Project FD RX-7

[Goodspeed]

Hey MM, meet Vlad:



To call Vlad a rotary whisperer would be an understatement. Vlad's got a couple FD's (including one of the 500 '95 models) and offered his services when called upon to first and foremost perform a compression test with a proper rotary tester, as well as to check out the fuel issue and give the car a general once over.



Good news: the FPD doesn't seem to have gone out after all. I pre-emptively ordered a replacement kit, so it'll be getting changed sooner rather than later just cuz, but it turns out that catless rotaries that are running rich just stink like you wouldn't believe and the gas smell was overpowering a closed garage.

Once that potential cluster was avoided, Vlad set to work performing the compression test. There I sat, behind the wheel, listening to the "PAT-A-PAT-A-PAT-A" twice over as I cranked the key, a single perfect bead of sweat cresting my furrowed brow each time. Worry had no reason in this instance:

On a cold motor:

Front rotor: 92 - 90 - 90 psi @ 226 rpm
Rear rotor: 101 - 94 -101 @ 227 rpm

Numbers would go up on a warmed up engine, so signs point to a healthy motor

Beyond that, the Bönez catted mid-pipe was installed along with a new set of NGK platinums. Oh, and a heap of janky dicking-about by previous hands was undone: boost leaks were found and fixed, a handful of vacuum lines were reset properly, the goofy "Engine Start" button install was undone, and some haggard stereo wiring was vacated from the dash. There's a few things yet to do, and a few OEM parts from his "FD parts shed" that will likely find their way on the car, so a round 2 will likely be in the near future.

Result: the car runs SO much better now. I knew the car was stumbling, hunting to idle, and generally falling flat last I drove it (last Sunday) and that's all gone now, to hilarious effect. From the passenger seat, as Vlad and I took a quick blast up and down the parkway, the sequential turbo's went through their "10-8-10" psi (stock boost) transition around 4500rpm which was fun as all get out - shove, pause, bigger shove. God I missed boost - the car just squirts *rightnow* and driving around this evening had me falling pretty hard for this wacky little motor and its turbos. This is going to be a fun car with a few more bolt-on's and a bit more boost.



Speaking of, my A'Pexi Power FC ECU landed today from Japan, so fingers crossed I can get through my one and only emissions inspection before this becomes an antique, and I can then green-light the deletion of a lot of emissions complexity (will remain catted) and give it a solid tune. Back home in Vienna for the weekend, I think I'll take the long way to everywhere tomorrow.