Me too. They also offer some of the only strut bars I think might actually do something, their triangulated models. There are other triangulated bars but I don't see any available new other than the Cusco ones. The prices though, the prices... I could literally have a standalone for the same cost as a set of front and rear Cusco OS-T bars.

 

It was warm today ("warm" as in "above freezing"), so I decided to take the car cover off and start the car. But first there was a minor upgrade I wanted to do:



Forgive the photo quality, but when I'm working with liquids I don't like washing my hands 20 times to take a photo with my SLR. Phone only today.

The little part with the wrench on it is the fitting on top of the thermostat neck. It's a simple piece, and it's only job is to let you fill the cooling system from the highest point.

My FC originally had the early S4 coolant overflow setup. This means that the rad had a flat cap on it (supposed to anyways, I've had two 13psi pressure caps since I got the car), and the fitting at the top of the thermostat neck here had the pressure cap and a small nipple for the overflow tank. After going to the e-fan setup, the stock hose routing no longer made sense because the coolant tank sat on the driver's side wheel-well and the hose ran all the way over to here.

Instead of trying to keep the stock overflow I bought the black anodized aluminum one I've been using and repurposed the original tank area as a fuse panel. The black tank fit in the passenger side rear corner by the charcoal canister, so I only needed to use a small run of hose to go to the same fitting (flipped 180 degrees so the nipple faced the firewall) and I was good to go.

But there are a few problems:

- The stock piece is this weird fibrous plastic material. I don't know if it's fiber-glass exactly but it is something like that. Over the years it got brittle and broke, so it needed cracks filled.
- The original piece was too far gone, so I have been using a slightly less far gone later piece. However, it's from an FC that got the late coolant tank setup (coolant bottle in front of rad, nipple on rad), so it didn't have the nipple I needed.

So I added one:



The nipple I added ripped out of the fitting when trying to remove the hose:



Anyways, it worked for awhile (with a lot of help from my friend JB), but it still seeped a bit of coolant every so often.

When acquiring parts recently I also got this with the bunch:



This is the aluminum version that FDs got. I've wanted one for awhile but they are expensive new. Same piece, just a much more durable material. But I wasn't in the mood to try and add a nipple to this one and ruin it too, so I have to make use of the one on my rad. When I got the aluminum rad a few years ago I capped it (since I was using the stock setup) since using the original nipple on the thermostat neck required less hose.



Not super happy about how the hose fits, but it's fine for now. It isn't pressurized so I'm not too worried.

And now the FD piece fits exactly where the FC piece did, with a flat cap and a new o-ring for sealing:



Started it up and ran it for awhile, there seem to be zero leaks (steam from some spilled coolant). I'll be keeping an eye on everything, but that's one less piece of plastic in the cooling system to worry about.

I know this isn't a super interesting update, but the whole situation has been irking me for awhile and I'm finally glad to have it resolved. It all could have been avoided if the original piece was aluminum though

Until next time.

 

The plastic is probably (fiber) glass filled nylon, PA6-GF**, ** = percentage glass fill (33 = 33%), 6 is the most common type of nylon used for this. Sometimes used for exterior parts due to UV resistance, though when aged, looks "sparkly" in the sun. I sure some have seen this.

 

AVE teaches us all about glass fiber composites!

 

I watch AvE, love his channel! This is injection molded and I wouldn't call it a real composite. The glass is chopped pretty fine to get through the gate, still strong as hell when new...ish.

 

It seems like a similar material to the rear storage bin deck, so fiberglass filled nylon would make sense.

It's pretty cool actually (when not used in the cooling system of a 36 year old car), and apparently you can 3D print it. You could presumably 3d print your own intake manifolds if you had access to a large enough printer.

 

I had some time today (midterms are through) and it was a bit warmer than usual today, so I made some time to work on my Rx7. I picked up a wideband for a good price not long ago, and decided to install it. The sensor is the easy part, fishing the cable through the firewall is a pain though:




I had to peel back some of the silicone tape to access the top of the grommet, so when the weather is warm I'll wrap this up with the TESA tape to finish it a bit more nicely. And then the whole area gets a wash of course.

I've done plenty of unpleasant work on this car in the cold, but I think this has to be one of the most unpleasant. Shoving the cable in the engine side and then contorting myself under the dashboard to reach my hand up past all the sharp bits in that corner to grab it on the other side. Rewarding, but I wouldn't call it fun. I put the sensor in the stock location in the manifold. The stock O2 sensor is unplugged now, since the stock ECU only ever uses it for minor corrections in 5th gear anyways.

I also spent some time checking all the connectors where the emissions harness connects to the body harness. I didn't see any obvious issues but cleaned the contacts anyways. I was hoping it would help the lumpy idle, but there was no change.




Success! This is kind of cool, lets me monitor what AFRs the stock ECU runs under different conditions. Also barely pictured here, I swapped to another oil pressure sensor I had around and the gauge is better. Still a bit wonky since the condensor (and the wire that it used to connect to) were missing when I got the car, but it jumps up to 4.5 kg/cm^2 at cold idle now and about 2 kg/cm^2 at hot idle (64 psi and 28psi respectively). Boy, I wish they had just used a gauge denominated in PSI for Canadian models. I don't know anyone who uses kg/cm^2 in common discussion.

Then two things happened. First, my heater hose sprung a slow leak in the engine bay. Annoying, but easily replaceable:



Two, the engine speed starting going down as the temperature increased. Which is normal, but this AFR reading isn't:




AFR goes full lean. I thought it might be the gauge, so I shut the car off and turned it back on. AFR went to ~13 for about 3 seconds, then slowly climbed up and went full lean again. Hmm. So I can think of three explanations:

- Exhaust leak allowing air into the exhaust. I did have that one right nearby at the manifold outlet, but I think the exhaust cement took care of it (temporarily of course).

- My AFRs are actually lean, but I'd be surprised the engine ran at all at over 20 AFR. The lumpy idle would be consistent with lean mixture but >20 AFR is hard to believe.

- A combination of the above.

I'm not sure yet, so I think I'll inspect the bottom of the downpipe connection once it's warm enough to lift the car and roll under there. I have to get that heater hose anyways.

Big picture wise, I had some big plans going forward with the car that have now been sort of pushed back again. Between school, work, and a side business I'm in the process of scaling up, it's hard to find the time to work on the car (even with the cold). So current plan approaching springtime is to just fix anything that prevents me from driving and enjoy the car as it is.

Until next time

 

I tried it again. I didn't let it warm up long enough to get all the way hot (due to the coolant leak), but 79° is nearly there 17.7 AFR at ~1000rpm idle.

Hmm.

 

17.7 is a normal idle WITH the air pump, it injects before the 02 sensor. however i see your air pump is, um remote mounted...

 

Yes... Remote mounted...

The exhaust leak is still a possibility. Otherwise I'm not sure what could cause it.

- Fuel pressure is good (38psi at idle).
- Injectors were cleaned and flow tested a few years ago, and both rotors are running.
- O2 sensor doesn't enter the equation at idle.
- TPS is adjusted.

Maybe MAF is telling the ECU there's less air than there is? I could try using the variable resistor but if I turn it to the rich side it idles worse. So I have it where it's "happiest."

 

holy ****, is that a Nak MINI DISC player?

used to sell nakamichi, i remember installing one of their in dash cd changers.

 

That it is! MD-45Z. I acquired it a few years ago before they got as expensive as they are now. Original idea was to run it with the Nakamichi MB-9 CD changer behind the seat (which I also have), but I've been happy using an iPod as the audio source so far so the changer is sitting in my basement.

I had an opportunity way back when to get the 2 DIN in-dash MD/CD changer unit, but passed on it for reasons I can't remember. Or the TP-45Z which is the same unit with a tape transport, which may have been more useful since I have tons of tapes. But the Minidisc unit is kind of quirky and they all sound equally awesome, so I'm happy with it.

I also have a stack of Minidiscs waiting for me to dub my CDs over...

 

Oh no, this was a SINGLE din changer we sold. I also remember when the top pioneer premier unit came with a copper chassis.
I remember having a Sony MD player but the only disc I owned was Stabbing Westward.

 

if it actually runs ok, you might look for exhaust leaks, the engine won't run that lean, or you'd notice it running really badly.

oh and it might be a leak in the exhaust where its sucking fresh air in, like the ACV or EGR block off plates. i'm rebuilding an engine, and the EGR block off plate was there, but it wasn't sealing. its like too long so it was actually bowed a little?

 

ACV was recently resealed. EGR is a possibility, I remember I had to file down the edge of the plate slightly to make it fit (Atkins). I used RTV if I recall correctly, so I thought it had sealed well.

I don't hear any intake leaks, nor is there really anyplace left it could leak from. I have tried using the propane trick, no change.

Exhaust leak is the likely culprit I think. I too am skeptical of it idling at all at 17:1.

 

Trying to squeeze a changer into a single DIN seems like a feat of engineering. Not a lot of space in there for that mechanism.

There aren't that many production Minidiscs here in North America. Apparently they were a big thing in Japan though. All my Minidiscs are dubbed from CD or mixes from my laptop, using my full size Minidisc deck in my room. This thing has a keyboard input so you can type track names in directly, so I'm guessing it was designed for simple mastering in a studio.

You can pipe uncompressed PCM audio right into the optical in of the Minidisc and they record it happily, so dubbing a CD is really easy. It also auto detects track beginning and endings. It's a really cool system. Ultimately made obsolete by MP3 players, of course.

 

Oh, and my actual symptoms are:

- Slightly lumpy idle. Set at say 750, it tends to stumble a bit and catch itself every few seconds. No lower than 700 but still a bit odd. Setting it to 900rpm makes this better but not great.

- When I plug in the BAC valve (setting everything according to the FSM) and the ECU attempts idle control, the idle becomes bouncy. 700-900, 700-900, etc. This implies lean mixture, but I can't figure out why and having no tuning control right now I can't even band-aid the problem with more fuel.

The... remote mounted... air pump is likely to impact the idle since I understand the idle is tuned around that extra port air. I just don't know how much it affects this.

Once I have the exhaust leak eliminated as a possibility (maybe Sunday, depending on if the weatherman is correct), I'll top up the coolant and idle it again to see what happens. I think 14 is probably about as rich as the stock ECU should idle, but that's an educated guess.

 

With a bit more time (and nice warm weather) today, I was able to jack the car up and fix (read: add more exhaust cement) to the joint by the manifold and also the one further down by the catalyst. After letting it dry and starting it up, things look a bit more sane now:



It idles around 12.4, and it seems a bit smoother. There's no reason I can think of that it should be smoother from just fixing exhaust leaks (since the ECU doesn't even notice if the exhaust is missing), but it feels like it may have improved some. Also, I replaced the clamp on my heater hose and it doesn't leak anymore. I might still pick up replacement hoses as a precaution since mine are of unknown age.

This is what I mean when I say it isn't quite as smooth as I think it should be:


Hard to capture it on video, but even with brand new mounts (OEM vert engine and trans mounts, plus new crossmember with center bushing) there is a sort of thrumming feeling through the chassis. As for the idle quality:


There is a small but noticeable bounce. This again implies lean mixture, so I could try adjusting with the variable resistor again but I'm guessing there is a tiny vacuum leak someplace. I can occasionally hear a slight "whistle" noise, but not from any noticeable area (and the propane trick isn't showing any leaks). It's quiet enough it could be a bearing or something, or possibly one of the exhaust leaks I cemented.

Also my steering has decided to work fine off-idle but not want to turn the wheels to the left at idle (lots of resistance and a whine noise). I have a spare pump somewhere I think, so I could try tossing that in to see what happens. If I can't figure it out then it's back to de-powered for the summer. I am really hoping to avoid that. At the end of the day though, de-powered steering is better than not driving the car at all.

Until next time

 

I think I may have thought of something promising for my steering issue.

I went to the shed since I mentioned I may have had that spare pump. Well, I had 1/3 of a spare pump. It may have shed some light on this though, since it included the stepper motor + gear.

The stepper motor is controlled by the PS computer. It engages a gear that varies the steering assist. Logically one extreme should be full assist, one should be minimum assist. Lower speeds = more assist.

Looking at it, I realize that I don't know if / when I made note of the alignment of the gear on the motor shaft and the gear on the pump. Since it's been years since I rebuilt that pump, I may have just put the stepper back on without minding the alignment.

This would mean the PS computer has a totally different idea of where the gear on the pump is at any time.

I can't find any reference as to how to set the position of the stepper, since I'm assuming they just expected you to replace the pump. So my plan is to remove the stepper from the pump (leaving it plugged in to the harness) and set it aside in the engine bay. No fluid is lost removing the stepper. Then start the car and let it idle all the way down.

Then the stepper should be commanding "full assist". Meanwhile on the pump side I turn the little gear with my finger to one side and the other until I find the softest setting, and leave it there before reinstalling the stepper.

If anyone has info on how this system works I'd appreciate it. Otherwise I can't break it more than it already is, so I'll give it a shot

 

http://foxed.ca/rx7manual/manuals/Tr...ing_System.pdf

the other thing is that steering angle sensor behind the steering wheel, it needs to be aligned correctly

 

I was gonna ask if that horrible contraption in the steering column would cause you any of your issues.

 

The horrible contraction was aligned when I put the steering wheel back on, can't hurt to check though.

I've actually looked at the training manual (I read them for fun, actually) and didn't see any instructions about aligning the stepper motor and gear.

BUT, on looking at it again, I did see something interesting. On page 23 it describes that the system does not react immediately when turning left, and then a few steps that are a little over my head. I have a much harder time understanding this on paper than looking at the parts in person. Anyways, it ends by saying that as a consequence of the stepping motor fully opening it eases the steering effort.

So this is promising, apparently there is a link between that stepper and left turns. I'll read through it again but I think I may end up trying my re-homing idea.

You'd think the stepper would have current sensing to let it re-home itself (so it could detect when the gear it engages in has reached the limit of its travel). I don't think Mazda intended it to be taken apart.

 

I think it's a variable assist based on the position of the wheel. If you open the column part it has multiple copper tracks and the copper finger brushes so it reads differently depending on the clock position. Could any of the contacts being dirty cause your issue?

 

I actually did clean and regrease the whole mechanism, with the little carbon traces and the wipers. I would think it would be fine, but then anything is possible.

The training manual also says that the steering angle sensor helps regulate the movement of the stepper motor. So one or both of those components is the likely issue.

I'll probably start with the steering wheel mechanism first and then move to the stepper if that doesn't work. I would expect Mazda to have built in some sort of homing function in the stepper to avoid exactly the misalignment issue I outlined above, but who knows?

 

I'm sure you didn't, but maybe it was damaged when you put the new hub in? I tried to install a hub in mine before I went nuts and it smashed the OEM spinny part through the whole assembly. Wasn't sure if you used a shorter part.