Well, my FD left me stranded today for the first time in 4 years of ownership. Long story short:

I wanted to prep the car for a night AutoX today...woke up, found a shallow wall socket to install some 10's spark plugs in the leading. Went for a test ride, and the first time I went WOT (getting on the interstate in 2nd gear) @16psi around 5500rpms...car felt great and fast...then all of a sudden, WHAM...felt more violent and scary then fuel cut, except my tach read 0rpms. WTF mate I went thru all the "I blew my engine" feelings...visioning pulling the engine and the countless days she'll sit while I order parts etc etc...killing me, especially when I took the car out last night and got two random "nice car" comments...well one was "nice fawking car man, really nice"

So, I start walking home. In the sweaty, hot, and humid LA weather, I came to the conclusion I fried my lead coil, and that was ignition cut I felt. As random luck would have it...a friend mailed me a lead coil (about 3 months ago), after a discussion we had about running a hard zero split ignition set-up, THANK YOU!! I can fix this road side. So, I gathered a list of tools I would need to remove the UIM and change the coil.

Thinking back, since the car ran rougher than normal while cold, I bumped the charge time on the coils from 4.0ms to 4.6ms...I also was able to lean the idle out from ~3.2ms to 2.8ms, which dropped AFR from a normal 12.5 to 13.1-13.3 or so. Things were looking good I thought...

Now back at the car, I get down to the coils (remember this is heat exhaustion climate around noon)...FAWK!! an 8mm nut holds the coils to the bracket. The only tool I didn't bring...another long story why I couldn't just bring my entire set.

So, now I have more time to think and get paranoid while getting the 8mm socket...dayem, what if I fried the MSD 6A?!?! This would be tricky to get the car to fire...with only trailing signals?!?!

Anyway, back at the car...got the tool, swap the coil, drop the charge time to 3.0ms (not chancing anything, realizing I pushed the envelop), increased the idle ms a tad...car fired right up.

On the drive home, you couldn't imagine my smile I think I was more impressed (granted I was the one that broke the car) I didn't panic too much and was able to pinpoint the problem and grab the 6 or 8 tools (-1) necessary to do the job road side and not have to TOW!! I called my friend and thanked him for mail me a leading coil.

What a ride...more than the sweaty walk home or dripping sweat in my engine bay I really hated looking back and seeing a nice car (especially when it's mine), hood up, broken, on the side of the road, and of course all the ricer fly byes while working even had a Porsche "tried" to scream by

just needed to share with people who have been through similar situations, thanks for reading.

 

Glad you got her back up and running. Gotta love the ricer flybys, even when you're sittin' still. Non 7 owners get so jealous, lol.

 

I heard it was like 90+ in LA today that must have sucked. Good thing you got it worked out

 

I'm glad your car was ok!

Personally, if I experience another problem with my fd, I'm replacing it with STI or Evolution just because I'm tired all these troubles i hear and experienced..plus, my wife wants me to get a 4 door car.

 

Leaving campus once at college, pulled into the main street and the car died. Weak battery fried my alt. And it was 5pm, stuck in the middle lane. Asked a pedestrian to help push it off the road and destroyed my front spoiler as it jumped the curb.

I feel your pain man. This thing is bitter sweet, when it kicks it is so good...but we are always looking over our shoulders for the moment when a seal will blow.

Great problem solving/critical guessing!

 

i went from surpised to going to kill someone when i walked to my car and found in the middle of the wheel well a scratch mark. From the looks of it some idiot opened their door quite hard and managed to dent and remove the paint, primer and down to the metal. I was parked near a park and the only way one could do that is if they pulled wayy to close to my car and let the idiot passager out. If it smacked my driver side door it would be fine (i have a 3-4 in crease in it already) Now everytime i walk to my car it irrates me...

 

I got a big *** door ding from some idiot. Can't park far enough away. I wish I could have fixed my clutch when it went. But I had to limp it home.

 

That's only slightly less galling than my experience: About a year ago, I decided to drive my FD down to the local shopping district for an errand. Had to park it in a multi-level parking garage, but there are many nice cars parked inside, so don't think much about it. Was only gone for about 30 minutes, came back to find that some a-hole had keyed my previously flawless driver's side door, putting a 18-inch long scratch along its side. I'll be fitting a '99-spec front end soon, so I haven't fixed it, figuring I'll paint it at the same time. But every time I walk up and open the door, it's there to remind me that there are plenty of serious idiots out there. Needless to say, I avoid driving it on errands anymore...

 

It's always that one ******* tool you don't have that does you in Carson. lol!!
I haven't been stuck with the rx7 but I have defintely been stuck walking, remember before cell phones? LOL .

 

Every month a new door dent appears! A couple weeks ago i was walking up to my car and noticed on the passenger side that there was something that looked like a long scratch. So i got closer and saw that it was melted bubble gum due to the Texas summer heat. I guess either one of my passengers spit gum out or someone stuck gum on my door and i didn't catch it quick enough then it started to melt and once i started driving it stretched all the way back to the antenna. Luckily it came off very easy. Also I hate having pecan trees in my yard because occasionally i will leave the fd out of the garage and come out to see another dime sized dent in the hood.

 

ok. just got the car a week or two ago so not much yet but heres something..

come out of a restraunt, my car is parked about 60ft away in the back of the parking lot...walk out door onto the sidewalk and see a 16yr punk with shirt off literally hugging the back of my car trying to look into the hatch..i started walking towards the car but i was so far away he didn't notice, then the kid slide under the car from the back trying to look at my exhaust?? i start running towards him now he jumps up and gets into his blue sti parked next to me and drives off before i can reach him...why the hell would someone be hugging me car!?

 

monsterbox.......... i would... and no im not kidding :]



been there done that lmao... seriously



its just love.... not harm intended

 

 

Glad you and your car made it! That must have been a VERY long day...

 

im going to invent some kind of electric fence type device that electricutes the car body when the car is locked...

 

Well, now with my "replacement" leading coil pack...still with the cold rated 10 spark plugs...I leave for dinner. This time I was easier on the car (3.0ms charge time) it wasn't until 4th gear I went WOT.

SAME DAMN RESULT. Tach to zero car dies. Now, I'm further from the house and towing is the first thing in my mind.

Why are these spark plugs killing my leading coils???

FAWK.

Cell equiped this time, my ride arrives and I get to the house, change...and grab the same tools...minus the 8mm, I have no coil to swap.

This time I swap the leading plug wires to the respected trailing coil, and set the split to ZERO. Car fires, not happily but gets me going. Things are fine, then about .5 mile from my house, power loss, doesn't sound like one rotor...and I start throwing flames...I limp the car home and my catback internals are glowing. Engine bay is cool, WB registering 15.X AFR

The car is cooling and will be sitting for a bit...as I don't have another leading coil.

Why are these spark plugs killing my leading coils???

I'm going back to stock wires and all 9's.

I missed dinner.

 

That's good, better than paying more on towign than gas.