Man that sounds really rough. Having been forced to start from scratch a couple times I fully understand your situation. As long as you have your health and youth you can get back on top of things and start anew. What doesn't kill you can only make you stronger. I genuinely hope everything works out for you man!

/Anthony

Best of luck, I've been there before myself, it's not cool at all and I wouldn't wish this on anybody. Last year I decided I too needed change and decided to give my life to God. Failed relationships, loss of jobs, not seeing my son had me in a deep hopeless place. Religion might not be the go to option for some people, but I quickly learned the love that comes from community.

Trying to get out of situations all on your own is a huge task. I learned to serve others first, put my personal situation to the side and focus on loving others. I pray that you are doing ok and can find positive supporting environment that will listen to you and uplift.

I apologise for the brevity of this reply as my car, compy & belongings are in storage. Typing this at library with left hand only as my right pinky is broken (boxer fracture). Very difficult to type, but im getting food stamps and hopefully disability too. Filed 4 it last wk. Currently at a shelter for now.

I'll keep in touch via here, facebook & gofundme as much as I safely can. Any help is much appreciated.

thanks,
Travis

After 3 weeks in a splint, my right pinky finger is healed enough to type with. Not perfect, but useable nonetheless.

I'm still trying to get my business off the ground, with more ideas naturally coming to me as time progresses. I'm currently working on a killer upgrade for the FC's overhead console. Can't give any details till I crack the electronics portion of it, but it will be frickin' sweet!

Something odd has been happening recently. My youtube channel has received attention from Tennessee roughly every week, along with someone calling my Google Voice number (which only a select few have). Both occurred on the same day as well, 9/21/2014. The call had its number deliberately blocked, was late (11:27pm) and no message was left. Anyone that knows my current situation and knows me knows not to call with a blocked number, especially so late, and even fewer people know my Google Voice number. Even telemarketers don't call that late, especially on a SUNDAY NIGHT!

Has to be Trula calling, after she watched my youtube channel.

The past 2 days have been quite the adventure to say the least. It could be a missing scene from Planes, Trains and Automobiles :lol:

After hearing that some would-be thief got into my car by cutting the strap holding the driver's door shut and couldn't find the battery (a tip to all whom relocate theirs, do it SMARTLY!), it was time to get the car to a better place.

That was right after selling my washer & dryer to a friend for $150 and giving her a hand with getting them set up, despite a ridiculously late start on such that ended up biting me in the rear. Car fired up nice and easy, then went around the block and TWO TIRES came off of their rims :(. I had broken my cardinal rule about checking tires (use the gauge, don't eyeball it) and this is what happened. So we got the car back to Charles' house very carefully after airing one up to 50psi, it leaking the whole way back. After a hard night sleeping in the passenger seat, the car went to a nearby tire shop that took care of both tires for $20. So we're good to go right? To quote Frylock "Oh hell no"

Put some gas in the tank and she stalled and kept randomly stalling like the plugs just quit firing (ridiculously flooded, beyond stupid flooded). Again and again, it kept happening. After 0.7 miles and four times that the car fell on its face, Charles called his roadside assistance who sent out A&A Towing with the destination being Defined Autoworks. The tow truck driver dropped the car 2.5 miles away, claiming that the CVS Pharmacy on Broad St was the right address which is clearly wasn't, then left and went RIGHT PAST the shop!

So after a few more FoFs and a push-start with Charles' AE92 Corolla, the car coughed, putted and sputtered right into Logan's driveway at 5pm yesterday. It'll be getting the Turbo's Y-pipe modified and linked into the intercooler with another section which will fit perfectly and fell into my hands a couple years ago by accident. Next weekend, we shall have boost!

A big thank you to Charles for going way beyond the extra mile in getting my car to Logan. I owe you big man! Also, I want to thank Logan for taking the car on with next to no advanced notice, doing the work quite inexpensively ($70), scheduling it to work optimally with my schedule and for providing last-second directions to the shop as my internal GPS had failed and the tow truck had left us high and dry. Last, I want to thank my buddy Todd for spotting me his place this weekend and volunteering to go up to the shop next weekend to retrieve Project OldTree upon completion.

Electrical Overhaul Part 1
 

It's time for another update to my loyal viewers.

The car is back home now in a friend's garage next to his in-progress SRT4 Conversion that I'll be wiring up later this week. I'd like to give a big thank-you to Logan at Defined Autoworks for spotting me 3 new spark plugs as mine were beyond usable from chronic flooding and doing some basic tuning on my Haltech to make the car not foul plugs anymore and giving the car a jumpstart to get it going. I also want to thank my bud Jerry for lending a hand in getting the car back home for the next bit of work.

At the moment, Project OldTree is in the middle of a BIG electrical cleanup. I was pretty dissatisfied at my previous electrical center in how it simply added onto the stock fuse box while not being up to my standards for appearance. In short, wires were added and not contained properly, as were additional fuses and relays. While the VW setup works quite well as it was, it left a bit to be desired in terms of aesthetics.

Now the car is getting an overhaul for that corner, from a very surprising source, one whom I've openly criticized often for taking shortcuts in engineering. Pictures will follow in my next update, including before & after the turbo Y-pipe mods.

Been following this build for quite a while now, glad you were able to hang onto it despite everything that has happened. Hope you got a housing/job situation figured out. Good luck man!

This is my Kung-fu, and it is strong
 

Thanks Celbii. The one lesson my RX7 has taught me is that there's ALWAYS a solution to every problem if you look at it correctly. And that brings me to what I was hinting about before:

Y-pipe is modified, thanks to Logan at Defined Autoworks
https://www.rx7club.com/members/akag...orks-59779.jpg

There's always some compromise with any car modification, and one thing that annoys the piss out of me is poorly planned and/or executed electrical modifications. Sometimes one has to get creative when adding a standalone, such as with the VW setup I was using since 2010 as seen above

But what I didn't like about it was the lack of a cover on the fuses & relays. Things get dirty on a street car, and relays/fuses are one area you don't want to meet dirt. So I've been hunting for a better answer and found one in the usual clever way.
https://www.rx7club.com/members/akag...anup-59780.jpg

A Close-up, showing the small notch in the radiator core support to clear the cover. Small price to pay, but well worth it.
https://www.rx7club.com/members/akag...e-up-59781.jpg

And here's the money shot, what's inside the box:
https://www.rx7club.com/members/akag...unds-59782.jpg

ALL of the stock relays are gone now. The stock fuse box is no more as well. It's one-stop shopping for EVERYTHING electrical. Car now has a dedicated 120A fuse just for the alternator, to fix the annoying (and not particularly safe) piggybacking that Mazda did from the factory. Also has a dedicated Key-ON relay triggered by the GREEN DIAGNOSTIC CONNECTOR. Also added a Starter relay which permanently fixed the click-click-start issue. The A/C relays are in there too, along with one just for the wideband controller. The only thing not inside the box is the stock Main Relay and the Fan relays, which I've outsourced to a Volvo 2-speed controller. Best of all, there's a shit-ton of room leftover for future goodies. Still got 3 relay sockets open, 10 more fusible links and 9 fuse sockets free.

Not too shabby for a prototype eh?

EDIT: I made an error in the previous wiring & fabrication efforts. Well, this is somewhat of an error in the S4 FSM that was giving me fits over the last week. F-65 & F-66 (Lockup & 4-3 Kickdown relays) are CONSTANT 12V+, NOT IGNITION SWITCHED 12V+. Using either of these for the ignition-switched 12v source will result in the car not shutting off when the ignition is shut off. I found this out the hard way and since then, have reverted to using the Green Diagnostic Connector for Ignition Switched 12v+.

Akagis, what the hell is all that over on the passenger side where the stock air box would be??

Turbo Control Solenoids for the twins. Based on a Simplified Sequential mod I made for the 20B Cosmo, then upgraded a few times for serviceability and reliability. 50ft of vacuum line there

We Got Boost!
 

It took awhile to pin down the problem, but I solved my no-boost issue. Turns out it was a combination of issues, a few being due to me not reading the Haltech manual sufficiently years ago. And then the Main Relay started acting up by not disconnecting when the key was shut off every so often. It turns out that my previous statement about F-65 and F-66 being constant 12v+ was incorrect after all. They are indeed Switched 12v+.

So after a bit of minor rewiring to flip the solenoids' polarity around to match the Haltech (Signal is GROUND!) by using the long-deprecated Air By-pass Relay connector for Switched 12v+, and resetting the wastegate to trigger at 10psi instead of 28inhg, I fired the car up and took it around the block at 9pm last night. Got 5psi of boost and a nice big backfire in 1st gear, repeated in 2nd gear as well. In my distraction, of holding my phone up to see the boost gauge (backlight wasn't working), I forgot to get a datalog of the drive.

Car is currently set up in Sequential Mode. I still have to correct the Turbo control relay's wiring

Sorry I've not been updating the thread as much as I did before. Inbetween wrenching, I've been working on my site as much as possible to get it ready for launch. It's almost done, I just need to get the paypal stuff set up to work right and get some better pics here & there.

So I went on Google Play and I found this: RX-7 Club app

Now if only the rotary engine live wallpaper was still there...

Attachment 550786

Attachment 550787

Got a new door a few days ago, installed it yesterday and it fit perfectly. Was a local guy I found through a friend, same color and completely straight & true. Swapped the harness, then bolted it up with very little effort. Came from a Sport model, so i had to swap the window regulator too. Latched & locked with no fuss too. See the pics for how messed up the B-pillar is, while leaving the important stuff such as the latch bar completely untouched.

Oh, more good news. My website is finished now. Link is in my profile. Time for sleep now, I work too much lol

Multiple Minor Mods Makes Many Migraines
 

It's that time again, time for another update to Project OldTree. I know I've been slacking and I apologize, but I've been wanting to save up several small items for a suitable update to the thread. Between the following, a friend getting divorced and lending a hand rebuilding that friend's now ex-wife's former Neon better than stock, I've been pretty busy. So with that prefaced, let's jump in.

First up is that I have a new fuel pump, scored for dirt cheap. There's nothing wrong with the FD pump I've been using since 2008, but I found a legitamite Walbro 255 GSS315 for $20 from a very reputable source we all know. Small price to pay for insurance against insufficient fuel pressure under boost. It was a bit worrisome when it suddenly conked out, but Kevin Landers took care of it because he's awesome like that. Next, I finally got motivated and reassembled the interior, with one important upgrade...MUSIC! Stereo is installed for good now, despite breaking the little "light box" for the cigarette lighter due to the stock wiring having insufficient slack for sane installation. Seriously Mazda??? So when I get a chance to do so, I'll be fabbing a new one out out of steel and extending the associated wiring by a couple inches. Okay, sidequest over. Back to the real upgrade: Over the winter, I put together a kit to eliminate all of the fir tree-type trim clips permanently because I absolutely despise how difficult they are to remove. Now every single panel bolts in with regular metric hardware. No more damaged, broken or destroyed rare interior panels because of those polymer evergreen bastards. 10AE guys know this all too well. :)

And that brings me to the next item on the list of things that have busied me over the winter. I am translating the Eunos Cosmo's Wiring Diagrams to better understand how Mazda put the 20B-REW together. In doing so, I found out that the N390 AND NF01 ECU's do NOT have a 5v Sensor VREF source in them. It is supplied from the EC-AT Control Unit. Also, while dabbling around in the diagrams, I cracked how the Cosmo's ignition system works. The N390 (13B-REW) is basically the same as the FC's ignition system, but with the coils separate from the igniters. On a related note, the FC's UNKNOWN FOURTH IGNITION SIGNAL WIRE mystery has been solved. It is for diagnostic feedback and tells the ECU that the Trailing coil/igniter is working properly. In other words, it's an early form of a self-diagnostic system. The 13B Cosmo has the exact same setup on it.

Also, I'm doing to do some rumor dispelling right here. The 20B's NF01 ignition system is a bit more complicated in that it has a feedback wire on BOTH leading and trailing coils As for their basic operation, it's just a beefed up version of the FC's trailing system on both leading & trailing coils. When #1 fires, the ECU tells the igniter to "advance" to #2 so it will be ready to fire when the ECU gives it the signal. After #2 fires, by grounding the Trigger wire, the ECU tells the igniter to "advance" to #3 via the 3rd signal wire. Once #3 fires, the system automatically resets to enable #1 to fire again. So with a little thought, I built a system to decode this setup and 'translate' it into a Direct Fire Ignition System for the Cosmo.

Turns out the tachometer is run by the Trailing coil (ala FC style), so I did some digging and found that the 13B & 20B Cosmo have different tachometers to account for the different number of pulses generated by the trailing igniter. So I got into the zone and made a tachometer driver circuit to go hand-in-hand with the Direct Fire Conversion kits. Oh, and the Wiring Diagrams are now in both English and Japanese, and COMPLETELY SEARCHABLE by device name, connector name or even wire color and pin number... :D

Another little side quest I did was cracking open the Main Relay as it has repeatedly stayed engaged with the ignition off. What's strange is that it looked new inside. No signs of corrosion, pitting on the contacts, burn marks, absolutely no evidence of malfunctioning that I could readily discern. While in that area of the car, I took out the stock self-tapping screw, drilled out the hole and gave it permanent M4x0.7 threads just like in the hatch. Add a 1/8" fender washer with one side cut off and it fits the 5v bus bar nice and tidy, making it so the new Main Relays can be mounted side by side in the existing M6x1.0 threaded holes. After dissecting the Main Relay, finding it to be seemingly in good shape and replacing it with two separate 40A relays for reliability/replaceability, the car still keeps the relays energized. So it's looking like my ignition switch is the culprit in this case. For being nearly 30 years old, I'm not too surprized at this development, but it really sucks because replacing it is a major chore that I'm not looking forward to. This would also explain the infamous click-click-start issue that seems so prevalent with FCs, in that it produces the same mode of failure that the window switches do. With the Main Relay/Ignition Switch matter finally identified, I moved up front and finally mounted the Volvo Fan Control Relay. With some careful filing, it hooked right onto the fuse box's original mount.

On a related note regarding electrical reliability and sustainability, I finally got a new headlight motor for $25 shipped from Game of the Wangan here. Arrived a day early, so I wired it up to the bench supply & meter for a little datalogging. Turns out it draws 5 Amps in both directions when running properly. I would suspect the motors that operate the power windows, sunroof and rear wiper draw a similar amount of current. Seems kind of odd that Mazda would fuse these circuits for 3x their proper draw, but there's bound to be a reason that I just can't figure out at this second in time. As soon as I went to swap it into the car, I found that it was a DRIVER's side motor, not the passenger side one that I purchased. Thankfully, the person whom I bought it from is a fine upstanding member of the Rotary community and gave me a prompt refund for the entire amount, and said to keep the motor on top of that as he had no use for it anymore. So with that in mind, I'm going to crack both motors open and do some R&D on an upgrade for them.

And with that, I found another ignition switch for cheap too :) It's a S5 switch (FC01, no airbag version), but it's almost a drop-in swap for the S4 (FB01) one. The only difference is the Key Reminder connector (F-21 on S4, C-10 on S5). The wires are identical and go to the same locations for the same functions, it just has a different style of connector. A big thank you to Game of the Wangan for turning an error into awesome solutions for several issues all at once. We need more guys like you here!!!


To summarize:
Trim clip elimination kit
Walbro fuel pump
13B & 20B Cosmo Engine Control System translated
N390 & NF01 Ignition systems decoded & translated into Direct Fire for D585 coils
FC Coil unknown signal wire mystery solved (Feedback for diagnostics)
FC/Cosmo Tach driver adapter circuit designed

On the books for next time:
Upgraded S5 radio trim light box

Just want to say that I've tried looking at your website but the left side menu is maddening in how it pops open but if you slightly move the mouse it's gone again. There needs to be a timer in there of a few hundred MS after OnMouseOut or whatever you are using to debounce it.


I hate fir trees. Swapped a bunch of them with nutserts years ago, and will be planning all nutserts on the Cosmo.

What type of signal does it produce?

Drive the tach with the tach output on the Haltech or other standalone.

Or just connect it (in an FC application) to the leading coil.

Thank you for the feedback on my site Aaron. I'm not sure of the exact issue you are experiencing with it, as neither my laptop, desktop or several computers at the local library have displayed this specific issue. Just to be on the safe side, you can click the menu items and it will take you to the main page for the vehicle in question, complete with buttons that cover all items in the 'jumpy' menu.

Care to buy a trim clip kit from me? I include an install tool with every kit and a few extra inserts just in case something goes wrong.

As for the tachometer, not all members can afford a standalone, yet still desire an ignition upgrade. Or in some cases such as with the JC Cosmo, a standalone isn't possible (YET) due to the Palmnet ECAT-ECU-HVAC-ETC communications. Also, when transplanting a 20B into a FC/FD with the JC Cosmo coils, it sends 50% more pulses to the tachometer, making it read high (3000 instead of 2000rpm). My converter box fixes this too.

As for correctly Standlone'ing a Eunos Cosmo, that's a project for the future once I've finished translating the shop manual.

IE11 on Windows 7. Not sure what to say beyond that really. I just sort of gave up because the menus were so spastic. Really I'm not a fan of popout menus on a website anyway. Ever tried to use them on a touch screen? Brutal in many cases. But generally the issue can be fixed by setting a timeout before the menu disappears after the OnMouseOut. I haven't looked at the code on yours but most menus are a fairly standard script.

I'm not sure why one would need an ignition upgrade but isn't making enough power to warrant a standalone. Maybe there is a case I'm not seeing.

Standalone is easily possible on a Cosmo. Just make a parallel installation, keeping the stock ECU but controlling the injectors, coils and other engine bits (fans, etc.) with the standalone. Very commonly done on other vehicles like the RX-8.

Any decent standalone has configurable tach pulse settings. For the exact purpose of matching the stock tach to the wrong engine.

Not trying to rain on your parade of course, as I realise my post seems rather negative. Just trying to understand the need for converters and such.

Interesting conversations and First Driving Impressions
 

Aaron, your points are perfectly valid as always, and yields a much more informed community. Hardly negative in my book.

My whole site was made in Firefox and behaves properly in Windows and Linux OSes, as well as on my Android 4.0 phone's browser. Perhaps it's a bit of funkiness with IE? Wouldn't be the first time Microsoft screwed something up there :lol: As far as touch screen browsing goes, it appears to work fine with my phone's browser. Anyway, for those whom aren't too keen on pop-out menus, the site works just the same by clicking on the car's main link on the sidebar.

As for the electronics I've designed, I'll try to put it as best I can. Not all are as godly as you are Aaron :lol:. For things like adapting different ratios and tires, a signal converter is VERY useful. Even more useful if it includes Electronic to Mechanical output conversion onboard and at a price that makes it available to anyone, even us broke S4 owners :lol:

The Tach adapter has a simple purpose: save an output on a standalone for something more useful, in the case os a retrofit. On a stock engine, it behaves the same as the tach output from the FC's trailing coil. Kind of necessary when running D585s with a stock ECU in a FC. As for why one would do so, it's been proven many a time amongs RX-8 owners that the D585s are fantastic and they're easily packaged wherever the owner desires. Since I mounted mine directly on the shortblock, it left the entire corner behind the headlight open for my end-all, be-all fuse/relay box. Flexibility and packaging is the key :nod:

As far as the JC Cosmo and a Standalone is concerned, wouldn't the two ECUs' signals conflict with each other? IIRC, the JC Cosmo uses a Palmnet system for in-car communications and the ECU's end of that network is calculated based on how much fuel it is putting out (Injector DC), Throttle position (TPS), and so on. For example, at idle (750rpm), let's say that the stock 550 injectors are at 2ms pulse width with the NF01 ECU. But with the Haltech/Megasquirt/etc, the user tunes it down to 1.5ms. Which reading does the Palmnet system use?

It's a difficult problem, even moreso since all the documentation is still in Japanese.

Okay, now back to the fun stuff. Since the last update, I've put about 45 miles on the car to get acquainted with its behaviors and quirks. In the past 48 hours, she has...
Fouled six BUR9EQ spark plugs
Drained her battery twice
Had a bus bar fail from corrosion (38 OHMS, WTF???)
Stalled a bunch, then fell right on her face on startup
Had the Taurus fan on high drag down the electrical system to 12v while running
Stalled some more
Refuse to go into boost
Backfire a lot!
You get the idea

So after a bunch of fretting about, I got some fresh BUR7EQ plugs for the Leading holes last night, ordered some new BUR9EQ Trailing plugs for arrival tomorrow afternoon, bypassed the bus bar in question by tacking all of its terminals on one stud. Soon as I did that, the fan issue vanished into thin air and she stays at a nice, solid 14.0v with the Taurus fan on high

With no further tuning, she is quite smooth in vacuum when given about 1/3 or less throttle. As soon as she crosses into boost, she backfires and wants to flood right at 1psi when the secondaries come online.

On an interesting note, it turns out my insurance agent at State Farm is into RX-7s also. She wanted one right out of high school in 1986 :nod:

Tried going to your link for your website and I guess safari is having problems . Always try to support forum members that produce goods for my rides .

A 2nd set of sensors is installed to run the standalone, and then the standalone is either triggered in parallel with the stock VR sensors or another wheel added. Standalone controls the coils and injectors. Stock coils and injectors are disconnected. Or if the stock ECU freaks, then the injectors are replaced with resistors. Since the Cosmo is well before OBD2 I can't imagine this would cause any issues. So as far as any other systems on the car are concerned, the stock ECU is still in charge. So gauges and such should work just as they did.

Needs tuning. :)

Well, it looks like fate has thrown a monkey wrench into the works YET AGAIN, with the details here: https://www.rx7club.com/haltech-foru.../#post11908925

ObliqueFD & I did some tuning and all went really well. Car was picking up power, running smoother and happier untill we stopped for the night. The next day, it turned to total dog crap. Searching idle, stumbling like an irishman at 3am, stalling when put into gear and given a LIGHT load with feather light throttle.

It appears heat-induced, as the behavior gets worse the warmer the engine gets. Took a wild guess and replaced all the vacuum caps, finding every single one cracked from heat failure. No changes, so ObliqueFD & I did some tuning on it today to see if we could iron out the cyclic behavior. No dice there.

This was a working, stable map that fired up easily with little fuss, and responded well to throttle for being only half tuned.

Map and logs of stalling:
https://www.rx7club.com/attachments/...-map-copy-.xml

Aaron, could you please take a look at this when you have a chance to? I'm not sure what the issue is, and I'm not sure exactly how to interpret the logs properly to deduce the cause correctly. It is a compressed file, so change the extension to .ZIP and it will unzip to produce a Haltech map and logs for ECU Manager

I'll have to look at it another day. I don't have the Haltech software on this computer and the download is crawling at 20K....2 hours remaining. Screw that. :)

How the hell are you only getting 20k??? I'm pretty sure this isn't 1998 and we're not all on dial-up anymore. Then again, I thought downloading Zelda mp3s on Napster at 5k then was pretty awesome :lol: Thanks for checking out the map & logs.

We re-examined the car yesterday and found that my TPS was wired incorrectly, due to misinformation from the HITman's pinout which is floating around the net. So after cracking open the Cosmo wiring diagram and translating wire colors, then correlating it with two other sources, it is wired correctly now. With the TPS mounted on the throttle body, the proper wiring is as follows

Top pin: 5v
2nd pin: Narrow range signal (Pin 3F on N390/NF01 ECU)
3rd pin: Ground
Bottom pin: Full range signal (Pin 3G on N390/NF01 ECU) This signal also goes to the Cosmo's ECAT Unit too, most likely for kickdown control.

So we popped it back on, re-calibrated it and fired it up again. Car acted fine when cold, but got more and more glitchy as it warmed up, with the TPS voltage values jittering more and time went on. Result is that the car couldn't tell what the throttle was doing and kept dumping/pulling fuel to compensate, hence the 'looping' idle when viewed in ECU Manager.

So, TPS is suspect, and on a whim, we tried cleaning it per the MR2 owners club guide. It worked SLIGHTLY better, but still jittered too much to be stable. Something else I saw was that it wasn't behaving linearly anymore too. Definitely time for a new one, on the way now, along with a BAC valve too.

Diagnosis: Rebuild
 

The stumbling/drifting lean behavior has finally been pinned down. After replacing the TPS due to jittery behavior and dead spots, then redoing EVERY ground which contributed to the TPS behaving erratically. Ground Bus Bar was showing 50+ ohms of resistance and all of the 3/8" ring terminals were corroding from within (and showing unacceptable resistance as a result), so they all were replaced. The new bus bar has five M6x1.0 studs, is hand fabricated entirely from 304 Stainless Steel and is a drop-in replacement for the no-longer-zinc-plated GM one it replaced.

With that done, the new TPS recalibrated in ECU Manager, she's still running not well. Vacuum is low, noticeable vibration, searching idle. Thought it might be the ignition, so we checked the whole system one piece at a time. Middle rotor leading coil was sketchy, so we swapped in a spare and the car behaved identically. So a compression test was in order and that spelled it out.

Significantly Low Compression on Middle Rotor, Front & Rear were OK but not great
Using the RotaryResurrection method, she produced even bounces at around 20psi on front & rear, while 15psi on Middle. Overall were 70 front, 60 middle and 70 rear respectively. But oddly enough, it's showing that all the apex & side seals are intact while the engine runs like it's got no compression on the middle rotor. But the plus side is that since nothing has actually blown, the rotor & housings should be fine :nod:

before you go and rip the engine apart, i would do some more tuning. we had an Rx8 come into the shop, and it was obviously running on 1 rotor. after a compression test, one of the rotors was in the mid 5's, when the spec is about 8. so we called Mazda, and they had us replace the entire ignition system. since it was their money, we did.

car fired up, we ran it for a while, and retested compression, and it was in the mid 8's on both rotors.

moral of the story is that the car has to run right to have good compression, and as such i wouldn't be too quick to rebuild if it doesn't run right and compression is even.

magic 8 ball would say the ecu needs tuning

We've attempted to correct the matter with tuning multiple times and it keeps drifting leaner and leaner untill it finally stalls. Remember, this was on a solidly working map, then it suddenly started acting up OVERNIGHT. Now it can't stay running long enough to make corrections, vacuum at idle is around 10-12 in/Hg instead of 16-17 as it was before on every startup, the shifter is shaking a good 1" side to side, it's MUCH slower to rev and so on. All the signs point to :goodrebuild::badrebuild:

Something else to keep in mind is that RX-8's are notorious for ignition coil failures, hence the BHR kit with D585s. Swapping coils around was done before the compression test, so it's on six known good coils, plugs & wires. Coils are grounded with the Haltech and all engine-related items on a dedicated stainless steel ground block.
Compression isn't even, Front is ~70psi, Middle is ~60psi, Rear is ~70psi. All even but still low needle bounces for all 3 rotors tho.

even needle bounces point to either it being worn out, or it needs tuning still. its a haltech, it takes a while to get the main and all the correction maps dialed in, and until then the mixture changes with weather.

i guess i'm saying i would rather spend some time diagnosing/tuning the engine before just condemning it.

It doesn't sound like an immediate rebuild issue.

It really does sound like tuning needs to be examined first.

I would start by disabling ALL of your solenoids and extra stuff. Plug the vacuum ports, disable in software, leave the engine with the bare minimum needed to run (sensors, injectors, coils, idle valve, etc.).

Wrong fuelling will easily cause low compression results.

Condition of middle rotor injectors?

This seems unlikely at first glance, so could you please elaborate on this? Is it a symptom of carbon buildup? Common Rotary logic would imply that weak compression would result in poor/difficult tuning, but perhaps you know something that I don't. Since I got the car up & running in 2011, I've been pretty gentle with it, so it's certainly possible that carbon buildup could factor in. As for the injectors, they appear to be in good shape. Car hasn't been in boost at all yet, so only the primaries are being used.

Excessive fuel dumped by a bum injector will wash the oil film off of the housings/irons/seals and result in low compression.

Were your injectors cleaned, tested and balanced by a shop?

Was the whole fuel system flushed?

90% of problems I see with builds, or engines is caused by fuel injectors. We have old injectors in a hostile environment that have been running for 30 years. Then they sit, and instantly clog/lock up.

The worst are the ones that work intermittently.

Just want to cover the easy bases before you tear the engine apart.

The answer: Crud as always
 

I think this will answer any and all questions about how things are inside the fuel system. Pretty sure it was barely about get ANY fuel in, and the middle rotor was getting nothing.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...68a01f8219.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...682986a517.jpg

They're now on the way to Injector Rehab for de-gunking after some scrubbing with WD40 to get the visible loose gunk off. The rail was also given a once over to get the majority of the crap out. Matt & I suspect it was crap sucked up from the bottom of the tank when it was low on fuel.

On a side note, it looks like my driver's door seal gave out as well. After all of the absolutely ridiculous downpours we've had for days on end over the past few weeks, I found the interior covered in mold, but it's nothing some Lysol wipes couldn't eliminate. Well, and a new black dash that I scored for free along with some other rare goodies and a headlight motor I found by accident when loading up a fresh 13B-REW for Matt's black FD.

Stay tuned, the next update will be LEGENDARY...

I've seen so many problems in these cars caused by injectors that I won't even look at a vehicle having weird fuel issues until the injectors have been cleaned by a shop either by me personally or I am shown the receipt proving it was done.

Hey Travis just wanted to subscribe and Thank You for all the helpful info with cosmo shop manual. If you need anything please shoot me an e-mail or text.

A New Beginning and long overdue update
 

I'm finally settled in my new home, thanks to an awesome landlord, a sustainable job with clever, sharp-witted people all around, and some old-fashioned hard work. So with that said, we're diving into another update for Project OldTree: The Lil Sleeper That Could. For a nice change of pace, this shall be in the style of a fanfiction, in both first and third person perspective of one whom is well-known for appreciation of the Rotary Engine. For easy conversion between units, I'm using 100 yen per dollar.

After gently pressing against his temples in a vain attempt to reduce the optical strain, fingers returned to the keyboard, attempting to solve an equation. Values labeled Ohms, Watts, Volts and Amps were continuously submitted to an online calculator, attempting to zero in on a golden formula for the project to make this new circuit work correctly. Shaking his head, a noise escapes coincidentally as a peanut butter and chocolate feline approaches the obsidian leather chair. The kitty, sensing annoyance, leaps up into his lap and nuzzles him a bit before settling down for some much-deserved attention. Glancing at the clock, it is well past 2AM with a document in OpenOffice, an online PIRE Calculator in Firefox filling up the primary monitor and two schematics occupying the 32" LCD TV acting as a second monitor on the right of the sturdy wooden desk, connected thanks to an $8.49 adapter found on eBay, about 900 yen give or take.

Eyes gazing to the left, a disorganized workbench comes into sight just beyond the recycled Epson Stylus CX6000. A quick reminiscence recounting the disarray from before with five different printers of varying manufacture scattered in the room, along with the LCD TV acquired at the same time.

Mentally listing off the bench's contents, the White Comet of Akagi attempts to jar some creativity into his tired mind. Modified ATX power supply, Variable PWM AC current controller, three multimeters, a breadboard populated with a prototype. Every component having a specific purpose in regard to the contents of the gray 30-gallon storage tote underneath, acquired at a heavily discounted price of 75,000 yen.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...81f6cc88b4.jpg

Thinking back to the inspiration to this, a sudden bolt of pain ripples through the left ankle of one Takahashi Ryosuke. Taking a break from the cutting edge wizardry on-screen, email is checked on the Android-powered smartphone. A recent colleague has replied to a proposition, acknoledging that the dimensional reasoning I sent would work exactly as I hypothesized, surprized at the simple elegance of the solution. Recapping all of the intrinsic mathematics in the attached document, the sheer number of figures involved would make the average psyche explode. Input shaft length, flywheel dimensions, friction surface offset, two bolt hole circles, mechanical advantage imparted over three levers including one hydraulic system. With all of that sorted, the rest was relatively simple in comparison. Well, simple for him.

Behind him sitting on a shelf, a floor-mounted lever from a small american truck reduced to its most basic components. A base with vertical offset tower, baseplate reinforcement, pivot insert, the lever itself, interior lever extension, three leaf-style centering springs and finally the lower and upper housing caps minus rivets and press-formed hooks splayed outwards with the aid of a rotary cutting tool and reinforced carbide discs. Every dimension in original form logged, angular motion converted to linear motion and vise-versa to maintain sufficient internal range in both X and Y axes while reducing the physical protrusion of the entire device with intelligent repackaging.

Questions arise as to the purpose of the disassembly and intended reassembly. The simplest answer being "regular parts won't work here". One option sourced from an Australian variant of the same amercican sports car would yield bruised knuckles on every other upshift due to being 22mm forward. The other option created difficult operation as a result of its rearward bias of 29mm when compared to an unmodified FC model RX-7, yet both options possessing a pricetag of nearly 33,000 yen, an unnecessary stress for Project D's resources. "Sentaku san-ban" seemed to be the common motif in his existance, creating solutions. Combing over more measurements, a 111mm rearward offset from the donor vehicle's original position would place the lever in the exact same position that Mazda intended. To accomplish this, a second floor-mounted lever was acquired for 2500 yen and currently en-route from California. The goal being to modify both levers to accept a mechanical linkage in similar fashion to the American/Australian car. "Small Victory" he mused...

Closing out the files related to the lever geometry and electronics, it was time for a bit of a side project: Automotive Archeaology. The White Comet of Akagi was suspicious about the timeline of how this brutishly durable device came into existance, beyond what was common knowledge. This was in addition to the the far-reaching nature of its predecessor, coupled to both L28 and VG30 engines in original form. Suffice to say that such was exceedingly odd for a distinctly american device to be found in a prominently japanese vehicle, but made logical sense as there was a partnership between this americna corporation and their japanese counterparts. It also stood to reason that the manufacturer would follow their design philosophy by offering the same device to multiple customers with minor changes to suit each application.

(spoiler alert: creative re-imagining of history here, read at own risk of entertainment* :D)

However, telephone calls to both California and Detroit yielded little cooperation. Clearly there are significant differences between the culture of american corporations and japanese kabushiki-gaisha. Recalling a conversation between myself and one retired fellow I met near Hiroshima, it suddenly dawned on me. If the same patented device was to be offered in two notable countries, there would be patent applications in both localities. Fingers flew over the keyboard in two different windows and two different languages, my search focusing on a small difference I noticed immediately: two rails. The United States Patent Office produced an application filed in the spring of 1990 for a finished product. Fortunately, the application included foreign patent numbers as well. Copying the number into the opposing window, it bore more fruit than I could imagine. It listed multiple manufacturers whom it was offered to, with characteristics I easily discerned as vehicle platforms. Then I scrolled down and it all made sense

MASUDA KABUSHIKI-GAISHA
Related Patents:
MULTIPLE ROTOR WANKEL-TYPE ROTARY ENGINE (TURBOCHARGED)
DESIGNATION 20B-REW
SAVANNA RX-7, TYPE "FCESE"

After downloading a copy of everything and bookmarking each link, and a brief power nap, I sent an email to the fellow I met near Hiroshima. He then referred me to a colleague of his whom was still employed by Mazda. Two telephone calls later and armed with my laptop, we met at the corporate headquarters. A brief discussion left him very surprised that I put all of these scattered pieces together based solely on a hunch. A short while later, I found myelf in the depth of the archives at Mazda, on a guided tour of history to a single group of shelves. On a top shelf was labeled "Project Development Items. My colleague selected one binder from the shelf, it containing numerous microfilms. Selecting one from the binder, it was placed in a projector which then displayed...

6-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION
FOR AISEN-WARNER DIVISION
COPYRIGHT 1987 BORG-WARNER CORPORATION

DEVELOPED FOR MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
FOR SAVANNA RX-7 "FCESE"
ENGINE TYPE "20B-REW"

Several drawings were displayed, along with black-and-white photographs which chronicled its development from a concept to a finished product. Realizing I was not prepared for such, my colleague returned the film back in the binder, placing it in my hands with one simple instruction: "find it". The look in his eyes was pleading. I nodded. and made my way back out. Placing the binder in the passenger seat, I placed a call to a good friend, saying only one thing: "Find the projector, we have work to do".

One week straight, fueled by caffeine in excess and in six hour shifts, was dedicated to transferring these artifacts into a more durable PDF form for preservation. On the fourth day, I was awoken with two words: "Ryosuke, look" as a number was pointed out to me. Eyeing the main case, I saw the exact same numbers embossed on it. Flipping through the PDFs, the dimensions came up and it all made perfect sense.

REMOTE SHIFT LEVER, OFFSET 111 MM
CLUTCH HOUSING, LENGTH 127 MM

All of the math done on the dimensions was dead on.

Near the end of the files was a section labeled "Meter Adapter". In it was a hand-drawn schematic. Enhancing the image showed the same components I was using, but the following page chronicled their development notes, specifically how either the output was too weak or there was too much voltage drop for reliable operation. At the very end of the last PDF, there was

"PROJECT CANCELLED DUE TO BUDGET OVERRUN"

This was meant to be...

*Okay, here's the actual truth: I did call Tremec up, they weren't very cooperative on the T56's 'dirt' but referred me to Chrysler as I said it was about the Viper. Called them, they didn't want to play ball either, yet there was a common thread between them. Both of them mentioned it was "Proprietary Knowledge", which got me thinking there was a risk of competitors gaining said knowledge. So I did some digging at the US Patent Office and found that Borg-Warner patented the dual shift rail setup in the spring of 1990, implying they had a 100% production line ready item at that time. So on a whim, I scoped out Mazda's patents too. The twin turbo control system for the Eunos Cosmo was finished in 1988. I haven't looked at the Japanese patent office yet, but that's a sidequest for another day.

:scratch:

Has it really been almost a month since I last updated the thread? As for the last update, I needed a little change so I let the creative muscles flex a bit in the manner of writing it like an Initial D fanfiction story. It was somewhat of a "what if" story about if Mazda was one of the companies Borg-Warner sold their transmissions to. After all, Nissan had a T5 in the Z31 Turbo, so it's not too far of a stretch as JATCO (who came up with the Q4A-EL in the Cosmo) is a Nissan subsidiary.

Okay, back to reality! As a Christmas present to myself, I got this:
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...81f1ed8897.jpg
1997 Ford Expedition 4x4 with a 5.4L Triton V8, perfect for towing a car on a trailer, hauling an engine somewhere and so on

Your eyes do NOT deceive you, the first digit is indeed a 2.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...3a77d3843e.jpg

A decade newer than my FC, and runs halfway decently despite previous owner neglect. Broken shifter tube (cast aluminum...), headlights were DOA and the lock cylinders were presumably re-keyed at some point so they don't match the ignition.

I've spent the past few days correcting the headlights' dysfunction, beginning with their grounds. In all truth, I've never seen such a low current item have grounds that were CYAN. Dremel shined them up and that restored the Flash To Pass function. The ring terminals will be replaced once all is back to normal, I just needed to limit the variables to pin down the maladies.

Tracked down schematics, ordered a FSM CD and started tracing the positive side of the circuits. As it turns out, 97-03 Expeditions/F-150s/etc run all the current through the headlight switch, no relay present AT ALL :nono: So as soon as there's any nasties on the bulb grounds thanks to Ohm's Law, the switch burns out but the 30A fuse doesn't blow. Further proof that american companies STILL need their hand held to cross the street...

So I re-drew the diagram in KolourPaint, added in the Fog Light wiring (which DOES have a relay, but no one on Ford-Trucks knows where... :lol:) for ease of comprehension and modified it for relays. Fabbed up a quick bracket, did the basic wiring inside on the bench and got the truck ready to have the headlight power wires re-routed. Nothing quite like opening up a harness covered in 20 years of road filth to do precision electrical work in 12 degrees with a wind chill of 3 :lol:

As for my RX-7, I have no doubts that her engine does in fact need to be rebuilt. So I'm building a custom engine stand as a side project and intend to disassemble the 20B over the next month or so. She hasn't blown a seal yet, so there shouldn't be any horrendous surprises inside aside from carbon. Time will tell though.

A small interim update
 

I apologize for the lack of distinctly visible progress on the build, as the Expedition has consumed quite a bit of my time over the past 3 weeks. I'll try to paraphrase it as best as possible:

Headlights: They were completely DOA and the grounds were abysmal, so they got the Aaron Cake treatment with new terminals. Flash function restored. I added relays on the fender, but no change. Traced the circuit from one end to the other, making sure power was making the full trip. Yanked the Main Headlight Switch, disassembled it and gave it the once over. It tested good, so the wiring between it and the Dimmer/Turn Signal switch was next, and passed as well. Pulled the dimmer switch, it was toast. Rock Auto Bargain Bin to the rescue, and for $12 :lol: And by some twist of fate, they sent me the official Ford part instead of the knockoff I ordered :nod:

While I was waiting for it to arrive, I took the old one apart as there was nothing to lose. Here's what I found:
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...fd94756a9f.jpg
That burnt area is the Low/High beam section of the switch.

And here's the rest of what's operated by the switch assembly, I can't believe the wipers and turn signal still worked:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...5e5df7c3c7.jpg

More pics are here: Diagnosing the Headlight Switches by Travis S | Ford-Trucks.com

Since I had it apart, I figured it was worth the time to see if it could be rehabbed. Scraped off the gunk, shined up the contacts and reassembled it. The wiper/turn signal sections worked fine, but the headlight High/Low beam (not the Flash function) was beyond salvaging. A good lesson to anyone with a 97-03 F150 or its derivatives. As soon as I got the new switch, I threw it in and all was happy and long-term reliable there.

Since the Headlight grounds were in such horrendous condition, I thought it best to tackle every ground on the truck to ensure reliability. Here's what I found behind the passenger side kick panel, Ground# G200:
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...76844ee485.jpg

Green terminals in rusted sheetmetal is no way to circuit. Replaced and re-routed to clean sections. The rest of the carnage/progress is here in my album on the 'other forum': Grounds and Switches by Travis S | Ford-Trucks.com

In doing this, I uncovered what anyone here would consider to be a grievous lack of documentation. The truck has two exposed copper ground straps on it that are completely undocumented anywhere in the service manual. So I named them GS#1 (Middle Firewall to PS Cylinder head rear) and GS#2 (PS Frame Rail to Body behind front tire).

After making a chart for all of the grounds, I started cleaning them all. Ended up making a bus bar for all of the firewall mounted ones (except G102 back in the corner, it's fine there). As soon as I looked at GS#2, it turned to fluff. :scratch: as for GS#1, its threads shredded beyond saving when I removed the 90% rust bolt from the firewall. Then the truck started getting grumpy in the starter. After much dirt, and scarily corroded connections on the starter, I had a new one overnighted from Rock Auto for $68. The S terminal was so horribly rusted that it wouldn't accept tools anymore, leaving no choice but to cut the wire and redo it.

As all of the terminals were in the same horrifying shape as any other sheetmetal connection, I just said f**k it and ripped out all of the starter wiring to replace it, the 'cheater' Starter-Frame ground bolt galling its threads in the process too (later re-routed to a better spot on the frame). $21 later at the local welding store, I had five new fresh cables and four of them failed with one or both terminal lug crimps coming off when my cat swatted them. An hour later, they were soldered back on, slathered in dielectric grease, heat shrunk, tagged and sealed with clear heat shrink. The fluffed GS#2 strap was chucked in the trash, along with every related nut and bolt between the battery, starter and every ground. Stainless bolts were put in, along with the bus bar and everything was buttoned up like stock minus one item. Since the stock S terminal was never coming off, I put in a metripack connector a couple inches back from it as a precautionary measure for when the new started goes in. Anyone that's dealt with a Ford 4.6/5.4L V8 or 6.8L V10 knows firsthand how asinine two of the three bolts are to get to.

So, NEW good cables throughout, Marine Battery Terminals (Would you expect anything else from me? :lol:) and all the underhood grounds cleaned up or re-routed and cleaned up to make more logical sense. Now all I gotta do is replace the spark plugs and give it an oil change. Did I just say "spark plugs" on a Triton engine? Someone kill me... :lol:

After all that fun crazy insanity, the workbench is FINALLY cleared off and I did some reorganization around the house. Two engine stands sit in the corner awaiting customization to combine them into an assembly cradle with one adapter for Rotary Engines and another one made later for Triton V8/V10s in foresight of rebuilding the Expedition's engine as it is two oil changes shy of 300,000 miles. There are plans for it when that time comes, but it's far beyond a backburner project. But first, new rockers. Ohio sure is heaps of fun isn't it...:dammit:

Travis, you're amazing, bud.

I wonder how many of us you've influenced over the years? Hundreds, I'm sure.

Once I get back on my game with the build, we'll do some system design together. It's fab time for now, and that means shallow pockets and sacrifices elsewhere for the time being.

Thanks SirLaughsALot, I just hope that I'm making a difference with my ingenuity, drive and determination to uncover information that appears to be tribal knowledge in multiple manners. A prime example would be R134a A/C Operating Pressure as such is quite the mystery over on the Ford Trucks forum. Seems like 50psi lowside, 225-250psi highside is the happy spot though. First time I recharged it, it hit 225 highside and was quite chilly. Now it's hitting a ceiling of 180psi on the highside. While I know the system IS leaking as can #5 made no difference in the highside pressure, the big question is WHERE IS IT LEAKING? Ideas?

Since the last update, I've retrofitted the truck with a Trip Computer from a 1999 Eddie Bauer, only to find that it does NOT have a temperature display as I thought. The screen on the trip computer is configured for it, but the pinout makes no mention. I suspect they shared the screen with the Excursion (which has the temperature display) but did not populate the board with the hardware needed for it. So I wired everything for it just to cover all my bases, which brings me to my next project.

Everything is set up for replacing the infamous Blend Door Actuator. But like always, it's not gonna just be the regular one. It's getting a Digital EATC/HVAC Conversion with a one-off retrofit harness. Of course, LED backlighting has been done in advance when I did the rest of the interior too. Now that my phone is back up to full (broken flex cable, then a defective 'new' one), pictures will follow when I get the chance.

More awesomeness in the works.

Another bit of bad news
 

Last friday, one of my best friends died. Chelsea Elizabeth Watkins. She was 23 years old. This week has been a roller coaster for a ton of people including me. I'm doing okay, despite missing her beyond words can express. As it was REALLY sudden, no one could be prepared for the costs, especially with two children too. There is a GoFundMe if anyone would like to help or pass the info on: https://www.gofundme.com/2dyr4jfg

What's worse was that it was up to me to call my ex-fiancee Trula to tell her that her highschool best friend was gone. Informed her of the funeral arrangements for this friday, got a really unwelcome and inappropriate response from her psycho mother and that was it for me. I let loose what everyone had been thinking for the past few years. Cue Omnislash :lol:

Anyway, car and truck-related projects are currently on hold untill after the funeral because Chelsea's family needs me to be a voice of reason in a world gone insane, the same thing she would do.

RIP Chelsea, we miss you!!!

JATCO did alot over the years for various companies including Germany (VW/Audi) I wish you luck on your search

To find a leak, charge it with UV dye. You can get a leak detection kit off amazon with a dye injector, glasses, and a light for resonably cheap.

As far as pressures, it all has to do with temperature, refrigerant physical state phase change, and self protections.

The Expedition uses a cycling compressor clutch system with a fixed orifice tube to control refrigerant flow. Out of the compressor, you should see about 140F on the discharge line. The condensor cools the hot gas from the compressor to a hot liquid, which should be 30F less on the outlet line from the condensor than the inlet. After the orifice tube, the refrigerant temp should drop to 30-32F and flood the evaporator. The outlet of the evaporator should be the same as the inlet. You should have 32-40F air out of the vents with 70F ambient air coming into the blower motor. The refrigerant will turn from a liquid into a gas inside the accumulator and go back into the compressor.

I personally recharge AC using a temperature chart and a Robinair machine. You can infer the exact pressure in the lines using temperature. There are charts on google image search that you can use to check it out. Typically, you want about 34-45psi on the low side. Typically, you want 150-250psi on the high side. The pressure on the high side is 100% dependent on temperature of the ambient air, the efficiency of the condensor, and the temperature of the refrigerant. It's better than tribal knowledge. IT'S SCIENCE!!!

i don't particularly care about high side pressure. I just make sure it's higher than 125psi and less than 300psi, depending on ambient temp. When recharging a car that is being stubborn and won't take refrigerant through the low side line, I spray the condensor down with water to lower the total system pressure. The machine then can add refrigerant because the pressure lowered. The pressure lowered because I dropped the temp.

That is quite clever. Anyway, I figured out how to properly recharge the system almost a year ago. Downside is that it's still leaking :/

New Adventures in DIY
 

Greetings everyone,

I apologize for the lack of updates for the past year (Damn, I am slacking...), but I have been super busy over the past six months with the biggest project I'm ever taken on.

Home Ownership

I bought a house in November, everything sewn up the day after my kitty Ellie died :( and have been working on it ever since. New breaker box and a complete rewire from basement to attic as the old stuff was hacked to hell and from sometime in the 1940s at best. Finishing up wiring this weekend with the last 3 lights.

Now it's got a dedicated 220 outlet in the basement :D

Revised the plumbing to make more sense, trashed the butchered/incomplete furnace ducting system in favor of baseboard heaters, did some roofing, etc.

It has a garage that needs some work done too, but that's gonna be a project for after the house is sanely livable. Of course, it'll get the usual refinements too. Dedicated breaker box, fed from a 100A breaker from the house's box, some downright killer lighting, outlets everywhere, and so on.

Anyway, Project OldTree is still underway, it's just had to take a back seat to the house for a bit. But since the house is getting close to being finished, you'll start to see some more developments in the near future.

Teaser: She's getting a 3-rotor sister...

Congratulations on the house. I know the "joys" of moving in and fixing all of the surprises.

3 rotor sister, huh? Cosmo?