The RX-7 Experience

I'm Creepin

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 04:51:00 +0000

So, I've moved halfway across the country but was browsing PHX craigslist and ran across the old beast. Sad enough, she was for sale as a shell :( I gotta admit, it made me a little sick to my stomach to hear that the car was being parted out. Sad day indeed...

It looks like the new owner put s5 tails, and an s5 front bumper on her... Not a fan at all. Although, i love that Odula lip!!

The ad says that the front rotor has two blo.... well, here, I'll just copy it in.

Perfect Mazda Rx-7 Shell/Parting - $2700 (Mesa)

Date: 2011-08-15, 4:42PM MST
Reply to: ^XXXXXXXXXXX

I want 2700 OBO for the body as she sits with the new tires and gorgeous S5 BBS wheels, lights, interior etc etc etc is all included except the motor.
I have the CLEAN AZ TITLE IN HAND!

I'm also parting the 380whp motor SEPARATELY. Has two blown apex seals on the front rotor.
MAKE OFFERS on these parts please.
The turbo and MoTec are worth quite a bit I'll take 1k each though.
T04 turbo. DevilsOwn methanol injection kit, MoTec tuneable computer with software included, custom exhaust, intercooler MSD ignition etc etc etc.
Less than 10k miles on the turbo build.
Email is preferred but feel free to text/call be sure to leave a voice-mail.. XXXXXXXXX

13.2 @ 113 mph

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 02:22:00 +0000

Here is a video from SpeedWorld in Phoenix. I ran a 13.2 with a 2.2 60 ft at 113 mph. I couldn't get great traction with 8" wheels, and I was squatting really bad when shifting into 2nd. I broke my diff mount during one of these runs.

Drag from Nick Pitcavage on Vimeo.

The End of an Era

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 01:06:00 +0000

I sold the RX-7. I was hoping this day would never come, but it was a for a worthy cause. These are the last pics I have of her before I sold her.

Thanks for following along. This has been the most fun car I've ever driven or owned.
I'm not sure I can ever build another rotary, but one thing is sure; I will be back building something soon.

400 HP Here I Come!!

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:35:00 +0000

I've been a little quiet lately, but there have been some major changes on the 7. First of all, I installed an Isuzu NPR front mount intercooler. This isn't one of those, "sticks out of the front bumper with chrome everywhere" types of intercoolers. This specific intercooler is a Garrett core, and fits in front of the stock radiator on a 2nd gen RX-7. It actually fits in there so well, that it could pass as a stock piece. It's pretty sleeper!

It didn't look so hot when it first arrived. I mean, it was ok, but there was a lot of corrosion on the front fins, and they were pretty bent up. I cleaned it up with some solvent, break cleaner, and needle nose pliers. I tired to straighten most of the fins, but it's painstaking.

Turblown, once again, did an excellent job on the install. It looks really clean, and functions perfectly. I was really trying to keep the AC condenser, but for now, it got cut... I am dead set on having AC in this car, so one way or another, I will find a way to get a condenser back on the car.

We've been out tuning quite a bit lately. Trying different things, and I was having some issues with two mods in particular. The Wastegate and the Blow Off Valve. I'm not really sure what was going on there, but once I tried adding an Electronic Boost Controller, those two things started acting up. Turns out my old-school HKS sequential bov is leaking pretty good now, and my wastegate was somehow getting jammed. I replaced the wastegate and went up in spring size; from a 9psi spring, to a 18psi spring!!! I un-installed the Boost Controller out of suspicion that is doesn't work and am just sticking with the wastegate for now.

Recently, Turblown started getting these really sexy looking heat shields. It looks so sweet under the hood, I had to grab one. He even makes them for a 3-Rotor... Not that I want anything to do with one of those money pits!! HaHaHa!

We went out tuning and it was scary fun. 18psi with lower than ambient intake temps really makes the car move. It was hitting 18 psi by about 5k RPMs. Then a little problem arrived, the spark was breaking up at high RPM. Those 20 year old coils just couldn't handle the power. Today, Turblown just finished installing a couple of MSD Blaster 2 coils and the car is ready for a little tuning once again.

I still haven't fixed the leaky BOV, looks likes I'll have to shop for a new one...

AC Wire Bypass

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:30:00 +0000

Well what the heck is the point of having a new AC compressor, new rubber lines and new o-rings if you can't turn your AC on!? I am getting tired of being so close to having AC in this car so I decided to make a strong push to get it going. The problem I am having is that the AC control in the dash board, runs through the stock ECU. I no longer have the stock computer, and have gone to a MoTeC M2R. So with out that connection, the AC compressor will not turn on using the AC button on the dash. Thanks to Rob XX 7 on the Rx7club.com, I know which wires need to be jumped to allow the AC button to make a complete circuit.

This was done on a 1987 Mazda RX-7 Turbo II:
Pull back the carpet in front of the passenger seat. This harness is the one needed to work with. If you click on the picture, you can see a larger view. It splits off the large harness running across the back of the wall and has a yellow clip.

Locate the BLUE and ORANGE wire. It is the third wire from the end of the clip. See Below. This is one of the wires you need to jump, so go ahead and slip your jumper wire in the front of that slot.

Turn the clip over and locate the BLUE and WHITE wire. This is also the third wire from the end. The two wires are right on top of one another. Slip the other end of the jumper wire in this slot as well.

Here is my el-Cheap0 AC jumper solution.
Not show in this picture,but I soldered the two connections and used electrical tape to protect the wire.
Now when I push the AC button, the orange light above the button lights up. Now all I need is Freon!! :(

Wastegate and AI

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:05:00 +0000

I just wanted to post the pic of what was happening with the Wastegate. One night, while boosting, It seemed like the wastegate wasn't opening. We took it apart to see a little corrosion inside. Not much, as you can see. But apparently some of the methanol has left traces here. I wonder if that little bit could cause the wastegate to stick....? It seems unlikely, but after cleaning it off, the problem stopped....???

Old vs New

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:51:00 +0000

That little nub there is supposed to be the pivot ball!! HAHA!

I busted the clip on the clutch fork and the clips in the pilot bearing.
This explains some of the issues I was having shifting. After I replaced all the clutch hydraulics, the car shifted really smooth for about a week. Then the symptoms came back. It was getting a little old. So we dropped the tranny and found all these pieces, in pieces.
Here are the symptoms I was having:
•different resistance on the clutch pedal every time I got in the car
•trouble getting in gear
•trouble getting out of gear
•car would move forward while trying to get in gear (with clutch down)
•reverse? not a chance
After installing the new parts, we adjusted the clutch pedal as well. Now the car shifts smoother than it EVER has... And it should. Everything but the actual transmission is brand new.

Interior: The Anti-Clutter

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:18:00 +0000

I really like how well the interior is coming along. It looks VERY stock, with a couple aftermarket touches. I am trying to keep it simple and uncluttered. Eventually, the Turbo Timer will go in the glove box with the boost controller.

I do have the warning surround, but I took it off so I could re-do the AFR gauge installation. V1 was ok, but there are some little things that could look better. V2 Coming Soon!

Hot Day In the Desert

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:32:00 +0000

Here are some pics from Thunderbird Park in Glendale. Some of these pics really show the holograms in my paint, maybe that will be enough motivation for me to buff that crap out!
It was pretty hot out, but I think the shoot went well.

Sneaky Gauge

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:20:00 +0000

I got this Blitz Temp gauge to keep an eye on AITs, but it seems like the temp range is a little off. You can kinda keep an eye on the AITs. but I think I'll switch the probe over to the oil filter pedestal and try to find a gauge with a smaller range for AITs. I'll have to mount it a little better, but this is ok for now.

This sure is a sexy gauge, I almost hate to hide it in the glove box. It really doesn't match the rest of the gauges, and I hate to clutter the interior with more gauges.

I'm Black

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:26:00 +0000

Here are the grey T2 seats I've been using for a while. They are decent enough, but don't match the black interior.

I grabbed these black clothe seats from Subu9lulu recently. He is in FL and I'm in AZ, so we had to work out a shipping arrangement. We did some shopping and found Greyhound to be the cheapest. $80 from Orlando to Phoenix. Got them in a week, and they look great!

Half-way done and you can see how much better the black seats look!

Finally, my grey-to-black interior swap is DONE!

Interior Almost Complete

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 06:13:00 +0000

I got my car back from the shop on Friday morning. She got a new water pump and all new clutch hydraulics. The car is running smooth as can be. It is so much more enjoyable when shifting is effortless!!

I was happy to get her back, so I gave her a quick cleaning and started painting and installing some interior parts I've been meaning to get done.

Here is a BEFORE on the ash tray... gross.

I used Krylon satin paint. It's a pretty close match, but I may try again with Semi-Flat black instead. Either way, it looks MUCH better AFTER.

I had some grey vent lating around in perfect shape. So they got a coat of paint too.

This piece never came on a S4, but the S5 carpet had a hole pre-cut for it. I had to drill a couple holes into the side of the car to get this shelf piece to mount in the S4. It wasn't rocket science, but it definitely helps the interior look more complete and natural. The light isn't functional yet, but there are some wires from the old speaker amps I think I can use.

I don't have this piece anywhere, but a local guy said he has it and is going to hook me up this week.

The rear cargo cover was missing the little mounting rod on one side, so my cover never really closed properly, and was sagging in the middle. I went to HD and got an aluminum 3/8" rod, cut it, drilled a couple hole in each end, and mounted it all the way across the cover. Now it has support on both sides and a little more stiffness in the center. I painted it black too...

All I need to completely complete my interior is:
the passenger A-trim piece
the ledge in the rear passenger side
Black seats
Defrost vents
Side view mirror switch

Stupid Suspension

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:38:00 +0000

I am attempting to make my car look like this /\ with all 4 rims matching (thanks Photoshop). For some reason, it's been a HUGE challenge. When I bought the BBS rims, only two had rubber. When I got around to buying the other two tires, the Yokohama ES100s had been discontinued. I was lucky enough to find two matching tires at www.TireRack.com. I finally bought rubber for the front BBS rims, and took the car to the tire shop to get the tires mounted and balanced. The tire shop called me and said they couldn't mount the rims, unless I wanted the front tires to stick out past the front fender. I said thanks, but no thanks.

The problem is, the stock front suspension will not allow these wider, 8", rims to mount without rubbing the spring perch. They said I needed coilovers to make these fit. I test fit them once I got home, just to see how far off it was.

With stock replacement struts, with Racing Beat springs up front, I am about 1.5 - 2" off. The tire just barely rubs, but I think there needs to be sufficient clearance to turn. So it looks like I'll need to spend some money and get the front coilovers done. Until then, I'm riding beater-style, with my mis-matched rims :(

Lost My Buzz

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:37:00 +0000

If you know what this is, you know why yesterday was the HAPPIEST day of my life! This thing was going off constantly and more frequently, for no reason. I couldn't take it anymore, and I have no desire to ever hear this thing again.

While I was at it, I took out the stock boost gauge and installed a Volt meter instead. Now I only have one useless stock gauge, the temp gauge. Anyone got any ideas on how to replace it with something useful?

Alcohol Injection LED

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:47:00 +0000

LED light comes on with Auxiliary Injection system.

Auxillary Injection Details

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 04:40:00 +0000

I installed this little LED to let me know that the AI pump is on. It is connected to a pressure sensor. If there is a change in pressure, the light goes off.

Mounted switches.

Data Logs

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 05:13:00 +0000

Data Logs

Last Thursday I did some 1st through 4th pulls with one jet post-compressor. The truth here is my pre-compressor jet was stuck closed. I was using a spring loaded jet at this location. I switched it after these tests.

One Jet, Post Compressor Night time pull. 65* Estimated Outside temp

1st thru 4th gear, One Nozzle after the Compressor. 50/50 Water/Meth
You can easily see the AIT's (in BLUE) climb immediately in boost, then take small little drops through out the 4 gears. Not too bad, actually seeing AIT drop during boost is a great success, but the initial climb is a little steep, from 73 to 87, about 15 degrees. And my goal is LOWER than ambient temps under boost.

.......................................................................

Today, I spent some time fine tuning the 2 jet system. I swapped the spring loaded jet for a better style, and swapped steel fittings for stainless steel. I also finished installing my pressure switch LED. If the lines get clogged, the LED turns off and boost time is over. I will get some 1st through 4th logs tomorrow to "compare apples to apples". This is all I got today.

Two Jets; One Pre, One Post Compressor Day time pull. 78* Estimated Outside temp
1st Gear Pull, Two Jets. 50/50 Water/Meth.
For some reason, AIT's always climb a little in 1st gear. I am still working on this, might be the Turn-On point. All other gears it drops.

3rd Gear, Two Nozzles. 50/50
This is great right here. There is a 30* drop in 2 seconds!!! I love it!! From 95* to 68* (about 10* BELOW ambient). I know this isn't a great log because I didn't get to bang the gears, but it was great to see AIT drop so drastically and notice how they stay low long after the AI pump is off.

Engine Bay Clean Up

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 02:11:00 +0000

Engine Bay Clean Up

Just added this radiator panel. Cleans it up quite a bit and gives me a place to put all my stickers... ;)

Custom Interior

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 04:20:00 +0000

I was able to clean up the install a little more. I found the right cap to screw over the calibration button. While I was at it, I took the idiot surround and sanded the back of it on a belt sander. It helped the idiot surround fit a little better.

I spent the day mounting my Lambda gauge in place of the stock (worthless) clock. It was a little tricky.

•First I took the stock idiot cluster apart.

•Took all the components of the clock out of the idiot cluster. I was careful not to break the circuit board or any other elements of the warning system. Here is the piece I took out. I ended up cutting the clock knob off with some tin snips.

•I then had to take a file to the white housing. The area where the clock used to be has to be smoothed out to allow the lambda LCD gauge to fit in the slot where the clock used to be. There are little nubs that needed to be filed off. I circled the nubs, and dotted the area that needs to be filed down. There are nubs behind the dotted area that also need to be smoothed out.

• Ran the LCD gauge and all wires for the LED and calibration button up through the dash. This is the LCD gauge that came with my LC-1 wideband controller. I've seen similar displays at Radio Shack. Here you can see the little LED that tells you if your sensor is warmed up, calibrated, etc. There is also a calibration button not pictured.

•Drilled two holes in the clear plastic lens so the LED and calibration button will mount on the outside of the lens. There is already one hole from the clock knob.
SIDE NOTE: I have a Series 4 cluster, but a Series 5 dash and idiot surround. I found a little trick that helped me out. If you turn the clear plastic lens upside down, and cut off the tabs for the tiny (useless) screws, the Series 5 surround fits the Series 4 cluster. So I drilled two holes on the opposite side from the original clock knob.

•Ran all LED and button wires through the cluster. Just make sure all the wires are run through the correct route before you connect everything.

•Crimped and heat shrink for LED and button wires.

•Took the black panel (with all the warning symbols) and cut it right before the window for the clock. The LED gauge will take the place of this piece.

•Re-assemble carefully.

EDIT* July 6th, 2009

I touched up the install. I took a un-cut warning light lens and just put the digital AFR gauge behind the stock, clock lens. It looks a little cleaner, and more like a stock component.

Look At Those AITs!!

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:03:00 +0000

Look At Those AITs!!

Here is a 4th gear pull from about 3000 to 6000 RPMs. I have a 9psi wastegate spring, but you can see, in 4th, it gets up to about 12 psi. The car is tune for that range, so it isn't a big deal... The turbo is just letting me know it wants to be opened up some more!!

The outside temp was around 70*F. I am running 50/50 water/methanol. It's great to see the AIT drop under boost like that.

Videos As Promised

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:13:00 +0000

As Promised

Interior gauge shot

Muffled Tips in

No muffled tips, APexi N1 dual exhaust, 3.5" downpipe, 3.5" midpipe.

>
Muffled Tips in

No muffled tips, APexi N1 dual exhaust, 3.5" downpipe, 3.5" midpipe.

Listen foe the wastegate to open, the tails lights burst away pretty quick!

2nd Gear blast passed.

Fuel Pressure Regulator Upgrade

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:45:00 +0000

Now I Know

Fuel system is just about there. I went with the Aeromotive Fuel Pressure regulator and an running -6 fuel lines to the rails. I will be running -8 to the tank next, and then changing the fuel rails to run in parallel.

Now I will be able to tell if there is an issue with the fuel pressure at a glance... Finally. This could've saved me a lot of guess work earlier.

First NA, First Vert

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 05:37:00 +0000

First NA, First Vert

I went to look at this car and was told it had no wheels, and didn't run. I could tell there were some minor body issues just by the pictures... but it does look to be a photogenic car.

My buddy hooked me up with these saw-blade T2 rims before I left to check out the vert so I could at least roll it on the transport.

Overall, she looks alright, a little worse than the original sellers pictures let on.

A Closer Look

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 05:36:00 +0000

A Closer Look

This car is all there, but really needs some TLC to make her shine in person. I have a S5 front bumper and fenders at my disposal, but don't know where to start for the driver-side door. I really don't want to buy a T2 hood, but this one is pretty beat up. There is much hail damage and the vent shroud is broke.

Vert Details

noreply@blogger.com (stylEmon) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 05:23:00 +0000

Vert Details

Interior is so-so. It's all there except the radio, but there are a couple switches that need to be properly connected. The seats are not so good, but the rest looks like it just needs to be tightened and polished.

I've already noticed that there is no EGR fuse, and there is a huge vacuum leak after the Mass Air Flow Sensor. I think I can get her running after fixing those issues and flushing the fluids. The seller tried to start her for me but no dice. I heard both rotors pulsing alright as it cranked... then I noticed there was no EGR fuse so it wasn't gonna start.

Anyone know what exhaust this is??!?!? It looks pretty slick on an FC, but I've never seen it before.

The seller threw in this OBX header. Looks really nice, but I definitely don't want to go this route on the vert. She is just a cruiser.

*EDIT
I never got the car running and sold her. But my friend bought the car and had it running in a week! We went to a meet together and it looked really slick!