Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

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

Howru

iTrader: (25)

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

Any chance you found the pins for the connectors?

Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

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.

SirCygnus

iTrader: (1)

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

Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

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 ****!

Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

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.

Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

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

ITSWILL

iTrader: (12)

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.

Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

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

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

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

sharingan 19

iTrader: (16)

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

Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

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

Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

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!

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

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

Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

$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.

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

Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

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

OMP lines are done. 03AN Braided Stainless Steel rated at 3000psi, should do the trick


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

Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

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



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?

More awesomeness coming this weekend.

Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

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

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:

Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

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:

Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

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.

ObliqueFD

iTrader: (32)

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/

Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

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.

I fc3SLIDE

iTrader: (2)

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

Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

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.

I fc3SLIDE

iTrader: (2)

im not saying they wont just surprised