higgi was showing me his PS2k maps and the software has a whole page where you can set failsafes and limp homes and stuff. it looks like you can do pretty much anything you can think of.

That is awesome, especially in the case of an injector sticking open, solenoid failure, hose leaks, etc. I just might use that coupled with some LEDs on the dash for fault codes. Red for oil stuff, Blue for coolant and Yellow for Boost.

Well I finally got off my butt today and did some of the radiator hose groundwork. Early on, I knew everything related to the radiator would require flex hoses. After getting Gates #26501 for the bottom and #25476 for the top from the local Oreilly Auto Parts (They ROCK!), I realized that no flexible hose could close to the bend radius needed for this project. Both ends of the top hose would need very tight bends to meet up with the barbs. Determined to not be defeated, I went to Menards' plumbing section and found the solution on the cheap...

Nibco #C607 1 1/4" copper pipe elbows. They fit inside the ends of 1.5" hose just as well as the 1 1/2" street elbow's smaller end, but are the same size on both ends unlike a street elbow. For $5 each, it's worth a try at least. And yes, Aaron Cake, I did read up on your experiments with copper hardline for the heater core return and what caused it to not work as intended. If the hoses do pop off or aren't on there as tight as a canadian catholic schoolgirl's chacha, it wouldn't be too difficult to build up a barb lip using JB weld.

After taking a look at their rubber pipe couplers, I realized that 2.5" OD tube would probably translate to a 2" or 2.25" plumbing coupling. Next time I'm there, I'll bring some of the leftover intake pipe to check it. If my hunch is correct, that might be a cheap way to sew up the intercooler plumbing.

Here's what I had in mind for the Radiator Hoses:
Use the old lower radiator hose on the water pump housing lower neck, with the custom 3-way heater return tee adapter on the other end. Run some blue AN10 hose from the 5/8" barb on the tee to the stock hardline and connect the radiator to the tee with the #26501 Green Stripe flex hose.

As for the top hose, cut two 3" straight sections from it and put those on the water pump's upper hose barb & radiator top barb with the two elbows. then put the #25476 between the elbows. That way, its flexibility is only needed to account for misalignment and will be well within its applicable bend radius.

Yet again, the car gods have smiled upon me. Felix Wankel must be very pleased with my progress, determination and imagination...

2" Rubber Pipe Couplers are a PERFECT fit for 2.5" OD Exhaust/Intake tubing. Menards has straight couplers for $5 and 90 degree ones for $7.50, both with appropriate hose clamps included. Despite not being as tight of a bend as proper silicone ones, it's perfect for my needs. If I find that one part needs a tighter bend, 2" NPT 45 and 90 degree elbows and pipe nipples are cheap enough.

Radiator hoses are on and clamped in place. My idea for the top hose worked perfectly. Though the hose itself could have been about 5" shorter, I made it work thanks to those tight 90 degree copper elbows. The top hose runs parallel to the bottom one for about 3" due to the excess length.

All in all, not too shabby for using regular off-the-shelf parts. Pics will come in the morning once the heater return hose is on. Might use another copper bend there too..

i'm not exactly sure what you can do as far as LED's on the dash (i think it will do a check engine light though), but i don know you can set all the failsafes you want based on oil temp, pressure, and coolant temps. the only thing you need is to have the sensor hooked to the ecu.

the radiator hoses get interesting, i was able to use an FD upper hose, and i think the stock FC hose cut in 2 with a pipe in the middle for my 3 rotor, but my friends 20B truck had a weird question mark hose....

i have done pipe too, in theory its better, but you do need to have a bead on it, otherwise it will come off.

my car i used just a 90* silicone coupler from the upper to swirl pot and stock upper hose for lower.

worked perfectly. my setup is quite a bit different than yours though

The Force is strong in this one.
 

Heater hose is done now, took WAY too long. Since the stock hose was being pinched slightly by the Wastegate Actuator, that wouldn't work to my liking and the -10AN hose I had on hand is too reinforced to stretch over the hose barb. Pushing as hard as I could wouldn't get it to budge either, partly due to not being able to get a straight shot on the barb. And it wouldn't come close to making the necessary bend either...

So I cut the stock heater hose off at the hardline barb it and put it on backwards. Now the outlet faces straight down to meet a dirt-cheap NIBCO 1/2" 90 degree copper pipe joiner (28 cents at Menards), then to a short piece of leftover -10AN blue hose, another 90 degree copper elbow and some regular 5/8" heater hose from Oreilly Auto Parts to fit onto the the 3-way adapter with hose clamps on each transition at the largest parts. Not exactly pretty or refined, but it'll work.

Slapped on a vacuum cap on the radiator's overflow nipple, reinstalled the stock overflow bottle and run the hose back to the original location on the filler neck and the coolant system is finished entirely now. Well, except for a generic GM radiator cap that'll never get opened.

Yes, I said I'd get pictures of it, but I spent too much time running around for plumbing stuff so it'll be first thing in the morning. Tomorrow's business is mounting the oil cooler, making its hoses and doing the starter & transmission wiring using the original pigtail from the automatic and a couple bullet connectors for the reverse switch. Yes, it's cheap but it's got the original 4-pin FE-05 and and 1-pin starter connectors. Sure beats the purple and blue mess with quick disconnects that I put on there last time :lol:

Today brought slow but important progress. Oil cooler is C-clamped its final home. Cooler hoses are cut to approximate length and in place. Its orientation is with the oil thermostat facing down, front cover hose will be on the side port (nearest the thermostat) while the rear hose from the oil filter will go directly on top. Because of the C-clamp on the driver's side, I couldn't get the hoses on the cooler yet. Due to a late start and running out of daylight, the last holes to be drilled in the crossmember & cooler brackets will have to wait till tomorrow. Normally I'd say fuck it and drill them out with a flashlight but it's way too close to the radiator to risk it.

As promised, here are the pictures
Top Side Detail Shot
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...213_164307.jpg

Bottom Side Detail Shot
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...213_164353.jpg

Overall picture
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...213_164251.jpg

Received the Vacuum Manifold from McMaster-Carr today and it looks very nice. 10 1/4" NPT outlet ports and two 3/8" NPT inlet port. The outlet ports are arranged 90 degrees apart in two rows of 5 with the inlet ports on either end. Mounting holes are M5 size, not threaded and it is reasonably generous with them. Should fit snugly behind the passenger side headlight $29.50 shipped and worth every penny.

Last night, my girlfriend got me motivated to finish the Oil Cooler...so I did it at 2AM:lol::lol::lol::lol:

Haven't touched the car all day aside from undoing the oil filler tube & center iron hoses from everything else so it can be plumbed correctly. As the Center Iron port is a pain to access thanks to the rear rotor's coils, I'm just gonna buy a hose splicer and add onto the short hose I put on there last month. Cheap, I know but it's only used for blowby and goes to a catch can that still needs to be acquired.

Interesting parts note:
The Z32 300ZX's PCV Valves have a hose barb on the manifold side and a 1/4" NPT fitting on the block side. This makes it super easy to plumb everything up. Charcoal Canister and Oil Filler Tube go into a 1/4" NPT Tee, with the Z32 PCV Valve on the other side with a nice long hose going back to the vacuum manifold block (Constant Vacuum). Pretty slick for a stock part.

Another very useful parts note is that I found a cap at Autozone for $5 for my Jegs radiator. CST #7020 is a perfect fit for the cap neck and is rated at 20psi. Because I'm using the stock FC cap/overflow system rated at 13psi, it'll work just peachy. And since it'll be hidden by the intercooler plumbing, who cares that it's not polished and shiny. Plenty of other shiny things to gawk at like the kids in a candy store that we all are at heart...

Since it's too dark out to get decent pictures, here's something useful to tide everyone over.
The Complete 13B-REW/20B-REW Sequential Twin Turbo Vacuum Diagram.
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...uumDiagram.jpg

I made this by combining 3 different diagrams together and adding in some of my own refinements like Solenoid #7 to eliminate boost creep and all of the useful part numbers for hose barbs, solenoids & pigtails and where to find them. Major thanks to Aaron Cake for explaining how to plumb the Charcoal Canister & Center Iron ports correctly.

That is a killer diagram. I'm planning on using Haltech when I go 13b-rew so this will be helpful. Great job!

Thanks, the diagram went through several iterations before it had everything accounted for.

Looks like my idea to use household plumbing parts for the intake worked only halfway...
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...215_150723.jpg

This is gonna be some UGLY plumbing and have to be done entirely in silicone 90's since there's so little room. Really not looking forward to it.

Also found out how a PCV Valve works. Unlike a Check Valve, a PCV valve works based on a Pressure Difference Window. the pressure difference between both ends has to be within a certain range or the valve closes because it has two closed positions. In contrast, a normal Check Valve has only one closed position.

Here's the average PCV Valve, with the plunger being green.
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/pcv-r...ed-apart-3.jpg

Because it can close in either direction, it doesn't matter which way it faces. So the nice Z32 300ZX valve can be put in backwards. From the 1/4" NPT Tee linking the Charcoal Canister and Oil Filler Tube, here are the necessary NPT fittings (Watts part numbers):

A-729: 1/4" NPT pipe nipple w/wrench hex
A-765: 3/8 F-NPT to 1/4 F-NPT adapter
A-386SH 3/8 M-NPT to 5/8" Hose Barb
If not available, you may use A-813 (1/2 F-NPT to 1/4 F-NPT adapter) and A-493 (1/2 M-NPT to 5/8 Hose barb)
Short section of 5/8" Hose
Z32 300ZX PCV Valve (Champ # PC283, $4 at Autozone)
A-197: 1/4 F-NPT to 1/4" Hose Barb
1/4" hose leading back to vacuum manifold block

In theory, a check valve would work if oriented to flow towards the vacuum manifold. Would be cheap to try and fits 1/4 or 3/16" hose barbs that I already have. The main concern would be that the medium going through it would clog it up. Maybe I'll just get a different PCV Valve instead...

pdxrotornewb, I made a couple corrections to the diagram in regard to the PCV Valve upon finding out a much cleaner solution. Re-uploaded the diagram in the same location, so it'll be in the post I put it in.

The FD has two PCV Valves, N3A1-13-890 and NF01-13-890. After finding these thanks to http://www.standardbrand.com/Online%...g/Content.aspx using 5mm as the barb size, I checked prices at Mazdatrix and found out something downright dumb...

THEY ARE ONE-WAY CHECK VALVES WITH 3/16" HOSE BARBS

Schedule for the Final Mission:
12/16:
Reconnect Haltech & Starter/Reverse Lights Harnesses
Install downpipe
Finish Vacuum System

12/17:
Fill Oil, Transmission, & Coolant
Bleed Clutch & Coolant

When I get motivated:
Y-pipe to Intercooler Plumbing

Going to be sweet. I like the way its coming together.

I'm taking a break to reorganize all the plumbing fittings, electrical stuff and tools so here's the mid-day progress update.

Downpipe is on. Thread pitch is M12x1.25, not M12x1.5 like on the FD. So far, this is the only location on the whole car and engine that I've seen use M12x1.25. Haven't touched the differential yet, so who knows about that. Starter & reverse lights are connected & loomed neatly with corrugated split tubing.

Vacuum Manifold is in place now, a huge improvement over the brass clusterfuck it replaced. Oil Filler Tube & charcoal canister are plumbed to a tee with the output going to a 3/16" check valve and returning to the Vacuum Manifold. Center Iron port's hose has a splicer on it so it'll reach where the trailing coil originally was. Perfect spot for the catch tank I'll build over the winter.

Fuel Pressure Regulator is connected to the one of the UIM's rear vacuum nipples with silicone hose and secured on both ends with aircraft safety wire. Should be fine for a LONG time.

While at Menards earlier, I revisited the plumbing section and think I came up with a solution for the Bitch Pipe (Y-pipe to Intercooler plumbing). Since it's not immediately necessary for the first start, it can wait till payday. Wiring, spark plugs and all of the remaining vacuum stuff is getting finished tonight.

Make sure a fire extingisher is handy on first fire-up! Actually a couple handy.

A history lesson on Turbo Rotaries
 

Haven't gone outside yet to mess with the car, but I figured out something interesting about the stock ECUs' boost control system.

Every turbo rotary uses the same boost tables and they were written in 1982. The reason why I say 1982 is because the 12A Turbo FB & HB Cosmo came out in September 1983 and R&D-ing chips back then was expensive and lengthy. Getting it right probably took at least 9 months since it was the very first Turbo Rotary. Both ran 8psi of boost.

In September 1985, the S4 FC was introduced and ran the same 8psi. The only difference between their ECUs is in their pinouts. One such addition on the S4 FC was the quick spool valve that required an output from the ECU.

When the JC Cosmo arrived in March 1990 and then the FD in 1991, it had a restrictor pill in the wastegate vacuum line. Remove the pill and you get...

8psi of boost

The only difference between the Turbo FC and 13B JC/FD ECUs is that the JC/FD ECUs have the extra pins for operate the twin turbo system. The Boost Control System operates identically to the 12A Turbo. This is how you can use a FD's Apex'i PowerFC on a FC. The 20B's ECU is the same as a 13B one, but has the extra necessary pins to operate the 3rd rotor's ignition system, fuel injectors and knock sensor. Everything else is legacy stuff carried over from 1982.

Trying to rework the boost control circuits inside the ECU to up the boost to 10psi would have cost Mazda lots of money in R&D and programming. This was in 1988/1989, when programming chips was very expensive. Suffice to say the top brass chose a cheap plastic restrictor pill because it was cheaper, and most of the ECU R&D Budget probably went into the Sequential Turbo Control System. Probably only took a day or two to find the right size restrictor pill. All the pill does is make the wastegate actuator see less vacuum than normally available. Hence, it opens later at a higher pressure. This is how a boost controller works as well.

Base boost pressure is set by the wastegate spring, then increased using the Wastegate Solenoid, and either a Boost Controller or Restrictor Pill.

In the previous work schedule, I COMPLETELY FORGOT about the Throttle Cable :blush:. Well, I had forgotten about it all along :uh:

After connecting all the wiring up, I found that the S4 NA throttle cable is too long. The end "barrel" hooks onto the linkage track just fine, but it places the threaded adjuster fitting too far away from the 20B's throttle cable bracket.

Solution: Pull the bracket off and make an extension.
Cost: Free

For reference, the throttle cable bracket uses M5X0.8 PHILLIPS HEAD SCREWS and they went straight into the parts box never to be used again. Not sure what the length is, but the LS2 Truck coil bracket bolts were the same pitch and about 6mm longer than these.

What I specifically did was put some extra bolts through the holes, with nuts to hold them snug. Place a piece of thin single-layer cardboard (Cereal Box thickness) over the exposed bolt shafts and tap on the cardboard with the ball peen hammer. This turns the cardboard into a perfect template and the holes cut out by the hammer fit the bolts perfectly every time. Transfer to steel and drill the holes.

I used 1/8" thick 1 1/2" wide flat steel and left a gap of about 1/8" on all sides. The holes are roughly 1 1/2" apart, so put the template on sideways before marking the holes. I goofed and didn't make the first pair even from the edge. Did the same thing on the other pair so it doesn't change the angle at all.

To keep the stock bracket in the same front-to-back location, I put 3 washers under the extension bracket, and a nut (3mm tall) directly under the bolt head on the side that attaches to the throttle body. For the stock 20B bracket, put it on the FRONT of the extension bracket and secure with two more bolts.

Throttle is semi-adjusted (double-checking it in the daylight), wiring is finished and it's now ready for fluids, sealing up the last bits of the vacuum system and the car's on-camera debut for its first start

Wow, one day and I haven't posted... I'm sure slacking off

To my dismay, today was consumed by securing the P/S cooling loop & front end wiring in place, fixing a ground that had disappeared, securing the oil pressure hose & stock sender to the strut tower and giving the vacuum manifold and turbo control system some much-needed attention. Also mounted & connected the horns.

Thanks to a heads-up from j9fd3s, the double throttle is now kaput. Found out this morning that if they're not connected to the UIM, boost pressure will close them and choke the engine. Because the vacuum nipple for the double throttle is long gone, I fixed it the quick & dirty way by just removing the butterflies. M4x0.7 PHILLIPS HEAD SCREWS!!!:Kill1: Thank Flying Spaghetti Monster they didn't strip. I've had downright amazing luck when it comes to nuts & bolts not stripping or breaking off on the car & engine.

All the Turbo Control System's fittings were taken apart, given teflon tape and reassembled. Still need to get two more hose barbs, another plug and 3ft of 3/8" hose for the brake booster first thing in the morning tomorrow and that'll complete the vacuum system. Drill a couple holes to mount the manifold behind the headlight and it's signed, sealed and delivered.

And now, a nugget of joy from Zorak...
What happened to the oil pressure gauge signal wire? :rofl::rofl:
When the engine was pulled last year, I had no idea what happened to this wire. All I remember is that the gauge worked before pulling the engine, then I had the sender out and the wire disappeared...

Now you see why I have the oil pressure sender remote located on a tee...Just for occasions like this.

gotta love the phillips head screws on the throttle body. I'm amazed every time I manage to get one out without stripping it, and disappointed and enraged every time I can't.

also, weirdly enough, the wire for my coolant temp sensor vanished somehow during my Haltech install, so I know the feeling lol.

i used to have a 139rwhp@12psi dyno sheet to prove it too!

i ALWAYS forget the coolant temp sensor wire, i've done it so many times.... its basically why i don't wrap the harness until after the car has been running for a while.

DAMN, we all knew that rotaries in N/A form were once pretty wheezy, but a 20B-REW getting out muscled by a S4NA 13B? That demands proof...
I invoke Man Law: Pics or GTFO :lol:

Just came in from a 15-hour day working on the car. Electrical stuff is sewn up, vacuum stuff is ready to be connected for the last time finally found the oil pressure sender wire and installed the sender. Unfortunately, the extension hose idea didn't want to work because the Male BSPT to Female NPT adapter I got from McMaster-Carr wasn't made correctly and doesn't thread into either NPT or BSPT. So it's back to a stock setup...for now

The transmission is filled. This was a complete NIGHTMARE. The inspection plug is stuck in place currently. I was giving the wrench and pipe every bit of muscle I had and it just wanted to round two corners off. So being the optimist and thinking "NA transmissions don't have an inspection plug and I've done those before", I went ahead and started filling it up. Just gonna come out and say it...

That was THE STUPIDEST thing I've ever done. :banghead::burn::sweatdrop:bigeyes::rant::wallbash ::shocking::cursing:

Having the inspection plug out is a convenient hole for air to escape. If that's stuck, air will come out through the hose you're putting gear oil in through. What you get is what happened to me.

It took 12 Hours, yes TWELVE HOURS to put in 83.2 ounces of 80w-90 gear oil. The first quart was a breeze, only hiccuping a couple times for air. After that, it all went downhill.

First it got dark, then it started raining, and then it started backing up like a toilet at a frat party. I spent at least 8 times as long getting air bubbles out of the hose than putting in more gear oil.

But me, being the stubborn impatient fellow I am, stuck with it and finished it. In retrospect, this is probably the only task that I'd ever consider paying someone to do for me.

Will I EVER do this again? Only and I mean ONLY if the inspection plug magically comes loose, I have a positive pressure pump just for this and only if it is absolutely necessary.
Translation: Second week of January:rlaugh::rlaugh::rlaugh::rlaugh:

Now that the psychotic crazy shit is over and done with, Oil and coolant tomorrow. Now if you'll excuse me, I needs zonk time.

Progress Report for 12/20:

Vacuum system: 90% finished including the Cruise Control Actuator. All that remains is sealing up the vacuum storage chamber.

Transmission & Drivetrain: 87% done. Still need to reinstall the transmission fill plug and bleed the clutch the rest of the way.

Wiring: 100% Completed* including hooking up the Oil Level Sensor. The plug in the S4 Engine Harness has disappeared and left only the pin (a tyco electronics part), but I managed to put a delphi pin in it and it holds reasonably secure. Wrapped it up in electrical tape so it's fine for the first start. Oil Pressure Sender wire isn't secure enough to my liking but should be fine. Oddly enough, I can't currently locate who makes this weird button-type connector. If you know, please tell me.

Injectors and Ignition coils are on subharnesses so it's easy to disable both when priming the engine for the first start. Haltech Fuel Pump output wire is teed into existing wiring via a short adapter pigtail.

Oil System: 100% done
Coolant System: 100% done
Fuel System: 100% done. Probably should drain the old gas out of the tank...

ECU: 50% done. Had set up the inputs/outputs months ago in anticipation. Just need to calibrate it to the sensors.

On the agenda for tonight is...
Reinstall transmission fill plug & give the inspection plug more PB Blaster.
Double and Triple-check drains and all hoses for oil & coolant systems
Finish bleeding the clutch
Siphon out old gas, replace with fresh.

Tomorrow shall bring pictures and video of the first start.

*What isn't hooked up is Solenoid #7, the Taurus fan, and the interior override switches. Without hooking it up, Solenoid #7 defaults to passing along UIM vacuum to the BOV as normal. The only original parts that I didn't hook up are the knock sensors due to needing a knock control box for it, and ignition timing will be completely stock.

As for the fan, I'm still debating it for now. Yes the Taurus fan moves more air than a hurricane, but it's also quite chunky and will be difficult to shoehorn in the available space. A couple slim 12" fans would be simpler to wire, easier to fit and be a bit cleaner overall.

In regard to the interior switches, here's the 411:
The Sequential/Non-Sequential Switch isn't needed yet and will be cake to put in later. Just remove the ground from the relay, extend the wire to the inside and slap a SPST switch on it.

Fan Override switch is much the same, extend the relays' grounds to inside and connect to a SPDT center-off switch.

Turbo Control Switch is gonna be a clever piece. Gonna be a DPST switch and trigger two 5-pin relays connected to the Wastegate and BOV Solenoids.
Pin 30 goes to a solenoids positive wire, 87A is to the Haltech's DPO. 87 is from the battery. 86 is battery and 85 is ground via the switch. And to REALLY put it over the top...

Connect it to the DSI input on the haltech, which would conveniently be set up for DUAL FUEL MAPS. Just the ticket for stretching every gallon on those long, epic journeys to Deals Gap Rotary Rally :egrin: Yup, a hypermiling 20B. Who said life wasn't perverse???

Sounds like the perfect reason to order these trick little rocker switches from Sigma Switches. They've got single or dual light circuits, SPST/SPDT/DPST/DPDT configurations with center-off and momentary-on versions, black, red or white colors for button and bezel and FIVE different lighting color options. And last, all the contacts are 0.250" spade tabs!

And just for that little 'extra', label them all on the actual light windows with the Casio KL-60 labelmaker I picked up 3 months ago at Big Lots for $10. I've already played around with the labelmaker for some of the underhood stuff and it certainly does the trick. The Injector/TPS subharness connectors are labelled with it using colored electrical tape under the clear background/black text labels. It'll be downright brilliant on the switches.


Yes, I'm Evil. And you're Green with Envy...

Coolant is in, Oil is in, clutch is nice and firm now. All systems are free from leaks so far. Boost gauge is wired up temporarily to the radio wiring

And fate has chosen to deliver a nearly dead battery upon turning the key. Blew the 100 amp fuse on the battery's positive cable from trying to jumpstart it twice. Seems like a good reason to get a circuit breaker and do it the correct way. In addition, this is why the haltech was put on its own circuit, independent of everything else in the car.

In retrospect, this was a sign to double-check the haltech's settings first. And I just happen to find the calibration files for the GM coolant temperature sensor and FD air temperature sensor.

So now the big question is: Spend $30 in town for a 150A breaker tomorrow and get straight to the fun, or wait till after christmas, save $13 and wait for UPS to deliver it??? :lol::lol::lol:

A regular insulated female spade can be made to work quite easily.
Use a Dremel w/ cutoff wheel to cut a slit down the length of the insulation. This cut should be larger than the width of the pin part of the button.
The use the wheel to trim the folded over metal ears of the connector to the same size. You'll probably need to lever up those ears from the end with a small flat screwdriver. It's pretty self-explanatory once you start.

"Cleanliness=Godliness" does not apply in this case.
I think you'll be hard pressed to find a twin 12" setup that provides nearly enough airflow.
Be aware that when providing specs for their fans, most manufacturers are giving you "free air" results...the best possible conditions for the fan.
Slap that baby behind a radiator and fan output decreases dramatically.
Performance is further degraded if the fan isn't properly spaced off the cooling matrix and almost by definition, a "slimline" setup can't do that.

If you insist on going that way, it becomes imperative that you optimize the ducting in front of the radiator. This is less critical with the OEM Taurus/Lincoln/Volvo fans because they can hoover small critters from beyond the bumper but your smaller fans will need all the help they can get.
(Ducting is a great thing for any cooling system, so do it anyway).
You might also consider hood extraction, or any post-radiator air management system.

A compromise option would be a hybrid Volvo fan. The OEM 16" Volvo fan is unique (in my experience) in that the fan assembly is bolted to the shroud and can be removed complete with blade and blade guard. A nice custom shroud could be made, the fan bolted on and it may satisfy your aesthetic leanings.
The Volvo shroud has very nice air relief flaps that could be used as well.

that whole car predates youtube! in addition i lost a hard drive, so i'm sort of lucky to have what i have... it might be that ATP has dyno sheets from 2001, but i kind of doubt it.

there IS a movie of an open DP dyno run, i think i have it on the other computer. on mine i used the stock mini DP thing from the turbos and it connected into a custom pipe into an RB turbo back. with that mini DP/o2 sensor holder boost or power didn't change when the exhaust came off

for the fan thing, since the 20B water pump pulley is off center, and the problem i used 2 spal fans, one big thick one and one small thin one, and it worked fine on the street. spal was the only fan i could find at the time that actually had a decent flowing thin fan.

Current status: The duralast battery drops to 8.5 volts on crank attempts.

Can we fix it? :)
No it's fucked! :(

It's one year past the free replacement period, so Autozone can only give me prorated credit on warranty towards ANY battery they stock. So $45 off a duralast gold battery, 3 years free replacement and when I kill that one, trade it in towards an Optima Yellow Top or Blue Top.

Just had a DUH moment and pulled the battery out of the Mirage. After sitting for quite awhile unplugged, it still read 11.85 volts. After getting refreshed on the charger at 2 amps, it's now reading a healthy 12.7 volts. It's just a Duralast Gold Size 51, which just happens to coincidentally have the same CCA and CA has the FC's el-cheapo battery and 5 minutes more reserve too. Should fill in just peachy till I can get a proper replacement.

And on that interesting note came a downright AWESOME IDEA

We've all had a dead battery before. It sucks. What sucks worse is if it won't take a charge. And if the warranty is up, you've officially hit (in Psy-Crow's voice) Maximum Suckage.

To keep the car tidy, most people use the passenger side storage bin to house the battery. After reading all the threads about battery relocation, it got me thinking...

Look carefully at this picture of Clokker's relocation using a Size 35 Optima. Picture is his, not mine.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...tinstalled.jpg

Look again at the picture. I see a bunch of wasted space and it got me wondering about dropping in this behemoth that makes even Nikola Tesla drool:
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...w&viewAll=true

That's a Group 27 Deep Cycle Marine Battery, meant for primary power and starting purposes. It's the same width and height as our stock Size 35's, but 3" longer. Dunno about everyone else, but I can see 3" of unused space between the battery and breaker in Clokker's install.

It's got the same CCA and Cranking Amps that an Optima does, so it'll crank the engine no matter what. But what sets it apart is its Reserve Capacity...
180 minutes. Overkill? Nah

In plain english...
It'll turn over the engine just as well as an Optima will, has the same length of warranty, will take Yellow-top draining just the same, recharge on a common battery charger, and will STILL turn over the engine after a yellow-top can't even tickle the starter from the fans being on...

And it's half the price of an Optima. Pretty sure I won't notice the extra 20lbs with a 20B in the car. So the car's first upgrade is a new battery box. Will be building it similar to Aaron Cake's box, but with six mounting points to handle the extra weight. Add on a heavy duty hasp-style closure on top, secured with a nut & bolt and it'll be downright stupidly strong.

And since I'm lazy, maybe I'll put an airbag underneath the battery so I never have to lift it...

One thing you are over looking is that the Optima Battery is a SEALED battery.
that battery that you posted a link to is NOT,so it will emit Fumes.(not recommended for Inside the car).

Okay, let's have a small recap on batteries and charging them:

The fumes you are referring to are a result of boiling electrolyte inside the battery. Electrolyte is a mixture of Sulfuric Acid and Water and boiling it is due to attempting to charge the battery at too high of a rate. This warning is included with every battery and charger you could find in the United States now. It essentially says "If you hear bubbling, unplug the charger or you will hurt yourself."

In any car, the alternator is what charges the battery. What prevents overcharging is the Voltage Regulator. With a properly functioning electrical system, the alternator can't overcharge the battery because the voltage regulator will adjust the output accordingly to maintain a full charge, based on the reading from the Sensor Wire. So based on the reasoning that your car has a properly working alternator and voltage regulator, the necessity of a sealed battery such as an Optima one becomes moot. The only logical reason for it in this case is so the electrolyte doesn't slosh around or slosh out when one drives like a jackass in a civic :nod:

Our N/A FC's have this handy little voltmeter in the dashboard just for this reason and is why I'll be staying with the N/A cluster. Common sense would dictate that if the regulator took a dive or was not connected correctly, you would see the voltmeter spike to the top first before noticing any fumes.

And by my own admission of an incorrectly wired Taurus Alternator last year (corrected now), I found out that the Main Fuse will blow as well, shutting off everything in the car. Not instantly, but as a secondary safety measure if you don't pay attention to the gauges. I was using a 120A FD main fuse and it took maybe 60 seconds to blow with a maxed-out taurus alternator.

Plus, one other thing I'd like to point out is that a sealed battery is exactly that: sealed. It has no way to vent pressure in case of unintentional overcharging other than exploding...

Aaron Cake uses a sealed Deka Intimidator deep cycle battery in his FC, so I may consider their offerings as well. My main criteria is that if the CCAs are sufficient, there has to be a significant increase in reserve capacity to warrant the extra cost. More lead in the battery means more AHs and more capacity. So by that reason, courtesy of Aaron Cake, it all comes down to packing as much lead in the space available as possible.

Sorry, I'm just a big believer in using conventional reasoning and logic based on facts to disprove magic doodads in the same manner that Aaron Cake does.

All this logic and reasoning being applied to a theory with a faulty premise...sheesh.
I can't remember the last time I had a dead battery.
If you treat the battery as a consumable (i.e., you don;t expect it to last forever), have a good charging system and drive on a semi-regular basis, there's absolutely no reason the battery shouldn't last for five years or so and perform well for that period.
Then you replace it.

Seems to me that you're adding a bunch of weight (power output be damned, a pound is a pound and if it's not necessary, why have it?) to solve a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place.

So did you put the other battery in your car and start it?

I had a battery in my brand new civic go dead after year. I remember it being a pretty cold night. A friday, week of work done. Pop the key in, crank and then CLICKCLICKCLICK. I drove this car every day, morning and evening. That's better than a semi-regular driving basis. That last day, miserable, cold, friday, just want to get home to a beer, it quit on me.

Hey these things happen. You can take care of it all you want, it just may quit you!
So 5 years my ass! Honda replaced it for free and a few years later it's 100%.

Ever hear of a lemon? Of course not... you drive an RX-7!! And we all know you are perfect and wonderful and never had car trouble. My oh my. A POUND OF WEIGHT extra for a good battery.
What a tool OP! An extra pound!? FUCK ME TOO. I've been filling my tank full this whole time. I'm so dumb... take off that last 1/4 gallon and I WILL improve performance. Oh and it will make my battery last!

Shit on me. I've been doing wrong the past 8 years!

Im confused to all the thought being put into the battery???? I have used all kinds of batteries, never a new one, and never had a dead battery. Im not trying to say Im some kind of battery guru, Im saying I never cared at all because I never had a problem.

Seems to me like you are trying to gain 10% to lose 20%, figuratively.

THAT is a good idea!

I just spent the last 3 hours reading this. Nice DIY project, but I was disappointed to get to the last page and it still hasn't been started

198713bt, I'm disappointed and pissed as well.

Wiring checks out fine, fuses are all fine too, everything is to the letter of the 20B with LS1 Coils diagram in the Haltech section. It's seeing Trigger and Home signals from the CAS (3 quick flashes on status LED) All remaining sensors check out fine as well.

Oil is regular 10w-30, Coolant is fine as well.

Battery won't spin the starter quicker than 150rpm according to the Haltech. According to the powers that be, 250-300rpm is proper cranking speed as I thought. Haltech was set up for max cranking speed of 400rpm last year.

The Size 51 falls flat after 15 minutes of being connected and cranking for less than 10 seconds with 30 seconds of cooldown between attempts. Seeing as how this is the case on both a Size 35 stock FC battery and a Size 51 FD battery (sourced from the Mirage), my diagnosis is that both batteries are just too wimpy in CCA/CA to actually start the engine, and their reserve capacity is so pathetic that it keels over with barely a breeze coming from the 20B's exhaust ports. Of course, this was 'to save weight' from the factory, just like every other electrical part on our cars.

If 500 CCA is sufficient to turn over a 13B to start it, a 20B would logically need at least 750 CCA as it has 50% more rotating mass to turn over. Not accounting for other factors, trying to start a 20B with only 500 CCA would only get the engine to turn over at about 2/3 of what it should be. That puts it around 167rpm, of which I subtract 10% of that to account for cabling losses because of the relocation. So we're at 150rpm and still no start.

This is what led me to the idea of UPSIZING the battery, so it'll actually have enough muscle to start with and enough reserve to do the job right even when the stock battery is long dead. Once again, conventional wisdom wins the day

How is the starter itself on the 20B though? Perhaps it's time to refurbish it. When I changed mine out to a fresh rebuilt one, it cranked much faster and started easier. When I pulled my old one off, I notice how corroded the connections were too.

Just to get it to run in the meantime, you could push start it. Or you could even jump it (?)

Just out of curiosity, what's upbwiththe mirage you keep mentioning??? Evo 5??

A lesson about Battery CCA, CA, AH and Reserve Capacity
 

I just found the conversion equation from Battery Ampere-Hours to Reserve Capacity here: http://www.chem.hawaii.edu/uham/bat.html

Amp/Hours = (Reserve Capacity / 2) plus 16

A normal FC battery has approximately 80 minutes of reserve capacity. (80/2)+16=56AH. The JC Cosmo owner's manual calls for a 55AH battery in the 13B-REW model, so there isn't too big of a difference here.

On the other hand, the 20B Cosmo's battery is rated at 95AH. 2(95-16)=158 Reserve Capacity in minutes. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that my car would probably require the same to handle the 20B correctly.

Adding in the Reserve to CCA equation (CCA ~ 5xRC). By this reasoning, 800 CCA appears to be the correct amount of starting power needed here.

What I've learned is that if there isn't enough CCA/CA to turn over the engine quick enough, the current draw eats the battery's Reserve Capacity like a fat kid on cake. As referenced with E-fans thanks to Aaron Cake, a motor draws its greatest current when stalled or starting up. Lead-Acid batteries handle this just fine and have a rating specifically for this, commonly called Cranking Amps. If there isn't enough, it can't get up to speed and one ends up with only 150rpm when trying to start the engine.

Starter seems healthy, it was pretty much new. From past experience, I've had nearly-dead starters still crank a 13B engine quick enough the start it. As for the Mirage, it's a 1995 LS coupe which shares everything with the Evo 3.

Yes, I've thought about trying to push start it before. When ObliqueFD and I brought the car home, it was a bear to get moving since one caliper is apparently sticking. Torque (or Inrush Current with electricity) is what gets something moving, Horsepower (or Steady Current) is what keeps it going. It took us both pushing the car using the wall as a brace to get it to move from a stop. Trying to push start it would require at least 4 guys to generate enough torque to get the car moving and turn the engine over too. 3 to comfortably get the car moving and one more to keep enough torque to turn the engine over. It took 4 to push start my niece's friend's F-150, so that sounds about right.

In the morning, I'm gonna hook up both batteries in parallel and give it one more go. Mirage's battery in the hatch and the FC battery at the front jump point on jumper cables. In theory, that would provide close to 1000 CCA.

A seized wheel will make trouble as you know. However, to even push a car, a 90lb girl can do it. It's all in the legs, and how you attack the car. Put your feet under the rear bumper, bend and press your legs against it. Then as you "un-bend", lean forward. I believe Archimedes knew something like this ;)
Of course, don't do this in gear. You have to push start by putting it in gear and dumping the clutch.

New year's update:

Doublechecked all haltech wiring, it is dead-on accurate. Coil wiring is correct, so there should be no more issues...

Except for the bastard connectors FEM-01 and FEM-02. After an hour of chiropractic torture involving scraped up hands, squeezing myself in the passenger side footwell, and trying to find these two demons that belong in the Seventh Level of Hell, I'm asking for help.

Tried pushing the wires up from the inside, no luck
Tried pulling from the outside, they still get stuck

How do you get these bastards back on? Any hints, tips or tricks? I'm at the end of my rope on this
:sadwavey:

have you tried pulling the blower motor? its actually pretty easy and then those two connectors are kind of right there. blower is just 4 nuts, or maybe even 3?

Just tried that, it won't budge either. Someone who had the car before I did left the top nut off of the blower motor, but I can't get the slotted hole to let go of the stud. Seems pretty solidly held in place and the plastic brackets on the blower motor would probably snap with little provocation too.

The front passenger side speaker/amp's connector is stuck in place as well.

UPDATE

Wiring is finished and here's the magic trick for S4 connectors FEM-01 & FEM-02 and S5 connector X-10 & X-11. Both are secured to the body with a M6x1.0 nut each (10mm socket). The angle is a bitch to get to, but I did it with a 1/4" drive socket, 10" long extension, spinner handle and ratchet. Put the socket on the extension, then get that on the nut, add the handle and ratchet.

Product Bump:
Popular Mechanics PM6-38564 20 piece Metric 1/4" Drive Socket Set
This set is a livesaver on a RX-7. It has 4-13mm sockets, 6-12mm deepwell sockets, a 2" extension, ratcher and spinner handle.
UPC# is 6-05388-63856-4 and should be available at Walmart. That's where my dad got it for me years ago.

This is the tool set that stays in my car at all times. What makes it a livesaver is that the spinner handle has a 1/4" female square drive machined into the top. This makes it the PERFECT TOOL for areas that you need to put downforce on while loosening, or at difficult angles. Combine it with a 100 piece screwdriver bit set from Harbor Freight and you'll have the perfect setup to get even the most stubborn stuff loose on the road. The only stuff it can't handle is bigger than M8 and those are items that you shouldn't be driving around with in need of repair anyway. Pretty sure you can find that bit set at Walmart too.

One success story I have is the fuel pump flange screws. This setup was how I was able to extract ALL EIGHT SCREWS COMPLETELY INTACT. Soaked them down 2-3 times in PB Blaster over a couple days, put the #2 phillips bit & square drive adapter on the spinner handle with ratchet on top, then put all your weight on top with your left hand while turning using your right hand.

Un-clip the FEM-01 & FEM-02 connectors from their plastic carriers as soon as you get them off of their studs. This frees them from the rest of the Front Harness so you'll have enough wiggle room to disconnect them.

I did this for the vertical one last year and have no idea how ObliqueFD & I did the other one. It's not proper, but I'm leaving both nuts off and FEM-01 & FEM-02 off of their carriers so they're accessible. Plus I lost the nuts :lol:

Also, I just found out that the Geo Tracker radio connector is NOT a perfect fit for FEM-01 to wire in the Coolant Gauge Sender. It's the correct pins, spacing, but the keys separating the middle pin on the car's connector are too long to fit the Geo connector. Solution: Modify the car's connector by cutting the keys at their base near the release tab, then twist them out with needle nose pliers. As long as you're semi-careful about not bending the nearby pins, there's no drama.

To keep yourself steady when accessing these connectors, plant your feet on the B-pillar with your head in the footwell. This is quite a contortion act if you're taller than 5'5. I'm nearly 6ft and it was NOT FUN AT ALL. Am I pleased with the result? Very, because I can get to these connectors. Would I do this again? I'd rather watch Justin Bieber eat the rotten asshole of a roadkill skunk and down it with POR-15.

Next time, the key shall turn...

I've gotten MANY screws out this way. Total screw saver.

If I had to guess, this sounds like the 20b has too much rotating resistance. I would try to put a standard breaker bar on the front pulley and rotate by hand in neutral. It should not be very difficult to move, if you have to put all your weight into it there is a problem.

I have been using a odyssey PC 980 for years to start my personal 20b, and even in 20 degree weather it starts up without any dead batteries. CCA on that battery is only 380, and I use a 4 gauge wire for ground and positive directly to the block/starter which is over 4 feet long.

We jumped it with his mom's car and it still turned over slow. What do you think would be causing the resistance? A few weeks ago I had him rotate the engine at the front pulley and it didn't seem like it was stuck or anything. All I can think of is that the power steering pulley might be screwed up since he had removed it or the water pump is somehow messed up after welding the elbow at a different angle.

I would say the starter itself is shot then. Have had a few old ones crank slow as hell even with tons of voltage on tap. Travis PM'd me about the starter, so he probably is already in route to replace it.

If a 20B can be cranked up with 380CCA, then it's either the cabling or starter. Since I'm using 3AWG copper THHN cable rated for up to 158 amps, pretty sure it's not that. So the starter is kaput.

It was free on trade for a spare N326 ECU and supposedly just rebuilt when I got it a year ago. As for the quality of the rebuild, its probably Autozone. So on payday, starter is getting rebuilt with new brushes from the dealer for $10. All FC & manual FD starters use the same N318 brush set.

Really looking forward to payday. 18 hours of overtime this week, and shitloads more for the next 2-3 weeks thanks to tax document mailings. Time to book a dyno day.

Once the car is tuned, the interior is getting some long-overdue attention and an electrical upgrade. It needs a bin swap really bad, a proper battery box and a new stereo trim. If you have or know someone with a blue bin setup that you'd like to offload, please let me know. That's correct, I said I want a BLUE BIN SET. Not black or gray, but BLUE. Black is the normal desirable color and shows every imperfection, gray is the standard interior color for every new car and just lacks any character. Red turns to pink with age, or puke green if stained. We learned that from Aaron Cake's carpet replacement on Project Tina. On the other hand, blue is the original interior color, ages very gracefully to a somewhat lighter hue, and that shade is Mazda's trademark color.

I've got a blue cloth rear seat that's only been used once since I got the car. One tiny hole in the seat back's upper edge about 1/8" in diameter, but otherwise flawless. Will trade even up for a bin setup in good usable shape.

As for the electrical upgrade, the haltech harness is getting cleaned up, all the unused wires removed and all the splices taken out. Every single ground for everything in the EMS is getting its own bus bar connected to the main ground for the engine. All the orange 5V wires are getting thrown in the garbage in favor of a single 12awg one from the haltech, split to everything else on its own bus bar.

The harness's wiring appears to be 16awg, so combining redundant wires into 12awg should be overkill. Since what I have right now is 12awg in red and black, that's what the car will get and can tag it with the label maker to eliminate confusion. My general rule for anything regarding wire is that if you don't know, start with 12awg.

As for all of the ignition-switched 12 volt stuff, one more bus bar will be used for it, wired to the green connector behind the driver's side headlight. Haltech fuse panel and relays will be relocated to behind the driver's side headlight, eliminating a lot of the flying lead harness's excess bulk.

Doing all this should eliminate a lot of the flying lead harness's excess bulk. then tidy it up in split loom covered with heat-reflective loom over it. And just for that added touch, a new grommet for the firewall hole directly from the manufacturer whom I found less than a block from where I work.

I thought I wanted a 20b, but this seems like a nightmare....

It def is a more thought involved process but with a solid work scope and definitive goal, its really a pleasurable swap. The first start of mine will always be imprinted in my memory.