Hi,


I was wondering if anyone could help me please, i recently installed a efini y pipe and the crossover tube hits my alternator ?

Im not sure whats going on but on my last FD this was not a problem its almost as if the crossover pipe is sitting too low.

I did read somewhere that the turbos maybe misaligned but not sure ?

anyone have any suggestions please?

I have attached some pictures.

many thanks

shaQ

 

another pic

 

Have the turbos ever been removed from your car?

I'm guessing that your problem is that the compressor covers are not clocked properly. Or they might have come loose (unlikely) and have rotated a bit on the turbo cartridges.

You need to rotate the turbo covers slightly in order to level the Y-pipe, which will then allow the crossover pipe to sit without hitting the alternator.

In order to do this you probably need to compress the snap ring that holds the covers on - not an easy thing to do with the turbos on the car. You might be able to get away with spraying some PB Blaster onto the snap rings and then rotating the whole Y-pipe assembly by hand, but you risk breaking things...



A final, maybe simple solution would be to make a shim/spacer for the Y-pipe to crossover pipe flange...but then it might not line up properly with the intercooler.

 

Yep, that's most likely it. I clocked a set of turbos wrong once and the Y-pipe didn't fit for nothin'.

Unforunately, you'll probably need to pull the turbos to do it. Pain, but there ya go. I tried using a hammer to see if I could scoot the compressor housing over, ended up breaking a Y-pipe on that procedure. Had to pull the turbos after that, so I ended up having to pull them AND a broken Y-pipe.

Dale

 

wow thanks for the reply chaps, i have receipt for the turbos being rebuilt back in o6 prior to me owning the car so perhaps they never aligned them.

theorie I did think about a shim but like you said it may not align with my smic.

Also i would have thought that the y pipe would have not bolted on to the outlet of the turbo if it wasn't aligned?

I will give this a go anyway worth a shot, fingers crossed all goes well but like anything with these cars it never does ! lol


thanks again

shaQ

 

The Y-Pipe is made up of two parts, one bolts to each turbo and they connect by the front one sliding into the rear, with an o-ring to make the seal. The Y-pipe parts will mate and bolt up to the turbos even if they're not correctly clocked, but then the problem is with the crossover pipe as with your car.

Are you using the stock intercooler? If so the factory intercooler pipes do flex a bit so you might be able to get away with a shim between the Y-Pipe and crossover pipe. If you have an aftermarket intercooler you might be able to use a "hump" coupler that will allow some flex between the crossover pipe & the intercooler.

 

Use a large pry bar with a thick rag to prevent damage. The comp. cover should slide a little bit.... I wouldn't recommend this if it's really clocked out of whack.

 

And like I said before, some PB Blaster on the snap rings (you can spray from underneath) will help if you try this method.

 

+1

This will work to get you about 1/4" or so clearance. Just give it one good tug. If you need more than that, I would consider undoing the snap rings.

 

theorie

I have a greddy smic, so a shim with a hump coupler may be another option.

goodfellafd3s

it looks like i only need to move it a few mm so this may work as its only just touching the alternator.

I think i may spray some pb blaster on now and let it soak overnight.

will let you know how i get on.

thanks for the suggestions i will give this a go tomorrow.


shaQ

 

Thanks for all your help guys, i couldn't wait till tomorrow so i gave it a go and i have now sorted it , this is why i love this forum for its info!

I used some oil penetrating spray on the snap ring and also sprayed some where the y-pipe slides into the o-ring end left it to soak for a bit.

Then i gently levered with a pry-bar covered in a rag, between the top of the y-pipe ( where the crossover pipe bolts to and the Lower intake manifold and gently pulled on the pry-bar and it moved !

im happy now lol

i have attached some pics to help anyone else if they come across the same issue.

thanks again

shaQ

 

i sprayed these areas, where the snap ring is and the area where o ring is on the y pipe.

 

Just to be safe I would hose down (with fresh water) the areas where you sprayed (don't go crazy though). I'm not sure how that stuff affects rubber (like the one where the front & rear pipes join) and I wouldn't want your o-ring to dry out and create a boost leak.

Glad the pry bar approach worked for you thought - removing the turbos to re-clock them is a lot of work to adjust them 1-degree of rotation...haha

 

yeah man the last thing i wanted to do was remove the turbos, i guess i got lucky lol

I cleaned up the area i sprayed the penetrating oil already, but i am sure she will still smoke when i start it lol

thanks again

shaQ

 

I wonder if I have a similar problem? 🤔 I changed the y-pipe and the tube to the latest one (zenki?). I had taken everything apart to powdercoat, but didn't remove turbos. Now it fits like this. Just took interior apart and reassembled so I'm too exhausted to have a go at it now, but it's on my list. What do you think? 🤔

 

It's possible. A VERY small amount of movement on the compressor side translates into a larger error on that end.

BTW the newer Y-pipe was introduced in '96. Going by the Zenki/Kouki thing it would be more Kouki but the RX-7 world doesn't use that terminology much if at all (more of a 240sx world thing). For a long time it was called the Efini Y-pipe which is a horrible name. I typically just call it the 96+ Y-pipe.

Also you can get rid of that old bracket that the old Y-pipe attached to, that's not doing you any favors. If you really want it, the 96+ cars had a little bracket for the second bolt hole on the pressure tank to attach to. Banzai Racing makes a replica of that bracket. But, you really don't need both bolt holes to hold the pressure tank in place, the one on the UIM is fine.

Dale

 

wow... the more you know. Lol I'll be on the look out for that bracket then. I just did that for security and needed that pipe to be metal for coating. i really wish I had a garage.. tanks Dale

 

That's great to know, I didn't know they made this part. Just ordered it!