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I took everything into consideration as far as cost on rebuilding my motor vs buying a new motor. The smog issue is getting really bad here in Cali and I think I may have a warped iron. My used engine has low compression and was used in a drift car before I got it so I made the decision to get a new engine vs rebuilding the old one since I got a good deal due to being a business owner - Woot Woot !!! . I am still bringing it to Palm Tree Rotary to tear it down to see what went bad on the inside. It just seemed like getting a new engine would be the way to go so I can finish my project. I also heard these things are hard to get now. Well enjoy the pics.
Part 1 - Picking Up The Engine
Part 2 - Engine Box Stickers
Part 3 - Unpacking The Engine
Part 4 - New Engine Parts
Part 1 - Picking Up The Engine
I bought a HF cargo carrier so I could transport engine with my van and still get decent gas millage. I had to get a riser adapter and move the cargo holder forward on the tube so it would not hit the ground. I am barely in the tongue rating and it sags a little, but it works. I love my Mazda5, it has saved me over and over again in all types of situations. Cargo hauler, Uber side hustle, bring crap to the city garbage recycler, bring crap to the flea market to sell, dog hauler, and most important you can put all the seats down and sleep fully extended in it. It's the best car I ever had.
Part 2 - Engine Box Stickers
The box had all kinds of stickers on it. It was cool to see it was packed recently on Valentine's Day the year. It had the part number for the short block assembly, a label with a little boat and an airmail sticker. I took a close up of the QR code sticker and the block. I'm curious if they match or have shared data.
Part 3 - Unpacking The Engine
The box that the engine is in is packed nicely. I had to remove like a 1000 staples to open up the box. The top has 2 boxes cut with half circles and the bottom is a card board support wall. It's surprising how strong the cardboard is on the bottom that hold the engine by the oil pan. I made a dolly to hold the engine so I could move it around easier.
Part 4 - New Engine Parts
All new parts - Friggen Sweet Mang. The new engine has new oil injectors, front crank pulley, and the rear flywheel. I will probably get another clutch kit since this thing is brand new. There is oil all over the engine, almost like its coated for safety. I also noticed the front cover had like a dial indicator for the timing instead of the little rod that sticks out. It's cool to see QR codes etched into the side of the rotor housings.
Amazing! Definitely a great decision that you can't go wrong in. Can't wait to see it fully up and running, lots of work that's about to pay off real soon.
Amazing! Definitely a great decision that you can't go wrong in. Can't wait to see it fully up and running, lots of work that's about to pay off real soon.
Thank Bro, Hopefully I'll make 7stock - we can roll in a group from the bay to la.!
Straight off the boat from Hiroshima!
It'll be nice knowing you have a factory spec fresh motor
Totally,
Im not going to race it, Ive decided to keep it at a lower 12psi, (but will dyno at 14 for the hell of it just to see what the BNR drop in Stage 1's do).
I think I'm at a point in my life (50) where I no longer care about speed since everything else is faster from the factory now.
I really just want to keep it on the road and enjoy it.
All those faster cars still going to be checking out the sexy 7..... lol
I am doing a refresh on my 1996 G20T right now and the fans look just like the FD fans, just different connectors.
I had a spare FD fan shroud and aluminum radiator and did a test fit... by golly it fits !!!!!!!!!!
The G20 has a 4 blade and a 5 blade separate fan motors almost identical to ours.
They have the same 4 wires, black / yellow / blue / green, the same bolt pattern but the motor sits a little lower. The blades look to be in the same position though.
I do not know the current draw difference but now we have another source for replacement motors and fan blades.
I just got something in the mail, Im sure you guys are going to see a lot more IGN1A's and HKS twin powers for sale. I'll be selling mine to re-coop the cost for this bad boy.
Why are you selling your ign1a for that? It can't be better than upgraded coils.
I totally get where your coming from bro. But there has been alot of R&D done by Xavier on this and it solves the root problem of the FD ignition system which is the igniter - not the coils.
There has been a lot of discussion on the RX7 google forums on this for a few months now. But basically the new igniter allows the stock coils to achieve close to what the IGN-1A puts out.
The new igniter has been updated with newer technology and more powerful electronics to allow the stock coils to compete with the IGN-1A, also the HKS twin power is no longer required.
Any questions I would highly recommend contacting "FC-Tweak" on facebook for an in depth explanation on the new igniter.
p.s. My dual battery set-up with the voltage smart relay and all the funky grounds in my car somehow blew the coils, they are all shorted. Car works flawlessly on the stock igniter and HKS twin power. My car just doesn't like all those separate grounds required for the IGN-1A set-up.
Last edited by rotaryextreme; 05-16-22 at 08:36 AM.
This is a continuation of update 106, Future plans
I have slowly been collecting things over the past few months that I realized I was missing.
I will try to redo things a little bit better since I'm taking my engine back out.
1. ICON 24K Ratchet Wrench
2. Fix Leaking AST or Delete
3. OMP Works
4. Dashpot
5. Fuel Temp Sensor
6. Frame work
7. Harness Rework
8. Install FC Tweak Igniter
9. Missing Motor Mount Hardware And Oil Pan Brace
10. Armrest
11. Oil Thermo Pellet
12. KOYO N-Flow
13. Throw-out And Pilot Bearing With Seal
14. Brake Booster Hose Mod
15. New Shifter
16. RAZO Style
17. Rear LRB Panels = Black
1. ICON 24K Ratchet Wrench
I saw this thing on another friends post and I just had to have it. I love Harbor Freight and their ICON line seems legit. I am personally a craftsman kinda guy but I do own some ICON torque wrenches and now their limited edition 24K Gold Plated 3/8 Ratchet. I did have to ask for it since they keep them in the back at some stores. It's really snazzy and now it just sits at my desk at work.
2. Fix Leaking AST or Delete
Apparently the Pettit AST has a known issue of leaking at the neck where its welded to the top of the tank. It's welded on the inside for a cleaner look I guess. I'm going to strip the powder coating in that section and weld a bead around the outside and hope it will stop the leaking. If not then I guess I'll get Pettit's new AST design which is welded on the outside now. Or I could delete it all together, I'm still on the fence over this.
3. OMP works
I want to have the OMP and premix mainly to be fully covered on accel and decel. Deceleration coasting down a big pass for miles if I should happen to be in decel fuel cut for some weird *** reason. I was able to source everything to reinstall the OMP system onto my car. I got a good used tested OMP, brand new oil lines, all OEM crush washers, RA OMP adapter and a reservoir I will need to modify to use for the 2-cycle oil. I may need to change the AST design to fit everything in front of the engine since I do not want to do an AST delete yet.
4. Dashpot
My Dashpot is worn out and I had to rotate it for it to hold more spring pressure for some strange reason. I got a new one to help with a smoother return to base idle when the TB is closed. I also wanted to prevent any stumbling while doing constant on / off throttle touge runs. We have roads that have hairpin turns and about 12 miles of a single lane road with which you'll never get out of 2nd gear.
5. Fuel Temp Sensor
I bought a secondary fuel rail so I can modify it to fit in between the FPR and the CJ motorsport secondary rail I have. It will hold the fuel temp sensor and the fuel pressure gauge sender. The fuel temp sensor is not a make it or break it item on a modified car but neither is the ISC if you keep your base idle high enough. Speaking with Xavier and understand how the fuel temp sensor can adjust the fuel by as much as 4% based on weather and fuel temp. I feel I would like to plumb it back in. I will probably cut both ends off before the injectors leaving the straight center section to work with. I will weld a bung and then tap that for the FP gauge. I will also make a bracket to hold the assembly against the firewall.
I also got a new fuel temp sensor just in case.
6. Frame Work
While the engine is out I would like to try and straighten the left front corner that is pushed back. I can tell by how things bolted back up. I will also repaint the top part of the firewall where the weather stripping is for the back of the hood to fix the nasty scratch I caused while putting the engine back in.
7. Harness Rework
I need to redo the modified solenoid harness to make it shorter since there is a big loop on top of the engine. I will also redo the engine harness and completely pull back all the unused connectors and wires back into the cabin.
8. Install FC Tweak Igniter
It is pricey but the word is it is worth it. Going to simplify the ignition system and with FC Tweak software and the modified igniter I should be good to go. Now I get to rearrange the ignition harness again, how fun.
9. Missing Motor Mount Hardware And Oil Pan Brace
It's interesting when you start rebuild other RX7's and you realize what you never had in the first place. I was apparently missing the rubber braces, the steel rubber brace retainers, and the turbo side heat shield. That you Fritz for those parts!. I will also swap the oil pan brace from my oil engine to the new one which means I will have to carefully pull the new pan off and redo everything again, but it's the best way to do it.
10. Armrest
I found my missing arm rest, the funny thing is I can't remember where I found it. Oh well maybe it was in the upside down.
11. Oil Thermo Pellet
I have all the time in the world to let the car warm up and with a brand new engine I would rather play it safe.
12. KOYO N-Flow
The piping is already converted back to single pass so I figured why not just add the extra walls in the end tanks and convert it to an N-Flow.
13. Throw-out And Pilot Bearing With Seal
Now that I have a new engine I need a new pilot bearing and seal, I got an OEM throw out bearing while I was at it. I have a brand new 6-Puck sprung clutch so I will stick with that. I still need to see if I have a stock pressure plate or a modified one when I take tranny off, but I do like the way the engagement feels as is.
14. Brake Booster Hose Mod
I will also do this mod when you shorten the brake booster hose to go near the throttle body. The more I think about it the more I like it since it is taking air from a shared source instead of just the rear rotor intake runner.
15. New Shifter
This is a cool one. I know there are a ton of knock off B&M short shifters out there and the main complaint is how notchy it is. I don't mind too much but I have to be at a complete dead stop before I can get it back into 1st. All other down / up shifts are fine at whatever speed / rpm. I was looking at all the shifters and although JP3 was my favorite, it was out of my price range. I found this company called CUBE that makes a B&M replica and they had a complete redesigned shifter. Hopefully it feels better, but the quality is really nice.
16. RAZO Style
I have always like RAZO. When I saw the shift **** in C.WAN's drift FD that sealed the deal. I wanted a black **** so it would not stand out in near my stereo deck. I 1st got the black resin ball but it was so light. I was thinking about vibrations and how it would feel during shifting, if it was a silky smooth Honda tranny then maybe. For the FD I wanted something with more weight so I also got the Black RAZO 340g ****. I like the placement of my rearview mirror, I just hate the mirror itself. I will make a new adjustable flat bar that the RAZO mirror can clip onto.
17. Rear LRB Panels = Black
I am going to get some flat black sticky wrap from Michaels and black out the rear LRB panels because I really do NOT want to take these things out again. Hopefully they will blend in well and not too much red will show behind them. If something really stands out I'll probably hit it up with a paintbrush.. lol.
Well that's about it for now. I think that's everything I wanted to do prior to getting started on the body kit. Thank you all for reading my post. Enjoy the pics.
Pics plans 1-5
Last edited by rotaryextreme; 06-06-22 at 09:45 PM.
Update
Not gonna do the keyless entry since I have the vertical door kit with the autoloc power door kit.
If I do it right, the doors will open and close with the push of a button.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read your thread. I can’t believe you had to get a new engine (though a new engine is awesome), that had to hurt. I also can’t remember if you went with a new fuel system/ injectors etc but if you haven’t it might be something to consider now that you are all in with an engine (I mean what’s an extra grand right I like you igniter upgrade, I’m going to have to look into that. I would definitely recommend just deleting the AST, and I would have never known HF sold a gold plated ratchet.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read your thread. I can’t believe you had to get a new engine (though a new engine is awesome), that had to hurt. I also can’t remember if you went with a new fuel system/ injectors etc but if you haven’t it might be something to consider now that you are all in with an engine (I mean what’s an extra grand right I like you igniter upgrade, I’m going to have to look into that. I would definitely recommend just deleting the AST, and I would have never known HF sold a gold plated ratchet.
Keep up the good fight.
Jason
Jason,
Thank you for your comments and moral support - I greatly appreciate it.
I went with a new engine since it has all the latest power updates from Mazda. Also IF I get into a sticky situation I can smog it here in Cali. It did hurt, but It was worth it to have all new parts that mattered. Im probably going to build the old engine for experience purposes.
I do have am upgraded fuel system, 550pri with ID2000, cj motorsports rail with the fuel pulsation damper, fuel pump it the rx7.com fuel pump upgrade. With the help of the community, Xavier and FC tweak the car runs smooth as hell on the low compression motor and 7psi boost twins.
Xaviers Igniter upgrade is sick, Dale Clark has it as well - your gonna see alot more HKS twin Powers for sale, I'll probably still keep mine for collector reasons.
I'm still on the fence for deleting the AST - I need more hot showers / Jacuzzi time to think about it.. lol
HF is still selling the gold plated ratchets !!!!!
My 7 is at my friends house and after 1 month sitting she fired right up
There was coolant on the pan below the car. I think when I have the KAZZ diff and Greddy cover put on the diff, the axle seals were not changed - there is sticky oil on the ground where the diff and axles are - added to the list when I get my car back.
Right now I am swapping the Evans out for regular 50/50 coolant and going to run the the proper PSI cap, this way I can drive it from the trailer to the show area at sevenstock this year. Unfortunately no track time, it will make it one lap - but not with leaking coolant and rear diff oil.
Anyways while at the car show - I'M GOING TO DISNEYLAND !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I went to drive my car to make sure it would start so I dont have to push it onto the trailer and to the show area at 7stock, as I moved it out of the garage I saw some gummy oil on the ground where the rear axles would be. I thought maybe the rear diff seals were leaking but they were dry. I knew my right rear shock was blown because I could hear squishy sounds over bumps.
When I looked under the car both rear shocks were leaking, both axles were wet, and both rear panels were oily. Is it possible that the airflow from the panels assisted in the axles being shocked with leaking shock fluid. The axle boots are fine, there is no grease spray anywhere. All 3 rear diff seals are dry. The oil was a light golden brown color. On the ground it dried like some kind of gummy tar. Weirdest thing I ever did see.
Have you guys experience the axles getting wet with blown shocks. Do the panels help diffuse the air enough to atomize the leaking shock to coat the axles?
I got rid of the evans and put some ford specialty green in there. It is a little more oily and I am hearing it looks good when engines are taken apart. Now I can get what I need from any store if I lose too much coolant. I miss my engine bay, I had to take another pic because I just can't get enough .. lol
On another note, I met up with Calvin Wan and he hooked me up with the replica Falken FD made by TARMAC.. woot woot !!!!
Things I still need to do before 7stock.
1. Adjust the clutch - it releases so high I had a little trouble getting it against the front stop point on the uhaul trailer.
04-23-22, 01:32 AM
