*touches two wires together, then explodes as angels sing*
 

WHO'S THE MAN????? It's ME!!!

Cue music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3gvDHHU8XY

I've found the last refuge of Mazda's parts department....the weird connectors with the locking tabs set within the upper pin rows. These are used on the FC's turn signal switch, hazard switch, Logicon and a shitload of other areas on our cars. If you would like one of these stupid bastard connectors and its mating connector, please send me a PM and I'll hook you up. I can also get 140 Amp versions of our Main Fusible Links too

Thanks for the shout out a while back, glad to help you keep the car. :icon_tup:

Any chance you found the pins for the connectors?

So much oil you'd think BP struck again...
 

Thanks for helping me out of a bind Howru. A shoutout is the least I could do in return for your spontaneous generosity.

I found the pins for the logicon connectors after a conversation with Takaharu 'Koby' Kobayakawa on facebook. Even though he couldn't locate the original source, he called around to a couple shops in Japan and Mazda North America Operations to track down some pigtails. Even though I only got to talk to him for a brief time, he's very passionate about the rotary community. Koby was really looking forward to Sevenstock this year since he missed it last year and is disappointed that it's not happening. So next year, let's make him proud. I'm itching to see what he thinks of my car in person then.

Okay, back to the nuts & bolts now. The correct OMP line adapters are on the way, along with oil cooler line adapters from my secret source, oil pressure sender adapters from McMaster-Carr and some blockoff plates from Banzai Racing. So once the engine is hoisted out, it's getting a final stripdown to shortblock, the oil pressure sender tackled, and the long-awaited final assembly.

i would like a set of all the connectors male and female with all the pins if you can get em to me

James May says it best...
 

Good News: it was a pipe plug in the oil pressure sender port, not a broken sender
Bad news: It's an Allen-head pipe plug that'll most likely strip as soon as you try removing it. DON'T USE ALLEN-HEAD PLUGS IF YOU EVER WANT TO REMOVE THEM

Good News: Engine came out without a hitch, with transmission attached and no load leveler
Bad news: Front Lift hook is bent to hell, Power Steering Pulley hub is stuck in place on the P/S shaft, P/S pulley is bent and the engine bent up one of the hardlines spanning the whole firewall. All should be fixable without too much trouble.

Not so bad news: Gonna need a new throwout bearing and a pilot bearing puller to find out why the pilot bearing wouldn't go far enough to fit the seal on.

Annoying News: Will need a new clutch, the FD one won't work on a T2 gearbox because the FD is a pull-type. Came with the ACT flywheel, but it sucks that I can't use it tho.

More Bad news: Found a crack in the front iron near the intake port. Lynn is confident that it can be fixed.

Your Rotary Fortune For Today: OH COCK!

Currently waiting for a few small parts to arrive before getting any wrench work done. So with the downtime, I've been hitting the books hard, spending every moment I can on The Connector Project.

The Connector Project is about 40% Complete for the S4 now. If you have a S4 car, this message is for you.

The S4's wiring is for the most part straightforward and easy to understand. That is, unless you have ABS, a factory alarm or an automatic transmission. These things screw up the understandability of the wiring diagrams in varying degrees ranging from mildly irritating (A/T in some areas) to painful (ABS on an automatic car). And due to the not-so-great print quality of the original from which our diagrams were scanned, most of that pain is from wire colors turning into indecipherable smears.

Through lots of determination, I'm trudging through this mess, correcting errors in the diagrams as I go in order to make a completely accurate mapping of every single wire in the car. I've found a few here and there where Mazda transposed wire colors between N/A and Turbo II, Coupe and Vert and so on. Once it's finished, I'll have a complete understanding of where every single wire goes on both ends, each system it affects and all the connectors it runs through.

If you are the unfortunate soul whose car came from the factory as an Automatic with a factory alarm, ABS and just happened to be a Convertible, kill yourself now because I guarantee you that every single wire in it is stained crimson with the blood of every previous owner trying to figure out which wire goes where. You're better off starting over.

Two weeks and no update? Damn, I must be slacking...

No wrenching has been done on the car since the last update, but I have some awesome news. Every circuit but one (connector FE-05 for S4 ABS cars, Yellow/blue wire) has been traced from beginning to end, so it's time to ID each connector. MrGoodnight has offered to trace the Yellow/Blue wire, so here's a free shoutout.

I've bought quite a few goodies for the car since the last update. Once this weekend comes, it'll be time to fight long and hard to the finish on this build. The goal is to turn the key by November 11th, exactly 25 years since the car came out of the factory and 11/11/11 is a cool date too!

On the agenda is:
Build new engine mounts to drop engine to 1/4" over steering rack. The current ones don't have enough material to clear the hood enough to my or Lynn's liking
Fix front iron crack
Finish water pump mods

Clean up engine & transmission
Remove P/S Pump from accessory bracket for cleanup & rust removal on mating surface (it got stuck on there)
Extract plug from oil pressure port
Reassemble longblock with proper gaskets
Replace clutch, pilot bearing & seal with proper Turbo FC ones

The engine is going to be dropped back in as a completely assembled longblock, minus the P/S and A/C.

Rebuild cooling frame
Mount Radiator, A/C condenser, Oil Cooler & Intercooler in their final homes, tether P/S cooler loop in place.

Modify turbos Y-pipe to clear hood (if needed)
Modify intake elbow to loop around P/S pump
Make intake plumbing

Expect some 10-12 hour days:twitch::twitch::twitch:

with regards to the the FSM wiring manual, I found a few errors, unfortunately I didn't make note of the specific discrepancies but if you come across them you might make up for my shortcoming and let everyone else know of the errors.

Duly noted, ITSWILL. Once I get all of the connector info compiled together, I'll make the proper corrections to the diagrams.

In the meantime, time to get some more toys for the car:
ACT Z65-HDSS clutch for $125 on ebay
20B intake & exhaust gaskets, pilot bearing & seal from Atkins Rotary for $180
2.5" downpipe flanges to mate to the Cosmo downpipe & FC Y-pipe for $20 on ebay (yes, I found a flange that fits both)
clutch release bearing: $23 at autozone

After tomorrow comes the long and difficult road to finishing the car. Pics shall follow of teh awesomeness

that and it depends on WHICH wiring diagram you're looking at, too. i think the S4 has 3, there's the 86-87 and then i think 87.5, and 88? the nomenclature changes for 88 too, so even though the car doesn't change the connector names do, which is annoying

I think we're about overdue for some pics...

Sucks about the clutch, but I thought the push vs pull (fc vs fd) transmission difference were common knowledge. Live and learn I suppose.

Thanks for the ambitious wiring crusade, I have an 87' turbo w/ factory abs (removed) and security system. I ended up having to bypass a circuit in the a/c logicon to get my stater working properly....wtf was mazda thinking? Lol

I thought I could just remove the collar from the FD clutch and it'd work, guess not lol. Oh well, it was a freebie with the flywheel. The ACT one was just shipped out this morning

As for your issue sharingan 19, bypassing a circuit in the logicon to re-enable the starter? Logicon is in the Instrument Panel Harness and the starter is in the Engine Harness. Power goes through FE-05 then to the starter.

The diagrams I used is from the s4 shop manual found on foxed.ca. Dunno if it'd make a huge difference in the long run, but we'll see as soon as I get motivated to rebuild a harness. Nomenclature does change for the S5, as all the between-harness connectors get an "X" prefix instead of the aforementioned FE (Front to Engine) or other applicable one.

Pics will be delivered once I get some picture-worthy work done on the car. One more night at work on a Pitney-Bowes APS and then it's CAR 24/7:lol::lol::lol:

First the bad news: Nothing picture-worthy this time, wait for the next update.

Now the Good News: I got DAMN LUCKY, the front iron crack was insignificant and only part of an intake manifold bolt hole. The most-exposed part of it chipped off, but the threads in the hole are still intact. If need be, it can be built back up with some JB Weld, then run a tap through to make it perfect again.

Oil pressure port plug is out now, thanks to several doses of PB Blaster over the last few weeks. VERY anti-climactic. In its place is a BSPT to 1/8" NPT adapter, 3000psi hose and tee, with a NPT to BSPT adapter for the stock gauge sender.

OMP lines have been mocked up on the housings. My idea was slightly un-perfect, but a few washers can fix that. Will be picking up the final lines tomorrow. Braided SS for dirt cheap

Gaskets are ordered from Atkins Rotary (thanks for hooking me up on such short notice Dan!!!) along with a new pilot bearing & seal and other useful goodies...

j9fd3s, ITSWILL, Stevesimon, this question is for you: Is the 20b E-shaft's opening milled the same as a 13B E-shaft? Lynn thinks it isn't as it sounded solid when I gave the pilot bearing a light tap. If mine is somehow a Pre-A code mutant, I'll have to hit up Motion Industries for a shorter pilot bearing so the seal will go on too

Today's Fortune: Winning!

After you get done the 12 days of Rotormas..comes the REAL holiday..the 12 days of REX-MAS!

Maybe this should be called The 12 Months of Rotormas?
 

$27 worth of 3/16" Flat Steel, a couple days and the Master turns it into something AWESOME, teaching the student lots in the process.
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...017_155306.jpg
Old mount on left, new one on right. These will drop the engine down 5/8" to a hair above the steering rack, with all of the adjustment on the vertical axis. This was taken about 2/3 of the way through. Now it has a divot for easy removal of the rearmost bottom nut on the exhaust manifold and just needs painted.

While doing this, I also got a lesson in doing bodywork on the previously-wrecked van. The hatch is on, holds itself up and lines up perfectly thanks to Lynn's incredible welding skills. Except for the pink filler covering the external welds, you can't tell that it had been rear-ended by a two-ton SUV.

Gaskets were shipped out today, OMP lines ready for rework into braided SS, life is good

*As Jeremy Clarkson* And now the news...

OMP lines are done. 03AN Braided Stainless Steel rated at 3000psi, should do the trick :lol:
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...019_140440.jpg

Driver's side mount is done, just needs cleaned up, both prepped and then painted tomorrow.

Did a dry fit on the fog lights, and they're VERY close to an OEM fit in the outermost squares in the grille. Switch is a near-fit in the stock spot too. Not bad for $10 at Harbor Freight

New engine mounts are finished. Old ones are on top, new set on bottom

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...020_152530.jpg

The overall geometry is the same, the new mounts just lower the whole engine down 5/8" compared to the old ones' final modification. That's plenty for the UIM to clear an unmodified N/A hood. Will it also do the trick with the turbos' Y-pipe? :ponder::ponder::ponder:

More awesomeness coming this weekend.

Last night got my zoom-zoom spirit burning brightly again, thanks to my nephew and Gran Turismo 4. Started off with an Evo 1, but it was feeling sluggish in corners. So I bought a S7 FD in the game, bumped the power up to 315hp and it was outrunning his 350hp Evo.

Today in the shop came awesome progress again. Extracted the pilot bearing with a modified Harbor Freight bearing puller (Lynn did the modding to it), found the bore was plenty long enough and tapped in a fresh bearing and seal WITH ZERO MODIFICATIONS ON THIS PRE-A CODE E-SHAFT. I just didn't tap it in far enough before. He said that he wished he had one of these pullers back in his racing days too :nod:

Clutch is on, a blockoff plate made for the inspection hole, so the shortblock is ready to go back in. Will be assembled into the longblock next.

On a very interesting note, Lynn mentioned that the diaphragm on the ACT Heavy Duty pressure plate looked very beefy and would hold a LOT more than the claimed 330ft.lbs, probably in the neighborhood of 500 or so. While that sounds awesome, he was adamant about the heavy stress it would place on the rear torrington bearing when at a stoplight with the clutch in.

And now, the obligatory teaser pic:
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...023_173625.jpg

Currently reorganizing my photobucket so there's order in it. Unfortunately, it is breaking all of the picture links here, so I've asked that RotaryRocket88 edit each post I've made to reflect the new album. All the file names are the same.

Untill then, here's the OLD location:
http://s619.photobucket.com/albums/t...s_White_Comet/

And the NEW location
http://s619.photobucket.com/albums/t...%20Conversion/

and the most recent pic:
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...023_173625.jpg

V-Mounting Geometry
 

The engine is going back in tomorrow and I've been itching to work on the car, so it's time I did the math and figured out how to fit the intercooler, oil cooler, A/C condenser and that massive radiator all in the nose of the car.

That led me to this very useful resource for calculating sides and angles for triangles:
http://www.csgnetwork.com/righttricalc.html

A stock FC radiator is 23" tall and sits at I believe 60-70 degrees (let's say 65 for this) with the top facing forward. In the early posts of this build, we've established that having it vertical while level with the core support's top leaves the bottom hanging down too low. By plugging in the numbers for segment C (23) and Angle A (65), we've found the vertical height we have to work with, all while keeping it level with the core support. That number is 20.8".

Because the radiator is 26x19, not including the filler neck or cap, it should theoretically clear. 1.8" should be plenty for a radiator cap to clear. But due to the extra thickness of the radiator, that leaves not enough room for the fan, another lesson learned from the stock radiator vertical mounting experiment.

Solution #1:
Move the radiator under the core support, keeping it vertical and front-mount the intercooler. To achieve this while keeping the radiator vertical, the core support has to be modified with an opening for the filler neck to fit through. Should it be angled forward, the filler neck would be forward of the core support and fitting a fan wouldn't be a problem. However, the radiator fits VERY snug so there's no space at all on either side for the A/C condenser lines, so they have to be routed either atop or below the radiator. Also, the intercooler plumbing would have to be done the same way, not a very good approach.
Pros: Radiator fits well
Cons: A/C & intake plumbing hell

Solution #2:
Do a V-mount setup by mounting the radiator bottom facing forward. This leaves a small 'window' on each upper corner for the A/C condenser lines to fit through. Plenty of space for the fan. Oil cooler might pose an issue, depending on radiator angle and space needed for the fan. Lynn and I prototyped this setup with the old engine mounts and it left the radiator hanging about 1" below the front bumper's lower edge. With the new mounts, this might not be an issue. Either way, a new mounting frame is in order.
Pros: Lots of fresh, cold air for everything but the oil cooler (can be worked around), straightforward plumbing for each heat exchanger
Cons: Radiator bottom currently hangs below bottom of front end (due to nose tapering up at bumper), no protection from impact.

Anyone got some clever ideas? The only stipulations are that the stock hood latch has to stay in place and the drivetrain can't be moved back.

I would do an oil cooler setup like this.

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-non-technical-pictures-198/my-2nd-gen-20b-w-pics-814248/
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1320991227

The Ignition Condition
 

Just a small but important tidbit to all considering a 20B conversion:

Spark plug wires for a 1999 Suburban do NOT fit LS1, LS2 or LS2 Truck ignition coils

Seems like common 20B misinformation, so I thought I'd clear it up. The only reason they would be useful is because they're long and cheap to get. But since one would have to crimp on a new coil terminal, it'd make more sense to just get some proper plug wire and terminals, ensuring that your plug wires are good from the start.

I've not visited the local harley dealer with a coil in hand yet, so I can't say one way or the other about part# Y0204.K, provided by Slo. We'll see though.

is that seriously the only mount on the motor looks like they would bend so easy

Yes, those pictured are the only mounts. They're 50% thicker than Banzai Racing's mounts and each weld is continuous along the entire seam. To bend in any direction, one would have to break two welds.

To put it in perspective, Banzai Racing's mounts have been in use by the community for 8 years with 600+hp and torque to match on several cars and they've not heard of one set failing yet. The master is quite confident that these will hold up just fine, and he's built quite a few racecars from the ground up. If he says something will hold up, it will.

im not saying they wont just surprised

I would not compare those to our brackets. The single gusset design with the mounting hole in the opposite corner is going to put a lot of strain on those welds. Our dual gusset design with press brake formed body does not stress the welds since it is a continuous piece of metal across the bottom. Additionally, ours have the motor mount holes closer to the center which mean there is no leverage on the gusset welds when supporting the weight of the engine.

http://www.banzai-racing.com/store/m...e_brackets.jpg

I am not saying that your brackets will not work, just that they are apples and oranges when compared to ours. Your brackets are relying heavily on the strength of the welds. Where as ours are designed to utilize the strength of the steel.

Duly noted Banzai, no harm done. Unlike some people, I appreciate constructive criticism as you've put forth. Another triangle brace is going to be added to stiffen the structure up as you suggested.

On a more fun note, LIM is on, Exhaust manifold is on, Turbos & Sequential Actuator are fitted. In doing so, Lynn & I found another fault due to an oversight on my part and general incompetence on a previous owner. Not sure who did it, but whoever did gets a rating of "complete fucknut" from the master.

The rear rotor housing had one exhaust manifold stud MUCH shorter than the rest, and torqued in so much that it took being heated up to glowing orange, PB blaster and BOTH of us to extract it. 2 hours later, threads were cleaned up and the manifold was on & torqued to spec.

Drool time:
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...114_172636.jpg

Also started on some secret stuff, more to be revealed when it's ready.

Looks like the coolant return Y-pipe has vanished between here and the shop. Thanks to me buying a second set of turbos last year for the downpipe, the master and I turned the spare, mangled feed Y-pipe into a custom AN6 return, routed under the UIM to the water pump housing's barb.
Cost: $0

Per Banzai Racing's suggestion, the mounting brackets are now reinforced and won't break no matter what.

Bought a Spectre #8707 intake adapter at Autozone yesterday and put it on the front turbo inlet. It fit perfectly fine, despite needing #9714 to plumb the Blowoff Valve back in, it being made of plastic didn't sit well on my conscience. Might be fine on a civic, but not a turbo rotary, much less a twin turbo, and even moreso a 20B Twin Turbo:lol: So today we made an all steel version using some spare 2.5" intake tubing and a 1/2" NPT pipe nipple modified into a 12AN hose barb.
Cost: $1

Ignition coil brackets are being redone from the ghetto ones I did in the spring. Still going to be under the UIM, but mounted sideways. Best of all, it means plug wires can be regular LS2 ones
Cost: $0

Reinstall is scheduled for tomorrow after the coils are mounted, pics shall follow.

The past few days have been spent on making the perfect coil mounts and constructing a perfect vacuum system for the twin turbos. Engine is still on the bench till tomorrow. But for now, here's a couple teaser pics. You'll have to excuse the mess as the first pic is a mockup using vinyl tubing. Free bump for Menards having very inexpensive 0.170 and 0.250" vinyl tubing. Yes I know 0.170 isn't exactly correct for the smaller 5mm lines, but it's fine for doing a mockup.

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...117_182836.jpg

These are regular LS2 Truck spark plug wires, $28.99 at Oreilly's. The coils are now in their final home, on completely hand-fabricated stainless steel brackets, placing each rotor's coils in one tidy package. Start drooling now...
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...119_173910.jpg

Completed ignition & vacuum system are coming soon...

Intake is done, Y-pipe installed, coils are mounted, so the engine is ready for reinstall. By sheer luck, the Power Steering pulley boss finally came off thanks to several soakings over the past few months with PB Blaster and a 3-jaw bearing puller.

Obligatory picture:
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...120_170858.jpg

Once the engine is in, then comes the cooling frame, finishing the water pump housing, mounting & plumbing all of the heat exchangers and then doing the exhaust. Gonna be using all the 'hacks' I know of to get the car done on time, within budget and done correctly.

At long last, the engine is back in its home. Took 5 hours to get it mated up correctly to the transmission and installed. Something I want to mention here is that clutch disc alignment tools from the parts store are GARBAGE. I have one, lined up the clutch with it and we couldn't get the transmission on all the way because of the sloppiness in the tool. Even pushing & wiggling it with all my strength wouldn't budge it the last 1/8". Surprisingly, there was no damage to anything from the misalignment. So Lynn aligned the clutch by eye as I put the pressure plate on and the transmission nearly installed itself. Not sure if an alignment tool from Mazda would be better, but an extra input shaft is definitely the way to go from now on.

One important point I want to mention is that when doing a 20B conversion: Having installed the same engine & transmission both ways, together and separately, I can now say with absolute certainty that it can be done either way, but doing so separately is MUCH easier and requires only two people, whereas installing them together requires three.

Installing them together took Lynn and my buddy Matt wiggling the engine & crane while I was under the car working the transmission & engine mount bushings. Took us about an hour, due to the engine mount bushings being a major PITA when combined with lining up the transmission crossmember.

Driver's side:
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...121_181122.jpg

Passenger side:
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...121_181241.jpg

And the guys that made it all possible:
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...121_181210.jpg

Lynn got his welding groove back, so the water pump housing is finished. And I attacked the vacuum lines with a fury like no other. Power Steering pump is back on, clutch hydraulics back in place now.

Vacuum system: 85% done
Power Steering: 80% done
Water Pump: FINISHED & ready for install

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...122_150627.jpg

Tomorrow's agenda is to bleed the clutch, get the radiator & water pump in place, bolt the driveshaft in and make the downpipe. Gonna be a LONG day.

Today was spent on fabrication, topside finishing work & the vacuum system. UIM & throttle body are on, fuel supply and return & heater feed hoses are all connected.

PREPARE TO SHIT BRICKS...

The completed vacuum system. 7 solenoids total, including my custom Boost Creep Defender System. Should the car try to overboost past 10psi, the system opens the BOV as soon as it hits 14psi, courtesy of a MAP switch in the haltech. BCDS is the clear hoses here, will do them in silicone tomorrow
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...123_181612.jpg

First half of the new Intake Elbow. All TIG, 4043 filler rod for every bead and only using the stock 20B Cosmo intake elbow as material. Lynn is THE SHIT!
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...123_181535.jpg

I don't know anything about the 20B vac system, but why the huge brass fittings? Again, don't know anything, but why 7 solenoids if you are running a standalone? Stock twins are that complex?

Looks like a shit mess to be honest and those welds sure don't look like TIG, but more of a noobie at aluminum MIG. I'm sure everything will clean up nice though!

Shitting bricks right now. What a mess!


Clean that shit up!
:bottom:

Beefhole, there is a perfectly logical reason to having 7 solenoids. It takes 6 to operate the turbos sequentially using the simplified sequential diagram. It's just like the FD, but has a differently shaped Y-pipe. Each of these has one solenoid on it:
Turbo Pre-Control Actuator
Wastegate Actuator
Turbo Control Actuator (Boost Port)
Turbo Control Actuator (Vacuum Port)
Charge Control Valve
Charge Relief Valve

The last solenoid is connected to the Blowoff Valve. Normally a Blowoff Valve is opened by vacuum from the intake manifold. My system uses two sources of vacuum, the intake manifold and the front turbo inlet and a solenoid to switch between them, activated by the haltech at 14psi.

Under normal operation, the blowoff valve opens when shifting up (Manifold under vacuum triggers the BOV), just like any other turbo car. But in the case of Boost Creep (Turbo FCs & FD get this with a freer flowing exhaust), the haltech will leave it alone till it creeps up to 14psi. That is when it triggers Solenoid #7, switching the BOV's source from the intake manifold to the front turbo inlet (constant vacuum source), which makes it instantly dump ALL boost untill it drops below 14psi again.

The result: Boost Creep is limited to 4psi beyond the wastegate's opening pressure (10psi), the turbos are kept within safe operating limits and crazy lean conditions (AKA blown engine from Boost Creep) can't happen. So in the case that the changeover system malfunctions from a solenoid crapping out, the BOV can be activated by the haltech to make sure the engine will keep going without damage.

Not too shabby for being bored over the summer.

Okay, now for all the fittings. The reason for this is that anyone with a turbo rotary has had solenoid nipples break off, or the nipple on a very important device like the Charge Relief Valve or BOV break. My BOV came with a broken nipple, through no fault of the seller. The fittings on each line are there so each connection can be taken apart without stressing and risking breaking devices that are so critical to the car's operation. Got the idea from the 3rd Gen section about using aquarium brass tees for the turbos and took it a step further. Brass fittings can take much more heat, wear & tear than a plastic nipple could hope to.

Jaggermouth, the welds on the intake elbow have NOT been ground down yet, the picture was taken right after it was cool enough to handle.

Right now, everything is just mocked up and will be cleaned up later once the car is up & running correctly. Maybe in the spring I'll get motivated to make a nice stainless steel bulkhead partition and mount all of the fittings on there. Not only will it keep the solenoids from ever crapping out from the heat, but it'll also provide a nice, clean interface for each connection.

First, make it work. Then make it pretty.

Does the haltech you are using have an overboost feature? I imagine higher end standlones would have an option to cut fuel if boost exceeds a predetermined level. Seems like you are using the BOV as a pop-off valve, I've thought of that myself but my older E6k cannot control something like that.

As for the stock twins and 6 solenoids... YIKES!

Not sure if the PS2K can cut fuel on overboost, but that sounds like good intentions ending up as a recipe for disaster. With boost creep comes running lean. Cut the fuel and it would go from "2008 Recession" lean to "Starving in Ethiopia" lean in an instant.

Much easier to just open the blowoff valve. It'll run a bit rich for a second or two, then get right back to normal as soon as boost pressure drops back to normal.

To reiterate, this is not a band-aid for poor tuning. This system is in case of unforeseen boost creep, despite tuning the car correctly. Tune the car correctly from the start, then have this system in case something acts up later such as the wastegate solenoid failing. So instead of getting the 1986 Challenger explosion, you get Apollo 13 and can get back home with zero boost thanks to a manual override switch wired parallel to the ECU output.

If you're interested, I can show you how to build it without using an extra ECU output.

The 20B twins operate exactly like the FD twins, the only difference between my setup and a stock FD's is solenoid location. FDs have them packed under the UIM, where they are well known to go belly-up. Can't recall who it was, but one person compiled all the vacuum device testing info in a single thread and showed that even NEW solenoids can fail immediately when baked in an oven to simulate being under the UIM. Needless to say, this was not going to work for my car. And because there's no airflow meter anymore, its M6x1.0 holes made the perfect spot to mount all of the solenoids, vacuum box & front inlet manifold with very little fabrication.

EDIT: Here's the thread I mentioned
https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...+control+valve

fuel cut on over boost shouldn't blow a motor. The stock FC ECU does this (to the rear rotor). It cuts completely, it's not like it decides halfway through the pulse "oops, time to cut this fuel off!" It just won't fire the injectors. NO fuel means no combustion. This could also be done with ignition cut (machine gun noises).

Anyway... another good thing to do is use the 2 or even 3 bar map sensor. Even if you don't plan on going more than 10PSI, you still will have a map for any loads above that. I only run 15psi, but I have a map for 30psi. If I accidentally spike to 20psi, I am covered with a conservative fuel and ignition map, so I'm not terribly worried.

Ultimately, a pop off is still a good idea, I like your thinking.

Starter & driveshaft are in now. Bottom radiator hose adapter is done, 1.75" to 1.5" with 0.625" tee for the heater return. Here's two pics of progress.

Completed Intake Elbow
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...124_161959.jpg

The whole intake:
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...124_161947.jpg

More awesomeness tomorrow

The dryer duct is temporary, right?

I'm really NOT trying to dilute your good work, you've done some good stuff so far! I just don't want to see good work end up with dryer ducts and duct tape to "get it done" :)

Loving the overboost protection, very clever

Didn't get to the shop today, due to a tire on my mom's car choosing to split apart at the steel belts last night. But even without me, a small bit of progress still happened :lol:

The water pump is now on, so all that's left to build is the exhaust and cooling frame. After that is all hoses. Thanks to the clever little adapter the master put together yesterday, I can re-use the stock bottom radiator & heater hoses so the only flex hoses will be a 1.5" one for the radiator inlet and a 1.75" one to mate the radiator outlet to the custom tee. That'll save me at least $35.

The "dryer duct" is actually a piece of 2.25" ID stainless steel exhaust flex pipe from Autozone. For $7 it seemed like a clever way to plumb the intake without having to drag out the 20-ton pipe bender and screw around with trying to keep sand in a pipe while bending it. It'll be redone the correct way sometime later, but this will do to get the intercooler positioned and connected.

Exhaust will be tackled in the same manner. $15 for 6ft of 2.25" ID flex pipe (again, stainless), tack on two flanges and call it done for now. Both the intake & exhaust plumbing can be cloned using the flex models just by tacking a couple pieces of 1/8" flat steel on to brace it across each bend.

FWIW, flex pipe is great for prototyping any plumbing with. Sure, the bend radius is horribly big, evidenced by the intake piece only being able to do a 90 degree turn across the whole length, but it's cheap, is stainless steel (weldable) and allows for no-tool working in the same size as the final piece. And another bonus is that since it's stainless steel, it'll hold up under heat reasonably well while you're building the final hard pipe version.

On a side note, Lynn has a turbo for sale. It's from Rajay Industries in Long Beach, CA. Model# 3AB1883581 (I think, picture was a bit fuzzy on this), Serial# 0099969, Part# 600584-07. It's completely new, with absolutely ZERO SHAFT PLAY, never bolted up to anything EVER. Looks about the size of a Hitachi HT-18 give or take, so might be a bit small for a rotary. Probably a good fit for a KA24, SR20 or 4G63. Will get more details later. Once again, this turbo is BRAND NEW, NEVER USED. PM me if interested

I helped design some of the circuits on this build. We ran into a few kinks at first. But I love how this is going together. Good work bro!

Cooling cradle is 50% finished now, turbo oil supply line is done in braided SS now. The Cosmo downpipe is bolted up, resonator is on and awaiting the last exhaust section to mate them together. Hood was modified a bit more but now clears the Cosmo Y-pipe. Water pump upper neck is now a tad shorter and exits straight forward.

Front of the engine is nearly done now. Just need to flip the hangar bracket to the back of its mounting ear so it won't interfere with the taurus alternator. Yup, I forgot and tried to bolt up the alternator:lol::lol:

One minus for today: the big chunk of flex pipe is too small to fit the exhaust flanges I have, without making or buying some adapters. It's a bit ghetto, but would be the simplest way to solve the issue on the cheap and quick.

Radiator fits very well in the opening and doesn't hang below the bumper AT ALL, intercooler is a tight fit on top too. Not quite sure where the oil cooler will fit yet, but it'll probably be behind the radiator on a simple 1" Double-T crossmember.

Finishing the cooling systems is tomorrow's first priority, then exhaust and front of engine items.

The car is back home now so it can be finished in time for Christmas. MAJOR thanks to ObliqueFD for helping me move it with a sticking front brake caliper and spotting me the cash to flatbed it home. You REALLY saved the day!!!

Radiator frame, intercooler mount, downpipe are all done. The core support needed to be cut to half its original width to fit the intercooler, but all the hood latch stuff is intact and unmodified. 1" square tube was riveted in to reinforce the whole span. It's just as strong as the original now.

The oil cooler mount is going to be a simple 1" square tube crossmember bolted to the frame rails about 1" back from where the original mount was. Mazda was kind enough to provide a M6x1.0 hole on either rail along the bottom. So yesterday I made the crossmember up right before packing everything up.

Well poop...

Our gracious administrator Aaron Cake has outlined the correct manner to plumb in the charcoal canister, brake booster and cruise control actuator. All 3 require constant vacuum and the turbo control system has eaten up all the ports I have. Here's how each system is plumbed correctly.

Charcoal Canister plumbing:
Check & Cut Valve (on front of fuel tank)---hardline to front---Charcoal Canister---Tee---Oil Filler neck (Leg 1 of tee) & PCV Valve (Leg 2 of tee)---Constant Vacuum (Leg 2 of tee)

Brake Booster plumbing:
Constant Vacuum---Check Valve---Brake Booster

Center Iron Nipple plumbing:
Nipple---Catch Can---Filter vented to atmosphere

Cruise Control:
Constant Vacuum---Cruise Actuator

Guess I gotta pony up for an air manifold and clean up that nasty looking brass fitting orgy. Fastenal has a nice black anodized one with ten 1/4" NPT outputs and a 3/8" input for $30. Since I can't remember how many the brass mess has, better to have more than not enough. Just gotta find a way to mount it somewhere.

But before I do anything about that comes the bigger fish: Finishing the radiator, oil cooler & intercooler plumbing.

Future plans:
Sometime after the car is up and running will be a complete wiring overhaul. As it stands now, all the haltech wiring is a rushed job at best and I'm simply not happy with it. So a complete rebuild of ALL the non-stock wiring is in the works. Haltech harness is getting thinned out, with every redundant wire tossed and all of the relays & fuses relocated to under the hood. All sensors will be powered from a 5V bus bar, ran directly from the haltech using 12 gauge orange wire as to not disrupt the schematic. Even found the perfect Fuse/Relay panel to tie up all the electrical stuff in one clean package, from another Mazda vehicle.

My garage-dom for a fan...
 

After an inspiring brainstorming session that included some Haltech memory address hacking, I had a revelation of how the Taurus fan & A/C condenser will be mounted.

Ran to Menards for some 1/8" thick flat steel, a square dowel rod, some Loctite-brand JB Weld

Both the top and bottom radiator mount 'cups' use C-brackets, bottom has the open ends upward and the top ones facing inward. By attaching rigid braces vertically between the top and bottom 'cups' it provides a solid mount for the fan but one cannot install/remove the radiator easily as the top cups must pivot during installation and removal.

As this is a multi-dimensional problem, let's just focus on the fan for the example as it would be easier to visualize.

When the radiator is slipped inside the top 'cups' you need to have it 100% vertical as the lower hose bung is wiggled around the cup, then carefully slid downward. Once it's about halfway in, it is angled toward the front to meet the lower 'cups' where it is pushed into place. At this point, the top and bottom 'cups' are located on the same plane, approximately 1/4" above the core, and the upper hose barb is above the upper 'cup' on the passenger side.

By welding a bolt to the rear face of each 'cup', you create the means to make the whole cradle rigid and provide a solid place to mount the fan.

Since the radiator is 26x19x3, let's say just for the sake of example that it is 17" center-to-center between the top and bottom 'cups'. I haven't measured this, so the 17" figure is conjecture for the time being. When you link top and bottom together, the top can no longer rotate as it needs to do in order to remove the radiator. For the fan mount, I'm going to remedy this by slotting the bottom holes upward about 1/2" to let the captured bolts slide through without binding up. Top holes will require minor slotting to allow for the angular difference.

Since the Taurus fan is a bit less than 26" wide (again, I haven't measured it), its shroud will be reconstructed and bolted on the radiator-side of the vertical links to get it as close to the radiator as possible. As long as the fan frame keeps the center of the fan blades about 1/8" off of the core, it should work fine and hopefully the rear will clear the main pulleys.

FYI, if you cut the shroud down on a Taurus fan so it sits level based on the driver's side mounting ears, you'll have about 1/8" clearance between fan and radiator at the middle of the fan blade where it is thickest. Mine is currently modified like this.

For the A/C condenser, all you do is flip the whole idea upside-down since it'll need slotted at the top. The only change I'd make here is to use slotted steel instead of solid, in order to preserve airflow through the core in the areas where the vertical links will be.