S4 Vert

Aaahh. There's your answer .

I am glad everything else is in order, enjoy your FC.

ibeljin

iTrader: (1)

haha the term "everything else" is rather subjective. Mechanically the car is alright, but there are small things that really show the cars age and heritage. such as the missing relay for my interior fan, or the annoying exhaust leak. there are little details that need attention before i am satisfied with the car

nonetheless, I am falling in love with this car. I've always wanted to own a rotary and i still cant believe i own this thing. Looking forward to my first WOT run

MazdaMike02

iTrader: (4)

Did you get that car from Rob? That looks like the one i was gonna buy..

ibeljin

iTrader: (1)

It's possible that was his name, I can't quite remember.
I compression tested the engine when a while back before the engine was actually ready to fire for the first time and the results were something along the lines of 60-60-30 on the front and 90-90-60 for the rear rotors. Now that the car has been running for a while i decided to test it again, to see if any of the stuck seals may have started moving again, afterall, the car didnt turn over for more than a decade. Here are the results
none of the pulses seem to fall below 90 PSI
Im pleased to say the least Im working on fixing a couple of electrical bugs to get the car through safety, I plan to have her fully registered and insured by the beginning of july

S4 Vert

Those are pretty healthy compression test reading .

ibeljin

iTrader: (1)

It's been a while since i've posted anything. I have since received a bunch of parts including new tires, radiator, and new catalytic converter. With the new rad in the car no longer overheats but stays around 3/4 the way up. I've noticed the alternator belt is pretty cracked and i do believe the waterpump has two belts going to it. Another issue i ran into now that the car can stay running for more than 5 minutes is the ECU putting it in limp mode
Did a quick search and figured out it could either be bad grounds to the ECU or the OMP (s5 being electric instead of s4 mechanical) or my OMP is toast. There's also a cacophony of nasty sounds being emitting from the rear suspension as the car drives. She still has some bugs but I'm getting ever closer to my goal of finally registering a healthy rx7

Rotary Terror

Is your CEL on? If it is you should check the codes and it will give you a pretty good indication of if it is the OMP or not. Check Engine Light Codes here is the procedure to do so.

NCross

iTrader: (18)

There is only one true limp mode. The OMP. Check the connections. Does it hit a brick wall at 3500 RPM? The reason is fuel cut at the rear rotor. If your OMP is bad you will also need to replace the ECU since the circuit will be fried. Throttle is reduce to 30% on the front rotor. You can actually rev to red line as soon as you start the car, The computer takes a few seconds to recognize the code. Do not try this though...

If you have to drive the car at least premix it until you can replace the OMP and ECU.

All other "limp modes" are really just changes in the timing and fuel MAP. They will only cause extra fuel consumption and maybe a high or bouncy idle.

ibeljin

iTrader: (1)

it doesnt cut the rev's it just cuts power. It cuts out if i give it too much throttle. And interestingly it disables the limp mode the second i turn the car off, can you even check engine codes without the check engine light on? The light only comes out after 10-15 minutes of driving too

Rotary Terror

"To do so for RX-7's from 1988 on, (with the engine off but fully warmed up) find the single green wire in the wiring harness just in front of the left front suspension tower, near the front ignition coil.

Ground the connector on this wire (the wire will be hanging free, without its connector hooked to another wire) on the chassis, using a jumper wire, etc.

Sit in the car and turn the ignition switch on WITHOUT STARTING THE CAR. Immediately watch the check engine light. If everything is OK, it will not light. If it starts flashing, count the flashes. It may stop flashing for a couple of seconds, then start again. Each of those series of flashes is for a separate engine fault code. Multiple codes will display in order from low number to high." from Check Engine Light Codes

I had to put an OMP in my Rx7 when I had it which is apparently now at Kenny U-pull. It was working fine so you should head on over and try to pull it. I'm sure theyd only charge you a couple bucks for it too.

NCross

iTrader: (18)

Stored codes will not cause a CEL to stay on. They will flash periodically. Usually not a serious code.

ibeljin

iTrader: (1)

RotaryTerror, I assume your rx7 was an s5? What condition was your suspension in because i could use some more parts there as well haha. I pulled the codes and got 27 and 13. One for the intake air pressure and one for the MOP. I might get to testing it later today but im flying out on vacation in the evening. I'll see what happens

ibeljin

iTrader: (1)

its been a while since ive made an update. in regards to the OMP i decided im going to premix and just buy the rtek chip and be done with it. Ive fixed some electrical issues regarding the blower motor and its function so the car is now ready to be safetied here are some pictures of the car sitting on new rims and fresh rubber




once the car is registered again, i will be replacing all of the bushings in the suspension and maybe even look into getting some coilovers or tower braces

invinciblejets

Lookin good, coilovers with those wheels will set it off....

Keeble

iTrader: (3)

ibeljin

iTrader: (1)

theres no camber in the front in stock trim and it just looks wrong. the ride height could be a little bit lower as well without compromising suspension stroke. It will be a streetcar after all and i dont want to loose my kidneys every time i hit a bump. I've been looking into purchasing a set of tein flex coilovers, ive heard good things about them

Chef Stretch

Nice! Cant wait to see it after coilovers!

ibeljin

iTrader: (1)

I little update on the car. I finally got around to fixing the sunroof as it wouldnt open properly. I can now say that all the electronic functions in the car work! well except the radio, the OEM one is fried
going to tackle some of the rust around the sunroof in the near future. My plans to get the car through safety fell to pieces along with my sway bar end links. Whoever decided to make these plastic on the s5 should be f&@!ing shot. I have to wait for a new wave of parts before i can go about FINALLY registering the car.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

Because their part only lasted for 20 some years?
Yeah, string the bastard up.

How long do you suppose an aftermarket endlink with spherical joints will last?

ibeljin

iTrader: (1)

I just cant understand the reason for creating a suspension component out of plastic, other than for economical reasons

clokker

iTrader: (2)

Lots of cars have plastic suspension components (Corvettes, for instance), so plastic isn't only an economy material.

What other articulating part of the suspension (i.e., anything that moves, like shocks, bushings, links,etc.) lasts forever (or, for the sake of this discussion, lasts longer than 20 years)?

ibeljin

iTrader: (1)

i realize nothing lasts forever, but the car hasnt been driven for 13 years. the only reason that part failed was because its made of plastic, and it deteriorated. A metal or alloy part would not have failed in the same way.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

You don't know that.

I'm not trying to be a dick about the subject (although I don't have to try very hard) but it galls me to to see a part labeled "inferior" when in fact it simply exceeded it's service life or was subjected to abuse. I've had two S5s and neither have broken endlinks, so what am I to make of that?

If you replaced those links with another set of OEM (and I assume you won't be) and they failed within a year then we'd be agreeing that plastic was an unsuitable material.
But what if they don't?
When the ball joints in your new links get sloppy loose (because that's what will happen eventually), then what material do you turn to?

Basically, your whole car is in "failure" mode now, the rust at the sunroof is a failure of the paint and metal, is it not?
That's what makes owning a 20+ year old car so challenging, it's literally falling apart constantly, having far outlasted it's design parameters.
You just chase from one hot spot to another, hoping for the best.

ibeljin

iTrader: (1)

every part will eventually fatigue over time and fail in one way or another, i agree with you there. However a metal link is less like to fail in the same way the OEM plastic link did.
Plastic simply doesnt withstand stress the same way metal materials do. The only plastic i know of that can withstand crazy amounts of stress is polycarbonate whis is extremely expensive.
would a new OEM link last me a couple of years? probably. You have more experience with these vehicles than i do and you have my respect for that. But the simple fact is its not as strong as most metals. If my new enlinks completely disintegrate in the next year or two then i might be inclined to try OEM ones again, but right now this is the direction i want to go in

ibeljin

iTrader: (1)

catalytic converter was installed and the car passed safety without any problems
next i will be going on a great rust crusade to get the car looking nice and fresh again along with replacing some tired bushings in the suspension