs a marine holley on his 12a and it's pretty quick but living in the northeast i'd get tired of tinkering with the car just to drive it in the cold weather which is most of the year it seems like. And that kind of settles me not forcing them open. I love redlining but I prefer my power off the line.

Originally Posted by LongDuck
Wiring them open is great if all you do is drive around at WOT everywhere you go.

For the rest of the real world, having an intake system that responds to demand (exhaust backpressure) is what gives it enough intake air velocity to make difference at low RPM's and is why the -SE's have such a broad power curve. Make it breathe well only at WOT and you're back to a peaky power band that's not as powerful in street driving.

That said, I'm a big believer in the 6-port design specifically based on the fact that Mazdatrix and Racing Beat won't even try to port these engines - because there's not enough meat, and because Mazda already extended the port opening timing by giving the engine 6-ports from the factory.

Set them up correctly, and you can feel the difference off the line. Wire them open or let them get clogged up, and the engine will feel very 'flat' when you drive it - it just doesn't develop power in the right places anymore. Good luck,
I honestly don't even see how they could really get clogged up or how to unclog them if not manually. I mean as you guys saw in the other post mine fired right up without a bit of smoke after 6+ months of sitting. The engine still feels brand new so I haven't had much to worry about so far. However with not porting the 6 port i'm not sure on that one, I mean why? realistically I've seen gsl-se 13b's put out fairly nice power changes with a porting job. my exhaust is being repaired next month so I can make sure my ports are going correctly. The holes are significant enough to be getting a popping sound out of the exhaust on deceleration if too quickly so i'm sure my back pressure is just awful. I was told rotary's cant take a cheaper exhaust and they get significantly hotter which was my first mistake.just interested in your bit about porting though.
Old 05-28-14, 10:50 AM
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Originally Posted by rebel101150
haha I was honestly considering selling my rx7 for a bit, this model in general is becoming increasingly difficult to find in the northeast and my wife got into a bad bike accident recently (one less kidney,spleen, and aortic tear) and the car intimidates her pretty bad now because of how low you are and how light it is the car feels like your going much faster than you are. I considered doing a carb conversion i've seen guys get more power out, a friend runs a marine holley on his 12a and it's pretty quick but living in the northeast i'd get tired of tinkering with the car just to drive it in the cold weather which is most of the year it seems like. And that kind of settles me not forcing them open. I love redlining but I prefer my power off the line.



I honestly don't even see how they could really get clogged up or how to unclog them if not manually. I mean as you guys saw in the other post mine fired right up without a bit of smoke after 6+ months of sitting. The engine still feels brand new so I haven't had much to worry about so far. However with not porting the 6 port i'm not sure on that one, I mean why? realistically I've seen gsl-se 13b's put out fairly nice power changes with a porting job. my exhaust is being repaired next month so I can make sure my ports are going correctly. The holes are significant enough to be getting a popping sound out of the exhaust on deceleration if too quickly so i'm sure my back pressure is just awful. I was told rotary's cant take a cheaper exhaust and they get significantly hotter which was my first mistake.just interested in your bit about porting though.
I would install the Bonez cold air adapter to your car (with the cone filter, about 100$), and invest in the RB dual exhaust system and never have to worry about your exhaust components again. If you want a little more performance, I felt a mild difference by installing the Atkins 6 port sleeves in my S4. Theres also the change to the Efan, which is highly debated about whether it is a performance gain or not, but I can say I felt a little difference in the speed my engine revved up after the conversion. Do all that, and youll be more than happy with the performance in my opinion.

For porting, I left the secondaries stock on my latest build but changed the primary ports to '74 spec so I have a nice airflow increase on the primary iron.
Old 05-28-14, 12:20 PM
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Originally Posted by wankel=awesome
I would install the Bonez cold air adapter to your car (with the cone filter, about 100$), and invest in the RB dual exhaust system and never have to worry about your exhaust components again. If you want a little more performance, I felt a mild difference by installing the Atkins 6 port sleeves in my S4. Theres also the change to the Efan, which is highly debated about whether it is a performance gain or not, but I can say I felt a little difference in the speed my engine revved up after the conversion. Do all that, and youll be more than happy with the performance in my opinion.

For porting, I left the secondaries stock on my latest build but changed the primary ports to '74 spec so I have a nice airflow increase on the primary iron.

The whole cold air intake thing is something so debated upon on normal 4 bangers and such but i've always felt it do almost nothing unless your intake was already crap. I can't say the same for a rotary because the gains with simple bolt ons with a rotary are such an extreme difference. i'll have to look into it. and as far as racing beat I feel they provide great gains in power while trying to hush the car a bit but without worrying so much about noise (i can run straight pipes in butler) I know the power difference can be pretty significant. i'm debating on it, i've seen it and get on their site to check things out all the time. Even considered a gear swap at one point, i love off the line power more it seems but we all have our preferences.
Old 06-02-14, 07:58 PM
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Originally Posted by rebel101150
The whole cold air intake thing is something so debated upon on normal 4 bangers and such but i've always felt it do almost nothing unless your intake was already crap. I can't say the same for a rotary because the gains with simple bolt ons with a rotary are such an extreme difference. i'll have to look into it. and as far as racing beat I feel they provide great gains in power while trying to hush the car a bit but without worrying so much about noise (i can run straight pipes in butler) I know the power difference can be pretty significant. i'm debating on it, i've seen it and get on their site to check things out all the time. Even considered a gear swap at one point, i love off the line power more it seems but we all have our preferences.

The dual system from RB in hard to beat for low end "fun" and making a difference in your 0-60...

Your gearing is next to perfect at those power levels, imo. And the GSLSE intake system, while really cool looking, (to me) is pretty crappy for airflow.

Try it!
Old 06-02-14, 08:50 PM
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Originally Posted by wankel=awesome
The dual system from RB in hard to beat for low end "fun" and making a difference in your 0-60...

Your gearing is next to perfect at those power levels, imo. And the GSLSE intake system, while really cool looking, (to me) is pretty crappy for airflow.

Try it!

not going to argue with that. I was happy to get behind the wheel again today. I'm putting out significantly more power than friends with similar set ups. I unfortunately think I torched the 12a trans I had to throw in. It smokes at idle mildly.
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