Whisper

I'm finally testing them, and it doesn't seem like they're working. I put zip-ties on the bottom of the stems, drove around, and the ties didn't move up.

At what RPM should I expect the actuators to open and with how much throttle? I went up to just a bit over 4K a few times, which I assume should be enough. The sleeves aren't stuck, I greased them recently and they turn freely. Actuators themselves seem to work as well. I can compress the stems with my finger.

I have the GSL-SE RB exhaust with the air pipe going out of the resonator, so that should be fine.

Could it be the air delivery pipes are clogged? Or maybe I need to get to higher RPMs to create enough pressure?

Keith13b

iTrader: (6)

2800-3200rpm is pretty typical.. The FC's come in a little higher ~3600.

The RB exhaust should have a line right off of the header, at least thats where mine is.

I'd check the passageways for obstruction, but the actuators are somewhat prone to failure - actually more like weakening and needing higher pressures to open..

Good luck.

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

If you can press down on the actuators with your fingers and they go down fairly easy then you should open when you rev the engine up. Meaning you can open the hood and rev the engine by hand and see them open.

Do you have the hose hooked up that comes off of the air tube to the back of the intake manifold?

Whisper

Yeah, I have the hose hooked up. RB exhaust has a line from the resonator, and it's hooked up to the tube that goes to the engine bay. I blocked off the air pump opening, since I don't have that anymore, but the thin hose still goes to the actuator piping. I tried blowing through that hose towards the exhaust and it was kind of hard to blow through...it was actually easier to suck through. Perhaps it's clogged. Some air passes though, should be enough, eh?

I also hooked up a hose to the actuator piping and blew through that. I don't know if I'm generating enough pressure with my lungs, but the actuators wouldn't even hint at moving. Should I be able to open them just by blowing into the hose?

And yes, I revved the engine and watched them - no go.

Since I lack any point of reference, I can't really tell if the force needed to push them open with my finger is greater than normal. It's possible they're just stiff and require a lot more air pressure to open.

j_tso

iTrader: (2)

From what I've read on the 2nd gen forum, the actuators are supposed to open with load on the engine. If you blow really hard, you should be able to make them move, they require about 2 psi to open. A cheapo air pump for inflating pool toys will work as well.

CorgiSteve

Yes you should check the air pipes. Mine were blocked. Take a short peice of hose and connect to the actuators, and put an air pressure source on it. Both should move when pressure is applied. If not the piping is blocked to one or both.

If you try to remove the metal piping that connects the actuators, be carefull as the banjo bolts will most likely break off, requiring you to drill them from the lower intake manifold.

Whisper

The actuator piping is fine and flows nicely. I took it off and cleaned a few months ago, when I was rebuilding everything else. Plus if I have a hose hooked up to it and I compress the actuators, I hear air hissing in and out of the hose tip. I'm more concerned with the pipe that runs from the exhaust to the actuator piping. That thing doesn't seem to flow as easily.

I'll see if I can find some kind of air pump that shows PSI, so I can verify actuators themselves. I definitely can't open them with my lungs, no matter how hard I blow.

In the meantime I wired them open and drove around. Feels a bit more sluggish at low RPM, but only barely, and the idle is good. I'll just keep them open until I can fix this.

Keith13b

iTrader: (6)

Find someone that has a air compressor - spray some penetrating oil in the pipe and blast it out w/ a compressor (make sure the actuators and clean piping are removed). That should clear the pipe of carbon. Then re-test.

In all of my years of owning rotaries of all generartions, I have never successfully been able to get the actuators to open correctly on the 6-ports. You can move them by hand and they feel like they are on silk with no resistance - the actuators have a tight seal and move seamlessly with little resistance, but when all is said and done, mine would only open 1/2 to 3/4 open at WOT. For some reason they just didn't work right. So, as many people know on this forum, I have always preached to just pull out the sleeves. The low rpm loss is minimal and hardly noticable; besides who tools around town at under 3Krpm needing immediate power? Want power? - drop a gear and try not to spin the tires....pretty simple.

Whisper

I grabbed my bike pump and tested the actuators. Took a few pumps to get the ports fully open. I worked them a few more times and then I was able to open them a bit just with lung power. I can maybe make 1.5 - 2 psi with my lungs, so that sounds about right.

I guess they're just not getting the pressure from the exhaust, so the split piping must not have the flow, I'll try cleaning it tonight and see how that goes.

I could leave the actuators wired open, it's not a big deal, but I do like it when things work as originally intended. I only hack something if I can't fix it at all.

JIMMY54

iTrader: (2)

You could always run them off the airpump aswell.... Thats what i had done. Worked perfectly for many years. The only difference is that you will be able to adjust their opening based on RPM rather than load.

Whisper

Yeah, I read about that, but the thing is I took the air pump off long ago when I got rid of the ACV. I guess I could put it back on, but for now I'm just gonna try and make things work the way they were designed to work.