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With things finally calming down a bit, I had an opportunity to get the car looked at (as I still can't work on it where I am, unfortunately). First day I get a call saying that one of the lines from the pressure tank was disconnected at the end where it terminates to the steel vac lines.
For a bit of a refresher:
Boost on primary is great, spot on. Unless I let off before the transition and try and get back onto it, then it will struggle to build boost and the engine will sound audibly different.
At 4500 rpm, boost plummets to below 7 psi and will struggle to build, but won't get over (or close) to 7psi.
Continuing to go through the lines, etc and replace with Silicone. I did have a concern, however. I was told a good bit of oil came out of that line. Anyone have any idea what would cause that? I did a search and couldn't find anything conclusive.
Below is what line was found disconnected. Could this very well have been what was causing my problems all along?
Yup, it goes to a boost solenoid then to that big turbo control actuator down at the bottom.
The plot indeed thickens. Ideally this will be all that is found, but the entirety of the lines are getting replaced. It's hard to know the car's history in Japan to this much detail but it looks like some of the lines were replaced before I owned it (and I'm the first owner stateside). In fact, the lines running off the pressure tank were silicone already and zip tied, which obviously isn't factory. The same line that was disconnected. Maybe it came undone by accident, who knows.
Prior to going into this again, virtually everything minus the turbos themselves have been replaced
Vacuum tank
Pressure tank
Turbo Control Actuator
Charge Control Valve
Charge Relief Valve
All check valves with DaleClark Viton's
Efini Y Pipe & new gaskets
New intake manifold gasket
All solenoids (new)
So basically I'm waiting to see what else (if anything)
I am concerned about the oil being present in the lines though. I did find some oil present in the intake for the primary turbo as well. Any potential leads on this? I've found that it might be possible for it to be sucked from the filler neck, but I'm unsure how.
The car doesn't smoke much (I do premix 1 Oz/gal) and I've noticed if it does smoke, its rather minor and only at cold start. I did, however, switch to a higher quality two stroke and it doesn't seem to be smoking at all since that transition. Mileage wise the car has about 54,000 miles on it. I'm not sure if it's the oil seals on the turbo's, but I don't think so, I haven't noticed any smoke on boost/decel.
Oil in lines isn't a big deal. That's probably from the PCV system.
Vacuum lines should be sized right. They should be HARD to remove. If they just slip on easily it's not the right size. Lots of old vacuum lines were like that, that's why people would zip tie them.
Boostcontroller.com has 3.5mm vacuum hose that's top quality and fits right. If you need to replace any, get it there. 20 feet of 3.5mm and 10 feet of 6mm will do everything with room to spare.
Oil in lines isn't a big deal. That's probably from the PCV system.
Vacuum lines should be sized right. They should be HARD to remove. If they just slip on easily it's not the right size. Lots of old vacuum lines were like that, that's why people would zip tie them.
Boostcontroller.com has 3.5mm vacuum hose that's top quality and fits right. If you need to replace any, get it there. 20 feet of 3.5mm and 10 feet of 6mm will do everything with room to spare.
Dale
Thanks to the search function, that is the very same brand I provided to my tech. Ordered it months ago in the same length and dimension, so that's a relief.
Well, got the car back just now, the issues seem to have..changed. Instead of having a sharp drop off of boost at the transition point and slow buildup of secondary boost, now I have no secondary boost at all. The audible engine noise difference is gone, but I can definitely hear air whooshing when this occurs now, like, really whooshing.
Ive already replaced my CCV and CRV, they are all new hoses, and they look to be coupled on quite well. I'm at a loss at this point.
Just to add insult to injury, as I put it in neutral to coast to a stop near my place, the car was all of a sudden running like a cammed V8. Somehow the vacc hose from the map sensor to the TB came off at the TB end, thankfully that's all that was.
You can use some PVC caps and silicone couplers to pressurize the secondary side of the system. Were these new parts confirmed good before you installed them? Even brand new parts can be defective sometimes
You can use some PVC caps and silicone couplers to pressurize the secondary side of the system. Were these new parts confirmed good before you installed them? Even brand new parts can be defective sometimes
I believe they were confirmed good, the CCV and CRV were bought off a known member on the forums, everything else was new mazda oem. There wasn't any noticeable change between replacing any of the components, except for doing the vacuum hoses now and having no secondary boost. If I go WOT in first it will build full boost. If I let off before the transition and get back on it, it will struggle to build boost and won't get above 0-2 PSI in that particular situation.
Edit; for troubleshooting sake, I swapped the CRV & factory BOV's places, absolutely no change. But man I can seriously hear air wooshing when the 4500 rpm changeover happens, its like a dentist drill, a loud one. Theres that. Between those two problems, I just have no idea. Maybe something came undone from the time the tech drove it til when I picked it up a few hours later, I'd say that'd be weird, but the hose for the MAP sensor popped off the TB on my way back.
I'm halfway tempted to just drop it off at Rotorsports at this point, being that I can't work on it where I'm at.
Well, I can finally say the issue is resolved. I dropped it off at Rotorsports, and within a few days got a call saying it was fixed. They found two vacuum lines mixed up, but Bryan was fairly confident the issue was the cat was clogged, so they swapped in a resonated mid pipe and the car runs perfectly fine now with a 10-8-10 boost pattern.
I can say, driving it now, it's like a completely different car. So relieved to finally have this issue fixed. What gets me, is I thought it might have been the cat a few times over the past ten months. However, I thought that the issue happening exactly at 4500 was just too systematic for a clogged cat. I'd expect something like that to be more erratic in causing symptoms.
At any rate, a resonated mid pipe later, and the car runs great. Hopefully this can assist someone else who has went through the entire sequential turbo control system as I had up to this point. At least now everything on the system is essentially new, and the problem is fixed.
Edit: My next question is boost creep. Rotorsports said it was 10-8-10, but they also recommended I keep an eye on the boost gauge. My car has a PFC and a Racing Beat Dual catback, and now the resonated midpipe. I've seen conflicting reports, but, is this likely to cause boost creep? I'd like to get a Bonez cat and put it on there, assuming that would eliminate any creep, which based off what I've read, it will. Would I be correct in assuming that? My issue currently is my boost gauge now no longer works (its a Blitz electronic that happens to read in Kpa) the light on the needle just flashes now when I turn the car on, which, according to a manual means a sensor malfunction. Idk what could have caused that, but I will look into it, or just replace the gauge entirely. I do not like not having a functional boost gauge right now, though. Especially given the circumstances.
That’s great you fixed the issue. Nobody ever seems to update the threads with a resolution these days.
For a quick check on the pressure it’s running, you can use the pfc while you repair or replace your current gauge. From the main screen select monitor > 1 channel > boost. Turn the key to the on position and do not start the car. Confirm that it reads zero or a couple kg\cm2 of vacuum. This is just confirming that the scaling is correct and it will read close enough. Then go take a ride and make a run. At the end of the run hit the up arrow key “^”. This will show you your peak pressure. Then you will know whether it is exceeding what you’re looking for. The down arrow will return it to the normal screen. Just a note, the PFC will cut boost when it sees roughly .25 above you set amount in the boost control Primary and secondary settings. Fuel cut is pretty violent, and you would definitely notice it. I don’t see that exhaust set up being a big issue, but it really does depend upon a few factors like boost pressure, ambient temperature, altitude etc. etc. you will have to figure it out on your particular set up.
So glad you got it sorted out! Rotorsports is a good shop.
I'm assuming you probably have a downpipe, I doubt you would still have a pre-cat on the car.
The Bonez high flow cat will get rid of the stink of running a mid pipe but flow wise will be really close. You'll need to drive the car some and see what your boost pattern is like. Do you only have the Commander to monitor boost? It's a LOT easier to see boost patterns with a proper boost gauge.
Right now just DRIVE THE CAR AND ENJOY IT. You've spent enough time agonizing over it. Yes, it probably needs more of this or that but right now just drive the damn thing!
Congrats!! Yeah it is nice to see the follow ups. I. Ant think of how many threads I have read with no explanation for the resolution.
you could get the Bonez from Ari @ RX7.com or a restrictor plate if you see it is creeping or spiking on you. You can look at the max recorded on the Commander.
BTW I did get creep and spiking with the DP, resonated midpipe and RB dual.
That’s great you fixed the issue. Nobody ever seems to update the threads with a resolution these days.
For a quick check on the pressure it’s running, you can use the pfc while you repair or replace your current gauge. From the main screen select monitor > 1 channel > boost. Turn the key to the on position and do not start the car. Confirm that it reads zero or a couple kg\cm2 of vacuum. This is just confirming that the scaling is correct and it will read close enough. Then go take a ride and make a run. At the end of the run hit the up arrow key “^”. This will show you your peak pressure. Then you will know whether it is exceeding what you’re looking for. The down arrow will return it to the normal screen. Just a note, the PFC will cut boost when it sees roughly .25 above you set amount in the boost control Primary and secondary settings. Fuel cut is pretty violent, and you would definitely notice it. I don’t see that exhaust set up being a big issue, but it really does depend upon a few factors like boost pressure, ambient temperature, altitude etc. etc. you will have to figure it out on your particular set up.
~ GW
Completely forgot I can use the commander to monitor boost since my gauge typically works. I will have to utilize that in the meantime unless I manage to get the gauge working today, but everything looked okay on the boost gauge yesterday when I glanced briefly (sensor hooked up, gauge does the sweep test successfully, then gives the sensor error). I didn't realize the PFC would cut fuel, but that's a nice safety measure to know is in place. Considering I haven't encountered it yet, I would say it's likely not hitting it and hopefully won't, though I'm still being careful in the meantime, Id like to enjoy this car and compression is healthy, so keeping it that way is a priority.
Originally Posted by Testrun
Congrats!! Yeah it is nice to see the follow ups. I. Ant think of how many threads I have read with no explanation for the resolution.
you could get the Bonez from Ari @ RX7.com or a restrictor plate if you see it is creeping or spiking on you. You can look at the max recorded on the Commander.
BTW I did get creep and spiking with the DP, resonated midpipe and RB dual.
Getting the high flow would definitely be to cut down on the smell for sure. Ideally it would prevent any creep or spike. Ten years ago myself wouldn't have cared about the smell, but now a days, if I can avoid some extra NOX and CO making its way back to the passenger compartment, I'm going to do so (though I have fresh gaskets, etc).
Originally Posted by DaleClark
So glad you got it sorted out! Rotorsports is a good shop.
I'm assuming you probably have a downpipe, I doubt you would still have a pre-cat on the car.
The Bonez high flow cat will get rid of the stink of running a mid pipe but flow wise will be really close. You'll need to drive the car some and see what your boost pattern is like. Do you only have the Commander to monitor boost? It's a LOT easier to see boost patterns with a proper boost gauge.
Right now just DRIVE THE CAR AND ENJOY IT. You've spent enough time agonizing over it. Yes, it probably needs more of this or that but right now just drive the damn thing!
Dale
I do have a down pipe, yes. I completely forgot to mention it, being that it's RHD, it never came with the precat anyway, though it does has a proper aftermarket downpipe installed. I drove it back and did get on it a few times, redlining second. No apparent issues. I can't recall if I did a WOT pull in third or not where the load would be highest. Rotorsports is definitely a good shop, I'm satisfied for sure.
Small update: It was raining out so I wasn't able to do a prolonged pull, but according to the PFC commander, my boost got up to .76 Kgf/Cm^2, so..about 10.8 PSI. Can't argue with that. I still need to replace my boost gauge before I attempt any 3rd gear pulls, though.
Adjusted my idle, and disabled the O2 sensor feedback given my current midpipe status, car seems to be fairly well sorted now, it's a wonderful thing. *knock on wood*
02-24-22, 01:06 PM
