no_name

Hello everyone. I want to remove the rats nest on my car, and somone told me that it is ilegle to remove the rats nest on my car( 1985 rx-7 GSL) according to the Environmental Protection Act. Is this true?

I need to know.

Thanks, Ted.

Bass

Yes it is. And so is spitting on the sidewalk, driving over the posted speed limit and removing that tag off of new pillows before taking them home from the store.

85rotarypower

Your car is passed the 20 year limit for emissions, meaning it doesn't need an emissions test anymore. They don't inspect your emissions either after this age. Point is, you could probably remove the rats nest and nobody would ever know. Us rx-7 owners do a lot of "illegal" stuff, but so does anybody else that modifies a car.

Beater86

what is a rats nest? someone please tell me ive heard it all the time

now

iTrader: (1)

the mess in the picture under my user name

Beater86

ohhh.... what does it do.... how do you get rid of it

now

iTrader: (1)

depends on what year car.
i am sure there are threads with instructions on what it does and how to remove for each year.

Beater86

what is there to gain from removing it

darkfrost

iTrader: (1)

Cleaner engine bay, less vaccuum lines = less leaks to hunt down later, and some say it may improve performance ever so slightly.

Beater86

ok thanks

no_name

This could be an issue..... My auto teacher will not let me do it then.

Maybe I will keep the rats nest, and use the tubing i bought to repair it?

How many of you guys have a removed rats nest on your daily driver?

brent clement

One of the reasons for removing it is also cause the solenoids probably don't even work properly anymore. Most cops wouldn't even know what they were looking at if you pop the hood anyhow.

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

Anyone else find this amusing? Maybe it's just me on a Friday morning but I love questions that end up as "I have no idea what this does or what it's for, but how to I remove it?".

brent clement

lol, you make a good point Aaron

vipernicus42

iTrader: (4)

Check the 1st gen section's FAQ, there's a link to Carl's tutorial on how to remove the rat's nest. There are also a bunch of threads on using a PCV valve instead of the purge valve if you search 'em up (I think some are in the archive in the 1st gen section too)

I've removed it completely on mine. Makes it *SO* easy to reach the carb's idle speed and mixture screws, and just as easy to track down vacuum leaks (only two hoses to check, instead of fifty). No real change in drivability or performance to speak of, just looks cleaner.

Jon

Whanrow

Yeah, I was just waiting for somebody to write "search"

At least that's me on a Friday afternoon lol

maxvol

iTrader: (2)

Just poped in and wanted to say that this is the best mod to start with if you are new to the 7, I own an 83 and I removed the rats nest so that I will have a good looking engine bay and boy does it free up space, I am a daily driver and I had problems with backfiring before I removed the rats nest now I never hear a back fire and it seems to do better on the highway but thats just from my butt dyno.. so if you want a simpler engine bay I strongly recomend it.

-
max

no_name

Intresting. My auto teacher will not let me do this one in class, so I was wondering if you guys have any recomendations for the removal of the fan ( I have decided to do it).

Also I trust that the device that injects hot exhaust gases into teh air cleaner will no longer work??

rick_tj

Why are you removing the fan now?

Bass

no_name, are you talking about the air pump? If so, then you need to have the cats removed first. You should really read through the FAQ at the top of the first gen forum, then go for clarification from members. Are you working on your car in your high school class?

no_name

Yes I am working on the car in my highschool class. I have also read the FAQ, and I have printed off the tutorial as well. In the tutorial it says that you put an alluminum plate whare the air pump was, and to seal off all the little lines going to the cats.

The device I am refering to, has a fat ugly tube made of something like tin foil covered in kanvas, that goes from the air filter canister down to underneeth the the engine. I know what it does but I do not know what it is called. It basicly takes hot exhaust gases and puts the gases into the air canister when the engine is cold to help atomise fuel. It works with the flapper thing.


The fan has to be removed to get to the belts so I can put one the lawnmower belt on since I am ditching the airpump.

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

The shiny tube is the heat stove to make winter driving a bit easier by preventing carb icing. mine was missing on my SA and the carb would occasional, ice On very cold days. kind of annoying for me but if you don't drive the car in the Winter you can remove it. The fan just comes off with 10mm bolts.

Bass

You should remove the cats altogether as they will be oxygen starved without the air pump and won't 'bake' the exhaust as they should. The result will be that they will clog up in rather short order which is very bad for your engine.

no_name

Do you recomend hollowing them out, I cannot afford to replace my header and cat right now.

Bass

That's exactly what I was going to do, but then I managed to find a used RB header and silencer for only 150. But yeah, hollowing them out is the way to go in the mean time. You should put a WTB in the classified forum...you may be pleasantly surprised.