I was originally going to make a post going into detail on the entire process of modifying this car since I bought it when I was 19 almost a year ago, but my PC crashed an deleted the entire thing (which was like 800 words and not even done &#128128. I'll probably remake the entire post in detail when I have a bit of free time again, but I have class in 45 minutes, so for now I decided to just show it off a little bit

-K&N Drop-in filter
-T-II wing + hood
-Corksport Odura lip (fun fact: Honda Taffeta White is nearly a perfect match for Noble White)
-Koyorad radiator + RB hoses
-KYB Excel G shocks + RB springs
-New LED headlights
-An obvious Initial D livery lmao

Soon I'll install Pacesetter headers (eventually I'll do a full RB exhaust, but idk if I'll sell the Pacesetters and save up or run the Pacesetters for a bit first), an FD alternator kit, and finish my rear suspension (rear steer delete kit + rear camber adjustment coming in the mail)

Also ignore the mess of wires for the cooling system, they're temporary. I'm going to be swapping it with a better fan controller soon and making the wiring nice and neat

 

Nice work so far.I am headed in some what of a similar direction with mine now. Most here do would probably say, "Rocket What"., including me, had there not been so many of these posted on here. Good on you though, we need some young blood in the game to keep interest in the FC3, especially the S4's,

If you are dead set on headers for an N/A buy them, however, there are negligible gains from using them. The stock one is a pretty cool piece of tech, IMHO. Now, if you plan on using an aftermarket ECU down the road then, it's probably different. Just be mindful if you have s4 secondaries. You can do some reading on headers on the Racing Beat site. They make good stuff and it is well liked here.

If you make a post on how you cleaned up your rims, I would defiantly read it. Mine are brushed finish and they are kind of trashed. I need to work on them some. There is at least one old thread on here about cleaning these up. Yours look better IMHO so.....

 

I'm not dead set on just headers specifically. The reason I bought PaceSetters is because someone was selling them like an hour from me for $50 brand new. They came with his FC, he never installed them, sold the car, and realized he still had them months later and just decided to sell them cheap. I'd rather get a full Racing Beat exhaust, but I'm not against putting on a set of headers I got for $50 in the meantime while I save up for the like $1,300 exhaust system I actually want

I do 100% plan on getting a standalone, I just have to save for it. I'm looking at a Haltech Elite 750, and will probably just learn to do all the wiring myself. I know the Nexus series is the absolute best you can get for a rotary, but I don't want to go too crazy with this. While the car is N/A (I won't just throw a turbo on without building it to reliably handle the ~6 psi I want max, I'm doing as much research as I can constantly), I want to make it make about 200 WHP at most. Just whatever I can get out of it without ITBs or a bridgeport. Maybe a mild street port, but not a bridge

The rims do look way cleaner now than they did when I bought it (and still way cleaner than a couple weeks ago), but I honestly didn't do anything special. I just sprayed them down with Chemical Guys Iron Remover, scrubbed them, wiped them off with a microfiber towel, scrubbed them with wheel cleaner, used a microfiber towel again, and that was all. I tried polishing them too, but the polish made absolutely no difference


Thanks for the reply

Also like 3 hours after I made this post, my FC blew the rear iron to firewall coolant hose. I ordered a new one from Atkins, but sadly it'll be out of commission for the next few days so I'll have to bring my daily (also modified) to my friend's car meet tonight

 

Sorry to know about the hose, our cars are old. Thanks for the heads up about the rims. Have fun at the car meet and don't do anything to make your family want to disown you.

 

Sorry for the late response, I forgot to log back in lmao

Unfortunately there wasn't much of a meet since it was raining, so we all just watched the Minecraft movie instead. I definitely wouldn't do anything stupid at meets, especially something that'd risk damaging either of my cars since I absolutely love them. Those people who *do* actually do dumb things at meets like donuts, burnouts, etc are a stain on the car scene

 

Looking good! Will be following

May I ask what headlights you are running? I'm planning to switch to LED soon and those lenses still look OEM which I like.
Also is your efan shrouded? I'm planning to switch to an efan soon but I want to keep my stock airbox and dam, and jus curious about fit & temps.

 

My headlights are the H6054 Dual Beam LED conversion kit from Headlight Express. They're a bit pricey, but they also have replaceable bulbs so you don't have to trash the housings too if they go out. I think they're made for an S13 180/240sx, but fit the FC perfectly. For my efan, I just bought a 1996 Ford Taurus efan and cut the shroud a little to clear the radiator inlet and outlet easier. Ignore the coolant splatter in the engine bay lmao. That's from one of my coolant lines breaking and spraying coolant all over, and I haven't gotten around to cleaning the rest of it yet

 

Did a little more work to the FC (and a decent amount under the hood). Earlier today I ordered the LRB Speed under tray and aero panel, so hopefully those will be here in 3-4 weeks. I also swapped the alternator for an FD alternator using the Gee Spec harness, S5 main fuse, and Banzai pulley kit. If anyone is going to Tuner Fest here in Illinois this Saturday, I'll be there since I got one of the indoor VIP spots for my car. Please feel free to come say hi

I still have a lot of plans for this car, most of which will be during the winter. A friend of mine was telling me I should go to the track with him, so I'm probably going to save up during the winter before buying a bunch of parts to prepare for that. At the very least, I want a set of Enkei J10 wheels (17x7 with a 38 mm offset), some sportier tires, a harness bar, harnesses, and Racing Beat sway bars. If I can also get my hands on Racing Beat headers + a presilencer as well as a Haltech Elite 1500 or 2500 + harness, that would be even better

This car also finally has working A/C for the first time since i bought it a little over a year ago. But when I turn it on, it feels like the FC loses 20-30 horsepower and it drops by about 350 RPM at idle. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this means I have a bad Idle Air Bypass Valve and will have to get it replaced, unless there's a way to fix the existing valve

 

Your car looks so good, white works well on the FC. I love that lip too.

 

Thank you. It's still the factory paint on the body itself. The mirrors, wing, and front lip are actually rattle canned with Honda Taffeta White paint. The front lip is the Corksport Odura, which is meant for the S5 FC bumper. I got it to work for mine by cutting relief cuts in the fiberglass, heating it, and carefully bending to shape

 

Car looks great!

For the A/C idle drop I would think the BAC also. It might dirty/stuck closed. You can put 12v to the BAC and see if it clicks open/closed. If it is opening OK, then maybe it's the signal to the BAC. I don't know how to verify the signal. Verifying the signal might be hard to check, maybe if you have an multimeter that can read duty cycle or an oscilloscope. I believe the BAC gets variable(?) voltage at one wire, then the other wire is duty cycle ground controlled by the ECU.

My recommendation is if you try to clean the BAC, don't use brake cleaner in the port. There's a diaphragm/bellows in there that can separate from the actuator with brake cleaner. Or at least that's what I experienced lol.

EDIT. You should be able to check the BAC as well by turning on a bunch of electrical loads and see if it bumps up the idle to compensate or not. Radio, blower, head lights, brake lights, etc.

 

Alright then, I'll have to learn how to properly test it like how you said. Is there anything specific you'd recommend for cleaning it since brake cleaner won't work?

It also does *not* compensate for higher electrical load. When I turn on my E-Fan, it drops by 50-100 RPM. I was also thinking of replacing evedy light (already replaced headlights) in the car with LEDs to reduce electrical load anyway

 

Maybe something like simple green or pb blaster first? Something not as strong as brake cleaner.
I feel like where I went wrong with brake cleaner is it got too dry and I clicked it on and off with brake cleaner in the port.

A lot of people suggest carb cleaner, but from my experience with brake cleaner, I feel like it's still too strong. Sorry I'm not trying to scare you lol, just sharing what happened to me. But maybe you aren't as clumsy as me lol. You might have better luck.

 

Carb cleaner is too strong, I ruind a good sealing BAC that way. Then I set my hand and the BAC on fire with a spark from the temporary wire that I hooked up from the battery to the BAC............



Please be careful everyone!

 

Do you know what I can use to clean out the inside of the bypass valve then? I don't think I want to buy a used one that might not be great, and I'm absolutely NOT spending $650 on a brand new one

 

Good question..... As far as I can tell, the BAC is either open or closed, it is possible a voltage variation will change how far open or closed it is? I am not sure how that would work, maybe if you had a variac and adjust voltage to see if the flow rate changes.

I think with the on/off nature that I observed It might just pulse on/off. I also don'r remember if it is normally open or normally closed. It is easy to check, blow air through it energized and not. One will have air pass, one wont. If one way has air and the other doesn't, it is moving. If you get air passing and then more air passing, or reverse, your BAC is leaking. As far as I know, could be wrong here

As far as your low idle issue... if it is an inconsistent idle, not based on a higher electrical load, turning the wheel, etc, It has been mentioned here a lot and is almost never solved. I have the same issue, too. By this I mean that idle is steady or very solid but settles high or settles low and stays there until you bump the accelerator. This is after many properly completed idle set procedures.

A consistent low idle, not based on a higher electrical load, turning the wheel, etc, that can not be solved through new vacuum hoses and finding leaks will likely be a throttle body issue, as far as I know. This is also after the idle is set correcttly

You are in the ball park checking the BAC for your issue. My issue could just be a leaking BAC, It is leaking a little, the engine seemed to run better without it, until a higher load was put on the engine at idle.

So.. to answer the question.... if it seals and opens fully, I wouldn't clean it. Otherwise... I am not sure. You might just need a scope to properly test BACs. Some have tested it with a volt meter at the ECU. The voltage will drop from 12v when it's working. Perhaps half that with everything on.

Edit: I think the BAC isn't on/off. It is called the duty cycle, I think. There is info on here about BAC duty cycle.
Also a low idle could be a variable resistor issue, too, it fine tunes fuel delivery beyond what the ECU does, if I am remembering correctly.
Also, I read carb cleaner can work if not sprayed into the BAC if needed. Maybe spray it into a container and pour it in?

 

I have an update that I wish I didn't have to make. About 3 days after my last post in this thread, I was driving my FC to work when someone made a left turn in front of me. He had a flashing yellow turn light (common in my area, they mean yield to oncoming traffic, which will have a solid green light) and decided to make a left turn anyway right as I was entering the intersection. Him and his insurance admitted fault (though he was YELLING at the police officer that a flashing yellow means he has the right of way (it does not)). I'm still sore over a week later. I'm not sure where I'm gonna go with the car from here, but I'm definitely buying it back. I haven't gotten a quote yet, because they consider mine a collector's car and are taking extra time evaluating it. I guess we'll just have to see what happens though

 

ouch!

sorry to see that. i'm glad you're okay though. it looks like a pretty hard hit.

 

I'm as ok as I can be, luckily. It was definitely a hard hit. I don't know how fast I was going when the crash happened, but before I hit the brakes, I was going 45-50 since that's the speed limit and I had only just gotten into 5th gear. But with how much worse it could've been, especially since we were both moving, Mazda built a good car

 

Good to know you both walked away, cars can be replaced. My first seven met a similar end, and yes the car was built well enough, I walked away. I hope recovery for you is quick and permanent. i assume the other driver was just not paying attention and was just making excuses.

Check to see if the doors close and operate properly with no gaps and look for deformation around the sunroof. You might be able to salvage the car with a front end replacement with a highly skilled welder and a donor car. Otherwise, just part it out and start over.

 

As far as I know, he was fully paying attention, but like his dad genuinely believed that a flashing yellow meant he had the right of way

The passenger door also opens, and the driver door would open, but at some point after the crash (likely while being towed), the driver side fender got pushed to make it so you can't open the driver's door without damaging it against the fender. I know it was able to open at the time of the accident because I was able to get out only about 20 seconds after

 

[QUOTE][As far as I know, he was fully paying attention, but like his dad genuinely believed that a flashing yellow meant he had the right of way/QUOTE]

I will give them the benefit of the doubt that they misjudged your speed then. The only other easy explanation is that Dad was looking for an insurance payout.

Best wishes, there are a lot of people here that can help out along the way. I felt a little off while driving after a banger like this, it happens for some. Hopefully. you have a rental, be safe out there.

 

[QUOTE=Jeff76;12636242]Thank you. Luckily I have a reliable daily, so I didn't need to get a rental or anything. Hoping to get a good amount from insurance so I can start working on a rotary again soon. I feel this crazy itch to work on an engine, but now I don't have one to do anything with. I was thinking of even just getting a predator 212 or something and working on that in the meantime with my friend

 

If the car is at a tow storage lot, be careful. They charge a LOT. And insurance won't cover all of that.

 

Thats absolutely awful! No one was seriously hurt and that's what matters most. Doesn't take the pain away from losing a car you spent so much time and money on, but you weren't seriously injured and thus, the car did a good job protecting you.

If you are able to buy it back, I would suggest looking for a clean roller or shell and transferring your parts into the roller or shell and building another car. This way your original FC will live on in another.