https://youtu.be/1T8YIZwgGZ8

Took it for a 10 mile cruise to get some gas after shooting that video. Feels good to drive. Has that raw unfiltered analog feeling my GSL-SE didn't.

 

Nice work. These cars of ours are such a blast. Not the most powerful (at least stock) but so connected to the road.

 

Once I get through break in, I think this car is going to be pretty snappy. Definitely more than stock

 

The engine is breaking in nicely as far as I can tell. I started it on the first crank yesterday. It likes 8 pumps before cranking and then it starts without fuss (relatively speaking, since it has no choke I have to keep blipping the throttle to warm it up enough to idle). And it is letting me use the clutch at lower rpms!

I did replace a couple exhaust gaskets and the only nose comes from the loud end now. The RB system sounds pretty mellow outside the car but inside is a symphony of combustion.

Played with the secondaries on the road at 3krpm. Clearly too low. It's going to be amazing opening them up at 5k tho.

Been slowly tightening the oil cooler fittings until the leak goes away. I think I got it now, last drive didn't deposit any extra oil onto the aero panel.

Got a collector plate because this is my weekend princess. I need to find a cheaper way to insure it...

 

Argh! Still trying to kill the FB's oil leak at the lower line on the oil cooler. I tightened the oil cooler line as much as I feel comfortable at this point and it still leaks. I hope it isn't from the oil cooler fitting itself because then... I guess I'm trying out my spare unit with welded-in AN fittings. Next time I run it, I'll wrap a rag tightly around the leaky area for a few moments and see if I can pinpoint which part of that connection (between the cooler fitting, adapter, and AN line fitting) is seepy.

 

if it's leaking where the fitting threads into the cooler bung, either the washer isn't sealing properly or the bung is cracked. and tightening it just makes it leak more.

 

Cracked bung is my fear

 

Got the collector vehicle license plate! Not my daily driver

 

Hm, the coolant level doesn't want to stay consistent. It seems to go through like a cupful every 50 miles or so. I hope I'm just leaking it from somewhere hard to spot. Or maybe it's still burping... it takes me a long time to go 50 miles

 

My low coolant light finally turned on the other day. I went to check it just now and it was just at the bottom edge of the sensor. In other words, it was fine, but the light can get annoying so I added a tiny amount. I think mine is burping as well. All my coolant hoses and waterpump seem ok so it must just be burping.

 

I haven't seen any excessive steam out the exhaust, so I'm not ready to suspect a coolant seal or water jacket problem like my GSL-SE had bad.

 

Yeah. Drove it to Seattle round trip about 30 miles and now that it's cooled down it looks like the coolant is still at the full line in the overflow, where it was when I left. So it seems like it's all burped out.

I also found out how much clutch is left on the used clutch that came attached to the engine: not much. If I am cruising at 2500 and floor it, once it hits 3300 it starts to slip. Which is hilarious. Gonna be fun with a fresh clutch

 

Fixed the vacuum leak that was causing it to idle at 1500 RPM. Dialed the mixture screw in to the richest smooth idle I can get before it starts to get uneven and brappy. Drove it to work. So much fun

 

Keep tweeking those details gloval, it takes some time and patience but it's sweet in the end.

I just got my LE on the road in early November after a one year rebuild . It ran, but let's just say the LE had issues, it was one thing after another for two months.

And then, like magic one day, everything started to work perfectly, it must have been the Rotary Gods.

Nikki started idling smoothly at 750, wonderful analog throttle response, killing the rush hour traffic with the handling, it's like a new car.

Fun all the way but most fun now.

Did you figure out the coolant leak?

If so, let me know, we can move onto the last of my most recent problems:

The windshield wipers turn on and off with the radio.

 

Yeah I got it even better dialed in after I got home and set the idle while the engine was good and warm, and reset the mixture screw same as before. Now I don't have any stumble on and off throttle.

That job exposed that my throttle cable is sticking and I should lube it up.

As for the coolant, I'm thinking the heater core is shot. I used the heater and fan last night on my way home, and not only was the coolant down again, but the windows had a lot of condensation inside, even with the driver window down the whole 20 miles. It wasn't raining either

Quick youtubes of it blipping smoothly across the stumble zone

 

More evidence to support my coolant leak is through the heater core: I went 20 miles today with the heater off and the overflow is still at the full line after cooling off.

Oh, I also installed the Banzai Racing belt tensioner. Seems good in concept, but incomplete. I think I might add a lock nut to the vertical bolt used to draw the alternator up and tighten the belt so it doesn't try to walk down with engine vibration.



I have the Banzai dual belt stock diameter alt pulley + 2x belts, and a new short-height radiator on its way. I'm running the rad that came with the car and it arrived in the hatch with a pile of other parts so I don't really trust it.

 

 

good job ...

 

Thanks. I got a chance to drive it last weekend, for the first time in a few weeks. So much fun. It just hammers me with sensory input, I love it.
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Ok suspicion confirmed. Coolant is leaking from the heater core, I had a wet carpet after driving it around yesterday.

Today I drained the coolant and pulled the old radiator. I was going to try to eliminate that as a potential exit point for coolant. It's probably good I did, the last bit of coolant I poured out was gross.

 

Engine out, replace clutch, engine back in! Clutch pedal feels firmer. But there's probably 5 hours of reassembly and cleaning before I can try it out.

New radiator goes in behind it.

 

Project update:

Holy crap the new pressure plate actually presses! I can take off with a tire chirp and shifting takes a lot less finesse. This car is so fun.

The fuel pump wiring is suspect. Twice I've had it just stop working. Once in my garage, once around the corner down the hill. Both times, enough wiggling of wires under the bin eventually gets some action.

But I'll need a fuel pump and regulator and bigger wires for them, so I think I'll punt it until then and maybe accelerate that timeframe.

 

After replacing the radiator, bypassing the heater core, and taking it on enough miles to burp the bubbles out, it looks like my coolant level has stopped moving!

Now I'm seeing some coolant pooling at the top of the radiator on cold start, but it seems to go away once warm. Huh

 

just noticed the exhaust sleeves have been taken out....... no good........ aluminum starts to melt at 1.220...exhaust temperature on a 12a 1.600 to over 1.900 full throttle

 

My cooling system works fine and I'm not seeing the engine temp higher than expected. IDK. We'll see how it goes.