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paranoid_android
paranoid_android UltraDork
2/9/19 9:20 p.m.

That is a beautiful noise!

nice work!

Brett_Murphy
Brett_Murphy UltimaDork
2/9/19 9:55 p.m.

If I recall correctly, many of the vac tubes are related to the emissions and not required for the engine to run well, and can be removed. If you're going to be digging into them, I *highly* suggest digging up a copy of the vac diagrams on RX-7 Club if you can and removing whatever you're comfortable with.

Also, while you're digging around in stuff, please double check your OMP lines. If they're brittle, just replace them. There is a write up for that using like $4 worth of stuff from McMaster-Carr. It's simple insurance for a problem that will 100% ruin your engine if it happens.

SnowMongoose
SnowMongoose SuperDork
2/9/19 10:51 p.m.

Thanks for the reminder that Snow doesn't fit into *any* vehicle that came from the factory with a rotary engine.    
Doesn't mean that rotary isn't on his bucket list.

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
2/11/19 8:38 a.m.

Brett_Murphy said:

If I recall correctly, many of the vac tubes are related to the emissions and not required for the engine to run well, and can be removed. If you're going to be digging into them, I *highly* suggest digging up a copy of the vac diagrams on RX-7 Club if you can and removing whatever you're comfortable with.

Thanks for all the help getting it running everybody! 

I'll be checking all of the old vacuum hoses and going through the diagram again to be sure they are in the right place. 

I also didn't replace any of the manifold gaskets when I put it back together so there is plenty of chance something is leaking there too. 

Brett_Murphy said:


Also, while you're digging around in stuff, please double check your OMP lines. If they're brittle, just replace them. There is a write up for that using like $4 worth of stuff from McMaster-Carr. It's simple insurance for a problem that will 100% ruin your engine if it happens.

 

The OMP lines are still intact but do look quite yellowed, I dumped a small amount of 2 stroke oil in the tank for some extra insurance until I can rebuild the OMP system. 

EvanB
EvanB MegaDork
2/11/19 8:44 a.m.
SnowMongoose said:

Thanks for the reminder that Snow doesn't fit into *any* vehicle that came from the factory with a rotary engine.    
Doesn't mean that rotary isn't on his bucket list.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_Parkway

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
2/11/19 8:00 p.m.

Well, I spent a few hours troubleshooting and still no real solutions. 

First I found this,

After looking over other parts and pictures, found that it doesn't go any where and capped it. 

Problem solved? nope. 

Then I found this.

 

Yeah that O2 sensor isn't hooked to anything. Can't be helping. 

After literally hours of trying to find the other end of the wire. (It was under the intake manifold, with no plug to be found) I fixed this too. 

Yup, same symptoms... 

I also figured out how to jump the initial settings leads in an attempt to adjust the idle screw. 

It kinda-of-almost ran at like 400 RPM after that, but changing the idle speed screw didn't seem to make it better? 

Well here I am shouting into the void again, The nice thing about this place is that eventually the answer will come echoing back, I hope.

Brett_Murphy
Brett_Murphy UltimaDork
2/11/19 10:04 p.m.

I'm being lazy and not looking back-

Did you reset your CAS and make double-dog sure it hadn't jumped a tooth before you set the timing?

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
2/12/19 12:40 p.m.

In reply to Brett_Murphy :

Actually, I never got the timing light out to check since it runs so well for that first minute when it is on open loop. It only seems to have issues once the computer gets involved. Doesn't mean I shouldn't check it though...

wvumtnbkr
wvumtnbkr UberDork
2/12/19 2:22 p.m.

Check the coolant temp sensor.

 

Also, test the afm.

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
2/14/19 3:18 p.m.

I checked the AFM and it seems fine according to the manual.

For the coolant temp sensor, do you mean the one in the radiator? I just put new coolant in it and was remiss to pull it out. 

I also checked the TPS and it was in spec, 1.25K at idle, (Manual says 750-1250) I adjusted it to 1K to see if it would help and it seemed to idle too low when I cold started it. Do y'all know if the Ohms at idle will directly effect the idle speed, should it? 

 

 

Brett_Murphy
Brett_Murphy UltimaDork
2/14/19 4:00 p.m.

Thermo wax problem?

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
2/14/19 7:22 p.m.

In reply to Brett_Murphy :

According to a quick google, if the Thermowax failed, it should idle too high instead of too low...

wvumtnbkr
wvumtnbkr UberDork
2/14/19 7:40 p.m.

1k ohms is were to set the tps.  The coolant temp sensor is a green sensor in the back of the thermostat housing. 

I'd be checking timing at 800 to 900 rpm.  And setting the tps to 1k ohms.

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
2/15/19 12:13 p.m.

Big Win today! 

I checked the Temp Sensor and it seemed correct so I hooked up the timing light. With it barely idling while holding the throttle, the timing marks were way off. 

So, I pulled the CAS, re-aligned it and dropped it back in. Instantly so much better!

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ffacebook%2Fvideos%2F10218043695422325%2F&width=500&show_text=false&height=281

Man, if only someone had told me to realign that... like both 7 and 12 posts ago, lol.

Well, now it idles high instead of low, which probably is a minor vac leak. More importantly it leaks coolant everywhere once warm. 

It's hard to see in the picture but there is steam coming off of the radiator and the engine. 

I found the major leak, a hose on the thermowax housing didn't have a clamp. But I think the radiator itself is leaking up front. 

SO, the next logical step, a bath!

You're disgusting... I got out the pressure washer and it barely cut through all the grime. It took me less time to do the entire side of my house. 

Well, now it ran but the clutch was completely flat on the floor. With a little help from my 3 and 5 year old, I bled the lines(which went astonishingly well) and it moved under it's own power!

That's all for now because I am taking my wife to a romantic valentine's day cosplay convention for the weekend. 

My brother should be over on Sunday though and we can try and get this thing running right!

Side note, anybody got a driver's side door handle? This is how I have been getting in and out of the car...

wvumtnbkr
wvumtnbkr UberDork
2/15/19 12:22 p.m.

Good luck with the door handle.  They are expensive and hard to find.  Especially if you are looking for one of the same color.

Brett_Murphy
Brett_Murphy UltimaDork
2/15/19 1:30 p.m.
BirgerBuilder said:

Big Win today! 

I checked the Temp Sensor and it seemed correct so I hooked up the timing light. With it barely idling while holding the throttle, the timing marks were way off. 

So, I pulled the CAS, re-aligned it and dropped it back in. Instantly so much better!

 

That's all for now because I am taking my wife to a romantic valentine's day cosplay convention for the weekend. 

 

 

Glad you got it sorted out, and have fun at the romantic cosplay convention.

Though, I gotta say, a "romantic cosplay convention" sounds like code for a BDSM/Fetish show. Considering you're working on a rotary that's slower than a modern day Corolla...



 

CJ
CJ Reader
2/15/19 2:32 p.m.

Edit - it was blue but the wrong side

CJ
CJ Reader
2/15/19 2:44 p.m.
BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
2/15/19 9:50 p.m.

Could care less about the color, but 150$ is wayyyy over budget. 

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
2/15/19 9:54 p.m.

In reply to Brett_Murphy :

Lol .no, no fetish show, more that my wife would rather nerd-out than be wined and dined.

Vigo
Vigo UltimaDork
2/15/19 10:26 p.m.

Wow, you know the brand of tire from that picture?

Yeah, that tire (Sumitomo HTR200) sort of encapsulates the whole concept of 'the good old days' of small tires when you could get a grippy tire in all the oddball small sizes for like, $50/ea max. Good times.. 

Recon1342
Recon1342 Reader
2/16/19 4:18 a.m.

Perhaps I need some magical spinning Doritos in my life...

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
2/18/19 2:18 p.m.

Not a whole lot to report, We worked on the car for a bit on Sunday. First we let it warm up and messed wit the idle a bit, It was still slightly high but we sprayed starter fluid all over and didn't seem to find any leaks. 

I decided to check/ clean the BAC valve which lets extra air through and bumps up the idle when necessary. When I pulled it off, the gasket broke, of course, and I didn't have a new one. Cleaned it up well and checked that it was working properly, though. 

 

I re-installed it with RTV but decided to let it dry completely before starting the motor again. So I stopped working  on the car and pulled apart the entire rear end on my ATV since one of the bearings had gone bad. 

I still need to fix all of the coolant leaks and the good news is that a new aluminum radiator is only $155, the bad news is that I don't have $155 right now. I mean, I do, but, you know what I mean.

BirgerBuilder
BirgerBuilder Reader
2/21/19 1:54 p.m.

Had a snow day yesterday so I got to work on the car for a good portion of the day. 

I started out trying to fix the idle issues. After it first warms up, it will bounce around from 1500-1700.  Hunting for answers, I found somebody that said their throttle cable was too tight. Well, mine wasn't, but I found that if I twisted the throttle backwards, it would drop down to about 750.  Ah-ha!

Well I had an extra throttle body just laying around so I swapped them out, or started to... I got everything switched out and was ready to install the other one when I noticed the idle screw was jammed on it. While trying to break it free, I only broke it...

So I went back to the first one after adjusting the dash-pot and double checking parts. 

Well I got it back together and started it up and had the same condition with a lumpy idle at 750. I sprayed more starter fluid around and I found a vacuum leak! It was under the intake manifold, so then the car fell apart. 

 

During the tear down process, I noticed that I missed a bolt on the back of the manifold, I also had reused the old gaskets so I think that's the leak. 

The gaskets were stuck on there, real hard so I was scrapping for an hour  or more. 

I finally gave up on the razor blade and broke out the wire cup. hopefully I didn't gank them up too hard but I just couldn't get it clean otherwise. 

The other side was a lot easier to clean but a gasket for it was like $30. So I bought some make a gasket paper from NAPA. 

Was a pain to make one for sure though. 

Also while I was at it, I remade a block off plate for the emissions delete. I had made one years ago but had used thin flimsy steel that I don't think will seal well. 

New one is made out of thick, (probably a little too thick) aluminum. I got the car most of the way back together but didn't have a chance to start it before work. 

Fingers crossed for tomorrow morning! 

 

 

 

fidelity101
fidelity101 UltraDork
2/22/19 12:09 p.m.
wvumtnbkr said:

Good luck with the door handle.  They are expensive and hard to find.  Especially if you are looking for one of the same color.

I will be working on trying to print these with an improved design out of 316L once I get my hands on a set and our DMLS machines get installed come May. should be a permanent fix. 

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