Michigan Rotary Club
Generation Specific => 2nd Generation Specific => 2nd Generation Build Thread => : toplessFC3Sman October 30, 2010, 08:16:02 AM
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This is pieced together from a couple places, and over a number of years, and is still on-going.
I bought the 7 back in the winter of 2004, and she started out as normally aspirated like all of the convertibles in the US. The day I bought her:
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw2zNbXwPI/AAAAAAAAAX4/SqaHBKjSlH4/Mazda%20Conv.JPG)
147 crank hp in a car weighing in at approx 3000 lbs was just not cutting it though, so the upgrades began as time and money allowed. As she sits as of Early June, 2008 (about a year after I moved out to MI, she's still my only car at this point):
Powertrain: (Didnt really need the engine swap... but wanted it!)
Full S4 turbocharged engine (rebuilt) and drivetrain (including pretty worn clutch-type LSD) running stock boost of 5-6 psi
Ported wastegate (to avoid boost spikes with the laughably small internal WG)
Racing Beat cat-back exhaust (love the sound, and the unit that was on there was really rotted out anyway)
3" Downpipe, midpipe and main cat replacement pipe.
Corksport FMIC and piping
Generic aftermarket intake cone filter
MegaSquirt engine management system (self-assembled and tuned)
Innovate LC-1 Wideband
1000cc/min secondary injectors (to support more boost in the future)
Suspension:
Eibach rising rate springs
Tokico Illumina shocks
Solid bushings on the front suspension
Front strut tower brace
16"x7" S5 Turbo wheels in Kumho Ecsta ASX rubber
Braking: (not much was needed here, 5-lug FC brakes are very capable units)
Cross-drilled and Slotted Brembo blanks
New pads
Stainless Brake Lines
DOT-4 fluid
Appearance: (not been my first priority)
New convertible top
Sealed beam to removable bulb headlight housings
Re-skinned seats
Thats where the car stands right now, and I'd estimate she's putting about 200 hp to the wheels. However, everythings been built with the goal of turning up the boost in mind, all thats needed is a boost controller (and probably an EGT gauge and probe to help with ignition tuning) to hopefully put down somewhere between 275 and 300 hp as a final goal for this car, power wise. I also have a Torsen LSD sitting around waiting to be installed that I just haven't gotten around to yet.
After the mechanicals are all finished up, then it will be time to start addressing the cosmetic needs.
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw2yurFZGI/AAAAAAAAAXw/2DDdlPxTAPk/s720/0794ps.jpg)
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw2y9OrpmI/AAAAAAAAAX0/gmRapteBmbE/s720/0803ps.jpg)
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw2zB8D1MI/AAAAAAAAAX8/oFQ68y6RdJo/s720/Snow%207%2001.jpg)
Where I worked on her at my parents place in NJ before moving to MI, as well as when she popped the coolant freeze plug there on a visit over christmas break (yea, its late-spring in the pic, I didn't have time to fix her until then when I made it back out after classes)
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw2yfRIu2I/AAAAAAAAAXs/Gm981eqklsg/s640/Freeze%20plug%203.jpg)
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September 2008:
First, on inspecting the brakes, I realized that one of the slider pins for the rear calipers was snapped off and the caliper had twisted, which had thoroughly destroyed the pads (about an inch of pad material left on one side of the pad, nothing on the other), so I got a complete set of Hawk HPS pads and a new rear caliper. At the same time I replaced the Master Cyl since it was having some intermittant problems with the seal/valve separating the reservoir from the cylinder, and found that I needed to replace a front caliper too because of frozen pistons. So, more than half the braking system is rebuilt or new, and the remaining two calipers were still in great condition, so I didnt touch them. At the same time I also painted the brake calipers black and the wheels a graphite-color.
Next, I got a fuel pressure gauge and a boost gauge from Prosport since their gauges matched the Innovate G3 wideband gauge I already had, and the autometer boost gauge was pretty inaccurate. I got the fuel pressure gauge to try to diagnose a seemingly random stuttering problem I had on occasion (which happened to be due to air in the fuel lines that was just stuck at a local high point). However, once it was in I discovered that the Walbro 255 lph fuel pump was completely outflowing the stock FPR, and the rail pressure was hanging out at an almost constant 60 psi for the past 2 years. Unfortunately, that meant that the fuel tables in the tune i'd been working on since then would be off by a little bit and would need to be re-tuned once I got an FPR that was capable of flowing enough fuel.
Around the same time, I relocated the wideband's body from the transmission mount to the chassis, since the transmission's heat and vibration during a long drive seemed to be affecting it. Since moving it, I've had no problems whatsoever with the LC-1, even with the 600 mile drive from NJ back to MI.
Which brings me to the most recent mod... an Aeromotive A1000 adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator. I needed an assortment of AN fittings and an impossible-to-find metric adapter to thread into the end of the fuel rail. It didnt help that Summit messed up my order (and recommended o-ring fittings that didnt actually come with o-rings) 2 times, but oh well. Anyway, I decided to install the FPR on saturday, the day before an autocross. This involved taking the upper intake manifold off, which isn't that hard to do; i've done it at least a dozen times before. Anyway, all of the fuel system stuff goes well, and the FPR gets plumbed up in under an hour. Now time for reassembly.
As I'm bolting the UIM back on, the bolt (an M8x1.25, 90mm long) that goes right in the center snaps in half under the lightest of pressure. "Shit, I must have overtightened it last time and stretched it". Well, off to the hardware store to try to find some way of replacing it. The only metric bolt long I could find that was enough to replace it was an M10x1.5, 100mm long, so I'd need to drill out the hole and re-tap it. There are no outlets anywhere near my carport; i would have needed at least a 200 ft extension cord (if not more) to get to it, so I had to buy a cordless drill and borrow taps and bits from the lab that I work at. Well... its 4 pm, I want to get the car back together and ready for the auto-x, but now I'm stuck with an un-charged drill that has just about no power, and no time to charge it if I want to work while its light out. I tried just using the drill bit in the tap handle and spinning it by hand (with marginal success), but it would have taken forever, so it was time to get creative. Hmmm... 12v drill... 12v car battery... let me find some wire. And it worked fine, allowing me to drill out the area to be tapped as well as the hole thru the UIM that the bolt needed to pass through pretty quickly. Well, with that done, I put the UIM back on and began bolting up the throttle body.
Just my luck, as I'm tightening the last nut holding the TB to the UIM, the ratchet slips and breaks my intake air temperature sensor. CRAP! It's now 6:40, and I need to find one of these things fast! Parts Galore out off of 8-mile in detroit has a few 2nd gen RX-7s, maybe they'll have one. I was able to get Andrew to drive me out there, and we arrived at 7:27, with enough time before the posted closing time of 8 pm to grab the part, pay, and get out of there. Except... whats that note on the door... As of today, Parts Galore will be closing at 7:30 instead of 8. And no amount of asking nicely/begging/pleading was going to get us in. Time to turn back around and think of something new.
Hmmm... Pal has an RX-7, and is no longer using his rotary, maybe he'll have one. So Zach gets a few frantic texts asking for his number, responds quickly, and I leave a message for Pal. He gets back to me quickly too, but isnt sure where it would be if he still has it, and won't even be home to look until after midnight, so that path won't work. (Thanks again for your help though, Zach and Pal!) At that point Andrew and I decide to go to the meet, and I'll just either run with a bunch of resistors in place of the IAT sensor, or try to fix the broken one. The car will have to wait til the morning of the autocross to be put back together, have the tuning adjusted, and everything troubleshot... cutting it close.
Fortunately that night, someone on MIrotaryclub.net responded to my frantic plea for the IAT sensor, had an extra one, and was going to the same autocross! (Rotaryrescue - very appropriate name - you are AWESOME!!!) So all I had to do was get the car there, for which a very slap-dash, hacked fix to the broken IAT sensor was necessary.
So, the next morning I'm out in the rain re-assembling, and on the drive there I'm trying to tune and make sure I'm not going to be running too lean at full boost on rt 14 in the rain and traffic, while having andrew and three other friends following me to the autocross, wondering why the hell i'm driving like a madman. Oh well, it was completely worth it. By the end of the drive, the car was running pretty well (if a bit rich), and I was able to compete in the autocross. I've done a little bit of tuning since then, and she's running just about as well as she ever has.
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Nov 23rd, 2008:
Well, just got thru the most recent batch of trouble, this time with the Megasquirt. The whole time i've had it, i've been using the MS1 processor, which is a motorola processor circa early 90's. The MS2 processor is basically a direct replacement, and i've had it sitting around for almost a year, but the code for it hadn't progressed to the point that it would work well for a rotary until about a month ago. I got my hands on a bit of the alpha code for it, and tore into the MS to make the necessary changes.
Somewhere along the line, I shorted something out accidentally, and then my secondary injectors stopped working, so I was limited to under 110 kPa and under 4k RPM (I could have changed this, but thats about where I run out of fuel with the primaries anyway). Well, back apart it comes, just to find one of the traces in the PCB has been burned up (yep, thats where the short was...). A jumper wire later, and the secondaries are working again, but now for some reason the car is running rich as all hell, and all attempts to correct it do nothing. Same pulse-width as before, but now the car is at 10 or 11:1 AFR, not 13-14. However, it was somehow still drivable, so the amount of fuel was changing with load and speed requirements. It wasnt a bad reading on the wideband, it really was on the ragged edge of drowning itself in fuel most of the time. Well, I re-checked all the connections, tried it with both MS1 and MS2, replaced a couple of the power transistors, and still the same thing. Leaned out all the maps so that the pulsewidth was basically just the injector opening time, still running rich. Brought it inside and hooked it up to the oscilloscope, but the output pulsewidth was exactly as reported thru megatune and responding fine. Hooked it up to a relay coil and 12V to simulate the inductance of an injector, and the output was still fine, yet it didn't work on the car. I need the car for a trip back to the east coast on Tues, so its desperation time. I just went thru and replaced most of the components in the injector circuits that I had replacements for, and miraculously... IT WORKS AGAIN! Most of what I replaced was in the flyback dampening portion of the board, and I suspect that one of the mosfets in there that was failing with the higher flyback voltages, allowing the injector to see ground for longer than it should and staying on for longer. Unfortunately in the period that it was running very rich, I think i burnt up my wideband O2 sensor, so i need to run around and find one tomorrow to replace it. But at least IT RUNS!
And for fun, this was my workspace, with the MS, my computer running megatune, an O-scope borrowed from the autolab, the stimulator card, and a power drill taped to the crank angle sensor to simulate engine RPM.
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw6fi-0MBI/AAAAAAAAAYM/ecxB9vLff_w/s640/1tBHEJ-0d3499-resize.jpg)
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Jan 26, 2009:
Well, next installment time... since the pilot bearing is shot, the transmission needs to come off again to replace it. However, if it's coming off, I may as well replace it with a transmission that has working synchros in all gears, and doesnt whirr away in 3rd and 5th. Found a J-spec one from a reputable dealer on the 7club, so hopefully I can recieve it and finish the work in time to take the 7 out to at least one of the ice races and get some use out of the snow tires!
Feb 1st, 2009
Considering the "good" weather we had today, I decided to get started on the transmission removal, even tho I don't have the new one yet. Pulled the exhaust, underbody brace, and drive shaft in preparation, until the above-freezing weather melted some snow uphill from me and it turned into a nice cold stream running right thru my shoulderblades. I'm ready to pull the transmission, replace the pilot bearing, and throw a new tranny in there now tho.
Feb 8th, 2009
YES!
Transmission is out, pilot bearing was completely destroyed, but the inner bore of the E-shaft that it sits in appears to be fine. Just gotta wait to get the new trans, then it can start going back together Very Happy
Feb 11, 2009
shifter and tranny mount come on friday, and the trans should be here on monday! Going to finish up making the pilot bearing puller today, and hopefully in another week or two she'll be road-worthy again!
Feb 15th, 2009
got the transmission, hopefully it'll all go back together next weekend.
Feb 16th, 2009
Well, as far as pics go, i've only got these two right now from the most recent bit of work, but i'll try to remember to take more as I put her back together
This is the tool I made to screw onto the end of the autozone rented slide hammer to pull the pilot bearing. Its basically just a collet machined to the inner and outer diameters of the bearing, then threaded so that the teeth are forced outwards once its in place by a bolt. on the other end of the bolt I needed to weld a nut of the proper size for the slide hammer.
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw6fvbeLrI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/Mwh56zFJTss/s640/Pilot%20Bearing%20and%20Puller%201.JPG)
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw6f5aGDbI/AAAAAAAAAYU/yZFVxMzIDmE/s640/Pilot%20Bearing%20and%20Puller%202.JPG)
Note: at this point, we got a lot of snow... the parking lot got plowed and it was piled up a little bit uphill of the covered parking structure. The days were warm enough to melt some of it, it ran down through the covered parking spots & refroze, essentially making a thick layer of ice that got so thick that at one point, the wheels appeared to be back on the ground (even though it was still on jack stands), and I couldn't slide the new transmission under it or really get under myself. At this point I decided I really needed a DD, and took some money I had set aside to get one, so work on the 7 slowed a bit.
March 20th, 2009:
It finally melted by this past weds, and on thursday evening, after 2 hours of benchpressing the transmission, its back in!!! Now just have the slave cyl, driveshaft, heat shields, exhaust and shifter to put back on. Some pics of the car and ice, and this was nowhere near the worst.
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw6gMEVTCI/AAAAAAAAAYY/WwemT9Hbcx0/s720/DSCN8450.JPG)
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw6gPwKN7I/AAAAAAAAAYc/XCWPnoXC7MA/s720/DSCN8445.JPG)
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw9jwW3qvI/AAAAAAAAAYk/1CH1bh7KKzY/s576/DSCN8448.JPG)
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April 6, 2009:
Well, the transmission is in, the whole drivetrain is back together, and the exhaust is mostly hung. I just need to bolt the mufflers to the back of the y-pipe, but it sounds damn good right now (loud as hell, but yea). Also, one bolt on the underbody brace broke and is stuck in the hole, and the other hole in that location stripped out, so i need to get under her with a drill and tap and clean that mess up too. Other than that tho, she'll be drivable very soon. She started right up on the first try, and the new transmission seems to be golden.
In other news, just ordered the parts to build an add-on EBC for the megasquirt so i can finally up the boost on her.
April 23rd, 2009:
Since sunday's supposed to get a little bit of rain, i had the potenza's thrown on today as well as an alignment. Got to do the first bit of top-down motoring of the season too, and am currently waiting for the wing mirrors to dry so i can put them back on the car. Then its off for a much-needed wash.
It was pretty interesting transporting the tires, since they just barely fit in the car. I loaded them up, then realized that the only gears i could get the shifter into were first and second, and fourth if you gave the tires a good shove, b/c of the tires on the pass seat. So I had to push the car out of the parking spot, and then drive carefully down to firestone (i have lifetime alignments there and needed one since i replaced the tie rod ends) to get them taken care of. She's running well though, and i've fallen in love with the engine note all over again.
July 14th, 2009:
Well, MS2 has permanently installed for the past 3 months and is working great! I finally got megasquirt's electronic boost control installed all the BC issues sorted out; now I just need to tune the PID settings for it and possibly adjust the target boost table at partial throttle for more predictability in corners, but that shouldnt take too much longer. She finally has some of the outright speed that her engine note promises, and is definitely fun.
Aug 23rd, 2009:
Whelp... the turbo has decided to destroy itself and blow all manner of oil smoke out the back, so time for another one. I'm throwing on a spare stocker I have for a little, and then its GT35 time...
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Aug 29th, 2009:
A bit of a turbo fiasco... I had my parents send me the spare stock turbo I had at their place, and when I pulled it apart for inspection, the turbine had definitely injested some apex seals in a former life and was not in very good shape. Soo... had to order another one, from a seller I trust from the transmission and plenty of good reviews, and its getting here on monday.
I need to swap the turbine housing from my current one onto it though, since its from a later series so I need the old housing to get it to bolt up. The old turbo got pulled today, and is definitely the culprit. One of the turbine fins has lost a large chunk, and the washer I welded over the ported internal wastegate has melted and fallen apart. Check out the pics below.
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw9kI9xEdI/AAAAAAAAAYo/W8xMzADO0jA/s640/DSCN8563.jpg)
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw9kaB_RoI/AAAAAAAAAYs/8-uHIZSLMDY/s640/DSCN8566.JPG)
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw9kf8My4I/AAAAAAAAAYw/dTwn7ZF8elc/s640/DSCN8569.JPG)
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Sept 15th, 2009:
Well, cleaned up the old turbine housing and put a nice solid chunk of stainless steel in place of the melted wastegate flapper. In the meantime, I received and tore down the spare turbo, to find that it had definitely injested some apex seals at one point in its life, and altho not completely unusable, it was pretty much junk. Sooo... ordered another one from a seller i had dealt with before, received it on a tuesday evening (when I was driving back to NJ on weds), tore it down and put the modified turbine housing on it, and re-assembled tues night.
Fortunately, the new one was basically immaculate, so no worries there. I got it installed with the old turbo blanket (which was beginning to come apart), go to start the car, and... its running rough as hell and rich as hell. I see the coolant temp, IAT and TPS are jumping all over the place, and eventually track down a broken wire in the harness that I must have pinched when installing the turbo. Sooo... find the wire, run a new one around the outside of the car and twist it onto the end of the harness near the megasquirt. Fire it up again, and things are much better, now its just the IAT thats messing up... good enough to drive with as long as I dont boost; it'll get me home anyway.
However, at that point I notice some smoke from under the hood. The innards of the turbo blanket appear to be burning. It takes a solid 2 hours with some big wrenches to tear that thing into enough pieces to be able to extract it all since it was firmly clamped between the turbo and the engine (not at the flange, just b/c of the positioning of the manifolds). At that point, its 5 pm, the car is finally running well enough to drive, I have a shitload of little scrapes and cuts on my arms and hands, my body is itching all over bc of the fiberglass in the blanket, I still need to pack the car, and I'm feeling disgusting.
Oh well... I eventually made it back to NJ by about 4am after all that, and then 9 hours of driving without being able to look to the right or behind me b/c of all my stuff. The harness is now pulled, Savannah is prepped and put away for storage, and I moved a lot of that junk back out here in the Saab (Annalie) for at least the next 6 months. Its been a long few weeks.
Jan 10th, 2010:
The wiring harness is finished up (rebuilt from scratch, just using some of the stock connectors that were hard to find), and ready to go back into the car. That'll prob happen this spring one weekend when I fly out to NJ, fix her, and drive her back.
Figured I may as well update this since I was updating the motorcycle's thread too.
March 30th, 2010:
Wiring harness is back in, and she made the trek back to MI yesterday flawlessly. Almost Auto-X season!
March 31st, 2010:
Well, unfortunately it looks like all is not good with her; I still need to sort out why boost control isnt working, and she's leaking coolant pretty badly. It seems to be pooling on top of the engine, and then running down; I'm surprised I didn't have any problems on the drive back out to MI. Anyhow, a lot of new hoses, gaskets, and a new thermostat have been ordered, and I should have the parts to find the leak on friday, in time for the weekend. Always something...
April 3rd, 2010:
The coolant leak seems very intermittant, and I should get a chance to take a better look at it today. I got the boost control working though, a fly-back diode burnt itself up and started shorting between 12v and ground whenever the boost control would start to work.
May 11th, 2010:
Well, new thermostat, coolant hoses and some of the gaskets are in, as well as the mazdatrix oil pan baffle, banzai racing oil pan brace and hardware (what a PITA to install when one of the engine mounts bolts through the oil pan, and the whole thing is about a half-inch from the steering rack), and camber bolts in the front, so I can get the camber adjusted when I go for an alignment too.
Then, an alignment later today in prep for the Toledo auto-X, and a new windshield tomorrow since the old one randomly cracked badly about 2 weeks ago.
Major apparent coolant loss was actually an air leak in past a radiator cap that didn't fit quite right; it sealed up when under pressure from the coolant, but as it contracted when cooling down after running, it allowed air in the system instead of drawing from the overflow bottle. Glad thats the case, and its not a coolant seal!
Aug 2nd, 2010:
Pulled the turbo and exhaust manifold to install an EGT probe and take care of a small oil leak from the turbo's oil drain tube. While there, I think I finally found the source of a small coolant leak I've been trying to trace for a year or so. The leak was always along the bottom joint between the engine and the transmission, however all lines back there were always dry and sealed. There was some small staining running from the gasket between the LIM and the block down to the front of the transmission. Coolant runs from the rotor housings through the lower intake manifold to the turbo, so the o-rings that seal the LIM to the block must have failed. After pulling the manifold, one of them had disappeared entirely, and the other looked like it had slipped out of position and been partially crushed the last time it was assembled, leaving a gap for a leak. I ran out of time for reassembly last night, but hopefully this evening I can get it all patched up and ready to go; just need to chase a few threads on the aluminum intake manifold.
Aug 03, 2010:
Intake manifold is back on, and exhaust mani & turbo are ready to go back on. I had to tap the EGR hole in the exhaust mani as 1/4" NPT to block it off, and then cut/grind away the tube that was sticking into the manifold. All of my little dremel grinding bits, plenty of the cut-off wheels, and a bit of hand-filing later, and its looking ok. Eventually I'd like to run two thermocouples at the outlet of each rotor (or even better, a divided manifold like the S5's), but for now this'll do.
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw9kiDuVLI/AAAAAAAAAY0/s6rKXp80XZ0/s640/DSCN9352.JPG)
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw-zrT8w2I/AAAAAAAAAZA/sZud4WyyFuo/s640/DSCN9353.JPG)
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw-ztClV-I/AAAAAAAAAZE/6997neNMUSE/s640/DSCN9356.JPG)
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw-z8vLUrI/AAAAAAAAAZI/FMRFsFIrX1U/s512/DSCN9349.JPG)
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TMw-0IlGovI/AAAAAAAAAZM/NCTJTC5Mv7c/s640/DSCN9350.JPG)
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Aug 9th, 2010:
It all went back together fairly smoothly, but unfortunately there seems to be a small coolant leak from the banjo fitting for the coolant drain. Even more annoyingly, this requires pulling the turbo to get to. Oh well, a couple more hours of wrenching after work this week... Hopefully she'll be trouble-free for the rest of the summer after that though.
Aug 12th, 2010:
Got the turbo off, tightened that fitting, and the turbo is almost reinstalled. 4 more bolts, and then the IC piping, and refilling the coolant, and its back together. Definitely should be ready for sunday.
Aug 20th, 2010:
Uh oh, lots of oil smoke, especially when drawing a vacuum after boosting. Hopefully its the turbo...
Sept 01, 2010:
I picked up a bunch of spare turbo parts from my parents house last weekend, and was able to assemble a full set of good condition parts (from 4 different turbos, not including whats on the car... yea, i havent had the best luck when it comes to turbos). CHRA from one turbo, turbine wheel from another, turbine housing from a third and compressor wheel and housing from the fourth.
Anyway, its currently making its way to AL to BNR to be rebuilt with a T04 compressor housing and exhaust clip, which with enough fuel, should get me to 320ish RWHP at 14 psi. Fun!!! Very Happy
Oct 6th, 2010:
mmmm new toy
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TK0rFl3NllI/AAAAAAAAAXU/SvwQKD016Qc/s640/IMG_0667.JPG)
Comparison with stock cold-side
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_-QpOeQdv1pk/TK0rGMYepLI/AAAAAAAAAXY/5aiB6KPnbMk/s640/IMG_0668.JPG)
It certainly looks very pretty, and should be good for 300ish whp at 12 psi, which is what i'm running on the stock turbo right now but probably only making 220 - 240 whp. I'm probably gonna need more injector before turning up the boost though, just to keep injector duty cycles below 80%
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Oct 18th, 2010:
Well, I ordered some 870cc/min injectors for the primaries (1000cc/min for secondaries), and have recieved & installed them as well as going over the Oil injection system, Crankcase ventilation, and other vacuum lines to make sure that everything is still in good shape. The turbo is on, and she's now running. Didn't get a chance to start tuning, but that'll be happening after work throughout the week. It seems like the new injectors have an even lower opening time than the old ones, even tho they're larger & the same brand. I need to play around with it more, since I shouldn't need to adjust the VE table at idle-ish speeds & loads for new injectors & turbo, but comparing datalogs from before & after I should be able to determine the necessary info.
Hopefully that solves the oil smoking problem too, although I have more & more reason to suspect it had been pooled oil in the plenums & IC that was being sucked through the intake; the insides of the intake manifold & IC piping were pretty soaked.
Oct 30th, 2010:
Just upgraded the code on the MS2 to version 3.0.3w (still in alpha), and its running very, very smoothly. I've got a bit of the tuning done and need to work on the closed-loop boost control gains before going any further; that should be done today. However, as far as I can tell, the BNR turbo has solved the oil smoking problem (although I've barely gotten into boost yet). Out to do some tuning now!
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Dam, you are giving me turbo envy. i want to turbo my vert lol. it was a long read, but you have done a lot of good work. keep up the postings on it.
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Today was possibly the last day I'm able to drive her to work, since the RE01-R tires really don't work when it gets close to freezing, and when I leave in the morning, temps are usually right around 0*. Running well though, definitely quicker than the old turbo at 12 PSI, and I'm running up into the limit of the injectors at 15 PSI. At 12 psi, 7000 RPM, the injectors are at a nominal 90% DC, although 100% DC would be much more than 10% more fuel, since the injectors are opening & closing 4x per cycle, so if you were to use each opening & closing time as continuous time, it would be a lot more fuel, but this is basically reserve for any possible overboost or situation that would demand more fuel.
Either way this is as much boost as I'd want to try to run with these injectors and just a hybrid BNR stage 2; its actually less efficient at its peak than the stock turbo b/c the turbine wheel has been clipped, but it can make its peak efficiency at higher flow rates for more power.
I need to do something about the TPS sensor though, the car has too much vibration for it to be very accurate on the highway & I keep triggering all sorts of acceleration enrichments when at WOT & higher speeds, but if I decrease the sensitivity then at low speeds & throttle openings it isn't sensitive enough. Time to retrofit something better on there I guess
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Wow... I really wish I had a RWD car for commuting. As nice as the Saab is, you can't replicate the fun of driving RWD in the snow. I just got back from (very slowly) cruising around the neighborhoods around my apt that are still mostly unplowed... most of the time was sideways or with spinning rear tires at 10-20 mph. I only got stuck once, by about 3 ounces of snow that piled up in front of a wheel when I stopped at a stop sign with a rear tire on ice. The limited slip diff definitely doesn't do much to limit slip anymore.
When it warms up, I need to drop the rear subframe, and I've got a torsen unit from an FD to replace the clutch-type with, as well as put in a pinion snubber, inspect all the mounts, and probably install a camber adjuster (the single long rod that hangs down & adjusts both at once; I've seen way too many of the individual ones snap).
In addition, I've had an alarm w/remote start laying around waiting to be installed for quite some time, and I'll need to work on automatic lock actuators for the doors. At the same time, I may as well install some new sound deadening in places, and take care of a number of the squeaks & rattles that the old girl has.
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Well, I've been tackling a number of issues with the 'vert recently. First on the list was the power windows. They were painfully slow, and got even worse if you tried to use both at the same time. In addition, I was having to crack open the drivers side switch every 2 weeks to clean off the contacts, since they were sparking & fouling up from all the current (since they switch the full motor current). The slow operation was most likely from a lot of oxidized connections from battery through the switches and connectors to the motor and back, so what was originally 12V was more like 8V or 6V across the motor. So... upgrade time.
First step was to get a driver & passenger switch from ebay for a Mazda MPV (89ish model year), and solder on the connectors from the RX-7 switches. I was able to just un-pin both connectors for the drivers side, and swap the metal spades from the MPV switch directly into the RX-7 connector. The passenger switch I needed to solder the wires onto. Then, its time for massive re-wiring time. The problem with the old RX-7 switches was that they were switching the full current of the motor, so to avoid that problem next time around, I hooked up two simple SPDT relays per motor (one for +12 up and one for +12 down, they both rest at ground), so that they'll be switched by the door switches. Another reason for doing this is that in the future, I could hook up an output from the alarm/remote start to the wires for the relays to actuate them.
Anyway, the combo of the new switches & relays has sped them up 3 or 4x since the power is coming (fused, of course) directly from the battery with minimal connections.
Next up, the fight against water penetration!
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i would like to see your setup with the window. I would like to repeat that for my wife's vert and if need be my coupe. It sunds like a really great setup. I need a solution for the vert especially and to get the passenger side working right too.
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I'll try to take some pictures when I take the drivers door skin off again, but in the mean time, here is the way I wired it.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ogt1G34qKhI/TkxDUhpCECI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/c2ths2gd9f0/s576/Power_Window.jpg)
The way its done, all the relay for a window to go up or down needs to see is the +12 signal (the other side of the switch being connected to ground doesn't matter anymore), since the other end of the relay coils are always connected to ground. One thing that I need to do is to disconnect the ground wire from the drivers side switch so that I can connect additional wires to the trigger for each relay & make them work with a +12 signal, such as for the alarm. As it's wired right now, a +12 signal when none of the switches are being touched would just go straight to ground through the drivers side window switch.
Also, the all the power is being drawn through a new fuse I installed from the battery, rated for 30A (although thats probably a little high). Therefore, even if the car's off, the relays could be activated and the windows would go down (although the interior switches still get their +12 from the switched accessory line, so they'll still function the same way)
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can you email me a copy of the diagram seperatly. I can't read the picture on here very well to identify the right parts that i need to purchase. Where did you put the actual relays? Are they located in the doors and did you run any new wires or tap into the existing wiring harness?
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The relays, connectors and whatnot are all from Digikey; I got a generic auto relay, SPDT, 30A, 12VDC. The part number was PB681-ND, although you may be able to find one that has a mounting hole in it, to make it easier. On the spec sheets for each of the relays they also have the part for the connector and the pins. In my case, the connector was PB316-ND, and the pins (roll of 100) were A27929CT-ND
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Its been a little while since I updated this; I was busy planning & getting the car ready for a road trip down to Asheville for a friend's wedding in the RX-7, and of course a day of driving around the Blue Ridge Mountains, Tail of the Dragon, and Cherohala Skyway. I'll get to the trip itself in the next post; this is just the run-up to leaving.
Every time it rained, some place was letting in 2 - 3 inches of water into the passenger side tub. The carpet was getting to be a complete soaked mess, and I needed to pull it up to dry everything out. First thing out was the passenger seat, except the outer rear mounting bolt would not move at all. A breaker bar got it spinning, but it was still not backing out. I actually broke the welds that were holding the nut inside of the ridge in the floor, so it wouldn't come out, but the seat was also no longer held in in that corner firmly. Time to break out the dremel... After getting it off, pulling up the carpet, and drying it all out, I had to do something to mount the seat again. I didn't want to weld on the chassis without removing all of the electronic components, so I came up with basically a piece of bar steel with 3 bolts welded on it, two of which would be used to hold the whole thing back on to the rail, and the other would be a stud to tighten the seat down onto.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-lk26oKVIs5Q/TnaYAKCe3LI/AAAAAAAAAf8/DJMa44TKmkw/s512/IMG_3189.JPG)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8tH7LpHIMg8/TnaX8t6uNCI/AAAAAAAAAf0/tTGTZePaUfU/s640/IMG_3190.JPG)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PqLRJesJWUs/TnaYIS954qI/AAAAAAAAAgA/gdluiqfkQw0/s640/IMG_3191.JPG)
I had to drill one hole in that rail opposite the original nut, but the rest of the bolts went through existing holes. There was a bit of rust forming too, so it got cleaned up and painted over.
After drying out the carpet, and going through inspecting and testing all the door & convertible seals, and making sure the hoses for the top's little rain pockets behind the door weren't clogged, and ensuring that the inner door sheet was intact & sealing, the options were running out. The last thing to do was to pull apart a lot of the trim underneath the convertible top, and I found that the hose on the passengers side had torn almost all of the way off of the top's rain pocket, and was basically just dumping the water down into the passenger floor. Some sewing to get it lined up again, and then a lot of vinyl glue to seal it up, and the problem was fixed!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-es1K17ZQViM/TnaX-EBUFxI/AAAAAAAAAf4/wy4xwdeEcwo/s640/IMG_3188.JPG)
I still haven't pulled off one of the door skins since doing the window wiring, but I need to take the drivers door apart to install the lock actuator, so that'll be happening fairly soon to get pictures of the relays.
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The trip down to Asheville started thursday morning when my girlfriend (Helen) & I met up with some friends (Nadirsh & Natasha, another couple, in the blue 350Z) at our apt. The plan was to drive down to a hotel on the TN/NC border the first day, spend the night there, and then the next morning we'd set off early to drive on the Cherohala skyway, Tail of the Dragon, and a number of other nice roads in the area for 4ish hours, and then head east to Asheville for a meet-and-greet with the bride & groom's family and wedding party.
Anyhow, the first morning we had the car packed, dogs taken care of, and had just started up the cars and were pulling out of the parking lot when Helen exclaims that she's forgotten something. I don't remember what it was that she forgot, but we both pull off to the side of the lot & shut the cars off so that she can run back in and get it. Well, she gets back and I go to start the RX-7 (Savannah - yes, a very creative name, i know), but instead of turning over, all the lights go out, the radio & climate shut off, and nothing. Well crap then. I'd been driving Savannah to work (100 mile round trip) for the past month to make sure everything was working well, and to find & fix minor issues that would pop up, and she'd been great. Now we hadn't gone 20 ft, and she's acting up.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ObxI6D-OGcY/TnathsWhQPI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/yGi34Lz2TM0/s640/IMG_3420.JPG)
Battery reads at 12.5V, megasquirt is connecting and appears to be working fine, we've got power, but as soon as I turn the key to start, everything's dead again. Well, it seems like there's suddenly a massive short on the starter wire, or the battery is acting up but still showing enough voltage. I'm able to draft my girlfriend and the other couple to give me a push, Savannah decides to play nice & start up, and we're on our way. Other than push-starting her after every gas stop, pit stop, and going to dinner & the hotel that night (7 or 8 times total), the first day is fun but uneventful.
The next morning, I get up a little early to bust out the multimeter & try to find the problem. It wasn't happening the first morning, but now, after sitting overnight the battery is at 12V, and drops to 11 when I turn the headlights on, and down to 10.5 when hitting the brakes, so it definitely seems like one of the cells in the battery is toast. A little calling around, and a Walmart has the right size battery, and it's on the way towards the Skyway. 20 minutes in Wallyworld parking lot, and Savannah's got a new battery, and now has no problem starting up!
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SSk3mtWKoPs/TnatS0hOA0I/AAAAAAAAAgM/R2BhikIHaCs/s640/IMG_3424.JPG)
On our way then! It was about 10:30 am when the group of us headed off on a 120 mile route that would bring us around to the start of the Tail of the Dragon on the north carolina side, and included 50 miles of the Cherohala Skyway (http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=805+Foothills+Mall+Dr.+Maryville,+TN+37801&daddr=35.3583554,-84.2765087+to:35.32916,-83.938293+to:35.32837,-83.83598+to:US-129+S%2FState+Hwy+115+to:35.464158,-83.889212+to:117+Hendersonville+Rd.+Asheville,+NC,+US,+28803&hl=en&ll=35.445009,-84.012451&spn=0.327242,0.617294&sll=35.465703,-83.997345&sspn=0.3266,0.617294&geocode=FT6FIQIdpkj--injly70Fp5eiDEChvvqrhj9nw%3BFZOGGwId5Ar6-il1LduJW19eiDEABpy0W3G9Rw%3BFYgUGwIdCzT_-intemjEA-peiDEi2cMotwL2DA%3BFXIRGwIdtMMA-yn37LLJqMZeiDGMeaOFNxdQwA%3BFfDrHQIdSHH--g%3BFd4jHQIdxPP_-injOLSsV75eiDGUeVrXXk_YqQ%3BFV-gHgIdK4QU-ylBGrNgIvNZiDF3ATrz8M6MjQ&vpsrc=6&mra=dpe&mrsp=3&sz=11&via=1,2,3,5&t=h&z=11). The skyway was absolutely gorgeous, and definitely my favorite road of the trip. It was practically empty, had a huge climb & downhill with a great mix of higher (relative to the dragon anyway) speed corners and some tight stuff so you could really cruise along, and at one point we were literally driving through the clouds.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-VUEtcKu_Puo/TnaxjB9fc3I/AAAAAAAAAhI/yX4iudmeTLA/s640/IMG_3438.JPG)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-T4_vVOu6iug/TnaxllnBFwI/AAAAAAAAAhI/FTQhdMMWvhc/s640/IMG_3437.JPG)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-V2QiufICvVU/Tnatp69O01I/AAAAAAAAAgU/iG69WSzLjxM/s640/IMG_3443.JPG)
Absolutely fantastic time! Then we got off the Skyway, and onto 129 north; the road that turns into ToTD in 15 miles. The Dragon was fantastic; we were running a little late because of the battery stop, so we only went up and down it once, but once was enough.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-KLmjvNYnFwo/TnatvWIhmXI/AAAAAAAAAgY/EIAkkw5iqow/p%252526h2011-09-13_1230_001.png)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-O1Ff-QKaCj0/Tnat02s0tkI/AAAAAAAAAgg/rSKq9WmUXw4/p%252526h2011-09-13_1231.png)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-a9DD0PTf5LA/Tnat3IuDfaI/AAAAAAAAAgk/VAHqpxhlWzM/p%252526h2011-09-13_1231_001.png)
It was pretty crowded, especially with cruisers, but still fantastic.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jv16AheyF9U/TnatxiicwSI/AAAAAAAAAgc/MQ6lEYJZDoU/s640/IMG_3454.JPG)
The way out we took nice & easy, and when we turned around we got caught behind some pickup that would slow to 5 mph (no joke) for every corner, and refused to turn off. Eventually he did, and we had lots of empty road ahead of us, so we bombed down it for a couple miles (still keeping things at 7/10ths or below, and mostly just maintaining momentum through the corners, not punching it when the road straightened out - tires were barely making a sound).
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J41d1wfaDJc/Tnat8GwA8sI/AAAAAAAAAgs/gKdb3a2CUC8/p%252526h%252520n%252526n2011-09-13_1244_001.png)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fSVjgd-azJM/TnatIgUj-HI/AAAAAAAAAgI/ou9kLJwkFZw/p%252526h%252520n%252526n2011-09-13_1248.png)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QEx59Ys0Clw/Tnat6DYMyxI/AAAAAAAAAgo/aIqkkjnxQZw/p%252526h2011-09-13_1249.png)
Then, around one corner...
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-G6ooPdlsOD4/TnauAtdtLZI/AAAAAAAAAgw/vN-362B1phQ/s640/IMG_3456.JPG)
AAACK! We both get signaled to the side of the road, and are written up for 45 in a 30, but by someone's good graces, we both get off with written warning! We definitely weren't being especially unsafe (besides being over the limit in turns, but definitely on our side of the road & with a healthy margin of safety), and I suspect that the combo of that and that we were down visiting as part of a trip to our friends wedding (as opposed to being there specifically for the roads) may have saved our bacon. Either way, Thank you Officers! Also, I was very glad that we got the battery that morning... asking the officers to give us a push-start on the gravel shoulder there wouldn't have gone over too well I imagine. They both laughed a bit sternly when I mentioned that bit of the story to them.
The rest of the drive to Asheville was nice but uneventful; we had enough excitement for the day, thank you very much. The wedding itself was beautiful, and overall it was a fantastic long weekend. Overall, it was 1400 miles, and Savannah managed 21 mpg per tank, except for the one friday morning, which was about 15. Still, 15 is better than what I usually see around town here in A2, with lots of stop & go, and cold-starts.
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Getting ready for the warm weather, I just ordered a bunch of parts for the rear subframe and diff. I picked up a torsen LSD out of an FD a while back, so that'll be going in, as well as replacing the broken front diff mount, installing the pinion snubber & an adjustable drop-rod for camber, as well as new rear diff mounts and rear lower control arm bushings. I was on the fence about replacing the DTSS bushings, but I decided to hold off and visually check their condition. I like the DTSS system and how it makes the car feel, and it hasn't "felt" worn out as of last summer, but we'll see how they look.
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Sounds good, that pinion snubber makes a world of difference even with the stiffer front mount.
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I've been meaning to take some pictures, but keep forgetting every time I go to work on the car. It's in my GF's parents garage, with the whole rear subframe dropped & in pieces. Its been a couple weeks now; it seems like for every problem I fix, I end up finding or causing another.
At this point, I replaced all the diff mounts (needed a shop with a press to get the new rear ones in), & just buttoned up the diff with the Torsen into the S4 TII case. Then new rear LCA bushings are in, and I'm finally ready to reassemble the rear end. Unfortunately, the Corksport rear camber adjuster is pretty junky, and def would not fit correctly, so I'm going to return it, and maybe go for the ground control one, since it looks like it has the bushings pressed in to make each end piece the correct length. For the moment though, the stock one is going back in, since I'm trying to get the car ready for the auto-x school that CCM is hosting this saturday, and the auto-x the day after.
I also found that the front camber adjustment bolts on BOTH sides slipped, the top of the tires had canted in more, and were now rubbing on the spring perches. Fortunately I found it when under the car changing the oil, and the sidewalls are still in good shape (it didn't get anywhere near the belts/plies), so the stock bolts went back in.
When I first swapped the TC'ed engine in, I got a used Blitz BOV from an SR20DET, and the spring's always been way too stiff. Turns out it was the red, 17+ psi spring, so at anything less than maximum boost it wasn't even beginning to open, causing a whole bunch of compressor surge, so I cut it down so that it should be good for most of the boost range I'm running.
The pass front caliper also had 3 of the 4 pistons seized, so that's getting replaced prob tomorrow night, and hopefully by weds or thurs the car will be back together & ready to go!
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Got a little more done tonight after work; the diff is completely back together, torqued, filled up & ready for reinstallation, I got the front brake that was seized free, the snubber is installed, and the whole rear subframe is basically ready to go back in. Then, its just replacing the front caliper & buttoning things up.
Gotta get her ready for the CCM test & tune on saturday, and the auto-x on sunday!
And, remembered pictures finally! - not that there's really much to look at, especially since the diff is buttoned up already.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GJtaYTEqqck/T4zXJs51VHI/AAAAAAAAAuw/MNxL1KP9-MU/s640/DSCN9671.JPG)
what a mess!
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GboqPDPW9Bw/T4zXJUoX-GI/AAAAAAAAAus/6g-Q_DOjdjc/s640/DSCN9673.JPG)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-gutS5SXbLeM/T4zXJ5qaJRI/AAAAAAAAAvU/4DPBRtIGBKo/s512/DSCN9672.JPG)
you can see where the hole for the snubber pops through in the left middle of this. After drilling it I hit it with some paint to hopefully try to delay some of the rust. I drilled from the inside of the car right on the dimple that was described in the thread on RX7club.
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Diff & subframe are back up in the car and connected, all thats left to do tomorrow is replace the front pass brake, bleed the brakes, and install the back half of the exhaust. Gotta schedule an alignment for thurs or fri too.
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Brakes and the rest of the small stuff got done last night, I just have to get it down off of the stands tonight and clean up the garage & all the tools I've accumulated at my GF's parents place over the past couple weeks. I was hoping to drive it to work to get a couple miles on it, but its probably for the best since I really should get it aligned first
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Well, things didn't exactly go to plan this weekend (isn't that what plans are for - to be broken?), but on friday night I got everything back together & buttoned up, and go for a quick spin around the neighborhood, and the brakes are feeling a bit mushy. Then, the throttle sticks open and the car wants to idle at 7000. I get it back to my gf's parents place by regulating speed with the brakes & turning the ignition on & off, but after going over all the vacuum hoses after the throttle, and making sure the throttle was closing, everything seemed fine... its gonna require more time & digging than I have before the auto-x school/test 'n tune on saturday.
Anyhow, my GF & I take the Saab to the auto-x and have a blast anyway, and definitely learn a lot in the process too. Then today I got to work on the 7 some more, and found that there was a little piece of plastic wedged on top of the secondary throttle return so that the secondaries weren't closing all the way, but enough so that the primary could close fully so I couldn't see it from above. Then, when re-bleeding the brakes, the front caliper was leaking from the bleeder, even tho it was fully "closed"... turns out the aluminum was stripped, so I had to drill it out, re-tap it for a larger bleed valve, and re-bleed all the wheels.
Fortunately, now the brakes feel great, its not leaking anymore, it idles normally, and I think its ready to put the wheels on and drive again! Now it just needs an alignment & its time for the next auto-x
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Alright, well, the alignment is done, and I have about -0.5 deg camber on the front, and -2 on the back. Unfortunately, there's also a whining from the diff on decel between 60 & 75ish mph that goes away if you get up to 80... definitely seems odd that its only between those speeds, but I'm worried that it means I need to take it apart again and try to re-set the lash. I thought I got it within specs, but I guess not quite.
Originally, I bought the Corksport adjustable subframe link, but they sent it without the bushings needed to properly hold it in place. After I let them know & sent pictures etc, they had them made up & sent to me, and I got the link installed on friday before the alignment. At this point I need to see how much camber I can take out without putting too much of an angle on the driveshaft rear yoke, and then shim the pinion snubber appropriately too.
Unfortunately its a bit more work, but hopefully it'll go a lot more quickly since all the bolts have been broken loose lately and other issues resolve.
Its very nice to be back behind the wheel though!
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yeah corksport is crap. Have you read the mazda competition mag/pdf? They have specific setup instructions for rear diff aimed towards competition use, they do note it may be noisier.
work spiel:
CSR advised that noise is not a warrantable concern since noise is not a defect in Meritor workmanship or material but noise is usually the symptom of something else that is occurring. CSR noted that facility needs customer's authorization to perform any further teardown then emailed a copy of the case to the dealer as a reference.
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After driving for a bit today, it doesn't sound as bad on decel as it did initially, so hopefully I can avoid tearing it apart again. The adjuster isn't too bad, at least for the 50ish miles i've put on it so far. I need to crank it in a little bit more to get the rear camber out, but it seems ok
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It's more than likely the adjustable drop rod. Andrew installed one in his car and it did the same thing. IMO there are much better ways to adjust rear camber.
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What other methods of adjusting rear camber are there? I've only seen the drop-link and the individual links on the trailing arms, and the individual links seem like they have a much greater tendency to break. A camber plate on the back, like for McPherson struts wouldn't work. Last option would be coming up with something to shim under the springs to raise the rear ride height, which I'm not against. I'd like to get a set of the ground control seats & springs, and the front camber plates to raise the car closer to stock ride height, but that'll happen when I get the spare money to do it.
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Well if you go solid subframe mounts the you need to use a different method other than the lateral link.
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I was thinking about the individual adjusters.
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Well if you go solid subframe mounts the you need to use a different method other than the lateral link.
I'm keeping some compliance in most of the mounts, its still a 'vert so it's never going to be the lightest, stiffest thing out there, so I may as well make it reasonable for cruising too.
Im really leaning towards ground control coil-overs, and spec'ing my own springs to raise the ride height a little (to prob about 1/2" - 3/4" lower than stock, I'm at maybe 1 1/2" lower right now) since i've definitely noticed some geometry issues with the steering, and to take out the excessive negative camber at the back, and balance it with a camber plate at the front.
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You remind me. I need an alignment in the rx7, the toe is all outa wack on it just a tad.
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Re-packed the front bearings on saturday, since they were both a little loose and making some noise when heavily loaded at the AROC auto-x the weekend before. The drivers side went nice & smoothly, but unfortunately I spent a good 4 hours trying to get the brake disk off of the passenger side hub. After lots of penetrating oil and propane spent, and tons of hammer & pry-bar action, I eventually gave up and just re-packed & torqued them with the disk still on the hub. I'll need to get it off eventually, but may need a press for that to happen.
Then there was the CCM auto-x on sunday, and the front end (and entire car for that matter) felt very good. A bit loose, but the sealed asphalt in that lot tends to do that. My last (and fastest) run, I unintentionally crossed the line backwards, stopped, and reversed out of the exit lane - no cones!
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Finally got all the wiring back together and the interior re-assembled. I've had an aftermarket alarm system for close to 2 years, sitting in a box waiting to be installed, and finally got around to it this past month. Unfortunately, one of the output channels, which I was planning on using to close the windows from the remote, was burnt out, but the alarm, automatic door locks, and windows down work well. Plus, I re-glued and painted a lot of the interior plastics that had cracked and were looking pretty shitty. They're looking a lot better now, coated with some bed-liner... not perfect, but passable.
Anyhow, good to be driving her again
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That is great. Cant wait to see your car in person again.
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I realized after putting it all back together that I forgot to re-paint the ash tray cover... oops. It's working well though, just trying to figure out some niggling problems with the alarm, and my prosport boost gauge crapped out on me about a month and a half ago, right on the 2-year schedule (the previous ones did the same - we'll see how they respond)
Is anything happening for woodward? I'm planning on being out & cruising anyway, I just don't get on the boards too much anymore.
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Were going to be in the spot in Pontiac. We cleaned up and fenced off the lot today. Come help me tune the car!
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Finally had a chance to make some progress on the RX-7 this past weekend; not much but its a start! Savannah has moved from the parking lot outside my apt to my fiance's parents garage, and is up on jack stands awaiting a new water pump, replacement of some of the studs holding the oil pan & brace on, new brake rotors, new LIM to block gasket, turbo blanket & downpipe wrap, and some welding on the exhaust (plus I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple things on the list).
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-lZlD2a0oUHI/UZo23Iaok2I/AAAAAAAABO4/m_4lkBDU1Pc/w640-h480-no/2013-05-19+16.04.04.jpg)
Anyway, dove in to drain all the fluids and pulled the water pump, and one of the bolts holding it on was missing! Its was the one in the image below with the tap sticking out of it, since the threading all the way back in the front iron was completely stripped! I'm hoping that I'll just be able to tap into the aluminum front cover with one size bigger to hold the water pump on without causing any other problems - id really prefer not to take the front cover off to re-tap the front iron and deal with possibly dropping the thrust bearing in there etc. The tap I've got should be long enough to get in to the iron a bit so I can use a larger dia bolt, which is the plan right now.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-YSocTrLyeAg/UZo23MioZYI/AAAAAAAABO0/Q70w0gR_MhU/w640-h480-no/2013-05-19+16.04.39.jpg)
Also, for the previous month I've been battling with water soaking the carpets whenever it rains - I've replaced the seals along the sides of the targa top, the window bottom seals (to the outside door skins), readjusted the stops for the windows so that they'll meet the top seals in the right spot, messed around with the pockets in the top right behind the doors (they weren't catching all the water running down the back of the windows and top corner of the door, allowing it to run down & pool behind the seats), and sewed up and hopefully re-sealed a couple holes that sprung up at the rear corners of those pockets. I now know WAY too much about how rainwater is meant to be handled & directed through the car. Here's one of the holes at the back of the pockets, seen from inside the car under the headliner.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-L9hisrEs3os/UZo23HsRAAI/AAAAAAAABOw/ANOqkcpcLwQ/w640-h480-no/2013-04-30+19.24.03.jpg)
To seal it up, I cut out a patch from some vinyl left over from re-covering the scooter's seat, coated that with E-6000 glue (sticks to vinyl, plastic etc, stays pliable when hard, waterproof etc), stuck it over the hole, and then sewed around the border to help anchor it in place. I forgot to get a picture of the completed repair, but will try to next time I put the top up.
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Well, today was definitely one step forward, two steps back...
Got the stripped bolt hole for the water pump tapped, drilled out the hole in the pump slightly to fit the bigger bolt, and got that all installed. Success!
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wGfTWR0wK_s/UZrVnXDn72I/AAAAAAAABPI/RbKXaAdk2uc/w640-h480-no/2013-05-20+21.16.48.jpg)
Then I decided to tackle something different, not wanting to get into all the block cleaning tonight, so I tried to take off that seriously stuck front brake rotor that I encountered when re-packing the wheel bearings. To make a long story short, no amount of pounding, prying, heating or penetrating oil was getting it to budge, so I decided to try all of the above while applying pressure from the back by tightening the bolts that hold the brake caliper on through their threaded bosses on the spindle and into the backside of the rotor. It seemed to be going well, so I kept tightening, until I noticed...
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kQ-ZD4GBOYM/UZrVnQDDcQI/AAAAAAAABPw/rZq8LPtdsZQ/w480-h640-no/2013-05-20+21.15.58.jpg)
I bent the lower ear of the caliper mount out, and it's not moving back in. Well, crap. Anyway, time to call it a night, I just ordered a whole new (used - ebay) spindle & hub assembly to replace it, and don't need to worry about removing the brake rotor anymore. Just need to remove the ball joint, tie rod end & strut from the spindle. Then maybe take the angle grinder to the old one, just to exact some revenge.
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Sounds like some great luck you are having.
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Let me know if you run into any other issues and need parts, I have a bunch of those spindle assemblies and you are absolutely welcome to whatever you may need for all the help you have given me with my MS.
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Thanks a lot for the offer, I may take you up on it if I manage to break more stuff throughout this tear-down/re-assembly.
Speaking of which, I'm slowly progressing on the engine peripheral tear-down I started to correct a number of leaks, clean up the whole engine bay, and in general give everything a good once-over. I had about 4 hours today to pull all the manifolds, turbo etc (and have been taking my time to mark all the vacuum lines, put all the bolts & nuts in baggies & label them etc), and had a few questions. For reference, as far as I'm aware, all the pieces of the engine are S4 T2, although I pulled it out of a field in Virginia with no history & had it rebuilt, so I don't know too much about it.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rJC4Mki9Ksw/UaE4TUjzaWI/AAAAAAAABQM/avmtrtiKDOg/w611-h458-no/2013-05-25+15.54.24.jpg)
First, in the above picture, there are the two bosses from the front iron that are sticking up to match the front cover, but the front cover has studs tightened into it that don't extend back to the front iron for bolting the water pump on (so nothing here attaching the front cover to the front iron). This definitely seems wrong, but how was it done originally? Long bolts that went through the waterpump and front cover to thread into the front iron?
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-EUF1K1-cn5s/UaE4TY-aTcI/AAAAAAAABQI/SySIurWr-o0/w611-h458-no/2013-05-25+15.54.11.jpg)
Second, and pardon the mess of gasoline & coolant (just removed fuel rails, and leaking o-rings btwn LIM & keg), but the OMP lines are not staying full. At this point, the car hasn't been run for about 2 weeks. I made sure they were when first starting the car for the season by holding the lever for the OMP up fully for a while, and a few years ago had checked that the one-way valves in the OMP injectors were working (rebuilt the lines & OMP at the same time). Is this a symptom of leaky one-way valves, just something that seems to normally happen, or something else?
Thanks a lot!
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I call that second picture the armpit or the rotary, it seems to catch everything.
I would check the one way valves, mine were always going bad.
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Armpit of the rotary... pretty accurate. And you were right, none of the OMP injectors would hold any vacuum, so I'm on the hunt for a good set now.
Got a bunch of small stuff done over the past couple days, like threading & plugging vacuum lines I don't intend to use...
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-SlS_Ctl6x8w/UaPdWzIDg3I/AAAAAAAABQw/qhr8_wg-r-g/w611-h458-no/2013-05-26+18.43.11.jpg)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-p_3VHDxhAJI/UaPdW6winWI/AAAAAAAABQ0/mtp1gxCNNRk/w611-h458-no/2013-05-26+18.43.31.jpg)
Also started some of the plumbing to plug up the coolant passages from the rotor housings into the LIM, and instead will be pulling coolant from the nipple on the back of the rear iron, running it through the tube on the BAC, and then to the turbo. To do this, I removed the coolant return nipple on the back of the water pump housing & plugged it with a small NPT plug, and cut up and attached some compression fittings to the water lines on the turbo so I can run 3/8" hard lines with just a short section of tube to connect everything. The compression fittings were for 3/8 tube, while I think the original fittings were 10mm, so I had to drill out half the compression fittings slightly (royal pain) and carefully sand everything down so it should seal up well. It seems to fit well now though.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PmMi7yAgMms/UaPhjrV9CiI/AAAAAAAABRU/Uf992TgmbAE/w611-h458-no/2013-05-26+18.43.59.jpg)
Also found something that could have been affecting low-speed boost. Must not have been paying attention last time I assembled the TB & elbow!
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-a8rMFfahfZ4/UaPdW-xgnoI/AAAAAAAABQ8/gO4bPPdXENM/w344-h458-no/2013-05-27+14.09.53.jpg)
Then, dove into cleaning the engine & bay a bit. Basically just attacking it with degreaser & water & a couple scrubbing brushes. I'm pretty happy with how its going, although I still have the drivers side to do, and some of the bay, and the underside...
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/--s9LOInbo-8/UaPdW7E3wpI/AAAAAAAABQ4/12JM2QrQwck/w611-h458-no/2013-05-27+17.59.58.jpg)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--vQ3y1QGtkQ/UaPdW_X5qvI/AAAAAAAABRE/_NLMXhICHPE/w611-h458-no/2013-05-27+18.00.36.jpg)
Anyway, I'm on the hunt for a good set of OMP injectors now - anyone have some I could buy off of you?
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Nice throttle body elbow mod! You are welcome to my omp injectors. I just have to find/test them.
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Yea, when I noticed the TB like that, it was definitely a head-palm moment. Shouldn't affect any of the tuning though (although it would affect max boost), so at least I won't have been tweaking the maps to account for my bone-headedness
If you can conveniently get to the OMP injectors, that would be great. Otherwise, it looks like plenty of people over on the 'club have spares for cheap - lots of people running premixed I guess.
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Yeah I just pulled 4 off of a motor, you can have them if you want. I also have s5 omp but i think i can sell that on the boards.
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I got a few for cheap from the 'club and they arrived today, so reassembly has started! Thanks for the offer though! Speaking of OMP injectors, the ones I received look markedly different than what was there.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Zc8cTDtIs3w/UarWEeEhVbI/AAAAAAAABTQ/kyQwMranvf8/w611-h458-no/2013-06-01+17.41.42.jpg)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xVUJsvVunV8/UarWEZ3HHFI/AAAAAAAABTc/j4m9ryAtYho/w611-h458-no/2013-06-01+17.41.24.jpg)
The ones with the cylindrical tops that appear to be two pieces were what came on the engine (granted, I really don't know the history of the engine, but most bits seem to be S4 turbo, possibly JDM judging by the intake manifold), and are the same as I remember the injectors from the S4 N/A that was in the 'vert before the swap. The new ones are much simpler looking, and have a hex instead of the cylinder to house the one-way valve. Any idea what the difference is? S5 vs S4? Just curious...
Anyway, today I jacked up the engine by the transmission, removed the mount that goes through the oil pan, and pulled the pan. I had installed the Banzai oil pan stiffener, as well as the mazdatrix plate between the oil pan and the block to try to cut down on oil sloshing, about 2 years ago, and the gaskets were leaking a bit of oil, so I pulled them all apart, cleaned everything up & re-assembled, hopefully with less leaks. It was a bit of a chore, but at least without any of the manifolds, the alternator & water pump housing etc on the engine, I was able to jack it up further to get more clearance between the front and the sway bar/steering rack to reinstall everything cleanly. Only one picture, since I didn't want to bring my phone underneath the car in the mess of fluids that was accumulating
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tVqg1SupSV4/UarWEScMdTI/AAAAAAAABTg/XryyjQI0hrE/w611-h458-no/2013-06-01+12.36.25.jpg)
Once that was reinstalled, on to the cooling system. The waterpump housing is now reinstalled with a new pump, and I got some freeze-plugs to plug the holes in the rotor housings that feed the turbo through the manifold. I'll be bending some hard lines to run from the nipple on the rear iron up to the tube on the back of the BAC, and then down to the turbo feed to replace the passage through the manifold. By not having nice, toasty coolant there, it will hopefully drop air temps going into the engine (not that I have a way of measuring them that close to the ports at the moment), and will keep the coolant from eventually seeping up into the "armpit".
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sXD7mwo0lPI/UarWEfcTxZI/AAAAAAAABTY/GwFc6XIiXGk/w611-h458-no/2013-06-01+11.07.14.jpg)
Front one done, rear one open for the picture. The LIM, gasket, and o-rings are reinstalled now too, and the fuel system and new OMP injectors are all hooked up as well.
I'm definitely excited to be re-assembling at this point - can't wait to drive her again!
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Got a little bit more done over the past two weekends. Two weekends ago i removed the radiator & oil cooler and gave them a good cleaning & flushing (although it appears they didn't really need it, still good to know tho), and repaired the oil cooler mounts. The rubber was a bit torn on one of them, so that got cleaned & glued back together, and 3 of the 4 studs holding them to the car were so rusted they just snapped off at the sight of a ratchet, so I drilled them out, tapped what was left for some left-over M6x1.0 studs from the oil pan stiffening kit, and threaded those in while tightening a nut on the back-side to help lock the studs into the mount.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-STOzPYA_9OM/UcBtU0OVVrI/AAAAAAAABVw/kQc6JYVhtwk/w284-h379-no/2013-06-08+13.26.36.jpg)
As of now, the oil cooler is back in, the turbo with turbo blanket is reinstalled, a hard line was run from the coolant nipple on the rear iron to the connection on the BAC (still need to run from the BAC down to the turbo coolant feed), and the UIM, throttle body, and elbow/cap on the end of the throttle body are reinstalled (correctly this time!). Still need to drop in the radiator, exhaust, and replace the suspension spindle that I bent, but getting closer
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I was finally able to get a nice, long, uninterrupted stretch of time working on the car yesterday, and got it almost all buttoned up! Radiator & fan in, the rest of the intake back on, made some more hard lines for the coolant feed to the turbo & the evap emissions system, replaced the spindle & hub that I bent, filled all the fluids back up, and she started right up!
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6Tza6KPcdBw/UcbvHVdo2bI/AAAAAAAABYg/mjd2tn2lTd4/w640-h480-no/2013-06-22+21.51.07.jpg)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-j2Yf6fQm_hI/UcbvHfkJtbI/AAAAAAAABYc/BP76TCFL73M/w640-h480-no/2013-06-22+21.51.42.jpg)
Didn't see any signs of leaking (although I didn't run her for very long), but did notice one little thing... I forgot the vacuum line to the FPR, which had been connected to the angled nipple on the inside of the LIM... So the UIM needs to come back off so I can re-connect that, but that should be pretty straightforward
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Plugging that vacuum line in went without any problems, and I don't see evidence of any leaks yet. Yesterday I made a new heat-sink for the wideband O2 sensor from some copper sheet (my fiance does some metal-work, so we had some conveniently laying around), replaced a bunch of the foam that was used to prevent air from bypassing the radiator & oil cooler with garage door liner, which looks like it'll work pretty well if it can stay stuck to the coolers, replaced the rest of the brake rotors and buttoned up a number of other small things. All thats left is checking the trans fluid, topping off the oil & coolant, getting her off jackstands, and cleaning up the garage of all the parts, boxes & tools I've slowly brought over there.
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Finally got to drive her around a little bit, and it sounds like the replacement spindle & hub has a bad wheel bearing. Hopefully its just the bearing & not the spindle itself, and I can just swap in the good races from the old, bent one. The engine certainly feels good, even though the new turbo blanket is still letting off some smoke as the turbine gets hot.
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ideally it is just the bearings that are bad. make sure a pad isnt dragging, that could cuase some sound. We have that with our jeep. one of the pads is not fully releasing, cuasing some drag and noise. I thought it was the bearings and replaced both rear bearings. It still makes noise so only thing i can think of was the one pad looked like it had a lot of premature wear that cuased the noise.
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Yea, I was hoping it was just a pad, but it makes noise whether I'm pressing the brakes or not. Its noticably grindy-er when turning left & loading up the pass front wheel, and goes silent when turning right, unloading that wheel. Maybe I'll get a chance to do the wheel bearing tonight.
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Finally got around to the RX-7 again; my DD (Saab 9-3) has apparently been slowly leaking trans fluid, and started making a lot of transmission noise. I stopped driving it relatively soon after that, and am waiting for trans output seals before filling it up again, but in the mean time I needed the 7 to get to work. So, after work today I had time to pull apart the wheel bearing that was making noise, replace the bearings & re-pack it with grease, and it seems to be working great at this point. She's back in action - at least for the moment. The battery definitely needs to be replaced tho, and the tires are almost done too, but I'll get to those soon
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Well... crap
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SfRAP1IFdMA/UequcuZN6JI/AAAAAAAABco/hoIbP8JgQAk/w640-h480-no/RX-7+-+3)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-u8aafYTTjGs/Uequcg49w8I/AAAAAAAABcg/4BTaCndbOFQ/w623-h467-no/RX-7+-+2)
Driving to work yesterday morning in the RX-7 since I finished the wheel bearing, merging onto the highway, and once up-to-speed, something doesn't feel right... Oil pressure is at 0, and there is a distinct oil smell. I turned off the car, coasted to the side of the road, popped the hood (and got my hand covered in oil just reaching in for the latch), to discover...
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qDfn2gNCcAY/UequclOLDZI/AAAAAAAABck/FsJzOPs3MqU/w640-h480-no/RX-7+-+1)
One of the oil cooler lines I had made up by a local hydraulic shop about 4 years ago has separated from the fitting, and coated the previously nice-and-clean engine bay. Maybe she's trying to keep herself from rusting since i fixed a couple of previous oil leaks? Anyway, I'm pretty sure I caught it within 30-45 seconds of it happening, and the car was still running when I shut it off, so I hope there wasn't serious bearing damage. She's been towed back to my apartment, and I'm going to have some new lines made up soon (after I'm done with my DD, the Saab, anyway), and hope for the best.
At the very least, not having a car to make the hour commute to work on friday meant I basically just took the day off, so I spent it working on the Saab, and should have that back together by tomorrow.
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Got the front end cleaned up a bit yesterday and the oil cooler lines are removed, now I need to call around and find a place to rebuild them
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serious failure, glad you cuaght that quickly.
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Yea, hopefully I caught it quickly enough...
Just picked up the rebuilt lines from Pirtek, a hydraulic repair place near work. Teflon & stainless braided lines replacing the previous ones, with new fittings welded to the original ends of the lines that the hose is clamped to. They should be serious overkill for the pressure and temperature.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-pOwjRREMPYA/UfhJ5Cbyg0I/AAAAAAAABgI/MwOTo8M8-QM/w640-h480-no/2013-07-30+18.46.16.jpg)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2VAIcIuaUBU/UfhJ5ISM_QI/AAAAAAAABgM/JnotBXNIXxg/w640-h480-no/2013-07-30+18.46.28.jpg)
Fingers crossed...
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those lines look really nice. i hope you were able to get your engine bay cleaned up from the oil while waiting for the new lines.
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Yea, I was scrubbing it on Monday after work - there's still a bit of a rainbow puddle forming underneath in the rain tonight, but nowhere near as bad as before the cleaning & degreasing.
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Looking good hope to see you at the spot for dream cruise.
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I'm definitely going to try to get the oil lines reinstalled and everything shaken down by saturday, but this is going to be a very busy week between work & my fiance starting a new job. I'd love to make it, but no promises. Are you going to have the 20B out there?
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I started to reinstall the cooler lines this afternoon.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-HbR69XODfyU/Ug17mZ-qNUI/AAAAAAAABhU/1cAIk4ng4vY/w640-h480-no/2013-08-15+13.54.57.jpg)
It seemed to be going well,
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SBmTqUjrDo8/Ug17mUz4RWI/AAAAAAAABhY/VLfsBaabE9s/w640-h480-no/2013-08-15+13.55.18.jpg)
But then... A wild 4" appears!
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SrO9aHZ-rw4/Ug17mc0qIhI/AAAAAAAABhc/Bztn39AJzyM/w640-h480-no/2013-08-15+14.00.02.jpg)
Even trying to take up the slack elsewhere, there's still an extra 3"
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-uD6-Uq7EpwI/Ug17mVWwK9I/AAAAAAAABhg/bD6NGEQ-ZL0/w640-h480-no/2013-08-15+14.01.06.jpg)
So hopefully I can get it shortened while I'm at work tomorrow, pick it up on the way home, and install it saturday morning
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hope u make it out
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Just dropped by the hydraulic shop on the way to work, and they shortened the hose up while I was there, so hopefully it'll all go together easily
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Over the past two days I was able to scrape together enough time to get the hoses reinstalled, refill the oil cooler, put the rest of the engine bay back together and repair the crappy aluminum battery tray that replaces the stock one for the Corksport FMIC kit (it definitely looks like it was one of their prototype pieces... I hope... the welds are fine, but the geometries for supporting the battery are woefully inadequate, leading to a lot of fatigue cracks in the thin aluminum). She fired up readily this evening, with no sounds indicating serious oil starvation damage. Just need to get a new battery & re-attach the belly pan, and she'll be good-to-go (hopefully).
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Jump-started her today to go down & get a new battery, and it was like the electrical system was having a rolling brown-out when driving; the ECU kept re-setting, the radio would turn off when I hit the brakes, as would some of the gauges etc. Basically, the battery had NO capacity left. I also got a bit worried by the amount of smoke at one point, but it seemed to be mostly oil on the outside of the exhaust, and the new turbo blanket & downpipe wrap "settling".
After replacing the battery, all those electrical gremlins were vanquished, and she was running a lot better. I still need to keep an eye on the oil consumption, and make sure there are no other leaks after stripping the engine down prior to the oil line catastrophe, but for the most part she feels pretty normal.
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And this explains why the starter solenoid was engaging, and the starter motor spinning, but not actually getting the engine to crank...
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--SBG6cYiIhc/UiusBAclxQI/AAAAAAAABiI/qjG-GKXT9LA/w640-h480-no/2013-09-07+15.59.10.jpg)
nice little hourglass shape to that gear, and...
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-glduX7Rvm7E/UiusCKczJlI/AAAAAAAABiQ/jNyJPA2kRk8/w640-h480-no/2013-09-07+15.58.39.jpg)
no teeth on the ring gear!
Starter's replaced, and she's running again. Also changed the oil to see if there were any metal flakes or slivers from the oil cooler line incident, but the oil looked pretty fresh for about 700 miles
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What the started decided to strip out? I know your cars topless but seem like everything on it wants to strip lol. Glad you found the cuase. I would have just replaced the starter without ever opening it up.
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I've finally gotten to drive her a bit with only minimal difficulties. Had to disconnect the WBO2 sensor to get the controller to re-calibrate the heater in it, and now it's working well again. Then, since the weather was beautiful today & the leaves were changing color, we went for a nice 2 hour cruise around Dexter & Pinckney
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hI4tmZFn9W4/UlCMCYeLIMI/AAAAAAAABwY/RT06CvGgx-E/w640-h480-no/2013-10-05+16.59.41.jpg)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-uEMXDH6zvUo/UlCMI8aDDMI/AAAAAAAABxQ/PZFqWz4Nlzc/w640-h480-no/2013-10-05+16.56.00.jpg)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-rg_-xvY1VDg/UlCMJjLOL2I/AAAAAAAABxY/t4DQG7a4Re8/w640-h480-no/2013-10-05+16.55.48.jpg)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nd0PmIZTx74/UlCMNgkj2oI/AAAAAAAABx4/AjkTWDtB4KQ/w640-h480-no/2013-10-05+16.54.23.jpg)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-MJCuRHhP-7M/UlCMAmv45bI/AAAAAAAABwI/V8KuXK3voR0/w640-h480-no/2013-10-05+17.00.22.jpg)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0565XqRunqU/UlCMDStanlI/AAAAAAAABwg/JCOgWq9wMCk/w640-h480-no/2013-10-05+16.59.23.jpg)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FFdAgWQ5B1I/UlCMFAK8BOI/AAAAAAAABww/pnXlH3QldeY/w640-h480-no/2013-10-05+16.58.55.jpg)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_uj_5NojYvs/UlCMMsHCRLI/AAAAAAAABxw/lbyElGPXfA8/w640-h480-no/2013-10-05+16.51.07.jpg)
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great pics, i love the last one the best with a look down the road behind you.
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Yea, I only had the camera on my cell phone so the quality is poor, but the trees and road were too pretty to pass up.
Today I adjusted the bump-stop for the nose of the differential since it was about 1/2" away from touching the differential itself. I think I probably mis-measured how far it needed to stick down towards the diff, and it probably pulled away further after adjusting the rear camber with the adjustable rear subframe mount, doing nothing to keep the nose from moving around. It went much more smoothly than I anticipated, just jacking up the back of the car, unscrewing the front of the rear subframe so that only a few threads were engaged, prying it down with a crow-bar, reaching up and in to get some vice-grips on the bump-stop to keep it from rotating, and then loosening it up from inside the car. I added enough washers to pre-load it a little (about 3/4" of washers), and reinstalled. Overall only about an hour & a half.
Since the back of the car was up in the air & I'd been noticing that when I fill up the tank, if its pretty low there will sometimes be a big rush of air when opening the cap. I think its a rush outwards, since I can smell fuel after it happens but before fully removing the cap. Anyway, I figured that my check-and-cut valve was probably dirty or broken, and it was a good chance to check it out. However, after taking it apart, cleaning it, and checking out how its supposed to work, I'm not sure if its the correct part for the car.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0PRbw1mr4M8/UlnAiYgvQgI/AAAAAAAAB5U/Gb-9rjwjXKU/w640-h480-no/2013-10-12+15.36.36.jpg)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SIsWfB39Y04/UlnAhawkZJI/AAAAAAAAB5M/MR6CsCLeMwY/w640-h480-no/2013-10-12+15.36.43.jpg)
I could blow & suck freely through either of the bottom nozzles, regardless of valve orientation (they were connected together in a chamber, disconnected from the top nozzle), and the top nozzle (in the photos, actually points down when installed on the car) connected to both of them as long as you blew through it (there was a check valve, no sucking). What seemed odd was how everything was hooked up. The bottom nozzles were connected to the fuel tank and to the fuel line that runs up to the charcoal canister, while the top nozzle is connected to a fitting that looks like it leads into the cabin of the car, but doesn't have a corresponding fitting, connection, or any sign of it on the inside of the passenger-side bin area (not really a bin since it's underneath the spare tire cover in the convertible, but similar stamping to the bin area on a hatch).
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-O9xtlYooWH0/UlnAgZpdSeI/AAAAAAAAB5E/14ssWJpMGI8/w640-h480-no/2013-10-12+15.40.00.jpg)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tQKXx_7GKmc/UlnAeXDYJKI/AAAAAAAAB48/5b8J3JB6isY/w640-h480-no/2013-10-12+15.45.27.jpg)
Having no idea where the line that connects to the top nipple goes, (it definitely doesn't seem to run to a vacuum or pressure source near the engine), I can't see how the valve is supposed to work, cut off a potential fuel flow if the car flips, or anything else. The valve itself looks different than the picture in the FSM too, which leaves me more confused.
Does this part look familiar to anyone, and does anyone know where that unknown connection to the chassis seems to go/what it's purpose is?
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Still no idea on that vacuum connection to the chassis, but the properly adjusted differential bump-stop made a huge difference. Prior to the adjustment, launching the car fairly hard would result in what felt like a lot of wheel hop - at the very least there was a lot of banging as I imagine the diff started torquing around as the tires lost & regained grip repeatedly. Now, launches were much, much more smooth, with only a slight hint of wheel hop if you were very aggressive with the clutch release. Helen & I repeatedly tested this at the CCM autocross yesterday, where the car performed flawlessly (definitely needs the driver mod tho).
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Aaaannd, thats it for the year - pulling the battery, changing the insurance to storage, and starting to re-focus on the motorcycle. The tires are starting to show some cords on the inside edge (yay rear camber when lowered), but I did get around 20k miles out of them, plus about 5 auto-x'es per year. Also, I think I need to re-address the differential snubber, I think the bump-stop there is on an angle to the diff and is not as effective. Anyway, until next year anyway...
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I have seen that same thing and wondered how and why lol. No real answers, sorry. You also reminded me that I need to pull the battery in mine. Need to do some work on the car before next season, however my season starts jan 4th...
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On the way back from visiting my parents in NJ this past weekend, I dropped by Rhineharts auto parts (1st & 2nd gen RX7 & RX8 recycler) to pick up a new passenger's side fender, since the original rusted out all the way around the rear lower mounts. Well, after getting it home & looking at it in the fresh light-of-day, the original panel seems to be in overall better shape (besides that rust anyway). So, I swapped the replacement for the original, and will be finding some sheet metal to bend & weld in place of the rusted bits. For the moment though, here's the replacement on the car...
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Gxj43Eg70lY/U0DLNtYgqMI/AAAAAAAACQo/HmqbInF33fg/w640-h480-no/14+-+1)
Nice & orange-looking, a few dents, with a little rust at the lower rear, and peeling clear-coat. Oh well... i think i probably saw what I wanted to see when buying it, not necessarily what it was.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-JEirIVLt_FU/U0DLNoRtc3I/AAAAAAAACQw/4rFzzLn1qTA/w640-h480-no/14+-+2)
At least the car finally has something saying "Turbo" on it though!
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And the original fender:
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-vCbzSZ_-JH0/U0HqHsnv8fI/AAAAAAAACT0/EguA_tNvCIw/w632-h474-no/14+-+2)
Not bad looking, pretty straight, except...
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hln0OEVNvBo/U0HqHlT3iQI/AAAAAAAACT8/o63ZX9ivU5w/w632-h474-no/14+-+3)
This is what's left of the lower two mounting holes. Yay road salt!
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Just ordered some new tires for the 'vert - Kumho Ecsta 4X high-performance all-seasons. These will go on the original 15" 'vert BBS wheels, so I have an alternative to the old RE01-R's that have turned into slicks. I'll be driving the 7 daily for a bit while I repair my gf's daily driver, a '91 Toyota Celica GT, which needs brakes & some suspension bushings
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Repairs on the Celica are very slow - almost every bolt is fighting me due to rust. Plus, Toyota decided in all their wisdom to make one nice, long M12 bolt that goes through one control link, through the suspension knuckle, and through the other control link, with a washer & nut on the end (circled in the image).
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jjF7rI6e8mk/U1Pt_KfCxKI/AAAAAAAACZQ/6btL1unwk_o/w545-h595-no/Rear+Suspension.jpg)
Naturally, this is rusted completely solid on both sides, and after a day & a half of torching it, borrowing an impact gun, wrenching on it with a 4-ft breaker bar, and breaking a few tools, it was time to just cut it off. That felt good at least. Now time to figure out how to extract the ridiculously rusted toe alignment cams...
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I hope you have been able to get that suspension fixed on the celica there
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I should have the celica back together this weekend, so I can devote a bit of time & resources back to the 7. I ended up needing to cut/drill out a bunch of rusted parts, then pay Toyota $150 for new bolts & alignment cam adjusters (ridiculously expensive IMO), and am getting a used replacement suspension knuckle tomorrow. At least the bushings went easily...
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Zf4_htKKNPo/U1vt_djLqnI/AAAAAAAACc4/PZdUdk7IOqw/w640-h480-no/14+-+1)
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Now, for the "new-to-me" $40 junkyard suspension knuckle...
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JI_6pgjzhMg/U2VuCSLTuDI/AAAAAAAACe4/WR__ZiUZdi0/w640-h480-no/14+-+3)
Its actually the whole corner of the car, sawzall'ed off. Fortunately, the extra bits came in very handy. The original, trouble-making bolt really didn't pose much trouble after adding a bit of heat, hammering a 18mm socket onto the rounded 19mm head, grabbing a 4-ft section of pipe, and standing on the strut while torquing the bolt. That broke it free enough that judicious hammering eventually got it clear of the knuckle. VICTORY!!!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3jJ2oAzkUOY/U2VuCch7FYI/AAAAAAAACes/RQgsMr-DAO4/w640-h480-no/14+-+2)
Getting the whole corner instead of just the knuckle was actually pretty fortunate, since the strut came in handy for standing on & torquing against, I used the drum to hold the knuckle in as I pounded out the bolt, and the brake hydraulic cylinder that was on it was pretty new, while the one that originally was on the car looked original and was leaking. So after replacing that, those short hard lines that go from the cylinder up to the soft line between the knuckle & body, and the brake shoes, the last corner of the car is freshened up & almost ready to go!
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-C-GF-pDBxrg/U2VuCZCM4YI/AAAAAAAACek/MfyUriRkBeA/w640-h480-no/14+-+1)
Well, almost ready to go... It looks like one of the brake circuits is no longer working. The driver's front & passenger's rear brakes bled without a problem, but there was a constant stream of bubbles coming out of the passenger's front & driver's rear brakes, plus a definite notice-able suction-y burbling noise from the master cylinder while trying to bleed them. Seems like the MC is shot, so I need to pick up a new one & replace that, but then the Celica should be done for a while, allowing me to focus on the RX-7 again.
edit to get pictures working
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The MC for the celica is arriving today, as well as new front ball joints, strut top mounts, and individual rear camber adjusters for the 7. I had to tighten up the pass side front wheel bearing yesterday, as it felt loose & had a bit of play - not sure what caused that, but its nice & snug now.
Anyone else going to the Furrin Group autocross at US131 on sunday? Its my first auto-x of the year, I'm stoked!
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Well, the celica is finally done! For now anyway, some bodywork & paint is in the near-ish future.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-x_c2SE1AFCI/U27DyAMWx6I/AAAAAAAACfc/AxyNZcaiJQ0/w608-h456-no/14+-+1)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B056HDOg_RU/U27DyGr_Q3I/AAAAAAAACfk/phmhtBCUV9I/w608-h456-no/14+-+2)
On Saturday afternoon I got a chance to address the excessive rear camber on the 'vert from lowering & a heavy ass a bit more. I had the adjustable sub-frame link, but didn't want to do all of the adjustment with it since it was pulling the differential nose downwards & putting a bit of an angle into the CV joint on the end of the driveshaft. So, time for shorter hanging/swinging camber links! A lot of the adjustable ones seem to fail since they don't allow for twist or any articulation like the bushings in the stock pieces, and instead bind and eventually break. I remember reading somewhere on the 'club about cutting down some aftermarket adjustable swaybar links from an integra to fit, so decided to try it.
BLOX Racing rear sway links for integra (http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLOX-Racing-Rear-Sway-Bar-Adjustable-End-Link-Set-92-00-Civic-94-01-Integra/281329870673?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D22308%26meid%3D6852653757664379686%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D9700%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D10%26sd%3D191163080468)
The kit came with basically two male & two female-threaded end links w/ 10mm bore through the ball, plus two bolts with those tapered spacers to allow more articulation of the heim joint before the housing hits anything. As you can see below, they were a bit longer than the OEM links at their shortest adjustment:
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4X8bZP9qK5Q/U3Diw1ATvJI/AAAAAAAACgQ/ilavM1bRDLE/w346-h461-no/14+-+1)
Now, I forgot to take pictures of the rest of this, but I basically had to cut down both ends of each joint so that when it assembled & tightened together, there were about 8 threads engaged, none exposed outside of the female end, and the whole thing was about 1/4" shorter than stock. The locking nut provided had to go, but when tightened down & installed they can only turn about 45 degrees, so they can't unscrew further. The thicker of the tapered spacers was about 1/8" too thick too, so that got ground down, while some washers were added behind the thinner tapered spacers to make everything fit.
Anyway, the end result is what looks like about -1 degree camber in the back, not the previous -3ish, and a much more stable, predictable feel from behind the wheel (plus, MUCH reduced tram-lining on the grooved section of highway!)
EDIT: fixed link
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So that actually worked? the link you provided did not work, those camber links are 50 a pop from mazda with the racer discount, mine are def original so I was looking at them and thought they looked just like small endlinks.
How much did those run for?
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I'll try to get pictures this weekend - I'm going to be under the car re-positioning the bump-stop for the diff nose anyway. They certainly seem to have worked though, took out a bit of the camber, are still together after about 400 miles + 9 runs at the autocross, and didn't take that long to modify. I just searched for "blox integra rear sway bar links" on ebay, and there are a ton of people selling them - blox part BXSS-10101-AEL. They were $40 shipped.
I haven't noticed any additional NVH due to them, but the 'vert is already pretty loud, so it would likely be lost in the general noise.
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good to know! Do you run the adjustable camber bar for the vertical link in the back?
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Yea, I had originally hoped that it would be enough, and while I could get most of the camber change I needed out of it, I didn't like the angle that the diff was at when the bar was fully shortened. The driveshaft CV joint was at a more severe angle & the diff was very far away from the snubber mounted on the chassis. So, with the vertical link adjusted to about as short as I wanted to make it, these did the rest of the job.
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When leaving for the autocross two weeks ago, the drivers side window decided it wanted to permanently live in the door, and refused to come back up. For the autocross, this was fine, but not for the rain the following week.
Anyhow, after pulling the door apart, it was apparent that one of the cables had snapped. Getting the assembly out of the door was a bit of a pain without being able to raise the window, but eventually it came out.
Now, the 'vert assemblies are much different than the coupe ones. I don't know why, but basically there is an electric motor turning a spool, with cable un-winding from one side while it is winding on the other side to pull the window up or down. Even though only one cable broke, when the tension was released from that side & the motor was spinning, it really wrapped the other one up badly and deformed it, so I needed to cut the other one to be able to disassemble everything.
These pictures show the bottom cable already complete & assembled - I had gotten everything together & working but the top cable was about 3" too short, which didn't allow the window to roll all the way down. Measure Twice & Cut Once! Anyway, the bottom cable was the easy one to string, and fixing the ends was the same for the top & bottom. I'm working on the drivers side (US Market), the pass side is a mirror-image, so keep this in mind with things like tightening directions, etc.
Ok, you'll need:
42" of 1/16" dia braided steel cable for the top
62" of 1/16" braided steel cable for the bottom
2 cable anchors
Solder & a soldering iron
Flathead & philipshead screwdriver, needle-nosed pliers, vice-grips or similar & a hammer
White Lithium grease or similar, I've used silicone-based greases before too
Now, to be clear: The top cable is the one that runs from the end of the motor assembly to the top cable holder, and down to the window carrier. This cable is the one that pulls the window carrier & window up. The bottom cable comes out of the motor assembly in the middle, runs to the bottom cable holder (also on the top of the slide), then runs all the way down the slide, around the U-bend at the bottom, and up to the bottom of the window carrier. The bottom cable pulls the window carrier down.
To start, plug in the soldering iron so it warms up, remove the old cables from the assembly, and the 4 philipshead screws holding the motor cover on.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-H0dbvqjx0IE/U4IVKjIsvUI/AAAAAAAAClw/o1heek7N6So/w640-h480-no/14+-+24)
Now, pull out everything in there. It should all come out readily with the pliers. Here's the motor & housing with everything removed:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-o90PVVRZ11c/U4IVKgFFYFI/AAAAAAAAClY/SCy7dfM59NQ/w640-h480-no/14+-+21)
All the internals are stacked up with the spool on the right in the picture below on the bottom, then the metal disk with matching teeth on top of the spool (so that the teeth engage), then that disk-spring, then the gear wheel that engages the motor's worm gear (with the 4 large grooves facing up), and then the big rubber drive-dampener thing with the protrusions sitting in the gear wheel's grooves, and the splines engaging with the metal disk, and then the cover.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Ba6L_1Ixrwo/U4IVKvzClxI/AAAAAAAAClo/jqbSLa4PQTw/w640-h480-no/14+-+23)
The spool actually comes apart a bit further - there is the outer spool, an inner plastic tube with a slit, a torsion spring that goes between the two, and a bottom plate that holds the top cable end. To start, make sure that the torsion spring isn't bent (mine was, so i had to cut it & re-bend the end that grabs the inner plastic tube) and that both ends are engaged so that if you twist the the outer spool while holding the inner plastic tube, it springs back.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-HuENX_fKFvI/U4IVKqbw3qI/AAAAAAAAClg/EmFhCcM_Njo/w640-h480-no/14+-+22)
This torsion spring is there to "wind up" as the window is lowered and unwind as its raised, helping the motor to raise the window while slowing the rate of descent down when you lower the window. Thus, it should be pretty-much un-tensioned when the window is at the top of its travel. We'll come back to this later on.
Assemble the outer spool, torsion spring, & inner tube as shown above, then grease liberally. Make sure you get some between the outer spool and inner tube at the top, and between most of the wrappings of torsion spring. Put the bottom plate back on so that you can see the cut-out for the cable end & cable.
Now, take one end of each of the replacement cables and the soldering iron, and solder a nice blob on one end. This will be the cable stop within the motor/spool assembly. Get the cable nice & hot and make sure that the solder wicks into it so that the blob can't come off!
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Ykd2yHrqQts/U4IVKlPZX_I/AAAAAAAAClQ/RP4h6zxYy64/w640-h480-no/14+-+20)
You'll probably need to file down a little bit of the blob to fit into the spool. Give it a good tug to make sure the blob is big enough not to slip out, and is attached to the cable sufficiently well.
The top cable is shown in the bottom of the spool in the picture above - the bottom cable goes into the metal disk that sits on top of the spool in a similar manner.
Now, feed the un-finished end of the top cable through the hole at the end of the motor housing, and the un-finished end of the bottom cable through the hold in the middle of the motor housing. Grease up the cables about 2" from the end, and pass them through their respective cable sheaths and into the plastic guide at the top of the slide. Grease the plastic guide where the cables will be running. I have the plastic guide detached from the slide here to make it easier to get the carrier hooked up and back on the slide.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-jZVyvBEnOpM/U4IVKp6IHyI/AAAAAAAAClA/_W9gpN2GB4M/w640-h480-no/14+-+18)
Now that the un-finished ends are through the plastic guide, its time to finish them! Make sure that the ends of the cable are clean & not greasy. Slide on the little rectangular washer that had been on the original cable (i had to re-make one from a bit of steel since I lost one... oh well), then slide on the aluminum cable anchor.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-oxEKMouTpr4/U4IVKsOQPSI/AAAAAAAACkg/PBMXaA1naQw/w640-h480-no/14+-+14)
Now, I crushed the anchor in a set of vice grips first, to make sure I could keep the cable fully in it and positioned where I wanted it. Then, put it down on some hard surface & hammer it flat. It needs to be flat enough that it holds the cable well, slides into the window carrier, and can fit next to another flattened anchor in it's final position, but not so flat that the aluminum is starting to crack or stretch too far & lose its strength.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-m2icY54SinU/U4IVKmalMTI/AAAAAAAACko/AK3xeUHOZAo/w640-h480-no/14+-+15)
Now, slide the flattened cable anchor & rectangular washer on the cable through the slot on the window carrier. They should go in on the side of the carrier that faces the slide, and stick out of the side of the carrier that faces outwards. Now, press them both into the cavity that they're sticking out of, so that they're flush & held in place. MAKE SURE THAT THE TOP CABLE EXITS THE SIDE OF THE CARRIER THAT'S SUPPOSED TO POINT TOWARDS THE TOP OF THE SLIDE!!! THE BOTTOM CABLE SHOULD COME OUT THE SIDE WITH THE HOOKS MEANT TO HELP HOLD THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDOW GLASS!!! Here they are in their final position seen from the outward side of the carrier
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8Hp9PmBG8ms/U4IVKgZzeCI/AAAAAAAACkw/U_iBKgYUINQ/w640-h480-no/14+-+16)
And from the side of the carrier that faces the slide
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-t-F-eRkvAys/U4IVKm_QQWI/AAAAAAAACk4/QPeb60pIDp8/w640-h480-no/14+-+17)
(I had to replace the brass-looking pressed in portion of the carrier, since the bushing that used to go around it had completely disintegrated, allowing the carrier to twist a lot on the slide. Now it's a sliding door pulley with a rubber o-ring in the "V" of the pulley)
Now, put the window carrier into the slide from the top, with the plastic cable guide removed. Grease the inside of the channel of the slide, as well as the side of the channel that the window carrier runs against.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qMllqvvErQo/U4IVKhdLR_I/AAAAAAAACkY/Da0wWiaQMzI/w640-h480-no/14+-+13)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SQx3juoDO3k/U4IVKoRwNWI/AAAAAAAACkI/auLM3I-NNPw/w640-h480-no/14+-+11)
Grease the U-bend at the bottom of the slide, then run the bottom cable around the U-bend and slide the plastic cable guide onto the top of the window slide. Keep the window carrier at the top of the slide, and pull all the excess cable through the cable sheaths so its sticking out of the motor housing.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-72D993Rgy1s/U4IVKvGwHJI/AAAAAAAACkA/eaxPZhtU0uU/w640-h480-no/14+-+10)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Smn0RjjMJ6Q/U4IVKrVF4OI/AAAAAAAACjo/ByRhQ_5X1Q0/w640-h480-no/14+-+7)
Detach the top cable sheath from the motor housing & pull the excess cable out of the housing. Drop the spool & it's inner plastic tube over the metal shaft in the center of the housing. Don't push the inner plastic tube all the way down, allow it to stick up off the metal shaft a little bit. It will only be able to be pushed all the way down when it is aligned properly with a feature on the bottom of the housing, which will happen later. Make sure that the torsion spring is still attached & "spring-y" - to avoid detaching it you should only rotate both the spool & the plastic tube together. Do NOT rotate just the plastic tube clockwise or just the spool counterclockwise, this will detach the spring.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-SFPkqs99OXE/U4IVKktIfqI/AAAAAAAACjw/xGDyeukqql8/w640-h480-no/14+-+8)
Now, rotate both the spool & the tube counterclockwise to wind up the excess length of the top cable. Make sure to push the cable down into the bottom-most groove as you begin winding with a screwdriver or something - it will stay there once you've gotten about a half-turn wound. Once you're done winding up the slack and have re-attached the cable sheath to the motor housing, stick a screwdriver between the tab on the spool & the housing to keep it from unwinding.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bZSDFtVYXQc/U4IVKuN9CyI/AAAAAAAACj4/FBQBwm6cTC0/w640-h480-no/14+-+9)
Now, keeping that screwdriver there to hold the spool, grab the inner plastic tube with the pliers and rotate it counterclockwise-only while pushing downwards until you feel it slide down and engage in the feature in the motor housing. Depending on the position of everything, you may need to twist it almost a full rotation. You'll know you got it right if the top of the plastic tube is now flush with the threaded metal shaft in the middle of the housing, and that the tube can no longer rotate.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GQ8SQgskw_g/U4IVKuTxPvI/AAAAAAAACjY/azUiqSosr-A/w640-h480-no/14+-+5)
You've basically just set the torsion spring to 0 (or almost 0) tension with the window carrier at the top of its travel, so it will get tensioned as the window is lowered, and release tension as the window is raised to help the motor. See, the tube is now flush with the top of the metal shaft.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-DAgUuPH2--A/U4IVKnIsXbI/AAAAAAAACjQ/PfdyIp2vMU0/w640-h480-no/14+-+4)
Now time for the metal disk that goes on top of the spool and holds the bottom cable end. Smear a dab of grease around the inner plastic tube where the metal disk will be touching it, and drop the disk over the tube. Route the bottom cable under the tab of the spool (so that the bottom cable will also wind - in the opposite direction - on the spool), and rotate the metal splined disk clockwise to tighten the bottom cable. Tighten it until you start to compress one of the springs between the end of the cable sheath and the motor housing, then push the metal disk downwards so that it engages with the teeth on the top of the spool to hold it in place.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_nPJijlZORw/U4IVKlLK8ZI/AAAAAAAACi4/8EutMK-m84E/w640-h480-no/14+-+1)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MqWL0eyXhZA/U4IVKhpfZXI/AAAAAAAACjA/nj2Ww__otv0/w640-h480-no/14+-+2)
This will only work properly if the tab on the spool & the piece of the metal disk that holds the bottom cable don't line up or hit. If they do, you may need to trim about half-a-turn's worth of cable off of one of the ends & re-solder a blob on the end. At this point, you should be able to turn the splines of the metal disk in either direction (while pushing down to keep it engaged with the spool), and raise or lower the window carrier without binding. I'd recommend doing this a couple times just to make sure the cables aren't going to tangle, that everything moves smoothly, and that you have enough tension in the cables. If the cables seem to go slack at any point (especially when reversing direction), twist the metal disk clockwise another tooth or two with respect to the spool. Pack a bunch of grease in between the cable around the spool & the housing once you're sure its working well, and run it through its travel again to make sure you can get the grease applied everywhere.
Now, reassemble. Put that circular spring down on top of the metal disk, then the plastic gear wheel so that one tooth of the spline is roughly aligned with the center of the large grooves in the gear (grooves up!). Make sure the gear engages with the worm gear of the motor. Drop the rubber drive damper on top of the gear so that it simultaneously engages with the spline and its protrusions go into the grooves in the gear. Put some of the grease on the top of the damper, then put the lid on it all & screw it down. Try it with a car battery or some other 12V source (at least 10-15 amps), and put it back in the door. Done!
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And then, since the door rub strip was peeling off, I tore it the rest of the way off & needed to remove the old tape before sticking new stuff on. Some mineral spirits & a cut up plastic bottle to the rescue!
The plastic bottle worked well as a scraper to hack at the tape without risk of scratching the paint, and did its job as well as I could have expected.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-r04XdoOzBgU/U4Htm6sCRMI/AAAAAAAACiQ/Yi3n7a0CZFM/w640-h480-no/14+-+1)
All clean!
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-dK-v4-nZkXU/U4Htm-c3hlI/AAAAAAAACiY/ECayCIGHLdw/w640-h480-no/14+-+2)
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And just as a follow-up, the window regulator is back in the door and seems to be working fine. Now on to other things...
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Just finished replacing the front ball joints & strut mounts to address some small popping sounds the front suspension was making with weight transfer - haven't heard them yet, but I haven't let it sit overnight yet either. I also re-greased all the poly bushings in the front end since I originally installed them about 8 yrs ago, and the LCAs were pretty stiff.
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great write up on fixing the window. Maybe want to recreate it for the general technical support section?
Otherwise, great job.
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Now for a change in pace - the pass side fender rusted through at the bottom & started flapping in the breeze over the winter, so I picked up a less-rusted, off-color fender & swapped that on. However, the original fender, minus that bit of rust, is in much better shape overall, so the plan is to weld a patch-panel on to the bottom of the original fender & re-paint it. Now that the car is mostly sealed up & functional, I got started on that patch-panel after work.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4LN1RQ_9gmY/U4504xOOZUI/AAAAAAAACmY/5J3wjXBHkfM/w592-h444-no/14+-+1)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IA76zf4SOZE/U45044oV1YI/AAAAAAAACmg/H2LhGKRc9xk/w592-h444-no/14+-+2)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_2b9R9j92KY/U45042TXTvI/AAAAAAAACmo/OzHhAz8GZG8/w592-h444-no/14+-+3)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Bg3tQRhTmQw/U45043DH_bI/AAAAAAAACmw/yar-20rPVOM/w592-h444-no/14+-+4)
This was my first time trying to do any real sheet-metal work with curves, not just straight bends, so it's a little bit rough, and that last picture shows where I got a little too aggressive with the pliers making that compound-bend. It was all by hand, bent over whatever cylindrical objects I could find. Overall, i think it came out OK, and will fit well once I do a little more grinding to the edge. I still need to strip the paint off of the surrounding fender, and get the galvanization off of the patch-piece. Hopefully the primer-bedliner-paint layering will cover up most of the ugliness too. We'll find out anyway...
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Well, I got it welded today, but not without a lot of struggle - between being way out of practice, learning to work with sheet metal, and figuring out the settings on a new machine, I melted plenty of holes in the fender, and ground through it a few times when cleaning up those messy welds...
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-cQL42JzKCSc/U5Ox3ASJQBI/AAAAAAAACo8/ZTXqneZ7fy4/w640-h480-no/14+-+9)
Just getting started, tacking it together from the back-side, then welding on the front to try to join the two pieces
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-uBh473GrP7Q/U5Ox3Cc33vI/AAAAAAAACoc/FlStX6rS8Ww/w640-h480-no/14+-+5)
After welding the front-side... this doesn't look too bad, I can just grind this down & be done!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-goJlhSKHEDk/U5Ox3EmmGUI/AAAAAAAACok/3KzJ7863XZs/w640-h480-no/14+-+6)
Cleaning it up a bit with the grinder - unfortunately the metal surrounding the weld beads was very thin & brittle, leading it to break apart when grinding... Must try again!
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-DfQzw-2xb7U/U5Ox3HCUBhI/AAAAAAAACo0/3vkGpyuJsXg/w640-h480-no/14+-+8)
Take 2, after building up a bunch of thickness on the backside to work with & absorb the welding heat. Yes, it looks ugly as hell
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Hu2gyP9GYF8/U5Ox3C-i40I/AAAAAAAACos/_0CtruOs67g/w640-h480-no/14+-+7)
And on the front side - at least this isn't looking too bad... wishing I had a TIG about now...
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_QWvuXmXmas/U5Ox3Kbq2EI/AAAAAAAACoY/Zk-qJhiwyA0/w640-h480-no/14+-+4)
After welding & grinding two more times each, it's not looking bad. A bit of rustoleum to seal it up, some body filler, and then under-body coating & paint. Almost done!
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-cPE0zg06ljI/U5Ox3HUwUQI/AAAAAAAACoI/88kFw_CiazE/w414-h552-no/14+-+3)
Another one...
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ij42amUFvGM/U5Ox3FdGnsI/AAAAAAAACoQ/GcUY6tVDyoM/w640-h480-no/14+-+2)
All that grinding really took a toll on my glove! I may never have knuckle-hair again!
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XRvmhKlzX0I/U5Ox3KLkFrI/AAAAAAAACn8/c48N3mZ9HO4/w640-h480-no/14+-+1)
And the mess of weld-boogers on the backside after closing numerous holes. There may be more welding rod in the fender than there is metal in the patch-panel. I definitely need more welding practice.
On a positive note, I shouldn't have worried about those plier-marks, they ended up getting melted & absorbed into a giant ball of welding rod anyway.
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looks better then what i could ever accomplish. Though i have never welded anything myself so i am ure that if i try it would result in an uglier result.
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Well, it was still very rough, and needed a bit of filling to at least start to smooth it out. This was my first time using body filler & attempting anything like this , so its bound to be a "learning experience"...
Anyhow, how the fender sat after welding, removing the trim, sanding the rest of the paint to give the new primer something to grab onto, and touching up a few other spots:
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GbGoH7RACeQ/U50YzuiH9XI/AAAAAAAACsA/mbvjQ37vjEY/w640-h480-no/14+-+9)
The first time I tried using the filler, I put too much of the hardener in it, so I was barely able to get any on the fender before it became un-workable & very solid. This is attempt 2, with the proportions a bit better (but still off a little I think)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tToiRxfdaGs/U50YziiZVbI/AAAAAAAACr4/wZh0Y6M5kP0/w640-h480-no/14+-+8)
Two hours later, after a ton of sanding (I put on WAY too much filler) & the acceptance that I'm not going to get it right and the rougher underbody paint will hide a lot of the mess thats left, I brought it outside to clean off the dust and dry out the filler with a hair drier. I read that the filler likes to absorb water, so I sat there with the hair drier for a while to make sure I'm not setting myself up for a new rusty mess in a couple years.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-y4kYoKkeKzU/U50YzlkopQI/AAAAAAAACrw/MSkE7qXLzDw/w640-h480-no/14+-+7)
Hanging it up in the "paint booth" set up on our balcony, after the first coat of primer.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9WULx9u5jqg/U50YztmObFI/AAAAAAAACro/wnTVa1W27ho/w640-h480-no/14+-+6)
Another shot of the "paint booth"
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7woeDG6hqrU/U50YziyEUNI/AAAAAAAACrg/14Oi-0UjNSI/w640-h480-no/14+-+5)
And another
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-WLwdWNRQrLk/U50YznEL8wI/AAAAAAAACrY/qhuMYS75O2g/w640-h480-no/14+-+4)
Looking a bit better, although still not perfect by a long shot
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MZRY5KOtdw4/U50YziFkzzI/AAAAAAAACrM/rneoy1YuoYM/w640-h480-no/14+-+3)
Underbody does hide a bit!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JDAgizFGL3E/U50YzrMivNI/AAAAAAAACrE/AIt3Nr3BPSM/w640-h480-no/14+-+2)
And the whole thing, as it currently hangs awaiting paint
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2R6_cxKbgew/U50YzrkvluI/AAAAAAAACq8/Vm9FWFetTLk/w640-h480-no/14+-+1)
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Now time for paint!
Here the whole thing is, after 2 coats,
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-B7xuuXly1S4/U54yoMBncQI/AAAAAAAACtw/6pxZW2B3wt0/w640-h480-no/14+-+1)
Looks consistent, but it's pretty grainy. I need to go over it and buff it out before applying clear coat
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-m3O4PUwGEyY/U54yoAM8ePI/AAAAAAAACt4/LIUmiAI_xPo/w640-h480-no/14+-+2)
Yup, definitely "textured"...
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pI_f68hmYUc/U54yoGZx0-I/AAAAAAAACuA/TB_KbNCVXLs/w640-h480-no/14+-+3)
Ugh, the glossiness of the paint brings out all the inconsistencies and unevenness that the underbody coat hid. Oh well, it'll be low on the body, and I really don't feel like going at it again. I can't wait for the day where I can pay someone to do the bodywork for me...
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-QhiwJT3Ba8s/U54yoPVsBEI/AAAAAAAACuI/BTfwnrI813M/w640-h480-no/14+-+4)
Next steps are buffing the paint, and applying a clear coat. I can't wait to be done with this... but then I'm doing bodywork on the celica & re-spraying some of that.
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Well, I tried some buffing & paint correction, but went right through the color in a few spots, so I need to wait to receive more paint. Oops...
Anyhow, instead I started taking care of a couple other small issues that have been cropping up. The top needed a bit more stitching & sealing in a few places, which went smoothly besides getting sunburnt on only one side of my face (hanging half in, half out of the car...)
I also pulled apart the headrest-speaker amp and control switches to figure out why it wasn't working any more. After checking some things & re-flowing the solder on the connectors just to be safe, I found the culprit - it was the power switch not working on both circuits.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-rGTuBUe7otA/U6dSP5lR3iI/AAAAAAAACv0/7nDdyCxK6e0/w640-h480-no/14+-+1)
One thing I love about 80s electronics is that all the components are through-hole and disassemble-able. This makes them much easier to diagnose & replace than surface mount and integrated chip parts
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Well, back to that fender after a bit of a break. I bought more paint in the OEM color, plus some clear from automotivetouchup.com, and was waiting for a weekend that I was in-state and not completely busy. Anyhow, the color is on & looking good, but then I put on some of the clear coat too thick & got a run, so now I'm waiting for a few days for it to finish drying. In addition, the apartment complex is painting the railings on all the balconies this week, so the fender got moved inside to a relatively safer spot.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-DUdW_v6hJVU/U8LGsZdi92I/AAAAAAAACyg/4vZF8pKBeb8/w344-h459-no/14+-+2)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tIx-SISFIM4/U8LGsQx3X7I/AAAAAAAACyY/PeKy4bLF6I0/w612-h459-no/14+-+1)
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After over-sanding that run, and then deciding to fill a couple more dents that showed up after the first paint, it was finally finished-ish about 2 weeks ago. It still needs to be buffed a bit, and really shows how faded the rest of the car is. She must have looked great when new, if this its the original color!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_WI2vqzEUfk/VAZkaBUx_LI/AAAAAAAAC2E/S_7L8SOcpR0/w640-h480-no/RX-7%2B-%2B1)
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I thought the drivers side front wheel bearing was on its way out since the steering was feeling pretty gravelly when turning right, i could hear a distinct grinding noise over about 60 mph, and there seemed to be some play in the front end. I just received the bearings to do the job today, but after taking everything apart, the drivers side felt and looked fine. I took apart the pass side to compare, and the outer race and bearing was all chewed up! So, I ended up replacing both the outer bearing & race, including grinding down some of the inside bore of the hub so I could knock the race out, and then re-packing both sides this evening. No pictures due to the rain, but overall it went smoothly enough, and everything sounds & feels right again.
Ready for camping!
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Figured you had it fixed as I saw the car in the R&D lot this morning. See you tomorrow!
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I thought the drivers side front wheel bearing was on its way out since the steering was feeling pretty gravelly when turning right, i could hear a distinct grinding noise over about 60 mph, and there seemed to be some play in the front end. I just received the bearings to do the job today, but after taking everything apart, the drivers side felt and looked fine. I took apart the pass side to compare, and the outer race and bearing was all chewed up! So, I ended up replacing both the outer bearing & race, including grinding down some of the inside bore of the hub so I could knock the race out, and then re-packing both sides this evening. No pictures due to the rain, but overall it went smoothly enough, and everything sounds & feels right again.
Ready for camping!
I have to do that on my spare hubs, the races look fine but I wan't to be able to service them easier next wheel bearing batch around. Also the off-road stuff really eats at wheel bearings.
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Yea, I was worrying that it would be more difficult than it was, but it only took about 20 min with a cut-off wheel & a dremel to get in there & grind off enough material on both sides to knock out the bearing race.
On the way back from camping, I had a little bit of a scare - saw the oil pressure drop to 0 at about 11:30 Sunday night, still 25 miles from home. I pulled over to check it out, and Helen didn't notice me flashing my high beams & turning on the hazard lights while coasting off the road with the engine off... Fortunately, it turned out it was just the wire coming unclipped from the sensor, so I was back on my way quickly.
She's running well now - I pulled pretty evenly with a somewhat modified C4 corvette on the way home from work today (unless he was toying with me & wasn't WOT - I couldn't tell), but she felt very strong anyway.
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So at the end of last week, the driver's window decided to stop going down again, the driver's door lock jammed, and the feeling of looseness in the rear diff has gotten to the point where I don't want to drive the car too much. The first two were sudden, but the rear end has slowly been getting worse since I put it back together with the Torsen. Has anyone rebuild the rear end and set the pinion lash on these? I thought I had everything to spec when reassembling, but apparently not.
The window & lock shouldn't be too difficult, I think one of the cable-ends that I crimped on the cable to hold it in the spool connected to the motor probably pulled off, and I've got a new lock ordered to swap the pins from my old lock into, but that's all waiting for a couple weekends. This weekend, Helen's Celica is getting new springs & struts.
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Ugh i hate setting differentials. Its always try and fail and repeat until i give up.
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Yea, not looking forward to the differential, but its sounding like it's time to re-adjust.
Anyway, this weekend is doing a bit of refurb on the Celica. I got the rear suspension just about done today. The new rear springs seemed slightly taller than the old ones, and maybe a little bit stiffer as well, although I wouldn't put too much emphasis on the repeatability of my "measurements" on the rear springs. The old rear shocks were completely done though - the driver's side had about 2" of free play in its travel before actually moving fluid and trying to damp the motion. The pass side was a bit better, but still made sucking noises and seemed pretty low-effort vs the new ones.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/QsxJMrDd3tJwKl03fh_mPVRXlqN9EP34NkIxWIDpio4=w640-h480)
Also, the rear struts were pretty easy to do without spring compressors, since there wasn't very much pre-load on the springs. Basically, I unbolted the strut links, removed the nuts connecting the strut to the rear uprights, and disconnected the brake lines to get them out of the tab on the strut. Then I put the jack under the rear suspension, compressed it slightly, and removed the top nut off of the shock's shaft. Then I slowly lowered the jack to relieve spring tension and just removed the spring & strut, leaving the top mount attached to the car. I replaced the top mounts on all corners about 2 yrs ago, and they were still in good shape. Then, I just assembled the struts with springs, minus compressing the spring, arranged it in the car and pumped up the jack to push the top of the shock's shaft through the top mount, compressing the spring again. At that point I just tightened down the nut on the top (holding the top of the shaft underneath where the bump-stop would sit with a piece of thick rubber and vice-grips), and re-assembled everything else.
Unfortunately, the sway bar end-links would not come off without resorting to destructive means, so I need to run down to an auto parts store to get new ones. I just need to pick those up & install them, and then put the wheels back on and the back-end is done.
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So, why did Toyota decide to fully capture the brake line in the tab on the strut? Both my Saab & the RX-7 have a slot so that once you pry out that U-shaped plate, you can just push the brake line out and completely detach it from the strut without hydraulically disconnecting anything. Unfortunately, this meant that after getting everything done today, I needed to bleed the brakes, and of course the bleed screw on the pass front caliper was frozen and just broke off. So the suspension is done, but I still need to extract the brake bleed screw and finish that job.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-mvOhOeHpca8/VGkyaI7TC2I/AAAAAAAAC8Q/MLvZNtJCOes/w640-h480-no/Celica%2B-%2B3)
Turns out the front springs were not correct - they felt like they were a similar spring rate, but they stood about an inch shorter than the stock springs. Therefore, I kept the original springs in front but replaced all the rubber and the shocks.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9-XMXbJmuAo/VGkyaODYQxI/AAAAAAAAC8E/hx-lcMFHFcw/w640-h480-no/Celica%2B-%2B2)
She's back on all 4 wheels now, but we're waiting to drive her until I get around to finishing the brakes, so I'm back to DD'ing the 7
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Broken bleeder? sounds like you need a new caliper.
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Well, my first option is to drill out the hole in the center a bit bigger so I can fit a decent-sized easy-out in there and try to extract it. If that doesn't work, maybe I can drill & tap it a little bit bigger and use a larger bleed screw (which I've done on the drivers side a couple years ago), and only if that doesn't work is it time for a new caliper. That's happening this weekend tho, since I'm rarely home when its light out during the week
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As much as that would work I don't mess around with brakes/safety stuff like that, a new caliper is probably just 40 dollars at the most anyways.
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Yea, the new caliper was about $35, and I decided to just go that route since I didn't really want to be running back & forth to the parts store multiple times or running extension cords for the drill out through the rain to the apt parking lot. Well, I pulled the caliper off, went down & exchanged it for the rebuilt one, got home and it wouldn't bolt up since the slide-pins' bore was too small to fit the bolts... So back down to the store to compare the old part with the new more closely, and its just the pins that are different; I grab those and put them in the new caliper and it all goes together easily, so the Celica is back on the road.
Just in time too, since the Saab developed a nasty misfire at anything over 1/3 throttle on the second run down to the store - it seems like one of the coils went bad. New ones arrive on Weds, so I'm still DDing the 7.
If this house ever happens & I have a garage, I'll finally get the chance to tear apart the rear diff & re-set that, relocate the battery into the bin area, and chase down a couple small oil leaks.
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No news on the 'vert - Most of my time & energy is going into either getting our DD's ready for winter or into all the stuff surrounding buying a foreclosed house... what a PITA, but it will hopefully be worth it soon.
Anyhow, I replaced the coil in the Saab which solved the misfire, but then began noticing that one of the speakers would randomly emit a burst of loud static, making the commute much less enjoyable. The amplifier for this speaker (and a few others) lives right under the driver's seat, so right where any water will pool when snow & moisture gets tracked into the car. When I first got the car, it had a big problem the sunroof leaking down the drivers-side pillars and pooling under the drivers seat too - I fixed this as soon as I could & the amp didn't seem to suffer any damage at the time, but 6 years later...
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JdUqzWtD0j4/VIUY-5eZaKI/AAAAAAAADAk/UkgxRQnDE70/w793-h595-no/IMG_7221.JPG)
More digging turned up greater amounts of dirt (and dust, and dog hair, and of course corrosion) on the suspect
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-16GcVRT2eWU/VIUTha2dFRI/AAAAAAAAC_E/WYwABdU_bk0/w793-h595-no/IMG_7224.JPG)
This leg where the heat-sink-support meets the PCB was especially nasty, and it looked like the rust had affected some nearby pins & thru-holes in the PCB
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--fR6-QhCJg4/VIUThVLd4bI/AAAAAAAAC_E/9Ng7h98AbE0/w793-h595-no/IMG_7230.JPG)
So off it comes for cleaning. Two of the hooks attaching it to the PCB were soldered & put up a bit of a fight, and the third was glued.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Y2rTTX1En5g/VIUThT30efI/AAAAAAAAC_E/a1mRKCHr8rc/w793-h595-no/IMG_7233.JPG)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-DgsZl0ErZWA/VIUThUhgJJI/AAAAAAAAC_E/fMwllP0SYqo/w793-h595-no/IMG_7234.JPG)
And after some cleaning & re-soldering a few pins
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-smxFB8APfd8/VIUThVPN3sI/AAAAAAAAC_E/Z4Mjhrk2xXk/w793-h595-no/IMG_7235.JPG)
Sanding most of the rust off the cases, and hitting them with some clear coat to prevent future rust
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9YoIzYIGvTg/VIUThbXGGFI/AAAAAAAAC_E/zqr5qY8XuCs/w793-h595-no/IMG_7237.JPG)
And now it's home again under the seat, and no more static!
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No pictures for this one, as nothing changed visually very much. The past couple weekends I've just been working on small stuff in the doors that's gone south. The driver's side lock got jammed and would no longer fit the key, so I got a new lock, swapped the plates from the old one to the new one so that the same key would still work, and installed that. I had to do a similar thing on the Celica with both the door lock earlier in the year & the ignition switch last year, so this is getting to be pretty routine.
The driver's side window motor broke a piece inside the winding mechanism and got stuck in the up position at the beginning of winter (at least it wasn't stuck down!). Turns out the used replacement I bought was also broken, but in a different way, so I could combine them into a single working unit, so that's now installed & seems to be doing fine.
The door speakers had been replaced sometime before I got the car, and are still in decent shape themselves, but had been mounted in a very half-assed way (wood screws through the sheetmetal... real quality work...). They caused the door panels to buzz away, and because of where one of the screws poked out, were bending the arm-rest in a way that was causing it to deform. While the door panels were off for this other work, I re-did the mounting using some 5mm allen-head hardware to keep them from hitting the door panels. In addition, the door panels needed a little R&R to tighten them up & get rid of a few squeaks/re-glue bits, which all went pretty well.
All in all, a bunch of small jobs that finally came together, so the 'vert is back on the road.
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Well... the window regulator broke AGAIN last week... It seems to work fine for a while, then just decides to bind up and not move. I've got some ideas as to the cause, but I want to take it apart & assess what's wrong first. Anyhow, I've been DDing the 'vert for the past 4 weeks since I've been waiting on suspension parts for the Saab, and a tear has started forming and spreading in the top. The current top has been on the car for about 10 - 11 years; it was one of the first things I replaced when I bought her, and since then she's lived outside almost exclusively, either in my parents back yard or in various apartment complexes.
I forgot to take a before-repair picture, but with some rubber cement and a needle & thread, I tried my hand at sewing up this seam. I bent the needle in a "U" shape to about 165 degrees, and used a pair of pliers to feed it through. The vinyl on the top was very thin and tore out easily, so I had to be very careful and try to secure it with the glue as well.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4d8olKqjBOU/VVYiau6fdcI/AAAAAAAADNo/RgM_ZEFbdhk/w541-h406-no/15%2B-%2B1)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5mzPY-PjDGc/VVYiauvjbzI/AAAAAAAADNw/seuS7CvMsIY/w541-h406-no/15%2B-%2B2)
We'll see how it holds up after putting the top down a few times, but for the moment it's intact anyway
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Not much to report on the 7 - just that the convertible top repair is holding up well even with a bit of use, and now that the Saab is back together & I'm back in MI, the next job is figuring out a more permanent repair/replacement for the window regulators.
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The top repair is still holding up well, although the glue has turned an odd brownish color. I got the window regulator out of the door last night & one of the cable ends just pulled out of the solder clump that was serving as a cable-end. It's repaired now, with a bit of the cable spread out more through the solder to make it much harder to just come apart. Hopefully it'll be back in the car tomorrow.
In other news, the blower motor has stopped working at any speed, and the heavy rains we got earlier this week made the passenger's carpet soaked. Always something...
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I "fixed" my blower motor a couple weeks ago. It just stopped working, so I took it out and with it plugged in, turned it on and it worked... I put it back together and it has worked flawlessly since.
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Yea, it may be corrosion on some of the wiring, and I've heard that there is a resistor built into the blower that sometimes burns up too. I need to pull it & re-grease the bearings anyway, since it's started making little chirping sounds when it worked. I also want to go through the HVAC vents and clean them out of debris - with the latest rain there was a LOT of water on the pass side floor - maybe a drain in the HVAC is clogged?
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I didn't get to the blower motor this weekend, but was able to reinstall the window regulator earlier today. Nibbling away at the various little issues
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Aat least your making progress, i need too get to the window issues on the wifes vert
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Well, all the evidence points to a coolant seal in the engine going south... bubbles in the coolant, lost coolant, a nice white coolant-smelling cloud upon startup... Its going to be a few months before I can pull the engine & tear it apart, but I definitely don't want to let it sit & pool in the rotors, so my plan was to try to keep driving it every week or so. Any other advice?
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Sorry to hear that man. There's not much you can do really, some might say to use Bars stop leak but I wouldn't do that to anything I cared about. I'm hoping to be back for good in August, I could give you a hand pulling the engine and we could use my garage if you like. If your work has moved to Pontiac I am only 20 minutes away from there.
Maybe this is a good opportunity to rethink everything. I know you were mentioning you would like a coupe, maybe you swap all the goodies over to a coupe and bring the vert back to a stock cruiser? LS swap? ;D
At any rate let me know how I can help.
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Ouch, that's no good. I say let's rebuild! How many miles are on the engine?
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Yea, the engine still runs well & makes good power, it just eats coolant too. I don't know too many of the details of the first rebuild, but that was 40k miles ago. I'm hoping that I can get away with a soft-seal kit, and that the housings and everything are fine. The only time I've come close to overheating her was about 4 years ago on a hard drive up cherohala skyway in TN when the temperature crept up to 2/3's of the gauge, but it came back down when I let off, and I didn't have any coolant related problems until a month or so ago.
I'm really looking forward to cracking the block open - the big question is how much else I want to do at the same time. The idea of swapping everything into a coupe is very tempting; I've been spending more time on craigslist recently than I have in years. The 'vert body is pretty beat up and needs some straightening work and definitely paint, so if I get a running NA coupe or something & swap all the other bits over into the 'vert, the question is whether I'd keep it afterwards or re-sell it.
Or... do I take this as a chance to just rebuild this engine & drop it back in the 'vert, and as a track car go for a completely different experience with an MR2, Fiero, C4 'vette, Mk3 supra, S12 or S13 silvia, or something similar... I think it will really depend on what pops up for sale, but the turbo engine is definitely getting rebuilt one way or the other
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The hard seals should be usable still i'd reckon if they were replaced 40k ago. Could always upgrade while it's open of you wanted. I've been on CL a lot too lately, not sure why though. There's a few fbs out there, turbo engine in an fb would be something. Not really any good coupes, yet.
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Pressurize the cooling system and see if you hear bubbles when you remove the spark plugs each rotor at a time.
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FCs are about the best bang for your buck performance wise. All the other cars you mentioned there really wouldn't compare, especially considering the engine you have now. I have recently been kinda wore out on the styling of the FCs though, was even considering plopping my 20b in a 90s 300zx but I think everyone might hate me if I do.
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The 20b in a 300zx would be a fantastic idea, especially compared to incredibly cramped VG30dett. Even better if it pisses people off!
FCs do tend to be great performance bargains, especially compared to 240s and supras, but the RX-8s are getting pretty cheap for something 20 years newer, and Fieros & Firebirds (V6) can be found for pretty ridiculously cheap too... A $500 fiero would leave a lot of $ for an interesting engine and some "creative" cooling system ideas. A buick 3800 4th gen firebird with a couple of turbos hung off the side could be interesting & a much different feel than I'm accustomed to. S12 silvias are usually very cheap when they show up, since they seem to be mostly forgotten about. My first car was an S12 silvia too, so it has that going for it.
The pressurized cooling system idea sounds good - I'll try that this weekend.
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Or.....dare I say it Miata!
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the Miata is just the RX7 convertible continued without the rotary. Take a good look at the first years of the miata compared to the rx7 vert.
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I like the 300zx idea, but I love miatas as well, i think a modded 13b RE ran naturally aspirated in a Miata would make a fun combination. Miatas really are the little sis of the rx7 vert.
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Corvette
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A C4 'vette is tempting - its very rare that a C5 is in the price range, and I'm not a huge fan of C3s
However, the car we just agreed to purchase is....
A 2006 Mazda5 with manual transmission, sliding doors, and that's about it. This will be a lot better for the dogs, camping, hauling stuff for this house & garage we're trying to buy, and will serve as a much newer car for Helen instead of the Celica
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I like the idea of the C4 with a 20B everyone expects a C4 corvette to be slow anyways, congrats on the mazda 5 purchase! They are hard to come by manual but they do exist and with its platform sharing parts are reasonably priced and relatively in stock for simple stuff like Advance O'Autofart places.
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A 20B C4 would be a lot of fun... I like the idea of dropping the 2.0 Turbo DI engine from the Solstice GXP into a C4 as well. 275 hp from an aluminum turbo I4 would be more than most of the iron-block V8's originally installed.
Anyway, Marcus came through & had a spare thermostat housing radiator cap plastic piece thingy. I messed up the sealing surface on mine when drilling a hole to add the expansion tank nipple, and then it wouldn't hold any pressure. That's definitely not going to help my cooling problems.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0UWLC-idiik/Va7b_N6csNI/AAAAAAAADe8/Oj-pdRGKW70/w640-h480-no/15%2B-%2B2)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cuzniiBXA5I/Va7b_LPC3eI/AAAAAAAADe0/yacfvb0zzEw/w640-h480-no/15%2B-%2B1)
Thanks Marcus!
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Glad I had the right one for the job! Let me know how it works! You're welcome man.
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I've been trying a few things to combat the coolant loss and smoking on start-up, and oddly seem to have found something...
I drive 50 miles to work, and if I check & top up the coolant when the engine is cold before leaving, I can make it to work, but on the way back the low coolant buzzer will go off. Regularly topping up the coolant also leads to nice large plumes of smoke on cold-starts when the car's been sitting more than a day or so. However, if I DONT check or top up the coolant level, the problem seems to be lessened. I've gone 5 trips total now without checking it, and while I don't know the level, the buzzer hasn't gone off, there haven't been problems with smoke on start-up, and the temperature has been very normal. Now I'm very puzzled about this problem...
In other news, the driver's side window regulator is dead - again - for the 5th or 6th time. This time it's making a stripped-drive-gear noise; every time it's failed, it's been something new at least. Anyhow, I ordered a new regulator from a newer car, and will see what I can do to retrofit the original track & slide with this new regulator.
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When the car is running do you see bubbles in the coolant? Not sure if you mentioned that yet.
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Yea, I had seen bubbles in the coolant when running with the rad cap off.
Since the last post, I made 3 more trips between home & work without adding coolant, including a trip up & down Woodward from 696 last night - I went right past the lot but didn't see anyone there at that time. Anyhow, no overheating issues & very steady temperature. The driver's window regulator finally died again, depositing a nice blob of grease on the window when it did.
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Still burning coolant, but I'm still driving it to work a few times a week. Last week the Saab was down waiting for brake calipers, so the 7 was my DD again. My guess is that the coolant is only leaking when the engine is cold; once everything warms up & expands, the hole closes up & it seals again. I've had to add coolant about once every 3 days of driving. A rebuild is in the future, as soon as I get this garage!
Anyhow, over the long weekend, I finally had enough of the driver's window regulator failing repeatedly. Time to retrofit the one I bought for a '97 Accord Coupe. I originally picked this specific car as the donor since it had longer doors & likely heavier window glass to fill them, the door height looked similar to the 'vert for packaging the window track & motor in, and in general the layout & details looked very similar, just newer. Also - $35 for the whole assembly & they're still widely available, unlike the ones in the 'verts.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hcnPvuf4HqI/Ve4ijpa49uI/AAAAAAAADpg/StsSU3qc75Y/w640-h480-no/15%2B-%2B11)
The Accord regulator is laid on top of the RX-7's; The track itself is slightly longer while the sheathed part of the cables is slightly shorter for the Accord.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-MrdoY76fhTw/Ve4ijr3o0-I/AAAAAAAADpY/pEM6ARpUnXk/w640-h480-no/15%2B-%2B10)
The accord uses a pulley wheel in the top guide while the RX7 doesn't, but the accord's guide points the cables further downward which would interfere with the front window stop in the RX7's door. The lower cable guide (black on Accord, white on RX7) in both window guide assemblies is the same exact part, so I used the newer one.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-uQ4UlzVbFok/Ve4ijhtKA_I/AAAAAAAADpQ/CQVPiyk1ucA/w640-h480-no/15%2B-%2B9)
The basic idea was to reuse the whole window guide assembly from the RX-7 and retrofit the motor, cable, & cable sheaths from the Accord onto it. The motor & cable orientation is very similar, but the mounting plate on the Accord's motor sticks off the wrong side - easy enough to fix since it's just screwed on using some of the 4 holes in the regulator housing.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-N7hj3egY490/Ve4ijk7EXGI/AAAAAAAADpE/j4tLxylOlcE/w640-h480-no/15%2B-%2B8)
The accord's regulator & winding spool is 1-piece, which does not allow you to adjust the tension. The RX-7's is 2-piece which makes rebuilding & accounting for different cable lengths a little easier. No problem, we'll just need to measure & cut the cable to the right length, and possibly shim it at some point if necessary (of course it will be necessary...). I decided to use the new Accord cable sheaths, which meant I needed to cut 34mm off of both ends of the cables after mocking the whole assembly up. I cut this off of where the cables would attach to the window guide, since I still needed to add the rectangular washers & crimp/pound on new flat cable-stops to go into the RX-7's window guide.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-m2icY54SinU/U4IVKmalMTI/AAAAAAAACko/AK3xeUHOZAo/w640-h480-no/14+-+15)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-PjWk2ClGSQE/Ve4ijohZUjI/AAAAAAAADog/gopizDrNJzc/w640-h480-no/15%2B-%2B3)
There we go!
I had hoped to mount the motor in the same spot, using the same holes as the original. Things looked promising since I could pretty easily flip the Accord's mounting plate, drill 1 hole & cut off 1 stud. Then using a creative combo of longer bolts, nuts & washers, you could create the same bolt pattern as stock while keeping the motor and cables in approx. the same spot.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MxY6WDU5jpQ/Ve4ijq8iIKI/AAAAAAAADoo/aZd95Z_0UNI/w640-h480-no/15%2B-%2B4)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-7lB9V9kxBy4/Ve4ijsaYUAI/AAAAAAAADoY/3ZL_IA8vKY8/w640-h480-no/15%2B-%2B2)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gkjcFFU4HgE/Ve4ijgDoJ-I/AAAAAAAADoQ/Z--2ALstcl8/w640-h480-no/15%2B-%2B1)
Things were looking promising... until that bit about the accord's cable sheaths being shorter reared its ugly head. With the window guide in-place, the motor could not reach the original mounting spot - it seemed to need another 3" or so of cable & sheath length. Well, we've come this far, lets at least see if it works & holds up well, so time to make some new mounting holes. The motor fit pretty well between the inner door panel & the front window track (between the fixed & sliding windows), slightly below & forward of where the inner door handle is. 3 holes later (well, 4... oops) and it all bolted up & seems to work great! Its faster than the passenger's side, seems very consistent going up & down, and doesn't appear to catch on anything. No pictures of the new mounting location - I must have been excited enough that I forgot to take them.
Wiring-wise, both motors had a thick green & thick red wire - I just matched the colors and soldered the RX7 connector onto these two wires coming off of the Accord cable. The Accord has 2 more thinner wires - possibly a switch for reaching the end of travel (or when the motor stalls) to cancel auto-down or auto-up window relays? I didn't test these. Works like a charm!
I'll call that a victory!
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great mod effort. always looking for ways to improve the vert windows.
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I've been thinking about it, and if I were to do it again, I would either:
- Cut about 10mm more off of each end (so 44mm off of each ends), since I needed to shim each cable sheath by about that much.
- Not cut any off (the accord cable-ends would fit & work as-is in the RX-7's window support/shuttle-thing), try to retrofit some bicycle cable tensioners into the top guide, and take up the slack that way in a more adjustable manner. This would also allow a little bit more freedom in placing the motor assembly within the door.
I had spent a bit of time making the mounting plate for the accord's motor match up with the orientation & stud pattern of the RX-7's motor, which I didn't need to do in retrospect since the cables weren't long enough and couldn't make it to the original holes anyway. Just un-bolting the mounting plate & flipping it onto the other side of the motor would have done enough.
2 weeks on & the whole thing is still working great, and it operates the window about 50% faster than the OEM (but recently re-greased) passenger's side - both sides are using relays after the switches. Considering the cost, I may just do this mod on the passenger's side so that they're the same speed.
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How's the car been? Make any progress at all?
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random question but what turbo blanket did you use Pete? I want to put one on the 10AE because the factory shield is sharp, pointy and rusty.
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Nope, no progress whatsoever... she's been sitting outside our new house for the past 6 months waiting for the contractors to be done with the garage, and even once we've moved in by the end of the month, finishing up house stuff and a baby due in early August, plus work on my PhD and getting the Celica roadworthy for my brother-in-law are all going to conspire to slow down any work on Savannah. Hopefully she'll be a good project for this winter, if I have time away from baby Paul, writing papers & my thesis.
I had gotten the turbo blanket from ProSport (the gauge company) since I had some credit with them from a batch of their gauges that was faulty. They don't make them, just re-sell them, but it seems to have held up pretty well.
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Sounds like you're pretty damn busy, I thought I was pretty busy. Congrats on the new house and congrats on the baby coming soon! Where did you move to, if you don't mind me asking?
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Congrats! The puppies might get jealous :P
is it just a generic t3 blanket?
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Yea, it was just one of the generic blankets.
We're still in Ann Arbor on the north side, just in a house now. Its almost done, but I'm going to be doing some painting, finishing work, etc throughout the first few months we're moved in. Helen's family is in A2, and with a new baby we didn't want to move too far away from them.
I think Felix, the larger orange dog, will be fine with a baby. Nickel may get a bit jealous though; in a few months we'll wake up to find her sleeping in the crib, displacing the baby to the floor.
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One more step closer - finally got a day that I could take to put together a workbench/tire storage area. There was this raised concrete step in the back of the garage that made it impossible to pull cars in any further, so I made the best of it and added snow-tire storage and countertop space. Still need to get some under-mount drawers to add below the surface, and drill holes to mount the vice, but its getting a lot closer to becoming a good work area for the cars.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/nZnguhY6gdHJ93nA9Npndea34x-cfl3aaN5UbfXrDuBRg1PjEFftbUmlmjWBbD7owzve3qJG5g=w1280-h720-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pL0JIsUe9keHOe6BIXVLaRlRVp0VhdcBxNXHD2mLJvdRsSvfurIa3zj7WsMEQlNXKOeyiEN05A=w1280-h720-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/1yWSeWWumuYurUhg6jrZkty4xPguDYpdf_p1ncoCVKqQQBwdOpFNacb8Lv4SpYwBajMhr1YsTA=w1280-h720-no)
Also got an engine hoist and stand now, so if all goes well on the other projects occupying the garage (staining baby furniture, a countertop for one of the upstairs rooms), I should be able to pull the RX-7 in before Christmas and get to work!
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Looking good! Hope to hear updates soon on this.
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Love the workbench. I made a tire rack above my door which has worked out great for the viable tires I have. This way you don't have to climb a ladder to get them.
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Got a bit of work done - a few steps forward, a few backward. Broke the bleeder valve off of the pass front and driver's rear brakes when trying to bleed the whole system (replaced master cylinder). Otherwise, things came apart pretty well and I'm almost down to the short block.
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After a longer night than I really intended after work yesterday, the engine is out and on a stand
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jvSwYjNwTbCVm4FgJ0Hum2ibhHIgATHBHOK4be915ubeyfwmVewj1ah7kmOO9NYp2pGVgRyvlrLM_GD7DwPZEXm3bfPPU6RaRuk1d0FQJ0BRB5IS5-g8ks2HCnKEa3zD-eCUld7iA85pW5x8QAGfuxhvGRoFTI9_BV35LPnPPt0-si2sXWJEvZkvY6904pg2Nx-tOc_ehspRZh6XYa5pYKpmNhc9P1jLeSSxVRYdfSALW5gZUYihTPE7VMjxJ17WRgfaAgqPIwNlQI47F8wmCnMpJIEEiLyJVdd7voRwVAkrhem6u5VgOXB_5ggU5n3GXvFxE6V2X75QypJLuvb5nEH3szAmTB31w-9R8CyyZaH7oLVpAkSg_Uwa1e4eaVoT9SgrXxJGRx4UM7WFytUNJ5wGHPgLwTNxXM0O49NAavfLwIbzdOWywXw9CVnje248jDDIp_l5mRQSR6TNXKFiHe8b02sw9XM6ywnvMijHymL3A91w-ABrgetECohHe-IK9wyo0D2TfZMGmo9530nbAizBCWx42VfpdF-91D9bi1MnYKRGcXBH6UAeOMadRjTWlf9CyqEO6LGHZGsH4Yzj0ux6vAaghTnkjCpocMSt-ITsCKt2tT7h=w382-h678-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/1tJVbH6sJcO7HoiyDel7wEzDz6Lps519Bud4TO4oFwe6UA_xS08OiLuN4jitWF7bRSlZxFXqIJEdbBJB-TVxe-9v3-msvZmHiRL7GYLakTEIrsCRfDmCfTm12R-2lT2Tj6AV1fwMHdaB9r5-ugtXm_oHmfUfa1dXfWsgsSrBKrKM4dDvoWUNvRLetYNLQmQ9xAn48WFfrf46nS4zn0fofKpYMrtce_lRMuQNNVdm1RaemZ2M8vmkZBLI-ovc8mcnBvxbMl_GT-DNrmYR6XFC2p1kjZ7zodX-LL8UiENnBp5Xzvss30Fri0K8pG1IXo54XKYn4KNvR--lwjzVSVmvCBS5jgcZqkgpBtHEx-K0amj6RGJHr1jlo3yZbqGXqPyZwgFfuFz7ZEqvNB5xG9nCE0aR5t4mjlhqmzN-akn9BOT-zcMcX-S_oiOkEUox_c1L2ngrSorDXJv8MVJ4PLDz6N3FEeweTAbiUY0zy3oLawRbEl_kCusHTCdFfuB7Dl7jr8QUh_hOv3nFuK-gkBpAZNdHyGa45VZEbyb_7lgzkHwjrBFPcm1e8ZJbbmGi7e3XE1NoTeWdYG4yGsqlRz9gbI_pD_kCXjlzN_Mix1mlW84hAyIM=w382-h678-no)
In my excitement to get it removed, I forgot to figure out how I was going to mount it to the engine stand, and inevitably used one of the studs that I would need when bolting it up, which forced me to build a little wooden structure to set it down on and move the chains. I also needed to do a little drilling & grinding on the engine stand plate to make it fit, all of which added an extra hour and a half to the process. Soft-seal rebuild kit, assorted copper crush washers, and other odds & ends were ordered too, so this project is definitely underway now.
Everything is incredibly greasy & grimy - what do you guys use for cleaning stuff like this?
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/yRj9Tt_wCZt2GIM1OJxd1thosJil6D3H9-mspwY3Cq6kF80qkvIND-pTxjjRUOyqba1_5bTGEKa1a1cNFvDVm5EM7KtC6sYCsLW0WE-4mT62K2E_uRr5Nqj3iXiMoW146_0qz4J6myQdtRaq3wm0tHMQSrQf7Zo49cU0FrXe3klBbLqzx-m52gfGWoroklAwcFXtQVwoP0opXV-wdaZs7SsFY3wPb8LrCaWj2JuiymXgNsbknpyverzHO3jk1lBbB8GnBtZCRtoMXXaCRDGENbHjn7JLnfy4zGs0H2BlQUxiOcir5yI2mvEBLk-zyJHw0DfarHCN04vucz_Kx2H2NPhqsMnbXkxEbrgeKCuuIgoxKwPPdFDn8NoLRabhxkNAfybpKVZ0f8awY2GacX1ucX9oCLqu6OlByvr1Y4ykdMqJgdT6E0vKYRU1MHwC8USBpAc4zr-udgLuUrnL7FO8dmkwX2lmW-N_MyUyOuCU2dTatMFOGFSaFufk4aDBww9yfR7qL_6w23al3FnP7NEZ2syNFm9y2WO5_61VZSNpvFh1truLq91v41Hig--2ZtWNH7knjFekuRrU_nCpiUB4wfgUAtfjB4li_bc1_1eSKnN2AzOf=w1206-h679-no)
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Like Rich said, oven cleaner the stuff in the yellow can. It's basically lye so it cuts right through grease. Just make sure you get it washed off good when you are done.
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Yea, I've worked with it before (for cleaning in-cyl pressure transducers and combustion chamber deposits), but it's nasty stuff on your hands and will eat through aluminum, plus I wasn't sure if it would have any reactions with the paint in the engine bay or rubber bits. I'll pick up a couple cans of it, as well as some purple power or similar, and some mineral spirits. This weekend is gonna be messy...
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Take some before and after pictures, I'd let you use my engine stand to 13b adapter if you want as well, might make things simpler.
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I decided last night to see if I could get the flywheel nut loosened, or whether I'd need to borrow an impact gun or take the engine somewhere to get it off. After trying a couple configurations (flywheel up, flywheel to the side, pulling up or pushing down etc) to get to a place where I could pull on it without risking tipping the engine stand over, I eventually got something that works.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/9VICZlkYxul-3xTJnAtMtF0Xh1jwVlWBlCN2rqVO0axhcbdLGZhMPavsatO3sPMUVdkeD66LCaiTJGltvu-Xz666iRezvq7HeJVL9eL2tpHikOYxBjdIVdpSlsRKeIX-1AnU3elpVVtLdZzqFS0PCYHBo2FrBRRlmnc1SZaVBlrH51nOiAsbkP1umCfybO5H9jGq2u52Gx0X07SVRvG3uxkhLisqoMeY-NrP6qywOh78mlyrD8F1YSZH25Y9RTTHluEgfaXLrGptmf1ZeGeW6i8e1dBUqUOGPIBj6IH-uokgTTH2GP76ogaIBM3X7ARALlIzssJXrrx7XXUoEFpbP522Enxepi7IJCjTTP1OU_VXQuEQSekjP7KtZHeQ944LnItAQpor4YFNR7Hi88_uYlO1lw2ZZK0WyNGeCUjOAPEzdUgE1l-8y0JnthAkR5eccijPE3IU3jECmOExfHxVTDjQwYN1iuyKsynfeEKyj1p7wSiOgd_JOItt68AYYbNilgdOE_lO8Te7jpch337h5HmmT4ZfKoUPMMBu3-m2I1LyY_v6AGGoXvZT-Q4RgVDcy0zLZ7GTfdYOqZgdQUM4HG7GjDedRPL_qmTmtW9PYtX1yVz2IUHS=w1206-h679-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/w_TXcMzn6jNLE-Razd8JXoUzPQX_egLq5bJTh1CEjLumdi1l8uFeYYl4YKirKdY9t3Jl1q_ZlGN3Yk4qxTwaeTiJnOD5Ui_NNPHAGoDJrS-F-p2k9GgmW5DoIDP3LRKaMXLxMUF24J3TfKzFwrMV5Z8R-etAo9jXOaRZuLU3CQrsDwd8rie8mpJcxtHELuBJR0gHtHglhce5n5CibqSE_VNQfcqNUlN_8SzuLgkHDMAAqPPB-Mp0weIMH90EoEdIa865lPtB5R1P9p7yrUrmA9ZbOeibiIYOpi5HMTm_0VISUmhyrdyc87mivlF9VBzKbJESdtxrXGSXyrBILgMfwHa2NlMwlThoALFXxiiNs9x5YRsIjGT_1sj48CnFHumFiydNa3qhFmvGCi7ppUW9NyXGwnA2v080n_DbhYL-m2UR_HR4F88amch__FjGYp3JhDkMXM_yPZNeVejUONa86j3tRZUvXQUyE3vlubv_9js8jh5R46U4oaHA223qjmVKH0hwpXXVaMIjUfnXKYaDTl_NECJVs-UsVPGEQseAsCeut_-fwmkfRljiWQsTQVaU85LX6NvVRGjAbxzouB8oObQFxSaYjJ8mO36Q60eKguRjtl6Y=w382-h678-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6AAgJ0FGnSrufjy78c9t1XKJv3IhU4Gw_LpgXu1bd8SGG78KvIM3S8K9cIOyKya5gkqL2iMXTT68RHA-Blq630N73CehoY3Eo2ikzupuqg5VugiT8nxRrGQlffKpw20J3qNn5KSbWMnEjsSBOVmVIo3TajL88Pvu6_c7oDkT1-cOc5xx1Rc3sCZZtWmgWkSnjP5py2smsU-23EttSGu5Eeu4R0P5e7s0WCSLkdsnDPAgw_ajvqS3qzRljbnpCkRigghqvKosoVH112HyPM_0kDBPxCHSHiC83Gbj6HQz2U_OHRLw7VcshetsrxdyM6atglRxPR5balOJcJngDS0i5URriv_yJK0QkHv6zux4_fHBDQcFEqIEs00m8DxD_oKSVGZQ1AVMh6dEDeCbqcyWu40clkGkS8fSQf08HOpMHT71Si4MKpd1KSfZZnHERXlzLxjt4luKnnvDY3z4OTu5dA3LC_Dzbw3d9SaywRzeIbFiz7D_TkeMC0070DrJNyPnC26avNxws0VyqVUjZWuOsIaE-zSaLFIuGWq3r_cJpPWRMqxf8aa-7VbXv-rs-2166iLM7hcid33HgOeObqGZ4cssnrRHiOz5X3ISdinIN7CjHvSg=w1206-h679-no)
Basically, the bike handlebars (I was running out of steel tubes) were tied down to keep the engine from rotating on the axis that the stand allows, two extension bars coming off of the 54mm (actually 2 1/8" - it was cheaper) socket, and a pry bar coming out of the base of the stand to brace my legs against to keep the whole engine stand from rotating. I was basically pulling on the double-extension bars like I was rowing, and was able to break the nut free.
I didn't remove it, since holding the eccentric shaft fixed is useful for taking the front pulley etc off.
I've also got a big tub of approx 20:1 diluted simple green mixture with the radiatior & oil cooler sitting in it to soak and get cleaned up. I'll get more pictures of that, and of cleaning individual parts and engines.
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do you want to borrow my flywheel locker tool?
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I have a tool to lock the flywheel and was using it - all of that setup was to keep the engine stand itself from turning or falling over, and to keep the engine and mounting plate from rotating within the engine stand.
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I've been very hesitant to borrow tools or anything since I really have no idea when I'll be finished - taking care of my son Paul, work on my thesis, the house, and all sorts of things keep getting in the way. Anyhow, I've been slowly chipping away at things like getting the radiator and oil cooler cleaned and pressure-tested, more disassembly and cleaning of individual parts etc. I haven't started cleaning the engine bay yet, but individual parts are coming out ok.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Amleh11gy-aH9xiDDaZrhOr2CaRVhGuydzpHclA02PhPq6TSE9WenQ2pjm_odgoFSOhaQCtoawLz3wwWipIhWX55eC9Gd_6hsjTe4B5YM9zgDGUoix-mPY0ZHAdc_AjPP9DFl_yAG9jBXqQqn7VyM3I8cDwcGJucdagg_syMMxO3U6IaLvo-m3myFNShXkHrTGoOTgqQuOWbAucXX0UfeOuUXnKqMpWK4zJ42w_QQtdU0HRMz6hJ2LFRh4kNPTwiShc5GnjKf0NINWoPzpkhX0COLzBHOaa6icRyyqcjaeKExim2vdQtE7POonxK66koGWtXSREVnLXWg5z6_eIFCn9etGfq1hS9hjfFwl6Is6FznG_5vk2B0KWTwS203KnXv6MTAPMM_8VwcA6sTKxEUQI098cValntxFqaZnRelGKSOBNqnWOt5HBwMcwSqKSHHk4NjMlrrMCwYDrcEzUSKriZrq9vNNEAk3kNbvT1n9srLtQL_wzwtR2maxlBptbVeSbjH-jFlFRSRonJ2Lv4nOzWAg_U_6gI0Z20pSyumK1bwNG1UN2hg6oxYSg42Zf5eAyfTBIVtqSNzrLsF1car9ybSalOqhHi_ChA8oVb0LQAGKWZFeowrj3OVPbcRnvlGZ3xawPyhqBeqeyCUP7EXqvE6vos30OZI6Kjln0RBA=w535-h950-no)
Basically, a giant tub of simple green and water that I let stuff soak in for a few days, then scrub with a wire brush for a little bit, and re-soak if necessary. The two smaller cans are white vinegar, diluted to about 25% to eat away rust on bolts, the front pulleys etc. This has been working well, especially combined with a bit of wire brushing too. Then, all the clean aluminum manifolds, brackets etc in the top tub and box.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/plBQ6Bt3V_v6xlZe4179NwFoq4oWVU6sZCr35Pn780gIHZx5cGKsbrojl5dI7-lvpnrLB-grG4-dz70_C_j6hlPAx6hlpGlfXX0HD2PIodR8PXUl1eR0aMkyLkqrVLSWU4FWr-T2L-oGAgcWcKArIqA5zlrHvEA010M0fO-IIBonRuUoEQ8OYz8dj8ShE5zAvPRAAUnD-M5vijvg5HLXWKDzgtzZki5QKRcyAZsRfLCYjcu3s_fAdf0A9ayV_wIricCKfx-rgOd246rMDrl_RJah6F1_nPzecLadL9Zq_Md2aH2UmbxIJB2ZBAPGErMSdTPyiN1_p_Qvz89y5c6_N-LyLvJaHaaWwpu0roQDrVVx2Ok2zTfmwBpKYdHg4ifE-BVYCdgHzAC42OU9hmgaSvECj5ue7xf2D7V8ttzbyyxWJGxcfS2hUFrtLhpb-ElD3s1EgQLmULlqFp8__mIgjjSWR51TAiM6x6tgr448EcrZPS1Q8OTnqU8D1K8N_6u6oY9DjN9uKHddD5Ng_KrIWdf71dPYJTygG9aTsnB8M0yOOP7TAPU4MzXsxwWdASf4Fy0o8SOGlMntthn6RdD1zSjgR8rl1jx5DiVA0OJSfa6uoY7EOJYaDn9vqY9Ks-qOCgJbqDFZlQf-H8Yjw8-08SAIa01HE8lvrx59dknByA=w1689-h950-no)
Parts storage, after cleaning. Some of the bits have been painted after de-rustifying them, like the water pump, block-off plates and other steel/iron pieces.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Gzy-h5DWF7yz_HAGKjChKS5scH3VYHKkVSAfCJgvhHtRwiuBV7ABCtrXTCvU7lELpCMgf_JbU9sAPt1i989SxRkAtwGCbza-f1YD793Y7FqwuhgJUD0RDi95v8ACAX4e_fFGpNZLWRmhxiHCrIbaSNz4pbDKRTKXcNbglvqVrvxwJ_92LR1YOzH0WnLyElk3wH5_3FwWrFjDvjHwmokBwZbiLUqW5AbB-vpvlI2I3A1IINh0rPT87EbiIui7IYBBdGTrjd9ei31E2wRhQpQLHZs9s5kxIeMxqWkpsqFtXzf0Pe7bH-Iw70hHaxjnPaMq0sq4qrZzcLBLmjWik5xf3OEayQQ-qS5nIXXD-Vgr17lFTCVjgAl9TQdU8U9D9fjzZTciTSD3ss0aRnA8QkWDGUfiPoVcF2gvs1j7BjD10GEuy8L-jn36wGzVAltwLUgWSlZz3aiOZrSU4mvDbNiNX7AFcn7QGpz6QlBXEW2nHr3QQKLcmZwMqTdLVJbgduDCBb_Rzndkda8Fxy_D2_Hi6bwoau7gcgH_4rn0rAM11K6VpzGgBm4d9gu8vEuvCxDrpnU5E3jF7mSXvAw9a2xvViFIMDn3JJQGHAtRMBNwjbGbqfkohcdF_-Fu0MT4KusWsHsoTr7UH6XrtU40WNnLGMkcIKcNLkGYma8YRFy8Sw=w535-h950-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/oTNXl2r9RkDUmUV3vA9EMmyQNthLG5hEFfvwMLjMZIo6GaRepuQyFbQWFEyMjZ-QriVc1YYiC1x1NUUO8h2QsEm5_Zy_YmsJOC7sY9h6YCXeDF_vUK3lBEJznquNRyAwwDTVRTvA1294o2IfoREr27BjkMnIfvSf_6wWUfrdBhSiseGJGVWWgwc44305_BS_MJ_0V8A1rdQTUtdIMdS7VY-sATjfB973tpFNVC3jO7I-CVOxmL81A2hF1uigP21q9kIvpnQmOYesrFr_doDi7Jt55V4Sl0JKpVlrNjY86MfVAYXKWLdTTG2LvzJxT5GCaJ5PahNHOTyEQmm5zhYHjVyoDU_4bqDz0zZAV5CmjxVNVW6LYzSPINbItJjI50KGBHxYyQ-BLtPZHoTwk61wsmu86uwevvqWw17IDkwBOvrY11rKCAGWaBLmjKDfZQl0XbHwUGYnehIdppINXXwGo8Qb1uxvBxcB3KhjPiEkqL-D_d_2jPDKn19ksNAyqClCfJklrv7cRhJgCDED8E1EVXaXHU3Y9P8J7Dy7vfofOJ6vDxNfWCoKL-N98KwHVhQ4QEkITmWbX8JLtHm-cW-XUFAHHWTiuOJyhdcMT3tDQNHPTPcs7kfkyx4vb1BwHC36DOA4RN-y4Y-eWsuSf8DWBUf-RTbOxn7tEMrMwquQcw=w535-h950-no)
Definitely found the source of the coolant leak - these coolant seals were really toast! Both were already broken when I lifted the end iron off the stack, and the inner one had mostly separated into three individual strands. At least this rotor and housing was very clean - yay water injection?
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hgqfFoCV2O-AtJ2_Xw2bBsh_RKf3SHteGrNCA7Ul3pyiIoBOoPambhPNkSoQ69HMTgNVipMF2stTe4gyWIJPX3T7Sttbg350k49AQxoWfTTpeo2lxBNX4XMdcFjwLBeA1hj4GeFAsiQUtOVe9VZ4gm6juxUCAE5AXJCL6u4woByE0ypEHFswcWQb7SEP1EbFanI865QH-27e6mpHjENKvPH0t1KYTbeWwMU4c8IcUP2o7YwVlDtiG3QVRGxvniq2Pp2Mri7X-l1Jyg7ZA6GC6WfmB7JRRZ1AIJgR8mXA8lz3oq3Z08NTC4Q3u5fwIsZkTeZw1_zc6XS5CXIZ33uZjzP9pUYYp-JVFo-scrKameAl2yniJa5nlshPLO8YJTh1IoTAP3CxDycMEdlKMO8xqU2J94pbp06pPaPJhDxn4kxmZDBSpGQb5bXCZXv6CCaJFDUvEgi6I66sqr3G4Mje3JgMeGUlfejEFKB2UTfvO8LQDQMUKrcdRviP4lhjXQR2hJ9fjlCTQBN0M7nHzuRNdaBgUL0dSQgt5x-BnXmaNizRtTCG8eZ_JyM-f7Nhja8eTRyFZhClE6hM3FhE48ZUs90URmdB5pvutTwdzF-KUNTJTuIfkWpigYwUX95FIUH_k_57Sx-PifSnulHAok53OnYfi7S4rdyScXpHKuNjAg=w535-h950-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bjD9-nKgSVXRAwmuIowQtEsPs-BXUGZtEZYTYqd671xD2jBmdHLGjlxK1Ohjyhez89jyiMNtNWRkbItlnfiDs1upn_cxWKuubGox9MCWivcR16_d-oEdTtdiHtOpQTLqhxoYlLiQwCEZ8PuKco435VEdXxaqCgTMaW764Ak2TBzchXjxnJuQzKm5oa2CFN78CAwpjKPSDrKlWXt8g-GASjXzsTIa-whEEAgDjgMSYpWTrcBMnqDxyFQ1Koqa1xCDZVlYFneQPRfzmNyZbacF8plOhpt1yPNf0WdM7UwPd1v8hFdW_ojFWdZvImR0Rl2G3slo3QkrMsmFYdYNzmrtVcVWQN6ky75JbUovNQwb-UziJyvcQN0o9J4VoFswo6XMm1Doq5kOTs8CiIQPh4wpW1STQCRxp8nLWqs7SF8hwv-VUPyVNZcU42-tuHYxJQO5URwMH1m8V55Cmevxac3ZqeYCCEEJGcp5jcRrYACiY6B-VCL_Lv_T1pm0VQJPrf2TBlL0y0R6WMRiHxMRL3NIPseTObkLIrutyqE4axgMvbuQUXkbGyQlCU9aorGdpBoSeMhJe3wjykDAaJtG8VP50YqK6F-ReWcDH2ng44ut9H39hhpu9UKsKiDKfuugmk56b7gjE5J0GZLSqsw1g5cQiTI8mNPx_6gN_9LLwPEaEw=w1689-h950-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xxHNUwCXFYkB--xMZNwiP9vp05Ebo2ee-IF2-Xb8d72B1qDmP275M5UPT10rG5CJFLZ05wpHK1OYfKhIavoYSG6SGymsC_-VNxTDvgwk4kjG2HLtQXqOxrs1J1rL3V5y7-uGgwRdXVI5TPurHwWGbTFL8Lsn095zdNbEg3psduxZnjoLDmY5fCe8cunCX9SV3mQv9eOqOdrxbivZCBdTC2feNV0bq7EXn_YzTLQwSk99AarfzRthYkmKUhbomjlXp_UYpoY0P_lt_5wLj5qzMBntL-zLWDSZOmcp4YRi-6Cwvg_h90xxQv_zVzX81W7ywC-DjpIQc-fdSHxsxEmgEFY7x2jHmu8sa6n_vDxGf_4LHnLP4_z7WVxO6igWhC2vysN4SxMt248DUaOHfifHEvTlFfvWgzoTgmNecTHD7ACnKbaDaNDONgpZTqdU9TcjSRahCOZJFc4rF7JV89BtEy4GuAoibiO6cgCnyZv0BKWVBWp5v1-0zlkjbZvFftfe61mlV6k7NX7-pU7KMQT3FElgnmM_oXo51_Qm05kWqoilGiiPNoRtJVE5vClhfiDkThMEsSjKfVCvtR9zn32AwI4ZSgNE5xJzHa9-FU6TWbphYDtt_IcIKf020m5bWEveICW47RSOVc2Rg3onHKqKDdwBO28V1fQaMSc5aT-XRA=w1689-h950-no)
I've been trying to keep everything well-organized through liberal use of trays, boxes, zip-lock baggies etc, to make sure that I know where everything goes back to when it finally comes time for reassembly. So far, all the internals look like they're in good shape, with only a little bit of marking on the end plates where I imagine the rotor sat for a while when the car was parked. No grooves (especially not big enough to catch a fingernail on), and nothing else that looks worrying on the housings or bearing surfaces.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/iDKEESICRq2y8rtPBgj3bOLx3g42FQ4D-lKk-GP59H85n9luNs86e8mZnfIaFND9_sCBOTAeAoRpBxUXhwbhLmBEY1TOqlMkqhrbDIb_wzp8W7-lnZpaJ2u7X8tEGB2iMf2ZWyAgIxLFBrgZPGweMJzVdd-qey4hsaMJsE7NtSQCEMu3Ghs39dHNsXhrOBPzCTnE0q1VeHGvIhcTmxSusGVKiuJYpzqJXNlJwmJbICk6w8BeeUUeyQUud75SxFsEs4tWggGPpFr4zTzu6Qy6Rn-QzI_Br_ZcwyK-EmGeYQ8tfETeeSu_mtEW2USOVaxlWV3eNVkb7gxghtKABFfPlcKF7aGLwXTT1ltWXaF5Fb4Qsp_LTDCno2ut9NGKKY79xgZc59TyYFq8FAkM5ChiLzOVVP9f5eWahZmHfoUFznrUPl61TwZXCRzJClH1GnsYyDm5TWFPZvRSFckKMZbOi74-MB1lVxcMBP72ZZClA5LoS83XzcKfy4ctXthxzXUk5-HpPYYjz1QNws0JPLvLJPHZM5Mj8ZzpGHGDncIXPZbACFROWCpaG6x1FJMINPQUiRRTD5XkY6LktpuiVGMhcETFFuDo73RoMcXcz7DK3AqR9aCdy61YSW266fgel6GOVixinM7hjyniL5l2IAbeJOYApWVs8LN3AyDnDZYKDQ=w535-h950-no)
And thats where I had to stop yesterday; about half done. I've had to do a bit of drilling and tapping on various bolts that have broken off in the block, like oil pan studs, one in the front iron for the water pump, etc. I also want to plug the EGR ports and coolant ports into the LIM more securely. No plans for porting - I'm happy with the power potential of the mostly stock porting, and don't want to trade off engine life, idle, or low-load drive-ability for more power at this point. The guy who rebuilt it before said that he did a very mild bit of porting on the exhausts - I don't really see any signs of it, but then again this is the first rotary I've torn down, so I don't have a basis for comparison.
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Awesome! Are you buying new hard seals? How do the bearings look?
If you do buy new hard seals, I'd recommend FD corner seals and springs. Should take some pictures!
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I haven't seen anything that would suggest that I need new hard seals, everything looks like its in good shape. I think that the engine already had the FD side seals and springs when it was rebuilt the first time, but I'll take some pics of all the seals just to make sure I'm not missing something. Bearings look great too, but I should get some pics for documentation. I still haven't gotten into the front rotor yet - maybe this weekend.
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Well, I think I spoke a bit too soon in the previous post. Not only did I find a chipped apex seal in the front rotor (fortunately the chip was held in the rotor tip groove)...
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FaC-4PpaT8YM90ZwvtN7vsGKsLo13tfo6ArRaIN2X63vQxRdOwsrHbN2gUlpErw1Zb8UC1cQrOpjKI13nmNYCxfa4nSfixK5zgeQnah4UAY6RkjpKH-9EAU9xB9uvy8N_oc8dt8fozk-pSUj3-cNj8eC6y6aKlE9CjTX5KwvQj7Y1hkjhwpeXLOkCtGSyyM6lbWIRf3oJHdtQ0_2wUEuy7kIrHzn1gVAB0GkpzA2ssNSazz59ZLMMY0Uj5Dj02ebJByOGgwbmpOaIKTvM1btn4skoWYLDIBl3tU53G4ZKEk70t5Qp9G_gnAghCsRMSYGyUwRpaiKUc5PPCJnGR1725p5eKpN4gf1L7ougbZn7sugPQq_0jBtm8_bikZ4s2u3-rbHUe5_xZ2G23NntHeK4tanmXTtp6d6h_kCN8ERgNfuZXajZfXQw-yzwezbbfW_65NZAXmugpGyukEydC6aHwbV6Kp5HxkmVnzAOyrFKxgln4a8NUQud6ZEJMa4W29jiplsJ-XkGMip1UbEzgvtTxa1w1IiaZJauEGr-uRib-ZwRe3TnoSqu42ZLMeqAQh3u30fXckfBls9lGNArUsZb6l7fQ3v-qIQwjPSHW7tlCieK-96q22TY6QGZi4WSvNacWSxtTiNcI1QQouCQb18MgxHWRz0H2O18bOvDFUpYA=w1689-h950-no)
... but the bearing in the front rotor looks pretty bad.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xY2qoZM9GQ7J7Wew56g-SmKLacwFexD-PgJL1ywoPQPMf1SUpDRC13JOD_6IGVM8RxyKuqzBae0nmacdNwlcciwymW6ZwfYtfWyYU4WLjA_UX16jL8tBzynqzLlYbKaX5_2qQwuVFpX7rmgMVaaCsu9iNOqFpUcjuJc86dpT-4x4l3LZCPPQRKOrnW7BLfIelKbdLXE8UQ8Yf84lRHf_yS8cSjZu0tCwNKmqWd8J8XCDeq8mRwYbFQkwqq6zZdkKinRNeEKLJ1xzIXgqFDRWLzTgmjSUAtkKrBNz7JJxS8nV9CdzgjZC80XLCSkBlR4z31Nkpbld4kmfI228BnjMbPs4nYOkOPSai3duPftgwemQE_k_1iT2bSKVyFsyzaoBF-63GiV96yH75Y1gTLG_lFXInuTBOEwszYq2YAC-7jvoZsb6KfdhNtoOplfpBXJEKCs1W2Rc_87RxaWFd4_Z9aNHOHjQucQSmOGNUiqcs5i381bSsfQgRFhzlHBZpnc3L-mfj-h1sIQtT1PKYSM3llVmT8hhSUGnYn7b6yqWGV6JlGXCyj5SEp5osMRp5_TKLrUtBT-PoohquXyiEjmG2OELhDYuXurxWziUVnQuS6CsiVHLfssUu03dJqJjBUSQyXW7Z6SemgZgHgis6UaCaIGhWR6AB3G41KycvgrSg=w535-h950-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/yxjbY1Qs6agUjG97rxQm2EPim4jWXaqWYRjBFzXrbcgjhixF3DBWKmePDffvVIcezKA2LvTXDDduO9fJBCgCtwI-b3h_TIU2MbZaY1pwtLEcVAKZ21a4nG_6ijsaeE45LjEV_ulGN6y-MEjfEiOH4OjSDSkdLWDrk2oUKbtbqPuL8bmqWZlHGF8b84C6t-xLxPZQ9Gk063C9rLvc88jcrrcJZA3GEqumfyw35l9iZ2VybrGCJK5tSHSXAzXG9INq12QS5CehLbXrK5IV7nQ4bcPvHGJAe8aP65R2DUlA1i_m9VFovvXlECwISN5i9Vxcy66rV-8qsAYA8XHRKuvF0ziNNyPrM9cAK-OJp4b7Gj0cZffymOKdoAS1B9zyeYVIX-0lw4Mzzb6BVmZnW9lQSfujVvupb9T91NjReNgzffZZ8h8O50DwIBXEkup0FQo3Jg1Opan-pGjCVfSO7_hOrIB7VtvjcvW99lw8gJL3kotCcSL0-zvgVGHp_H66WCUPmCqnOQkJg0BnSbXHbAhELxs3pcD0hSjlbWRvYUuIct2JSUlok9AS3ou7Rq95M5gqnFYjqhDomZjMn0n7cUFt8_SpHnCnkD5W39E_HVO2DFCpOMgx-EQnTonAiJJTuTlE1d1xeWQgfyJ0DO7pmEw5EpxTFM2uFn3u8Kpy8ZEl_g=w535-h950-no)
Lots of copper showing through, with much of it looking like normal wear, but some sections (especially in that second rotor pic) that look like the babbitt material stuck to the e-shaft of something and got torn off. The E-shaft looks and feels fine, but I'm really not liking that rotor bearing.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jDo8A4N3gXfQiWqIsGLSszl4QzrsRNCq4YgoCaQ_KEE0_4q66DZp7grexTEf0bT3OOhesRhooEnflzjs1w4TpvHp5rCWZVIrPFU2kzlrgizphmvXDtRn0m4LMGSeEhJpXXv_owI9Q0Umxi1iCW52t09XiYerq-Q9jzWCaD8O-h30wWsGyyQ0WDDDcxO0posoN18Di_fvA5pG-iKqnikyoPZLYpNXwH-enSeuxoTKaVDh5QaqS-DuslyJq-OB5U-ylvHz_VgoauS9vXhJvFT1J6WlnqX51yECW9TpVg5FqWAZQjaS8-URseg4qGgFECftAJAcR3mLowO0nP9ZLBE-f4_XQqHQXFwOBkk_J6FYSWd5cGuUp_iChBgnht1on_k8VcvXZO-yrlTIORTKsYBB9XLS9mxz4X0WqBfBGdUThSBlTa1RGkAOsAILm2BhS7x7Km7c6a7D5tY0HzF5r6Snvsez6yV5hwj7dfFsFGMeM-oKNtAe1yIzcvonyVgSlZxIEV6NFFDMZFAOew0oqvZThmJF1191iS92wNTFslwQa3zYqyMysLZpQH9XKbBXte3u8QsIaaSbczENyRn0k2z1V5KbPG8D1m1gKXWx1X3WBWCQpNNetdXX-clZ5TaKJTTlXfRP_Do-91FqUgTkyc8rpX1FF7hxjFAc3oEq9K36IQ=w1689-h950-no)
Have any of you guys replaced a rotor bearing before? It looks like its just a matter of pressing out the old and in the new, but I know how sensitive bearing tolerances are. Speaking of tolerances, I haven't measured them for the front rotor or any of the other bearings, but I really should.
Also, any preferences for apex seals? I would lean towards OEM since I don't plan on pushing this engine too hard, and would prefer a longer life between rebuilds, but I don't really know what else is out there.
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Just fixed the pictures... google must have changed some of the details of how they host and share photos. Anyhow...
The rear rotor looks fantastic, with no spots where the babbitt has worn through, although there was one line where it was slightly rougher than elsewhere. This may have been from when the car was sitting for about a year between draining all the fluids and getting around to pulling the engine?
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/wUtodINK4OO53rdWLBrlthXsE2pNLTP0LvCoXEn_LeJB8Ql5Siz8eM5QNR4OC8AHBzlS8pFu3Uw8Qj5yp8-QlzcULsJecJdqWoJ8FFBoZs-2rKoIHW0CezzDX7jPEINVrOczvnRDAgwDA8EFa_z98O-KsY5T4cXL4xm5VcDaK0V6_inHdtE8gPu3LD_B1OCo5p6iBLsPYpBXVyycT87tB5_DWS1l8xlFJ4qW2J5c2OBGHvOA5fswK-aHdcPha9uAHiEkxtTGpJ8-PWIPXlcObvRMUiFBf-pimCELvACdQODWV0jXLIDZslG9nySjN8jREYHunRdPhkRRIrUhFXqZ--4arkdL-BprlARspzow4NENg6b4ZnsqgfDNF-DfYYTZkHkH66HZ456xPTDGP4UtxRERkU37UxCAaMIMNx1QNruWvJt81IIlDkN2Oekuy0iSNcW9Pwnx2oi2lmabOfNvuBKp8KeILmvEtFDNVBklHEnhHZ_Xw1TTvFR4XHZK-sWnqDkPOdV8lXAfRK-pZRil8mAESUs637djP7pmrefpvDvBLHd2At_MFkm0PULTMODk0vXDxO8ix2-zAk6EnzbGaeDo6S223bZwYYr3DQ05fgKkSi1ic3-t7_-Sfg57qKWRrlJ7VlexJu509a_1Pif-Xnu1vevx7df__Bt9-rQUrw=w535-h950-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/S2Pd8WEoIF-0AGB0XnTXJVK20uQP53OzaiMisDk56j94Dwdh4pOTrZUFDuZViUHjemx5jbLXQldTk10M0F0yeMFNVgQZcbGeFA2K4dlr3aNmWzjQkiEYMs6mhGTRM8D3RT9p22JopeNnfItlx-J2pR7pIs57Z7HHrLhMekw6nNQZrsyo8ca_KboW90sRh4RM4hahSTl-Ec3UW_Jz0A9e_kN2kwm3OjN_0AAl4KJlIe7YumDkCfR2hoZioKayACkJlK5ZPKi-gN0FSwMiUMABvIyGGyyBgD5cEO7NCVWRdPj01w0PM5KrtEE0LgeDcP7jlsh3g_Q9K7uksuUa9cmIeIAuWgsW3bD_4ZUaMpprpbxZGl60l9LHh7etidCR4zHuv7TGzMXycsA1EpZlnT7GsR65bcs5bO6P6JK0UmNyN-PzB51ODiE3n1k_axzxXD5Vop-UWXrwjA2M0djw_gIPbidf4h8r67EbQrxXO7Zd3NGtPPkDErvtEGO7ECiGov-fQslkvHci34tNpHtaFgThjM1MpfLjPrHVLsnztTWvATzoF9o0Tgle0l3Lb4GzL9ZJgVR7Ces24hPiNa6q8rpRjtPkmpGlQQVAM6RKo8IxLcn_mpWVxw3QdJlqm9oYeOahbPDVdHdrjqS5npgXpNoLZ8Q_cK3rtQvm08MxpElMMQ=w535-h950-no)
There was less than 0.06 mm clearance between the e-shaft and rear rotor bearing (that was the smallest feeler gauge I had), and there was about 0.09 mm of clearance for the front rotor. Too much? The max spec seems to be 0.1 mm, but that's pretty close to the max for an engine that I'd like to get a lot more mileage out of.
All the main bearing surfaces look ok, with some patches of rub-through but nothing that looked too concerning.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/igjgUFay7IwhMZlXnlbnm4vekQ6_RFVQNID0MV-UlgU5ayIknhmh-CV8LPH86En-NyfcfjyauoKfdsDS51FBhmrusSir-I0XcX2UiJZulh-WHwrSqNgw58nyNaACq_q5_tNR7QKFTi9tFZPFn8Oi_IOvWen_zwBxPZYRgsg3-uQndckSD4oqamaQsk_7N_mMH_20spnMF8JjuSrOUzBvLzqSztzsVsMp4lwmmNJ3G869-1dEheV-KnkJYvvQ_YUJ4M93AYey85sWGG4W87bhY1fRLa5dIOa3yg7PFORZ6SaMLd62LynD7Z_8PW5zS3h8Oij95vTvFzJjxATdrmWn2f8Dad3i8tkEWW6IcXw-bBuXJv77jDwPxtxjYM4G0cuj4owQMUmrwdjbzN0XSs9uDV0YYk2V-r759mWlKGZ9tt8403tCJSdDIJaXOMC7v3KW0g9ZBDstPcwpn9eQmh-PrOYB0JmwctyA0dNn4MGVAYkr-6fRDrED8ainJT0XfMDB5ZCanebTXhWoIRLR5WDWCuVk9Egpzpn_Oja55EM8g4WV6FeZeCpDfoIzMiD-GN86EdWrSiS4NC4F_Z9p9mxYBxIlySKPyO6-gwWQ0uIKvhmawA-4M8U-X3857U1ulB8kasDAD1rpsBmiXJnwsqQNJHtgP9wgkUXXtSSnuINHtQ=w535-h950-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_vZCpvgaPZGCT3CnSQKiRsAUKCvmD2oCzYwJRazdIQ4zY78BgSWGGiI65VYD8y_kHXWL3iWH6bjaTunyu7Mhf0mvGRPlCpIuAfj-ptomRbaGqAhNXLjOeBLdx9KOqncGP5AYHsdq2Ekva2A4CyI4Kjt7HaPsdgJn71wkK3GskuHwMsyc4gc2BPB8PVtkVhepY_UbTmAih_-kRNFdJX9Dq1W2zab1zm9x6Ykloshlf9soVO5TWr0z0a3qkEAcxVk4l_Cf4XxL44zuLAw2z9rL9OdxvJzImQl5u2i0f_YZ8DWNYz8tuV-A1BquMcLVnzouzz0ounq7ZbotS7edaryAkLXUc9APBxaVXyUNkiiRgh6dfEwAHHH5K0grDsCYNFTo49InLPtO8wQ5tHQK51ZtiugVgHz-FtBVdT9X8uRAxYQIxViNqfeim5W60jHKiVVNF2GUlYn5pOJBi1SM9uocQeud0MZH58KAGthNuGCFm27UYRZDM_xt8cObW2_hzvVYE5BRhp3zNEJCGhrSUXpfEEnK1ihFUNA6k0DURYYKb4BbNj_Vi7XVSdwxcv-4h7Q7UUr0TKuwxozHptaalOma_0syHaTRA_nNyv5ygQ1n11gXtJR0EPC0vM9fMmdTDlCK8FUCZKaWIhKx9uDnnv2s8k1Oi6-p-uxGGD9pEFGmUQ=w535-h950-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/e0iYY1pTK01GcxM-zWs8D2cArRIJh7agut3OtWR1-8NmTxRjzS2-XNSajd3cydQksdPJUBFnYDY_o1XC9Dlo2eb3-4YeXzBofWYxWJ2XgfRKXD5FcTrNaazLq-PKA6VH2zEyTt30pUh6JmJQ549qqr1JQj3hD8z0_MOf8qOr5ixEBILrpgkUgp0iJD3GRwaUmqh_o2ziVzLJue7D7OjWWVxLim0-lygSIreoiB4G0VDCm83TpUFY9VxMQyLgR3Ipf3Q7w5mckrC1bcR3_NbI3-JA6JHXK9PzMI2O4-iJt5a2uQX_xnu9AGjXwW3qnTydH_565Ifpw3avzBe4JzxQ2a7vItLhMf_gWryUAJkq8LpE5Ugbx56EkQnZ4qIuXAiXFfG6MOpOLyz189ycpHwTqLadybGlylAKv88ME3N4Phkb3KQGC2SzIokpEEXXqmbqwuQxkcQ3y3spnl69PT8E1dEU0odQkFer1AINMouGtjfUaJscv2cfPJ4gMPsGRMbYwyy-QP1V3a7FViSjAda68Xvq7jyjhcq3wup_e80dtysBTnSnt-DQAyAEvQvJbHRheTnJ5OJAlZQKwhwJJ904y6_JokGdX6zEJ89hSPxkTV7i44tqjftylrm8ThUoq3JLTZ14PT-SZxSISJbNILyDoyEdPNWI7j1e2Bc0allfeA=w535-h950-no)
-
I ended up getting the front rotor bearing pressed out and replaced with a new one since it was looking so beat up. The stationary gear bearings were a little worn but I wasn't as concerned with them. I got new apex seals, corner inserts, and all the o-rings, crush washers etc required to rebuild the engine a while back, so after a long day the weekend after the 4th of July, the engine was reassembled. I didn't take many pictures of this process since I pretty much had my hands full trying to get it done in a day. Spinning the e-shaft by hand, it moved smoothly and gave distinctive compression pulses on all 3 faces of each rotor. The manifold, OMP & lines etc got assembled over the next few weeks, with one stripped hole in the OMP needing to be drilled out and get a threaded insert installed. I found some extra-wide crush washers that would bridge over the threaded insert, and so far it doesn't appear to be leaking.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/S2JtqoICutsouhw_EZOBxUFJtgJ6FHjEJQYSRyqz5LbvH9tGdWqc8yVHIRtjW-GzG2xecnOkRA0XWplfYcFVCgqnZSmIlRTKc-bCQRhaPlziHk6vhFYf0dQvDSFLZGTetqdlpErulL4ZsdBiWY_rGJiIT1m-3KC9skXr-rR382SvZqb3IA_KncsaD_9fDvBleauwHDHaM7Y0qhMGyfgr8vgdA9ZMJtfcUdo-TzPW7ny29RrnUUvgBoS-kqsvvG632bZ1-n8S9RqWjZ__RAZL4LH-4Ar7TQSbTMmP8PXCyMoPLpSS0l4_CdtLHDdn6Dd7Bo5CC5LdSxOPUNJb4WyBlfuWgvXPIUvgcFX-e6Cn1b9Z8ssdCBJoHevkJaEoThpHm3tI74CweOf6Mk_TmbLXH8oaxK0oAHaVEy5lub-_NJucn0_Yz6rbVvvn4GlVUN86QjYw2mmGxXFh8AceMWxa4cJU108Gu3vBBaBy6G9U8T8BX-G7PzLKOej6cwRKAinllkGELSyJfTQxrM_qBqtbCobczH5ePWEiYjnpLvyTb6JFIuJFMqqHYbZpWveUb3eRHkCalKzGhXlJlPXq0yxB7Qmf6VGtbgUrCmiS92iiU7wpA3U8GXUP=w1101-h619-no)
Everything got a nice cleaning while it was disassembled too... I hope the cleanliness lasts a little while at least. I filled the ports in the intake manifold that used to be used to pass EGR to the intake and coolant to the turbo as well; I've eliminated the EGR system a while ago, and re-routed the coolant to take it out of the manifold so I wouldn't be unnecessarily heating the intake air. This was all filled with a high-temperature putty; i think it was sold for patching exhaust components, but seemed like itd work well for the manifold too. It was like a giant clay stick, but needed to be kneeded to really stick well.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ZHcUc0kaTfXvLeYzrXnWLV3WLbBoAZ4alapTN287FNJcRTh_pHspa7QOXbK_-GlWkg5wGIMNfsXoPC-H-Ub2dPU1gxwsarsPc9ix6zA3aMsupCwk2xLffT2poErfXyHnYbu7NqLapS3N9_le5m_RVi_r9W55eRJ2Y3pkxK0QolZZxwYPcaPWzunYGgX2Ep8LBlCtP_ecptgkDh5saebzSCnYDyBbzQpWFLRJ2dh4zToZbux-ZQWpL4IkTSrcChZwO0t8MwjMebTp35HEEhufIih_Wj_IWdOtODO4cgY0jkOlRb8aGdr2nPCcqTsOv3lyJftZGLdEkIG58F4Jt7iBM6FYJe5ljSQ7RLYDDmQ1YdPlsuhZEVhCXd7fZLMoxyuKdZEu3oFZYPo_kTWfH_4NedE1ORpkB05TCKklgMnMn8eYkwpWKkOjzbi6YxH3a8uf9rcBOSZeNAU8oVQWueQ3uB2cOLfCfhzz0kEBmN9ARHkWVtC37tY5YewSNy0NObtOnNlOT0HCPkZijqPw9u3T5Ne-pv70HaOEwlzgG-EsZnkP29d_fDLtJr5XCnMQ7tiE16CTgTB1X8sYbsaxxRhIT-wYlB3f9qZpmgv59DyuVQxe7XubJYPN=w1101-h619-no)
Two weekends ago, I got a day to actually install the engine and hook up the oil & cooling systems.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2_HeZ55z6clMbhgzZnAatQuBEd5VIbiEArykEvlXPT0rIRaDQ04hFGfgQU4ggqxva-4HmBc6Agw9WyHUmzB3z1eH3mzjdaYf3RDGC-AQoK8mIWiKoMReJiM4bHFvIH5g4KQHdZA8oz_J_Xj5FFjNKRyK68ZtbKRqhyS40xyeyLbbFe4rIuLK3mty-XuDrVAFqUFx1mu2ji9dyVrYN1v61ZrCKIsKOQ3Ym6H4oKbilF-fd6PIGXt0w6cKXjGrw1WVdWiLkPrmDlSPqvL6gc3cV06C-8Q14HOpca6HwWlOajVVjdCoF0r4iInp0xndIbtNTEBUB3gz5lG0BaKtMx6n0jI7gXfrKqD_kihO6xq3PiGS3KtiGTKXbfnB4pZ9nELwxzENHHrEi-icRbeD5UVPYX_e7n5Gf_gPR_L8Tn9cRqF9PccFs_eWs7sLGalLw2EBSfX6RLMMZZTmyQKvUN11MkhlkReecQR5EcxUyxuEiBTPh2HcJR2_x3W5mbFcIbA4Xaew_7H0k4MBs8SmE0t5VW3KdvcvXXyII9_lFwf8_n_pJUjTLSCiH5xZfCVz4mZMoeM3oIDz1kB3gDTSygpD-kx_ZiBeJ7nuH5IhsJbAkhPSXoS1-nZH=w1101-h619-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Y7gvMydJadaDJSPkQTAoGlDkoYn8Ed76dwr4z6Q8CXVmv2Su1HP_wmKJTxiNklMYF1p-tG5tyBkWsFj0CST4AM8crJqGpNY9np-0H8SGKwuM9s6UKCLc6BcKPzVRK-G5Seh_xB_EmWKP9K3gK6Wz_4p2fEb26Q0KwdBxEPZ9zp9na9bvxjGsSnKzkRNtLH8qFMuEVWTfq4g8pAC3FYpONxOq7cT2WJQQ-fJAicPYCs5IKuMzj0SxQeSjG0bxTuK142F-EHX7qNtHyqLHbHGYgmaDDnVAOemjbPZBMIDDQlLlcGYgxULvHUmM_BMrvDnckD9ImSNEMGZFByybbYilkajnLMn9Q5lZeT97YnOTjKxtx5X7YdYJcIjMGTZYki4XKn8dvHYx-_0t1blZM1uC42RMZKVkm7odeRYIqWsSrGMpt_N6JZiWyIGWhUYN7mG8xlsgzmIztWekUxzCKYkjfwbQnL5IZDCfGt16fVDzsGNcMkjMgIz126fV-5mws6Hdw6sEJRqR2Oic3Ru3wHBXH-ToqrxOrpVTwKwKCUwiAxbWuRltHcaM7plZDT8HUr1BxtRg16yHs6qg-7Y3KwggGpJvQmkxpXLcQO26wjPgKNj1GAjKWz3oDceKL6EQyDHgg59ekMQZzxgkXEhCo3vZ0xB-xMZP588EFO-fcQYpDi6a2A=w1101-h619-no)
One of the oil cooler brackets needed a bit of... reinforcement.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/L8O6N-LrmRPvIgCiTOAvWsaZ-qJFgOeCo_NFtMKr_O6Bi5tmd1kQzq8silUV2hF3pYj4HBR0SeyMdcR7r234gs7nXxZn9gYFSICuYzBJ-qwYLqD9z6zXbFaiypdoCXjlyj1koZ_gMp55U3mOZKc-5gbDLGsHmi5SLFs2TCKuoyj_airNfIjpM6w4jJZHii49hlzZmDosACSMuzIQ9NaR3usajzwN8Bay1BeTwtBSydIWbRMnSqMjlfMGXbQz5RCX_Mnb_zYrGVYAiiHB1ogvY2naGA5b7KYamusRCsSQGzCqs1dL_EOsef5VgFCTpMWso6E1flgn_A1dqw3QkB08jgU-T8rjZeEVkfjEC_Hnq6Qwa5lSSpMvWSMC37O_8uf20z6AMxxuXWzA7X561rKNx-Yh8MnS59Y34CgZGFg6IYl9fkVDGYwaGZm31rwjAWsBiLsHqbPeM7UzTFxiQYRgv-ZewMctRCmCw4vrP0G5ZnN5ZWfSpaNpH8oOwhrB9OlArDV_xZQNXhYEYrsK_9_-AtoNaiPUZz0bs01V7oy-JwnacJJOf2e-gFMWe2jYx6Ce92x3e6mesa_U_ddrBDq-5x68jwgVQqIRXY3Z37UpGgh968_TAHYeeK58RKoaj8YRA8iUswR8I_1Op8_7Ezlh1vu-_ffcVZo2446GR2YlOwVj7Q=w349-h619-no)
Everything seemed to go very smoothly, but the cooling system leaked from a number of places. A few years ago, I had tried to go through and replace a lot of the smaller hoses with bent steel tubing to clean things up and remove failure points, but at the turbo I couldn't find any 10mm compression fittings so I drilled out a few 3/8" tube fittings to fit. They held for a couple years, but didn't survive disassembly well.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hp8SNhe06Ghn7amXO4svkfum8_R5QfoyTDUh5H3CtBw71N3f-M9jbHS2MmULGTrAesbRH7AUYEed2d8wgpAZ0ozZdXV2hwMcg6Ag99t3f4vBgUfOeqyCrUKqnSd6NqMIa6yuP5SHccAEk9EmXdVOybguAP6XD4uGpDBI2EQ8vhle7Xmn9Ng49LxugiSOlKHFX0LWobMWr3MjHcQoe9Mva43caOo0mf62WO033s0H8DgA8iggZ5LXNisVyoHUQEs1-CYzbkPVJ9nWTmudm1r35izRq5E6m0Ux3ynuHdCQ5YdD0jE5PaqttDn-swH7U-mo04CyPsjEZmjKQP1oxkme_i8kgAef0OB0ow9PWBf7AT8bvF7UL3ZiBYpbA-MgUPd9xb5fX6kEzFrTe6Wfp9L5ovM8qPEGBaLZdmK0eC46o5OsVLMCFK7jxQTa9C16SWCwqkRWP_CtbrMYiPwNwlRcbTQhslHn4kdtxHBoDDlvdF31qKsZCo4gX2myweBoCa4trmgW3h19aVgzP06oxvjaoOOm0OcH3LnFMVLvEZjH3vYjiwxJclWRf9NRC-pKipV03nkwG_F21SigrOOdP1UmpJ_XIwnwZvqri6Z0nr90e1FmKobTDH57=w1101-h619-no)
This time I ended up buying some 10mm compression fittings and pieces to adapt them to the 3/8" tubing I had from mcmaster.com, and bent/assembled most of the smaller cooling system parts again this past weekend.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xYuOnstvsX8r-4sEU7AzVA5VnIEtHM8uNIY6XbBvNzCUZ_2OgL45gSac1Fgxr3haBSsJSPCRgSfHsAJPU9Xc6tWWykfbDZP_dZwqVM4a34YYT2X8nWnxabG1w8rzwHWTHPmt7g2dAVkuvmqhTJK7xXgsoyvR79nI-FN_d141AKNK7bCa9YuMEMq6VDkbgxaMWoojENC2OtG1n6EldRHbEcGMXDlb4C6T4WcCVjmS9EbiD38HLeG3BnJH4bsuZLtgwVZdAzaehR2V_wTylqsg_ID2TmRvnSfz9EVZ8zpJTa-FakXWAuI7ROIBGaQk3n4y19SiTFptD85e_RN6L15IHc-md8ACzXZFgBtZXAe0Nyg21fuKlHe09vhyw1bxQWlc4s1EqwSeQb3Ucv_Kr_93cBtRLK28fRU9zXm8da1qGU2Ume622W0qw-bYGFmnHP43einw4RV5bONd9ve9FS0FIqt7UDbHCs0Xb4CtweKuIpMNW30Qq_osVEBxweTMs1NP-iWNNza8wvCu6HNrhVmteXNvbNVmikNnKDUHbES8H3v0mHy9V1bHMBSf7-6nglI-xXKcEMTkMJqLGrH2Rqd_DhSdbcR3TNEjXGeCe3NjPXYFboF3_MMGl3kTl5iqB40xdCEDJvll0q6JJFsop4LDXctPDXU1jcWC-x5swwl56Un5Cw=w1101-h619-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/UyJa-3mvLtN0Vqhigo8WDs0_MZHqqrFKZ12rW0ecWspO-TciPnzH3VqkNcf1PPBaeXL-OA9_qEJmLj7aBy7msojimQtd3-wO2d15dqwl9AQ2ZRazG_vZ8n15d7M3vhzFiDgEJN-a9yvF_fRDYQgRcLky0boSo_AFE736xdDDBsEtBhOn-Zxwqg2mV4TciXKa8wFZ1v2pqUPuk_WXuA2ECkhCFb8bsZxCDqASZaFPi_00vg70sJv5s7Jy7sRusu8MO4TmBdV0Y3Cuq68ehi1X-NJsffly0l6uSbYl1TKVl-pVBo_6JO32JqGyssC_vv_4icCD9X0q7mhGTBM7bnHalYSrz1Bc8LHLCriu6yq383jJ33jG-OfcdbNvCcqNr8irYgrqvOm9_-rJ_lHNivWHpiUca2sMeXiCoUC3HxmuwAUinfcmEvC-pOnuF9-ml2F81g_hPKD4u2lZGTUE5Rh3eonZ8TTcLQgdy2PZddvfuSE6soiCn-lhnA6O9MeL7CON2ViJ4mD6jTgz2_SbVhc3IWckYB4X0-OnIMHNrlU24Uodox27LoWtMorRK1fDYIvTKZE2zNyyTEPZthEvyEYbeplDqTAxhim5ggdFTPM8Jvt1mQeCYv3A=w349-h619-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RqAueHs2wB-VLDN0IrY6oxaTM0wXgkfTHMHtWMHfWVPSgbw6RjNYnVTHIuG8U6yaKpWIkhHgWERKD7UMWDufpZnZIFmwWxxjWBDOyswsUDwJ07Mi1cL1J9punLzVU8tb_26AAHf3tJd-nmiDTPTY9MWAYTFMQlCTQeEbG8oqn0W95PHbR5Dx9w3GYsqtULGpHnXq-jQeebP8_nqe1Lnwud_Wm3qko30Lgkf_WzbqSlgHYkE-XyleFbpIF2sf4TkL_70Tal2Kryx1eN1tlW5Cn3X4_nQGIkib8UZGvm1-ykUPOB1DNn-coZhQ1FjcVq1-WWqDUyMUfzjSLP3VZW7RG01dgrzFsoTAQqn6w-csW4rGKptjK-2li7vp6NslT2OR7nlnFu3Vg_6YVB4u4OnAZ1g-tcAxVFIQ3aTIOVyWl5S816ip2YES5gQux1yU6HxSzhZjGm22hyysW50c-uRjgNU_JFMM8EWJQmkFLMAs6btnY-xxqm_cv9XVf1_pLZjelyrGLLHLug06xhUGIHc_-tj7t_XYchj5to5WhyoBFVXAEqVOAMLw9BoVOMGroNjkwEl8eo7H4PpzVEqtwYim8xKM_hns8weWMMgfK_p18XY3AQrU6DZmuVdDqOscAn_zYVdu1s31TFtRrwnBRgGr73z3F_RCxt66ibNn5AK_PYjLYQ=w349-h619-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Mc9m6uSWYTgtdVA_qdMwGOW_-2RD9o2HJ1VqtYzDMmZ2ghcmiNkYPYsEeiEdNQem8JzqY5q3BJOkDvbJRusQwbiwP-5KKlW2tzGh3m9e38QSPx6u5PJVPTFafHbSUuw-tizv6WHyExy9j_8zpfMeiXE8WmUdJbN5cVPMSU92xYeDvOz6_K59fMrrUujiN9X2QvYMadEHm2N_f5zWhpBP24v6HzNR4Cz_EgiB8mCMOftpHtAGpM-kaxRJ_e1Dq36XwIEXJalqKyCEJhddvdpoVooBPoUYFMoKI9WErAOZOHWEZ5zjSSwZoWxzZFEuWdQ052HP0ljjZuYywholxxkJ9YJyHPyvNB0ngNfOcdKKECs1jG5ewzrAalcEwCpC4EE_nP7ha55l3JrbKt4EBUS6V93eQ7NUvZ_Rx3C38NyElKoxwXbx_5GMRCivIwZP3U22dJkjWcyveQ8DxubCVkVyOZ2xEneXwDRx9sMldIGEM0xd_MDrhLYlRV_vG_vY_dEpLQPfGvp8e-sRJGJIJOHuHOxJFIz87bAJ_WQK-JFBmwaHllo8xS2ebBjKyIJkK0f_3CaSl17mLe0IWPIyszKQdSXPmA1lOmuttZYMtWvFUNG77S-B-smr-6N2SYRKy27elEyG1xu8-pqz6DsJtIZ2r8raI9BbminGtkwjYHOKUhZLGA=w1101-h619-no)
Basically, the coolant to the turbo comes out of the nipple on the top of the rear iron pointing upwards, travels under the manifold and out near the firewall, then turns to go through the pipe bolted to the BAC, then back down to the turbo on the passenger's side, and out of the turbo between the turbo and the engine down to the small nipple on the pump inlet.
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That's nicely set-up, I ended up bypassing the BAC completely, since it will never really be driven in the winter. That rotor chip could have been really bad, glad it stayed put!
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i love mcmastercarr for things like this - excellent solutions on the fly! lol
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Ok, I've been pretty negligent in updating this recently - lots of other things have had my attention. Anyhow, the engine has been in the car since early Sept, and running since mid Sept. She started up with the first key-twist like nothing had happened, which was very reassuring. At that point I made the choice not to finish things up and get her out on the road so that I could tackle a few other projects that have been nagging at me.
Basically, I haven't been happy with the air-to-air FMIC for a while now, due to the huge amount of piping and intake volume it adds (which is only going to create lag when pressurizing all that volume), the fact that I had to remove the front bumper bar and supports, and that it meant I had to use a smaller battery and a pretty flimsy battery tray that came with the Corksport FMIC kit (unless I wanted to do a lot of re-wiring, which I may still do... Project creep...). Add to that the belt slippage on the coolant pump pulley (which isn't helped by the mechanical radiator fan), and the desire for a functional cold-air intake (not just a pipe and filter sitting where the original airbox had been (also evicted to make room for the FMIC piping), and I decided it was time to tackle the whole cooling system & intercooler air flow problem at once.
First, the radiator e-fan & switching. I started out roughly following some of the e-fan (https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/wiring-taurus-2-speed-fan-839089/) write-ups (https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/end-all-all-fc3s-electric-fan-895916/) on RX7club.com, and settled on the 2-speed Taurus e-fan since the shroud seemed to fit well, the fan area was huge (so no flaps would be necessary), and it was 2-speed to more gradually adjust cooling to the needs. I've actually had one of these kicking around in my pile of parts for a couple years now, so time to use it!
The only real tight spots were where the rad inlet & outlet are, and the stock fan shroud has big dimples to get around the hoses.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/DpW3pCrf8EJL8vRw08jUCxiUvxzhQHI35qXOX96d7fVnfTKxNQLsDdwZtIqu75aTG9TX-tHfoRHrg5VEXPoVTft4cCDhPg-gFtKggDEAFOmlMe21n8L63Zm1G3tJ4Wygot0giU8wCiiKu69p2QZ7HgHRCw8tymkWIMXysDeTSs4IiXZoGi15j-qh6FuBiYLyj13QurkcAl9fTooSbvm5Vdb40SCoyiFguOaZHfolntEdKAm3zXkJLyZ4aRBk5Tlo8oeh57B9Xi7neiVOOOz2OpkKwYZ0hhbvVXLvOZUOX-9CjLmNnugsa2RpNSspMAaFCBOu57P2Bjx-4GylVrmQDMEdluyW223Jopvjbhdv8PZl5wtM1F_ZyyXgVYGgPipBv5hAPx99FOzFeh6qYU5H8iw7cH0OHT0SaIfmO1b5xHNzoPqMyuKYDAwSmQ_NeKyiT6Vh_Ve82w1szqVE9NczCXib5_0Gxz9Ww1Ez4b_wAEICirwgSWu_V4YLUW8Go7KM0fdn0kBIQxQFbPwPuPVgSBYhtMQxUUPf3wBl64dgkW6gl1reuPLwUsPQWp6FMPgXl6wdD_jRF3Zsj_1BgHKFiULhM9Uuyhq8iUZVqcSrmaw5qJ4_9IGZW2Rw2G2Amop65Fl8u21Od9nmTVMfB-qe1nC8RUF__vJB=w904-h508-no)
At first, I tried to heat up a bit of pipe and use that to just deform the plastic around the inlet and outlet. That didn't work so well, so instead I cut out the two corners in a pattern so that I could flip them over and use them on the opposite corner to make little cut-outs.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KImvBZpHb7XZCU2s0AwPxnTigklFER3fG7qAvpNtQHJmuo943s5sT5tXib-zy2WhbxBdgebBxGggyA-UCqpHJ3HNV2mndmfEC0cDc7e0P5IWYUiNz-_IXK43_HLAjLOD7yRQWya1FlAcxZGeNj2jzV80Usf24sX-jfnKjkSD2h904NrmU1YuT4YnF6-fcbIRbhBgCtL4mRsg-tw0j9tNIyOE3IjlQTnBmFK5HPxbaTqGkQMZjQ7lJijTxJqC_5bpVTC-A3bvnHuFraHWCuMlWi9oJAhKq7hkZ_2tooG7gkn0xbBGKgYzfKgwNBDSv9IQHRojGEQwU4zOqhA6aAvfxlLnAkQS5WR0SiiUkc6_X-Rb10IGvDTLnRtz9fgUtS9ICYq8AeL_2noSK_u4lidpSQXsQTMQBO8aTLNUarbuWoUksqmb-tBZlA8okFw9KL3V-GUD7xVor4vC6DngUCreHPsXjLN0Klf-5vqjZ7mq_0qenS44DUHsuouCZUGggE4_LRen2t9Ns0665tPorkJ3H_HC95F8Gx0p4hPx4tIu7N1eTfDHsYbRX_i7tOPNqW5bfnujlFPm73q9CUQ7Q3ko5-GGhL_kmFMd2Ci30JxfnzAwUU6367PidBkf7YT2WkrI_npycoAuVWIUqjT9yWQGhWYS5OpVPFHc=w286-h508-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/zInlhtlHvO606Af6QtFzJ3vqN3w8Jb8fjm0lvkq92nEGTrxV61ggUQDUVtXz5YAfp9zKVChaBJCu-cEzW1hVohrLI6c0v80BBg5F5KluE7FYPB5StXnSK00R9jsVoflRI5L5jios0IjMElyOKFQr9ZIWqdNmvvnIB_6wwgIAzO9ZIkQpwNsvB05kvp1QEiShA0Ab-vIDC9q-4YdQXvpxrDqElo0wW4Sas0nE_sYkG6mJ1siQg8o_2UG6c1njxbpTjV1PmdaiVH_Zk8JBPNWsZrMmdaGGfkPSg5BuG1Z69iZCNz4otKPjlpgX_eJiTOUJ4ZPAJ6RLD8-AjXr6Y0bWVjMA4GQCCxsuILJNf9SRUuNbwZSmmUfNsWJR8ESJnV9zmE5a94alWoJ3x6JcdD8-78Z1-BQQFFScepye7Mdo-mmuDkdAEW3fXkerhGDmz-IVk6wyT6NERbV3FEAbaAx0lKvrVJN656IcsrBHKWB6ofhtZZSzUJFC3MSBWOvENQz3JvfEiJZ61NZ3IZbRV0M1NICErbVStTUuJA7JkNhKq0fxCLYMxeRsI_bteO3_KOWPkP925rF4lbspNztPESIKLjC-mrICRFp1kEBNWKdvbc4cOzhokPM1vDC9_Vccm_bF7PxWM9mQCGJWc9-DKZ0neBFY3c0cQ76O=w286-h508-no)
After that, it was just a matter of making up some brackets from angle-iron & stand-offs to allow the whole thing to be bolted securely to the radiator mounting brackets, and cutting out insulation foam to stick between the shroud and the fan to prevent them from rubbing and to seal up the fan area.
To control it, I found some 2-stage BMW thermo-switches that would trigger at 90 & 98 C, with a similar switch that triggers at 80 & 88 C in this thread (http://nastyz28.com/threads/recommendations-for-2-stage-temp-switch-for-2-speed-fans.196209/). Since the threading was very similar to the single switch hole in the S4 thermostat neck, the connectors and pins were available new, and the ranges sounded about right, I got a few of them to play with. The threading was the same pitch as the hole in the thermostat neck, but 2mm narrower in diameter. There weren't any threaded inserts that would bridge this gap, but since the pitch was the same, I could make one as long as I got the threads cut on the outside and inside started at the correct point.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/o85M3QmkM11aLbJuNwMVTtU70euPi1sD_dbcAJerg27FB-M58ybnl_XWjsb4bfxrhUKQEWxtxVP_qPiI6z-1vG_HjDY1ErQFQQpevw-ZuJePRhE8GnCqyXlbVb-uHSWT6PWm9fJ9u8Jz6o9kKl3j2pBIqeYlrlvuGeXIxEvRFMM_lNNdp3cfL1fdEBlQPTbZIdH-PdLdwHDHpuiTwWaUUAvxNJPEtkL-FGEbea-jNIQY0acv8PTycj-RWv4Yx-jJ-xD1EQdclet5eLqSyb69ZDLvjP3Dyhj5tcczVhK_19Skj4b7CCbH-kCefofcI8TrbHJPqlNhpKADvtI8sOF6jItrNQFlG2KYucAq0MTKBQzPbLHKTIr0yOGgnZan6vzeKQUFVGVEX2BEYOhlw9TIRSjgJJbpYnV-8Mj35pkxCEZNQaY5LekHoxzzxkMRzn6vWATC0eVnSbEW8fWyu-9iYsBnV6CkhMix0Uv-vw72Ke4tbQXZR69h-mHMU1iNJpWJ5RZsUPJExUs74DOI4_opknkToIP8y9UMnNysQvaUSKHRI_UJXeZwKIodQOAck6CfyNGprJhwiemZGcK_Cre5aOMNwUovGHWWSqvXsws77dwh-zimX4uq7c7PijSO8oIJKnFVzlznwqhy98neGzPO9X-rixKQHAaa=w286-h508-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/oKVFuhtnLe10g1k2sUTC1fSuqphwNGgBl0qaOfjSXuQMvcl7p6D-s3LCbVIbavE9jloq4CHmvVlcziLpDLRe-WxNnTbCifoXHam0gMwePMlgqnyYMKPsCB4nvHiQbcY-v-yWes70EYKWey7RuQguR8aLM9XSNFdxeeo7ijb-m0cO1Em1lrMVWitqrg-NnX7V4FSd5VGsQ9VxoUw1cIML1HyD2qq9WKWJHDMxDpM2X2tDZQNuxfNE15jUrWCbuFnnl2lNIF6QRURUJ-mAka4jC6T8aTcj5ERJHgBeKQzA6xKBaxDvJpySgEFpr6llEGLE-Y1YrOebYj8jzPmbHaaV6iJdGKhhOeJu4CXpsxmQJnaDasB6L1K1c7IZDAFU78ZdW9jyfDVmbiNwdP_owct7eogjSB1d9Bm6SGT77iQSTvdcx5dw3LzqOgQbmnEXwZtu2Z6v59VLaGG8cAvKjCCaSLfoIrpNLa_vKN3QN3wbkaeWTx0ycV1t6lePB-23HYuBd22Bih6DMKpIBuZw8oeYSGjSgLqNc-ZvMstJUXocqSQiOuCD7WsYc_ZA8PVVIolNEG7ihKHj78fG5qDRmBVoZQwxyJkaElZkvmGy24OTkxu55ImsdhyvZlnhAOac9p804PszJjxjnu-NBQoPrIRV75n1M8yZeotA=w286-h508-no)
This took a few tries with hand-tools on the bench, but eventually I got something that worked.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Zr5zf7qzj9w6pIGoRwfY86tAlrMvnKgt3vq00iNIt8_ZmPMdNe4CwOQYQ_84TVRC-PnfedrbGofqt1yfmEyl7hiVtHPAMPx8Ibo8yAJ8TuFvq1gxw6C36Kst4DCh1mgDf2dCq4dJFZJuYb0qfNjF8awRQEdh0mZHMcFKYK744zrzi1wN2-hRB7eH1eN7QV34OxGw0yVLze1jIoq6eyNZ0X-gHjYLNB226CtLmrw4PoGWZg5CBwqIq1BT3kX6Z11FmKn5-YrH3ly88waqxwOvMpQem-qYGx7uXwmf9ecb9dN96PcFovZQK32eBZDAsr-f2kDpc-HrF3GMhWW9NH54uzJJ6AHRkch4ZuiRij3Sz2TuA2_Ri1Hy_o-NwKjFeAY3btPzp2GT6Oud5JgiBZb35DatkiGjmMJwh7VFXqIqtkgA7nBj1SzzOtCf3mT2ggUe2WVmf1vppj8rHPfrTy8SNP63xIx-PvcpB6ZsUfyaehyFYhfiVST8RqC7zA9oP9SCaB0XtVWeFUNOQwvrwYEAM95M1IJDCRbbL-d_uhQZFqidxo4pJSPi3b8izY8rBL8AlJj1vZshgCh8p4ZRKLbuiZVw1kmGc7MG58efPox1r8J6xtQHx_tIhfg04a4y3rCcjOOh3pe2C7objcVYPUq8yYLt5JQI3FgF=w904-h508-no)
More to come on the intercooler-side of the project soon...
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Now for the intercooler... I wanted to go with something that would allow a much more compact intake system, allow me to get rid of the big air tubes running up to the front of the car, and reinstall the front bumper support. This basically ruled out most air-to-air intercoolers besides a compact V-mount setup, but that would require another fan or two & ducting the hood and a different radiator (or at least different radiator outlet plumbing and angles), both which I also didn't want to do. So, water-to-air intercooler it was.
Frozenboost.com (http://www.frozenboost.com/liquid-air-intercooler/water-to-air-intercooler-p-1006.html) offers some kits, and dimensions for all the ICs and heat exchangers that they have, which made the selection much nicer. Essentially, I wanted something to sit in the same spot as the OEM TMIC and allow the hood to close with minimal modification, which really cut the options down to just the Type 8 (http://www.frozenboost.com/air_water-ic/compact-liquid_air-intercooler-p-209.html) (3.5" thick core), which has offset air inlet & outlets. This IC was only spec'ed for about 350 hp on the website, which should be OK for my plans with this car (about 350-400 hp max, I think I'm around 300 now)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d_uaZ3cg6Kijl4me9S9atTfsVdC2sVG_qUMmN6gu4F8sL0pLcqly_qQ9Ul1EOAFcUFhGFxtM9ya9qdtA0TtbApsOsFyuqxHVOqdIhGcowbulNLEEJ3ngYczL1pz1eQjPuPT26TOZTagfXZzBCalh9I8fr6VlUl-3mO68GpEJSFzAasDPI2b94cbw_Q7agocvA6AgvXA3WipNCnoTgxoY6_jnrTB1N2OP3HRjbzUfiAtWieoDDcE-wCVG7drJ6o6KslF6bNix04z5qJg1WHh5wA5bVTWwT1NFKPNCt1L80vSBpnLMFz_FK4jasDYUVgrd1qf_m7-O6ciGG00fnTFYZw_R-8GL2TkhwNMa30UyIBn3kiZ8s2M1b0bL3KirA-HjTORZci1JKzoeqUMYJnKHQV5mliMnLu-HBGUHA4ZpxiWtyCniLAGVqxP4Fe-LQnQpXMz_Joesawe2CULmX6u3YBtjt0ttlmZV6xveTkO69yC9Uzx9hZH0xQDRXJw0Yuy0hRheRamSWxVNJVAU2kUEzn_hxqDE3TWuXvrDuoHRCEc1Lbb__fDoufe1_a5Yut1wp_618E230_dnmrr7k1fE3LyZfP9QuA-3gf11KrqQX3NleC3pFmcMZQJgRCECQxdBIZ5VYKPEVTlO0JBLd0ndv8KQD3B555GV=w904-h508-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NW4cSxPy_Udtayc827gUoJAYw_hTbHDvTyGTogHINFnf99m_YJojKYAznZfta_Y4WYEGpdNYjySm04jBEnd2XU7LyZzonOPw4_epEmv_yhAqSc4yTIEQu6Gla4wofEgcn4v9D5AQt2JVq0gp1OjsdnDSdIEwacrTy8t41-HBfeO06FZbNceX6kmHLhx_XFxSYFHh98a8Lom49JZLD0yN-SWpTjZ4mipAAs4yzGbe-UdRxXGBSHetKtaBFOwQHeW4Twtx6cXGkNrnJ-P8S0dlq8xly_dDLCeqlb7GJ-77auVOWB8QxRv2ViNRDMkgvYIuwaLkGlTCMXbwXdgu29GsyIforTtAPIGNwhEYS_IravWyuxmEfBt5X2n3qeVo3aR2KFJahNvLmi0L9y7XEPkglbOIhNGRPeNXJAkUyN57k6K_6cBUnujEKx3OJwcXn8c7reQk3dgJM3Q7mrIR9XxMNvWSZ21uYKzYTC0KNGqz5R8gHE1YPbfMupkzQ6FFGK8nQ6L90WUl1cMd_biuLaAp_cThhLabYAoH5V_kKL7vj5WGWTXOV0T2fB62loM91x8V03r-AMUHMwxScc1BvFJkHgViqJ8MqjMd59zNjsiJh1h9ZuXfdtZbcA0FAK4s8HUaJzeujLUP0IQnUfhke1K0yCtlkTESB-0J=w904-h508-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6zmTXyomkpwsRdcbIIDfHAHBVf8RRcSw9xDjWr8gK0U1jIKjM6Z5Vo8kWtq8JJuVpJsT_n33wPATVX6tMiS2T-4qrR8hhlE4GbteMZr9WcpRrHK0UUbkd_W1jJWXmVGOuPqzSMRIsPdgQyj4HkkgQ_JLtIveCUZGE3KAJs6Vi1hcHuoNIDnmZSWuahVctw-n08inYJAULp8kFg-rV6Xjj0VrrHYOjrByEiJUBcNIaiaIY4G2sa5xA5dNYu9jtwziPtVqC2Y0O6Q3P0xuh3JwITitTXjm974VL9Tzox-bqIn60YG0Vz6_QUM2MT417XFMl-RKK8-GDiC47lsuAeLXW2-8OgQkOHTIKPeG1sSxQ1fDLHTWRTu3Vcsh5obPaRvcejZx0FSTUvxAmeS72388pu0oy8NYAaqMUjormM2n9EJ7A07bR2XyiYfUzmZiQmBJvvF8g3vbD_PS7TY9109NfIsrTbKhyT6-RX0mHcW4t4VWRsAoeBrDmLEtQ6EKcD7XyfWR7M4Mfs4FCKRi-iUlosybY6mlGMNPPw1k-97QYRC3G0M8wtyJUyfgXy2GVJvfRCzHJU7U13FJ3HstW3W_oxQlnEiiXnOJMBpExmR1VyTnSwxBmYouNH4OYQ3aviHvIA72DVGj9DPuH_bGUM7nF93raBV3qSKe=w286-h508-no)
By using reducing couplers on the inlet and outlet, 2" tubing straight off the BOV tube, and 2.25" tubing and 135 degree coupler cut down a bit, it was possible to piece together a fairly smooth and much lower volume air path to get to the original throttle body elbow. All I need on this side are a few pieces of bent aluminum bar-stock to hold the IC in place and mount to the engine & UIM.
Moving on to the heat exchanger, this would need to fit in the front of the car, before the radiator and oil cooler so that it will get the coolest air. The AC condenser has been removed from the car many years ago, so I don't need to worry about competing with that either. FrozenBoost had options that were more square, similar to a typical radiator, or much more rectangular like our oil coolers. I wanted to do minimal cutting of the radiator support (none if possible), and absolutely no structural cutting to get it to fit, and I wanted to use this heat exchanger basically as a large capacity tank to prevent water temps from changing too quickly, and to provide a constant head of water to the pump, which should ideally have its inlet lower than the heat exchanger outlet. This way I could avoid having to get another tank, as I don't intend on using it to dump ice into. Basically, these set of criteria meant that I was looking at something similar to the oil cooler, sitting above it (and above the round tube that braces the front chassis legs in front of the radiator). The two options were the Type 101 (http://www.frozenboost.com/water-to-air-heat-exchanger/air-to-water-heat-exchanger-p-1026.html) with a 3.5" thick core and the Type 118 (http://www.frozenboost.com/water-to-air-heat-exchanger/air-to-water-radiator-p-1063.html) with a 2" core. Since I anticipate being marginal on the intercooler capacity, and don't mind the additional water capacity in the heat exchanger to avoid a tank, the thicker Type 101 looked ideal. 26" wide would be very tight between the sides of the radiator support, especially with fittings, but essentially it looked like the only option.
I ordered the 600 hp kit, with the specific IC and heat exchanger (the 350 hp kit didn't offer the bigger heat exchanger), and omitted the fan for the heat exchanger since I should be able to trigger & use the radiator fan with proper ducting. I also got a variety of tubing bends and couplers to piece together the rest of the intake system. Everything arrived in late November, and I've been slowly working on fitting things since then. Between Christmas & New Years, I got a bit of time where I could use the angle grinder & not wake anyone up... no going back now!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7yBMvJ9F2jg1uCYBAuQ1Qzh4N8yekxYlLqZ7nse5Pk5UDy0_gXf3WIQQSJ0WBFJr_8ckqMke9U_Wa_be_Znuy98YZkkH2XEUVf316sZHX11NHz5TgUlcmVL6aVdTA5t10u1ypPsTtSWXrQTiczRVxvc8mTz9KyOone1wLm6um0my1GS1Ik7uBpt7tpF68eCtLErpF9Cz3WT1xF5BG306BMNmI3S1A30WKxEv5z6TYXvJLYjD5qqJoHj0d2jG8U3psyIluKV8PNCEKe78DqQWeTMDbCDnxbNggSSWHb5G7vQCLajERezbqMZdvbX5DKEJdr5q2mw_sf1Jbv1r1orMydJp6aXIWoX9D_OGwZ1f6dziyjPOSOp1tMs6AocqTqTwKzHpAU10GKBYj5xArxuUAe7mT1TLkduWLKkvjUDJ2cOxqIcZ3o2NNmhQQnqRMEBZi-GIBEnrCvrk78FG2hHSeNLAE_GUNTf4xxoHr6yPwCA-tpeCAzM-IGnw6do_DuBo2ujV58twl0cnAsu6TF64hFpENA4UOtcHcpb7e3CdxZv0BoQsgNkR2KXvZvZaKzfks-TiMaS3a5YG9jwoOXVpl5m7VzemSJ6mhTCBRWoQZzxTEkxMiZx7Zj_NgBYH_lJCueHBQzODHUbF85WapvSELvLFe_bxNY8f=w286-h508-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xeMlNaI-nAIRWUjqeZvbhzF8yHHtdkicPUUum_iibrTdmyFMhnmfOrtHPI9dCIdLYQ2g4zs22OwXG3Sx3On60eu9uFUYKToj0Ptk7YBTzQR7nTejKQna1Q0InPnkYhbS_UiiVfNfJiIp0vZ4X120gXVLeF0PoyQFZh0lJpsMP2awbJCuejuJlQQW5zni1L2k_9ESdtBTFoaWdNxB-lpjO3S-CrSoZeovJZoshFz8A45SeB45BdBA7VbH0VYQPNq5wXJXBu1B4sErJSVBW1IO2tpzz0lXPZVXIG9OOGwRKUvCL_PzB2vjdYdOCXbqPqHSKzBr_f3B2jbWYJ8PdJ_FRBSINWJx4D3oKCqZ8sHu5KKNm-NbrLWK-_m5EdJBEgTG0Si3-_mNJIDlYuTmhHnj48OkOdrfEs9jraCOAmuV0zfGWWw8RdIFl3czq8vI0F7pWYECDsyTQQOG3toRb7xo-_mRdpW4pC9xLHfPSlY9WN30pCQx4-yXznft8al06DAVl4bwWfirLM1ejUmZKStEreuBQ3mxJjeyTievDjvI5pgDz4LfEWc6iyA8Ij9Vk5LV8-v8vkTQW3trAUXDncj8rte0iisy9TK_EBUqxF41icmrhn8i6z4W0MWB-Lzv_8tflZO_TkoQd2fGajQEbWgPZK-B9h8wmvwR=w286-h508-no)
Basically, most of the structure for the battery vent on the drivers side needed to be cut out to make room for the fittings, and the bungs for the fittings themselves got cut down and re-tapped so that the fittings won't protrude as far.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ifSdrZ1BAeWkOsLhKFCsul4ArvxXYe0nGrSdiTHWUDxAldH74ap2sJP9fWZQnXXCr5kkLSwZGQzcNRLA7sktiTZScVvxKuKHe5wVxvBZy85QquJKnemBT8qheFFopxu32Z9TvrkgDtmE3fFjonlBcdcNYpd49DEULyJBeVtlKnlj3yLnG0eFnyRJ0bKdbyFo1pmvVoUdXXMq5XDP4wjQYoMH4jWaQDiSY-CxsKhaSwnDVDR4reGey9O-sfi9DrJOTRZvdEJt8ehQlVS7Ck1W8Ob5ssSlecfKHfLgv2pzX7iX3fTDnph-QrMyyslR5vDGaH2xlnhWD8SdvCEQ0qnpqMDgALH5VtdkPdNwaJ-_YXEeZSI8nLqFqiD9LMlq4rjDZ52B8ytNmqVOqVpJnoUudGBJuejUyrAagvZvVkb0foP1z7QxVSk1VCclQ5pjPQlHAnKyhkJn9nd9ir2cY5Qt-q8c1aF6SNY7Rgnx1yFIAVMOxFv-Ld8wgtcxYk5Ipb3QGEYrTe9U8jfuPSYoVHWUALsTqaQCPSNRGCmRvTgOJopmLfta1RkSjxRVVxgTq5xSEx1KzSO1N9esYfgMnytbZnihILPZ5XlJf23lcDBDwxAppCc0-ajZbwTvnh5z2MFPUAiy4KTt45wI2Or2IbD9WZ9WeG-nwR2W=w904-h508-no)
The final cut looks like this, from the front first, then from the engine bay:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/55IKCiDMZZy5vvOfFzhNwLKVgSqrhdBjRS9eV90YRnpKhiM-Pq2QWQ7bRSJZ8Yl-D5OQIk7K7kdbV2WRcQ_KpVmLE8LjakhYAHAQ7uTKMvj6XSkc1lgjO_Y7khb30_2QjrB-XxacSFHPYF_Sx8-xDemNVEb3Avw7ZV3GqqapNWBZK_EGDWmRvdlMgnMytr-7CdbxEIlRs0-NOyxYA97dsPAtV5YneWRRst5Cn96MJpP4UwSqkr97ZrbJbaUVGkpXBbnIWREKxJUfYl5rh-os4cul8xVx3s9IBt-0m2xwgAUdwvpHopdG2X9MzCmyk0TNVsrNivIBjqIH5oCU3CLCT-QlaM2TUfdEL92z2O3aXdNVKXKjDWNp3Je0bpJfSH_5ccLawsYS0JfSscUD11MtLQ9v5UljV5bwNNiNhSLIvMDHi_1UWYPzVPoaWXMUsDDrdSJUa1yoNun96YqVKSWJGRWYtitoOAqKIZHz_fzD5YETFBxaQUBQgkZPjGjG-iQdaGUBFfIjVvb22x_7WrkqVFuFPovD70yUzYjm2ZnewYwopdOfZgfWrGmLjsp6kM2HPYnm2BGCclz-Z143ElfachDbCpOPrwVRdhQwhaHj81HM1DIykRnxXNrEEDef4ikx0jSrQ9Eg6kkgNjOriJxt1llxN48W9Qnl=w904-h508-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Y4hXsjlvrFNyL4i-jAK1Qaj7efIyCp9n0vrhTh7TKSoRLq6_zFdcvIVGygqWvtOa_0_WoRmxUn6alTQ8SWcvNB_F24a0x1SmRceN0L1RHKV7nemhDH21zWJmhsa2SRCmbP7UUUYlHkDI0ClSSnB2CNOJ42dNf_tvvPM9vUYhqIDe2fnyz2uSIK-fi3IUAtEZ5k8Piy8S8ViR3UN0hK0pCM6o1BjfywfLncQ_XKxRkKXxPmPvM4BNlEtQSJgcvJpRkhOJPNq6-Pe3vypWUJhfOTx5sUqzgDa_6W40oRLfi_if6y3S5o1MbL4sn25j4y3OVJwadu7W4EnMUp4MQ2ub9FkmI_gfMsSy8LOuht_sVUvmsEiEzuah7f_ExuY17Z_-AoIyxgnMjTC5XuuCpjP0mDWShHix8l3rIAPhuSB8vp4GUx4adVJmRmClfDzB11Z3I63I_sjsdX896dYNzwhsjh5lvCaoje4YAac1PDdB2AZXkY1yDkqD6AfFz0nv-iqhC8VUSZXYk-3zxoZAgq9q7RTCf0FTrwHRS6FwevGdH3nsaIgs2Cd_Gf-_CMQAn2DoKYXst6R_d8otHYwXx9BOY-XkDgG_6pFzZqXkKrk3pqlm57YCpJALaVZ5olHUGlPKt4QDi6n5KXkvpjkSoGqGlwESr1lttHjc=w904-h508-no)
And with the heat exchanger test-fit:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/M8fr1mjSIsx5WfVDmqyv7xr4C3BDarQwX9_jUDKbMmg2a4d07NwpMypjAQNkYGJ-DkI60PtjgBhzP4D33EyC4fd3HMJ4NXCAKncmTuYcrpctc5nQgD5l5-4XaR7afiKjQTkBjE42-HdFucTmLyH9kHwbFHDjEYoISLMWcvucJ1H0nUvEYN6kga1azGC8O1F8Ot4142rFgVdKNma9TJcauXYKDuaG4sZyI40tBGRG0kiHYT8skncJFqe6iQNsh_CLO0JHguWEGTaDkJmg3R5a2jhdiybeWK-RJ9jDdw21YbyZHojDDkj-b1w37nQcZZd10n7MQ3D9YwBfr9dYWP2ICX4Q2zCSSqIYQQJc_Ro32y2igZc_PZ35dzt2tOwIUJTIIjcV2dpeActk_NgXdKCMrs0imQmw8LdQBLkPN73Pe23Y8n5z4Y_67TPLNGUSh0msMyfGPOCsZShRk4bAMw2RAbIywQLvxXCuDaAYxm-PI0bFVOzcT9ZAMMfR3r0-TePlN_I1qMmyJTClDtkZz7nlxgI6z8OnL5DCI-ARcQkW6ocZEjreSy_aeZ-QlVNwEuyoIFIe3gRbhW1g2MfkQY629poVHhWnKfAFNrse7WbhaR2r8eMSXLGtkKZFrBKFfVqkr0_VC2PPrTc9DWAcfp8H3FAp_8NgahPW=w904-h508-no)
This arrangement will have a 90 deg elbow in the bottom bung pointing forward as the outlet, straight into the pump mounted next to the driver's side headlight, and a 90 deg elbow in the top bung pointing backwards into the engine bay to connect up directly to the intercooler outlet. There is also room to run the pump outlet hose back through the same hole to go back towards the engine. I'll need to make some block-off panels to close up the rest of the hole and help keep the cold air up in the front of the car, as well as the brackets for holding things in place, but conceptually most of the work for the components and routing is done.
The electrical and switching side of things is still a bit unknown. I've got bits and pieces done, and tentative wiring diagrams drawn up, but I want to do some testing and playing around with an arduino first before writing things up.
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On the air to water setup I did, I cut the radiator cap off the heat exchanger, welded that shut and put ithe radiator cap on the top of the intercooler so it could be filled at the highest point.
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The long, thin heat exchanger didn't come with a radiator cap so I got one of the external ones, which I'm going to mount on the firewall near the brake booster so its at the highest point, for filling and burping air. Thats a good point to make - filling and air venting needs to be at the highest point, and the pump inlet should be at the lowest point, with fluid that is cooling moving from high inlet to low outlet and fluid that is heating ideally moving from low inlet to high inlet.
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I would still be worried that without having the cap right on top of the intercooler water end tanks that it could get air trapped above the water inlet and outlet.
I guess you could put a vent port on top as well and close it once the air is purged.
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Yea, when filling it I intend to disconnect the IC and tilt it to allow the air to escape, and have enough slack in the hoses so that the filler neck can be raised over it. I'm also going to be drilling into the end cap on the water outlet (hot) side to install a temperature sensor, so I could always unscrew that and use that hole as an air bleed too.
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Got the heat exchanger mounting basically done yesterday. The heat exchanger had 4 tabs welded onto it, 2 on top & 2 on bottom, so essentially I just needed to pick these up and connect them to different spots on the chassis. Using some aluminum L-channel material, I made a span to go between the top two brackets, and pick up one of the existing threaded holes on the upper radiator support. The other hole I had to drill in a symmetric position. You can tell that the heat exchanger is offset to the pass side slightly to make room for the fittings on the driver's side. Similarly, some L-channel is run between two existing threaded holes in the radiator support that were unused - I don't know what they originally held, but they appeared to have never been used; the threads were still painted.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/miNSpLnnP-zxnItvsUnoKM3CyDyVReRNuEomXOu5zlTBiR0ycKWV__StpttjkwyqZdtYvXIoXZYZP4A__2T9wgffkviHDhst6OdYAzoR1g15AOoJDlRY0qfbMPXxLG2V2sytKr-Vo852gkKT5UNQdIyzfOhZJzTEPvmSKI40Zkpplx0AJw4YhX8kIH1hl9PgvHAYU5yErb_PaFkdX_NAQv4akMT4Eoiw9A5vIRwJdc5DWIZYWkCZP1671C5Zh_hOATtxfwzO2fPdIiW6rBVfjIzcjdpkrJorZjgIvrLXi11NLflw8D50B1n0_dsJVOtsmoqxuFTZ2vqyVmPZaDqUlGEStY8bFIAVHSGY0V0XjYPJLIDxd7KiTCIBWPtuNmVoDo2iayYkadKdpTqqJprr25nzRy-DeIoYeQf0fwekUR6qvW893n-EWaoCeqfHQoV6X1tnCzwNUm4u3reT_lJtH_SuA3nwucv1lleRbqyfqvUiAbjU6XM5TOpt7E9zfJzpKIpw5hT8JPZlOUwYJ9OuMsj7_DNK_yoZy3XolwWAgsF9DCuJX-H5m3_vPr0lMIgtPxSmpLB1XqFTsDnPwMHQByseHQF6kwEkaEbCN9BTVkTRIPshZaS3Y5Lc1J-t8bmx5NZqgofBjZ8UHAANHWoNrjKlxEyxMx72=w948-h533-no)
I needed to use another small section of L-channel bolted to the main one to pick up the threaded nut on the drivers side, since it was lower than the one on the pass side. The top bracket and the downward bent piece of the upper radiator support also needed to be bent out slightly to match the angle of the radiator and heat exchanger, since they're tilted with respect to the top surface of the upper radiator support.
View from the top & front:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/liUkAAryT5whSUaemC9A-OmaVWm4MZfu5m-wJhxZ6jEl82mb8xmwycfAfjDDqaFXySh5lpw4hGHqhkKTUcCnVL9iiId9TuoC8fnfoq5GfcGs33EhhTehvxC3ex0aXqGvt5IG7NZgEjtX0unUbI6Z5YQZzNf0Fwb96JhzZ3xfotkyM_BFohjLHGbBmHQlw24Q9bAWHUO6IFwqPa3D6ncT4nTcbeRyBB5-9lnc6mvWy4xQ6rnbVmLMFilJpcu91NNDLCGKjs-UsH36UPqJjR2aTk0z-vqxtiAFKh5N5QFIw0AO_I81MOYVlgL93sq7BKL4_ldnGkRITu8Z2m2wRdiOg92L-R5jzIpo56Pu-YAzj-aPyMbZDe6rEkOMBawDnPb42VdNNfeJY2OXXYsW3FTx6WwcfCMIW6IUES0VYtS73IQ8XiMoOIR0J0NZiK9Ge0Qkdt1Tm0FYXRFOGupfTcQSI4qt81zaDx2vNab3i0tIHVsdSWpxI_WbkZ4qVXX-8E4hTJuszsr07KDGzlE1_7UMFUBo1rjxzwcBi6My2giL76WQDV2qaRvhyBcbD19KG3UPZHGRfvMy-O5te0menc-c2U2TIqcTzvEoxS0KxFaO2F-kGd3fReS-Vqz0OSe4-tGi1spb0CCev3lpWVXq70cZ7F2Nx9j-uHK6=w948-h533-no)
To get the hood latch to fit again, I needed to both cut away some of the bracket, and do a little percussive manipulation of the top row of the intercooler (read: bent it down slightly with a hammer).
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ekw_zCkp8tevcZAWWmVGkj3ShxtjAVYAEzDkDubTKcVkMvDthTKIhlJ4KxajG6G91CzWqlW_EF-7y-50hJK0_U4-XOoAnT5BJax2hU_MERQx4IsFPNYy361twz2Pkz4n3wG0aZl4mOL-jlZbqVoWV4I2bAsQ2VGUi5oj7bY5lu4aCmEGuZmDLv0wJK5MNDg8JyvWxF7uFc5OnEd0ipgn_jEwOvf3tStLKAYcHr1RbyFOBbmtRH8pGCMuOnC6Hb8zkpYS4DU5CnuwSk-ngWXnE5ZiqR-QCiBYzlvk6Nr_A0bdQfLRgYfJzlHA_aT4VRiav9UlYhSG7rtd6nOktSFcdSUOqdWLEEMfWc_ph_exYE8pXtfhjcxM8jlSRypxz-coUWdMIavm0tlyYlb53qRiLo08S7-BiCHceXK50c-mqQNn5kCGfuMaPyKOGNYzARf6i5sJxBEJ1LwH8p3vS6pFUCSbVqTpMKysQmKAE8Itu5KIlgpCe08DDjzFkLVhV0aXfdTJ3E1kNsLUNIMW7bhiefdCeMNviBe0mO-qnSxRci6r-JltxwVYlW5325WcEYvUs1_5R7pCc_bvXTRGZxSIm91LAoPa_Np9cxMRWN-S7IqWQYz3Lxg69VFNSecs5BoWy34o5aO2vL6WR_rSTeMNFdrtVgl1hegf=w948-h533-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0qk71IthUjDPmHhPj_vTVCsVL_x4EDOoOEtGnsHb82XXgmN-U10j8JzWjFS_s2pt1_XgAhAZGrFAqixERRWyuUd4XDDzE3XxOYwQnTKPdQM9hgFHdbOlRmZWNmMlbVxbJyIMzEZDv5WrNvvEdQMxlGovAqFw7Qhqpukyq2aasfkIfZh-J1X-_Vg9RfeIGrgbWl3IGUtuK2DYnMT5tVoIESH1ZJ2YO-zQleZ4VA7_wgMHX5LhdVZsrzhjJJIfKcheVHqDl0FshPnl0p9vTK-CvRY1A0qHOJQxpMb5riaXWxlX8ZHKv_WIHNonnu0LCiPaCNkN6xuqqew45eC-XAL7IW6canPA7TZqSQh2ev01bM7hVyGH4CxP675yN1ifZucu-7XCUFEFuv71UgTD7zaRm8Ez7dkUrZCtqQopccXaRle0INkClv7ceSJK0s_iO4otC8lSgfbX-dSkIJDy1w0fSkjCBd4qBF8QN1_GeurYwBzJuAN4bk1dRHQB6ZIkK0IM6WgOYfMms7qxlzrETGX8PCBdOoEus2g8Hpb_GLbnIAsD004XH3-x8CRDDfSsVrguevCmRPVZXwhJEyfaxHhgR3G6OlZ_QK-kjbJ4QT7_fgU37zu_Omv2RPYZt122KrZKywiR8Nn0CJIX9J9Xp-29ub8W1fyETCAH=w948-h533-no)
This should allow plenty of room for adjustment and slight flexing. I still need to remove the heat exchanger again to flush it of metal shavings from tapping it further and add some rubber bushings inside the holes in the tabs to try to provide some isolation from chassis flex. I'd also like to cut some speed-holes in that lower L-channel, because as it currently sits it's blocking about an inch of the radiator height. I'll also need to add lock-tite, anti-seize, and sealing compound to the various fasteners and water fittings, but overall I'm very happy with the final fitment. To get it in or out, it definitely requires that the radiator be removed, but thats a much easier task now with the E-fan.
Finally, the wiring diagram for all these changes that I'm planning on using. Some of this has been done already, like most of the changes in the Lexus ABS solenoid box, and mounting of most of the components, but I haven't had a chance to do much testing yet, and don't have the Arduino to play with (hopefully its coming this week).
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/oYf3iZ4XNesxYj16G_VPhhzBQxA0ekhheMbBYIrHCP73bQ5ZBJ-Eu56J-WSdVn1-zsvigYC8y1V0-JuD2MO9aznaUi4ibul0wz4_1Zp2zxnJp9KVu9QW1Dsio5NB8A4DwqdwVgeP5PixDy4Iu0f2AhmFEfBJeMkjnMvN3ZfVb0UPwyPeaglFPuhrKyGdS8FMkMn0_lkT1qfyXPrLIUYETPVzTzf-9obb--yyBZ47pPYPqAfAWy-mIcI0xTGBCr-ZvTCcva-ZDl0fmx1ahlMldhI00sD8K-Mxfc3FA5jkNu-vJcW4HUiObctbSkC9no-yA8EfXQ8K0m3aNeu9FQlUzQwbOBGLtnsETT-jjYSi6CklFj87A6Y8ZWKqIoDd-BAs7jeykDG4PjaQE6inKCrE9G8m0J0auSliLpP-wS5kSeYoMJoxYetV62tCXpJNCSivAvLh-wInuzX93WYkHKczemOeBXX2SeG3FvR2v9zDXdG576Xr7GuZc_BIfZJRe3yzQmB4k_oZSeAKdvR9cjsUilbWt3AkZk0a7TpL5Rpymm7GtPIVUQIUoepe0JSTE1qlKgs7K8cty884vbp21gSb0KWBhVtDV7bpFT6rCUUTOV0_VHwlRcFUwNODT_fvh60nOGjtJIMG3TVEaq952olRoV5J1oVt8tZ6=w807-h533-no)
Anyway, the BMW thermo-switch has two temperature switches inside, one at 90C and the other at 98C, so that directly goes to the blue solenoid for the e-fan low speed & the green solenoid for e-fan high. Since the switch is "dumb", meaning that both "low" and "high" will be switched on whenever "high" is on, and in testing the fan seemed to blow harder when only "high" was energized (instead of sending power to both "low" and "high"), i built that switching logic into the ABS solenoid box. When the "High" green solenoid is not energized (as shown in the diagram), it is sending +12V from the battery to the coil of the "low" blue solenoid. When the thermo-switch "low" gets triggered, the other side of the blue solenoid coil will see ground, and the fan will turn on "low". When "high" gets triggered, the green solenoid will switch +12V from the contact going to the blue solenoid to the contact going to the "High" wire on the e-fan, turning on the "high" speed while turning off the blue solenoid, even though the "low" coil is still grounded by the thermoswitch. Additionally, the "high" green solenoid is taking its +12V from the switched ignition power, so "high" speed can only be engaged when the engine is running. "Low" can be on at any time, even with the car off. I don't know if this will cause a problem yet... I don't expect so since even though the water pump won't be circulating coolant when the engine is off, natural convection in the radiator will tend to keep coolant moving a little bit (as the coolant cools, it will become more dense and fall in the radiator, pushing hot coolant through the system and into the top of the radiator to keep a small amount of flow going). Also, the e-fan is blowing directly on the thermostat neck, which should help cool that part down too (which is where the thermo-switch is located). Either way, its something I'll need to keep an eye on once the car is running. Also, all of the switching (whether by the arduino, manual switches, or BMW thermo-switch) is done on the low-current signal side, not on the high-current power side, so all the components should be much more reliable.
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So.... project creep set in on the arduino-based controller that was supposed to turn on the water-to-air intercooler pump & switch on the radiator fan if necessary... Now it has an LCD display that I will be integrating into the idiot light cluster where the clock used to be, it will talk with the megasquirt via CAN to display its sensor inputs or outputs, it has a set of conditional statements to turn on or off various outputs and it has a few more inputs that can be used for other analog devices. It also grew a rotary encoder/button combo so you can change the display and adjust various options like the switching point for those conditional statements, forcing the outputs on, and changing the display backlight color & brightness for both daytime (headlights off) and nighttime (headlights on).
I still need to get the CAN part of it working - thats the last step since I need to dig the ECU out of the car, update the megasquirt firmware version, and bring out the CAN signal. Anyway, here are a few pictures... most of what you see are jumper wires which will all disappear once I actually get it onto a circuit board, the 5V regulator that is much bigger than it needs to be, and a pair of pots (variable resistors) that are standing in for the temperature sensors for debugging purposes.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/T7JlJjMrrFlMzK-AFPE5XPRwltf5EJiaapeoTGN_6BKuOm3m8gMd3OwT5jgd3YjvrNCRycK1oDBoChVxTYumfklejc6WrD_rZA_qNQG0MlbHEB6nFvHy66WTfgQ1WKplkKNySBF7Yc5eRuoWbwqihYgmwu70GHIb8uF-0URLeErAI3djoMnndMiPvvBkvjBzn_JqpWmGJolf5mXsXlpvVrqON1PCaqk88QfaR9GGyt412mh4t_YYFwDCp0VhSrcu_KSx47o9Nxgk04VU4V1ozE12u7-MuMjWBpVQKkHg-TBG2GVgnUl-yhDf0pYtMZT4x6foY5qVJmnr7oUVutwI-ZEw6GDiGTWhP--DShrFf8Ks7vm0xI7nwbMR2iCmRQRYW31gw-ca1P6cValOd_GXlzxU7iDsF_Olh-JolJ7plZlOvIfL44Ep38a2vderYqTqRTVfU7W9mX2sqgn0a6S_c9Y2CJtQ1XhYnAsCkf-jcyDTNRCLIudHabxMkTaQK-Bomzm07gLw7rlB8cUFUrEu_plTPmDNHrbEJCgO3Hpcy_2BfmCOBkHdMM1sBc_y_rmHH1x7xwfrmYubnUkzlUYc6PYtl744LDlsMRLS3SNXrxcLppPDOwGlqbuZWxkCi38b5aQecaeuiV6tUuuVc0a5GKi9--qQsdrg=w1280-h720-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/b6Ajdu5nb3Mtw1hXxsLIZdWjkkbvJQJL66LsYEyNM0MjpH1PwgDtKRCJetUDQlPZJogxVaiXpWXFj2TVBFGwpnheQH0EHyAbtII-cMj3vmBaSnWTzEnP22GzWtxiQ1GIPxuRtjVM_qL5vW2OmrLtZybSQjB_BJE_V2sEPVsbxoxDRW9in9qNdME0qo8O37s9qQV1Iu08gfXbItjenINKTEdgTtn4YGVxQN4Qj4gTeAZAzfYSAKQw5XevaLUEKm75DgXkRymJ1cLeKQH5tr5Uad-XUSJWen9IYfwKV-ypd5YcOkfeswjZsQAwlb8fBHAq0lXQfuTVf0D3g1UdQGucqwQ2pKEWV97bdyxIqgPssxdz6hziVc93IKfZyvxUliqgrJkS7XzNNOkakRNgQibooElm-ksvAKTOyQ3T3NB3nhfx9TIoltgKaqKGQxKIkRMXjG9p472gwBhm1GK2t9vryijKdpTtJj0ma5H5s1qD_uXB0I-AoH_soW_hXJQ4MbcP4Dne-FbZRLNsLUWcgw7yOykQiO-z8j-jGa9j5shY-xIcn1da2cI0ZJrXugfLGssUJrS4tQIO8wOP88ZaLAAhoewnT1cyAl5VWvqFu7XAhMrgFGCXEkjxcjJA5kACtzPGfKDMgBBpNN5rGXbjxN-9t_lHwnig_njn=w1280-h720-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/G43LpgF1raG_-Gv-W-Ah4oRHFsR9clILQI43B9y1RTNyYx4v98U30qgG5qNdjzWG3vx53eHRkeYBYDqjaLfZeiDd7bdXIIY6s9gvXp7ANAbw8pzSAgGLNME7rbQFxIuW2NExbp7mJeg4d77nbPXlHr23CjT796ok0p8PwVf1HbmMr3jg9bZPRptADCzwU-bM6hy0oiO78aeo2emPNv9y_CDqLs_fknz9K8BK4H-zp8oaIt5WioxeQXbynAEZMXvHj9-xNq2iqcFKTkRSapEDxkOQInVgteDkva_Zu2dKrv_JK9vSuakVkFM8R2lWTipdPFZDyuXhITXunFW7v1xt6cpViYOUBVXrGlnZ6AMaCPUZ7ShjmoK_I937ZzqU9PWdTiGxnJkvpbaU5J0CuoScGDDCDGJCoRsjDa6obCeVIook-ACk8HQA1073G7mt8bcFETp9ze_PDxsS0lyqILPO5Q2-Vgb4cc3Zn6PsTsaPyg3SH24n1y17tFHkhkpvoBmaItui3Vg_qVe2y04-o8AZ-XI7DVTgC1OoVpYR-YGEbV9EaGxurhdGj3tnjmh1U4dsDzz-lc60yg02JEYzripWfusrQQ576OCNmvWOyx5-yX1AxQblBJAO6kYO0IbYWaYxsqx662bcKIWXeHu1nF9LS7TgyTUkMWC2=w1280-h720-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/SwibP4C4WtQ3CPdnROHNbeQ-n1e2_68CFjvblGwlLLMohSv3YAM_8ToOgsWk3u3f_fEgEWOBE9Fqc9zW90m6ieV7qfiCchbUxpIVXMQfePO3CJPb4W9lB2RkPWSB9-pGTjK4V_UaKCYsNdSuf35cGP9avdLuB_N7OVWxS4WRn6OJkOYuYifKP7otYXCalJPCl7D4SGECYCTCo8QASfRZweVzYnYhKGzdnGZVV2BTsauuQmKSpug9Z6IzwzEK0RCEFQBmaE9QjN7srPTkpJcxThbOTCUG0VQKT6kZ72olRQKvIFOMlWNMVb2K-I0dJ33WlnILc7C_U5nRlFqQ1OlI_m6gVf7X0SsGn_wYhyB7F2vQnkwnBGMuwWbHhgvte0N35TSCJX5o1gsATk357MuuWihP-GeYMePOi80NfJzZjfLB1D25vt9gH9tUZXHBgKYAxoDeb78Y3q-g-H6uY0D5ZQGgUIIl_lMySFYaiELbEVlt2d2D9biKXQuxiNaSNWxUBmQNuGjB_shf_6gEoASpkayOYivD9SB7nC5AaMiaEm-RZxxwb-zJiHruHk6hidO0HKOuSYOdU_3XSNfHVF6YAHnvK19Q7_hGNZaHpZjFI0GKhs_cMfkcttQaOUhu4ySImftFLTLLv_0_KDnUQb1OHxYnpJu8_QKj=w1280-h720-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_fcBARWETqRkNH3TriVgxcLfwE4uMWuBaTUGNoJF28XbXSjXCa37k7cpWmQYgK030VtlFYbzVYsKyLbG7606WwXp-NVORvuDCWwbyTnci71Ih1mwgsNM0GaTqXhMchwOhs9NQS4ywd5NOb9zJ6n5LYGvEFqOnNWkAqOrgFQ552tygEm8p-4IW0sQZ0jZNa_2idRlx_DJTZnEQoYkHprorwXD32q6ty8hf5H0gV4AVS8V4pKGDNHmIBCGlrrvNEFSg4Oxgs5F5GfkT5XCCWR9VBPqtja77MgR6BjA3tVzf6dMslsCw4d33EkkRZVggYrzjwis9fbE93--ZsMWmnlbFRYppuMp5V5K9iURjKjvCeF1q9HvLutzGB2Gf5wvFET5uCIbK5CzZqRrjiLKCrxm5A0XTWLwmtdrHaGbzoEuhw7HUhbHcMs9fHVXnQLtIP9qMbfQXjl3mxJpvB_vdNOCf439VrRN0hifJdlsb3ttNn0C3LJVvbGKAAjMpj4eY_JmznS4Irsm-yl1k1HVkLOCdmZUXnDw8JYEQCUUIANRW0RQg1sC0ZILfNWJ4POeh8ojx-4EM3-BjzSUSn4Q8qeq8Zw6fTcyUXQ7XCPS_OcA-x7uLqbYMxpGan8NH5n1Z-6ajA1R9hKiQtd5bsib2xJcym_k4-Foh7qO=w1280-h720-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/qP9hQr3B4L0cyLrCaN-Hlfv_ajFQmFU1ofdbMM_Eeda-4mYiQptBCLVT1P1sVU_NTrQxjNj838nyzsuth5pALVsf1jsYnh3C9IR9ynIhHfyePIYZAhBQWbASNmit0iMeXjnESHPvxDZwH9gMimOkN3EBnJl4sVPzxJbUxT1AEyWBKURIpKpBwUdNpyM3PXyVwdesWRP7vQsVXyJ5-xVtDqDSNkg_NGyah1hmHqs32WjD7-jHLFrdafHQAz0687DR7a5XCotmVqFanf1QXOz-eJ1qL2GB0eKYFmD-moCRtLvHlu3DvB5Wj3vtggXMKJOGi7s1gcMu1Y7dlaMhcxnRqm6z7g7QLwzX2b0liXR0F5-Yb3On3Im5aJ_CRqcB_aeWLSLUlf0RuCMJoheY7lV8IK3PBRFCWvoaDBCnbohiSOi2dJfQxN-jEo0YEGuULTYniO6pRvBWF5UGJZNPv-GWUMAtxaN2mV-TSbn3gTRcEfRLFmDYWC7Pt_usbjrqg3XytejALJPxEWmQ0VpRtETAcfDJo2fjn7cuGnwxCsHQJJaCkyl3VgCwrVQ0zFTW0b0GYKBAos8ZYRjK7p79Bb87jbIfegBZO0OmZ6do4ys8byi5Mrxzq_aS9U4-h-hrDcY8phStY_AZO2pc2h16iCEsq-iYIfpq01fz=w1280-h720-no)
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Looking good. I love how inexpensive yet powerful these micro controllers are.
Couldn't you vary brightness based on the dimmer in the cluster. Write a code based on the dimmer voltage output and correlate that to screen brightness?
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Yes, thats the plan - basically I have 2 sets of color & brightness variables. one of them will be used when the dimmer wire is grounded (headlights off), and the other when its at +12V (headlights on). This just makes it configurable so that you can specify how bright, what color etc once its already installed in the car and can compare to the other interior lights. The wire that runs to the idiot light cluster seems to only be on/off though - it didn't seem to vary with the dimmer switch. Does the clock vary in brightness with the dimmer? Mine never worked reliably and hasn't been in the cluster in a number of years now.
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good lord that is sweet! very clever idea too. I'm excited to see the final outcome.
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I got a little bit of time in the garage yesterday to make some noise, and finished the brackets that hold the intercooler over the engine in roughly the same spot as the OEM TMIC. They aren't very complicated, its just difficult getting time in the garage when I'm not worried about using angle grinders and things that would wake Paul up when napping/sleeping.
In front, it is basically just a flat strip with a chunk cut out to allow the alternator adjustment. This sticks down and bolts onto a threaded ear on the front iron that is almost directly behind the alternator adjustment bracket.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p5BS9tAMSbNTfbqiNt2OguVTTPQ_76uogXaMsbI-yYZqxZ4xUpGbSFeUQF5rDfd_zt1z-ZYNNXKS0fPjXmRFuPW8lfZWGWCxQht5JVXvClTgyfksN4Pjt3Peapuzji3hwE9GcPoctk4SZEtldKMUx8Zl7y0YkSL4yNmuppHsIaqXoVIQnBjYS4hcYgpuGxJEUpZB31JuFjkGCspVjJnQ9TXYCHwbCP4rrnzt8URJtJGRCrAkJuE3xL50NyzyI7bk14_N-wc9L6aVUiYgAUl-PJg-jmGUgl_NIhhnel3Wyn5UFPE0BTBaTry78-UivPtd0fR2ewdYDygkuQRIkbgxsPdSJU5azHfuiJsEK9fi-lyKO8acqFKKzkX0aeJieeIsdgoltQCh7uIpAuhoh68kP6xNjjRJduMJb5PwQPuf6j6WIawiia_HDp-lfJcZE1HFQOfdhTaHVwJjq_hOPZ0khJcbCPWgLoSl1MJ93HniY2ZH01j4SzbybJivVwlJFaeYKQvU9h0KqPR3TLGq3NNrvhnedhP9Hj2ODrFp2eOmhBs82ILtKBQ2h5pTcw48dju9YXNT9qA0bQPWsJ7RPR_McG5gchJK-6gKI_rUo4d3j8FFmLd-hM3WtoeDDxC_oZAI43KmbBr3kik6rsuGxIc_6GQrjGMAERb4=w399-h708-no)
The rear one comes off of one of the TMIC mounts on the UIM, uses some carved up L-channel to come across and bolt to the intercooler, then it bends down and twists slightly to bolt to one of the studs/nuts that hold the throttle body inlet piece on. On this one, the aluminum had fatigued and broken from all the bending and adjustment, so I added a few small bolts to attach the two pieces.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/SdtpZ41MrAf2BrpuIdHBUp1HaEJIT49x4fGFYaj9riwWfvTXZBpXHGzLx8tTPnWF2wSmTYvAKQkKwT_P5CBY816MtI-pmHI5hdzWb03CHePzbLpt2TrbyFgHyyjfLbJtFxoN3KtuItkwqrLkJyc_H8dO58LX9tU-z7cCyDG93aVeG-jOKNtSrgRG-_uylZ43snIOXc7ZKSkDpqFYjWVbv13F3pLeqNZZnSOXiAsum4qsaPExv8C04szIuELSLpOqdQQO9dcistK-l4fPkMQxdH9qHqb88JaixF9NDZanydIjCMlHUq94WLXRKW-imV_dxOi_z745irFnubsx0_juZD_bQwHU76qfETugwgR2ZQgxZXVq_X7dkoGp_iX0cY-Qfvk9B6tyXqW4foDJnJzvk9iaelO27s_BDqgVZxnLUi6t8FP3L0Xta4dMpdF5YtZm-Tog6MzLwqJspZrH5Z2ssGyWcVtkHWOJHR4rodvB7kEV3asTtNXPMBxa_283vn409J7m_RwJauN3LjKPV5cGifb4I9bmCjw5fVUUeTZ4AqZhbUaiu0WvgroHWg47TRYHAJHk9pxTa2ejjmjGhZ66ph3I6E23DzwnwGx6oGE2tlTaW5E0ixyd3yXh8NLF6j2hhOalxY7pvVFIXZWKt8J1gLaHIgYDwQFv=w399-h708-no)
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Oh man this is awesome! I like how you kept the original shape too.
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The pump got mounted last night now too - not a huge thing but I have to keep chipping away at it.
The bracket itself is really just a piece of aluminum bar-stock with two tapped holes for the mounting bolts (they're threaded through from the backside and loc-tited up against the bar stock to act as studs), and two double-holes filed down to pass hose clamps through. I used some adhesive-backed felt and insulation foam for doors and windows between the hose clamps and the pump, and between the clamps, bracket, and the car to cut down on vibration and rubbing.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Hjua5MXGT2yIovD2FuF_fMmczqtMW1vdglqNURxQZ-HVNzTgrNhiCn3mDAXKRSZFnwH045oQpHbzEfZAP6YEAg4OqDty9tcCB018c1KmQZKAAqDk0MEYsXhdAmtsq5lLO6cEqe86UNhC-Y-q3I_ZJfq5Q2oecupcSaqQOoTN1Hc_KtZMDlDrLYpB5kP71-piHf0Y3yBz6er3n0Mob9ptIQNQKUvXEIRRMRCa4f_2OrQtXSwiGd7SkDelCuvCLE_Q99etumxnvq0hzZp9WgxYMxjIoFwUPHNy2UAOmgBFiT7s0m2TZfly3VEu0ghJyFpPfdeiq3nat4lG48qdK2MAJuyYVNEnDO-Ojp7D20u5QH_TD3Gjkgn-nTt4aNJgFhnQQRihifsQkt-BNlFwkhm23FFW6laCLimQI5x0hXbpKWKJQfQz_6cSykBk0wtdFYyHUTGUNvm2OqIXIUNUYN6PbBajr3s67_2mooDRoB3aXmyV9NCSjgoRoyVsUogosVg5E33JxxE-4kbtdV-i8c9mpz4X3qkU5bp9e1wTK1mG-N8Gqv61PkNhUQ-O3FPf9CGKkAbuvFc3a7Fas7v8yM1s099BOZiONhcUAfLZ4m7Ha5BxjJ4yOhfsB6L5lZdnJKQsL2ZGUH6Yf1kgJzIF0zzGadL8PirciL_O=w481-h854-no)
This lines up the outlet at the bottom of the heat exchanger nicely with the pump inlet at the lowest point of the system, and has the pump outlet shooting out between the two heat exchanger fittings to head back to the cooler.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xWoBkwL5yJsTfNvAcEwqI53axf9h3aXsFEFRXp6j7QeINr1b7eTjVLJhtU0toWX3DPdTkhLF84Rj5cEoIyphAkLi-bk1yXnu1At8MgKyZP9x3j1EDtJ8tAbZLmj5EWzNRJp9AmLCehbCfV_XvrQkS43jYZtsIduqrMAFn3YqwRR6KaDX4zNfFBbZ-WfPjw_ZFu6hmwm7_Ffvd7LUx4NVsbI8IuE0tlBs_QjeBsTyNy-_xGEl4Lfn8vOMqPqqbdNRpoDzTsZap40C3jqBqPD5W0c2hsPOmcNy3XOUu2pP8nKmFGFuotp7KeUTVtOV4fdVeFi-koKfx3HayZn0TqKXJ-0Mwys_gqbwuGIcXisrs-Mr0c_FU9y3cJJYhQwLLNTfnDsychMJQp_jhvBzLnj1JzOwFpdEXxMkp_4OBsxqq_Nh1sXN88mpz4t3MN1xex34EqdpbFdhaupKICYqm-ucSVzjx1oKZKy_R3sJeZTb3b2Ey8b8QE8lDPexSEOI0hveBTsGMlxAxMdOd2isvsIVRUuZOcx1taZ6F2OLsgkao6LMRp5OEy17YeYiK-kdM1A7C5Pt51Y7q6Ro1hCGaQ4Xvu863k_uy_0cYJzFSrVrOapqdFQv9jGe_q7v6yCKG0AZBFX05QKULRx3Wx_2Dxh5s9xDis_FzL8X=w481-h854-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bCNfz-l7zYmn5kQY44NbFWD8SnENKeArBccI52gL8exWYY7-uQCgKQ530zrglwPHJMpznXqbB-TGVK_poayjj2KWKbDT_gR8s_UKjgbdC2wQW9WVFAP6f0NwWJMIfJr0Fwn0z5OLHuQ6bY2AJyL14yqaJxjvDJlHI7w0ps5xhPMDSU5eCSo01SH6QaEDRiv2ATUkD6ZTUF7TAl-WLaCxKhJv_yikkp0tj0VrWJMJKkewsF0Yb7-BjIuzVQANv9TspKZCCD9HUHsMb8sYjPBSwO90pWo0xOjJeokh3dnVSd8TfmMWP22_P9ZIqnyhVPdMRf7VE_W8KpmOKrDIu7Xm1_MZ-FRTcgT1-FnpfvMiN1m5jqB55rCbhD2A2ZhUUynfKBdzOmM4savAGxGWiDP53ysB-Gzf5Gy3LeH3SgxrvxYrSLi6HqGJuSun0VAfpCAn8mzSnSUHURMzgoauPZc_TiFWpPExcivyRhMHKNt9hIkfY5I_sQbaP1szqsQEkWeCWBpXhprWbaM6bHsEDMP2mAGYstVrRuFe5ZoI-RcA1SkjrnMgM0nItjC3YwwAPnkiBy43EcV0XICWpgkcYf5VhdqOLoDB4gkxKgGIWoW5Dcnsz2I208levJeJjrMq56Kt2pKSrfcZsnrh5wRfFNDryPZ6t14m2lra=w481-h854-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/73gkkN7PFeXzKPnrk6IQjLk4UKy8e0gdyqrz-0GhHMqdIOnn4N9_NQxYNnmjHyITp10HOxAUIb-AhkQQfyFk1PUUCGaj3AcGx-eiYZ-KFjjHQHOsftSXBoRIJmyZY8NAe_iG5B1KoThmv28rIGxtKtZtVzfs0TeO2s0yUx444Orwkxv0IOVT0mshtz01k1B9L25JuMahXCcz25Tqjzh7ldTQWuJwqX4efRVyKmchQ2p4sTKLo7ol5TSDLsXAD9reNOmw35MEQjdxNx_XjqzaPiV8hyD5j_kj47TsKpWRUjS-p3A35_L_jZMPN7tnL8pOMRO2p92XHIvLaIHdRSu1fD4-zXSBT4FDtIxPTxyEaxMvNLxS_dKp8Zjyk8WYh1VQNvv9MLEeAHtFhH7On46LbRf5RrR6xRmIRxbfGDhOQrbA6uHmhlslUDG7Dk8VLFT04bVG33atfBIjgyQARuaBjUWP3WwoSHvHSCRPVFFD0h6fjmtlLtSwZIatixue8QVITUZp23iP5rCPFbM-BoWtgkqczp9J-_QawirFacnGKirgCTRaj512OwnsVs91B-Z5nZb1yvPe7uy6vNXovYoVK2H_0c7KdpFfdsFm3TdMzRmb7PQcAv2wRC6uKX-0B40A_5Jy7RINNz_Go-S5B51LEqcYdS123i2O=w481-h854-no)
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That pump right there ^^^ was the cause of a few headaches yesterday. I got the system plumbed and everything connected last night and... it wouldn't push any water. After confirming this by having it suck out of a gallon jug, through the intercooler and heat exchanger, and pour into a bucket, there was no flow. Even when I unbolted it, put longer hoses on to allow it to hang down below the car it only pushed a trickle out - maybe a gallon a minute at the rate it was draining the bucket, nowhere near the 500 gallons/hr (~8.3 gal/min) it is advertised as having. Looking through the spec sheet further, it does say that the flow drops off to about 340 gal/hr (5.7 gal/min) at 3 1/2 feet of water (i'm assuming thats pump head pressure), but when doing my research I figured that would be fine since there is less than that total difference in where the components are mounted in the engine bay. Whelp, I guess I didn't account for the flow losses through the intercooler and heat exchanger or something too, because the actual flow rate was pretty pathetic. Turns out that 3 1/2 feet of water is only about 1.5 psi, which means that on the chart below, this pump's flow rate drops like a rock in comparison to most of the pumps specifically designed to be used as automotive intercooler or waterpumps. (8.3 gal/min @ 0 psi to 5.7 gal/min @ 1.5 psi) If its flow curve looks anything like the other ones on that chart, and it likely does since it is still a centrifugal pump, it is all out of flow by 3 psi.
(http://www.lingenfelter.com/forum_lingenfelter/filedata/fetch?id=4458&d=1460606613)
So, instead I bought one of the Bosch CTS-V pumps - these are pretty well known and have been around for many years now in other applications like as coolant pumps, intercooler pump for the supercharged Mustang Cobra from the 2000s, etc. If it can flow enough coolant for those engines, it should be able to handle my needs since I'm nowhere near those power levels.
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Just to drive the point home and compare a couple other Bosch part numbers that I came up with, here is that flow vs pressure plot again with a few dashed lines overlaid.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gBmcbDliq3WKZN1_4L4-WogG8nD0GfSUuqAUhekIZnVlJFv26UvOfGoNnYsjp9XCuFerGjfo4GM5rhyndSHS-73v9Cw35oVgoEw90fduxdkLHi3rylQXIxFN18oo4jTMweueUfPQTGNNnKTUhkpNvNfhNXjUBgW_RAUy9o_UtvBA8fRfczTGTKpJLvFs8oSsxm2MnoFf7gl6jp_it6bzMjPMRDCT_89uri1fIPIOIlSpwcP8yZMVeOz8zKL0GfEYBG0GSV8K55pmyI-yBidG3ItPCFldLAtAn1qQGnB5xGkALXZE6bsr5KS36cJh20C3reXsvLGmmKxYhXlVUbyUw5nAnz4R25yK8taEgv87tuibQtC06lrk2vn2gzxaQyuetnqd8v39PfuDRe7bU2rFGz8HifLih0P5vDlGUdUHkfO2freu5DoXMEwfy-hy-YaLxLfdU4JAajJp843ApJcOk4r3yT5sJOo_99bLlJs82bJ0mz4vi7D9e4CoH1al0_B1QpjWvTnNLO85J3b-3skUptzFKvrs-cfxiZdmBccxcI-1WopzXOzm3_epTsi3sEtKFdCinq-spww5r8QIoq8Go3pm8oQLgS3T_yWkTUI=w881-h653-no)
All the dotted lines are based on measured flow numbers from RULE or Bosch for their pumps - they are both 12V pumps, but I don't know whether these tests were done at 12V, 13.5V, or what. Anyhow, the RULE bait-pump looks pretty terrible despite claiming 500 gallons/hr, which it can only do with no pressure. Add some pressure and it drops like a rock. As far as I can tell, the Bosch 0 392 022 002 (http://www.siliconeintakes.com/images/product/BOSCH-0392022002.pdf) pump is the Cobra/CTS-V intercooler pump, and the flow curves line up pretty nicely between Lingenfelter's testing and the spec sheet. One other pump I stumbled across that had higher flow/pressure capability was the Bosch 0 392 024 058 (http://www.bosch-ibusiness.com/boaawapuocs/category/PCE/360/product/878). Its a 3-wire design with a +, -, and then one labelled "S"... is it PWM-speed controlled? I don't really know, but it looks very capable based on the specs.
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After the last troubles with the pump, I went back and looked closely at all of the potential problems with the coolant loop - anything that could hinder flow or cause the pump flow to stall. Basically, this came down to hard turns that could kink the hose, places that air could get trapped, and making sure that the pump was as low in the system as possible so that it always would be getting fed water since it cannot create any suction.
The first one was simple - basically just looking at the hose runs and adjusting things and adding brackets or tie-downs as necessary.
The second - removing all air when filling - was a bit more complicated. Its possible to get a vacuum pump to suck all the air out, then pull water or coolant into the system, but knowing how likely it is that I may need to add water or disconnect things for tweaking etc, I decided to try to go a different route and not require a special vacuum pump to fill things. This meant that I needed to put air purge valves at all the local high spots to allow me to force out all the air when filling normally, which I could then close once they started showing water trickling out. The two biggest local maxima were in the top of the heat exchanger under the radiator support, and in the top of the intercooler itself since the fittings attached in the center of each of these. A look through mcmaster turned up these very nice, low-profile purge valves meant for radiators, but they would work great for my purposes since they are resistant to corrosion, pressure, and require you to manually open a valve (as opposed to many which require pushing a button, which I could easily see doing accidentally, or see it opening due to vibration). Its a very small thing, and just requires an 1.8" NPT thread be tapped or welded into where-ever it is to be installed.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Br3PGmz0A4Z3DxWKM-WR4bO1h-9cC5sRholzPK_OJMAc7peCkyF2zZ0oDBAVcKypJ6QpKqdwi4T9v06IjvagFj_BzACfIlf52GDNz6dB9NaHCeWVFDa6iG4U-WQpYI2PF_PtggwSyy1_wo5GSy9V4N6eGnjOQ5S0nGhMstdh92ZBRaZE68phfFY4lLnSAdaKawiGpnhm9Oetbiw4CTRwRFq4KvUGJ4K9GjBneUNgogk08ik8XmQOB7cqOqeYXHaXmmakGtlR5N8YmaW-wUu4X0EgvFzksM76CF9wycmUEh2zHgUTto0DSWJ_bJUTpYRqH5rkbRazEDL23VrOFkSXvB4sx0UIWNFinRvEdlH2isXUob3LDoEkpKk5wt9FYCktVcY8QCY1zr-Y4MUdFOkCh8e4eaxqCes7Dql1tdu2SslNZiFuUSeeAl-232A806ywyWU6DnjrK1X21dko53uR2Ao3k16Xv9wD7UvKcNsva6CRu5PJ3msrM4tHKuCNsH2AJyaEEfD5Q6e9MV2Lk_vqgAQY-wfLHO1vIAShYhUyQsuuvIoXBJVdA6nuNAyIfKASDe7rHnBFatkRD_rYjeXkfXitK9WwzYMBB6-7__a3a4Q0fMO963roylolIcEi9kbuKxOfm3Dyf0RjdhMtDJMojhDOXCIpYVgx=w1280-h720-no)
I had thought that I would need an Al bung welded on the top of the heat exchanger to thread this in, but when I went to drill the hole that the bung would sit in, the end plate was thick enough for 7-8 threads, completely sufficient to thread the purge valve into.
These require a special square key to open and close, but due to the position under the radiator support, the supplied key was too short so another had to be made. Fortunately, an old piece of brake tubing was just about the right circumference, and I could bend it over the square end of a thread tap to make an adequate tool. A bit of drilling through the top of the radiator support, and now there is access to the top of the valve!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FJH2o1eybJYHSd9OOQ8kzeClORysmawRdf0CXMbY0ZAxGhfAPCzMQ8hu3re6gHrCDNa_-iPfeSbQW-UoGp60v8gZ_WYKoFt6A-uh1m3eVaY9jm1ayzitbTCAshGYKlZncOd4QV2SP4xIysvpRiDHfgZyjnW-LyZcbp7ElLDwxO-uzOuYKjUJmDq1wzdnIFZAn61SM9ra_mk6Y6XlPMxIbs6YlgY0MWPhnbPc3XDQaB8jfHeC8L7a8cm-KjB91BqhYSfNH-iNWy3TX3NQ82bceP5CCps5SP0Fk5CcX1SHMug22TyoMvkFhC1T81_vvo_3rhJTVk-MGBcQLO0P1Q2qP0pATWazgAapawLJt7vyi2CHBVaFUwx-YwBfu6d7n10HLvFwT3EEfWwrSBvsnsqgG4zCThLxnA6Ounc-hlN5rcvpXdEByhpgVR6dZdZKK1BA7xJEI0QnhUDpLckG_7ELbfEtjosCXD0zeUxoVlz8Q60PO1eNOuFTkgXRimQ_DTWM-_WyrwfBXqvgw1yaCw_Dky1b5e2pwhvf5wxISt9elTOyCPAsQA1Ki-rp-07CETjQfBy3DxPpx-mQOEjKjJInRcFXIGzSgyz0cenHvrE4DVAlPbr1ngZhOaXm4wUsisAtyXlZK81y1tnXM-8KBXFLx1f9yy6fWbQ1=w1280-h720-no)
The same valve was installed in the upper-most corner of the intercooler as well to get as much air as possible out with a regular gravity-fill.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/PB_BgR3n3_Swio30YS-uvD3JIiU2Kn_a-tsqfyxlrmu8wVJ1h-QCH9PWUxcGwdbT4-v5uUY9noTDIYRbWXc2CMkDYAYpMrYjs2fvFCd0XUTRjQdXtt92t6bruPXcRbM0WIEToUdq6X7FLcW53E3_U0XeyYxGDcnVJCwLjAnJGfjnNcrFs9TgrGf_EOijlH-0IuFH-_1O8L4LsYJFvWH9-VDGPHRzNu6DRIXtHSOtzT3Ic4KOfGcBlYV64YXCht48n8ArJmY9XE-biWIMYOXl3IpLIR9jyr9dmNb7XqttEMQSLVY6T66Devt4BJOkyPCtGKNyCwtUSuh16aMmVNJZfCqw6gZXjS1uwxbGqW0l0sg3z-UA-YlKlGLV5A98Aw6snKSi0A4sABMkNciG76s6RFMkLkZ_MQVmfGTiIW9Uli7jr0GE-2qhWsBxB1xrU8_EKY9as30DZYMvs7pMn86bu4xnUC9P3_xr9pB5sJhxcB7_J3Ghi6wvAW6oYBnTae_Tbd52NpmaZt03OFHMibFkQQb7-tVeZQ1bOa6DaXM3edezi58-8zooILJzkf5IlJVBhWIayZ-EUNfqjVKBo6sgmkDogbwKHBfEWdHIm32S8DDejlHwSd5HI-DbtgEiB6qDijAWo7j7bklGTMUUW_txBToHjxtzUjjV=w1280-h720-no)
This meant that the hoses could be routed under the OEM battery location, since I don't really want to tackle the project of moving the battery - I have enough wiring ahead of me before I can drive Savannah again!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ndEoTOHnBgKD4f1ZaChUFDZtiFoiaP1R7BDodgfARVzMjTkQ72Rxr1VA7_6zDmq-U_-FoAbINYAxQW8VQRL0BMaiySNh3WlJ6ieMhFmcTaW6NVXNs55x_6f4GObAGIz9nZ_Pxt1ldc9xftb0_5ZZLB1IILRXrBmDqjS56afGHEiIhl_PVtskPfCt8r1cPWE21Yk9QBE_2S8ns9u-jQNawrZwfKCTXzy15lT4wMHkooNxYa9EE7_C0XbomO9vkPas8NRg3DNGnxvRJwfXnL9iwXoRuCB8rwL40EUB2CQWYM6Cj0SJll193LYiGN9kr0XdDcsJKWJ6MUYyIvKsDhms5TZeSpKTct65H7sq2GGx4SZbyYg76xpSwkCv93BUo3jHE7BSm8eelwpwE0trXrWHrzOdSHO-2b7bQQVYqVJ0WnZv3GU77LQJ_KEfBamMraoNsxYZnE0pvCmAtkv2ZDmdirqgTmOIXDg1WYMNMXGXI4y3muGOLNTQJV2XGxEi90Ce1DsZOwkcV1_V5P1GO4lSM3zLrrME4uACP07n7VsIes6qwzqga3MpI-gZQghxpSv5DOhiEmQRmt7HZ55lXR1ZE6a4Y70QdS_wIN64_km2ZZIkIJqQGoQ3CeNhIuc-6t2x_iRPe-w2Ri9Cb1UoEObk2JqSAFn7MDUI=w1280-h720-no)
The last piece of the puzzle is dropping the Bosch pump a little lower, putting it below the bumper bar off on the side of the air channel heading to the radiator and other heat exchangers. This way it is always pulling water from the oversized IC heat exchanger, and will always be pushing fluid since all the air is out of the system. Some quick testing shows that it seems to be flowing a lot more than previously - I'll need to run the hoses back into the milk jug and bucket to get an estimate, but it seems to be a substantial improvement.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ujRyaEUkB37A-tuwPTrs5MGu26lAFMR8vzn0vcFISmiMviifffzpl-vv-PE-lCt_gFhcoL14V0YP7Ww6ZCmYPkuTp4lZbtUsu844Zzw5ra6s1wZUC73FkSVIpE8C-glFbet6BVHw4gSVzAN5n0fcmyIEhdpP2tpz4saBbaxQ0ayk7LFB3YxA3MR53XDNzZacV31hpkTR6vNH6Ka38MbreJiAOyX7TeNeOP_Y4pgxEBTfDuM6K7kEEsLNYnlgLurVqTAHo7f2hSA7Uk07VweiRz6MZDga4Cc2EDriEFItzkdr5zTyFcP1jeWuorHrK8BolBHDjp798KkC5S0qIJL43OWqVQO009OIc4P3PDqifwhV_sSkGxvEfFAIy2XCJoMLM_2HGQne5VQpaTtkJ9BJibTJv8-h_F6U8TO2ZEoVwM1y5L3IsA0ellMrVBwTm6Rgke0Pcz4JDWJ6bR-9KC71olS8giXVdeqvjdegTQcjo7YG0OLCYdycYNvm-b4TSg7kVVmOIIIdlKVZTapsDOgiL_WeN1kpB5npiiMWxptro7K2aPayUfrjwW7awtL4ylRot0kjatSWka-yrSZN9T-yZfDquQCnpVl5MWBKX2RAnuqCafhJQTlEfCcKP0wCXkJ0v0HatHdycudHg38rI8ZHOXBogq1eDdCl=w1280-h720-no)
Also, looking back through this, I'll need to get some pictures of the bracket I made to hold the fill cap, and where that is mounted too.
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I've been slowly plugging away at the various things left to do - reinstalled the radiator & hoses, filled up the radiator & IC system with water & coolant mix, minor plumbing things like running the overflow hoses, attaching a vacuum/pressure source pre-throttle to draw the idle-control air from, etc.
The biggest thing has actually been taking all those circuit diagrams and turning them into reality. At this point, the power-relay side of things is done, with the relays from the Lexus spliced in and hooked up so that they trigger correctly when each signal wire is grounded. I haven't run the engine long enough to see whether the thermo-switch is working as-intended, but it tested fine in a pot of boiling water, so I don't see why it wouldn't.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/SHrXcbWoa9UHBZ4wLOi6MNdLIGIom1FrcMOSKBQvrEMnJul6G12JV3rDU_AwUvf_TObj3dHpFWNge-DLHG0i9YdtLsbbQ5cLzLT7ydWWNP7_oFifVhono88Va_Oxa_EF-reS1gYUKcLg_YeqeYh4euVG9HKQS80n3LVwOrGZQk2GoJy2DIfxBkav5CKn5EjS4lBnMTnCF1KEFsg5Jzeg44O00D3rIxNQ3Bj367hygstVjR4y26UIhGp-s4KCtStL2b0CkBsqKty54ePQoWwKjN2ttVD0nPBtB46jwBjZnmyNh1ohD7MBnBcU5DGUU3rP2sFRAVTzdJ9xdfZ4CrEpvXFp_ZQexi4E2x4Cp5INpZ7D-al2o3y3Ys3Jsr_AFGhPGYPmLvcCCE28wQbxAGm4shlDIAMorU3U0fGtrjmbg0cLhpCmn_D0AHZWhcpcFo6r69Ee6hNmXhbbrgYr1quMSh36ixeKUpu0kB5UTvOjF0tqOvMch6ejyqRnSdNZ05l3YERRjZNCve0bnPGQvQXac_Qcuq2Cqy3w5GA6k5_I-1-ROHlHnjwWlocLUehonjXuATxad9rbBWnVMn5Mbu6koWewJE4uHRpRlFPf5Nmnupzig0AmN1xzTdpC2EmWiPB1vBsOdKrOvXZDG3vRxkQg-LNB49ceYkAC=w905-h509-no)
The biggest things left to do are:
- Update MS to a later version of code with CAN support
- Reinstall & confirm its working, set static timing with timing light
- Confirm Arduino controller is reading CAN signals correctly
- Package controller, screen, CAN module & 5V regulator in idiot light cluster
- If there is room, put the switching transistors in cluster, otherwise put them down with the manual switches and control knob in ash tray
- Finish gauge wiring
- Plastic block-off panels for holes around IC heat exchanger
- Reinstall underbody brace, wheels, bumper, hood (may need to trim one of the braces)
- Typical shake-down & new engine build break-in driving
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Update MS to a later version of code with CAN supportReinstall & confirm its working, set static timing with timing light- Confirm Arduino controller is reading CAN signals correctly
- Package controller, screen, CAN module & 5V regulator in idiot light cluster
- If there is room, put the switching transistors in cluster, otherwise put them down with the manual switches and control knob in ash tray
- Finish gauge wiring
- Sort the battery mounting - I'd like to use the stock mount but will probably need to run the IC water hoses slightly differently
- Plastic block-off panels for holes around IC heat exchanger
- Reinstall underbody brace, wheels, bumper, hood (may need to trim one of the braces)
- Typical shake-down & new engine build break-in driving
Rather painless updating the MS, but there have been a few changes to different settings since I last updated the firmware that may change the way it runs, so a little bit of tuning may be in order again.
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I'm surprised that updating the software is enough to trigger the need for a re-cal.
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It shouldn't be much of a re-cal, but there were some changes to the way the closed-loop idle control is done, so I anticipate having to go in and do some tweaking there to get a more steady idle without having it hunt around too much - this was where I spent an inordinate amount of time before, getting the balance just right between having the proper "valley" in the fuel map that would allow the idle air controller (using the BAC) to respond well and catch the idle under all sorts of conditions.
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A lot of progress was made over this past weekend, although it doesn't look like much in context of this list...
Update MS to a later version of code with CAN supportReinstall & confirm its working, set static timing with timing lightConfirm Arduino controller is reading CAN signals correctlyPackage controller, screen, CAN module & 5V regulator in idiot light clusterIf there is room, put the switching transistors in cluster, otherwise put them down with the manual switches and control knob in ash tray- Finish gauge wiring
- Sort the battery mounting - I'd like to use the stock mount but will probably need to run the IC water hoses slightly differently
- Plastic block-off panels for holes around IC heat exchanger
- Reinstall underbody brace, wheels, bumper, hood (may need to trim one of the hood braces)
- Typical shake-down & new engine build break-in driving
The first big step was getting CAN communications working between the Megasquirt & Teensy 3.2 controller using a Waveshare CAN transceiver, based on this project (http://www.buildpics.org/megasquirt-can-based-display/). For a while, I was getting no communication whatsoever... dead silence on the line. It turns out that all the coding & wiring I had done was correct, but the library of CAN commands that it was referencing was out-of-date and while all the commands themselves were there, the order that arguments were passed to them had changed, which meant that my code was initializing to the wrong speed and looking through a filter which removed all the MS's messages. A lot of troubleshooting later, and everything was working as intended. Since that was the last bit of the project that was un-tested, I could start the miniaturization process to try to fit two breadboards worth of prototyping stuff into the warning light cluster.
First was the display - I had already done some minor filing of the edges to make it short enough to fit, but it was still as large as physically possible while still fitting where the clock had been, so everything else needed to fit within it's footprint behind it. Everything else consisted of:
- Teensy 3.2 controller
- Waveshare CAN tranciever
- 5V voltage regulator
- 3 TIP120 NPN power transistors (the Lexus relays were drawing too much current for the much smaller 2N3906 transistors to comfortably handle? - they were rated for 200mA but did not work in practice)
- Various resistors & capacitors for setting screen contrast, thermistor input ranges, output current limiting for the TIP120 transistors
- Wiring connections for stranded-wires to run to external harnesses for the control knob, outputs, inputs, power & ground, etc
So... lots to pack in. I started with a general Radioshack IC prototyping board that I had laying around since it was laid out with two "lines" running the length of the board for regulated 5V and ground, as well as pads coming outward with 3 holes for each pin of the Teensy controller chip. It also had a row of 2-hole pads along the top and bottom which would be useful for the header to attach the screen. However, this board needed to be trimmed down a bit to fit within the cluster and behind the extents of the screen - this is it shortly after starting after soldering down the connections for the screen along the top (power, ground, various data lines, back-light LED colors, etc), then the voltage regulator on the right side, one of the TIP120 transistors on the left, the screw-connections from the CAN transceiver board on the lower left (the board itself is mounted underneath this proto board), and a bunch of resistors over capacitors for the inputs in the lower right. The second transistor would be going directly to the right of the first transistor, but wasn't soldered down yet to give better access for soldering more components.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/PZyhDQxYnghzc9xLD-Y2F0McK5bWMyTSkVOLb07UT7TqZV25IUlTv24IOjWJDNsvlEramzUBe98RK2FpMlPFNfdtiUzEw609n2qJCDFI-hT729To7X5eChSrg5ztZzFdMF30cYcl898K9sPg6Rr2c0T5Hwhj9e6Efn9kZzQUDw4Jj9idjwChVTwBs_7PrrkngAqyIBhws-wI8Mdg_FDOfbGndSxnMsLGwtdsNrHTpnWm0PTFRyNExX2_FXT7Ecdns__DkSzYPCmbcTPoUtnJ0Bomw28SzceTEp-_LyyyHz8SiuKSLFJKkog72JPCV3Kwpd0spiR49y3NQlF9-zexzT3WJ7H1WqDgR1zmZQfG7yM3xGP8hAr29z5qDYeoqEZs_GrRhWQPBENlq1itESXQsljpYPeeNTVlItswU_dHKeQOLpVbLgQzZcjgs2xsy5eXOt51T2KogIZcjVeJTM_SKXa3HankuMyO1Bl8kzp7nBbAqAz9-FRtnVCzcM_vqBiYQIvM7UXk9tY7V1BEVj29EidbR-agOuNafYzzucCPyh9w4p1c9gviEzVkVaPvSLxaYlyfhhIf4mSGkJvfuIuqUbXCvlLKvAiSOd_cKPO5ShUecUslNnT1wpOIKafVCUG9uvmbAtJj5VtICNadsobA-UqSF6Lni8ha=w896-h506-no)
The third transistor is on the back-side of the proto board, as is the Teensy controller itself and the Waveshare CAN transceiver. The Teensy was on the back so that I could solder on the opposite side of the board directly on the copper pads so I would have decent access since it would be mounted with a set of headers (so the controller can be removed without soldering), and to keep it out-of-the-way from most of the other soldering. Here it is just stuck in place for reference without the headers. The height of and access to the screw-terminals and size of the CAN transceiver dictated that it be on the back as well, and I just ran out of room on the front for the last of the transistors. The three wires here are the outputs to the relays for fan speed and IC water pump. This really highlights how much forethought really needed to go into placing all the components and trying to ensure access to get everything soldered down.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3FIVNDNdL9-SL-dPQC2y7r0kFWcfG4NyQQpnuRYujfLVkwd-6t1WAks-YuK6mmQ3_J9BHw9BpA7oBybkJvTQZykFYsgz-EF5-EjjGeOYLfNksfWG1Yj0JWovaycV1IjiCkRYIbIH6HnGLOKWbfFnRyRqtk9WqJEyIKG4oApZDWRFkwdDwpXFNYvfYq7P6R_NuNlGj6hBjbhD_60La4nF8411N18ob-VTgptdE-mKqJoUeaDpUDoBWycS8g4YQWIa6X7X7UiPW6_lTen7oyWkXfih1_9u9ZRobvhe360teuQAUHyLpJaQTtynU_5qq9Ocx_y5sJKFd-jI7EHfXPf6TnZCi0LRqrh2_Svq1hdTvm-IDbgR9O1UVaB7ZBU1aKiTBl9cEyXcv3YK7easDCEK_1gIaTzHiEHvCZSi7ykAKuBdjk1NQmlllJlUp5LaUOTjQpVJGilVH2PQzIcJGEJ2dttnNdgDFAvHLkaUv4ZaYnvROqgSjujlITev4xm_WlV0wDTgGb9OknIswuMtI-RS4q1ZU8ZvRNfA1qxLrBHFYX1en5dhQ68Q5xxL4HGSqKgR2z2CO-eLclYAIUXYzM6sjDA0z5OZeQ_ph2SbfHq5UEOwbiC9oHTGCGN8kNIO-2fAeL-98UB6HMCNobtOgdcmOhU3i_TuA33B=w983-h506-no)
And the side view, without the headers for the Teensy controller or the screen in place. The screen would go on the bottom of this stack the way I'm holding it, and the Teensy would be lower than it is currently positioned with the headers. The micro-usb programming cable is currently attached and sticking off to the left - I want to keep this accessible for programming, but it won't be installed with this in place.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/y-DEKDbqGaSvHA7syns2hRzjxl_IWTdplvetNJ4MNqN3bNVMWL0wvFtjH0sum_e_-KVEmysErdEZtNDRod6mEPvaWZKspUfOJRoiAqcqYPwIaRcFQLTphn-YzGVv0f8oaCUf0mWgyahIX9rN52fm2uw3lM7QzACQ0AzPqU8B7x2cl_IH0LCfgGixuKd87wWHdwG4NX459JYVy6a7cG0noU1WaKsmZeQPf4m8GCY5__nMI7rr9ZcOFHBvJLWttjPiUsnsA8jQ6DBbPRMUFjOOq33BWMOT0oqsXFwx9fNVFkPiUapQc8Rtj8aEAJQyFQiRClpN-s6PluS13kjrRskV1-xZZlUzopiFDVs9dCZEYyEl2QA7NI-V6R3s1mK6ugtkDm1eHbmbEthkrdJmYyTTsmS1YUTAL70uKA7EuToOYH2Aw1356eF30S4E0r3bqzX38cVMGZrrH-pyOr_dJxLRUz4R-DWgNgXSFYlLlRdPu8e9DDtE3TcMHCq4Tr2XTVUZ-OMQw_6VBb0oh8-LDpHSzt_1apJK9TsujLCBymFMtYl5oOv9a0CxNsBNTtLBjd2LmohpxwBoM6ewSBZtHw_2j4_D1CyUJ_JEigkKWmzN7FYAtlgqrB_dkG9e1vKHt9rgDSYh66n7RkGCVnDGUsvbB3e9B0ngKEBk=w1296-h452-no)
In these pictures its a bit further along - the headers are installed (I had to trim down the ones for the Teensy so it would sit comfortably between the screen and the prototype board), the screen is on and trimmed a bit, and the proto board is more complete. Filtered power from the cluster has been wired to it, but sensor input wiring and control knob wiring hasn't been attached. Also, you can see the power filtering circuitry to give a more steady 12V and switched 12V for the gauges and this project, now reconfigured and wedged into the spot for the left-most lights. The convertible doesn't have a hatch warning light, so these were empty already; I just had to hollow out the area to wedge these components into.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8SU0879Ny9frlNIsfDR3UxdXdx4JZh9YItB_mbQsYXx1zbQNpa8Q5mGaA8_5IcQZ9bkCsET1Ub42N87sp-cqNmpxKcO6nFJMedlPGNvzaj9nGTpRI8LTMlIgwA7pOVwMIHlft8D2qWqJsR6lIxy-Dnp9Nb9g1o4BTefvoRzIGG29pGFsx4OFf7nffP-2U1Quna0pkqm3KY3rw3HH-9NIqUktgTKtAIMvG9vu9dzl3ZritBudFWWHThOMzvZltXXC9rn2sGSa1y8fnH6HD6y-NaHnYjp62MeTz9kdsd_8QB6tO5b58DSummauVZ0kzuoc8kT5j8s2SE-4-A4AlR7yfbPurjKdkrYoMAF3KNxicHN4NGxrljcRSS9jBdgOUFzCxqjny552khLNyV5rFU2SVLgFJvo3uMjjHqBP7hq1xzmto-5uIOqQH0xCTkRMia6L-Nwr40fVAkCQYgrbaBUTWWQfAMdZR_7QZmOeiWFu08X7Z1f1TWmDlaERseiPjMw3teIvb4cDHxqKvxdY5JEoD-9xBAViVlgb_atYg34CICfueMeDOLFsHji3i5HphClmVZO63FBkVY_qmW9lngVENu2agJ3gubWKiWoAPHbCPC8mIHwsCnW-ziTIFIDxBJxCbF-X4S3yozos_5xV2XYMx_N6E8z9isvJ=w1296-h473-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vu8L7OajpqQ-HGkbIvEiTscjiapUm4xCYbkZBpIuYxNiwrIEF5hYGPPQ3B1p5txw2PAXhsBslhA93psIPXT1QdAn08a93LOAPHN1DsWt9H0uhoLVl-IwToGjRkEHen6Q1Qy8Q_AGvhp2-XsNn_rB6Fr-S5lz1vH718dgoN_fYvX4Va0sEMi3mcFYcc208sQ0N3J-OV_RatQeprUg22alK6sZSFfHFdVn990GmNJMcxKmRIp_Aqrk9XwaDQhyovVPJUTXORuJrB1OYKzxgQH57iNWnFTVpQDCovpMn-x2TUfrimZus9D8WYt3ELba0h0p_D8zaSF1YkZYQjd41ooMWpG5I2GSd6UUOwz1GhGQ_A_VfOguiJDdXC5Rr4UTNeY4id-rcOR3br10NaKsKCKDceraroU5fXFQGBQxuMiIRmN9gqhC8Y8pnx3DpGkg20-uKMbvhk0cnojgzuSy8h0pNDKR95Yjj6sumfgBMjBnWOZiGsdgtxn_YQFjuQO2tT9gYA7BpWzUoLAHVfEgiVyhCm38ZnkSBwI9u3uY_AXpi9DnGjOZdIblI81q6kJqoii9lIxD-MajcFI0wXA6ea6g1UqzeA57THrDpuIPydl4mTB321THXwdZqmIvnVZksA2eJuwYqxKAaMqd3pFZ477uo-jxKFR-p9Tl=w847-h507-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a7erL3cuT510Ns5SveCGjApl60WhvYsZ7EX2_Y9gjAor8u9_w58UE3AgHwSNzkns8luG1ElJJlj4xSzi0QVlhThjbjZxdo41fAFO8qoEzhhu14tlR0QqKOgzjb8zyGxIPjf6r08Ggos6t85QbXmrMEz-VZXbYDAoDK7QOuHVKCYfKj62EdrwKq-IHCh-JO5LxEwnWjIRs40OM7DFi86Y-GkR-9kNclwUB4G7JghYZYHA0P3YScYO1nSZ7y8eV0x61ozSkVGY7LLV46g3SMbO624CYPEwdT-cU8i9SBC-64WmVC6e0byo_168f-kDu9b7IuUA0tHGJbKe5xJB2SogDoBRsy4hz9VW4gACpPLmaf9RswO7JnGDoI_TpIIwwN8beZDdHrRw677Buus4dCmqXkPeT84kHo1MWUriVj1U7tSig4CxhDyFJ1yAUO0IG4FfUrWhpSrjA23ob03VApNfAjfsc_mhnA9ffh9fdsScmfoiLo5ctOkXo4REfNdT4mHE-3ZrtTpax8VUYvzTuTvTjHlRpSEhtLGTzd6hRTq-OwSJp1KOZcG3RLIILQkDNSHz4FIXkwuzW0xhyOVmJoPOt0oJQsyMZtwpIdevdlEPIb0sQO03yJyty2lBqjuLjofN2rBTxbWjYUWeLL7DuMP05gH5XFYFZFXW=w894-h506-no)
Since the rotary control knob & button combo that I am using to control the screen couldn't be mounted up next to it (no space, plus I don't want to be reaching all the way up there for it!), I needed to find a new place to put it. The ashtray seemed like a good candidate, especially since it gets to hot to stick a phone in anyway. Since I would be taking up that space, I decided to throw a few manual switches for the outputs in there, and some LEDs to show if it was on (whether by the manual switch, the controller output, or the thermoswitch for the fan speeds)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/XpSH0gfhx-OLqIEqHjgHQjjTjSGHnsMcVvPl_mkWO_tIOnvq84AR9AAeUKIumsqvRymvL5D19dkzLQHbZfiZjoncSDGoZYGNNuYjIXbvxrTVkMifbrwIVTwESBXqGkkpC65BXM5mMkTrdmrvVOgv3dye4acjRY89N1w5rAOhHWbSLBO_0V9eUdDP1_NOElEP1X9ha9oiSdVydVDnNIS7mFzNHkeNwrsF1OuftxzYalW3Hh1PsJ57AsYBxnNDM2rXcwGOXeBZDE_yhY7-iiR6GGkNthZPTn6oOP05Pc793JT10hLfGFqIeWpRZmTbrduvbTIsc7p-ZU3LVqmpoxHc83rs62ll44-Lejsz82qLl0FTpd9qxgW9bWypXtmZppYXTR3ErDL3mTyVeXpCZ-o70lEeG0ZkyhpyxBy1B1n17pfavz9U41zRGcPmsI9GwPc11NIIKEoaTSLw-ih62ydMvL1OjYsggdUJr3LS_k8nzNz1GPrvaKm-kSgUGIsEOttfeXKyn1jetdwSPPryFgiu8ka_OhtYtvvagxOcOXeqhOVv7FcpNmb7-wVaZ8FSrWyHzO9lxiOwtKd3wb0WmX2ZmUqa-BIOUOCYXI0OUSaNCZTNxvrjyWQqpZFtMD6IWE_-GO21IBAQS6XqPZmT6zS16R1IS1YNj6P-=w938-h506-no)
And now, with the proto-board finished, and all the various wires added. I still need to carefully consider how these are all going to be routed out, since they bulk up the entire package a little bit more and prevent it from sitting nicely.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/PXJZ-SIPsMsF9tEz6K7JZpdZbt-csu036wU0IZrAPH2bWk3ztixZVEGGplPmcKfWmGGDHgkaOIPs8zQWsUWijyVTMsE8B04PyZ-Dp7IJ5awYDfBjObv3bd-NpkxalNl6Zt_slKLQzFHS4O--WThfBOQ4saVBgspYSaMZQ8DQyHln9zzvrMaoOLUXSTfsaZw-c63rfgcnHSl7mLv6ua7-oOG_X0ZVHs_HM9cMhgItWAg5txplvNMI-sYODG26BoLwtoEOAJcdWSww1i3ki1ELCWEZev7ZqVOJL2URS9LbF7r0VIkjuaKzgzOjdlcR5K8dnSv7BbUIOv8VAb6QqVJxwAhYbmyzP74i7nUuRYYbaSzejneFavjZVvufmfdimEx0uXCshj5EJqk-pvrl8OFVlKki03quBr0jtA5kAZSAPZBvEK1tPI_9B92IrRz5ua1yZG97QR1XCjLgDv19Skd34ci3P9zdDUXB-oYLYQpovHjFi8rauUjyw55sC7giJR69-SoI6uQA3t_jxdfD-oRNXwy0gJpg5UxBnHRoJxb5_azP7GaXRAmbu8R_OtkiclMzbesRkpuioy3PvzI9kTOva-Qxf59Xqrea6sUUN7WqUPme1i3Fkx9nKZ7ZQtKgll8qAeyB-AxcGjIgPltIESTh6UKVFcV4tDe-=w938-h506-no)
The switch still needs to be mounted in there with a cover panel, but all the connectors fit through the existing hole in the side. It will also have the calibrate & status LED for the LC-1 wideband controller mounted on that panel.
Here it is, powered up on the bench. The inputs and outputs aren't connected, nor is CAN since those are all in the car, but this at least gives a taste of what it'll be like.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/yINuAECpOae04hkNOnS2lIhNL7P7yNiVNJ-EqK_iXtetbYUcMdfNtvq_pbyuep_At5m2Ad_Krx_yWyyvDoReg9lKV4n5mMReOwVYD8efkYLy4oLp1KDL2b1aQsWHFLZU_uxwZFJmbJEcw7Ln6LVTmA1ZsTaFEptcvCmLlRbZC6CtPnairrYDNQUejYMIDTQmFTGxZuprMVERp0lxJa9ZiAPKE7IUGKbssM1LIe8CcQx_9wWWsoHaih_POxd-c7jlFq7QbtVzYUEqXw4IYmSNvCPmf9HoAjY0t4yDvPkSNiuseqb4so__QzefHEwZ5U4-mPNcoUSIckGVEU27GuO0qGJWvgfiEvBdcnZFo2_sEUqd6N5ligbnvg7r5tZ7fvcnbslpUZKeAG3xnqiQ5rzWD2belYggRjjdN_75WTxQ-YUptMWVE4BgfZQg3a7CBMBnYX5v8v_xgK_KjalZ3gUEXFnO2oSr_7LO5SSozI5H7cDHWFehrN1A0--mUbdPY6tieEpguZIdzxWP1Veod81mMtLm2SYHxU6m4OHGRQVYQFoAcxhjrmJxNSK03CfJ1x_FlNYIy_52jKJUmoH-HU_vScEPXJBbwT_HLTE6MQp3TEANcrbMprpquWme71giy1lb_k3bQ1a9tbCa9WpCrTHg6Jb0ue1YoCTI=w998-h506-no)
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Looking great! Really neat, I've wanted to do this to my silver car as well, one of these days.
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Everythings coming back together now - the controller and screen are all packaged up into the warning light cluster, the control knob and switches are packaged into the ash tray & all wires are run behind the dash, and it all is working as intended.
I had a bit of a logical error in reading the new sensors added in the intercooler and cooling systems, but eventually found it and re-did the input pull-up resistors and code to calculate everything correctly. The problem with making things so compact is that it's difficult to make any changes without screwing other things up, accidentally bridging pins with the soldering iron etc. Oh well - maybe I'll look into having a custom board printed next time.
Video of it in action! (https://youtu.be/OqPL5VSJQLI)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gHkbhBUl3yD9h84JmnCQCFiCqznonkgiRcePPQsC0FgN9Cx5i8RU00aiOvZcUl-DBV1nnlAAkzoUDpWHb5g0tCLYyYf-2E5A05cUtCzm982448NHQUBDx7OWNbCCwcT_AxptzzhlreqyMjNhEIL61dZ3bCZvXRlPVl4n4z-LcfWDTbhQWf3lQWteDtPxLh3_-Ocvy7UPeCxGSJlozP8197BSl6OTJc2vTPtKuibCTeP1vbO1WuRGDoDOYRTeCX_8NBa0-DjigX7TzGHvGNo2A8xNzTazCmPrUo7CYb5cnEqFpXn9_R9rfBClI4hwDwPje6Jib3pyzZkcIWHYIBW4-6SmKQkag79tk15Sjnp8zTPmX7bXigR0cnFUoj0_uNX_VmUTMQFif8rFbyNC5NLrUxGsw36jwhY_joODH52eIKoUv4R277FwqQnItAC5LvljUeVrmnxljfdfI8iawpvWAE4F-5W7o4VG0r-xpleza3DdWbgOIbM_QzB7DYj3D7bK-cixsR00vxvupxKcSjOezhOHVlwprOaWFM8gLJPB5HyLRtz_XaZlHVIMCkqCGaNA9QkNLgWt05Pe1_3KUH7Cx3hjUrabQW2FdX6z1ZoEZaJW6RX5q9nyDY6ZySM_rvzOgxmTglMDKXv0ghOo3shhqrBoUr0FYvY1=w959-h539-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Gb7PpWkY5Jvo4vK4dvDlO_O0Xr6BR4-uKKwk8Qq-d_FI3WaoqLSYKngDDGzU5q_Kyi3CFlcTP30dogpIYX7oMUo1c1KvTInj4WEmXasxbVizyIWV_-_AFmuojV4O4NZnK4nvhkitVMjeQmbqsa1pY64IVKtd1vpoRFR-mg81_j-7Gqxh20jJLBOTfMne_h1ihR_GCbN9d0WKB9yHqlJVKfm8gsS_ttEsdIo2Qf8b4-2IStNeoyoz890OJLSJGlwhLihz-r-QFGGK40Bh-UrAqIAr8LU7oRbRue7AUPYOjNEqHyvDSJYdp6kv2jMfOhJcI5lq26DH7_KPXGZhDc2tRBsOYDiyY6cy0iUkvh9EWvt-x2skhqpkz98oUL6RAgnPmjmPtS61WgYb1lrZu9QXhDOOMfAt5terxNJKdJoIgDQ9__UC7gWWWybJtPmSN0P5UukQrE1yfZIHEBru7aZIe_CsYfP6-iTD6eeD1J4fGfCvIqaF5AcUsBE8LfMqhyv8WD9hyG3T1gkvS_xNAgaZ9675fjaAu1NeiS9-TYLwQrkuSYp5ubQX4PMnQcHM3g79buFtbwWkGAp0DOPR9wV_bsHgKsoq6CQ4VqKofT_wJLYmohNHlKL83CT-M8LC8PmodKYHNp-gnB_EQXzOfwVQK-JyuwNuRjLK=w959-h539-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/z3ncPA2xGgrZre8yBNOB7L8vviwKsQySTNuoczXkAOG5Xf0sGWlrpOd3RGub05kDMi2tI7uurU7_n05Bx-pzkNdahdia4NBb5hgR3XNz5wFYYDhpS9TdAANcBCFAJt7QTswC3Nv1TIJgplymeAmOumKxYwvPtqsTruLevE3wEIzrEHoEx4C_98Y6mdADQcGe71iOn6Ma14289cYkx36JPUrJOh5v4mRqycK7KqJun9xRHo89Fi2m9ntxeU67vIl86dc5Bw5UBKO1BWQW-B8Zt00k0KMtTXb7VW5Pmu2a60oA7zB1rzJt9KHu933jTbqnfz-37kyozZrSn6zNv4QZDUNlx0EL16kDoL50L7DN6ai2v-LxknSKws7LpxYJaDe7MErRd6X393VBUS9KyQiRlwGncOj7Ql_1-VteBajpkOdt2hnEihNODku4m1CodYrbdgAXRiXhOuOetz1B8dqXm12jFsJ7KPvKiE2ajpWg157kCtTbX0jl7A8okBvTgdkbnxKsjrJQxaAD1K7cOiI8CgZYoqLgANlaXuY1LVL9qMRdbR1xRx0HlmxP-0B2l-njgBFcMff7h5s9gloBhVS-iG04p6buRckNdVsUrgWsvvKNzLqJDrWCq-kWBD85hjxzIUFPj_8pvhC8uLWGfPrvL4MV5IaUKRa5=w959-h539-no)
Beyond that, there was a bit more time spent making block-off panels for bits that have gone missing or to plug other holes in the radiator bulkhead to force more air through the heat exchanger and radiator. Also, since a bit of the interior had to come apart to fish all the wires through, I inevitably broke some of the very brittle plastics and had to do some gluing to re-assemble them. It seems that both the AFR gauge and the EGT gauge are having issues too - all the inputs seem to be there and correct, and they all worked when the car was parked, but now they don't. I'm leaning towards bad or broken solder joints at the connector, but we'll see when I open them up.
Overall, its getting very close to being back on the road!
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Looking good!! We'll have to do an rx7 cruise when it's back on the road, or something.
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The last piece of the puzzle, at least from a mechanical side, is the ducting. This is critical to make sure that the air forced in the front bumper when the car is moving does not escape and go around the radiator and heat exchanger - its forced through it. Otherwise, you're going to be relying on the fan all the time to pull air through, which is going to be a huge drag on your electrical system, and it may not be able to keep up on the highway where electrically driving the fan can actually be detrimental to air flow.
Since we cut a hole on the driver's side of the radiator to make room for the fittings and pass hoses back and forth, this is the biggest place that we need to address with ducting and block-off panels. For some of the more complicated shapes, or where I wanted to have a more rigid panel after bending it, I cut the pieces out of a sheet of textured ABS plastic. Using a torch, its easy to heat up parts of the sheet and bend it into the shape you want, and when it cools off it will be nice and rigid in that new shape. It cuts nicely with shears, and drills nicely to put holes in for fasteners to hold it onto the panel. Speaking of these holes, I was just using some of the christmas-tree style push-in trim fasteners for this since they are cheap and all they need is a hole of a certain diameter to go into. Make sure to be careful drilling these holes so that you don't hit anything behind the panel that you're drilling, and plan ahead for access to these holes once the heat exchanger, pump etc are in place.
Anyway, this first panel is inside the engine bay right next to the battery. I cut up some extra length of the water hose, put a slit down the side, and wrapped it around the actual water hose to help protect it from rubbing and to better fill the hole. Then, this panel covers the "L" shaped section behind the headlight and onto the radiator support, with a small part bent out to hug the water hoses. There is also some window & door foam used here, like what you'd get at a hardware store for insulating the gap between doors or windows and their frames. This stuff is great since its very pliable, and comes with a strip of adhesive along one side so you can just stick it in place. I've used it before for filling small gaps between the radiator support or plastic panels and the radiator or oil cooler, and its done a good job.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OKtgY6z0zAwgkRrNa3tRGA76BCQw7Jlzn8ZFH3ElqpvLDbgz9cilo1L8Z1RFImmSTQ-X79Xhi7Hx5EsCJSvXxido3KKPrgGYuMyXhm7uda86QDbLMH8T89I_j0vYUyd1j-yVy3-LK773YggYVv7kZnzaWo6_5uwUJGGc10-faTJk20W4VH_uWFw7mbmiZw8lr-xEMCAepxQ-clgr6D6O8ob4xoAOWas3F05GCc3xGVnHyh2fh-OX_FmENrA63uMrzzsx4GfIaa8ZnQO6IY6XoA7p3Ij6hrxyx14I4cNWylMIvSA6X_xAOyCFI-asmKbecmPsZL1BZrSXr06aMArStmw2ZZ-0A-mcm4kQx62uR38xuYIZQSZ9n3FmaqNMDKagqo18XTb_A_MijDGpI_FY1cyJrlo0YbderhZPf6Xp0JZ-xlE1dIw-_mBAHY920Ex7geJQF_OY15fb6QbFwsJLUP_tr606_x3EtsLI6m1G9yNdqq3j_BXUo6oNEWt5pmjUWzlkPiihDHHglBfaTC6G1m1O7qou7xkI3n7kKQ4vpcGKQx7tt0yH-9uK-NTNTYmwZ6rQR3SljsO1MbN0s-o9Gq_KvKpOYvo-WzHkmWDxTdSz18PqQwTIXQt36vAVwZwgSHc73-59qb3gMzW19q94FfX0RMffXB0f=w944-h531-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QVK_RKfUUNlijN7uJKsecegdh9Jc8ZR2ZgttQ7Y-FGRoLJE2t43OC4bzwWi6qPdeF-ToXBDEN0bRv1mw8Nw-NI8K_CYUl6em1DVXRzeWivgJmpvwh-FWPbz2hmWLNnPSSZo314KD6HAsOWmEsiwYEd63Z9sPRp0IT8BQbyvlm8bxT4cZ-SBeEYBHNOhq2AA8OB6RlC5KEL_Yb-Wk0paGqorW67C1F4eVipNoEEpTPOa9GWPngOk8g_-kO8S9CSzzM0OGzi-GldJglv5x63EAYMp8rfSOiWP7X6nWm7E1aMH2EpKCOe0BWZ-CM8ouF2FNiuikaF0FwGA-BXwJ87EkMwhW-HEaWfGq7vYQEj1fe2QznLk14FraPm21sG8J5-GFoqR0gxheNDTZTOwKQiINrmC35qNF3sC2F2zIUzT6Zw_FbNJJOOtzR9bw_z5I5OUMM8Yw0fFqfImywmToc9ROIlHPa53xZQdZ1S-CzIw8mABihfGJhxZHfsasY5QOakCTVvITNO3ELLSm8G1veZRjluJDfcPDJ8VZ5Hqwd6OnpJ9ha3uJ_efAC2MWwLFPgLl3gvI1gvV6e6VCJ4_VKDymNjcu4lK6P-SUIEqWGQYCEUgV_GfT5tjzYVTinxv7Y8FSKCpHaQD06ZwQ85e-XrY5zV-EBAtC2qVp=w944-h531-no)
Since this hole cuts through into the area underneath the driver's side headlight too (it makes it much easier to get the heat exchanger into place), that area needed to be blocked as well. This was a simpler panel, really just an "L" shaped piece trimmed to fit. This shot is looking right next to the headlight, along the metal panel that forms the driver's side wall running along the "frame rail" to the bumper support. This piece also has the window and door insulation between it and the metal since the surface was more irregular here.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FUtn57cRdYUVEiqZCxEFU6NUvlc1sJbHvBrLN6wuwAoGx5-PSGa7kJdElmdS66_SWw41tPw7oQDBwxdQl9mdg6vmJYWgEpiXPkZXGmesYfacmZIqvpi20FpcdkCxHYC20XCG7tRFZlRgKAGJlSy--EGrnb2Ok5hGv9XXUDMplVyoHGkPNl8ijRcIpMx-eL11PvwzZZP_ZQ90kwekL_UInJP45q2dFF9rW79qdpGrxNZYJw2uFAkPgdwYZG2DBNw_-akNlp6fpoSFe3ScaDbaBhh9iAQWm6dZAyZBlYNI3xJCPRVXYrz6EdpdBFfPTi93IfMyYrEzWAeM2hK1zgEx_LIiDstJiwhILIiwBTVWi0UdnZpEQxYnRgxCLI43ufsJzdUbGLI5OSVW_vPQyZTYVGKKJs9o74xqMqdzX9c8HqXqgLsDH0TKt0WYHDL7WJO11KPycI2NYvZtwauOc4Dt9DoLJBz0KLzfmk4ZP8jcXoZYG2327P_Nhh70bonw1AhSfUrkMVSS19J7shtC6p61EbS6N7ydGhOxWFHghwSIvsO6FOwjk5lySlu1sDZMIlEqxyvsGPg95uM5pgQ2v7RZ3jucabOuv8KBkjFTp5joMWauhDTjbih7Yrn7oFkqXDZGZ5IniyntI4hTwl-1tZ3orFiFZLX9jI-w=w944-h531-no)
Now, what is that blue and white panel to the left doing there? For larger sections, I used a yard sign for a local Greek festival, since the material is basically the plastic version of corrugated cardboard. It is two layers with lots of lines between them, it bends very easily along one axis, and free is the best kind of cheap! This is to replace one of the panels that directs air to the radiator in the center section of the car, next to the coolant overflow bottle, that went missing years ago. I had to make that panel in two pieces to get it into place and block off the side, but it also runs along the inside wall there to partially block the hole that we cut for the heat exchanger hoses.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4sbLNyrwubZwAUqohj3JfdQBfCqFJuaMeg72Nil6gQVGNlUXdsOEPyQ57vTo29eJg8_HxO0o8PSly4y6vFrnDP43KNzYBpfR0uLdgfWMLJ6Gm6-8XKf4WqBSHZH8gmq-FKlFYuvdvhdHtTIUjsyLa1BcTAL_UZL0zaC0i22wmpBuH8_P-ec6Nny6RwXlcwSGJrEuFEPp51IptQO8gV36-Htp2kxUi_jHbplk4Gei-Gi1u0iYZJmU4kFnbkRfqxKaMCmf0zYKbF6aGCnaG7de5ltsB0h3d5nmOp3rqOTaOZ3_sWOyHsZCzCcAQt_GXHi6ybPXsyOuSGkmzFq6hV39NdLNKiuMYjZMNmQdfUuzMuNva9QslK6_aOk998TceLCNPbm_n6kEtqTWo019sSqM2Zy45fgcWYCYoTP0SCqUp6V3PviL3NbazhEhh4uD8wQXrIG6uSmSmT-leXkbBrzSzx2TKEwjdXXS4KLHkxI8Ws9j4sJ-btXhKeTaWQSzKP0nepZfHU9Wg8T6Be8bmlhh1H-si-UtCZaNGJ5GTfN4VvwyORnzeEHbol9AE9SRx9sm4vWQAsC7uCizdOuc2fJAEbEr-DYXkEcYsoaH1tzq04K96E4Obrt7AZC0DJuPXJhap4YZv8OzjhWiCXmnRzojDt4b_QuXhMhJ=w944-h531-no)
For all your racing needs, go to St. Nicholas Speed Parts! I'm also going to use this stuff to make an air filter box to separate the filter from the rest of the hot engine bay.
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Unfortunately, all that ducting needed to be removed, as well as the heat exchanger, battery & tray, and some other parts in front of the radiator because... on the maiden voyage of the S.S. Savannah, she sprung an oil leak!
There was oil dribbling down the side of the oil cooler, and it was dripping once or twice a second when the engine was running. I hadn't noticed this before when the car was stationary and up on jack stands (thus why everything else got re-assembled around it), but this had to be addressed. I could see it was coming from the oil cooler thermostat fitting since the cooler hoses were all dry, but I at first assumed it was the crush washer. When I disassembled it and replaced the washer, it was gushing out in a constant stream instead of just dribbling a little bit... uh oh.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/DLJCj_pTHWAXR28oUAccaOvFGqzUTuQpEPF-Y_TCyCLdt22pfNhaVca8Pz1lEwPUbsYxMiJLrR2s1Ajkn2c-QYmRsI3MwpwJ15umVcH7lYLUxcwe0Wr-xhU84Wn1zAWJ7wKsslOcVRNMJSXLKmjJw1GEcqIIcz89RuBMG26g7XLe_x1b4CDh2RX09lqLZegCWGZv5plh4bmILOce8H_bJRoowkwerPr9KQssn_9Qpi4ZO91aApkgMNiCNjnxHFyRjtLgtiVGB1GCUEDsoOta7SLk0aPm9f_CR6JzSgBYvWnj7y3m88ea3-l4_pp4EZswt8-wxzMyj5EOECnB6RK4tTxRoXviD4Y9nnmgDROreFVuBMFt0XZM-p8rdq5tpoHUAhENs4dul_aCKGTB2if0johgmsY5OH8aJU4i20bsQ5k7eNT2dzYZv9Bnr-xTmygEdkGl2ICl2yGOogcgWGVE9mdCvsWQH0bznMqQ_SGUt2e9wHTZgeAFdUaRFLTiDmEgaCXtQ9SXmxfsWSyMyLhqb5pvbJSONSOBMkXoOz8LDLokwLTTBlp6yUGH-Fsel-PClu3DrmrzKE6tj9pRgEN250s7cJg45bRz52Le-w7ApFyWZBiCSHjooLCJ0OfJ0vb9xch5v35qVaDP_QJttQICryF0D4jSQd1Q=w944-h531-no)
Yep, the bung itself is cracked. Maybe from overtightening when I reassembled it? I would have expected the aluminum threads to strip first, since its not a tapered hole, and I was not tightening it to a huge torque, but who knows...
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KHUnkMyT9y6S_Vyie7G5pLO0riEwdxRhjgq_y-00p2e0eAnuPs0he7VCyN1XLDK9j3kg0dHrRtUIOK8znCUf3coMx018uP7Y_hzJ5Gy8FOsCcMVr8XuYL8NUlXCREB8bhslwSt9DpBtXmndwYMeGY44tHB5VQrrxQi5tqsAGaOQwtKE9B5u7f9LEkCyNKlTbMDgjaPXFAP7jViCmk2L0KWx5n1Mni9TTycecZaTwOxCLG-WYZu8St8OlbiXDuQiw5PtsctV-YbmbekGGiQGOOT87VgMQl8Od3tBl46lY2d1hzT3-gGvj8_eoLtN5BDNml0uzGmytw5Nkvxc9lCKNvRyYPqViBMU0LonCuMYJa-O76JSRpL4OvgWrXqp4J1bgArS8e4Y-0c3oFAPm4TTTWOKA-wllp7qW-dkgxgwPPAEcnQq-yC2CsPY25sQt6fFrFNYbfv2anK4xNNj8NuuZM-x5d7xWcHUymoOLZNUf4RR8SCgGvPkzvgwlD2BcmADZdWnAfVmSEQjkgtVU_6QRkNjm6V9OxWW9AczUR9c_lKAVsvgJFN2-OSYRiL3I-WzmqlBvVDnnisekWI_X0wXyyuZ7lB663Xrh5c69oWRTYxTBWYcHni262iwjSfBsDmFskFDCuumsmRc7ZbZkOI-j2yhISFD_dDnB=w944-h531-no)
So, now Savannah sits like this, waiting for this to get welded up or a replacement oil cooler, we'll see which route works out in the end.
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I was thinking about how prone the intercooler would be to heat soak and getting warm from the engine & air coming off the radiator, and since the system was already drained to get access to the oil cooler, I decided to try to do something about it. Since I had plenty of the corrugated plastic signs, and they already have all these little air pockets inside of them, I figured they would work very well as insulation as long as the open edges of the corrugation was sealed off. So, I did some tracing, made a pattern, and figured out how to run a bunch of zip-ties to hold it all on to the intercooler in a removable way.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xnozmUxaGdcWPlZKjpDI4BA-E8RlfgbJ46a9EHPv6_mZmSEXZqlcrI-pVX1DvX7HJHSqZFG6CMcYkWUkgnEsH3pAr6jnKhQasNqbS0ZL5WnBUrc-ZX_JbgTZ504OBlix4eDP5YdR8y8ti5d8vmegK9auhs_zQg52TgNLlvtHqjB1LmROjpSw16ccjXOGdbgHnNKTRMjIjDGvg1ZFlorOlP3GGGbr5L83oVD-URS-fcrv3R1n5sXS5TiyPrNiIQ-kfpWCexhGeXPS2xvJxeDwgLtpzbMT7x-8Aa72CWC4_PG4LFrw0QOjmF8Sr_MYBBIIU3zbPFm0eOZ2GpzxC40urabHYCBcIzDhUTAxc9p9x7vQZvkyi1Ldc_cGaGmMLp7UsTk1B8df66KP6Ppx8LXSV4OBlUBFMXXbNfuV0DvAj2zcZ5uPO3A0nXzYLNSjVSm0zQbY_vJ4ndvo2RolgXIBP2bIl_yMBkEeB0Dx-Mxp_IS7vq_zS9JeKU_i6_BOAU01iqu1wr0T1btV33KkTKt7ezPIE5EMHKviQJRoSNamsHmC9eBZSN_UGHIUqk6x9AbPe5bYpSyntjv0TD4a1LNut8mvFA3XG_ZIaZfUv8D6CgDDmrKeMgXMlEjDV8YiKumCoTC-ZnzkS2AuA7Iwz4dD_uYA8eeYwLDd=w519-h706-no)
More St. Nick's Speed Parts!
Then, once I had the pattern down, I took some reflective aluminum foil tape and covered the outside of the sheet with it, and wrapped it around the edges to seal off and trap the air pockets inside the corrugation channels for insulation. I went with reflective tape mostly for the look - it would theoretically help with reflecting radiant heat, but thats only a concern if the piece has a direct line-of-sight to something really hot, like over 500 C, since radiation levels are proportional to temperature^4. Things at 90 - 100C, like the coolant, radiator, and outside of the engine (except the exhaust & turbine housing) have no appreciable radiant heat transfer, its all convection through the air or to the coolant.
I did cut holes in the sheet for the mounting pads to stick through, and one on the underside over the alternator since the clearance there was already very tight (I bent the end tank inwards to give more room for swinging the alternator up to tension the belts). I'm not too concerned about this part, since this is the hot side of the intercooler anyway - when the turbo is really working & making boost, the gas coming out of it could be 150C or more, at which point insulation would only be keeping heat in, not out.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7jJVKWso06oAYKyg4KKCCy03nzSiquRa-S9Lj6hHmIVp-SJ4GP6Bbo-XmTRmY_3FYXy3kAmNI-JvMFsOf0xO4BZlXik6VH7bicttbXNwtSMNfKuo_TeHjXc9i9O8bw6c7acZaG_5rF6IMKDHQDIx6jhgX0Zl2LEFgbV5fPNZfcraonR1rIL7Ozi3UCfudLRi0stU6wbqih83UlB3Hj7CW27FzLOanY8E12tA3ngFrcZGkNgTDQpM6VtIbHEhXI6vViOVcE9a8Oj4H3b1Qg53Vm3rAodlBlBIi6-RIGksTLY9R0IN5U28Sa8Wj58b3jVlibu2u7dS2YX9AKdW_QXherLBvrtLkz0yT4vEVtsKpTLkKq8WK_SRGTeSbyV6Njfwq9jnre8F8ZvmSl2_lfT2D2FaeTIlGGGqmr1DBgS9-NI_gvCXEv_KToYamMjMbS_Va-ZyTLytU0vnfMAiKs9cDlv_9uvXti9z9L5l-widXf5pEBigKLsVZ8l1CvtZF2tM8ffHRoAegNebDGCZKLLeGZec-AZ0bxHM_nsAOk5q23jCmukpUyd1WIAk_S7f18VI-euuLvvYzE00E0L3sYPeRL9Sq-GFqM71W-jepjdWWDIdt5C95fJqjjj5TdcwHBlH7vF9t1ByPXqlJQz482jiC31AFTkpIcBh=w1256-h706-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8mLi5ZavBiTb4vO2SmHv-PqR-mliBuStbfNqXPUT0C3xhdLuPikABc_ZuL-FXGm5Wz1UULURQUPKeFrd5MgO7-52Eu4ikJ5srhz0oAUcWy3ksq4G6xP9PVZ-qnXph3Bb4VHhCVvo8M4NdjFqey5gP1EMH2DMHPQILocrLHYK76T5ePaH7ozHJzLbRR-pMc16s-FOeaa00vK-6L-3zFWsIo0r4lbLEQfWj19P7swSyzEbFO4iKBr6W4bRbIGFPJqZTrEEk-Us2qNlYP7BtvcJf04VvokDlLnHCzL4G50FKpcJ2yxigfXey6VJO-dWK_sJH7aoNS8YVbwb_DzMOlAC3jGaJs3K1f7n6v4IAcuW1GEUO1pymB2sJH7ic3BNgiqzms6y9KnievnStj9EMjq6aRIMO30_ZYo2v3IGUUVB-JE2HxaYJ8DtZFw0U1YXsc7enSjHRFQ0kLjwuc3YcX8D3lsYqu6b3ONFYyPeQzTSQD_1xfikF7EmNSl5EGIR7a9hvzafOLuepwOyAzVGNJn-LBap2QT8VRVy3P6Egi6FUl46tiKCkO7YgpxjXQWEvyUG9-85uLJmzFF60CMC3fIZE3IBPnk-S53DEMOfwCkbZkoEBNhsRzcLjk_sYnEVt_VR1VaTmKyPZBAm3DLdCNDtxOt6inH7xT2J=w1256-h706-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/sRm3ZJZsFO5qUnQg--RMt4CkFxfzNi_h_JqY7fPkhCzNfebf-Ljs0tqfg2ZMCdGFNSgnVBnFU1ueN8HFREISZI2NeAATM7tgZN-zr1cyZrAG0hS8nzCyZOP1n8FZEQ7vdHb9LreUcTRc39Uqr8uk1WFdT42OnTezRe3muoyfg2wNnrFWjwizGQiQxaxJylR3JoEr5Cb3wcGmlKZYaIHEwbtq1VgSx-Gh2NMkM-4mUXLKQCn0m5rWEWVV3RJvLpTNtukeK7i1iCvNwsB5nNnkmCdSvNSvDJEMDRRGdMK0FY-6MvzXMNqiE7JdBVnQqLybjbQTsJAsuOdDWWPZ1EQIk4kY3ddNiiIzRlbCnYZ3KgOa3_PvW0bzCNiDPMBRC7N6H6t6ygUOd5PqQzo1sEiyT5L7rTKWsNun7myQtCFXbXuHDPp-ll4rzSkKG4oOfhydP78_TgC__tBi0y2Wb7pd2L3UjVXgSMQTXAjq1_MN_K6Ot2Du1VsYeGMlPDMl9YjVTkti5vtwulfQHZavK1LNggMJwraenwwmpZi3yy3ktYPq9rUxhmLQ0nz5tRLDCUB7Cmc9ikKTXcG50bQKObAu3imx9758aGkhe5Z8g_ekiKzVIQBHBcqNsghLZNtKE_tRlKXIFlHFpMBHMbtYYMjInUGOv2bjA1qg=w1256-h706-no)
Its not the prettiest, but its a lot better than the sign alone would be. The tape was a lot more stiff than I anticipated too, so getting each strip nice and straight was very important. Now, here it is, installed in the car. The second picture also shows the cut-away needed in one of the hood supports so that the hood closes properly without hitting.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/iqTckHKf35Z7db2POPF91X8B-FJCypszUwfilKIAS6wffEgepmp6CmBWNnfONA4NkL1nTwug2WubHx7An4Vbxf8QJkaK6wDMkPn1udlDQ3i_v9Inc6yWpEfOFhdSaP4r4LCqw33CfRJesSr_Bs6XPtVAmgx98wO4LWSZlSmiuC7PqOVUoJJNv1mwlb5j4VndabJ4-wJHiudjkT16UT403Q7bP3ZFLf8Kz0eFp6B-Ckif9H1Ia3jpqSXzY6T5pFUAKWL0bCmbI7n26y0oKCHKqI1Za-u8zBFth634rDSnbKKKB0gO5CCyE3m_oPbxpBBv_5NWzOGoNBT6Af8y4bvGssuUA56X_Ot6FaTTIlGKyk9drw845tseb4r6T7qvVzfYvDUTsW4q5PYtHi9GPl0W0bNc4d4q55jIyTssIrBt6wIFT9xV4CsJLPRiWGl9SHrQ4f1Ip63zMIeFr5LxqbvldMl7lcNcfCuRvCUsK-TOhxL25nwG2KWnUsIpTwY3QHlgtGHOnJJUmoKtH6t5uq0TRhU6C8iHQAP-ZWoqjgYXFKnABQ5SGKOe3DkQZGoAZPWrp0qPIPMZweArJBYeVkluLrPP_s9Iv4LZh52MTbShjXgO_QA0Y9GrfbvpItpVcvraOf5Q4KPyiKY9z2mq7PcVEwU45b5vSwKJ=w1256-h706-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3LVkVCKub22a7ZZfu2Zt3S_ZClsv1DqlSr6IISOJAVCUAss3cYpj5sE3e-KBA05myPVm004r89H_QXm8cAIqontyE9RPUUZSTET2WbUTturQ1YrrW5_tbW60KHG4_KOdq60WPak2IE_ooLNt5HRJERalRwYjj7sG2aHS2-boTujzHSAtDKK4aWo9-tibYitSp5_gXUsXXlxDK1lqq7mLl7734DkFRV-dGf8NHCg8n1wsDyQnBKsRtJJbx7ISX8J3mncZ-JjBp8vzHiCRybRsRwSqGmnTRBWNDrr7yt2ZAcLzAfHTU8-XQ3bD87vk9tdCgCdTeSMCY2l0xTuptH0SFODSnjxBMb2Z_YtlDFqDQ3sI6XhO20Unm0VurLIVORgX9AfimafqX7coVDkNiJxIbMM8VurW8JKh2RPzQHoTsmRB8ayWCj7C52Tlaag6ygaJsV_T3TTH0inI8B57kSeEJLxKY4fBttO4uhdVMdPblznogwrkxVEoqBARzqL-x37WfBmEB8qOp4mE48BJ5Fmlx5GYJxRUqcW6trRc6JSeVatThYR9DNNE8C4_UcP6iT_NAiwiNtWex_jlw1JSFPsAr7k2o0JBFs7m3G0y7Cc9Nq-CvZZMyeCinnF5_xr1BOdWNEtmO-pkJJ4_be7C-h5wUE0sZyePYCWD=w1256-h706-no)
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So, while driving Savannah to work for the second day, as I was getting off the highway the diff whine when coasting was very severe, and was accompanied by a gravelly crunching sort of noise at low speeds. The noise went away completely when I was accelerating or was positively sending torque through the diff, so it was only when it was unloaded.
Thinking that possibly the diff had drained over the two years that the car was parked, I went to a parts store to try to refill it during lunch. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the car high enough in the air to get enough leverage to open the drain plug, but fluid did come out the fill plug... so it was definitely not empty, and while the fluid seemed a little thin, it wasn't terribly bad. Either way, that didn't seem to be the root cause. I coaxed her home that evening by waiting for traffic to be light, and by driving with my foot on the gas slightly while braking to keep everything properly loaded.
Then, on Saturday morning when I had some time, I was dropping the rear subframe to get to the diff, and the driver's side stud snapped clean off, flush with the bottom of the nut! Shit!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nVImshU2HmzxHisfiQTJoCyPBCdNxE9I_6CzfTNSjZQ8mNl_mhLz0DlszcbuAavvA4MtJZs4Osv3SiPP_zeOprh9vENBfLBBtipgUHIX1Izlij2XfIwNKZJ8bt9no0a_B_gDJax-K_BjJvn4YLruyw7JPDK8Qo2jUkKKPLwheVCvoHot8IXcgxqIJwKym9FMMB2BADAzOYBOU2OqQIguxGu-4lauP6R2qa8hh-uSau4csJPtNBAlS9aFBJRFf-Nj1FEzCOh1P8i8rqQdfEt5ZjlpOHzeNBwHVasLFi3MV7Yx8FondLneWzTXufV2L_0uj8Ozwoe3Y28IkmzqmQzt7N1LqxgF_z_D2_DRvcdwIr8U8mi6Pe9_TVG5EntYZsnJ9Da_b0VqIiuAlB_TY_x5ieK2CXr2ayGQTUMY9K2dd7mpTPTamMhBCHimkT5jOOPosKwKlEnPh-25du4ke7kZV3TEZ5dMUVfXklPVmeM2HtoNPm0cKsBIfniZo9vHtrKEYHwTQ9Ekns2PjrQbeA83t2X41kfLfO1bTG0aRkUdIdpHpp5nzu79pzxKdwL51zsHgNf8cj_3Tq-vXhgBXFAH1DXOKyOXBKDkg7HGk0SdKlFz69kXPhb4GgZ5QkPMpfaveBEYr7NeLp3mNW7Fd3yF6suPdl1hy36=w284-h504-no)
I'm still thinking of how to go about repairing this, since the documented way on RX7club (get at the top of it where it is welded into the chassis, cut away the welds, get a new stud and weld it in) really is prohibitive with all the extra chassis reinforcement that would need to be cut away right over this spot in the convertible. Anyway, still considering other options here...
Back to the diff problems, it came out of the car the rest of the way without protest, and I could get it mounted up on the engine stand by drilling an extra hole in the base plate for one of the three front mount studs, making it a lot easier to work on than last time.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/K8pYw-V_wFxG3-xa2Sm-ikKvlQjlFhx6WAL1u5ab1fEI0dRN8qiQbOMegqmpaKh-1Hb68w8tXG6vvGoWPvXfUEhbxOTU_pqDz-YpIodKddELWsSxZ2ARnKHlcqPjsm3kCnwLs4AwSSMqSOLSTIByLPq8C10GmQQgeGOYyG2U53VxVM4f68jmYtnalkJ2NvnPuKU7Paq0NqYbRTsZT3Uqxtt0i-Ly2YrUF8xcMhga20HI5xysAUrNJSMA5HiF2mIezuvX1Tiv5FPUQE_euNBU68YEI4cjd0oKi0PcvmKuIZTCmyAr2QBHDQjJj2s4idapMBojf8vH60Qu5hk_V-Ew3B71ppJzgrWQRX-u_lvHMxL6wi2mNH4HGhVdRgptuHddwlpIbrroVAQ-nx5n5yYnN89ACMZjO_zD5R45Yr0ElVSYKb2zHtkbCwCwsjqnhM6Xxs7HU0v_2H3qHPeh3FYwaJsU0kbKBbOAg02dibSAiysuxCqwDWs-6W-QjjXjiyswAYkd-vw4sBnpt0vHI_TV68ytmAB8PnEQUGzPxBD5GGkA7YS7ZmgKPqAH_X0WXALrkoTfzwWm9CVIsB5uMcrG7bASxmlhMdZ6C0bHHPabtmPhnogPl65wQUBcFXwptRDz71KTaSccGJ2qNCC_Z6xLx45tyx7zs0pZ=w284-h504-no)
Removing the cover to look at the carnage, and.... there doesn't appear to be any?
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bRtQ_QrJmLM2jLkO9QH50cRJuoIurEBH_adQ9sxjf0x7p_zXpBuzjgCce2UoK_lkxvkjtmf1zy5tCgW-Ujt29f1m5pB5io28A77mzMKw90awsS6-FFcO4WXKVZk25S-X994brna98ntPpikLhZm4TV57xJ2VQUHIIbm6bOw0x0Ux7hzpYFIHHU97N57_Jc2gd09r8Yd-735VbbPSkENURzb8JeLiz8Lx9xdsaNCJchrcjohZ_ulokwVGkdlXysC5qesEretuSY4teNimLsEQc2qW4FhZVPU5NWoDvkUkB52lXqluG0uhmYvX4Cyl0Cw0g5mT4HRisEsuxtj3X6Z6jCDHPCX0hW0VV79PW4rO0vg_G8RNrvlLoydF8CRGdbC3noqPRmm7Cs5dwYwFtHVQRIvxMBg3WOYFO0Sq1ojVimh-2Z7IJbyn2rmsW9FE80Ms7SyKCych7kgGUnfHpMMDCAAop5Ff7oqd7mzwcdKvG3dUqLNHE3FhDI_Zowzi_Xrvpzxoqfyvl5fZvaXjUwTFJ8kjk20_VWgVTZ2i6_dlPVEt6PmWW9KVs4FvSn9NLEzx5mDBD9XVg1R9pnYmy0uR0LgmKLIDoxKVSr5VsfpLweyjom5BPU3HvopyhtkCE5i6yY2x0-rwPLZTc1RPfdWVsTxXjacc2VI5=w284-h504-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_L1fwS-GN3oRW0heUUquYTcxgw3AYjobUCJl7WQErVor6XZiJn2-wm6oR4AdcUow3-JFGIlExxBitd-qZfedDyQO7jmmRXbiuHbOGcvYZSQVWUpgfl-T55BWzd4xIdTEXq5cLRzHF4FAWWiRWeuI3iSnONQhrJ8maC7AjWGe69_nbLUa-cbpaa-DHDxLY3KAIQ_VCOXPqsutqwqM7W7U08zfub-i8CUi97nbIQEQ7y7fnEKmRM3ir03nPLVf5srMTnGBRWW3zBPVj_kdbAn4omYhqA4MpIHxBnKP7zXjwcjQxFBcCYhfrT5BLhoSV8tCIOBJ3t394GyLs_V_v0U0erE2mZGr0zex9kfjovZLp4kh5UfIOwssEfO3QKtxlBpdefodGgox9fXnUNBuPKrvT6D2ZvhUcuYlk2oFiC0MN4HkmU0B6KVrO5Kow70_-k28ev9zwd8nvZuPsy8k_u9zlITNNm8N4AJULr5TuPmmMCsEUZYbuQTwfDLzyByarhIfHlpiZuQNK6cwHQRcVtq-Ofadq4pn1_r0nqohR_qFW8iAXxMM2-hACy1HfxAD2UsZV5FH94U_ksQcwcU2oaGFjBb5y_Zd1zsRzAWivcpaPVEyc5KZQsGub3M8BVeQ7TnJnKCIqkfIziFkcWJQRYxEjRWom5LbePuB=w896-h504-no)
There is a little bit of darkening on the inside edge of the ring gear teeth, but I don't really know what that means. It is not really in a spot where the teeth should normally be transferring force either. Other than that, there is no chipping, apparent pitting, or other inconsistencies that I've noticed in the teeth.
Removing the torsen LSD & ring gear didn't yield any other surprises - very little end-to-end play, but definitely more gear lash between the ring & pinion than I would expect. The bearings on either end of the diff were also in good shape, with the only irregularity being a slight discoloring spaced evenly with the rollers in a few spots - I'm guessing there was maybe some slight corrosion when things were sitting? Manually turning the race on the rollers feels very smooth, and the discolored spots don't seem to protrude or feel any different than the rest of the surface.
However, after flipping it over to get at the pinion bolt, I found that this bolt was not even finger-tight, and the drive flange was loose in the end! Either the nut loosened up in service, or the bearings around the pinion shaft wore down enough to allow it to loosen up? All those parts looked almost immaculate, including the bearing outer races that I could see, and the bearing pins... so it was just loose? I find it hard to imagine that it would wear down that much and leave no sign of it on the bearings.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3D4aTyy-F5n2_8j3_UurvPj3v5dDYf1lB8zoAdbCBz1V__lSQCGJ2OS3Eta3sXEYUsP5IU2XS-jQpc2Fln9H-_OP5mBrKWJWPInSLyMATJigk0f02Jpr7KiVvljak_dv3h5ov0GXVYfl806xmjedI_XHbd5AiJWF3wtMbZ0yru0MLSYWgQVRcB4N2MpOrI96eckIxzCJyRG55KLdkMQ5VPfSqstYmEdnUTgEuL0AReM6zCU8CZ3g_yvmg2piT85b9TE5yNDsy5_Ea_qR5aSajk1RDp-dN4o9Uemx2tn90C-C-3n-eaQAKCDNg04ISn7VYfoWwfdhcEFfQlaVbQWPS_H8fSZ29LU2EI_IwBYxv6Y_Ak-iBuR703HNy1E8Y-Lo1lqX1B9hpezSl4mQOT8SVPxZ3BOjGgDfxZo8AFo_blp-C51pgS3hs9XIGJvfI4RdtU8srBXAJ2NE0tDlxnJS9SOiS6b3Iq9V8c2rPXh8O0rWKJH5yFuKbiZXoxpkZ_BmZ8FVmvOKBckjOJHXNEHkwHbQ7Yh3G8gzgchy6urE7tqGL-5j__Y4esfEUFXtDeiELS62bipeE0WOy1dJOP-Ii4QiYnYpz_ZbLQoO6QbOiz1Aum3io_6KwjK9yJ4OLDUOqNEGrKBqZFLVvYDoatUOUj990MQ-ZLOn=w896-h504-no)
Anyhow, I plan on just re-assembling and snugging up that front nut (well, getting another one, as the locking portion of it is suspect now) and then looking at the mesh patterns on the ring & pinion with marking compound to determine if it looks like it will work or not.
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i hope that was the only issue with it. Unfortunately you broke that bolt for the rear sub frame.
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I got some time to work on Savannah again this weekend, and the first thing to tackle was the broken subframe stud. I've been thinking about the best way to go about this, since the convertible has considerable structure built up above it that would need to be cut away, and then re-welded to preserve the additional convertible structure. If possible, I'd like to salvage the current stud, especially since as far as I can tell, the threaded end and portion that broke only serves to clamp the subframe to the unibody - the base of the stud has a bump-out that locates the inner bushing within the subframe mount so there will hopefully be lower loads on the bolt itself.
Anyhow, since the original threads were M14 x 1.5, I wanted to use the same size in a high 10.9 grade to try to keep comparable strength and a relatively wide cross-section in case there were bending loads too. This requires cutting down the stud a bit to get enough of a cross-section for threading. I wanted about a 2mm thick wall all the way around at a minimum, which meant cutting it at the point where the taper brought it out to 18mm.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0IFNNoP7GUKlTI3NiuZMv4qWSJODVichqljx0lltD4iqsiohZvKcVirqDPnu6j4RPgOJw_NB1-3qY_Hl5SX-oi1oex7Mda2ewxEKAU9UiySmTc0o_CTLVdQZg3-tyXIrQBADqRcxSDj-KLQ0SKG2RxgiAWv6JyXbVjvPzxwM8IpeydFkrsH6PXr4PFoNzY7ccDo3g-7ZEBPKxBi5d1fPzzzIqrN6-jdwCxKY0bTG1Ud9Vm3owf8ODnK1FbJWACvfNgr-3F-ChxnzomcFbk2SHTTSIJ35qjMk9pxwglslRrRFK_pzifdEkSNkp6aAnCoewR4tsG_TW0DIeTSFQETnz6g3xjhFbFmcT7F0SeUpLk-L02XWkwG22mlHOsIWeXi1jp0CJ7sW9SlbywvUljYyA7VLR9pdCdP4vv3v0TSXy0PCn-fs3GJl9PXLTlA-SMI4NN4XpSKwlXAkv5dArC-_Bb9Y0SJJtDeLT7sovPsHYTkQc68yBPENlSCXidB6IZhHOeNe_CglgI6yjLqKpkGkyWztfh0vGPBONcVHJ64YDhvR44iNDHo5S2KiWj_9kOJXK8L4KW1twcCwZtw3GIc8m6Z76pGcKJU5aPqUGBir2LWZGCIqCqPML1P-40fFb8xkWWtrd0HJ7KSuLDzNEwZRvTgcst3j5f6C=w870-h489-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vH7yCdfWpbQVX_RJse4kWDzqD9xaJimq-7MIsttijVeO9Q1a6spp4nxOFl5IMdO4xhC0_4_nDLIjNyG4ngvp9AyRV4imDyhgSPANBmS7IuWszLGiQtC7uLhRyLt0dXnsO4q6URmGXHUFs075jSxwwTFnjIhhBD6i0ap5ezoDD6ikPrF_bJ8Rmn_lJQK0UkYiu-uOTU3xeR4kKXhPfiNHUeCHlZPFijOqNkFgp7DomppzSFwBwI2rjDYtZ_Y1llqBRMF-2ZeuUQj5zpl4O2s2RXotikSuFDRlHVggLDcyavDp32RxM10IY_q_SgdvNIrrID4M54u1b6JNjPCJx9kQO1-DeguJMOZ3Tw7Xs3z6I0bJReRfHzheRLhbJk0g5SjtnQZcOIo1rlmFBg5CEp1u5TAdlOU6JojIU-2vZc0qV2laW64dCdGSuGfIqaRie6nmIMldMAzN7cThhOCzS5wjKQ2y3YekqrZH9ABrO7YhSiHwv16g5XUi_CL6KbX5owLevFZ1At1I7ParhVem1dKO1VhO5WfXfH0FWCIvDtQtbLpyUeDqwFjGmyk-jdNKS7nQbfaCtR3SDtIm3wnVVIanVP-Ao6RNrJsbHrNrIuZpF9yD8F6DbiSovb21e98WVRZhYcR1IjuK0HHTnAGXhImqaGMLfD1tceXZ=w268-h476-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6LanFaQn5PY4m9EG5XlIbkGXrOi0hmPkYPm-TMIGhmyFggp_W2MgXliPA_KVtfcdPvddJbEn883WbrpNY7rNGUMgNap4wi2UxNa3v10ZToefF-FpjYQm6UGxbYvAHmAnNf370Er_kY2rtbzFrJ41fLYXFQ-8gqpt4BhNpzDz1GH1E29oztLpXLtvMFXCmOQFRje77vkAwwdUUZoDbFCqKy38Q3yXywYin5tkm8L2jw-bG9USDAX6L1f5SSpLTKrZKhRxfNCgJOmaCUXESs4mNAsZJhckBAiAoCiblrHp77vDQCu_sjH3Lj2VphvIHzUYIlkqF0gbSPIVYEHMZ9ua7JMMsX9ywEH2DI9n5QVAu7JyDAV6DwZblOwFTRstrjttvP0jpDgPK3eui2NuZqCOqxrgwnTciXptytl6KnMyLySVxYOTMvCWrryUFTCInuiUDLuDc2TF3lRXKDmXvICCnGATQFsy3jvzi-C8XTksQSo1laVy4slPizrGn__Gjj6taT-OKQfgISgK7n1ZvT9tYtf1-1o_AdyEgVJjwLWDtsRP6KFCnMH5-sLbeHix5S3ct9jSt7FYiRWcYOGGpBXud98EhSBxkFCQdd4ksr9glygLRSGiqUxCSGvreWtC0puuOBU7enns-K7LoOstX_RLGhlVym0BRZVg=w268-h476-no)
There was about 30mm of the stud remaining (originally it had been about 75mm of un-threaded taper, with another 25mm or so of threading on the end), with an end diameter of just under 18mm. Drilling the stud precisely down the middle was very important so that the threading doesn't poke through the side, to keep a constant cross-section in the stud, and to allow threading the bolt once the subframe tube is around the remains of the stud. Since all of this was still on the car with the rear up on jack stands, I needed to get creative in making a setup that would keep the drill aligned properly, while still allowing a number of different drill sizes to work up to the final 1/2" bit (12.7mm, while M14 x 1.5 wants a 12.5mm initial hole). So... here's a pretty janky solution that worked surprisingly well...
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/l1wBsM4zBeV05ydcN_GVvy_GTWQnASzYuKqKB1OfJ9kst1sotcXjGXdArfL4wybeoUiFcWOQsYXGALirMDyXorxCsEpdFX3A4iX_R-pFFwA2ZrU37NFEuVFC9TIfyW3AAfvsOfnU7SVIQX_Lm7nQLS6_lMKzMGXIc4Sn4JiMgrMYrZUzDDF4WOxxpvKy93WXsZ1QVfbJoNzfA1FI73D87Dx1i6eV5ompzImcE0YdIkFo0Mmdc1loEIWpdcIwZAddUePUtvHFHSS0Y9NFuEPoy-7hXMMFaw3f4I4VJNYydx0pv_UY71ugWVvPcqY0ZkZ1QuW4j7iD48aa5CxLbgo1PhbNzZEqkMlw6wgGXBE-ZFnS-QDCX7RYTrU1WQsx2vWFh_KkR14Q6qrs5EjSO1EiJXnrXLm_YL1MXvzdCVgpdwbcox0jh5kUKTfG6QpMWPp58QrI4vK3KTwAncMtmjePjj50zDcRzoR55E8jid7cwTptsvdSBDyIAoqwjv9B7BCvk6u67bsEwJhB-OZS5TgM3zW0jAGGIxYEbhdlJDOcoVJ66ju3gYSJbZZ14fmlUO-98GnGQsXC6jUXG49ADDHmo6B7RaG1VabRMNVBIOk5B-YJsxgAXx8JMz27ukxqCw_q3UPO76DseVqnCb3549fjS3GbTHH9iKHh=w847-h476-no)
First, I cut an "X" in the surface of the stud, with the center of the X being the center of the stud. This was to keep the tip of the bit located at the proper spot. In the above image, I had already done a little initial drilling with a smaller bit, and had come back with a larger bit which unfortunately wandered a bit off-center - this had to be cleaned up with a dremel grinding tool to make it sit concentrically again.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/eMt-1l3cvhuRFoPNJtV45VE6-f5Lf7Ou8gIxBcEamT34yP4xIv4srfuz5qNJEp4shL340nODIuifylOgGhtRnmKMUTZSdw61FTC3P5BDWwrk7QtVqeWRvtedW50wz2UVu82_abi3pbbsUcods5sXjMKQMYPBTrpUTX6huJmVckUv5kvuikDen8S6O5svX8C5DhVOjgDTu9WtMh2vQwysyGqj9VrTRPIOXOq9jcgDvtRWSjN2P9qWJc6QYZVpk2ftxZxQ75waaHGxYUIt5DllSqeVDFFsMJJxPL2fnN5EPdVIn3Qs4oD8OQLeZSYLAmWZhtkfwQn9skiyCQwam16M-n4jkgqQHaXNx1hRqwhYsGkgv337TQMOsPIpc9qeILTl_fgRXmgi7WRjvyB_pWRB4oFEijFzsATt5mipUG_w57s-bKzoJNRtrLdSN0V0ObIluC_i47pgvxRntwTO9-FAH5bG5b7nZt7iYWPR5bNj7O3UgFDHJyRnsXaGspxHZVI0rmBtQAFchQunWggsbas_5fPkWuWk5XD4LJAskuhaGLDqohvKVXhx0jtid6_eMPUD6x4-0jhHQthWnEISABlWZ_KJL3aYcBk255GDAUM8arWQjofuShG-Z9XQjYTQ24Yu-rsCWh05U2t6jZL50lukDKsYRsv2ztJ7=w847-h476-no)
However, locating the tip is only part of the problem... to control the angle of the drill, you need to fix the other end of the drill bit in space too, which brings us to the jankier bit...
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/onfT9Hpl6Tto6C_t3RMNM6YcGoJMmZWRByWzlW07PZf__gqxaBVJ46CSJKuPbrU4WO3OHCSc64IpmqB1cuIf0IxsNIdiCAsN8k4jLdc3TGUKEwGw5jitAMGtrk0raGq-J2ER2u-aNqPiInLl9FNEWuR4VGBa4WGhFy9FxKQxTvk11VRpA1f0peV6BdygP8vXt4ACPwj8II3HWgW3ZH1xncMG8AaUVss4t7BvoHAhPI-DFLrKZBVgAOvGlTyKq_Nh5lnyC3XvKmb02DGiZCZ_r5hAJh2SzqvVV-tuT8iy37LfGhhoNFQ8b370aIdFpj7uxua7voI-tcPbWas08fCk90GhkZkpoFOQNHukg20YK8orhw5iFskrtLqqm0BPb4EipfHs1470pjC3cj9wgfA7L_eXspgctSuU2Nq9QEjIfiQ8n0J0fWVSBghofvsS_3PmqTZw45x6vRwKyzV-9jwW1Y7_N2jfX86a83a5SkcU1CRyjeHE5H1pRSbJ-nPebR_VWEs6yUpeQm1FjYfKsAfDRg97VymiKGBP7k3oWN2yIDTSsNcGnmcjqt1LE6Q5MWHvcUnGUQ8W9Qn1tW_Fj8PrOar6NGGqmPylBnzCnEDvGoSboC11cEtT9yhkMaflswkZ59RRnILlp7aXJyMaYO41lThxzH-ZY_Xn=w268-h476-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/uhW7tNliR8VuthG-_Pf86XcgXypO3dzkV0_rOo0L5PXd3etRPRn7zxvpQZS4HyAjN2_ZWfGKJ9XKaL_SFr936swv9v0WplNxTVSA5B51unQU7isFt9euFAls3RM2WhCCxP1ogK5LYkKVxPyA0NkioiiY3pYk6v13P3N7YJ8Zr8ji72DO9EKlZ0QQiSfI2rBSOLcepw58xNE-Bqnbu3IaurvRbctAy0c_v1Ui0lTvFg05NlVBwWz3ssIY8wCDhoYId9ogNnfbG-rPqAVT5oC3CGvKGFuPmPH18_SmnEC5oXyYAOkpWoBu4TwgFBtzQ8Y3PIzjQyD24eX2axqtis-gdZojakEJhChnVG6I56vGoasyjWL7Z73E0He0YNIYktF2e7x85Yz8aNjM1W43WBOwNDUhm_Wymjb4qcdmjeTAhMzanZtMEP9i7F4dLymiflCeyAj9jXTZ5U7Ag4RPr8vXlnj3Iq6qmZZprCbU3BPdhaQbG3MfJ1Z7nAH_rqm1y7FIx5hNLb-ag8ifscI7WSMEjfTqkfTwsKjrZGDAxsT6uP5J7DvvCNvhE22R_a-dPxSwlKksv-fisV35kLpUhJib_3VOhL2WD3a5KCDcdkuSoO5_5IxaYqwh8OvbxAOQyWGXM7TxM-ZMNwLRpbFadhpn5L60JAfXdQOQ=w268-h476-no)
Yes, a 17mm 12-point deep socket, pounded over the end of the stud, and a series of spacers to locate the end of the drill bit within the driver square at the far end of it. Each bit required its own spacer or spacers depending on the bit length and diameter, so I ended up with a small pile of little tubes made out of lighting rod, aluminum tube, brake line etc. So, now all I need to do is put the right bit in the drill, slide the spacer over it to fit in the drive square, spray it all down with WD40 as cutting fluid and to lubricate this spacer, slide it up into the socket and feel around for where the tip falls into the hole in the center of the stud, and then keep pressing this heavy ass drill into the underside of the car for 15 - 30 seconds at a time, then remove it, clean out the chips, spray it again, and reinsert until I get to the right depth. Also, to get up to a 1/2" drill bit going deep enough into the stud, I needed to do this with I think 6 different sized bits, periodically sharpening the bits as necessary. My arms and upper body were in no shape to be doing all this lifting and pressing, so now its time for the jankiest part of the whole thing (just when you thought it wouldn't get any worse...)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/XSoEbRpJw0gZnoZNdHeebfsAxNbz-R-g31AbT8nDMoy4BbsOJ8zbPWVA9ypm26hOt5z2OxFWazvElTvaK8_46rLJ5atThsF0SKfMEfpzW2FTKB-kBJA_oC_rSkFJEuhgXkfq6gPly83hjfvE0LFez8TLABBE18NiGe4XrvdvqPHnA4hRSDxgF4SlXZAyDUPeFbKqCz1ZYQx4ghMwQfFK-_RW_V7AQlNVeyU8goMxAmbwk6YKD3hOHJ1_iqw733zFNHTWiFMIopNhY8rpM58ShvnHSA3cli8lZLHcNPdleIv2tnRVcPcDWe5setzijpDxEUQ_-2anLLGl76IxyRMvDnsK5lJJsVcaugn1GLdqgwHrLxac8JUirZKbkPPDhdAESstdqKDjN5UAJwiNkTiFd0ONQkTt5o3W7wXZy9MZ6kamC3e96OXUtciugh12sTnCEba2qlfTaV8cqqYpkPd92E0nFQPFCLngqP3YGpjEGCp7sDyhHFthQVUlqYfGPwKfJU51MSzhkgA0jxHmzXQb0iU5AyMF5NorucLo4JImEaJ25SsFCbBZkWCH6QlbnWVcTdcyxyjdHU_oqATXmSmjKSxR7sxCKfeqNmFEMiYFNYZ11TTlzxWiwBV9criHtVC-JBJFCI699bpwRfxlBjmt7YZE7MDT9Jd3=w847-h476-no)
Yes, a jack to apply pressure to the back of the drill to do the cutting. Through all of this, trying to keep the stud cool was important, so I was spraying that with WD-40 too to try to prevent it from work-hardening... This worked pretty well up until the 1/2" bit, which got hot extremely quickly and actually burst one of the two bits in that size I had. The other one I was eventually able to make work by drilling out the center of that 17mm deep socket to make it large enough to put the remaining bit through, by frequently re-sharpening it, and through a lot of persistence. In the end, I had a properly sized hole about 40mm deep to the shoulder of the angle at the tip of the bit, looking pretty close to centered & concentric.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cun7OxjWvpr2nLMKwtHZ3TpKPGqDXhOvAQpYXyYYJEQ0BUOKEX4AlLUcNKh4lMr2mZkhtUmyP82RWSfAEGjk_e2_RnGKQHNXWsYpQBO-hE6ZgdXKxczKK4Mz59mtnTsWLeBNXsIfhVU4uL_qP2VITREI_muR-HcnMAzH3HDTV7IaDlukToUCelfBN_p_wI5R35KSxQ5vMH005-6IL8Zm2hRqKOxviPGVbONw7dhmGIioOTrb8MJhfO7LBwWMWm9eKYa8JNUXYzxb66vfqb8McQgRyWoD9UId1Gqz4sfDDvPa69i1HTQiGFGFqLKTQdmfZJ8nIMirCZ-njglNaYwo_MDHIM8N-ClR-x76CGPKwSiEr3keW2ubnoEMdiZbZuI3IQrPUbeRMgoeMRVWeVc02qqiIxSTF4ZuT7mqwU65pdsqpSyAzlRuNDpr5Pq5CXaFV1VS3T8RD3zhQGbabSQu5RswhoOm103Xwe7GtBkFxt-NuRQwjlxOvB8DUlruTVP7di9z4KMZJcnN7-F9JOV5BRnqjkQxeBR4h66HrHyYlyRQQm5VofwtCQsKI3ocSlSQaaCAPsTCBqtvNaJUiMYZU6u1fxPV215h4w8P87xi8ysNPyzLGDhdKorWWORzB4xB5DRD21CCXLscpCWx-0Gh4ZWYLaaIwSWG=w847-h476-no)
The bad news is that all of this took around 4 hours, and that trying to tap it is an absolute bear - it took about 40 minutes to even get the tap started, and another 2 hours to get 3 full threads cut into it since I suspect that it did work-harden and kept grabbing the tap, forcing me to go very slowly. I ordered a harder cobalt-steel tap and a bottoming tap to try again, hoping that the quality of my harbor-freight-grade current tap is just not cutting it (heheh), but we'll see when they arrive.
In other news, I finally got around to painting the diff teeth with marking compound and checking the engagement. By the looks of it, the coast-side pattern is indicating that the pinion is too far away from the ring gear (too shallow), which would be consistent with bearing wear and the looseness of the pinion nut. I think I'm resigned to ordering a few shims and a new crush collar from Mazda to try to get it set up properly since I don't want to have to go through all of this again.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/SKXgvTLsjTfZeYt3v--qZRxr01_FSnIeeTymYJU-uyQe8uCX49pE-56D9gxTghE8HhZc51QZ6hj4p-LZTbDQhE3Ki6g2_Hbuaj5XBviseGxP5r49W6XcCvReggSW-ddvUp1RxdqdVjeFALlLF0ADE36S6cgOA5MS025xDhIap5swDr33PityLAAMEcSZFC2_vO7LECvzebzVqqm_7_Y5B_65ieSt7LX_w5F1LfMqeeuDMKmQGrTaqokSP12lQVSxzO30eEkJsqJCxWF6Kd9ZDgKK2PFQ9Rwkfse_6tpy9mA_AWE5bNscMOohH4-9DE5g9wDH7voChdX9ecdsAMBZz8Qhf1sodtRWSWFwAHXK84Wz3p-phz0ki39gtlv90IzEIMGyf6oqk-qohuc9bVXkqvodphTsHibj13o8hsO_wojKn_vR5XXLGC3i3ZyoDjY_UrwT3cF1408Dfiywjlnv62HiJvWNGVnileLpPRl4ExhIlEaRUOv9NHRZ85fPYVc8pWcJd3t2QZKsvb_HmfY_GdVNAV4eKczydPN3UFRCh27GOiRY0moinhr65bqu0GjX4wmLosnf_WOD8X685B9LipgE40r2cCRHxP_AoPQpBKhlXFGlTnfNm9_xQRq3ofWyfLbVQ6e6DojMOIZ9Yt-Ww2TzKsklRzcq=w268-h476-no)
The drive side, shown below, is also off and really biased towards the toe, although this may be a consequence of adjusting the ring offset to get the backlash correct. Either way, we'll see when I get the new shims (need to measure what the current one is first)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NQnRJYckp0ATxFWzBxG50P4vKPAvjJhLcNJ6ATo9M4H_0V2aPCFK-6DJRr1_eIPIIhhaHmzrAPNOHIyAozsJgxP4P1foj_j9tdOeEigihNS4Au-_obyRa5AJdqYUSCr7PuR4TeMKAYetIGqFrnRL1QXZb1lgVUGrSqmVzzdNOyRpk6G0gDBdyRTRrVdIQ-BL8H0oWDTIMS_50Ir_HZIHChQgBBoFMSTPzoYZHO86Y_UYMFaPGu-J9ySaUmjBkU2pdSCqV2aXgM7Lci9tqMEYka51O2WRCEVyKYz9dVMkEJm7GxyHXGdFF4Iurj6nLIMMhLtyVZ5t5xv_QNYTuO7UuAeTXB65cdbtGNXG3Y1hPkpumgEBvZYcp7m_-R58yMvAEFnqcR8faB2uk91oOyXnC0W9-AX7r8r38C0bS8UZn5SsYKSgq5Ci_mzPkf_nXiCJt5cX53VjtuwChtBc70w7eCqTIPM2iGOhlxKS39nGAjKvF7mw-Y1DIM2hiTsphgmsAva0k5wLt4yp6foZqS-Lxr-CvSngzxygKTAA5V135ceHs5tAGcFk8dGbMbZSF9srBR55-XNk3VEtQO9qCf0wbIH9yn7o__CU4lJvN3O3lipXdSWmw4vvXLdmT0BKpoLnRsOzMg47QUuBaS-XXqdw7scHqwxiEkpw=w847-h476-no)
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Wow, that's definitely janky, and only got worse with the jack! I see where you're going with it though, hopefully the new tap will speed things up. Yikes!
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should work nicely. I'm sure you already thought of this but, when you are done tapping it make sure to smooth out the end of the stud.
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So, in the end, after cleaning up the end of the stud, the rear subframe and differential seemed to just slide into place as if nothing was wrong, and the 80mm bolt threaded in with no issues. I had also gotten a 90mm bolt, just in case, but it bottomed out in the threading before tightening onto the subframe, which tells me that the 80mm is engaging just about all the threads in the stud that it can for maximum strength.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NgvzT8HdEYqxDe81lrE-2HCo5q6PD8DKqSpfZ-H3vm5CJsr0FnITbtiCU6ElAsnPNI1ZlgdzebcA4hK7yA6vleR2zod7TU--NRnNvcEREwvIGjgKPp6MKppdExETo3Vis4Zy_d7Nq8FnR2yhb41_0M0DdxDhet4q-g44vhlLG3SCSb0nTbnoopKpzp90GtwrcnZHMN5i2NUqL1LwRoBKLVJYrToacdFwPC6dCaepbLurOyuHUs8vca_DunQ9SSpxYV12j3Tfm4Tg6Gt6GwA67c5hiDQBuMr0NIKYfUSWJ0eCKw9O7qyU9-sG2MFZR_eFjCodreh8BTf-9s39QFplIlS2O0uBvrMRYGDFaw4kB-36Fk5yxLwgIA7pTmJTt1wC160VoSRWzcVx6NZt5pZf51ah8rMQWYMBWFeg61MHZMu0sXKl3rAKdnvjWE4IqQYEp4s2i6AWmZ1SNs7tsPIVgm3nOtrYc45lsQen2HImvZbRCVn8eOmidoS6fh13jS1lvxBqVWiYvK_2oOZlhXOzya5jMXyj2B1GF2aFbQprDQlqJ5ff37DqMeStDGM8_t6-I_8qHWuHTTFm2_SbSqY9lybrmhAIQ21tDjRsxpPGdDWJHVsGsJWx4jBCw5nSqCAcJGoef6W4asDWYads2H_eA3S5Vj3s_gE4=w1247-h701-no)
Now we'll see how it handles the driving loads placed on it...
Anyhow, onto the diff itself: The assortment of spacers, new crush-tube, and a new pinion seal came from Mazdatrix today. I was hoping that they'd arrive yesterday so that I could get everything together to make an appearance at the Woodward meet, but due to an issue that they had getting one of the spacers, things didn't ship in time. Oh well... they came around noon today, and I got to work shortly thereafter.
Since the engagement pattern showed that I needed to space the pinion closer to the ring gear since the bearings had worn and allowed it to move further away, I needed a thicker spacer to be inserted between the pinion and the closest thrust bearing. This required the thrust bearing inner race be pressed off of the shaft, the existing spacer had to be replaced with a thicker one, and the inner race then be pressed back onto the shaft. I didn't have a press, and my assortment of hammers was nowhere near big enough (although I tried...), but fortunately the local hardware store had one back in their shop (Carpenter Brothers in Ann Arbor, at the intersection of Plymouth & Nixon Rd - you saved me again!). Support your local stores!!! Stepping up only 0.14mm to the 3.29mm thick spacer seemed to place the wear patterns in the middle of the teeth, at least from the base of the tooth out to the tip. They were roughly centered (about as well as I think they could get, given the spacer thicknesses that I had to work with), and I was more worried about the coasting side, since after my noise problem was under coasting, and a lot of reading confirmed that it was the more troublesome side with used gears. The contact patterns had a bit of a strange, pointy shape to them, which seemed to be contact at the tip of the shape staying constant, while the rest of the pinion tooth sort of dragged around that tip as it slid along the ring gear tooth. Ultimately, the contact spots look like they're in the best location that I can get them, but the shape is a bit odd. We'll see how they sound, and hopefully they don't require another adjustment anytime soon.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/5Nk0vZQBGVR1PFMXoOEj95indM6--WjnP3G96NCcFo7rq2r1FWs3Q7omPyrL-1U181Gy-J9aHGnrRXNxqTFxU3uaLd4NQWJ5p3Zs1abqcZwN9rKogzZMyWw3-1JvOoB3-GjpuPcjiUCvMHeS_WeHEu2lC-JdRheesc4CBaO6eK_-ZZ7k7KBn_6EloHckmx6U_xQJ57SYIG0mS0VpGaWg3RmRDK9bqGRinOHkfkSGTxrHKmc30MId3u1VBGj34msm37dRfZQniY7TerkKnsds0sV9L0AVa8Lv0VygIQ9miuKzoQ4askOq4U_-XRPA09qxhjBKyJowaLwpX0F91OrcAfZN-vTRwdeXYXhVGx0MtJnF8Q1SNe0ypujLB2poL-UuOmZq71qjePWnHSyDowSypW2CYIuHCF_DiWkw290RoYLnPpS8hsJI3trxV88I4Y0EPQOUroz-Jg11LpO9PCFfTK5Qsx0BOBd63vTgsIRoj51RqW7hMUMbEXMFs4ALbR80v8Isy9R9hasSBk-XMZyOhXqDV82FM61XoPbPK_tuhdugVDBovyJAlrdMyKENz3Ua6GLR7gKv3aU_60J8aD8fvODeMetlky7ixG1g-axk_F8hJS3lFdry4o20Ob3NYmcJIZ5FqWNgSjLyHM4XYbvMtxV8-6w4T9to=w1247-h701-no)
Drive Side
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3DU68y1flJ7JJNfgBEhIb6sDdKdwOa057BsC_D8KT0GN6CK8y_BRW_T3r_exYY2OM3UcHtqOExYFrxDTwC31QDiuZxvwFHEWC-jHIvuXzDKcZ9aLqwXVvSBFLIBGhxdi6GKcunICckbQVaWOwBby3TLs0IT5Qg74nbEk5fN-d9U66qnOu5-QeXyLemDAL0utKCoxBTQgg4oolTiRjwnN4SMW8VfrSvbBEhD-Vw2A_qm3c3MJpq-vDZLaO-SyW6nwl2ux-toiRWP_Gtu6-aH_XrrVqsoLyBqsPJr4aqF7EchpYC91ybWNE7eylaBvZVeeBfwCYEwMYdGAFRyRhNxJ4tKHRF27lK9lDMdVzF6S10PhGu_kNWBxXGKC14SjfX7YimiWFPnivLzl2yuQi8Cdp7vkdh96gF3jYmlJImr3wHWGIm5DFgDRQCiH0yVwqfz-MF6jmdzKesl7MopWsFm_aCaTn-GYEMSqgvK_I5SQd23CXXUcCPUsvjcrYupb7ONLH8-n3ZsdaTe0iNAamONJaEkOXi1amJXozuHh66UaoAUtGr06zhJyMIGP-omBDk9bg43EzzpNrZ3AKiwULKLz-xSr3MZm2r5K6WDwTlPkH5o7SuI12_lAquWmZptLvW_dKl1qUSMGB5fPvkRC0iBSdIIMZoJRz2Ve=w1247-h701-no)
Coast Side
Since I got a lock nut for the pinion shaft from a general hardware store, it ended up being a bit too long to fit in the recess in the driveshaft and the edges needed to be ground down a bit. Not really a big deal, but if I were to do it again I'd just get the proper lock-nut from Mazdatrix as well.
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Its been about 600 miles since the engine rebuild, and 400 since the diff rebuild and subframe repair. Time to change the oil and filter, and in 600 miles to change the diff fluid. The engine is still feeling strong, and I just got the boost dialed up to the same 12 psi that it had been running at prior to the rebuild. The diff is making a little bit of noise on deceleration, but it is soft enough that I think its just about normal, given the mazdaspeed stiffer diff mounts on all 3 corners. Oil change tomorrow, then some more miles to continue breaking everything in
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Good to hear it's been good so far! You should take a picture of the vert, it's been so long since i've seen her haha.
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Oil looks good with no metal flaking that I can tell, the coolant level hasn't budged, and the only concern is a little bit of oil smoke, especially on over-run at 6-7000 RPM - I don't know if this is due to having the oil slightly overfilled, some weak seals in the turbo, problems in the PCV & breather system, or what. The catch can was also very full, leading me to think I might have hooked up something wrong with the PCV
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its been a week since you fixed it and it already has 400 miles on it!? dang...
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Hopefully it was just overfill or incorrectly setup PCV that's my bet.
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Yea, I tried to label all the vacuum lines and have a few sketches of how they had been connected before based on what type of vacuum source they need, so I'll have to go back through all of that.
She's got 600 miles on the rebuild now, round trip to work is about 95 miles so it adds up quickly if I use her as a DD. About 200 of those were before the rear diff noise and broken stud, then Mon-Thurs last week plus a few assorted shorter trips. I think I need to get it aligned as it pulls ever so slightly, but thats to be expected after dropping the rear subframe.
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How's the FC been?
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She's been slumbering mostly. I'm actually about to head out to the garage to finish wiring up the new sensors for the arduino screen, then starting her up to see how things feel briefly, and to listen to the rear diff again with fresh ears. At the end of last summer I was convinced that I need to drop it and re-set the lash again, but I'd like to take another listen since it's been a while.
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Still haven't run her long enough to see about the diff noise or the suspected PCV issue, but swapping out the single-wire temperature sensors for ones that were more appropriately ranged for the circuit I built and had a dedicated ground seems to have completely solved the sensing issue that I was having, so that's a big positive! Now I need to put some more miles on her to see what other things crop up.
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The weather is kinda getting warmer, if you time the days right to take her out for a long fun cruise.
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Oh, since that post last year I've put a few thousand miles on her and everything seems to be working well. I'll probably swap the RX-8 and RX-7 on insurance so it gets a bit of use anyway.
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Savannah is out of storage, and got a new top finally! Paul's Auto Interiors in Pontiac did it, and it looks really good now. I haven't put it down yet since they advised waiting another week for the vinyl to finish stretching, but it's nice and taut and the new headliner looks much better than the old, stained one.
I need to track down a few electrical gremlins, including a mystery loss in voltage that is causing some occasional issues with gauges and starting, the headrest speakers stopped working, and the tune needs a little bit of tweaking - something doesn't feel quite right. Otherwise, I think she's ready for summer!