Talked about it in PM but there's just a tab on the bottom of the solenoid that slots into the metal rack. It will slide out one way, once it's slid enough to clear that tab you can then pull it out.

Sometimes the tabs can break but if you're removing broken solenoids it's no big deal if that tab breaks too.

Also, learn from the lesson above - put something over the open holes in the lower intake manifold! Some painter's tape works great. You can use rags but many times they can get stuck in there or tear and make a mess. Best way is to get a plate that blocks that off, a number of people have been making them.

Dale

 

Thanks a lot guys! Yah I got one out ok but the other one the tab cracked. But yes I got a new solenoid so it should be fine and the tab even broken isn’t the biggest issue..
the double throttle lower solenoid I think the H. When I took it off the back nipple port was empty no vacuum line.. can’t tell what the factory diagram says but does it have anything connected? The solenoid on top I think the G like you mentioned did have a vacuum line connection on the back one nipple.

 

In my non single turbo past, I would drill out the hole of the broken nipple with a 1/8" drill bit.
Then JB Weld a 1/.8" OD brass or SS tube into the hole.
Cheap and works perfectly.

 

So is this back metal nipple kept open? Or do you have to cap it?

 

That normally has a small filter on it. Your old solenoid should have the filter, just pop it off and transfer it over.

That's the way it should be - it switches between vacuum and atmospheric pressure.

Dale

 

When our front primary injector diffusor broke and fell into the block, we tried the vacuum method. Didn’t work. Tried mechanical fingers and that pushed it out of sight. UGH!

We got a set of long forceps and picked up an inexpensive borescope. It took finesse, NOT brute force to fish the diffusor out. If it disappears (in our case), it went into the lower intake manifold (LIM).

We used a strong vacuum (as suggested) over the primary injector the diffusor fell into. That brought it back into view.Then we managed to push it out of view again. This time thevacuum method didn’t work. Using the borescope, we discovered it was stuck in the LIM.

We fished the borescope down the LIM on the side of the lost diffusor and was able to simply push the diffusor back into view through the primary injector hole in the block. A flexible piece of metal or cable may also work.

Do not attempt to pull diffusor out by the disc side; but grab it by end of one of the legs. This worked well for us and we had the diffusor out in 10 minutes. Hope this is helpful to someone else!

 

So if it didn’t have a filter should I just leave it open?

 

Yeah that's fine, it's such a small amount of air that it's no big deal.

Dale

 

Actually found it! It apparently came loose and disconnected from the factory broken solenoid. Anyway yes attached it and am starting to put or attempt to put everything back on! Went over the missing lines etc but seems like I have everything ready and ok..
there is a blue clip close to the twin solenoids I got from you dale the wastegate solenoid etc. that doesn’t clip to anything.. I’m not sure if there was a sensor there before or not? I think it was actually not plugged into anything when I first took it off..

 

The blue connector is a rite of passage - EVERY new FD owner asks about it.

it's for the EGR switch in California cars. Most cars don't have it, so the plug is just hanging there not connected to anything. It's fine.

Dale

 

The OEM rubber coupler on the stock y-pipe doesn't last long and will split. Mine recently let go on my first lap at the track, it was only 5 years old! I've had 2 split on me since I've owned the car.
I would recommend you replace it with a silicone boost coupler or trim a HD radiator hose to fit.
The Inner Diameter (I.D.) is 2.75 Inches

 

Thanks again dale!! And others for the helpful tips etc. if it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have been able to do as much as I did! Even tho it really wasn’t a major fix I feel like it was a 1000 mile journey! Lol

so I got the car back together and started it up! Runs so much better and almost perfect! I actually first forgot to plug in the throttle position sensor plug so it ran weird and died a lot!

anyway wow what a relief and a difference between the previous owner not being able to start it for months and years. To being able to fire up nicely every time and idling good! 🙏🙌

I’ll do a quick video of it. Although it’s not much since it is just a stock car that just runs now lol

heard a little ball bearing type sound like a multi plate clutch from the front but this has the stock clutch put in he said not too many miles ago.

but for sure the suspension is blown. So does anyone have any recommendations?? Something that is quality but doesn’t break the bank crazy.
This will be a street car but some track events possibly in the future.

Again thanks for All the tips and help!! 🙏👍❤️

 

I fought mine too. You can also just source an efini ‘Y’ pipe and do away with that coupler completely. They’re not all that pricey and install is straightforward. They’re also said to flow marginally better.

 

Good Job Man! Fantastic News!

Looking forward to the video 👍

If it was from the front of the engine, the accessory idler pulley is prone to bearing noise, not too big of a deal, it can be bought cheap and pressed out of the original.



If it happens when you press the clutch in and you hear it, it may be the clutch release bearing or the clutch release bearing riding on a broken transmission input shaft cover (I had it break on me as well, easy and cheap to replace, but the gearbox has to come out to do it)



I went all through my suspension with SuperPro poly bushings and J-Auto Pillow *****, but if all you're after are replacement coil overs, I'd highly recommend BC Racing VH1 coilovers. (Were a good price too)

You don't need anything with pillowball uppers as it will stop the active toe in the rear from working and cause the front to feel like it's rolling over on it's self in cornering.

 

Don't sell yourself short, there are a LOT of people that would LOVE to have a stock FD that RUNS and RUNS WELL. You're on your way!

Let the car tell you what it needs, don't go overboard on doing a bunch of things at the same time, just find a problem, solve it, and move on.

If it is starting, idling, and running well I would get some miles on it and get some heat in the engine. That will also give you an opportunity to see what all the car will need.

Good job, I'm happy you got it back together and running!

Dale

 

Thanks again guys! Got to take the 7 for aN actual drive On the street first time and idling for a while in the bank drive thru. Made it fine but couple times the idle went down low to 500 almost stalling. The. Stalled once and tried to restart and had a slight hesitation so I gassed it to start and after that it was ok.. then I noticed the fan was on for a while after I shut the car off. Is that normal?

Could the idle air control be not catching it or maybe a tuning issue? Down low from a start it’s hesitant and around 4K and up is when it feels and sounds really good and responsive! Got into boost a bit and it’s pretty peppy 😁 great to have it running like this after it being not started for couple years

 

The fan recall will run the fans after you turn the car off if the water temps hit a certain amount. I did a big post on the fan control system a white back, search and read up on it.

There is going to be some fine-tuning needed for idle, getting idle right can be complicated. I'd drive it some and learn the patterns of how the idle reacts and when it acts up.

Dale

 

As-is, if you don't mind rebuilding your engine every couple of years

Try it out, if you enjoy it (which you will), you''ll need to make a bunch of mods. A street/track car is probably one of the most difficult builds there is (it ain't good at either)

 

i smelled a bit of coolant also toward the end of the drive.. i didn't see too many leaks if at all though. i'll keep driving it and inspect it some more!

thanks!

as for suspension, would really love to go aftermarket coilovers. but i want to feel how the car felt from the factory oem first. so i might just replace the two rear ones with stock or close to stock shocks? and save up for the coilovers. i see the BC Racing coilovers are now gold and black vs. the red and black as pictured... is it the newere version or just different model?

 

I'd leave what you have in the car for now if they're not sagging too much and save up for new ones honestly, I'm not sure how much OEM replacements would be, but it's money saved for a complete new set. If I remember right, they cost me around $1.8k (Australian) So I'd say closer to $1k US or so. No harm in signing up on the website and getting a quote to work towards.

The gold and black are the "BR" design, take a look at the website (they have a car make and model search feature as well) and look at the "V1" design, "VH" version is what I purchased as recommended (They're still Red and Black).

As mentioned, don't spec them with pillowball uppers (even though it sounds tempting because you can adjust upper camber and it's at no extra cost) as the suspension geometry in the FD is already a "racing" design.

The Springs and Dampers are pretty much OEM adjusted from BC out of the box. You may need to lengthen or shorten them depending on your prefered ride height.

 

the kyb shocks cheaper ones are like $75 each for the rears. i think the springs are usually fine right? i could'nt see of find the VH or V1 models at all. maybe they discontinued it? the BR series is all i see. it's $1000 which is pretty good for a coilover kit. comparable to Tein or HKS etc?

 

Getting KYB dampers would probably mean swapping the springs and hats, not too hard if you get a spring compressor tool. Just be VERY careful as springs can be dangerous beasts. Usually re-using the Springs are ok, it's the dampers that tend to let go.

I took a look at the BC Racing North American site and can see what you're meaning, the V1s don't seem to be on there, but they're available on the Australian website.

From what I looked up, the BR Series on the US website only recommends one type for the FD and doesn't have a description (or picture) if they're solid rubber uppers. It might pay to give them a call and chat with a rep about it? (BC may be new to the American market, could get a deal on them or negotiate a try and return if they're not what you thought?)

I'm very happy with the ones I got, the quality is great and they're rebuildable. I was originally going to get TIENs but a friend of mine highly recommend the BCs for quality and good price point. I was a little sceptical as well, but it was a good gamble for the price.

and I liked the color

 

haha that sounds good! yes maybe i should just save up and buy the BC coilovers! what's the difference between the BR and VH etc? is the BR good to get? is it an australian company?

i read on here that, you Do want to get the pillow ball mounts? for the stock ones are expensive?

 

The difference is the diameter of the damper and internal piston, the V1 has a 44mm piston in a 50mm damper body, the BR is slightly larger with a 46mm piston in a 53mm damper body. Performance wise, I think they'd be about the same as they're both adjustable dampers.

The company started in Taiwan from what I have found, but they're good quality.

There's a few debates around Pillow uppers or not, my reasoning for solid rubber uppers were due to pillow ***** in the past caused the suspension hat to move more and transmitted more harshness of bumps to the suspension towers with little to no cushioning. The OEM suspension is already rubber uppers, and the rest of the control arm geometry was designed around that as well.

Just my recommendation is all,

 

Do a build thread to continue discussing mods on your car.
Any further conversation will ruin the search ability of future owners.
Your broken nipples have little to do with the past 30 years and further on 3rd gen rx7 fetishes.