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Notice the blue burn marks on the side housing Condition of the rear rotor housing, severely warped. Rear rotor...Apex seal marks prominent Rear rotor again, different face Rear rotor, different angle More another view annnd another Front rotor closest to camera, rear in background. Front rotor from the side Rear rotor from the side
View of the rear housing Side housing Another view.. Heat scoring on side housing...among other things mentioned Rear rotor Rear rotor again Front rotor Front rotor again Front rotor..not in much better shape.
Rather picture heavy, but the builder himself was surprised at the sheer amount of damage this engine had undertaken. At this point we are waiting on the builder to locate a core and get back to us. He was shocked at how bad the damage was.
My condolences on the engine, I'm really sorry to hear that nothing at all was useable. It's shocking that someone could overheat it (more than once, and to the point where the irons are blued) and then still keep overheating it until they blow an apex. Incredible. Keep us posted, good luck on the shortblock.
My condolences on the engine, I'm really sorry to hear that nothing at all was useable. It's shocking that someone could overheat it (more than once, and to the point where the irons are blued) and then still keep overheating it until they blow an apex. Incredible. Keep us posted, good luck on the shortblock.
Builder managed to source a shortblock. We had to pickup some parts though obviously. New rotor housings, seals and springs. Everything else the builder had on hand. Hopefully things should start to come together rather quickly and positively once the parts arrive.
Parts are scheduled to arrive tomorrow (with shipping though, who knows.) I'm estimating probably the end of next week for the car to be back together. I'll see how realistic my expectation is as the date gets closer. Few minor things need to be done, the Jspec oem downpipe is actually quite long (significantly longer than the Turbo II USDM one.) due to the fact that the USDM has a precat and the jdm one does not being one of the factors. One of the previous owners had a hackjob of an exhaust fabricated for the car, They literally used the NA exhaust manifold, and factory Y pipe, and nothing else but the oem flanges from the mufflers and cat pipe to create a long straight pipe running the major length of the car, to the factory y pipe, to oem flanges, to two fartcans. ugh.
(listen to people's advice on using cheap ebay muflers on rotaries kids. Shortly after we got the car, I was letting it warm up one day and just revved it up a bit, the cheap packing literally shot out of one of the mufflers due to the exhaust temps and landed a foot away on the road.)
So naturally there's about two feet of overlapping pipe as far as the exhaust is concerned. The very long Jspec downpipe, and the hackjob exhaust from one of the previous owners. For now its probably just going to have the long straightpipe the previous owner had put in shortened to the correct length, so the oem down pipe will bolt up to the rest of the exhaust. I'm hoping with the diameter of the piping, the turbo wont run wild and free to the point of fuel cut. If so, a decent resonator might have to go in temporally. Probably going to keep the car on the low/factory side of boost, until I figure out the best choice for engine management. Then do the exhaust (Racing Beat.)
Also a prosport boost gauge. Never had an issue with them in the past, great for the money, and always read accurate for me.
One of the previous owners had a hackjob of an exhaust fabricated for the car, They literally used the NA exhaust manifold, and factory Y pipe, and nothing else but the oem flanges from the mufflers and cat pipe to create a long straight pipe running the major length of the car, to the factory y pipe, to oem flanges, to two fartcans. ugh.
(listen to people's advice on using cheap ebay muflers on rotaries kids. Shortly after we got the car, I was letting it warm up one day and just revved it up a bit, the cheap packing literally shot out of one of the mufflers due to the exhaust temps and landed a foot away on the road.)
The previous owner of my car had numerous exhaust troubles too. Basically, he tried 6 or 7 sets of cheap mufflers that lasted a few weeks each (and I have some of the receipts proving this). I guess it took him a long time to figure out that cheap mufflers wouldn't cut it. After he got tired of the mufflers burning up, he eventually bought an aftermarket cat (or at least, what I believe to be a hollowed out cat) and a magnaflow catback. But, there are no flanges at all. The entire thing is one long welded piece from mufflers to y pipe to cat to downpipe to the stock exhaust manifold flange. The only place I can unbolt it is at the manifold to downpipe flange. Now, when I have to remove the exhaust in a few days, I have to drop the entire thing at once. Bleh.
The previous owner of my car had numerous exhaust troubles too. Basically, he tried 6 or 7 sets of cheap mufflers that lasted a few weeks each (and I have some of the receipts proving this). I guess it took him a long time to figure out that cheap mufflers wouldn't cut it. After he got tired of the mufflers burning up, he eventually bought an aftermarket cat (or at least, what I believe to be a hollowed out cat) and a magnaflow catback. But, there are no flanges at all. The entire thing is one long welded piece from mufflers to y pipe to cat to downpipe to the stock exhaust manifold flange. The only place I can unbolt it is at the manifold to downpipe flange. Now, when I have to remove the exhaust in a few days, I have to drop the entire thing at once. Bleh.
You mean like this? Because thats what is on the car right now...minus the two fartcans with OEM flanges. ugh.
For now they are just going to cut the long section to fit the jspec downpipe and weld the flange back on. But the car is getting a RacingBeat exhaust. Do it once, do it properly imho.
wow, that engine is horrible, and it looks like it was recently rebuilt too, the oil pressure regulator looks like new, and the corner seal rubbers are still there
I'm guessing it was an at home rebuild, they pinched or dislodged a coolant seal putting it together, and when they noticed that it was leaking coolant they just drove it harder then hell until it died.
sorry about your luck on that engine.....and how can you trust this "engine builder"? All I see are trans ams, no 7's lol
wow, that engine is horrible, and it looks like it was recently rebuilt too, the oil pressure regulator looks like new, and the corner seal rubbers are still there
I'm guessing it was an at home rebuild, they pinched or dislodged a coolant seal putting it together, and when they noticed that it was leaking coolant they just drove it harder then hell until it died.
sorry about your luck on that engine.....and how can you trust this "engine builder"? All I see are trans ams, no 7's lol
That Trans-Am was pretty out of place...this is a picture I took outside of the shop awhile back
But yeah, It was pretty upsetting to see it beat into the ground that badly, to the point the irons were blue. It's okay now though, already sourced another core shortblock, bought brand new rotorhousings, 2mm 2 piece apex seals and springs from Mazda. Parts are already there..So I guess its a continuation of a waiting game at this point, haha. Hoping for the car to be done by next week, but we will see.
You mean like this? Because thats what is on the car right now...minus the two fartcans with OEM flanges. ugh.
For now they are just going to cut the long section to fit the jspec downpipe and weld the flange back on. But the car is getting a RacingBeat exhaust. Do it once, do it properly imho.
Imagine that, but with the mufflers also welded in. The whole thing from the manifold-downpipe flange to the muffler tips is one solid piece.
I'll send you a picture once I finally finish dropping it, it's -15 degrees Celsius here so it will be a few days before I work up the courage to go finish the job. Have to get a garage heater...
Imagine that, but with the mufflers also welded in. The whole thing from the manifold-downpipe flange to the muffler tips is one solid piece.
I'll send you a picture once I finally finish dropping it, it's -15 degrees Celsius here so it will be a few days before I work up the courage to go finish the job. Have to get a garage heater...
-15 Celsius..Yeah, that's beyond cold. Coldest weather I've ever been in is -15 F.
Mufflers welded on too, ugh, talk about frustrating. The only silver lining I can see in that was when I dropped the exhaust for the five speed swap...it was less bolts to fight with (just had to do the mufflers and the manifold bolts.) Granted you have the mufflers welded on, so maybe it will be easier? I'd just take a jack to the y pipe very gently for support, undo the hangers if they even utilized those, crack the manifold to exhaust ones loose and hopefully it won't give you too much trouble.
...next time that exhaust on the car comes off its to put a Racing Beat on.
It was -30 for a week or two last year, so I expect this is only the beginning. I got all of the hangers off, and the two bolts on the flange to the manifold didn't fight me either. I'm dropping the gas tank before I finish removing the exhaust, only because it makes it easier to remove the hangers and I need the tank out anyways.
Racing Beat is always an excellent choice, you never hear anything bad about their products. Additionally, the stainless steel lasts forever. I'll probably end up doing something custom, as my turbo setup is going to be custom and I'd like V-Bands.
So maybe I've missed it, but is your turbo stock or is it hybridized?
It was -30 for a week or two last year, so I expect this is only the beginning. I got all of the hangers off, and the two bolts on the flange to the manifold didn't fight me either. I'm dropping the gas tank before I finish removing the exhaust, only because it makes it easier to remove the hangers and I need the tank out anyways.
Racing Beat is always an excellent choice, you never hear anything bad about their products. Additionally, the stainless steel lasts forever. I'll probably end up doing something custom, as my turbo setup is going to be custom and I'd like V-Bands.
So maybe I've missed it, but is your turbo stock or is it hybridized?
Are you talking about the actual turbo on the car or the car in general?
The car is originally a 1990 GTU Automatic. 107,000 miles on it. We bought it specifically because it was an automatic, less chance people abused it or hacked it (its unfortunately really common for people in this area to just frankenstein FC's in such a horrible way for really no apparent reason.) Got it for a steal, car was untouched aside from that awful exhaust. near perfect interior, A/C works, heat works. Its going to be restored to the best of my ability to showroom condition (well, minus some modifications like the Racing Beat, a better clutch, leightweight flywheel, etc.) Completed the five speed swap, then the Jspec turbo swap thats now obviously in progress.
As far as the turbocharger, its stock to my knowledge. I don't see anything that looks aftermarket or modified (minus the two Trust hoses that were running off the compressor outlet and wastegate, which went to what I imagine was an aftermaket boost controller.)
I was referring to the turbo actually, I was just wondering if you were sticking with a stock HT-18 or if you were going to go with a BNR or similar hybrid. What are your power goals?
Good catch btw, it seems that most rx7s have been destroyed, poorly modded, or otherwise abused by now. Finding nice ones is getting harder and harder.
I was referring to the turbo actually, I was just wondering if you were sticking with a stock HT-18 or if you were going to go with a BNR or similar hybrid. What are your power goals?
Good catch btw, it seems that most rx7s have been destroyed, poorly modded, or otherwise abused by now. Finding nice ones is getting harder and harder.
Yeah, they are. Its sad. Partially because I feel old, but also because of exactly what you just mentioned. I bought my first RX-7 before I had a license (back in 2006.) It was an 87 GXL, immaculate shape. The only thing that didn't work on it was the sunroof and the alpine cd player. Got it for $1,500 USD I think. So many people just do useless and pointless mods to FC's, especially in the Orlando,FL area and FL in general. Taking out the BAC valve, wiring open the 5th/6th intake ports.. putting a hackjob exhaust on a S4 N/A that requires backpressure to actuate the 5th/6th intake ports..all on a street driven car. I do not understand the reasoning why they want a car with zero low end torque and horrible idle behavior when cold....I think Aaroncake even mentioned something to that tune in one of his writeups on his website. Dedicated track car, whatever, but on the street in a daily driver? what is the point in sacrificing driveability for zero benefit.
We went to look at the FC this build thread is based on, didnt run right when we bought it, so we put it off until I could do some more research. In the meantime we saw another one on craigslist the seller claimed his son drove to and from work everyday, perfectly fine. So we go, get there. the car is an S5, S4 tail lights, door from a different FC. Power door panels on a manual door car, I see a 5th/6th intake port sleeve laying in the floorboard, engine bay has a hacked up efan. I put it in neutral and start it, car had the safety switch bypassed, wouldn't rev beyond 3k, water temp gauge didn't work. it was a mess. sadly you see stuff like that around here...alot. Maybe not that bad, but there are way more hackjob FC's around here than normal ones. Obviously we settled on the first FC I mentioned, which is the one in this thread =D. OMP was bad, throwing the car into limp mode. Replaced that, and it was good to go.
Honestly I'm at the point where if cash allows i'm going to just start buying up Automatics. I have enough parts laying around. They are less abused because manuals were always so easy to come by, no one wanted them. The swap is easy enough now that I can have it done in a day minus any unforeseen circumstances (minus the FD's, those are a bit more involved.) I'd like to purchase a S5 original Turbo II though. Not to say I don't love the FC I'm involved with now, but it would be nice to have one before they shoot up into the FD price range.+
Sorry about that long tangent. As far as upgrading the turbocharger, yeah, I'm thinking BNR for sure. They seem to have a pretty solid reputation. HP goals are about 400~. Daily driven street car with all oem comforts. Most it will see probably is autocross. I'm thinking of it as a complete OEM restoration with some performance mods. Clean and cool.
Got a phonecall today. Engine is rebuilt, all together as a shortblock. Apparently the injectors in the primaries were from an N/A? Seems kind of weird to me that a Jspec motor would have N/A injectors in the primaries. But maybe that contributed to it blowing up. On a positive note, it does have a lightweight flywheel and upgraded clutch. Car should be done by Wednesday. In the meantime, Photos! So clean Looking great! Brand new housings...so nice. Shortblock assembled
Yeah, they are. Its sad. Partially because I feel old, but also because of exactly what you just mentioned. I bought my first RX-7 before I had a license (back in 2006.) It was an 87 GXL, immaculate shape. The only thing that didn't work on it was the sunroof and the alpine cd player. Got it for $1,500 USD I think. So many people just do useless and pointless mods to FC's, especially in the Orlando,FL area and FL in general. Taking out the BAC valve, wiring open the 5th/6th intake ports.. putting a hackjob exhaust on a S4 N/A that requires backpressure to actuate the 5th/6th intake ports..all on a street driven car. I do not understand the reasoning why they want a car with zero low end torque and horrible idle behavior when cold....I think Aaroncake even mentioned something to that tune in one of his writeups on his website. Dedicated track car, whatever, but on the street in a daily driver? what is the point in sacrificing driveability for zero benefit.
We went to look at the FC this build thread is based on, didnt run right when we bought it, so we put it off until I could do some more research. In the meantime we saw another one on craigslist the seller claimed his son drove to and from work everyday, perfectly fine. So we go, get there. the car is an S5, S4 tail lights, door from a different FC. Power door panels on a manual door car, I see a 5th/6th intake port sleeve laying in the floorboard, engine bay has a hacked up efan. I put it in neutral and start it, car had the safety switch bypassed, wouldn't rev beyond 3k, water temp gauge didn't work. it was a mess. sadly you see stuff like that around here...alot. Maybe not that bad, but there are way more hackjob FC's around here than normal ones. Obviously we settled on the first FC I mentioned, which is the one in this thread =D. OMP was bad, throwing the car into limp mode. Replaced that, and it was good to go.
Sorry about that long tangent. As far as upgrading the turbocharger, yeah, I'm thinking BNR for sure. They seem to have a pretty solid reputation. HP goals are about 400~. Daily driven street car with all oem comforts. Most it will see probably is autocross. I'm thinking of it as a complete OEM restoration with some performance mods. Clean and cool.
I agree, it's incredibly bizarre to me that someone would remove the BAC valve on a street car. Especially considering it weighs less than a pound, and how convenient it makes the car to drive. As for the 5th and 6th ports, mine don't activate at 3800 RPM anymore because of the exhaust, they open later (around 4600 or so it feels like). So now I get an awkward plateau in power as the ports begin to taper at 3800, and then a weird boost in power at 4600. If I planned on staying N/A, I would have to move to electric actuation.
I remember when I was searching for my FC, I went and saw one that had been turbo swapped. The guy said it was perfectly driveable and had no issues. When I got there, the suspension had collapsed and the tires had no air so the car was resting on its own floor-pan (at first I thought it was lowered, but it was literally resting on the ground). Additionally, he said it had the top mount IC still but it had an N/A hood, the mirrors were a different colour from the rest of the car, there was rust on the sunroof, no interior behind the seats, and the seats were growing mold. All advertised as "perfectly driveable, no issues". Hopefully this just means our cars will continue to increase in value if we maintain them, and we will have something truly special on our hands. I briefly considered just selling it and getting a TII, but given that the last TII that was for sale around me was 3 hours away, sold for $6000, and had rust in the body panels and underside, it just isn't economical. Perhaps they are more rare in Canada than they are in the U.S. Makes more sense to just take it slow and turbocharge this one, considering I like a project and I'm willing to take months or years to finish it.
The BNR will probably be a good choice for you, I've never heard anyone say anything bad about it. And frankly even though I was planning on a custom turbo setup, the BNR makes a lot more sense if I can find a stock turbocharger near me. You can't beat the ease of using the stock exhaust manifold and pre-made aftermarket exhausts like the Racing Beat. Much more affordable and simple.
I agree, it's incredibly bizarre to me that someone would remove the BAC valve on a street car. Especially considering it weighs less than a pound, and how convenient it makes the car to drive. As for the 5th and 6th ports, mine don't activate at 3800 RPM anymore because of the exhaust, they open later (around 4600 or so it feels like). So now I get an awkward plateau in power as the ports begin to taper at 3800, and then a weird boost in power at 4600. If I planned on staying N/A, I would have to move to electric actuation.
I remember when I was searching for my FC, I went and saw one that had been turbo swapped. The guy said it was perfectly driveable and had no issues. When I got there, the suspension had collapsed and the tires had no air so the car was resting on its own floor-pan (at first I thought it was lowered, but it was literally resting on the ground). Additionally, he said it had the top mount IC still but it had an N/A hood, the mirrors were a different colour from the rest of the car, there was rust on the sunroof, no interior behind the seats, and the seats were growing mold. All advertised as "perfectly driveable, no issues". Hopefully this just means our cars will continue to increase in value if we maintain them, and we will have something truly special on our hands. I briefly considered just selling it and getting a TII, but given that the last TII that was for sale around me was 3 hours away, sold for $6000, and had rust in the body panels and underside, it just isn't economical. Perhaps they are more rare in Canada than they are in the U.S. Makes more sense to just take it slow and turbocharge this one, considering I like a project and I'm willing to take months or years to finish it.
The BNR will probably be a good choice for you, I've never heard anyone say anything bad about it. And frankly even though I was planning on a custom turbo setup, the BNR makes a lot more sense if I can find a stock turbocharger near me. You can't beat the ease of using the stock exhaust manifold and pre-made aftermarket exhausts like the Racing Beat. Much more affordable and simple.
Agreed. I was trying to keep quiet about what builder I went with until after it was done, but the photos gave it away. Pettit Racing. I know its a long jump from CA, but if you ever need anything i'd recommend them. The owner stayed after to make sure the car got there safely, and worked weekends to make sure its being done right. They aren't cheap, but its literally a get what you pay for scenario. 4500~ ish for labor of building the engine, removal, reinstall into the car, street porting, etc. I had to purchase new rotorhousings from mazdaspeed but honestly if its going to be done, I want it done right.
11-29-17, 08:22 PM
