BLUE TII

iTrader: (9)

Force_Inducted


Ah okay. Guess I will be purchasing a PFC in the near future.

Wait no!

LOL, I though you had an Power FC.

Stock ECU you just need to check- air pump, air control valve and cat is working for idle Hydrocarbons.

My bad.

Templeton

iTrader: (10)

Airpump is unplugged and car has no cat,

Force_Inducted

iTrader: (5)

Sorry, meant to mention no cat. Obviously the previous owner knew that haha.

Not sure how to make this happen. I think in RI I only need to pass emissions for another 2 or 3 years so that's one more time passing emissions. I probably shouldn't be running 2 stroke oil for emissions but hey,I messed up. Is there any way to lean it out for emissions purposes even when using a pfc? My Audi S4 can run multiple tunes so I am just thinking of that, a slightly leaner tune for the emissions dyno then switch back to a normal tune for the ride home?

Templeton

iTrader: (10)

You're probably going to have to swap out the midpipe with a high flow cat at a minimum. Other than that you'll need the pfc to help get the idle leaned up. Probably want to pass on the 2 stroke for a tank or two while going for emissions, which is no big deal since you still have the omp. I'm sure emissions hve been covered on here plenty, I didn't have to worry about emissions here.

Force_Inducted

iTrader: (5)

I dropped it off today at SMG to get the clutch done. After speaking to him it was decided I should be running a PFC so I am on the hunt and he will tune it after.

BLUE TII

iTrader: (9)

It won't smog with PFC!

That is what I meant by my previous post.

Mazda's rotary emissions strategy IS to run rich and let the catalytic and airpump reduce the Hydrocarbons.

They all run rich everywhere but cruise.

Tem120

iTrader: (5)

to be honest , the accelerator pedal in the FD feels heavier than it does in most other cars specially newer cars .

But I love the heavy feeling . makes it feel like more of an occasion when you press it to the floor !

Force_Inducted

iTrader: (5)

Sorry I should have clarified. I am buying the PFC for reasons other than passing emissions, like better drive ability, and peace of mind. I also checked and the air pump was unplugged, but I doubt that I would have passed even if it were plugged in. I am sure I can get it to pass though after viewing the other threads.

On another note the Apexi coilovers will be going in this weekend along with the leaking oil cooler line which makes me happy. I think I should be able to make pretty good progress and get everything on my list taken care of within the next month or so.

Force_Inducted

iTrader: (5)

I don't exactly hate it but Steve noticed how heavy it was and he is always working on FDs. He mentioned I should look for a kink somewhere by the pedal but if I can't find an answer to it I won't be losing any sleep.

Templeton

iTrader: (10)

The airpump won't do you any good without a cat.

Force_Inducted

iTrader: (5)

it appears the coolant seal has blown. The car nearly overheated today and coolant was pouring out of the overflow. I was driving it to a family member's garage so I could finish some work up when about 2 miles down the road I noticed the temp was high so I pulled over. After it sat for a couple hours I added coolant then started it to find bubbles in the thermostat housing. I was hoping it was just air bubbles from when I had to remove one of the coolant lines but I guess not. It's not smoking excessively but it seems to have the other signs.

I have driven the car maybe 750 miles since I bought it so it sucks pretty bad. Now I am going to be rushing to try and get it back up and running before the really nice weather hits. SMG Racing will be helping me with getting it done. Pretty crappy start to start my Easter off. With a baby on the way I was hoping to do a light rebuild. I am currently looking into the Atkins kits, if anyone has any objections please let me know.

Happy Sunday all!

Force_Inducted

iTrader: (5)

More bad news. I am looking at at least a 6 week down time and a $3400 rebuild. I am having a tough time justifying it seeing as I only have a handful of hours of seat time in the car since purchased. In all reality an experienced rotary guy would have noticed the smoking prior to purchase, I just figured it was the pre-mix/due to the colder weather.

It is what it is. Luckily Steve will get the car back on the road prior to summer and I know it will have been in good hands, leaving me feeling a bit more reassured. I won't lie, I am right on the line of ls swapping it and calling it a day although I have always been against it.

NJ-JDM

iTrader: (23)

Sorry to hear it. I figured out my coolant seals were bad a few weeks after Memorial Day last year. Finally had it back up and running in Oct and I am now ready for IRP to do the tune. Live and learn with these rotaries I guess. Good luck.

Force_Inducted

iTrader: (5)

I know I am not the only one and others have been through much more than just my one motor. This car deserves a freshly rebuilt rotary so that is what I will give it. While it is open we are doing a large streetport as well because that was the plan for this coming off season. Live and learn I guess and things could be worse right? I don't mean to complain about the problems my weekend car is having. Now hopefully my daily doesn't break This was the last piece of the puzzle for reliability, the previous owner did a great job with maintenance it seems and this was the only thing untouched. It's just too bad I finally found a local autocross event, signed up and then the motor went two days later. Hopefully I can at least get the refund for the driving school for the day. I will update the thread once I get the car back.

The "funny" part is I just ordered a bunch of parts the night before it went down. Maybe I will pull the headlights before I drop it off so I can complete the projector and HID retrofit beforehand.

Once I get the car back I will be finishing some body work, wrapping it, then hopefully I can just sit and enjoy it.

Templeton

iTrader: (10)

I will feel like **** if that car really needs a rebuild.

It showed zero signs of coolant seal failure. no changes in coolant level, no overheating, only a quick puff of oil smoke on startup, good compression numbers. It doesn't make sense. I put a few thousand miles on the car trouble-free, then you buy it and it falls apart..

how long did this happen after changing the thermostat? What sort of symptoms are you seeing?

Force_Inducted

iTrader: (5)

I typed this long response and then my internet cut out... of course.

So the symptoms:
bubbling coolant as soon as I start it
nearly overheated
coolant overflow
sweet exhaust smell
some white smoke

I think I show them all. It sucks but it is what it is, don't worry about it. Steve thinks the iron may be cracked and the coolant seal was blocking the hole for some time but we won't know until it gets opened up. The thermostat was replaced about 150 miles ago and all was good right up until this week. The good is that I will now have a pretty stout motor with a streetport, simplified sequential, all new seals, and whatever else this small "build" gets me for.

Force_Inducted

iTrader: (5)

oh and I meant to add that we will be doing injectors and I will have the powerFC installed with a base map from him to break it in. Once the motor is broken in I will be going back for a tune.

Templeton

iTrader: (10)

Yeah that definitely sounds like typical coolant seals. That really sucks, but at least it wasn't apex seals. I'm glad you aren't giving up on the car or going with a swap.

Did you replace the tstat with a mazda unit? i know that FC's typically don't play well with other than oem.

Force_Inducted

iTrader: (5)

absolutely, I went straight to a OEM unit. We will be doing apex seals as well. I would like to be good for a few years to come as some reassurance. If it's split apart I may as well right. Hopefully the rebuild goes smooth. Any more money that needs to go into it will require me to put the project on the back burner while we prepare for the baby.