Sorry I haven't done any engineering on it YET, seeing if it's been done, & throwing the idea out there.

What about replacing the pressure actuators for the aux & vdi ports w/ electric solenoids. All it would need would be power, no more bulky air pumps, etc. S5 cars could probably just use the stock wiring, so long as the driving force of the solenoid is = to that of the OEM one.

Just food for thought, something I've never seen done, but would like to give it a go

 

electronic actuators would never survive that close the the exhaust.

Never seen or heard of it being done before, only briefly discussed.

The closest to this I've ever heard of doing this is using an RPM activated switch to copntrol the air pressure. I think someone used an air pump from a crown vic seat (maybe corvette?) YEARS ago, but I don't remember how that turned out.

 

Yeah, IIRC, that seat air pump actually worked but longevity was a problem.
Not designed for the constant on/off cycling required or something.

Don't some newer cars have electric airpumps?
Probably not very petite I'd guess, but would free up space on the engine.

 

I was going to look into this, but utilizing cables to move the solenoid (would just join the cables) away from the exhaust. Also, Id just use the stock solenoid wiring to control a relay for the power.

 

You'll need to find a solenoid that is powerful enough, yet can stay on for extended periods of time. Most solenoids are for short duration use.

 

Go do your own research and don't listen to the company line here on the forums that they can't work. I've briefly looked into this in the past year and there are high temp/harsh environment constant duty solenoids available on the market. The things you need to know from are
a) what temps do the current activators actually see and how much of those temps can be mitigated by a double walled aluminum heatshield if they surpass the abilities of current solenoids?
b) what length of travel is needed to open/close the aux ports
c) how much force is needed to open the aux ports
d) how much force is needed to close the aux ports
d) how much time is needed to open the aux ports
e) how much time is needed to close the aux ports
f) what is the duty cycle of the aux ports under normal use and racing?

Solenoids open and close at different speeds depending on the style of solenoid. The amount of force they can apply is affected by the distance they have to travel. They make both push and pull style solenoids and depending on duty cycles may dictate what style you want to use. as well as how they need to be attached. You may find that for normal street use that a non constant duty solenoid may in fact work. Most likely though the application will need constant duty solenoids. Duty cycles are expressed as a percentage of time that they energized.

Once you know the above you can start contacting solenoid manufacturers and have them help you navigate their product line up. If you can't quite solve the heat issue then you have to go down the path of linkages or cable system. And solenoids aren't just linear they also can be rotary.

 

Mine work fine. Straight from Mazda. Why change?

 

A guy did solenoids way back in the day. There was a thread on it--probably 2005 (damn I feel old). Basically, they failed very quickly. I'm not saying it's impossible to make them work. But if you look at what Mazda did, they used stepper motors and position sensors. They also had a diagnostic monitor to throw a code if the valves got stuck.

The S5 system is about as simple and reliable as you're going to get besides the old backpressure tube. Yes the Rat's nest sucks, but the air pump, ACV, and aux/vdi solenoids are all there for legit reasons.

 

I remember reading that thread. Damn your old.

 

I vote we all install a second air pump. Supercharger!!!

 

I ran a air pump out of a Cadillac with a mallory rpm switch worked forever had no problems other than it taking a moment to achieve the 3 to 4 psi it needed to open the ports I looked into using actuators we use them for all manner of things at my job just could not find any high heat ones at the time in my price range it is going to be all about what you want to spend in the long run.
But with the right parts it will be as reliable if not more reliable then the factory vadim actuators on s4 don't know about s5 system yet just got my first one this week.

 

I did this on my S4 back then, a guy was selling a somewhat do it yourself kit (just the solenoids that he found to work with a connector he made). It worked perfectly on mine for over a year. just used a rpm switch from jegs or something. I want to do the same thing on my S5 but havent spent enough time looking into it, also it needs to be reversed as the actuators need to pull instead of push or vice-versa I cant remember which is which. Don't give up though, I remember it only took like 2 hours to install it including drilling and cutting some cheap aluminum sheet metal for brackets and it worked flawlessly.

 

As for the heat, I had the stock exhaust manifold with heat shield and didnt have a problem. If you have a header or anything I would just make sure its wrapped and maybe fab a thin heat shield into the brackets you make. The solenoids need to have their highest torque at the start of movement as the ports are hardest to move at their starting point, then they slide easily once there is more angle on the lever. Most of the solenoids on ebay have this data listed if you know how to read it. Please keep us updated if you give this a go as I would happily buy whatever you fab up with your own markup for effort.

Edit, Found the thread. https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generati...needed-351918/

 

So does anyone have a picture of these "solenoids" you speak of?

Sounds like you're talking about an electric servo motor...

my next little project is a CO2 actuated 6 port / VDI, using 2 rpm switches to activate a rats nest "solenoid" to open pressure to the lines.

 

the first post in that link has a picture of his setup

 

Hahah just checked that thread nice flame war but i see the pic so cool.

So his setup didnt last long eh?

 

A hid projector uses solenoids to flip down the shield for high beams. It gets pretty toasty in there as well so they will probably work. The only way I see a solenoid failing is because of corrosion not heat it is just a coil.

 

The heat will melt the insulation between the coil windings, thats the issue but you can get ones for higher temps.