Ok I had my motor rebuilt from Pettit a few years back. When I did the vacuum hose upgrade I noticed that Pettit by-passed the pressure regulator. So now that I'm putting the rack back on I don't know what to do about the press. reg solinoid! I called them once and when I finally got one of em on the line they told me to just leave the solinoid alone (unconnected) but I specifically remember there were hoses connected to that solinoid. My car has no boost now, and under load theres just back fire and what seems to be a fuel cut. Pettit won't return my e-mails.

 

hmm..it's hard to say....a few years back is a long time ...if it worked before your upgrade, then you did something wrong...

i fyour car ran fine these years, then I don't think they are obligated(anymore)

my .02

 

If you had no boost for 2 years..then maybe....

but you were running good right...maybe something else is the prob...at this point I dont feel they should be obliagated...

 

have to agree with you guys, if the car has had no boost for that length of time maybe, but something tells me the car had been working and you did the vacuum job, then this problem started. Consequently, the FPR solenoid has nothing to do with the control actuation of the turbos. Pettit does the bypass simply to prevent failure of the FPR solenoid from blowing the engine by lack of fuel pressure. They simply leave the solenoid plugged in electrically so the computer thinks it's working, but use a vacuum reference on the extension manifold so the FPR always has manifold pressure input without the solenoid acting as middle man. If you aren't getting boost, it's due to something else, either an incorrect placement of a hose or something as simple as an improperly oriented check valve. If those check valves are backwards then the vacuum and pressure chambers won't be charged properly and the appropriate actuators will not allow the turbos to work right! Keep looking you'll find the error.
Art
)

 

Thanks guys, so it's probably ok to just leave that solinoid alone w/out any hoses plugged to it. I wonder if the hoses I'm using are too thin. Maybe the hoses are collapsing under load. i'm using hosetechniques anybody w/ experience w/ them?

 

I have the Hose Techniques. It's adequate, but quite frankly really crappy quality for what they charge, especially uncut like I got mine. I doubt it it's collapsing. There are MUCH better hoses out there. You might want to consider looking for splits in the end of the hoses - if you did not cut it completely clean they split VERY easily. Also you can insert #1 springs (available cheap at hardward stores) inside the short sections where they bend. This will keep them from kinking.
Happy hosing, hoser!

BTW, anybody that takes on this job themselves and completes it without any problems is righteous, and will sit upon the hand of the Rotary Gods in heaven...........

 

Ron,
why do you say their hose is of crappy quality? What do you consider a better hose

 

I have used hosetechniques hose for 4 years now-I change colors often but have never had a hose fail on me. I road race the car about 4 times a year with no problems. Their hose is made of great materials and they offer tons of colors. I have also never had a hose collapse under any conditions, and just FYI, if the FPR hose is collapsing for some unknown reason, as soon as you got boost it would reinflate and send reference to raise the fuel pressure. You are looking in the wrong place for your "phantom". It's somewhere besides the FPR-Read my other post. The FPR has NOTHING to do with NO BOOST!
Art

 

It's just that I am used to working with mil spec (military specification) stuff and I would never consider putting it on an airplane engine. Unfortunately you can only buy mil spec in quantity, not small lengths, and I have no interest in getting in the hose biz....

My Hose Techinques hose has held up fine. I am always looking for the BEST stuff when I do work on vehicles, and quality varies dramatically these days with so much stuff coming from China and Mexico. I also just found out that they recommend a different size hose for the solenoids with a thicker wall which would preclude the need for the interior springs, so I would take back my "crappy" statement since I used the wrong stuff to begin with! The bottom line is that since this job is such a major pita you do not want to do it twice, and even one kink or split will cause all sorts of grief. The vacuum system is incredibly complex and it either works 100% or fails. It is diabolical and evil. :p

 

Here is the differance between the GOOD stuff and the CHEAP stuff. The GOOD stuff will have VERY thick walls to prevent kinking and collapsing. Both of these are the exact same length. Theg ood ones that I am currently using are from Arospeed.

 

what is the brand for the the top one and what brand for the lower one?

 

The top one was a cheapo no name brand hose that I bought at a speed shop a few years back when I was unedumacated :p.

The bottom one is from Arospeed.

 

Yeah, thats the same answer that I would have given. I think that if you have been running good, which you must have because otherwise you would have bitched right away, then they aren't obligated.

 

In case some of you do not know what the "MAZDA" purpose of the fuel pressure regulator solenoid is, here it is.

When starting the engine, the ecu will close the solenoid valve so that the fuel pressure regulator senses 0 boost instead of a vacuum. This causes the regulator to allow a higher startup fuel pressure. Why you ask. Supposely to help prevent fuel starvation caused by "vapor lock".

How in the world do you get vapor lock with a high pressure pusher fuel pump?

Most of us high HP owners have removed or bypassed this piece of uneeded crap. Many of us live in Houston were it does get hot, and we have no problems.

What was Mazda thinking?

 

Yep, I could FLY with the Arospeed. Just about everything else I have seen is REALLY inferior. I don't know for sure but I would bet $100 it is mil spec. (my interior springs really do work to prevent kinking!