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Keep up the good work!
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May 17, 2016 22:25
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You do more in a day than I can accomplish in a month. 
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May 18, 2016 01:47
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I am always astonished by every update in this thread. You are incredibly productive. 
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May 18, 2016 01:48
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Last nights progress. I still have to install the starter, rewire the battery, setup the ECU, and connect the power plant frame/driveshaft. I can't wait to be done.    
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May 18, 2016 19:58
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I'm not even sure where to start with this post. Months ago I looked a 92 RHD FD a guy was trying to get running. He had my *favorite* back yard mechanic rebuild the engine. I sold him some missing parts and answered a few questions. It was only recently I heard back from him. They were never able to get the car to run for more then ~10 minutes. He ended up suing the back yard mechanic and settling out of court. I offered to compression test it for free and help him get it to Rob's. A few weeks ago I tested it. 6-8PSI per face on the rear rotor... On a "new" motor. Ugh. I convinced him to pull it ASAP and get it over to Robs while my offer was still good. Today I was sent these pictures. I just can't even.         The irons and housings are trash- at least for this guys use. That's ~$2500 in trashed parts. The seal kit is from Atkins and will be replaced with OEM Mazda parts. The car is still running the stock ECU/Turbos. There's no way it would have ever ran after looking at how butchered the exhaust ports and intake ports are. I'm torn. This *rotary specialist* is still doing this to people and I badly want to get permission to post this story to the local clubs/groups to help others avoid this mess. On the other hand I want nothing to do with this idiot and have overall avoided him. Ugh. Welcome to the Rotary Community. I hope you have money. the spyder fucked around with this message at 22:09 on May 18, 2016 |
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May 18, 2016 21:54
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Publicly shame him. You have the knowledge and expertise to do so, and now that you know he's doing this and have pictures to back it up; if you do nothing and let him get away with mangling other peoples motors you are the bad person in that situation as well.
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May 18, 2016 21:58
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the spyder posted:
I spent about $3000 at the local favourite Mazda specialist (MX5s & RX7's) to get a intermittent very rough running issue sorted out on my FC. Part way through the process I built one of those LED diagnostics blinkers and it said that it was the O2 sensor. "Nonsense", my favourite mechanic said, "You can't trust those things" and proceeded to replace the entire fuel system, ECU, etc. He had the car for 3 weeks as his daily driver in attempt to diagnose the problem, but no joy. At the end, I was ready to scrap it. Took it to one of the other RX7 specialists...the place that no one recommends, but no one says anything bad about. Turns out they're building their own race car RX3's and we spent an hour shooting the poo poo about motor racing, before we got around to talking about my car. Told them the problem and history, said I have a $500 limit, otherwise it was getting scrapped. "I doubt that it'll cost that much", Race Mechanic said and I went into work. 1.5 hours later I got a call saying that they fixed it and it would cost me $100. Turned out to be a faulty O2 sensor. Oh and whoever set the timing was an idiot. I was happy that the car was fixed, but rather pissed off with Favourite Mechanic. Contacted him and told him the news. "But I replaced the O2 sensor", he cried, "I just never invoiced you for it!". This was the guy who would invoice for the amount of toilet paper he used after taking a dump. He offered to put the old parts back on and refund me the part cost and I told him to stuff that offer up his arse, as 75% of the money spent was on labour. I considered going on the local forums, but Favourite Mechanic was a favourite on those and I don't think I would have gotten anywhere. Filed a case with the BBB, but the paperwork to carry on with it was rather extensive and I just said gently caress it. Meanwhile, I've told everyone I know with a rotary or MX5 not to go to Eunos Custom Automotive in North Vancouver, as he's full of poo poo. On the other side, Alan Autotech are absolutely amazing and a joy to deal with.
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May 18, 2016 22:53
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That... uh. Welp. The exhaust ports are maybe not terrible for a pretty all out engine, albeit there needs to be a lot more chamfer on the closing edge and that method of getting the sleeves out is a bit... special. Might be dead because of the lack of chamfer, hard to tell from here, but overall they're useable for something pretty radical with some cleanup if the chrome's not screwed. That first intake port is a garbage iron now because he skipped the die grinder. The last one might be usable with some cleanup; again kinda on the radical side for a streetport but maybe fixable. This is a pretty decent illustration on why I've learned to do basically everything on these things myself - there's maybe half a dozen builders I'd trust to not give me a pile of poo poo, and precisely zero are local.
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May 18, 2016 23:02
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Rob's going to draft up a list of everything he found and send me pictures of the entire tear down. I'm going to post this to groups both himself and Atkins belong to. There's going to be one hell of a show... seeing as Atkins traditionally blames the builder (the recommended the backyard mechanic) and Backyard mechanic blames the parts. Noteable so far: 1) 3MM Apex seal groves machined incorrectly. 2) 3MM Atkins seals warped. 3) 2 apex seals on the rear rotor required force to remove. 4) Atkins corner seals both undersized and oversized. 5) S4 engine housing mixed in with S6 parts- leading plug hole in the wrong location. Oh and those dark marks above the port? Those are gouges. I think my favorite part has to be the exhaust ports. By removing the sleeves, the exhaust now flows out a 2 1/4" hole and almost immediately hits the 1.8" exhaust manifold... Not to mention the aluminum now being exposed to 1800F exhaust temps. The groves from removing the sleeves now also direct exhaust right past the gaskets. 
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May 19, 2016 00:04
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That exhaust port is unthinkable.
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May 19, 2016 00:59
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I figured those were gouges and yeah, trash, the lack of closing chamfer killed it. On the other hand, while I sure wouldn't run exhaust ports like that through any factory manifold, I have parts from a bunch of pro built roadrace engines without the sleeves, and the Mazda Factory Race pport housings didn't have sleeves either. And from experience, holy crap is it hard to get those spring pins out to pull the sleeves. (never tried it on a turbo engine, mind)
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May 19, 2016 01:11
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It looks like the guy did those ports with a Dremel  I feel bad for people that waste tons of money on hacks ruining their cars, that poo poo has to be completely demoralizing.
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May 19, 2016 03:25
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leica posted:It looks like the guy did those ports with a Dremel What's wrong with that? How else do you do them?
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May 19, 2016 11:30
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Yeah, a steady hand on a dremel isnt the worst thing in the world to port a rotary. But holy gently caress is that one butchered job doing it. And the exhaust ports.....!!!!!!!!!!!!! What the ever living gently caress? Oh Gaawd I cant even begin to swing my brain onto the thought process in doing that. WHY??? And what the hell is in the water jacket? Name and loving shame.
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May 19, 2016 12:05
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Dremel on side irons takes for-loving-ever. Of course, air die grinder on side irons still takes a godawful last time. And ideally you want to at least smooth the suckers up a bit with a grinding stone so they don't look like dogshit. All of the irritation of cutting irons is totally not related to why I'm looking into small CNC mills, nope. If we're getting into chat about ports and crap, I'll take some pictures of stuff I have sitting around tonight. I really don't hate the idea behind those exhaust ports as much as everyone else seems to. The execution though... well, you know.
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May 19, 2016 14:03
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mekilljoydammit posted:And ideally you want to at least smooth the suckers up a bit with a grinding stone so they don't look like dogshit. That's what I meant more or less, it looks like a hamfisted attempt at porting, but he probably figured the customer would never see it so gently caress it right?
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May 19, 2016 16:33
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I've got the opportunity to pick up a GXL FC with 60K Kilometers on the odometer. It's owned by a relative and I've been told it has been been sitting for the last 3 years as the owner can't/doesn't drive it anymore due to being unable to operate the clutch. Other than changing out as many fluids as possible, getting new tires and probably replacing the battery, are there any particularly important things I should be aware of to keep the motor happy after sitting for awhile? Are there things that I should change/modify on the car in order to keep it running and in good shape? I'm a little wary as I've never owned a rotary before and I'd be upset with myself if I blew it up due to ignorance.
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May 20, 2016 01:46
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Skeletard posted:I've got the opportunity to pick up a GXL FC with 60K Kilometers on the odometer. It's owned by a relative and I've been told it has been been sitting for the last 3 years as the owner can't/doesn't drive it anymore due to being unable to operate the clutch. Other than changing out as many fluids as possible, getting new tires and probably replacing the battery, are there any particularly important things I should be aware of to keep the motor happy after sitting for awhile? Are there things that I should change/modify on the car in order to keep it running and in good shape? I'm a little wary as I've never owned a rotary before and I'd be upset with myself if I blew it up due to ignorance. At 60km, the cars going to be in overall excellent mechanical shape. The downside is, the seals (more importantly the springs supporting the seals) have sat quite a bit and can become weak. All of the internal rubber seals are starting to dry up and harden, which can mean oil leaks and smoke out the exhaust pipe. If the car's never had the coolant changed, expect the coolant seals to go out in the near future. The fuel has also likely sat, coating everything with varnish. Now that I've scared you, if it were me I would do the basic tune up and drive it! If it were a customer I would do a full tune up (trans/diff/oil/brake fluid, plugs, plug wires, filters, belts), some fresh gas, and a new set of tires/brake pads. Use a good oil (Castrol 10w30 and Wix or Mazda filter, Valvoline 75w90 for the trans/diff fluid), NGK plugs/wires, and good import rated coolant. If you want to do preventative maintenance, change the thermostat and water pump. The coolant hoses should also be changed at some point. If the clutch feels soft, replace the master and slave and re-bleed. The parts are cheap. If the car's sluggish- it's probably a clogged cat. A 3800 rpm hesitation is pretty normal due to insufficient/dirty grounds. The TPS likes to develop dead spots and the S4 charging system is very weak. You will probably want to order a set of shifter bushings, as they wear out and make it feel like you're driving a truck. The headlight switch and wiper motor switch like to burn out, no one currently makes a replacement/referbs them. Same for the power window switches, but these are more available. The S4 plastic stereo surround and vents will all break due to UV/heat/age. The auto-adjusting-suspension is either going to be awesome or crap- be ready to replace the shocks with Tokico's or KYB's in the near future. These cars take well to a Italian tune up and are especially well suited to the red-line-a-day keeps the rotary doctor away rule. There's a dozen things I just left out, but the most important thing is to ENJOY the car! If you take good care of it and keep it stock(ish), it will be a collector car in a few years. A clean low miles FC would easily fetch $5-6k USD around here.
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May 20, 2016 04:19
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If anything, that all just made me want this car even more. At least if anything goes wrong with it I'll have the internet to call upon for advice!
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May 20, 2016 07:24
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Skeletard posted:If anything, that all just made me want this car even more. At least if anything goes wrong with it I'll have the internet to call upon for advice! If you are any good with a soldering iron there are things you can do with the power window switches and headlight switch wiring that will save you having to replace the switches. 13betc sells all of the refurbed switches if you happen to need any of them. I own a s5 vert feel free to ask if you have any questions.
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May 20, 2016 14:40
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I love that you have a Monster Garage stool. That was my favorite show back in the day .
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May 21, 2016 14:51
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Super busy trying to get ready for my trip. I spent a few spare minutes cleaning and hanging flags/ect I've had laying around.  94 MB update: Cut a re-welded the intercooler piping.     Next up: Battery relocation fuckery fixing.                Saturday I looked at this 1995 PEP with 52k, original owner. He wants it brought up to date maintenance wise.      Sunday I washed the 94 R2 for no reason. Decided to try removing the broken spoiler and ended up breaking it even more. Some idiot used panel bond to install it. Ugh.      And Daniel brought his 94 by, it was making an odd noise. Turns out a E-clip on the wastegate pre-control fell off. I managed to punch myself in the face with a 3/8" ratchet removing the exhaust to inspect. It was not a good day.    Last night I worked on shortening the aftermarket coil pack harness. No idea why it was 12ft long. Also mounted the catch can. I'm hoping I can start it tonight.        I can't wait to get this car done.
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May 24, 2016 22:34
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I'm struggling with the sense of scale for that battery relocation. Is that a huge storage compartment, a deep hole, or a tiny battery?
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May 24, 2016 23:02
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ShittyPostmakerPro posted:I'm struggling with the sense of scale for that battery relocation. Is that a huge storage compartment, a deep hole, or a tiny battery? Same here! I cant work out the scaling from any of the photos.
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May 24, 2016 23:11
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It's a Odyssey PC925, 6.6"x7"x5" battery. It's relatively small- but I've also tucked a good 2" under the cut away edge of the storage container.
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May 24, 2016 23:38
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Rather than disappear into the internet, I figured I should provide this thread with an update as to my FC shenanigans. The good: I now own an 87 RX7. Trim is the GXL so it's got the NA 13b, but as my first actual sports car I am completely fine with it being modest on power. The better: I was told it had 60K km on it. Turns out it's actually closer to 56K. I'm the second owner and I got it for an incredible price as it was from a family member. The mysterious: When going over it to get it up and running I had to replace the main 80A fuse as it had somehow blown while the car was sitting. I figure that this is maybe due to corrosion on the fuses, as the other ones were showing signs of the copper oxidizing and I'm sure that doesn't add to the amperage rating of a fuse. The car started up first try once that fuse was replaced but there seem to maybe be some electrical gremlins: I don't seem to have interior lights other than the dash and the (aftermarket and tastefully installed) stereo doesn't turn on. I picked up some extra fuses so I might just pop them in here and there and see if that solves anything. It also came with some sweet aftermarket abandoned hornets nests in the panel gaps on the doors and under the hatch. I have performed a nest-delete to the best of my abilities at this time. I think there might be another in the cowl below the windshield as I was seeing a wasp buzzing around that area of the car but who knows. Holy gently caress you guys: The AC works. I don't anticipate using it a lot, as the sunroof also works and the "drop the windows" program has served me pretty well. Also, the previous owner had a sunshade in the windshield so the vents and interior plastics are all in very nice shape as they've been shielded from the UV that they would have otherwise been subjected to. Things that I need to do - Pretty much as Spyder advised earlier: Replace as many fluids as I can: Its insurance had last expired three years ago and I'm not sure when it was last driven before the insurance expired. The oil had been changed regularly so it's pristine (might change it anyway though just to be thorough) and I have 3/4ths of a tank of gas to probably siphon out even though it seemed to be running fine. New tires: These ones are cracking and I'll probably feel like one's going to explode at any moment until I get them replaced. Brakes: The drivers side rear caliper is sticking/stuck. The wheel can be turned by hand so it's not totally locked up, but with the amount of smoke that was letting itself be known after ~2 kilometers I opted to have a tow truck take it the rest of the way as to not tempt a fire. Not sure how I'm going to tackle this one, it's probably a "take it to the shop to have it fixed and the whole car given a look-over" thing even though I know it could be a simple fix. Cosmetic poo poo: The window trim is super rusty and needs to be replaced. Hopefully this isn't a hard part to find. Car's dirty from sitting, a good wash will do it well. I keep thinking I smell coolant when the thing has been running, I hope I'm just being paranoid but I think it's also a little too early to tell. It could also just be bad gas, I'm not really certain at this point. I was surprised at how warm it gets under the hood. Internet, I am loving excited. I don't know that I'll have much to update about or that I want to start posting about what I'm doing with the car (I likely won't be doing much for a little while, owing to finances) but just know that quietly, the rotary madness is taking me over.
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May 25, 2016 06:59
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Interior lights and radio are likely the "room" fuse. Good luck with the car.
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May 25, 2016 15:55
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Where are the pics? And poo poo, I thought I was lucky getting a mint one owner Camry from a neighbor, odds of a mint FC from a family member are slim to none.
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May 25, 2016 16:13
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Do they still do Sevenstock? I remember going like 11 years ago.
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May 25, 2016 18:07
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We demand pics! Also, check out the general Rotary thread. It's a few pages back, I'll find it when I have a chance. There's plenty of rotards on here.
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May 25, 2016 21:59
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I've been lurking AI since pretty well the day I registered, I've just never had anything noteworthy to share with the forums prior to this. I think the forums and all the rotards I've seen posting over the years are to blame for me getting kind of really excited over this car when it was offered up to me. DirkDonkeyroot: You nailed it. That exact fuse was blown. I replaced it and everything works as far as I can tell. I may have happily muttered "Fuckin' Goons!" in praise when everything came to life. I drove it around my neighbourhood for a little while this evening a little bit to get familiar with the clutch and learn myself on driving a 5-speed and see if I couldn't get the stuck caliper to make some decisions about itself/knock some of the rust off the rotors. I don't think I accomplished anything towards making the brake situation solve itself but I have never had so much fun sputtering around below 40km/h with an occasional, rapid zip to around 40km/h. Hello world.  (Thanks ICBC for the almost CR4P plates. Kind of quietly pleased about the R7 in there.) Side view with trim that needs some new double-sided tape.  Butt.  Door trim jankiness. Both sides are like this with the rubberized coating having peeled away from the now-corroded metal:  Engine bay? Engine bay!  Leading zeros are kind of wigging me out.  I didn't take any pictures of the interior as I had just picked up the mail and it was just sitting on the passenger seat looking horrible, but the interior is blue and has been well cared for. Poking around the engine bay I found out why the AC still works: it has been recharged/retrofitted with r134a according to a sticker under the hood. Not complaining, working AC is a pretty nice little treat. The photos don't show it super well but it's still pretty dirty on the outside. I need to give it a wash as the glass and paint is still kind of caked with stuck on pollen/algae/garbage. It looks much cleaner in these photos than in real life at the moment. What can't be seen super well is that the rear bumper has had a few little bumps: there's some spiderwebbing in the paint and the passenger-rear corner has a little scruff on it which you can see above. Nothing that actually bothers me at this point though.
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May 26, 2016 03:22
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Wow, what a score. Drive it and don't ever sell it because you'll never find one like it again. I'd keep it in for the winter though since you're in the great north. Get a good winter beater if you don't have another car already.
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May 26, 2016 03:29
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I think the dies on that thing are hilariously undersized, was that connection overcrimped?
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May 26, 2016 03:41
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Skeletard posted:Door trim jankiness. Both sides are like this with the rubberized coating having peeled away from the now-corroded metal: My Civic is the same way, except new door trims cost $136 a side so I think I'm just going to peel the rest of it off with a plastic razor, tape off the weather stripping/window glider, and then hit it with bedliner or something.
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May 26, 2016 03:58
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leica posted:Wow, what a score. Drive it and don't ever sell it because you'll never find one like it again. Agreed! Soooooo clean! Please keep it safe .
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May 26, 2016 04:06
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leica posted:Wow, what a score. Drive it and don't ever sell it because you'll never find one like it again. Looks like he's in Vancouver and winters are relatively mild here. And yeah, I'm rather jealous too.
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May 26, 2016 04:34
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Vancouver's correct, I'll be able to keep it covered and don't plan to drive it over the winters. the spyder posted:Agreed! Soooooo clean! Please keep it safe I assure you all I'll do my best. It's a long-term, running project for me. I can't wait to get this thing in proper running order.
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May 26, 2016 07:06
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Very cool car! Never, ever sell it, it is always great to see a clean, stock one running around the fraser valley. Want to meet up and hoon about in lovely oil-injected 80's machines?!
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May 26, 2016 07:37
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Some things to watch for. Flash to pass works but high beams don't - this is the "horn cpu" and the cold solder joints are cracked on it. You can either reflow this or replace with a better part from mazdatrix. Wipers only work in low speed and dont auto home. Your wiper switch is fubar and the unsealed relays in there need replacemet, this is a pain in the rear end. Clock and idiot lights dont work. Once again the cold solder joints on the display cracked and need a reflow. Dont know of a good replacement. Power window switches dont work or work very slowly. Some genius in japan thought it was a great idea to pass the maximum rated power through the switches and arcs happen causing the switch to die. This can be fixed with a couple of spdt relays, beer and a soldering iron ill get you the schematics if you would like. Same as above with the headlight switch, except this one will melt the switch and wiring harness. I suggest taking care of this before it costs you 300+ usd to fix. And as others have said, keep it stock and enjoy it. And dont forget to redline it every now and then
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May 26, 2016 13:23
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| # ? May 16, 2024 04:16 |
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DirkDonkeyroot posted:Power window switches dont work or work very slowly. Some genius in japan thought it was a great idea to pass the maximum rated power through the switches and arcs happen causing the switch to die. This can be fixed with a couple of spdt relays, beer and a soldering iron ill get you the schematics if you would like. Haha this is the same thing with NA Miatas. I converted mine to manual windows because I was over it, and wanted to be able to put the windows up without the key in the ignition anyway. Skeletard, Only thing I'd recommend is to tint the windows so the interior has some UV protection. Would make the car look better too.
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May 26, 2016 15:45
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