When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Shot of the odometer from a quick spin I took today, need to update thread title. Have added approximately 3k miles since I got it. Not gonna lie, adding so much mileage is a bit painful (read: expensive), but I bought the car to drive, not just look at it. And every drive is an experience in an FD.
My car has recently developed the "click-click-start" issue, where it takes a few cycles of the ignition to start. It seems this is caused by excessive voltage drop in the starter circuit, with the most common culprit being the starter cut relay (H302) in the driver's footwell that is part of the OEM security system. I have also been hearing a relay clicking when driving, so I will probably eventually need to replace this relay.
It can't hurt to clean the starter terminals, which I did today, although they looked good. I'm also going to take the opportunity to bypass the clutch switch. I have never been a fan of needing to push the clutch in to start, and would like to be able to start the car without getting in when bleeding the cooling system, or even at car shows.
One way to bypass the clutch switch is to simply cut and splice the wires that connect to the switch on the wiring harness. This creates a failure point though and means the bypass is not easily reversed. A much better solution is to use one of the clutch switch bypass plugs that already has a jumper wire attached, and attaches directly to the plug on the harness. Fortunately, these are available for the NA Miata, and they work with the FD as well. This is a great solution as it requires no cutting of the factory wiring and is completely reversible. If you want to go back, all you have to do is plug the switch back in.
FYI the clutch switch is a hassle but it is there for a reason. Try and keep the habit of pushing in the clutch to start the car. Big one is watch when someone else drives the car - the local tire place always parks my car in gear with the E-brake up if I take the FD in for alignment or new tires. Fortunately rotary engines make no torque at 250rpm so it's not going to drive off into the sunset, but if you are parked close to something you could jerk the car forward and hit it.
Bonus is if you have to move the car and no one is handy you can put it in gear, disable spark, and move it with the starter .
Yeah, the reason is because the safety police at some point in the late 80s realized that people were starting their cars in gear, and now we all have to deal with the annoyance of clutch switches.
My old E30 was just on the cut off before they were mandated (1991), and it was nice to be able to start the car without sitting in it, not to mention the starter moving that you mentioned. it can actually be bad for the crankshaft on certain piston engine cars to start with the clutch in - that's why the bypass switches are so common on Miatas, to reduce wear on the thrust bearing, especially with aftermarket clutches.
I agree it is a nice safety margin to have when other people are driving your car. Luckily though I refuse to let most places touch my car, and the switch can be easily plugged back in if need be.
Stay tuned for some exciting updates coming for the interior. Lately I have been inspired by owners who have tastefully upgraded their interiors, gmonsen's car and an LS-swapped one on a github page that looks like this:
Don't worry if you are a purist, this car is far too original to go all out, but I am planning on changing the steering wheel and I just ordered an aluminum dead pedal from GarageAlpha. Just a few small reversible tweaks that I think will enhance the overall look and feel of the interior. I think painting the plastics around the driver to a contrasting lighter gray looks great if done right, but again, this example is too original to change too much. Might be some Mazdaspeed stuff coming...
Very entertaining thread! Yep, it's hard not to make modifications on these things since just a few simple mods really wakes them up.
Anyway, my whole point of posting is to advice that when you get your temporary boost gauge make sure it reads properly. I had one that was 2lbs off... And it would have been a while for me to have known (it read 10-8-10) except that soon after getting it, I happened to get my car dynoed and they confirmed that my gauge sucked. Back then I only had exhaust mods so it's not like I could double check it with a PFC or boost controller plus my whole point of getting a gauge was to assess my boost response (essentially what you are doing).
Originally Posted by c0rbin9
Lately I have been inspired by owners who have tastefully upgraded their interiors, gmonsen's car and..
A few years back, I was privileged enough to sit in gman's car and let me tell you, pictures don't do it justice. It's beyond a QUALITY interior, IMO that's the way FDs should have come from the factory.
Yeah, the reason is because the safety police at some point in the late 80s realized that people were starting their cars in gear, and now we all have to deal with the annoyance of clutch switches.
My old E30 was just on the cut off before they were mandated (1991), and it was nice to be able to start the car without sitting in it, not to mention the starter moving that you mentioned. it can actually be bad for the crankshaft on certain piston engine cars to start with the clutch in - that's why the bypass switches are so common on Miatas, to reduce wear on the thrust bearing, especially with aftermarket clutches.
I agree it is a nice safety margin to have when other people are driving your car. Luckily though I refuse to let most places touch my car, and the switch can be easily plugged back in if need be.
I won't comment on the safety aspect, other than it would be a shame for someone to get killed by accident from it someday.
But how does pushing in the clutch when starting the car harm some piston engines? How can it be any worse than pushing the clutch to shift when driving?
...But how does pushing in the clutch when starting the car harm some piston engines? How can it be any worse than pushing the clutch to shift when driving?
For cars with plane (non roller) thrust bearings at the front of the crank, clutch spring force can cause significant thrust bearing wear during start-up when the bearing is dry from sitting for more than a short time. This is especially true for cars with heavy clutch springs needed to support increased torque from performance upgrades.
Update: I did some diagnosing today and found out that bypassing the starter security relay (H302) with a jumper wire has eliminated my click-click-start problem. Now I just need to replace that relay and we should be back to 100% functionality. Cleaning the starter solenoid terminals and bypassing the clutch switch had no effect. This thread was super helpful:
Another small update for the interior: I installed a GarageAlpha dead pedal. The cast aluminum clutch and brake pedals are one of the coolest interior features of the FD, and I always thought it was cool that GarageAlpha offers a matching dead pedal (and gas pedal) to complete the set.
Installing the pedal (really just a cover for the factory dead pedal) requires drilling the factory dead pedal and attaching it with the included hardware. Like all the other mods on this car, I wanted this one to be completely reversible, meaning no drilling or cutting factory components. To that end, I sourced a used dead pedal from a forum member and used that to mount the cover:
In my opinion, this is a better solution than using double-sided tape, which might lose effectiveness over time in our Houston heat. The new assembly weighs roughly .5 lbs more than the stock setup. A small increase, but well worth the enhanced look and feel, in my opinion. I also replaced the OEM security system relay H302, which I had previously jumpered to solve my click-click-start issue. This little guy was the culprit:
And finally, a pic of the GarageAlpha dead pedal installed:
I just finished installing an aftermarket steering wheel, and I have to say, I really like it. Unlike many FD owners, I actually like the stock FD steering wheel - the three-spoke design fits the look of the interior IMO, and the leather on it is high quality. However, it is pretty big, and I have heard the added weight from the airbag has an impact on steering feel, so I was excited to try something different.
I already had a wheel in mind, a period Momo that I had laying around from my old E30 build, and which I have a sentimental attachment to since it is from the first car I ever "built". Honestly, I don't think I'll ever sell this wheel. It is actually a 350mm Momo Cobra and came stock on JDM Eunos Roadsters, so it is a perfect fit for the FD.
(pictured with BMW horn button, an easy fix)
Of course, you cannot just install an aftermarket wheel by bolting it on, you need a hub. My research led me to two hubs - the Daikei and the Works Bell. Both of these hubs come with 1) a resistor that plugs into the factory harness to defeat the airbag light and 2) wiring for the horn that attaches to the factory harness. This means no messing with clock springs, no cutting wires, no splicing, just a clean, easy, plug-and-play install. I went with the Daikei:
Really cannot say enough good things about this hub. It was exactly as advertised and made the install super easy. Also comes with screws and an allen wrench to attach the wheel.
This may help anyone who is reinstalling a stock wheel - this wheel had never been removed and shows the factory cable routing. Notice the little elastic band wrapped around the harness connector wiring that ensures the airbag does not fall out when you unscrew it:
The harness wiring is secured with little flexible metal tabs:
Stock wheel removed! This is what cars will look like in the dystopian future - no steering wheels. You can see the plugs for the airbag resistor and horn connected in this photo.
I wrapped the wiring around the hub with friction tape to prevent it from rattling. This is hidden by the hub cover.
Steering wheel finally bolted on:
With cover:
Don't mind the BMW horn button. This wheel is likely a temporary solution until I can get a Mazdaspeed wheel, I would really like to find one of the perforated leather versions like this: IMO this is the grail wheel for an FD.
Out of curiosity, I wanted to see how much weight I saved by ditching the stock wheel, so I weighed it:
It weighed 9.25 lbs. compared to 3.5 lbs. for the new setup, for a net savings of 5.75 lbs. Not much, but every oz counts, right?
FEED shift ****. At least, that is what the YJ seller said it was. It has no branding, so don't know for sure. Supposedly this is the early style, which is why it doesn't have the FEED logo on the top.
It came in at 468g, a sizable increase over the stock 319g. I wasn't really planning on buying an aftermarket shift ****, but I saw this one on the auctions and couldn't say no for the price. It was only $20! Plus, it matches the aftermarket steering wheel. Not sure if it is genuine but it seems like quality.
I installed it and took it for a test drive, and it makes more of a difference than I thought it would. Shifts are noticeably smoother with the heavier ****. Neat!
Another mail update... this came yesterday as well:
That's an RE-Amemiya downpipe. For anyone who doesn't know, RE-Amemiya is one of the premier rotary tuners in Japan and built some of the fastest FDs there. I grew up watching the RE-Amemiya FD dominate the touge in episodes of Best Motoring/Hot Version, so it is super cool to have a genuine RE-Amemiya part on the car.
Some of you might be wondering, why did I go with the JDM-style downpipe for my LHD car? Well, both styles have pros and cons, but there are several advantages to an RHD downpipe.
1. They fit better and are easier to install. Some downpipes require lifting the engine and/or removing the studs and are all around more of a pain to install. The RHD downpipes have a more OE fitment.
2. RHD downpipes are more likely to have the bracket at the back that connects to the transmission (which this one does).
3. Japanese-made parts are mad JDM tyte yo, and that has to count for something, right?!
As much as it pained me to obliterate that beautiful stainless steel finish, the RE-Amemiya downpipe has been ceramic heat coated and is ready for install:
Broke off one of the manifold studs when trying to install the downpipe today... ugh.
Luckily there is still some of the stud sticking out, so I'm going to try to go at it with a stud extractor tool tomorrow.
Before you use force, soak it in PB Blaster or other penetrant. Also, impacting the stud end in line with the stud with a hammer or similar weight sometimes will loosen the threads enough to make removal easier.
I soaked all four before removal and the pesky one has been soaking overnight. It came partially unthreaded when I was removing the bolt, gonna try to remove it now.
.
You can see the plugs for the airbag resistor and horn connected in this photo.
