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Photobucket hasn't completely ruined that thread, but they've done their best over the years.
To recap, ten year restoration mostly complete as of about a year ago. Since it's been running and driving again, I have fixed some minor issues - capacitors in the CPU, new turn signal cancel switch, new ball joints, de-soldered R1 on flasher module to get rid of a hyper-blink issue, gained functional A/C then lost it (slow leak somewhere, *sigh*), and fixed a couple of other broken/not wired up items.
Today marks seven weeks until I depart for Deals Gap Rotary Rally. There's several things I'd like to tackle to make this car more livable for the 1,200+ mile round trip, plus many more miles in the mountains. Some are a necessity, such as the first item on the agenda:
The radiator had a small pinhole leak I discovered a few months ago. I finally pushed it too long a couple of weeks ago. The good news is, I've known this was going to be the next big project and had prepared accordingly:
The cooling system is up first starting this weekend. For those that followed along with my original restoration, it shouldn't surprise you to see so many OEM parts. And that's not all I've got up my sleeve, but those projects will be later along in the next seven weeks.
I should be updating regularly (I've got no other choice but to do the work, may as well document it!) and I may even video some of this stuff for YouTube? That's TBD, I feel like my voice is nails on a chalkboard and can't imagine anyone voluntarily listening to it for more than a minute.
Nice parts booty you've got there Jerry.
I'd like to caution you when you start significantly deviating from stock. That path is how many 'mods' go awry. The Koyo Al radiator is a great choice (presume its a dual flow), but did you decide on an e-fan because you're concerned about the stock fan shroud fitment? While that "Black Magic" fan is a quality part and has potential to do the job, it's unclear why you'd want to take that route for the cooling system on a relatively stock engine. To me, the primary advantage of an electric fan is that you can control it with an aftermarket ECU. Admittedly, people have been installing electric fans way before standalone's were standard fare. Is your plan to run a separate fused circuit to provide the 30A the fan will consume? Hopefully the alternator is up to the task at idle speed. Just want to ensure you're informed.
Last edited by cone_crushr; Mar 25, 2021 at 03:52 PM.
Absolutely good to make sure people are informed. To cover the major points:
Power for the fan will come straight from an unused spot in the main fuse block and a stock style 30A fuse will go in. I will run 10 gauge wire for power and ground and the fan will be controlled by a temp switch and relay. The relay will be mounted near all the others behind the front bumper.
I currently have an FD alternator waiting which will be done at the same time. I simply need to either have my FC pulley bored out or buy an off the shelf solution such as Banzai Racing's pulley, which is of the dual belt variety. Leaning towards simply having mine bored out, as I still have the air pump.
I like e-fans for the cleaner look, not entirely worried about fitment (and you are correct, that is an N-flow). I ran one in a previous FC with a similar setup with no issues.
Last edited by JerryLH3; Mar 25, 2021 at 04:33 PM.
Cool bro. Sound like you know what you're getting yourself into. Great perseverance and dedication on the restoration BTW.
There are certainly other advantages to an e-rad fan: removal of the 'primitive' fan clutch and it may even be lighter. You'll have a new car soon if you keep this up.
Personally, after the fiasco with the Koyo in the '89TII, sorry I didn't stick with the OEM factory radiator, but good luck as it's
made to be used with modifications.
To add to the electric fan debate, thought I would share my experience. I decided to go the e-fan route bc I wasn't convinced that the fan clutch was still good and I wanted to eliminate the "what if" factor when I was diagnosing cooling issues. Even if the fan clutch feels stiff, it's pretty much impossible to know if engages/disengages at the right temperatures during operation. With an e-fan, you know precisely the temperature it kicks on/off. And If you don't mind putting in some time/effort scavenging the junk yard for parts, e-fan conversion can be had for <$40.
I've always read that the stock electrical system is pretty weak on the FCs, so I figured going with a two-speed fan would be wise and picked up a Nissan Quest fan at the yard. If my memory serves correct, on low, the fan draws about 18 A on start up and about 8-10 A while running. On high speed, it draws about 22 A on start up and about 14 A while running. 30 A fuse on the unused spot in the underhood fuse is perfect. I've never had high speed kick on since I've installed the fan, but I can certainly say that the low speed has no effect on the electrical system on the car whatsoever, even at idle.
You also don't need a standalone to run an e-fan. There's plenty of solutions out there on how you want to run an e-fan (some better than others... if you plan to manually switch yours on, don't even bother. Just run the fan clutch.), but having a two speed system is easy to implement. I personally use a BMW thermoswitch that kicks on at 195 F for low and 210 F for high. Combine that with a Volvo two speed relay box (or you can make your own), and you've got yourself a two speed system! As long as your parts and wiring are good, you never have to worry about whether your radiator is getting air or not. And having the low speed functionality gives you the peace of mind of keeping the electrical load low as well.
Does your new Efan bolt up to the same locations on the radiator where the stock shroud would bolt up to?
If so, can you please provide the brand and part number for that efan and CFM’s if possible?
i have another efan but would rather use a simple bolt on approach rather than making an adapter.
thanks.
and btw, the stock clutch fan blades get brittle and are prone to cracking which leads to vibration from becoming unbalanced. Has happened to 2 of mine so I see this as a reason to move to an efan.
Does your new Efan bolt up to the same locations on the radiator where the stock shroud would bolt up to?
If so, can you please provide the brand and part number for that efan and CFM’s if possible?
This is going to require a little bit of custom work. I should have how this fan, radiator, and the stock brackets go together sorted out by tomorrow afternoon.
I didn't get as far as I wanted this weekend, but I got pretty close. I'll work on some stuff in the evenings this week to catch up. With that being said, let's dig in...
Coolant has been drained from the block, but the plastic plug on the radiator stripped out. No worries, since that is going in the trash anyway.
After one hour, I hadn't exactly made a lot of progress, but the fan, all belts, intercooler, air snorkel, expansion tank, air ducts, and alternator have all been removed.
Even though it only goes on one way, I took this picture to remind myself I had turned over the engine to coincide with one of the timing marks to hopefully make main pulley re-installation less of a challenge.
Now we're getting somewhere. The air pump, water pump, radiator, and fan shroud are all gone.
Hello, OMP. I'm going to need you to get out of the way for a few minutes, but I'll be back to address some of your function in a bit. Also, you're dirty. Please consider cleaning yourself up.
The point of maximum destruction for Saturday, and also the point I started contemplating what else to address while I'm in here.
This connector is absolutely destroyed. It goes to the ACV:
It looks like it use to be of the unsealed variety. I have some I can use to fix this. Also will need to splice in some new wire. The harness is fairly crispy in spots, so I don't want to disturb it too much until I am ready to address it all at once.
Don't mind the throttle cable off of it's bracket, that was me. What I'm not so sure was me is that vacuum line. I did reach my arm in there, but don't think I knocked it off. The throttle body will come out this week for a check up and also to get to the last remaining coolant hose from the TB to the rear housing. Every single other rubber hose has been removed and will be replaced.
First test fit of the radiator. I actually only did this to then test fit the air snorkel. The first part that interferes with the snorkel is the nipple for the hose that goes to the expansion tank. I am confident some careful heat gun application on the snorkel can make this work. I'm not committed to keeping the stock intake in its entirety, but where it pulls air from actually is a cold air intake and could be used in conjunction with this piece from LRB Speed with a cone filter:
That's it for now. Up next is cleaning all that gunk out of the engine bay and then get to work forming the shroud to fit this radiator. After that, make some brackets for the shroud and then clean up the stock radiator brackets. I will also attend to my mission creep projects (ACV connector, OMP adapter, the non functioning A/C again, and maybe addressing that gigantic throttle cable I absolutely hate) and try to wrap this up in the next two weekends to leave time for some other planned projects before DGRR.
Just a heads up...but I don't think that LRB airbox will clear the A/C high side line...I built my own airbox and had to taper it down to clear the a/c line instead of hacking a hole in the side to clear the line.
The provision is to cut the corner to clear the line like the mariah one was....edit....Actually looking at this box closer , it is wider then the ones like Mariah as the box goes all the way over to the rad support brackets putting the a/c line inside the box. guess he cuts the back from the bottom up to clear the line.
Last edited by Nosferatu; Mar 29, 2021 at 07:12 PM.
Yeah, that seems likely. I had to walk out to my car and cross reference his pictures as well. I honestly kind of forgot the high side line was that close. I knew it was there, but not there.
one thing that will help make the main pulley stack easier to reinstall:
Each pulley in the main stack are stamped with a small dimple on their face (I thought it was a rust pock at first). Model paint will help those line up. Also there is a dimple on the front of the e-shaft where they mount to help with alignment. I just painted all those and it makes it easy.
That's a helpful little tidbit and not something I would have picked up on otherwise.
One of the nice things about working mostly remote the past year is being able to go outside on lunch and do a few things in the garage. I've done some cleaning of the front cover, OMP, and water pump housing. Other than gasket mating surfaces, I won't be spending much more time on these:
And if you've ever forgotten how small a stock radiator core is, it is only about 25mm thick.
And after starting to repair the one connector I pictured earlier to the ACV, I've discovered it's practically a miracle the car runs at all.
So, the harness repair is going to be a little more involved than I first thought. I've never touched this thing and I've owned it for over 16 years, so a combination of age, heat, and possibly a previous owner have done a number on this thing.
I made a decent bit of progress this weekend. I think this project and its tag-along projects should be finished this weekend and it will be running again and ready for a few more things before DGRR.
First up was getting the UIM and throttle body off to finally get to the last coolant hose:
Yuck
Back to the wiring fiasco. One connector fixed. I did not have that type in a natural color like the stock one to differentiate it from the other connector of the same type that is nearby, so I will have to rely on noticing the wire patch job if I unplug this in the future.
Oxygen sensor connector replaced. I used the locking tab included with my connector kit, was either not used by Mazda or gone.
Here's the chunk of harness that absolutely had to go - it's the branch with the O2 sensor and BAC:
The new BAC connector arrives today, so I'll get that finished soon. On to the water level sensor. As many know, the S5 water level sensor is over double the cost of an S4 sensor. Only difference is the connector. I've taken care of that.
After that, it was finally time to do something useful and start to make some fan brackets:
These brackets are rough and I've used a combination of the brackets provided with the fan and some aluminum bar stock. I will spend a little more time on them to radius some edges and clean them up a little bit. I may even remake them down the road - it could be done with one piece of angle aluminum, it just would have required a lot more cutting than I already did by partly using the bracket provided. Also, there will be standoffs for the fan bracket to radiator bracket, but I needed to get that far to measure how big the standoffs needed to be. The only thing I'm worried about at the moment is the clearance for the upper radiator hose, but the shroud can be brought closer to the radiator core, it has a gasket to seal it off that is very compressible.
This is going to require a little bit of custom work. I should have how this fan, radiator, and the stock brackets go together sorted out by tomorrow afternoon.
I’m liking the fitment of the radiator efan assembly. Can you provide me the part number of that fan please? Thanks
I’m liking the fitment of the radiator efan assembly. Can you provide me the part number of that fan please? Thanks
Flex-a-Lite Black Magic Xtreme series, 104367, legacy model number 180. This comes without any sort of fan control from Flex-a-Lite. Quoted at 3,300 cfm and 19 amp draw. I will caution that I think this works best with the Koyo N-Flow and its side tanks for the gasket to seal to. It may work a little different with another radiator.
Also, this seems to have taken a bit of a price bump since I bought it. I didn't pay that much, so may want to wait for a deal at one of the vendors where it is available.
There's also a version available with a smaller shroud, if you didn't want to chance any interference issues.
Alright, four weeks to go until I leave for DGRR, better hurry!
When I last left off, I was waiting for the BAC connector and some other things to arrive. First off, time for a new BAC connector. This part from Ballenger was perfect, and it came in black as opposed to the green pictured. I don't currently have any striped wire, but at least matched the base color of the wire.
Moving on, that's all connectors I noticed were crap now replaced. The rest of the wiring harness can wait for another day. After that, I took the throttle body off the upper intake and adjusted everything to spec. You will just have to trust me, as I did not take any pictures. However, the adjustment mark for the fast idle cam was off. I took it into the house to make sure it was as close to 77* as possible before finally making the decision to adjust it. After that, I adjusted the primary throttle bore to within spec, there was barely any space between it and the throttle body wall. I verified the dashpots were working correctly and that the secondary plates opened when they should. After that, I cleaned everything else up, and installed a new old stock brake booster hose from the upper intake to the firewall. You can tell it's new old stock by the date on it:
Then, I went ahead nd put in the heater hoses and the hose from the rear housing to the throttle body before reinstalling the upper intake/throttle body/elbow assembly.
A lot to manage there in a stock engine bay, but it's all back in. Also, I broke my AWS solenoid (for the second time), so I've ditched it and it's capped off at the intercooler and upper intake now. After that, it was time to turn my attention for a brief bit to fan wiring. I used a sealed relay kit, and some solid TXL wire.
There's more than one way to wire these things up properly, but I am switching ground to the fan with this relay. Constant +12V is coming from the unused fuse location in the engine bay. Initial bundling and routing before I finish it off:
I still need to finish the wiring, I thought I had the proper terminals for at the fuse block, but I was incorrect. Should be here later this week.
Time to divert to the radiator and fan. Here's the fan all mounted up. The radiator brackets have been cleaned and given a few coats of satin black epoxy paint.
In my package with the proper terminals for the fuse block, there will also be a nice clip for this connector to clip onto the top of the fan shroud. Last night, I finally got the water pump housing, new water pump, and new alternator mounted back into the engine bay.
I have some prior commitments this weekend, but everything with this project should be done by early to mid next week. And then it will be time for the next project...
I bought a Hyundai that needed a pallet of new parts! No, not really.
Time for that foot and a half long crack in my windshield to be gone.
Mazda still has a couple of windshields. Be warned they are for an S4, the frit is not wide enough to cover the auto-belt rails. But the aftermarket kept coming up empty too with glass, so I did this and I'll figure out a solution.
Here is the how everything looked when I discovered the FD alternator post hits the intercooler. Once I swapped out and modified the one from my old FC alternator, the intercooler was no longer askew.
The car fired right up and I have multiple issues. Other than the customary burping the system to rid it of all air, I have a coolant leak at my custom fitting for my fan temperature switch. I also appear to possibly have a leak from the drain plug on the Koyo radiator, which means it needs to be a little tighter, I thought it was good and didn't want to overtighten it.
More importantly, the fan doesn't turn on. It sat there and did nothing and the fan in front of the A/C condenser did come on. The temp switch I am using for the radiator fan is supposed to be on at 200 degrees, the fan in front of the condenser is on at 207 degrees. Not completely related to it not coming on, but I'm not in love with the placement of this temp switch currently (custom fitting between the two BAC hoses), and I didn't really see any room to weld in a fitting on the back of the water pump housing since my car already has the optional A/C fan. I think my other option is to maybe tap into a heater core line? I presume the coolant fully flows to the valve at the heater core inside the dash at all times, and that valve either lets it go through the core or bypass it. This means I could use something like this:
And it's already tapped for a ground wire, which could be one other issue on my custom fitting, I have a ground clamp on there with a ring terminal to the firewall.
I suppose another option is to weld a bung into the aftermarket aluminum thermostat neck. That would completely solve any grounding issues for the switch as it would be grounded through the engine.
Other than that, I need to go through all my wiring to see if everything is good or I screwed something else, but that will have to start tomorrow, time for some smoked ribs in a bit.
