Rocky, Andy, Mike G., Mike R., anyone else who's interested... We've been talking about getting everyone together for a track day for years now. Who wants to make it happen? I'm open to suggestions but I'm thinking the Oct 6-7 TrackDaze event at Summit Shenandoah.

https://www.trackdaze.com/

I'd be down for other venues/dates, but I'm not a big fan of the July/August heat. We need to get something solid soon because registration can and will fill up well in advance.

 

October trackdaze would be awesome. Should give me time to get my vmount and the rest of my track prep done.

 

Nevermind... I take that back. That's the same weekend as Rallycross nationals.

 

I'd be more than interested to go. So long as my car is up and running at that point, still have my first rebuild to attempt(yes, attempt), VMount to fab up, tuning for the BNRs and suspension bits!

Whos interested in helping me rebuild my first rotary? beer and bbq included hah!

 

Hmm, that weekend is my birthday so I am definitely interested in doing something special. IDK, I was thinking about trying to contract a local AutoX group to hold a private event that weekend for me and the people I invite. Perhaps a different date? (I don't know if I am actually going to do it or not but it was a thought either way I'd like to leave that weekend empty)

 

Definetly interested, just need to make sure that the finances are there. Which track at summit, main?

 

Shenandoah

 

Definitely interested!

 

I was hoping to finally do one of these as well, but with a possible rebuild coming up and the fact that I'll be in Afghanistan again kinda takes me out of the running.

Mike

 

Mike, are you back home now? When are you deploying again? We could pick an alternate venue/date if this one doesn't work.

 

Yeah I'm back home until mid-September. Problem is, engine looks like it needs a rebuild. Which of course sets me back quite a bit.

Anyone want to help?

Mike

 

Rebuild!? You barely even drive it lol. You crazy 3rd gen guys

 

Trust me, I am as surprised as you are......

Mike

 

So Mike, what happened to your engine? Coolant seal?

 

Matt,

Got a ****-ton of work done up at IR Performance and needed a tune thereafter. Took it to PF Supercars, and before tuning, they do a visual inspection and compression test.
Ray came into the lobby after doing the compression test and had bad news for me. He said my compression was about 65-69 on all faces. So as far as I am told/read, it appears that she is gonna need a rebuild.......sooner rather than later...?

Does this sound right?

Mike

 

I don't know much about rotary compression testing but it bothers me that all 6 faces, while being really low, are in such a tight grouping. How is the car running? Was the test done with the car warmed up? You didn't have anything done to the engine itself beforhand, right?

 

As far as the car being warmed up...I drove it from Ashburn to Frederick, and the compression test was done about 40 minutes after I arrived, so I would say the car was warmed up for the most part. Engine work, no, but I will list the items I had done as this could shed some light on things:

Water/Meth kit
New fuel system - ID primaries 725's, ID secondaries 2000's, KG rails, Aeromotive FPR
BNR stage 3's
Exedy clutch
Knightsports dual pipe down pipe
SMB resonated midpipe
St. Mays Shotgun exhaust
HKS EVC VI boost controller
Supra fuel pump
Dual Oil coolers
New spark plugs
Re-seal and reinforce oil pan

Those are the major items that were done, along with a ton of other minor fixes for OEM hoses, gaskets and such.

I will say that the car is hard to start now, hot or cold, but especially when cold.

Mike

 

65 psi is pretty low...

a new engine is anywhere from 95-110ish. how old is the current engine?

I have nothing against Ray, but you might want to take it somewhere else just to verify the compression.

 

The current engine is the stock engine, with only 38,XXX on the odometer. I've done the best I could over the years to keep up on maintenance, but I can't say what the two previous owners did with the car. I've owned the car since 2004, and have followed pretty much along with the "accepted" list of reliability modifications.

I also have nothing against Ray or IR Performance, as both shops have done excellent work for me over the years, but other than those two shops or a Mazda dealership, who should I get a compression test from?

Mike

 

oh, for some reason I got the feeling the engine was much newer than that. For the original engine I'm not surprised. even if it does only have 38k on it. it's at least 18 years old at this point

 

Too much fuel for the stock ports maybe? Another local shop is the new one that opened up in Sterling. Either for the win, or In the win. It's name is something like that.

 

Yea, hard starting is definitely a sign of low compression. The million dollar question is whether you ever experienced any symptom of low compression prior to getting the work done. Nothing in that parts list should affect compression unless the motor was overboosted or boosted untuned.

 

You're right, I gotta remember that these cars are 18+ years old.

I'll admit that the injectors I have are a bit overkill, but if a rebuild happens then I'll certainly opt for a street port. Oh and I believe the shop in Sterling is "First to Win". I think a couple of guys from the area have gone there, with good results.

As far as I recall, no symptoms of low compression were apparent to me before the work was done. Also, the car was never over-boosted during my ownership or boosted untuned. I guess I might just have to accept that this could just be a case of "**** happens".

My million dollar question is, should I attempt to DIY this with our areas combined brain power/experience, or just get professionals to do it?

Mike

 

Do it yourself.

 

Very suspicious. Engine is running fine. Take car to shop. ???. Engine is no longer fine.