mike9164

what are the first mods i should put into the car for reliability / performance.
my first fd and need some info to keep it all together
its a stock 93 touring

Scalliwag

MSD ignition

Cheers!

replace all vac hoses with silicone lines and zip tie them tight onto the nipple

replace radiator with fluidyne or koyo radiator.

install boost gauge

remember to let car idle for 1 min before shutting car down after an on boost drive.
or dont' boost the car 3 blocks from your destination

mike9164

thanks i heard the koyo is better.
should i do a fmic or a smic. they say this is good and ads h.p. with reliability

600HP CLUB

i'm not sure, but this goes out for most turbo cars, is that you replace the downpipe, because the heat from the cats will kill your turbo because it's restrictive and likes to hold heat.

buy a turbo timer too.

mike9164

thanks for the info.
mid pipe , turbo timer,radiator,silicone hoses,and ignition.that's a pretty good start.
again thanks to everybody!!

maxcooper

There are a lot of threads on reliability mods already, but these are the first things I would address on a new FD:

- boost gauge to monitor turbo system operation
- if the turbo system isn't working correctly, only then would I embark on the silicone hose replace job
- new fuel filter
- synth oil in diff and tranny
- downpipe (NOT a midpipe!) to get rid of the hot, failure-prone pre-cat
- replace or remove the AST since the stock one has a reputation of splitting and leaking, which can lead to overheating and engine rebuilds
- linearize the stock water temp gauge or install an aftermarket one since the stock one reads in the middle from 150F-250F or so
- If the car is running hot, try the fan mod, or get a PowerFC+Datalogit and set the fans to come on sooner, or replace the stock thermoswitch with a lower-temp one from the Miata
- If it is still hot and you don't have any obvious problems with the radiator ducting, install a larger radiator. Fluidyne is easier to install than the Koyo, but the Koyo is bigger, and either one is more than adequate for most cars.
- new spark plugs and ignition wires

The downpipe should be installed before a midpipe, and the combination of the two means you'll have no cats and your car will have smelly exhaust and won't pass emissions. Opening up the exhaust that much usually requires some fuel enrichment from an aftermarket ECU as well, so it isn't a good idea early in the modification cycle. You don't need an ignition box until you have a lot of mods on the car. A turbo timer isn't that useful for the water cooled turbos -- just do what Cheers! suggests if you are worried about turbo health.

-Max

mike9164

i've heard to use synthetic oil and i also heard not to use it... is it good or not..
and maxcooper.. thanks for a lot of usefull info.what you're saying is to just replace the downpipe and not the midpipe... will that leave the cats in place or will it get rid of the one up front that i heard gives more of the problems

es

The down pipe leaves the Main cat (the one that burns off all the emissions) in place, but removes the front pre-cat that is supposed to burn off emissions when first started.

mike9164

thanks e.s... would you be able to tell me which oil to use reg. or synthetic

NukeGenius

Since you guys are on the reliability topic. I have some questions for you: I have a 93 touring with downpipe, airbox, ast replaced, defi boost and water temp gages, new ignition wires, apexi BOV, silicone vacuum hoses, rest is suspension stuff. So as far as you guys have been saying, I have most of the stuff I need minus the new radiator (which is going in soon). I was wondering if another oil cooler from an R1 is good, or should I just get aftermarket replacement for the one it has. It is also running Evans waterless coolant. I was wondering if any of you have heard of it and know about how good the stuff actually works. I looked up their website online and from what I have read, the stuff sounds pretty good. Just wanted some input on that. Also, what is the so called "fan mod" that maxcooper was referring to? Thanks for any help you guys offer.

Cheers!

i'm not sure for FDs... but i own a Fc and the oil cooler is pretty damn big already

es

FD's can benifit from a bigger oil cooler, but the opening in the bumper skin is pretty small so ducting the air through the oil cooler is nearly just as important.

Cheers, there is a guy here localy that upgrades FD's with an FC oil cooler...

Mike, I use Havoline 20W50, but I live in a warm climate. (Florida) Many like Mobile 1 Synth, & that's what I use in my daily beater car but the oil gets changed NO LATER than 3K miles in the seven, & by that time it's usually pretty well fuel contaminated so earlier is better.

From the rotor motor internals I've seen (5 motors now?) there has been little sign of oil damage. Bearing wear is pretty typical considering the front thermo-pellet blocks flow on cold starts & the ECU reams the motor to 3K RPMs (don't forget to put the car in gear before starting it). Usually the inner coolant O-ring or the Apex seals fail before the main bearings (although oil does lube the apex seals & cool the inside of the rotors, but that's a whole thread in itself).

There are benefits to Synth (less foaming, lower oil temp, better rotor cooling), but that choice is yours. The only synth oil that I would feel comfortable burning in the combustion chamber (RX-7s have an oil injection system to lube the apex seals) would be Royal Purple, & at ~$6.00 I'll be sticking with the Havoline. Also Apex seal lubrication shouldn't be a problem for me since I'm running Ceramics.

Nuke Genius, I've heard of the Evans, but I don't use it. Personally I just run about 10% Prestone, a bottle of Watter Wetter & Distilled water. I don't like the fact that Evans CAN'T mix with water. What if I split a hose & need to do an emergency duct tape repair? Tow the car & order a bottle of Evans for next day delivery vs: fill it with distilled water...

This is all my opinion, & I don't mean to offend anyone. Honestly Evans NPG+ sounds very useful, just inconvenient.

Enjoy,
Eric.

NukeGenius

Ya, it does sound pretty good and the guy who sold it to me gave me extra gallon so I just stash it in my other car should I ever need it (one of the benefits of having a Jeep = lots of room for extra junk). Thanks for answering that one, but I'm still wondering about the "fan mod."

es

No problem.

What about the fan mod? if you've got a decent engine managment unit you can turn the fans on whenever you want, but running the fans after shutdown makes a big difference in underhood temps as well as coolant & IC heatsoak.

mike9164

es thanks for all the info you were a big help.

NukeGenius

Yeah, thanks from me too!

es

mb7

With Evans coolant you can run it at 0psi, so the chances of splitting a hose is very slim. Also Evans can mix with Sierra coolant if you have to. You can get Sierra coolant just about anywhere.

fattyneff

running synthetic oil in a rotary is a huge no no. Reason being that rotaries inject oil into the rotar housings where the oil is suppose to lubricate and burn. Synthetic oils do not totally burn leaving a sand like residue that builds up and will cause apex seals to bind in the rotors and you will loose compression. Trust me on this one my first rx7 had this problem the previous owner kept using synthetic when i split the engine it looked like black sand and sludge in there. If this does happpen there is and easy fix for the stuck seals poor some kerosene in the spark plug holes and rotate the engine by hand it will free up the apex seals. Hopefully this will save some engines.

rynberg

WRONG. Ask any of the big engine rebuilders in the country. They almost all recommend synthetic. If nothing else, the synthetic is also much better for your turbos.

Burning synthetic certainly does not leave "sand" behind. Older synthetics may have left an ash residue behind but that was 2 decades ago. There could be a number of reasons for what you discovered upon tearing down your other motor.

RXHEVN

the big rebuilders are stupid, they use it so that the engine can get fucked and they can rebuild it again for you, the oil has to burn. Ive been doing rotars for 20 years now and i know the non-synthetic oil is the best which is actually called mineral oil

mike9164

thanks for the info everybody it is useful