I just received my Hose Techniques Silicone Vacuum Hose replacement kit, so I thought I would see if anyone on the forum who has done this mod has any advice. I have done forum search, with little info on the "how to" for this job. I went to the usual web sites (rob robinette, lightning in a world of thunder, etc...), so I understand the sheer magnitude of this task, but any insight from those who have conquered this beast is greatly appreciated. I'm hoping for some tips on which hoses to start with, what to watch out for, and any time savers you may have discovered. Thanks

 

no time saving method. Be extremely careful. Plan it as two days event.

 

This may sound odd, but lift the front of the car up. Either by ramps or jackstands. Having everything 10" closer to you will make a big difference to your back.

 

never pull any hoses off any of the solenoids, cut them and them take them out and cut down the side with a exacto knife and peel off.

 

Dude! where are you in Dallas? I'm switching my hoses in the niddle of this coming week (most likely all day wednesday) and I live in the Mid Cities but will be doing it a a friends garage over in Irving.

from what I know, be extra careful with the solenoid nipples,. they like to snap off...use a single edged razor blade and a small slot headed screwdriver to help with those...

 

It'll be A LOT easier if you remove the solenoid rack. Print out the hose diagram that Rob has on his site, that diagram is a SAVIOR.


Tony S.

 

I live in Frisco, and work in Plano. Let me know how it turns out. If you need an extra set of hands one night, let me know, as I'd love to help. That way I'd have an idea of what to expect!!

 

i would go ahead and buy most of the solenoids. your FD's probably got close to 80-90K on it anyways, so it's not a bad idea to freshen up the system now. i broke ALOT of them ... it's awful tight in there and even after you remove the solenoid rack, it's hard not to accidentally bang into something. timewise ... maybe because i took extra careful time or am just extremely meticulous about it; but it took 4 days to complete the job. my back did not like me after that ... and if it has to be done ever again, i will most certainly pay to have it done.

 

Ain't that the truth, regardless of age it's very hard on your backbone.

 

If you are going to take the time to do it... use wire ties so that you won't have to do it again.

 

How much do people charge to do it?

 

I was charged $500.00 parts and labor from RR&R. I beleive he said it took him 7 hours, so figure it will take you 14. The one size 23' of hose is like $65.00 but it is one size. He replaced valves and used zip ties so the work was very good, some shops flat out refused the work. I'm just still upset I didn't and he didn't know about Hose Techniques beforehand.

 

My local guy I hooked up (he does all the work at his house.....currently owns his 21st RX7, has his daughters FD, who also owns a 1st gen, torn apart for an engine rebuild, etc.) quoted me $175, believe it or not. I posted this before and the responses were that anyone quoting less than 300 for the job is nuts. He recently did my 2 belts and installed my DP for $125. :1party: I guess he's just REX crazy, does good work, enjoys it, and doesn't rip anyone off. Pretty cool dude too........ he's also a driving instructor and will be my instructor at Sebring on April 14th!

 

wow ... those are both really good prices. both the shops i talk to here were asking like $1100. i was told parts would be $400 (not entirely true) and labor around $700. but, that is the complete job (aside from the radiator hoses), they zip-tie EVERYTHING, and they 'said' they would replace all the solenoids. i've seen both shops work and they do excellent work ... which i tried to emulate (which is probably why it took so damn long).

but, 7 hours is really friggin' fast!! i think i spent 7 hours alone double-checking lines and freeing solenoids. i'd be a little worried about this job being completed that quickly ... like maybe something's being skipped.

 

Mine was just the vacuum lines "only". The two other shops I asked did not want to do it period. I might have it redone eventually.

 

The job is not nearly as hard as it sounds. I had a boost pattern of 10-8-9lbs with a downpipe and catback. I didn't want to go through the trouble of changing my hoses for 1 or 2 lbs. of boost, just wasn't worth it to me. Then I smelled fuel.

That's right....time to change the Fuel Pulsation Dampner. To change this part you have to take EVERYTHING (almost) off the top of your motor. I started with all the intercooler hoses, elbow, throttle body, accelerator cables, upper intake manifold, and throttle body coolant hoses. I still can't see the damn dampner. I then remove the oil filler pipe (2 or 3 bolts), plug wires, coils (a few 10mm nuts and a ground cable). There are 3 bolts that hold the metal pipe assembley to the motor, after these are removed you can move the metal pipes up enough, to remove the 3 screws from the front of the solenoid rack and the 4 from the rear.

So now you've got the solenoid rack off without stripping those little damn screws. I then removed my fuel lines and primary injector housing. Next I changed my fuel pulsation dampner (new o-ring as well), had my injectors cleaned and blueprinted, and changed their o-rings and rubber insulators. Now that the fuel was out of the way, I figured I might as well change the hoses to silicon.

It's very important that you have the right tools for the job. First, buy good quality silicon hose, after seeing the hose techniques in person, I went to Baker precision and picked up their hose. It's really high quality and the price was excellent (I think I paid ~65 for all of my hose in blue). Next buy or borrow some Sears Handy-cut cutters, these cutters are excellent for $20. Next I sat down at a counter and slit the hose end, and removed it very carefully from the solenoids one by one. It's much easier to remove them solo, cut the new hose, replace and zip tie them individually. Then the rack goes back in the car, and I connected all the hoses to their proper places (you did mark the hoses when you pulled them off the motor didn't you?). Something else I learned along the way, if there is a kink in your hose, most of the time you cut it TOO LONG.

It actually took me about an hour, to change all of the hoses on the rack, and another 30 minutes to plug everything back in and zip tie the motor connections. I really took my time (didn't want to break any solenoids). Also I had an almost normal boost pattern before I started so I had a good idea that all my solenoids were in good condition to begin with (I now get 12-10-12 boost pattern).

Finally, I put my car all back together (all new coolant hoses too!). This total project took me about a week, since I had to take my injectors to RC engineering. The hose job can be done in a day if you work fast, but I would HIGHLY recommend taking your time and doing it right. If you have ANY questions let me know. I know I should have taken pictures.

eric

 

i highly recommend visiting the following site: its very helpful, and has tons of good pictures:

http://rx7.voodoobox.net/howto/vachose/vacjob.html

and, while you are at it, i recommend that you change the spark wires too. replace them with silicone spark wires.

and i can not stress the importance of being careful with the solenoid nipples. if you break a nipple thats 50 dollars right there.

 

Maybe I'm just fatter than I think, but when I was done with mine, I had like 3 little dents in the fender as it comes over to the hood from leaning in the engine bay. Now I''ve gotta try to pop those back out. Yeek!!! Pad it up good because your going to be working in there for awhile.

 

Is there a good shop in the SF Bay Area, that will do a complete hose replcement ? Which one do you guys recommend? After reading all the posts and site info. I am just not up to the task.

 

Ivan in Sunnyvale will do it (search for his number or ask in West forum)

also Rick's Rotary in Pleasanton

 

hey, I started it today. It ******* sucks. will take me 2 more afternoons, I'm guessing. But well worth saving the coinage....plus, when you are done, you get to look in the engine bay and say, "Hell yeah I did that!"