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As the title states, I’m getting older, I’ve done the big single cars, drove around with 4” from the turbo back as my daily on ground control coilovers and shot giant fireballs. Now I’m old and like to hold conversations while driving, not get light headed with my combustion byproducts at stoplights and get pulled over on the highway because “Your car was on fire.” When I moved down to Florida from Colorado, I sold my “winter cars” and planned to daily my FD. So I yanked my big single setup and dropped in a complete stock setup from somebody that was doing an LS swap and went back to stock sequentials. I fell in love driving that car every day due to the ease and balance of how the car was designed. Instant boost pretty much any time, body lines that still can’t be beat and very fun to drive. Then we started having kids and had to grow up. Making the decision for the wife to stay at home with the kids, we had to liquidate most of our collection and our Condo back in Colorado. Along with the FD, I sold my 66 Mustang and my Turbo II. The only fun car that survived the purge was the wife’s built S14 which is still around today. The main reason why we kept that was because we had a ton of work into it and it was the first car she built a motor in. Back then RX7s weren’t crazy money so I figured I could just buy another one down the road when we were set (boy was I wrong.) It still pains me to think of how much I sold my R1 for.
This was how my R1 looked leaving Colorado, the morning we made our move there was an Ice Storm
After being out of the FD and RX7 game for 15 years I finally pulled the trigger on another FD. I was going to wait another couple years but after missing out on one 2 years ago then seeing how much they have gone up in value, the wife (also an enthusiast) agreed I need to buy one now so it doesn’t cost us exponentially more in the future. Seeing the eye watering prices of USDM models I started entertaining JDM. After researching JDM and accepting the fact that I can deal with the downfalls of RHD in the U.S. I started heavily looking into the different channels, stateside importers, exporters, self importation, auctions etc. I found the prices after importation were often about half the price of the USDM equivalent. Me having the curse of Chaste White as my favorite only raises the price of what I am looking for in an FD. My last FD was a red R1 and it was an attention magnet good and bad. The wife agreed that Red was a no go. If I’m going to finally spend the cash, I should get what I want. I had a budget of up to $60K if I found an immaculate example but really didn’t want to spend that much and as much as I would love a crazy low mileage car, I like to drive and wouldn’t want to have essentially a collector that was being devalued fairly quickly by me enjoying it. This was another reason for going JDM, so many more available so I don’t feel so bad driving it a ton.
One thing I found while searching was that JDM prices are also going up. I also researched the different JDM models (they have way more than us) and was leaning towards 96-98 mainly for the larger brakes and other simple items like the tail lights, Efini y-pipe already there, 10 more hp and specifically an RS or RZ due to the shorter gear ratios and dual oil coolers (I like to autox and road racing.) I quickly found that a lot of the clean ones are located at dealerships that will not sell to buyers out of country. They are stern at keeping the cars in Japan. There are ways around this like having a third party that lives in Japan to buy it for you then have them ship it to you but I do not have any contacts that could do that. I missed out on a fer really good examples because of this issue. I just about bought a super clean low mileage (~20K miles) RZ but when I ran the carvx, it showed a large accident happened in the front that required frame repair. I still just about bought the car because Japanese inspections are pretty stringent and it was most likely fixed right but one of my main things with a car is the body. I can do anything mechanically but I don’t do body work. I would be afraid to get the car then have to spend another $10 on fixing the damage correctly if it wasn’t already. Since I plan on tracking the car I also don’t want to take a chance of anything being off in that aspect.
I finally found another clean example of a CW car, it wasn’t 96+ like I was originally looking at but everything else checked out. No accident history, fairly low mileage, dealership did compression (which many places will not.) Videos and pictures were decent. Price was right, and a lot less than I was expecting to pay. I stayed away from auctions mainly because it’s hard for me to buy something with for that amount of money buy looking at 3 pictures that look like they are from the early 90s and can’t compression test. I wasn’t looking for a complete project, I really did want something I can just hop in and drive but I was ok with some work too as long as it wasn’t body repair related and didn’t want to have to rebuild the engine right away with my time constraints with life right now.
The car –
94 Efini RX7 type R
74,000 KM
Chaste White
Modifications
- Apexi Super Megaphone catback
- Defi Gauges
- Steering wheel
- Old school Ohlin coilovers of some sort
So essentially the car is bone stock with a catback for any kind of power adder (minimal since it still has the factory cat) and Ohlins for handling. For those that don’t know the JDM models, a Type R is essentially the same as the USDM “R” model, so in this case since the car is a 94 it would be the equivalent to the R2, no sunroof, suede seats (my favorite), dual oil coolers, wing, strut tower bar and stiffer suspension. Dual oil coolers from the factory are a big plus for me with my build goal in mind.
The plan
I am keeping this car fairly stock. Reliability mods and very basic power adders to begin with. I have ridden in and built plenty of FDs and other cars (Supras, Skylines, Silvia’s, 240’s, etc.) and I still love the feel of a fairly stock FD the best. I road in an FD tuned by Steve K. and the sequential transition was almost non existent. You had seamless power from just off idle all the way to redline. Car was about 325hp to the wheels which is plenty for this weight of a car and what I want to do. If I want to blow the tires off from an 80 MPH roll I’ll hop in the wife’s S14 just to give myself a scare. But with the FD, I want something that is going to be all around, stable, reliable and predictable. I already have an AutoEXE carbon intake for the car. The car does not have a precat because it is JDM but I plan on getting a larger downpipe down the road. Keep the cat (possible go high flow down the road) and get an upgraded SMIC (leaning towards the Aussie one if they can get supplies again) but may just end up with the Knightsports SMIC. I want to keep the car 300-350hp and most importantly sequential just because from my personal experience this is the power range FDs are most manageable, reliable, most balanced and fun to drive.
Planned body upgrades
- 99 tail light overlays
- Possibly carbon sideskirts
- Pain correction and Ceramic coat
Planned power upgrades
- AutoEXE intake (already purchased)
- Upgrades SMIC
- Downpipe
- High Flow cat (possibly depending on how the car feels after initial mods)
- EMS (this will be after vetting the car and driving it almost stock for a while, still deciding whether I want to go old trusty Power FC or baller Haltec 2500.)
Suspension
- Replace with newer coilovers (need to research this a ton and will probably be the very last thing I do)
- Replace any bushings that need to be replaced with Mazdaspeed or OEM
Brakes
- Not sure, don’t want to go crazy, possible 96-02 upgrate or Spirit R but I think I want to keep factory not an aftermarket BBK.
Wheels
- Unless things change, RZ+ wheels from Sakebomb
Interior
- Install Factory Efini steering wheel I got from Colten
- Install Shifter and Ebrake handle I got from Rich
- Double DIN stereo I can patch all sensors into so I can get rid of the gauges in the car
- Keep everything OEM+ with nice leather and red stitching
Luckily the Port the car was shipped to was Jacksonville and their shipping guy lives in Gainsville, only 2 hours from me so I was able to go pick up the car without paying for a shipping company in the US.
So I picked up the car just before Christmas, due to most of my team being out for the Holidays I was really busy at work and really didn't get to touch the car for about two weeks. It's still going to be a slow process because of how busy my kids are with extracurricular activities, but I'll keep chipping away at it. Some of the things I have already done was install the factory Efini wheel (I'm not a fan of the "race" style wheels) the Ebrake handle and shift ****. Rich is working on getting me the boots to match as we speak.
Before
After
In the future, I'm most likely going to have the steering wheel covered to match the rest of the new leather parts. As far as the interior goes, I'm planning on keeping it OEM with just the accent parts, Gauges will eventually be removed when I can move all critical information to the double DIN stereo I plan on installing. I would like to do the Digital Odometer conversion as I'm sure this one will take a dive eventually and the new digital ones look great. I'm hoping the dash is ok under the current gauges, that is one thing I considered when I was searching for cars. I was surprised how many had them screwed into the dash, I was happy this one was just double sided tape.
I've found really the only gauges you *need* are coolant temp and boost. Anything else is just overkill.
For brakes, get good pads and rotors and paint the calipers - done. That is perfect for anything you can do on the street. There's really not a need for big brakes unless you are doing SERIOUS track duty, the FD's brakes are great from the factory.
My go-to guide for making good, quality, reliable, solid FD power is Banzai Racing's build up here -
Low to mid 300's on twins is a BLAST to drive, nice fat power band, keep the cat so the car isn't stinky, no big hassle just get in and go. A car on jack stands is zero fun to drive. Also a car that breaks every time you take it out is also not fun at all.
Glad you got back in the game! Yeah I don't think I could afford an FD in today's market!
I've found really the only gauges you *need* are coolant temp and boost. Anything else is just overkill.
For brakes, get good pads and rotors and paint the calipers - done. That is perfect for anything you can do on the street. There's really not a need for big brakes unless you are doing SERIOUS track duty, the FD's brakes are great from the factory.
My go-to guide for making good, quality, reliable, solid FD power is Banzai Racing's build up here -
Low to mid 300's on twins is a BLAST to drive, nice fat power band, keep the cat so the car isn't stinky, no big hassle just get in and go. A car on jack stands is zero fun to drive. Also a car that breaks every time you take it out is also not fun at all.
Glad you got back in the game! Yeah I don't think I could afford an FD in today's market!
Dale
and just to add to that the PFC is old, but its accurate, and the FC Tweak software is really amazingly good. car tunes itself.
I've found really the only gauges you *need* are coolant temp and boost. Anything else is just overkill.
For brakes, get good pads and rotors and paint the calipers - done. That is perfect for anything you can do on the street. There's really not a need for big brakes unless you are doing SERIOUS track duty, the FD's brakes are great from the factory.
My go-to guide for making good, quality, reliable, solid FD power is Banzai Racing's build up here -
Low to mid 300's on twins is a BLAST to drive, nice fat power band, keep the cat so the car isn't stinky, no big hassle just get in and go. A car on jack stands is zero fun to drive. Also a car that breaks every time you take it out is also not fun at all.
Glad you got back in the game! Yeah I don't think I could afford an FD in today's market!
Dale
I've watched that thread for a while. Great information. That is pretty much the plan. I am considering the Haltec elite 2500 just because it can control the sequential and have all the modern safety features and such. I'm no stranger to EMSs and building/tuning cars in general. I used to do it for a profession before I settled down and now work from home. That will most likely be one of the last things as the stock ECU should handle what I am doing just fine for now. I totally agree with you on the brakes which is why if I do upgrade, it will be from another RX7, I figured slightly larger factory brakes won't hurt if I'm tracking it. I do which the rears were better on the eyes and a design like the Z32 and Subaru brakes with the Mazda emblem on them just like the fronts are. That is probably my biggest gripe about the FD brakes which is purely esthetic.
First thing is first even before I install the intake in my closet. Make sure the car is solid and operating as it is supposed to. This is nearly 30 years old. Lots of people buy RX7s, Supras, etc and get excited about modding them without thinking about the basics. As much as I want to see my shiny new Carbon fiber intake installed, its going to have to wait. According to the Carvx, the car only had ~4000 km put on it from 2011 to 2023. This means it sat a lot these past 11 years. First thing I did before I drove it was pull the fuel sender to see what fuel pump it had and what the tank condition was like. I've seen a lot of cars that sit with a ton of rust in them. Luckily there was no rust at all. Just some white corrosion spots from the ethanol down low which you can see on the fuel pump. I added a can of BG 44k and drove it to the gas station to fill up with some fresh gas.
The car Starts great hot and cold. Vacume seems a little low at hot idle which could be a leak somewhere but idles rock solid when hot. It burbles a little while warming up but settles down once it heats up. One thing I've learned from all the JDM engines I've worked on is if they sat for a long time, the injectors are usually pretty dirty even if they run. After about half a tank of driving around keeping boost at a minimum to clean the injectors the burble as gotten better but not gone. I started gradually giving it more boost in lower RPMs just to see how it was going to feel and if there is anything else obvious that needed attention and gradually worked up to full throttle to test the sequential operation once I was ok with how the car was running. To no real surprise, the Secondary was not boosting so it was time to start digging into all the sequential. Before I could do any real diagnosing I had to replace some of the hoses that could be easily reached. All vacume hoses are rock hard and just explode when you try to remove them. The Primary turbo spools great and holds ~10psi solid up until the transition, then boost would drop off to about 2psi. This meant to me that the second turbo wasn't spooling or the Charge Relief valve was sticking open and not closing after transition. I obtained some new one way valves from Dale and replaced all the hoses easily reached without taking off the UIM.
It was easy enough to Tee in my boost gauge to the Charge Relief valve to make sure that solenoid is correctly operating it which it was. Holds vacume to the valve which has it open and venting to the airbox until transition, then applies the pressure which is supposed to be in the secondary charge pipe to the valve to close it. Luckily Teeing into the valve this way I can monitor two things, the operation of the solenoid and the pressure in the charge pipe leading to the y-pipe. You can see in the video the solenoid switches from vacume to charge pipe pressure about 3500 RPM when prespool starts for the secondary. You can also see the boost shoot up when the Charge control valve opens and releases all the pressure the first turbo has been providing then bleeds off because the first turbo can't keep up. I did test the Charge relief valve prior to this so I know it was holding which could have been the other issue. So my boost problem had to be Secondary control or a bad secondary turbo.
I pulled the pan off and got to actuator that controls the Secondary, applied pressure to the lower port which is supposed to and the valve swung easily. Applied Vacume to the other and same. The actuator is working properly. The solenoids for this actuator are under the UIM and not fun to get to so I tested the pressure tank to make sure it was holding pressure (it was.) Then I pressurized the feed from the tank to the rats nest and found it would not hold the least bit of pressure. Now for the sequentials to operate properly, that solenoid should be shut essentially venting the actuator to atmosphere until prespool which would mean the side of the solenoid feeding from the pressure tank should be sealed, it was not. I lit a piece of bark on fire from the front yard and blew it out to blow the smoke under the UIM then pressurized again, sure enough a large leak in the rats nest. I'm not planning on pulling the UIM off just yet because that's a project for another day that I have plans for (explained later) and just want to confirm the operation of the twins so I can gauge how much I'm going to need to spend to get this car road worthy. I reached under and poking around the turbo control solenoid I found a vacume hose going down to that was loose, pulling it off the metal pipe confirmed that it wasn't just loose, the solenoid nipple had broken off which is known to happen. Being a bit bull headed I figured I would take a shot at replacing the solenoid without removing the UIM and with my tiny hands was able to pull it out without much of a fight. I put in an order with Ray for some of the broke rubber hoses, the solenoid and some gaskets for an oil leak. I was able to weasel it back in which proved to be much hard than pulling it out partially due to the fact that the old one was missing the lower nipple and because you literally can't see that lower portion of the rack, everything is 100% by feel.
Full disclosure, I believe the only reason why this worked is because it was JDM and I do not have the EGR solenoid next to it. I had to rotate it 90 degrees to pull it out which wouldn't have been possible with that solenoid next to it. You can see its the third loop in with the longer hose loop.
After a quick test drive we have sequential operation, the secondary turbo was still fine. I wasn't too concerned that it wasn't because the car does not smoke at all. Boost does drop off to about 7psi at redline but that's a problem for another day, my main concern was getting things operational. On to some maintenance. God knows when the last time the fluids were changed, I also had a pretty large oil leak that needs to be addressed, possible multiple. Oil is covering the back half of the crossmember, bell housing and up to the bottom of the secondary. While I had the intake pipes off replacing vacume hoses I took a peek down at the oil feed on the secondary and it was dry. So I cleaned everything real good and ran it for a bit, found a bit of oil on the oil return from the secondary which were the gaskets I ordered. I have run the car on stands and it seems at least this leak is fixed, crossing my fingers this was the main culprit and I won't have to be doing the rear main because that means I'll also being buying a new clutch.
During my troubleshooting I found the Clutch Master cylinder to be leaking as well so while I am waiting for that and some fluids to arrive and the wife has mentioned the FD has been getting so much attention while she still has a stack of parts for her cars that need to be replaced so it will be probably next week sometime before this gets back on the road......and were renovating our house so my working and troubleshooting things has been limited to lunch breaks for the most part.
Big props to RX7BRUH for his content which helped me refresh my sequential knowledge. Guys like him, Dale, Rich and others are irreplaceable to our community. I used to know these cars inside and out when I was building them daily but have always been a lurker soaking up all the information on the boards because I was too busy to do what they do for the community. If you have not seen his video on sequentials and want to know more about them, I have not seen a better video breaking it down.
and just to add to that the PFC is old, but its accurate, and the FC Tweak software is really amazingly good. car tunes itself.
I've read a little about it, I won't spend too much time researching until I'm ready to purchase but it is still an option, especially since I can also patch it to the android head unit which is my goal for monitoring the basics. I've been out of the game so long that the OLED version wasn't out yet the last time I tuned a PowerFC.
Lunch time restoration update. While I was troubleshooting and inspecting different things, noticed the brake master cylinder cap was split. Not sure how this happens (maybe somebody really cranking down on it?) So I got one ordered and replaced. While peaking under the dash I found the clutch master cylinder was leaking inside the car.
I was able to knock this out during lunch today and get it bled, i sucked all the old fluid out of the reservior so i wouldnt be mixing the old fluid with the new, im sure there was a little mixing but ill be running a lot of new fluid through the whole system soon. I will probably bleed the brakes tomorrow.
Waiting on my trans and diff fluid to arrive so i can get those knocked out and the car back on the ground.
Old clutch master was leaking inside the car The fluid that came out was black Quick and easy to install the clutch master Always make sure to bench bleed or you may be chasing your tail in the future Atkins only had the stainless line in stock rather than the OE stainless replacement. So i grabbed some of my high temp loom and transferred the pad from the original, worked out just fine.
Bled the brakes today, I'm guessing this fluid is 10+ years old. I hope I don't run into caliper issues.
Also had just enough time to do the infamous fuel filter job. The fuel filter looked pretty new and has a new bracket but it's a good peace of mind to have it done.
BTW didn't see it in the pics, I would replace the slave cylinder as well. When one goes the other isn't far behind. The braided clutch line is an excellent idea, that is also a failure point from time and mileage.
BTW didn't see it in the pics, I would replace the slave cylinder as well. When one goes the other isn't far behind. The braided clutch line is an excellent idea, that is also a failure point from time and mileage.
Dale
I pulled out the slave and pulled back the boot to make sure it wasnt leaking at the moment. It looks to be in good condition. I'll probably order a rebuild kit for it and have it ready since the body is in good condition. I would have rebuilt the master to save money but it had some rust and corrosion so I didn't want to reuse that one. I'm still going through and taking care of what needs to be done at the moment and gauging what to do in the future. My fun budget recently took a hit when my A/C went out at my house and needed a full replacement. I still need to buy tires as well since they are from 2008.
My fluids came in today so I got the diff and trans done.
Small but satisfying update. @GoodfellaFD3S came through with the rest of the boots to match my ebrake handle and shift ****. Also had an Efini brochure to match my car and a spare Efini key blank since I only have one key for the car currently.
Small update, no cool mods, just minor maintenance and a repair. Been trying to take it out and spend some time doing car things with the wife and enjoy the car.
As part of my maintenance plan i ordered an O2 sensor because i have no idea how many miles are on it. The age of the belts was also unknown. Didnt see any cracking but they were pretty dry. My airpump was also screaming while engaged so I picked up another used one from a local friend.
Car sounds better than ever with a nice quiet airpump, the squeeling was getting to be almost constant, I'll have to pull the pump apart to see if I can save it and keep it as a spare.
Just a few photos from recent adventures with the wife and her S14.
Have to feed the toys, only on my third tank of fuel on the FD.
Found a decent monthly meet locally, a nice variety of cars. Also made it out to the Fast X opening where they had Hector from the original there as a meet and greet. Also spotted @FDAUTO at that event.
ayyyyy... yes, it was a spur of the moment decision. not too often do i get a chance to drive my car anymore. that black rx7 is a customer of ours. we didnt build his car but we have done a few things on it to include installing our LHD abs delete kit. his was the first one to get the production version. 7s day is coming up and we will be hosting here at the shop. you should make an effort to come out and see all the fds in the area. it will be july 8th
ayyyyy... yes, it was a spur of the moment decision. not too often do i get a chance to drive my car anymore. that black rx7 is a customer of ours. we didnt build his car but we have done a few things on it to include installing our LHD abs delete kit. his was the first one to get the production version. 7s day is coming up and we will be hosting here at the shop. you should make an effort to come out and see all the fds in the area. it will be july 8th
Unfortunately we won't be in town for 7s day. We almost made it out to your dyno grand opening but the 240 had a fan relay die and started getting hot so we had to bail.
Lunch hour project yesterday. First and easiest step towards restoring the fuel system to OEM+ is to replace the fuel pump. Installed a walbro 255 which I've been installing for 20+ years, hasn't let me down yet (knock on wood) and for my power goals on this car is a perfect fit.
stock pump is usually good for my power goals too but it's 30 years old and for the price, its worth it to have the peace of mind knowing what is in there is new.
Install went smooth, removal and replacement of the pumps took about 5 minutes including sanding down the collar that holds the oring above it. Fitment is just as good as factory with the proper install kit. No need to worry about fuel submersible fuel line Original top spacer was cracked, shouldnt have affected anything since the oring was still intact but goes to show you what happens to 30 year old plastics under normal usage. Car has around 46k miles on it. Always need to check the bulkhead connector for corrosion which can lead to high resistance in the circuit, this one is clean.
Nice progress. I typically run a large bottle of Techron Injector system cleaner to help maintain anything fuel related. I have personally seen good results, although a lot of people suggest to take the injectors out to clean/rebalance which is best.
I agree with what Dale said about the brakes. I drive very aggressive on the back roads and have done a few autocross days. I have slotted rotors with EBC red pads and Porsche (higher boiling point) brake fluid. Has worked well.
If you do end up going with a PFC, I would grab a datalogit/wideband and try out FC tweak. Great software to help tun your car. Although you are probably somewhat close to a few decent tuners.
Nice progress. I typically run a large bottle of Techron Injector system cleaner to help maintain anything fuel related. I have personally seen good results, although a lot of people suggest to take the injectors out to clean/rebalance which is best.
I agree with what Dale said about the brakes. I drive very aggressive on the back roads and have done a few autocross days. I have slotted rotors with EBC red pads and Porsche (higher boiling point) brake fluid. Has worked well.
If you do end up going with a PFC, I would grab a datalogit/wideband and try out FC tweak. Great software to help tun your car. Although you are probably somewhat close to a few decent tuners.
Good luck with the continued progress.
Eric
I run a can of BG 44K through all my vehicles every 15k miles. It works wonders. The plan is to have all the injectors cleaned by a local friend here when I pull the UIM off to replace the FPD, FPR, all solenoids and vacume hoses.
I'll run stock brakes for a long time. If anything, I'll upgrade to the 96+ RS/RZ brakes. I'm not a fan of slotted or drilled rotors and like to stick to solid. Ill see how they hold up once i start tracking.
I've been reading about FC tweak, i may do that initially mainly because its a fraction of the cost of haltech which can operate the sequentials. That will come after the restoration of the fuel system and cooling system.
Another quick update, Tires were waiting on my doorstep when I got home. Have an appointment for a mobile guy to come install them in a week along with a new set for my trailer. First time using a mobile installer, wish me luck. Planning on new tie rod ends and an alignment after the tires are installed.
A little update. We typically travel the country in our trailer June and July but this year my kids had a few things going so we only traveled the month of July and went up the East coast for the first time. The trailer needed some tires before our 4500 mile trip and the FD desperately needed tires so I used a mobile tire installer which worked out great because i got to stay home and work and didnt have to make multiple trips for tires installations.
I feel much better having new tires on the car as the tires from 2008 looked like time bombs with the cracks they had (also why I wouldn't drive it on the highway until I got new tires.)
Now that we are back from our trip i decided to tackle some more basic maintenance. First oil change for me with the car, spark plugs and tie rod ends. Both were torn and since i got new tires I wanted to get an alignment.
The car has been running great so I was surprised to see the condition of the plugs.
15 year old tires that obviously werent stored very well Replacing tie rod ends before i get an alignment It saved money and was much less of a hassle to have a mobile tire installer come to the house to put tires on my trailer and the car. First oil change, foind this Neat little JDM goody The R Magic filter is shorter than factory, most likely because of the raised pedestal for the oil pressure and temp sensors Factory filter just clears Front rotor leading right trailing left Rear rotor leading right, trailing left
I saw in another thread you said you were waiting for the Aussie intercooler (PWR/Marcus?) but they were delayed? Last I asked him on Facebook about maybe 2 months ago he said they are still selling it, so just wondering what's going on if you don't mine me asking.
I'm not quite ready to order myself but if there's a long lead time I'd like to plan for it
01-26-23, 04:10 PM
