Winter upgrade suggestions.

iheardsupport · 12-16-2010, 05:04 AM

Hey guys, I've got my '88 stock GTU n/a garaged for the winter and have got some time/ money to sink into it. What would be your first/most effective mod I should start with?

My5ABaby · 12-16-2010, 08:42 AM

1. Body/Paint.
2. TII (if you want power)

Waffles · 12-16-2010, 08:50 AM

your personal goals are going to dictate where you want to start with any car. So, what do plan to be using your car for?

Pete_89T2 · 12-16-2010, 09:19 AM

The first question you need to ask of yourself, that only you can answer, is what are your goals for this car? Share that with forum, along with a summary of where the car stands as of today (i.e., overall condition), and you'll get some really good advice.

iheardsupport · 12-16-2010, 10:52 AM

OH how frustrating when you have a long post all typed out and you accidentally click the back button on your browser and it deletes it all!!!

Anyway. (shortened version this time) This isn't a daily driver for me, its always been a dream of mine to own a 2nd gen RX-7 so now that i have one i just want to make it my own. Make it visually unique and slightly upgraded performance but not maxxed out or anything!

The body has 110k miles on it, the engine has 17k after a total rebuild. There are no mechanical problems that i know of at all. The body also has pretty much zero rust on it, which is unbelievable for a Michigan car, and one of many reasons i won't drive it in the winter! I'm pretty sure my first order of business is to get new rims/tires because it needs new tires anyway and i don't want to put them on the old OEM rims when im going to get new ones anyway

And this is the car!

firzen · 12-16-2010, 02:12 PM

I ditto what Pete and Waffles said, although I also want to add a note: take care of whatever that doesn't work. You say everything works mechanically but look through the forum and find out where the typical problems for the car appear. The car has a bit of mileage so <something> is got to be on its way out.

I would help to know how long you've had this car and how many miles you personally put on it.

Edit: Also just saw your thread in the interior section. Get those things fixed first before getting your wheels.

iheardsupport · 12-16-2010, 09:19 PM

Alright, I'm definitely gunna do that. I've put about 6k miles on it. Now that i think of it when trying to shift into 3rd kinda quickly it sometimes will grind for seemingly no reason, and also grinds going into reverse everytime no matter what?

My5ABaby · 12-17-2010, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iheardsupport

Alright, I'm definitely gunna do that. I've put about 6k miles on it. Now that i think of it when trying to shift into 3rd kinda quickly it sometimes will grind for seemingly no reason, and also grinds going into reverse everytime no matter what?

That's an old and abused (by that I mean driven spiritedly) transmission for you. If you want to TRY to get rid of that, find a low mileage replacement. Good luck though.

Pete_89T2 · 12-17-2010, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by My5ABaby

That's an old and abused (by that I mean driven spiritedly) transmission for you. If you want to TRY to get rid of that, find a low mileage replacement. Good luck though.

Concur with this and what your mechanic said about worn sychros WRT 3rd gear, but the grinding while shifting into reverse sounds like it could also be an issue with the hydraulic clutch linkage. Problems there can lead to grinding in any gear, as the clutch may not properly engage/disengage as it should. Look for signs of fluid leakage around the clutch slave cylinder, especially on its rubber boot - if you squeeze the boot a little and fluid leaks out, it's shot.

iheardsupport · 12-17-2010, 09:07 AM

Is it a big deal? I got it to the point where i can shift into third without it doing it now, just gotta do it right. I had a mechanic tell me it was possibly the synchro (sp?) is that true?

josh18_2k · 12-17-2010, 11:22 AM

all transmissions grind going into reverse if you shift too quickly. clutch in, come to complete stop, wait a sec, then put it in reverse.

if 3rd is the only gear that grinds, its a synchro. not worth replacing, just find another trans if it bothers you enough. they're decently cheap and not very hard to replace (have someone experianced help you)

NoDOHC · 12-17-2010, 08:31 PM

It seems strange that the 3rd gear synchro is bad... It is almost always the 2nd gear synchro that goes on the Mazda transmissions (the reason for this is the large split between 1st and 2nd).

Quote:

Originally Posted by josh18_2k

all transmissions grind going into reverse if you shift too quickly. clutch in, come to complete stop, wait a sec, then put it in reverse.

Almost correct, the S5 transmissions had synchros in reverse. However, If that is the original transmission in that car, it would not have synchros.

The grinding occurs because the splines on the shift sleeve are moving at a different rotational speed to the splines on the inside of the gear when they are moved into contact with each other. Synchros avoid this by resisting shifter movement while applying force to draw the splines to the same speed. When the speeds match, the synchro quits resisting shifter movement and allows engagement of the splines.

It is possible to rev match and change gears smoothly without synchros, but it is much more difficult (especially downshifting).

My5ABaby · 12-18-2010, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoDOHC

It seems strange that the 3rd gear synchro is bad... It is almost always the 2nd gear synchro that goes on the Mazda transmissions (the reason for this is the large split between 1st and 2nd).

My 1st to 2nd is fine but grinds into 3rd.

iheardsupport · 12-19-2010, 03:25 PM

Thanks for all the info, its actually quite rare when i can get it into reverse without grinding. Something i have noticed is to keep it from grinding i have to push the shifter knob into third at a certain angle, which i can do every time now, and it's not really a problem. Could this be a linkage problem? Kinda feels like its really tight.

***TitaniumTT*** · 01-01-2011, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iheardsupport

Thanks for all the info, its actually quite rare when i can get it into reverse without grinding. Something i have noticed is to keep it from grinding i have to push the shifter knob into third at a certain angle, which i can do every time now, and it's not really a problem. Could this be a linkage problem? Kinda feels like its really tight.

I can't believe no-one has said this yet

SHIFTER BUSHINGS!!!!

As for the reverse grinding thing... SOP is

come to a complete stop
shift into any forward gear to stop the trans from moving
or just depress the clutch while braking and leave it in gear
shift into reverse

12-16-2010, 05:04 AM	#1
iheardsupport The Newbie Join Date: Aug 2010 iTrader: (0) Posts: 16 Rep Power: 0	Winter upgrade suggestions. Hey guys, I've got my '88 stock GTU n/a garaged for the winter and have got some time/ money to sink into it. What would be your first/most effective mod I should start with?

12-16-2010, 08:42 AM	#2
My5ABaby Sigh..... Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Murfreesboro, TN iTrader: (6) Posts: 2,377 Rep Power: 19	1. Body/Paint. 2. TII (if you want power) __________________ 1986 Sport: 132k miles, 5A (Sapphire Blue Metallic), Tokico Blues, Racing Beat Springs, Custom LED tailights (only S4 LED tails in the world), SSR Mark II, Racing Beat exhaust, S5 black interior, Rotary Resurrection rebuild at 120k miles Community Service Manual RotorWiki "Imagination costs nothing; we could build square locomotives or fly to Mars" - Felix Wankel Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the "present."

12-16-2010, 10:52 AM	#5
iheardsupport The Newbie Join Date: Aug 2010 iTrader: (0) Posts: 16 Rep Power: 0	OH how frustrating when you have a long post all typed out and you accidentally click the back button on your browser and it deletes it all!!! Anyway. (shortened version this time) This isn't a daily driver for me, its always been a dream of mine to own a 2nd gen RX-7 so now that i have one i just want to make it my own. Make it visually unique and slightly upgraded performance but not maxxed out or anything! The body has 110k miles on it, the engine has 17k after a total rebuild. There are no mechanical problems that i know of at all. The body also has pretty much zero rust on it, which is unbelievable for a Michigan car, and one of many reasons i won't drive it in the winter! I'm pretty sure my first order of business is to get new rims/tires because it needs new tires anyway and i don't want to put them on the old OEM rims when im going to get new ones anyway And this is the car! Last edited by iheardsupport; 12-16-2010 at 11:45 AM.. Reason: Add picture

12-16-2010, 02:12 PM	#6
firzen Rotary Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2008 iTrader: (2) Posts: 231 Rep Power: 17	I ditto what Pete and Waffles said, although I also want to add a note: take care of whatever that doesn't work. You say everything works mechanically but look through the forum and find out where the typical problems for the car appear. The car has a bit of mileage so <something> is got to be on its way out. I would help to know how long you've had this car and how many miles you personally put on it. Edit: Also just saw your thread in the interior section. Get those things fixed first before getting your wheels. Last edited by firzen; 12-16-2010 at 02:19 PM..

12-17-2010, 11:22 AM	#11
josh18_2k Rotary Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Gresham, OR iTrader: (0) Posts: 473 Rep Power: 17	all transmissions grind going into reverse if you shift too quickly. clutch in, come to complete stop, wait a sec, then put it in reverse. if 3rd is the only gear that grinds, its a synchro. not worth replacing, just find another trans if it bothers you enough. they're decently cheap and not very hard to replace (have someone experianced help you) __________________

12-16-2010, 08:50 AM	#3
Waffles Rotary Fan in Training Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: St. Louis iTrader: (0) Posts: 55 Rep Power: 14	your personal goals are going to dictate where you want to start with any car. So, what do plan to be using your car for?

12-16-2010, 09:19 AM	#4
Pete_89T2 Lifetime Rotorhead Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Elkton, MD iTrader: (1) Posts: 874 Rep Power: 15	The first question you need to ask of yourself, that only you can answer, is what are your goals for this car? Share that with forum, along with a summary of where the car stands as of today (i.e., overall condition), and you'll get some really good advice.

12-16-2010, 09:19 PM	#7
iheardsupport The Newbie Join Date: Aug 2010 iTrader: (0) Posts: 16 Rep Power: 0	Alright, I'm definitely gunna do that. I've put about 6k miles on it. Now that i think of it when trying to shift into 3rd kinda quickly it sometimes will grind for seemingly no reason, and also grinds going into reverse everytime no matter what?

12-17-2010, 09:07 AM	#10
iheardsupport The Newbie Join Date: Aug 2010 iTrader: (0) Posts: 16 Rep Power: 0	Is it a big deal? I got it to the point where i can shift into third without it doing it now, just gotta do it right. I had a mechanic tell me it was possibly the synchro (sp?) is that true?

12-19-2010, 03:25 PM	#14
iheardsupport The Newbie Join Date: Aug 2010 iTrader: (0) Posts: 16 Rep Power: 0	Thanks for all the info, its actually quite rare when i can get it into reverse without grinding. Something i have noticed is to keep it from grinding i have to push the shifter knob into third at a certain angle, which i can do every time now, and it's not really a problem. Could this be a linkage problem? Kinda feels like its really tight.