Sadly you need the brace because that's what the intercooler and radiator attach to. I posted on Facebook and have one coming for $20 + Shipping. Winning!

 

I decided to just leave the AC lines attached for now. I lined up the Greddy brackets for the AC Condenser and one of them doesn't fit. Either Greddy messed up (rare from what I hear about these kits) or my AC condenser isn't OEM (more likely given all the crap I've found). My plan now is to get the V mount kit 90% done and then see how well this AC Condenser fits to see if I can make it work and still keep the lines attached. If not, I may try the RX8 Condenser mode I read about here. Gonna call some local AC shops to see ballpark costs on getting custom lines and using my current fittings to the compressor made. RockAuto.com has the RX8 condenser new for less than $50 so I could be easier and better than trying to find used FD one that's probably going to cost more and be in rougher shape.

About the only thing I got accomplished today was removing the Power Steering cooler and putting the Greddy one on. I wish Greddy would take the time to write the directions in English and provide better pictures than black and white photos. I realized today that the directions in my kit vary slightly from the translated ones someone posted here. The part numbers are also all different between the two.

I also learned that my radiator fans are not OEM. They are smaller and don't like up the brackets/holes on the Greddy Radiator. Ugh. I ordered one of those universal mounting kits from Amazon with the plastic screws that go through the radiator. I hate to do that but its my only option other than zip ties which look more ghetto...but frankly might hold better.

Once I get my AC done and this kit on, the only thing I have left is to get a smaller form factor battery and relocate it unless I can find one that fits in the engine bay. What are all the cool kids using for batteries these days that's small and not crazy expensive like some of these lithium ion based ones I've seen? I need something less than $200 given all the money this car is bleeding me out of. Oh..I also need a new blow off valve because the Greddy Type RS on my now def. caused compressor flutter (assuming its even a real Greddy)....



My backup option for attaching. Ghetto? yes. Will it work? Yes.

Def. not the OEM fans as the are smaller and don't like up to the black brackets (2 of 3 are shown in the photo)

Silver part is the new PS cooler that came with the Greddy kit.

Does this look like an OEM AC Condenser?

 

I removed mine some months ago, and IIRC I'd say it looks like the OE condenser.

 

Id get a set of oem fans, greddy kit is designed to use them.
Yes, that looks like a oem condenser.... junk it and do the RX-8 condenser with modded lines... itll be worth it.
We have done it here in Florida on my buddy Tito's FD and his A/C is ice cold.
He has post about it here...

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-gen-gene...1122267/page2/

Steve

.

 

I’m trying to avoid spending even more money right now. As it stands, doing the v-mount kit alone is going to cost me probably close $800-1000 more between AC compressor, new battery/relocation, a new blow off valve, AC lines, etc. I gotta be practical where it makes sense. My fans work...they just don’t mount. At the end of the day, they just need to attach and run and draw air. I have no idea what OEM cost but given than everything I find at autoparts store is universal, my guess is they are going to be overpriced, even from a guy like Ray Crowe because it’s OEM.

 

Used fans should be a dime a dozen. They will flow a LOT more air than the aftermarket ones and be quieter as well.

That does look like an OEM AC condenser. It's probable that it's the MANA system which was only in North America - the Greddy kit was designed around the Denso system since that's all they had in Japan. Also there are supposed to be brackets that attach to the tabs on the sides with 2 holes, looks like you're missing the brackets. Probably was done when the old front mount was installed.

Also may be worth going to the RX-8 AC condenser since it has a built-in dryer. If you have a MANA system the drier is not available ANYWHERE. It's the black drier with a built-in bracket.

Dale

 

Also there is a thread floating around with people's experiences installing the V-mount, that may have some input and pictures that will help you.

EDIT: https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...hread-1092913/

Dale

 

The Greddy instructions say to remove the brackets on the AC condenser and attach the supplied ones. The supplied ones line up on one side but not another -- the hole is off a little for the bolt. I can probably drill my own.. As for a dryer, I picked one up at OReilly's when I first got my AC system working and it connected fine the fittings and as far as I know it worked because my AC was working. My compressor would just randomly squeal even after adjusting the tension in the belt so I ordered the reman. Not sure if I can reuse this dryer since it's less than a year old since I've opened up the AC system. I've read you're supposed to replace them somewhere on the inter webs...?



The drier I got...

 

I would replace it since it's been used and is now unsealed. Driers for Denso systems are cheap. Got mine at auto zone for a few bucks. Regarding the condenser, your system should be denso, I think all '93 touring models had denso (jap installed) systems. And definitely go back to OEM fans. I think I have a set, if you're interested.

 

@DaleClark -- for the RX8...would I just need to buy the condenser, and the high and low pressure lines for it? There is a local shop that makes custom lines so I assume if I bring them my old ones that have the compressor end fittings and then the new ones that have the Condenser end fittings, I should be good right? The lines and condenser from Rock Auto can be had for under $100!

EDIT: On second thought, I'd only need the low pressure line right? Because the drier is built in, I just need the line from the compressor to the condenser/drier since my high pressure line from condenser to evaporators is reusable?

 

The RX-8 condenser has the drier built-in, it's a big can on the side of the condenser and the bottom unscrews so you can remove the bag with the drier material and replace it. The drier -

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/03...G?v=1571439250

It would need custom brackets as well as custom in/out lines. Clean way to go but it's more fab work for sure.

The fittings on the RX-8 condenser are different by far from the RX-7. You would need custom lines in and out. If you can get the lines as well you can have them grafted onto the RX-7 lines for a clean install.

Considering you have the Denso system with the easily and cheaply available driers that muddies it a bit, but you have that one corroded fitting, no brackets, etc. so you may actually be ahead of the game going with the RX-8 setup.

Also, the RX-8 condenser (with all condensers) have a distinct up and down. If you mount them upside down it will have major problems.

Dale

 

Cool. My plan now is to get the vmount in and then see if my current system will connect with the existing lines. That corroded one just means I can't take it off, but the system still worked before I pulled the whole system off for this project. If they reach, then it just getting a new drier for cheap and then brackets made. If the line don't reach and I need new lines, then I'll just spend a bit more go with the RX8 setup.

Is the cooling performance of the RX8 condenser any better? Since I'm on R134s already, if the RX8 will yield cooler air, that might make me switch as well.

 

I don't think anyone has hard data on the RX-8 condenser and 134 in the FD, but the condenser was designed for it.

Dale

 

Hi guys. Here is a picture of my setup. I’m running the greddy v mount using the rx8 condenser. The a/c blows ice cold FYI. Using r134a.

I haven’t had the time to create a thread and share how I made the lines and brackets but if you guys are interested I can put a thread together. Lmk

 

 

@DaleClark or anyone else --- so I got OE Fans from @aplscrambles . What I found in my car is that the previous owner cut off the connectors to the fans from the front wiring harness. There isn't lots of slack so I think trying to re-wire it back to OE setup is more hassle (and money) than it's worth. My Greddy kit did not include any type of extension plug either. Nevermind me knowing if I have an thermoswitch that works (or at all -- I really don't wanna remove the alternator)....and I'd have to fix the ECU wiring harness because I know for a fact the wire for the OE Fans is cut.

So...my car has standalone fan controller that Rotorsports racing put in because paying about $30 for a controller was cheaper than the hours of labor to find and fix the issue described above (which stumbled upon recently). Now...here is my question: The stock fans have 4 wire PER fan. The FSM and old rx7club posts confirm that 4 relays (!) are used to control low, med, and high settings. My current fan and controller operates on 2 wires (1 power, one ground) so now I'm trying to figure out how to wire the OE fans to run on high with the single wire I have on my current controller (since one is ground). I dunno if it's a simple as wiring 1 wire to the correct 1 wire on the OE fans or if I have to take 2 or 3 wires from the OE, splice them together, and then wire it to the single wire on the controller.

Also, the controller now taps power from the switched on at the ignition. This seems like a bad idea to run all the current from the switched on at the ignition. I *think* the better way would be to get a relay and wire switched on to turn on the relay and tap power for the fans from the fuse box or directly wired to the battery. Thoughts on both?

 

How much of your OEM wiring is missing? I have a spare FD front end cut (radiator support) that has the fan wiring intact. I could send you the connectors with pigtails. If Bryan left you enough to work with you could splice it back together.

 

There isn't much left to work with. Bryan didn't cut and hide the wires...the previous owner and/or PF Supersports did it. I suppose I could buy wire and splice them with butt connectors. If the wires are still connected to the harnesses, that would help figure out the order. Still debating if all this is worth the hassle. I literally have universal fans that work with my controller I could just mount and call it day. Every desire to make it OE like is costing me more and more money...ugh.

See photo:

 

Another good question is do you have the connectors still there for the stock fan relays?

I agree that the fans need to be run with a relay, the fans draw enough current that it makes sense to do so.

It would be nice to get the stock fans back with the 3-speed system, it does work very well. But it may be a good amount of work depending on how much was hacked off.

When I installed my buddy Jon's HKS V-mount (I think you met him at Deals Gap) we had to extend the wiring. Got appropriate wire colors in the right gauge and cut the fan connectors off and extended each wire. I carefully stripped back and twisted each wire together and soldered the connection then heat shrink on each one. It's been dead reliable.

All that said I'm not sure off the top of my head how the 4 wires to each fan works. I'm pretty sure 1 is ground and each of the 3 wires is a different speed - 12v on one is low, 12v on another is medium, etc. You can probably get some test wires and hook it up to a 12v battery and see how it does. Also some studying of the shop manual should answer a lot of that.

BE CAREFUL firing up the fans off the car, they have a LOT of torque and if it's not sitting somewhere stable it can go nuts and break stuff. They spin up FAST.

Dale

 

@DaleClark I don’t have the stock connectors but I could get the from @aplscrambles. I figured out the wiring. Two are ground and two are 12V. If I combine the two 12v together I get the fastest speed. If I don’t, I get a slower speed. My guess is one 12 is low, one is med, and together they are high. Right now I’m leaning towards just connecting them to my existing controller vs trying to rewrite back to oem, fix cut wire(s) on the ecu connector, and hope I have a working thermoswitch when it’s all said and done. Plus this involves fixing no less than 10 wires with splices.

im leaning toward existing controller and then just deciding if I want to wire both 12 together or just one. So basically do I want my fans full blast when they come on or just low/med. Not sure which is which because when I run the 12v wires individual, it’s hard to tell if one is faster than the other. When wired together, it’s obvious.

 

DC is right. If you dont have the fan relays (4 relays behind the ps headlight, that will be a lot more work getting the stock fans to work. You will have to come up with your own relays and wiring to make up the missing part of your front harness. As far as knowing which wire is which speed, should be easily able to tell with a voltmeter the differences in voltage as your engine heats up.

 

I have the relays but the wiring is not worth it to me at this point. I wired the OE fans to run at max speed when the come on. I added about 8” of wiring and hopefully everything should fit.

 

That would be super helpful as I'm going to probably go this route at well. A few questions:

1. Did you buy the Denso/OE Condenser or just non OE. I assume you got it from Rockauto.com?
2. What side is the drier on when it's mounted? I'm looking at my existing lines and trying to figure out how I'd run the the lines from the compressor and to the evaporator
3. How hard was it to mount? Did you get custom brackets made to attach it etc?

 

Quick update: The current cost of stupidity is $120. That's what it cost me for a Power Steering/AC Compressor bracket as I stupidly did not loosen the pulley bolt before trying to turn the bolt to release tension on the belt. FML.

 

After much delay, my V-Mount kit is essentially in! I have no AC right now but the radiator and intercooler are in. The only thing holding me back now is where to put my battery and what battery to get. Oh, I also need to find a place to mount the coolant AST.

I’ve been reading about the Miata battery but I hear it lacks a little oomph for starting and if you want to run a stereo amp later, it’s probably not a good idea. The other option is the group 51r battery or something like an Odyssey PC 1200 or 925. Those are still heavy AGM batteries and I really don’t wanna hack the crap out of my bins to put them. I keep teetering on a lithium ion battery. They cost more, but when you add in the cost of a tray/mount for the AGM batteries, it’s almost a wash. At 5lbs or so, the Lithium Ion batteries certainly can be secured easier with a trip to Home Depot and the form factor is small enough to fit in the bin or maybe even somewhere in the engine bay. The downside is I would need a to buy a LI specific charger and I still haven’t had time to read on how they do if left sitting for a few days without being on a charger or what “downsides” if any they have.

I’m also waiting on my BOV. I ordered a Synapse BOV as it was less expensive than a Tial or TurboSmart and @Molotovman had good things to say about the one he had. The downside is I was told it could be 2-4 weeks lead time. Synapse is trying to get a better update on time and get back to me. If it’s too long, I’ll just get a Tial on Amazon for a tad more. I also need to get a flange welded on but I may toy with ordering one fo those pipes with a flange already welded on from Amazon and seeing if I can make it work on the inlet side of my IC. I don’t like the way it’s routed now but I was able to reuse some existing piping vs. finding a place to custom make me one.

I read some old battery posts but def open for suggestions. The other option is to use the full size battery I have no and mount it in the trunk behind the bins. I worry about drilling holes there though given the proximity to fuel lines and the fuel tank and of course having a lead acid battery on the inside, even if it’s sealed.

@TitoBT87 - any update on your posts on how you mounted and made lines for the RX8 condenser?