Lighter = Faster (N/A build thread #2)

[FC Zach]

Here you go.

[infernosg]

Thanks, and now I know how that function works...

[FC Zach]

Originally Posted by infernosg

Thanks, and now I know how that function works...

Just copy from the forward slash on and paste within the YouTube tags. .

"/xV4jqEjA4VY"

[infernosg]

Not a ton going on lately. Trying to rack up miles to complete the break-in so I can finally tune for power. About a month ago Brian stopped by* and got me running on a MAP tune. The car has been much more drive-able since then even if we weren't able to figure out the transient lean spots in the short amount of time he was here.

On Brian's suggestion I moved the MAP sensor (again) so it was as high as possible in the engine bay and oriented correctly.



A while back I also swapped the Banzai alternator pulley for a Racing Beat one.



The belt spacing on the Banzai pulley didn't match the Racing Beat main pulley or the OEM water pump pulley and I think that was causing wear on the belts. I was also concerned about the spacing of the Banzai pulley since I had to place the OEM washer behind the pulley for it to clear the alternator. Alternator output is down with the Racing Beat pulley to around 14V max.

I also realized I don't have any decent shots of the car in its finished form. I took a couple crappy pics in the garage last night.





I'm at 600 miles on the break in. Being limited to 5000 RPM is no fun since it really wants to take off at that point. Currently, the biggest issues are:

1. Transient lean/rich conditions. We maxed out the transient enrich settings in ECU Manager but the car is still going lean immediately after a large/quick throttle movement. The fuel catches up about a second later and then goes rich. Unfortunately this can cause issues during quick open-close throttle events like being stuck in traffic and hitting a large bump in the road, or blipping the throttle in neutral. I've managed to flood the engine a number of times this way.

2. Leaking water pump. It's leaking from the weep hole. I have a replacement. I've just been lazy as it's an annoying job to do. Despite the mess, it doesn't appear to have lost any appreciable amount of water.

3. Noisy transmission. I'm getting a good amount of bearing noise in neutral with the clutch engages (pedal out). I'm pretty sure this means the input bearing is on its way out. I get similar noise in 4th gear, which I think is the same symptom. New bearings have been ordered. I'll probably get around to this and the water pump over the Winter.

*Has anyone heard from Brian lately? I owe him for stopping by but haven't been able to reach him in several weeks.

[FC Zach]

Originally Posted by infernosg

*Has anyone heard from Brian lately? I owe him for stopping by but haven't been able to reach him in several weeks.

Funny you mention this, I was just thinking about him last night. I don't recall seeing any activity from him here in a while.

[FC Zach]

Oh! Your car is looking great! I look forward to seeing it.

[infernosg]

Originally Posted by FC Zach

Funny you mention this, I was just thinking about him last night. I don't recall seeing any activity from him here in a while.

I'm just hoping I didn't piss him off or anything. I need that tune when it's broken in!

Originally Posted by FC Zach

Oh! Your car is looking great! I look forward to seeing it.

I'm seriously considering going to DGRR next year now that I have TWO running RX-7's. The SA would easily make the 7 hour drive but I don't think that's something I want to attempt in the FC.

[djmtsu]

He was texting me the other day.

And bring the FC. It is unfortunate that you painted it orange. Fuck UT....

[infernosg]

Originally Posted by djmtsu

He was texting me the other day.

And bring the FC. It is unfortunate that you painted it orange. Fuck UT....

I owe him money but I don't know how much!

If I bring the FC I'm going to have to find a way to tow it. 7 hours with no heat, A/C, radio doesn't sound like fun.

In person, it's not as light as UT orange. I think the fluorescent lighting makes it appear lighter than it really is. The color is "Magma Orange" from the Fahrenheit edition GTi's.

[FC Zach]

Originally Posted by infernosg

If I bring the FC I'm going to have to find a way to tow it. 7 hours with no heat, A/C, radio doesn't sound like fun.

Damn! you stripped it of heat too?! A/C would be nice but you could do without it. . as for a radio, use a portable

I've been using a Makita jobsite radio for many years, for a short while I even had it in my daily till I got a headunit for it.

[infernosg]

I think it was Ted who theorized, at one point, that my cooling system may be "too efficient." I went for a drive over the weekend when ambient temperatures were in the mid-to-upper-40's. Despite driving 25 miles in about 30 minutes it felt like the car never really warmed up. My cruising oil temperatures would drop below 140 degrees (sensor below oil filter). It wasn't until idling in the driveway for ten minutes afterward that I got the temperature up to 170. Usually my driving oil temperatures are between 150-170 degrees on more temperate days but I don't think I've seen more than 175.

I also found out my catch can line has been plugged all along. It's fixed now, and I didn't notice any immediate differences in how the car drives, but I have no idea what can of effects that could cause.

[infernosg]

So after three months I've done... nothing? December was a really unproductive month. The wife went back to work and I was stuck with a 3 month-old full time and a 2 year-old on Mondays and Fridays. I tried to take advantage of some random warm weather. I made a rather boring video of me driving around for ~35 minutes. There's some good noises in there.



Most recently I had the engine harness re-done by Jason at LMS-EFI. I had the wires for the ignition coils shortened so they aren't spiraling around the engine. It's a subtle change but overall improves the look of the engine bay.





I'm up to ~1450 miles on the break-in and regularly hitting 7000 RPM. It still needs a better tune. It's driveable but rich and transient throttle is still an issue.

More recently I took a half day so I could do some work on the car. Decided to replace the leaking water pump. What should have been a 1 hour job ended up taking four. My crank pulley doesn't give me access to all the nuts/bolts holding of the water pump. I had to remove the crank pulley, which means I also had to pull the fan shroud. Not overly complicated but I screwed up and spent at least 2 hours fixing it. I had a lapse in judgement and removed the crank pulley without holding the woodruff key in place so it came out. I tried to re-insert the key before anything fell out of place but it stopped, sticking out about a 1/4 in. from the front of the e-shaft. The oil pump stayed in place but the counterweight moved. I fiddled with the position of the crankshaft hoping things didn't get too out-of-line but no luck. I realized the design of the counterweight would cause it to want to rotate so the most mass was at the bottom. I aligned the key slot at 6 o' clock and tapped the crankshaft with a rubber hammer just in case the counterweight rotated slightly. After a couple of taps the key slid in. Crisis averted. I buttoned everything back up and fortunately it started and ran like normal during the burping process. Just waiting for it to cool down and suck the coolant back in before capping it off and going for a drive.

It's still has bearing noise in neutral (clutch engaged) and 4th gear. I have new bearings but have just been too lazy to do any real work. I also picked up another black interior carpet since the painted gray one isn't holding up. I really need to properly aim the headlights so I can start taking it out at night since it's getting warmer.

I want to bring this car to the DGRR. Aside from the issue of getting it there I have a few things I need to accomplish:
-Replace front bearings in transmission to hopefully fix the noise I'm getting in neutral/4th.
-Replace driver's side seat bracket and rails with one piece mounts from Street Faction to hopefully lower seating position.
-Obtain and install a passenger's seat and 5-point harness.
-Get a proper alignment.
-Ideally complete break-in and finish the tune.

[GySgtFrank]

Sounds good in the video. It must be a relief to finally get it this far along. Wish I could get my projects that far. kudos.

[infernosg]

Originally Posted by GySgtFrank

Sounds good in the video. It must be a relief to finally get it this far along. Wish I could get my projects that far. kudos.

One of these days I'll track down the source of that squeaking. My hearing isn't so great and I can't detect where sound is coming from so I can't tell if it's the suspension or the body.

The first short drive up and down the road after over 6 years of waiting was awesome. I'm now getting to a point where it's hard to think about it not running. Now I get to worry about all the "little" things I kept telling myself not to worry about until the car was running.

[Silver86]

Really cool to see how far its come! Nicely done.