and then replace the LE interior!

 

Yeah, yeah. You realize that means another dash too? I have a like new one, but it's a road trip away. And also a power window install- this car is a base with manual windows. Funny story- my kids had never been in a manual window car and had now idea how to control the windows.

But I've got other stuff on my list!
• Overrun rattle around 2500 RPM- PPF?
• Alignment: *slightly* wandery above 120 in a dead straight line
• Fan wiring wrong, prevent sticking on at key-off
• Gauge lighting- volt does not work, Oil temp is too bright and sporadic
• injector dead time is wrong
• ECU-caused miss at certain specific RPMs (firmware?)
• Front spoiler fix - victim of launched road debris
• Add bung to cold side IC pipe to connect idle valve
• Improve wiper performance
• Add cold side IC pipe bung for idle air valve (venting with check valve now)
• RX7 FC transmission swap/PPF adapter & driveshaft

I also discovered that my AC condensation tube wasn't inserted in the drain hole. We ran the AC the entire way back from Florida to ATL. The only thing that save my *** was that the floor pan plug leaked the water out that was accumulating. Whew. But all the insulation under the carpet was trashed.

For the record- fixed:
✓ Vband downpipe flange is warped
✓ Boost leak at ecu map hose
✓ BOV - sticking/leaking
✓ Aircon condensation leaking into footwell/out of floor pan
✓ cam cover gasket leaks everywhere because ancient

 

just hack them up like Lars did. rofl. he didn't even cut the silly metal plates cleanly.

 

Started working on the wiper issue. I suspect the motor since the wipers will not self park and low/high speeds are identical. Found three more NA wiper motors on the shelf- hope one works properly.
✓ Fan rewired
✓ New head unit with usb port and sd card slot installed
✓ Idle air valve tube added to valve and to cold side IC tube and connected with hose

 

Found a good wiper motor in my collection of three- only find out it was a mirror image of a Miata wiper motor!?!? I don't know where it came from, but it plugs right in. Fortunately I had another that worked too. The motor that was in the car would only run one speed on all settings and would not auto park.


Next up was modifying my shifter so I could reinstall the stock center console. Because the transmission is roughly 1-½" further back than stock, the stick would hit the shifter hole in 2/4/R. I cut the stick just above the small pin hole and was surprised to find that it's rubber isolated. Well sort of. There's a nut on top of the main shaft over a washer that actually touches the outer cover the **** screws onto.


To retain the stock **** height and clear the console, I cut another 5mm off before welding it up.


I used some thick flat stock and a plug weld to form the offset.

Once it's together it looks like it did before the engine swap. Also installed a cheap head unit with SD and USB slots/port to replace the 20 yr old CD player that was in there. Probably saved 5lbs and makes music much easier than a phone and AUX cable.


Added a twin port usb charger while I was in there.

 

They flipped the wiper motor in '90 at some point. My friend and I learned this when he reshelled his early 91 (SNC) into an '89 shell (#12k and change).

 

Interesting. I flipped mine to clear the NB abs and it's annoying to have to unplug it to open the fuse box.

 

Yep- my buddy said the first to mid 90 models have the flopped wiper motor, which I'm guessing my first FE swapped car was. Took it out for a quick drive yesterday. Shifter works well. Boost leaks are gone. Spool is good. I need more rubber and less smoke.

 

Finally got my catch can updated with some copper mesh media and site glass. Now installed:



Catch can is made from some PVC pieces and brass elbows. Site glass is $1 from china via eBay.

Rather than the copper scrubbers, I used copper mesh sold as rodent prevention. It's paper thin- lots of surface area for vapor condensation, and it's pure copper.


What's left after stuffing the can:

 

Older, but update nonetheless - I was getting rhythmic tip-in enrichment under full throttle/tps. It wasn't extremely noticeable SOTP but looking at the logs it was painfully obvious. You can tune this out, but at the price of throttle response. No thanks. After some discussion, throttle cable vibration was suggested. The cable mount on the intake manifold is set up for the stock Miata cable, though my angle isn't perfect. Here's what I saw on a free rev:


I attempted to fix this using some weight on the cable and adjusting the mount angle. It helped but didn't fully resolve the issue.


Ultimately I resorted to a new mounting point and shortening the cable. A new cable end/anchor was added using a drilled brass tube and melting some lead inside (not pictured). Problem fixed.

 

I've been driving the FE3 Miata for months now without any mechanical issues. Rattles are my real problem. This car was heavily tracked (wrecked 3x). Add to that what I've done to it and I have a lot of cabin noise. Bring the ambient temp down to 40F and all that hardened plastic really sets off on its own symphony of sound. I have fixed my worsted under dash offender: the metal FP relay bracket post/attachment was loose and it rattled all the time, only varying in volume. I managed to get a quality zip tie around post and the mount to snug them up. That should hold it until I do a dash swap and fix it properly. The other noise is from my PPF mod. I shortened it to compensate for the more rearward engine/trans position and then redrilled the holes to match the tail shaft mount. Unfortunately the PFF/tailshaft mating surfaces don't sit flush and produce a buzzing on in-gear overrun- almost entirely in 4th. My fix- coast down in neutral. This will be addressed properly (I hope) when I do the FD Rx7 trans swap.

I swapped in a new WG spring to limit boost. I'm now seeing 12psi at 3300rpm and it creeps to 14psi at 5500 which results in wheel spin for 1st and 2nd. I pulled the WG signal to get a boost curve baseline on a 4th gear pull. At 22psi the rear tires break loose. But at least now I've got a baseline for tuning the EBC- after I get larger tires.

Baseline pull
RPM = PSI / KPA
1830 = onset
2500 = 3.3 / 123.15
2750 = 5.3 / 136.46
3000 = 6.8 / 146.31
3100 = 7.9 / 154.50
3200 = 9.4 / 164.66
3300 = 11.7 / 180.80
3400 = 14.3 / 198.65
3500 = 16.1 / 210.85
3609 = 22.0 / 251.99

Throttle roll on to 1st, 2 - 3 with current WG spring(s) only (11-14psi). Potato cam video:


Working towards a tire upgrade:

 

Over 5k miles since I put it on the ground, including two round trips from ATL to central FLA. For the last thousand miles I've just been driving it without messing with anything.

Issues over this period of time:
-Minor oil leak from somewhere I am incapable of locating, but not bad (or dangerous) enough to pursue further (will investigate during trans job)
-I need a man's catch can
-FW bug? Feels like an ign miss, but can be moved round in rpm with dwell changes. I have a logic analyzer to log but just haven't found the time to learn/setup/log.

That's really about it. No surprise- transmission whine is getting worse. When it goes, I'll put the car on the lift and do my RX7 FC trans upgrade- I have the parts. Heat and AC work great. Coolant and oil temps are rock solid all the time. eBay ching chong turbo is still working like new. I never set up my SCG-1 boost controller after I upgraded my EWG spring(s). Seeing about 16psi in 3rd/4th gear and the spool feels good.

 

Car looks good and sounds pretty sorted out! Is E85 readily available in your area?

 

Yes- but that'd send me shopping for injectors. Honestly I need to do it anyway. I know these EV1 RX7 TII injectors are weak sauce.

 

Besides the power and reliability gain, the best part about running E85 is seeing cool cars at the pump! 350-450whp Evo's are common, best one so far was a 8 sec 1000whp+ Hellcat.