So, after nearly six months of ownership, nearly $2000 in repair/maintenance bills, and a few minor upgrades, I am finally posting for the first time. I thought I would post about my immediate plans for the vehicle in addition to the few things I had done so far. I hope others would offer their insight and feedback about my plans, as I am sure that many of you could offer valuable advice that could save me money and time.

Things fixed/replaced/upgraded:
So I bought a car with a broken CD player. That was the first upgrade (about two weeks after buying it). Just recently the JL 5-channel, Polk audio front and rears, and a 8inch JLW7 subwoofer in a custom box that i built to fit under my rear strut were all installed.

A month after I go buy the car I go on vacation for a week, only to come back and find 1 flat and 1 partially flat tire. I limp the car the 3 blocks on the canned air bottle and find out the tires are about as old as the car! $900 BUCKS for some amazing Toyo's and an alignment.

When the car wouldn't start RX7Club.com was the first place I came. I checked the intake/turbo/intercooler hoses (2 replaced and 1 reattached). When she still wouldn't hold an idle and was spitting smoke, I, against everyones best suggestions took her to the local Mazda dealer to have her looked at ($1350 estimate to have the entire exhaust replaced back to stock. HA!). Needless to say that will be the last time I go back. Although, I did get a compression test done out of the experience and it was good news. I ended up with a Bonez DP and HFCat from RX7Store.com. Found a used "Greddy" exhaust from XS Engineering for $100. When it didn't arrive they offered to send me the "other Greddy" exhaust for $50. It's not a Greddy but is mandrel bent and sounds/looks better than stock.

Last and most recent mod was to my headlights. The right side light wasn't coming up or going down smoothly. I just happened to be looking at eBay late one night and with less than 5 minutes to bid, I ended up bidding on some cheap headlight / blinker combo for like $160. I figured I could use them till I fix my factory lights.

Also, I just had the the Diff fluid and the Trans fluid changed today. Car has about 78,000 miles (i think.... the odometer went out 1 1/2 months ago.) If the tires were any indication of the maintenance schedule, I can assume this will be the first time they've been freshened up. I also have new fuel filter on the way (first project I will probably be happy to let someone else undertake!)

Most immediate needs / wants:
I am planning on dumping my next $2500 on a Koyo radiator, Act Clutch/Flywheel, Power FC, and HKS Ignition. The extra's that I thought made sense were the obvious ones like Samco hoses, AST (not sure which one), upgraded ignition cables and spark plugs, and a turbo-timer.

I wasn't sure about what cables/plugs were best for the HKS ignition. I admit I could probably do the search. Maybe someone has some advice? After all of this I think my car will be ready for my suspension mod wishlist!!! My girlfriend is going to CASTRATE me

Can anyone see any of the ususal "tune-up" stuff I may have missed? I want to really get this car as reliable as possible before I start with the FUN stuff.

Glad to be part of the forum! Sorry for the long first post. I guess you can see i have been meaning to get on here.....

 

do you have a boost controller and boost gauge. there going to be a must with the exhaust your running at the moment.

 

No, I dont have a boost controller yet. I know that the Power FC is somewhat limited in it's functions, so i assume it won't give me the boost control I would need? With all of these "plug and play" engine management units, how do they all plug into one another?

 

The Power FC does have an additional boost controller add-on, but it's expensive and not that great. Get a GReddy Profec B Spec II and you'll be solid. It's pretty simple and will work perfectly (and indirectly) with the Power FC, which will control everything else.

You should be able to change the fuel filter yourself. It's definitely easier for someone with a lift if you're willing to pay, though.

 

don't waste your money on a turbo timer. its unnecessary on our cars.

For BC I would get a Greddy Profec B Type S. It is very very simple and works so smooth.

 

Thanks for the help and suggestions....
If it were between the Greddy Profec B type S or the Apexi AVC-R what would be your pick? I see that the Greddy is definately cheaper and probably earsier to set-up and that the Apexi unit probably needs to be set-up/tuned professionally. What are the advantages? How hard is it to find local Apexi programmers?

 

I'd go with stock NGK plugs in the stock heat range for now. I like to change them every year.

The stock NGK spark plug wires are excellent. I wouldn't bother with any others. I used to use the Magnecores and they are difficult to attach and can sometimes loosen up. You can really feel when the NGKs clamp on and they stay on.

You really don't need the HKS ignition unless you are running high (15 PSI) boost. I got rid of mine since I don't run the twins that high.

I'd personally go with a Fluidyne or Mazda Competition radiator with the Ron Davis core from AWR as there are less fitment problems with them. I used to run a Koyo.
http://rx7.com/store/rx7/fdengine_cooling.html
http://www.awrracing.com/store/produ...&products_id=5

I would recommend sticking with the stock coolant hoses. They fit well and last a long time. Get a new set of OEM clamps when you replace the hoses. The factory clamps are designed to provide the correct amount of torque on the factory hoses ensuring that they won't leak under pressure. Hose clamps work loose over time and over heat cycles and eventually you have a coolant leak that is a bitch to find. If you do go with silicon hoses spend the extra money on good constant torque clamps like these: http://www.breezeclamps.com/ct.htm
I'm using them on my custom Vmount rad setup after supposedly high quality worm gear hose clamps leaked. The stock clamps don't fit well on silicon coolant hoses.

Don't bother with a clutch and flywheel unless you need it. Save the money to fix the worn out differential and suspension bushings.

I'd skip the PFC for now. Get a boost gauge and enjoy driving the car for a while and see if anything else needs repair. Keep an eye on your boost levels and if you see boost higher than 10 PSI, get a good boost controller. The stock fuel system doesn't support much more than 10 PSI. The Greddy Type S works very well with the twins.

Read the FAQ thread and keep on learning about the car.

 

does the car have a water temp gauge? That's kinda a MUST in my book. I can't tell you how many times it's saved me.

no need to do the HKS ignition if you're running at/below stock boost, just yet.

Water Temp Gauge
Boost Gauge
Radiator
PFC

Then after that I'd start on fuel products, IE, injectors, fuel pump....

my .02$

 

I would just save money..

 

If the tires were as old as the car, you might want to change the oil and flush the coolant and put some fresh stuff in there if you haven't already.

 

Everybody seem to be missing power steering fluid. It needs to be refreshed too.

 

So that's two people who think I should wait on the HKS ignition..... I agree, the boost controller is probably a bigger priority and was a large oversight on my part for my initial build. Thanks!

The fuel filter I just ordered was never shipped and my account refunded. LAME! Anyone know a good place to source one?

The power steering fluid level on the car was normal when I bought her, but recently was found to be low when I noticed the car humming around corners. I topped off the level but never drained/replaced. Neccessary?

My friend was sitting passenger today on the way home when the passenger side window controls stopped working!!! The switch is half-stuck in the up position. It will not move the window up but willl move down. If the passenger pushes down on the button, I can move the window up from the driver side. The problem is if he tries to move the window up, the button gets stuck (even though it looks fine) and nobody can roll it up. Made a pain to troubleshoot.

Everyday something new...... I just washed her too! What the hell?!

Thanks again