Hey guys im just getting started on a rebuild in my 1990 convertible, I have a couple questions.

1: what does it take to get it running with a ported engine, and should I port it "while im in there" and be done with it or is it going to cost a lot of money in driveline and fuel upgrades?

2: Is there a way to convert an automatic to a paddle shift in one of these cars, I know its possible with other trannys

-thanks and yes I know these are probably awnsered a hundred times but I can't find anything in search.

 

1. It depends what type of port. A street port is doable. I've been running an engine with the intake and exhaust both street ported for a few years now on the stock ecu. You won't see the full benefirs of porting on the stock ecu but it will run a street port. I would port it while you're in there if you want to do a street port. A bridgeport really needs a standalone. No driveline or fuel upgrades for a street port. Mine started right up same as a stock port. Idle is not as smooth and needed raised by a hundred or two rpm.
2. I have no idea.

 

I was considering a street port, this is going to be somewhat of a daily, so you just put it on and it automatically compensated for your street port? what template did you use? also, can the stock eco be tuned by a shop or is a standalone required for tuning?

 

Pretty much. I used the Pineapple Racing templates but the Mazdatrix should be good as well. At this point a standalone is pretty much the only option for tuning. At one time a company called Rtec could make the stock ecu tunable but they either aren't around anymore or don't make them for Rx7's any more so other than a used one they are no longer an option.

 

The stock ECU is very simple by today's standards. It will not compensate for anything. It will run a streetport as Dak says, but only because the characteristics of a street-ported engine are similar enough to that of a stock engine that it can run fine on the same maps.

Plenty of people just do a street port on the stock ECU and are very happy with it, so there's no compelling reason that you need to tune it with a streetport. You just won't get the full advantage of the extra airflow, as the ECU has no learning functions.

 

if I need to tune, what are those adaptronics plug and play ones like, a standalone would be nice and I like their remote tune feature, I want a standalone but don't really feel like rewiring my whole car.

 

I looked into that briefly. If you're okay with the cost and your stock harness is good, then it seems like a fine option.

If you want to go DIY, MS3X is the best bang for your buck. It will however require building an adapter, or a custom harness. You can look back in my post history to see an adapter I made with a wiring diagram, although I have yet to actually test it so it comes with zero guarantees.

 

At one time I was going to go with an Adaptronic but I was persuaded by some in the ECU section to look at other systems like the Haltech Elite. I ended up going with Fueltech though I haven't installed it yet. I have picked up one of these Denso 76 Breakout Board – SpeedyEFI I got the unsoldered one to save some money since I can solder pretty well, but they have one that's already soldered. I got the unterminated harness with the ECU with the plan that I would build a patch cable to go between my factory harness and the standalone. It sounds like WondrousBread has done something similar.

 

Yup, I built a small patch harness:



Like I said mine is for MS3X, but if you want you could build one for any standalone and turn it into a nearly drop-in swap. Otherwise the adaptronic is the only true drop-in solution, keeping in mind you'll still need to add the MAP sensor and wideband O2