1994 Mazda RX7
Discussion
I've wanted an RX7 since I was about 11 years old. I think the first FD I ever saw was a bright red one parked in a driveway, while I was walking to school. I had no idea what it was, but its beauty stuck in my mind.
One of my classmates was a big car fan, due to his father running a workshop, focused on rotaries, and had an RX2 rally car, and a HB Cosmo, and an RX7 dirt track car...! So my friends influence really set me on the path to RX7 obsession.
20 years later and I have bought an FD. I've daydreamed about it for a few years as my savings grew bigger.
Since 2016 I've been looking seriously, having inspected 5 cars for sale. Then this one turned up.
1994 Type R with 45,000 genuine, verified kilometres. It was imported last year by an old guy who is an old-school rotary fan and serial car collector.
big photo album: https://goo.gl/photos/1KavduxG5q638suD7
PH garage link: https://www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?ca...
The current mod list is short, and were all from Japan.
- Fujitsubo 3" cat-back exhaust, which sounds perfect to me. Quiet at cruise and idle, no droning, and a good sporty tone when pushing.
- 17" x 8.5" / 9" Racing Beat RB-02 wheels. Allegedly made by Work Wheels, they are a nice 3 piece set. I have to measure the offset as the labels have worn off, and the centre caps are missing.
- Apexi RevSpeedMeter mk1. This nifty but useless device shows a digital readout of revs and speed. It can estimate acceleration times and flash speed and rev warnings.
I need to investigate if the ECU is standard. The sills have "Blitz Access Super Computer" stickers, which was apparently a plug-in ECU upgrade from the '90s.
My current modification plans for the car, after tonnes of research:
water temperature and boost gauges
alarm & immobiliser - mandatory for insurance
aluminium AST
aluminium radiator
full set of tyres (eg. RE003 245/40/17). The current ones are over 10 years old and still have the coloured streaks from when they were brand new... not safe!
auxiliary injection
General maintenance comes first of course. Then, just drive it. I love track days so I'll be getting into those as soon as I can. I don't have any desire for more power, as I drive quite sedately on the street. The car is only a weekend ride so it always feels special to use.
One of my classmates was a big car fan, due to his father running a workshop, focused on rotaries, and had an RX2 rally car, and a HB Cosmo, and an RX7 dirt track car...! So my friends influence really set me on the path to RX7 obsession.
20 years later and I have bought an FD. I've daydreamed about it for a few years as my savings grew bigger.
Since 2016 I've been looking seriously, having inspected 5 cars for sale. Then this one turned up.
1994 Type R with 45,000 genuine, verified kilometres. It was imported last year by an old guy who is an old-school rotary fan and serial car collector.
big photo album: https://goo.gl/photos/1KavduxG5q638suD7
PH garage link: https://www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?ca...
The current mod list is short, and were all from Japan.
- Fujitsubo 3" cat-back exhaust, which sounds perfect to me. Quiet at cruise and idle, no droning, and a good sporty tone when pushing.
- 17" x 8.5" / 9" Racing Beat RB-02 wheels. Allegedly made by Work Wheels, they are a nice 3 piece set. I have to measure the offset as the labels have worn off, and the centre caps are missing.
- Apexi RevSpeedMeter mk1. This nifty but useless device shows a digital readout of revs and speed. It can estimate acceleration times and flash speed and rev warnings.
I need to investigate if the ECU is standard. The sills have "Blitz Access Super Computer" stickers, which was apparently a plug-in ECU upgrade from the '90s.
My current modification plans for the car, after tonnes of research:
water temperature and boost gauges
alarm & immobiliser - mandatory for insurance
aluminium AST
aluminium radiator
full set of tyres (eg. RE003 245/40/17). The current ones are over 10 years old and still have the coloured streaks from when they were brand new... not safe!
auxiliary injection
General maintenance comes first of course. Then, just drive it. I love track days so I'll be getting into those as soon as I can. I don't have any desire for more power, as I drive quite sedately on the street. The car is only a weekend ride so it always feels special to use.
Thanks folks 
I'm really happy with it.
Due to the low kms on the car, it seems to have rarely been serviced. Just before I bought it the previous owner changed the spark plugs - they were the original ones from 1994! And last night I changed the air filter which also appeared to be 23 years old. My servicing to-do list is very long! At least the oil is good.
I'm really happy with it.Due to the low kms on the car, it seems to have rarely been serviced. Just before I bought it the previous owner changed the spark plugs - they were the original ones from 1994! And last night I changed the air filter which also appeared to be 23 years old. My servicing to-do list is very long! At least the oil is good.
samoht said:
Looks very nice, and still more red than pink!
FDs are fun on track By 'auxiliary injection' do you mean water injection?
I found air inlet temps went to 80 degrees C on track with the standard intercooler, so I have an FMIC now. However WI could be a viable alternative.
Yeah water injection, for example the AEM kit http://www.aemelectronics.com/?q=products/water-me... this is quite low on the priority list though.FDs are fun on track
By 'auxiliary injection' do you mean water injection? I found air inlet temps went to 80 degrees C on track with the standard intercooler, so I have an FMIC now. However WI could be a viable alternative.
This weekend I went to the track. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=libEuBIiuY4
An unmodified RX7 on track? Playing with fire?! I drove conservatively. Cooldown was just cruising in 4th / 5th on the straights. I still caught up on the corners, as it was a pace car, no overtaking session.
The IC heatsoak was annoying, with noticeable high rpm power drop after sustained full throttle. It also might need new ignition leads, it felt like the motor was missing occasionally.
My tyres are crap, they are well past their use by date. But the car felt pretty good and getting sideways on the hairpin was easy. It certainly bumped around a lot on the straights. compared to the other cars on the video it moved around a lot more. Might need new shocks. Or that is just normal for a light car.
Pukekohe is intimidating with concrete walls everywhere. Very bumpy in some parts, with fast corners. I prefer Taup? or Hampton Downs, which have better sight lines and runoff.
An unmodified RX7 on track? Playing with fire?! I drove conservatively. Cooldown was just cruising in 4th / 5th on the straights. I still caught up on the corners, as it was a pace car, no overtaking session.
The IC heatsoak was annoying, with noticeable high rpm power drop after sustained full throttle. It also might need new ignition leads, it felt like the motor was missing occasionally.
My tyres are crap, they are well past their use by date. But the car felt pretty good and getting sideways on the hairpin was easy. It certainly bumped around a lot on the straights. compared to the other cars on the video it moved around a lot more. Might need new shocks. Or that is just normal for a light car.
Pukekohe is intimidating with concrete walls everywhere. Very bumpy in some parts, with fast corners. I prefer Taup? or Hampton Downs, which have better sight lines and runoff.
Edited by Pelo on Sunday 14th May 19:49
samoht said:
Hard to tell from the video, but it does seem a bit bumpier than I would expect, the standard OEM suspension (even the 'hard' setup) is a reasonable compromise, so I think it should be smoother than that.
Yeah I'll add replacing the dampers to my never ending list ZX10R NIN said:
Nice car I've always admired these cars.
Cambs_Stuart said:
Utterly fantastic and slightly bonkers car. I'll follow with interest.
Thanks!fph said:
Smoth shape of the glass house really stands out once the rear spoiler has been removed. Great looking piece of design even after 25 years.
Darkslider said:
I love these, but never got the trend for removing the rear spoiler, they look so much better with one! Please tell me you're going to source one?
The rear spoiler is always polarising! 
I like the smooth look so I'm happy with either. I do have the spoiler but the paint is horrible on it. Mazda had a notoriously bad painting process in the early 90s, and most of their red cars from that era look pink with damaged clearcoat. Along with my door mirrors I plan to eventually get the spoiler resprayed and fitted. Nik da Greek said:
Welcome to the wonderful world of rotanoia... not some unexplored spot on the South Island but the overwhelming paranoia that comes free with every rotary Best cars for smiles per buck ever. Worst cars for kicking you squarely in the b
ks when they're feeling menstrual and bhy ever.
If you have an alarm fitted DO NOT let the installer cut into the ignition circuit using piss-poor cock-hair-thin wire you wouldn't run a doorbell off. What will happen is your ignition will break up at high revs, the ECU will tie itself in knots because it doesn't know what's happening and then advance the ignition all the way round. It will detonate itself to the moon and you'll be picking apex seals off the garage roof. I can't stress enough that you can never have too strong an ignition setup on an FD.
The stock intercooler is about as much use as a paper fan in a solar flare. Heatsoak will break your heart every time and short of big bucks on a V-mount or front-mount there's really not much you can do about it. There just isn't enough air getting to it, and no route for air to escape from it. If you plan on buying an uprated radiator anyway, it may be worth spending the extra money to do the IC as well all in a oner. It may prove a false economy when you get fed up with heatsoak spoiling your trackday fun and then have to buy an intercooler anyway.
Nothing wrong with sticking with the AST concept, but if you replace the stock one (not a bad idea as they get cooked and then split around the hosetail unions) make sure the new one is the highest point in the cooling system. People end up with mutant cooling problems if they mount an AST too low and thus prevent it being able to do what it has to
All in all, just enjoy it. I kicked the arse out of mine with shameful neglect for years before it got the hump. Despite my rotanoia jibe, they can be surprisingly bulletproof if you get a good one. Red ones are faster, too. They just are
Cheers for the advice Nik. I've followed your various projects here and on RetroRides, you're a man with taste Best cars for smiles per buck ever. Worst cars for kicking you squarely in the bks when they're feeling menstrual and bhy ever.If you have an alarm fitted DO NOT let the installer cut into the ignition circuit using piss-poor cock-hair-thin wire you wouldn't run a doorbell off. What will happen is your ignition will break up at high revs, the ECU will tie itself in knots because it doesn't know what's happening and then advance the ignition all the way round. It will detonate itself to the moon and you'll be picking apex seals off the garage roof. I can't stress enough that you can never have too strong an ignition setup on an FD.
The stock intercooler is about as much use as a paper fan in a solar flare. Heatsoak will break your heart every time and short of big bucks on a V-mount or front-mount there's really not much you can do about it. There just isn't enough air getting to it, and no route for air to escape from it. If you plan on buying an uprated radiator anyway, it may be worth spending the extra money to do the IC as well all in a oner. It may prove a false economy when you get fed up with heatsoak spoiling your trackday fun and then have to buy an intercooler anyway.
Nothing wrong with sticking with the AST concept, but if you replace the stock one (not a bad idea as they get cooked and then split around the hosetail unions) make sure the new one is the highest point in the cooling system. People end up with mutant cooling problems if they mount an AST too low and thus prevent it being able to do what it has to
All in all, just enjoy it. I kicked the arse out of mine with shameful neglect for years before it got the hump. Despite my rotanoia jibe, they can be surprisingly bulletproof if you get a good one. Red ones are faster, too. They just are
The paranoia is certainly ever-present. The car has been reliable over the thousand-ish kms and 3 months I've owned it.
I'll be sure to mention the alarm issue to the installer. Maybe best to not use an ignition immobiliser at all.
Saving $$ for a cooling system upgrade, how boring. Should have bought a Nissan and just thrown some boost at it!
Oh wow, I'm stoked - Readers car of the week! https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-japanesecars/r...
I hadn't noticed - that happens when you check the forums more often that the main site!
Thanks PH
I hadn't noticed - that happens when you check the forums more often that the main site!
Thanks PH
I've gone and bought a set of stock wheels. The 17s are nice but I want to see how the car drives as Mazda intended, and I do really like the 16s.
A test drive showed less tramlining, lighter steering, and a slightly more comfortable ride. Which is what I hoped for. Some of the roads I like to drive are not at all smooth!
The tyres are touring spec Goodyear LS2000. So the next thing to buy is a set of Potenza RE003 or Pilot Sport 3.
A test drive showed less tramlining, lighter steering, and a slightly more comfortable ride. Which is what I hoped for. Some of the roads I like to drive are not at all smooth!
The tyres are touring spec Goodyear LS2000. So the next thing to buy is a set of Potenza RE003 or Pilot Sport 3.
Nik da Greek said:
The stock intercooler is about as much use as a paper fan in a solar flare. Heatsoak will break your heart every time and short of big bucks on a V-mount or front-mount there's really not much you can do about it. There just isn't enough air getting to it, and no route for air to escape from it. If you plan on buying an uprated radiator anyway, it may be worth spending the extra money to do the IC as well all in a oner. It may prove a false economy when you get fed up with heatsoak spoiling your trackday fun and then have to buy an intercooler anyway.
Having thought about this, the trouble for me is that I want to keep this car very focused on remaining a stock, well restored, street driving car (that won't die on track). I bought it because it is a low mileage unmodified car. It is a "blank canvas" ripe for modification, but if I wanted a hot-rod, I'd have bought a 300kw single turbo car for exactly the same money. $20k gets a wide variety of RX7s here!Of course the stock FD is a great sports car, but isn't strong as a track car, due to aforementioned cooling issues. At least with a big radiator it will be hidden. But a V mount, or even a SMIC will change the focus of the car. I have friends who have the modification addiction with a variety of Skyline, Supra, Evo, Chaser, Silvia, 180SX. They love their cars but hardly get to drive them because of the constant cycle of mod-race-break-repeat.
Interestingly every owner of a heavily modified RX7 I have personally talked to say the same things:
"A stock one is better"
"I love it but it is too expensive / loud / scary"
"I might sell it since it rarely gets driven"
"Your stock car is so smooth and balanced!"
If I eventually get bored and want to throw money around, hopefully I can say goodbye to this red rocket and "trade up" to a sorted and scary RX7! Or this will be my "forever" car!
Cheers guys, I'll certainly be considering an smic or water injection for summer trackdays. The car runs so nicely on cool winter nights here (0°ish) it would be great if it behaved like that in hot weather too.
New shoes! Bridgestone Potenza RE003 in 225/50R16.
I also sold my 17" Racing Beat wheels.
New shoes! Bridgestone Potenza RE003 in 225/50R16.
I also sold my 17" Racing Beat wheels.
On Sunday I went to a proper track day. This was the Introduction to Motorsport event at Hampton Downs Club Circuit. The circuit is a tight 1.2km with lovely new tarmac and massive runoff areas. It's great for road cars as the brakes won't be destroyed on a few high speed breaking zones.
We did dual sprints and had instructors available for advice.
The car ran great all day. Thanks to my new SPA Digital gauge, I know that temps peaked at 101c and averaged around 90c. I do need to move the gauge from the center console to the steering column as I can't actually see it with my helmet on!
Boost peaked at 13.7 psi which may or may not be cause for concern. The motor seemed to surge at high rpm occasionally, so that could have been fuel surge or overboost fuel cut. To be investigated...
My new tyres (RE003 in stock 16" size) were awesome.
Here is my video. At 14:17 there is a fun battle with a flame spitting Toyota MR2 turbo, and 17:41 the instructor drives and shows me what my car can really do! (Why can't we embed videos yet?!?!?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXZX-I5lEXk
We did dual sprints and had instructors available for advice.
The car ran great all day. Thanks to my new SPA Digital gauge, I know that temps peaked at 101c and averaged around 90c. I do need to move the gauge from the center console to the steering column as I can't actually see it with my helmet on!
Boost peaked at 13.7 psi which may or may not be cause for concern. The motor seemed to surge at high rpm occasionally, so that could have been fuel surge or overboost fuel cut. To be investigated...
My new tyres (RE003 in stock 16" size) were awesome.
Here is my video. At 14:17 there is a fun battle with a flame spitting Toyota MR2 turbo, and 17:41 the instructor drives and shows me what my car can really do! (Why can't we embed videos yet?!?!?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXZX-I5lEXk
In August I went to a festival style event called "Chrome Expression Session". Basically it is a massive car meet, with all sorts of activities, and the opportunity for many who would normally avoid the track to drive their precious street and show cars.
The event was held at Hampton Downs.
For one low entry fee for the whole weekend, anyone could participate in their choice of these events
Circuit cruising - drive your mates around the track without helmets, casually race other drivers, see some cool cars playing.
Gymkhana - practice drifting and donuts on the skidpan
Drifting - proper drifting on the Club circuit
Burnouts
Drag racing
Roll racing - a drag race from a rolling start
Circuit racing - for race cars only
Show & Shine / Hardpark - youth version of car show
To the average track day junkie it might sound a bit boring, but if you're into modified street cars its great fun.
I joined in the track cruising sessions and the gymkhana. The track was great fun, I treated it more like a speed event than a cruise event where traffic was clear! Before I go on that circuit again I should disable my 180 kph speed limiter!
I was surprisingly terrible on the skid pad. Driving like a tool and attempting to throw the car sideways, on stock LSD and stock suspension with balanced rear grip, it was more of an understeer-oversteer party. Plus I didn't want to be brutal and grab the handbrake, or kick the clutch.
The cars with stiff suspension and lock diffs on the other hand did some spectacular sliding.
Here is a playlist of videos from me and others, starting from the Rotary Only cruise session at sunset. The lighting for this was amazing, and driving amongst some of New Zealands wildest street rotaries was an amazing experience.
https://youtu.be/ezQCzfzF6zU?list=PL3d6kKsW9LBKdrI...
Some photos from the event https://goo.gl/photos/wGxQc6mgiC1F5mPe8 and thousands more on the event page https://www.facebook.com/pg/ChromeNZ/photos/?tab=a...
Mods and maintenance this month have been focused on the cooling system, with a pile of OEM bits ready to bolt in. I also removed the stickers from the sills. Pro tip - removing old stickers from paint using a feeler gauge is really easy!
The event was held at Hampton Downs.
For one low entry fee for the whole weekend, anyone could participate in their choice of these events
Circuit cruising - drive your mates around the track without helmets, casually race other drivers, see some cool cars playing.
Gymkhana - practice drifting and donuts on the skidpan
Drifting - proper drifting on the Club circuit
Burnouts
Drag racing
Roll racing - a drag race from a rolling start
Circuit racing - for race cars only
Show & Shine / Hardpark - youth version of car show
To the average track day junkie it might sound a bit boring, but if you're into modified street cars its great fun.
I joined in the track cruising sessions and the gymkhana. The track was great fun, I treated it more like a speed event than a cruise event where traffic was clear! Before I go on that circuit again I should disable my 180 kph speed limiter!
I was surprisingly terrible on the skid pad. Driving like a tool and attempting to throw the car sideways, on stock LSD and stock suspension with balanced rear grip, it was more of an understeer-oversteer party. Plus I didn't want to be brutal and grab the handbrake, or kick the clutch.
The cars with stiff suspension and lock diffs on the other hand did some spectacular sliding.
Here is a playlist of videos from me and others, starting from the Rotary Only cruise session at sunset. The lighting for this was amazing, and driving amongst some of New Zealands wildest street rotaries was an amazing experience.
https://youtu.be/ezQCzfzF6zU?list=PL3d6kKsW9LBKdrI...
Some photos from the event https://goo.gl/photos/wGxQc6mgiC1F5mPe8 and thousands more on the event page https://www.facebook.com/pg/ChromeNZ/photos/?tab=a...
Mods and maintenance this month have been focused on the cooling system, with a pile of OEM bits ready to bolt in. I also removed the stickers from the sills. Pro tip - removing old stickers from paint using a feeler gauge is really easy!
Edited by Pelo on Wednesday 16th August 11:00
Edited by Pelo on Wednesday 16th August 11:08
patmahe said:
Such interesting and lovely looking cars, I honestly think in years to come people will be saying remember when you could buy one of those for X and now they are 10X, if someone came out with a car that looked like that today I think we'd all be fawning over it, such clean sleek lines.
Congrats on owning such a fine example.
Thankyou, I feel very privileged to own this car :-) I aim to keep it for a long time, and try not to think about changes in value!Congrats on owning such a fine example.
In September some friends held a private track day at Taupō club circuit as a 30th birthday celebration. What a great idea for a party!
This track is where I started in motorsport. I began volunteering here at age 12, waving flags and having a ball. It's a fun simple track.
I also managed to crash my MR2 here in 2004 at the Toyspeed meeting!
Here is some video (not just of my car!) featuring a bit of cone slalom and mediocre attempts at drifting.
https://youtu.be/eNO-Pus0Flg?list=PL3d6kKsW9LBJWf3...
Other than that, I've replaced the ever so 90s head unit with a basic Sony media player, and tidied up the gauge mounting.
New front brake pads were required, with a hairs width of material left after all these track events. I've gone with Hawk HP Plus pads. They are supposed to be an aggressive track capable street pad. I have yet to see how tolerable they are for dust and disc wear.
My cooling system upgrade parts are still waiting to be fitted. I've had no issues yet, but summer is coming.
The local "Caffeine & Classics" meetings happen once a month which are quite popular and interesting. Here is my little car parked between some boats ;-)
This track is where I started in motorsport. I began volunteering here at age 12, waving flags and having a ball. It's a fun simple track.
I also managed to crash my MR2 here in 2004 at the Toyspeed meeting!
Here is some video (not just of my car!) featuring a bit of cone slalom and mediocre attempts at drifting.
https://youtu.be/eNO-Pus0Flg?list=PL3d6kKsW9LBJWf3...
Other than that, I've replaced the ever so 90s head unit with a basic Sony media player, and tidied up the gauge mounting.
New front brake pads were required, with a hairs width of material left after all these track events. I've gone with Hawk HP Plus pads. They are supposed to be an aggressive track capable street pad. I have yet to see how tolerable they are for dust and disc wear.
My cooling system upgrade parts are still waiting to be fitted. I've had no issues yet, but summer is coming.
The local "Caffeine & Classics" meetings happen once a month which are quite popular and interesting. Here is my little car parked between some boats ;-)
In November I took the RX7 to my mechanic to get the hesitation diagnosed. The battery was stuffed. It appeared to be the OEM one from Japan in 1994! The ignition coils were worn out too. This is a common issue, as the coils sit right on top of the motor, under the intake manifold. So they see a huge amount of heat! I borrowed some good coils from the mechanic, then drove to Taupō for Powercruise. The car ran smoother than ever, but still had a shrieking boost leak.
Powercruise is a fun event with cruise sessions, drifting, drag racing, and burnouts. Legally hooning with my friends hooning in our cars never gets old! Here is some video:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3d6kKsW9LB...
After that I thought it was time to slow down a bit and start throwing parts at the car. I’ve accumulated a bunch of bits waiting to go on, but I didn’t feel like I’d be able to get them all bolted in with only a month between track events. Turns out that was a good plan as I’ve only just finished this week! November to January isn’t too bad for a project to be off the road…
Here’s my list of maintenance done:
Windscreen chip repair
2 x OEM wheel center caps
NGK ignition leads & used good coils
belts
oil & OEM filter
Battery
Front brake pads
New OEM Upper intake manifold gasket
New OEM late model radiator
New OEM coolant hoses, including the bd hard-to-reach turbo hoses.
New OEM turbo inlet and outlet gaskets and Y pipe O ring.
New OEM thermostat, fresh coolant.
Tested turbo control solenoids and vacuum lines, only a few lines needed replacement.
There were a few upgrades too, I’ve given in to the modification bug, within reason at least!
Used OEM 96+ turbo Y pipe and crossover pipe: This upgrade replaces the leak prone turbo outlet to intercooler joiner. The early cars had a rubber hose joiner which constantly leaked. The newer type has a two bolt flange and gasket, plus the crossover pipe is aluminium instead of plastic.
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/nl0zdbeF.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/s05PmLdo" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/s05PmLdo.jpg)
Trust Greddy SMIC (stock mount intercooler): which is about the largest volume intercooler that can fit with the stock airbox and battery. It is an old kit which isn’t made anymore, but I picked one up for a bargain price via Facebook. It wasn’t as simple to fit as it first appeared, and took a few attempts to tweak the alignment and hose angles. New silicon hoses and clamps completed the job. I do need to build a better duct though, as the factory ducting doesn’t fit at all well.
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/eLSrWctq.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/Q202GOsy" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/Q202GOsy.jpg)
Blitz blow off valve - I haven’t fitted this yet, but I got it for free with the 96 turbo piping. I’ll give it a go and see if the novelty to cringe ratio is acceptable!
The list of things to do is now slightly shorter, and the car runs even after changing all those parts. The intake manifold is super fiddly to fit and remove, with hidden hoses and connectors that need to be fitted by feel. So I was quite worried that I’d forgotten something essential and would have to re-do stuff!
Once I fix the dribbly windscreen squirters, I can get the car road legal again, and go to the Leadfoot Festival and Rotary Reunion in February. Summer ain’t over yet!
Powercruise is a fun event with cruise sessions, drifting, drag racing, and burnouts. Legally hooning with my friends hooning in our cars never gets old! Here is some video:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3d6kKsW9LB...
After that I thought it was time to slow down a bit and start throwing parts at the car. I’ve accumulated a bunch of bits waiting to go on, but I didn’t feel like I’d be able to get them all bolted in with only a month between track events. Turns out that was a good plan as I’ve only just finished this week! November to January isn’t too bad for a project to be off the road…
Here’s my list of maintenance done:
Windscreen chip repair
2 x OEM wheel center caps
NGK ignition leads & used good coils
belts
oil & OEM filter
Battery
Front brake pads
New OEM Upper intake manifold gasket
New OEM late model radiator
New OEM coolant hoses, including the b
d hard-to-reach turbo hoses.New OEM turbo inlet and outlet gaskets and Y pipe O ring.
New OEM thermostat, fresh coolant.
Tested turbo control solenoids and vacuum lines, only a few lines needed replacement.
There were a few upgrades too, I’ve given in to the modification bug, within reason at least!
Used OEM 96+ turbo Y pipe and crossover pipe: This upgrade replaces the leak prone turbo outlet to intercooler joiner. The early cars had a rubber hose joiner which constantly leaked. The newer type has a two bolt flange and gasket, plus the crossover pipe is aluminium instead of plastic.
Trust Greddy SMIC (stock mount intercooler): which is about the largest volume intercooler that can fit with the stock airbox and battery. It is an old kit which isn’t made anymore, but I picked one up for a bargain price via Facebook. It wasn’t as simple to fit as it first appeared, and took a few attempts to tweak the alignment and hose angles. New silicon hoses and clamps completed the job. I do need to build a better duct though, as the factory ducting doesn’t fit at all well.
Blitz blow off valve - I haven’t fitted this yet, but I got it for free with the 96 turbo piping. I’ll give it a go and see if the novelty to cringe ratio is acceptable!
The list of things to do is now slightly shorter, and the car runs even after changing all those parts. The intake manifold is super fiddly to fit and remove, with hidden hoses and connectors that need to be fitted by feel. So I was quite worried that I’d forgotten something essential and would have to re-do stuff!
Once I fix the dribbly windscreen squirters, I can get the car road legal again, and go to the Leadfoot Festival and Rotary Reunion in February. Summer ain’t over yet!
Wow, I've owned this car for a whole year now. It has been fun, sometimes frustrating, and very expensive.
Since my last post, I've moved out of the apartment, into a house with a garage, and also have a baby due in July So I want to tick a few things off the list before our lives are taken over by a flatmate we can't kick out for 18 years...
After fitting a lot of new parts in the last post, I went to the Leadfoot festival for a friends stag party. I almost didn't make it after a coolant leak returned. Ever since the first track event at Pukekohe, the coolant level sensor has leaked water under pressure. Just a tiny pinhole leak. The sensor couldn't be tightened as its all plastic, and the head had separated from the thread. So I covered it in gasket goo and it gave no trouble for ages. Then going to Leadfoot, there is a fun road over the hills. I stopped at a lookout, smelt coolant, and discovered the leak had returned. It was bodged and I forgot about it. Damn. So back to gentle driving for the rest of the weekend in Whitianga.
Here are the lads cars.
And the stag himself. Skyline drivers eh...
Leadfoot is a fantastic event, don't miss it!
Then I moved house the next week and Rotary Reunion was the next weekend. Did I have time to order and fit a replacement part? No! Lets try the world's favourite bodge, JB Weld!
It worked ok. Got the car back together late Friday night and cruised to Taupo. No leaks appeared thankfully.
ReUnion was a bit of fun, but it rained torrentially all weekend. So no drags, mediocre burnouts, and risky track driving. I videoed a lot of it but the driving footage is barely worth watching. The yellow Bomex FD is currently my favourite car in NZ!
So the car ran like st all weekend. It turns out the coils I bought second hand were failing at anything above cruising temperatures. Buy cheap, buy twice...
I research upgraded coils, such as the fancy Smart Coil options like this http://www.sakebombgarage.com/ign-1a-high-performa... but I ended up buying new Mazda coils locally. A big hit at $900.
Another mission getting the intake manifold off, replacing the coils for the 3rd time. At least I'm getting faster at it. Now the car runs better than ever! Smooth all the way to redline, smooth idle, faster, and better fuel economy. Here's a quick jaunt down a private road.
https://youtu.be/huayGFSqcvM
By March the JB Weld had begun to leak. Now let's deal with this properly. The sensor disintegrated as I forced it out of the thermostat housing.
New OEM sensor and gasket ready to install.
Much better!
Another few litres of coolant, another hour spent bleeding the coolant system. This is very important on a rotary, as air in the coolant can cause hot spots, which then destroy coolant seals, which then needs a rebuild. A very expensive thing to overlook! This Lisle funnel is a great tool, it makes the bleeding process much faster and easier.
https://imgur.com/oSuhuKm
The factory spoiler has been refitted, I like it just as much as the smooth no spoiler look, but got sick of the rubber plugs. The paint on the spoiler and mirrors is ruined, one day they'll get resprayed.
Here's the car in front of our adorable white picket fence.
Last week I installed the old school Blitz blow off valve. Now my car goes CHOO-CHOO! It isn't too loud thankfully. In theory it should help with faster boost response, as the factory one is a normally open bypass valve that only closes under boost. I tried running that valve open and it sounded RIDICULOUS. A constant whooshing noise when the turbo isn't boosting, and a very loud CHOOOoooooooooosssshhh sound when shifting on boost.
On the 6th of May I'm going to a track day at Hampton Downs. https://www.facebook.com/events/385654548577468/
Then planning on Chrome again this year, although having a fresh baby may interfere with that...
At this stage I just intend to keep the car reliable and not mod it any further, apart from reliability related upgrades. Oil catch can, water injection, budget intercooler water spray... The list of stuff i WANT to do is huge of course!
So how much has an RX7 cost over one year of ownership? I'm a geek and track every cent I spend on cars in a massive spreadsheet. Here is a breakdown of costs. To be honest it's a shock, and I hope the second year has a better fun to dollar ratio.
Since my last post, I've moved out of the apartment, into a house with a garage, and also have a baby due in July So I want to tick a few things off the list before our lives are taken over by a flatmate we can't kick out for 18 years...
After fitting a lot of new parts in the last post, I went to the Leadfoot festival for a friends stag party. I almost didn't make it after a coolant leak returned. Ever since the first track event at Pukekohe, the coolant level sensor has leaked water under pressure. Just a tiny pinhole leak. The sensor couldn't be tightened as its all plastic, and the head had separated from the thread. So I covered it in gasket goo and it gave no trouble for ages. Then going to Leadfoot, there is a fun road over the hills. I stopped at a lookout, smelt coolant, and discovered the leak had returned. It was bodged and I forgot about it. Damn. So back to gentle driving for the rest of the weekend in Whitianga.
Here are the lads cars.
And the stag himself. Skyline drivers eh...
Leadfoot is a fantastic event, don't miss it!
Then I moved house the next week and Rotary Reunion was the next weekend. Did I have time to order and fit a replacement part? No! Lets try the world's favourite bodge, JB Weld!
It worked ok. Got the car back together late Friday night and cruised to Taupo. No leaks appeared thankfully.
ReUnion was a bit of fun, but it rained torrentially all weekend. So no drags, mediocre burnouts, and risky track driving. I videoed a lot of it but the driving footage is barely worth watching. The yellow Bomex FD is currently my favourite car in NZ!
So the car ran like s
t all weekend. It turns out the coils I bought second hand were failing at anything above cruising temperatures. Buy cheap, buy twice...I research upgraded coils, such as the fancy Smart Coil options like this http://www.sakebombgarage.com/ign-1a-high-performa... but I ended up buying new Mazda coils locally. A big hit at $900.
Another mission getting the intake manifold off, replacing the coils for the 3rd time. At least I'm getting faster at it. Now the car runs better than ever! Smooth all the way to redline, smooth idle, faster, and better fuel economy. Here's a quick jaunt down a private road.
https://youtu.be/huayGFSqcvM
By March the JB Weld had begun to leak. Now let's deal with this properly. The sensor disintegrated as I forced it out of the thermostat housing.
New OEM sensor and gasket ready to install.
Much better!
Another few litres of coolant, another hour spent bleeding the coolant system. This is very important on a rotary, as air in the coolant can cause hot spots, which then destroy coolant seals, which then needs a rebuild. A very expensive thing to overlook! This Lisle funnel is a great tool, it makes the bleeding process much faster and easier.
https://imgur.com/oSuhuKm
The factory spoiler has been refitted, I like it just as much as the smooth no spoiler look, but got sick of the rubber plugs. The paint on the spoiler and mirrors is ruined, one day they'll get resprayed.
Here's the car in front of our adorable white picket fence.
Last week I installed the old school Blitz blow off valve. Now my car goes CHOO-CHOO!
It isn't too loud thankfully. In theory it should help with faster boost response, as the factory one is a normally open bypass valve that only closes under boost. I tried running that valve open and it sounded RIDICULOUS. A constant whooshing noise when the turbo isn't boosting, and a very loud CHOOOoooooooooosssshhh sound when shifting on boost.On the 6th of May I'm going to a track day at Hampton Downs. https://www.facebook.com/events/385654548577468/
Then planning on Chrome again this year, although having a fresh baby may interfere with that...
At this stage I just intend to keep the car reliable and not mod it any further, apart from reliability related upgrades. Oil catch can, water injection, budget intercooler water spray... The list of stuff i WANT to do is huge of course!
So how much has an RX7 cost over one year of ownership? I'm a geek and track every cent I spend on cars in a massive spreadsheet. Here is a breakdown of costs. To be honest it's a shock, and I hope the second year has a better fun to dollar ratio.
Track day!
On the 6th of May I went to an HD Auto day at the Hampton Downs club circuit. I went here last year and it was good fun. It is organised by Hampton Downs themselves and more info can be found here https://hamptondowns.com/hdauto/
This time my friend joined me in his 180SX.
There were about 40 drivers and a good range of cars, including a Porsche Cayman, some brand new BMW M6s, a mk2 Escort rally car, a Corolla E70 with a 3SGE, 300ZX turbo, and a Nismo GTR... which got smashed into a wall
A new Impreza and Mercedes turbo thing
MX5 powered by a rotary 13B, na with a carburettor!
This very fast RX7 with a ported single turbo motor, imported from Japan as a track weapon. You could hear it from the other side of the track!
The morning was very wet but it dried up after lunch.
My car with a fair bit of mud on it. I had a high speed spin into the grass (thank the gods!) in my second session. Unfortunately not on camera. I was being chased down by the white RX7 and I was paying too much attention to my mirror instead of my line and balance at 130 kph in the wet... backwards into the grass! There is a lot of run off on this track, the GTR went off at about the only place its possible to hit anything.
I got a new GoPro for Xmas, so of course I've been spamming Youtube with self indulgent driving videos. Here's the one session where the GoPro GPS worked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSTwLfBerGg
And a split screen view of a session with the 180SX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjNs47IZJjI
Before the track day I made up some prototype intercooler ducting using foam rubber, cardboard, and duct tape. It made quite a difference. The stock duct doesn't fit the Greddy intercooler very well so to make it work properly you really need to make a sealed duct. I also experimented with an intercooler water spray but it wasn't much use with cardboard ducting!
I figured out last time that my water temperature and boost gauge can't be seen with my helmet on, so I did a temporary cable tie mounting to the center speaker bracket.
Sometimes I take my car too seriously. Why not have some fun with a few stickers?
One of the recently printed club stickers! #notoldschool
And a wee Pistonheads Grin sticker
The car ran perfectly with the new coils, my tyres are still in good health and it was a very fun day out. I'd like to get some semi slicks and sway bars eventually, the RE003 road tyres do a good job but they are a compromise.
On the 6th of May I went to an HD Auto day at the Hampton Downs club circuit. I went here last year and it was good fun. It is organised by Hampton Downs themselves and more info can be found here https://hamptondowns.com/hdauto/
This time my friend joined me in his 180SX.
There were about 40 drivers and a good range of cars, including a Porsche Cayman, some brand new BMW M6s, a mk2 Escort rally car, a Corolla E70 with a 3SGE, 300ZX turbo, and a Nismo GTR... which got smashed into a wall
A new Impreza and Mercedes turbo thing
MX5 powered by a rotary 13B, na with a carburettor!
This very fast RX7 with a ported single turbo motor, imported from Japan as a track weapon. You could hear it from the other side of the track!
The morning was very wet but it dried up after lunch.
My car with a fair bit of mud on it. I had a high speed spin into the grass (thank the gods!) in my second session. Unfortunately not on camera. I was being chased down by the white RX7 and I was paying too much attention to my mirror instead of my line and balance at 130 kph in the wet... backwards into the grass! There is a lot of run off on this track, the GTR went off at about the only place its possible to hit anything.
I got a new GoPro for Xmas, so of course I've been spamming Youtube with self indulgent driving videos. Here's the one session where the GoPro GPS worked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSTwLfBerGg
And a split screen view of a session with the 180SX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjNs47IZJjI
Before the track day I made up some prototype intercooler ducting using foam rubber, cardboard, and duct tape. It made quite a difference. The stock duct doesn't fit the Greddy intercooler very well so to make it work properly you really need to make a sealed duct. I also experimented with an intercooler water spray but it wasn't much use with cardboard ducting!
I figured out last time that my water temperature and boost gauge can't be seen with my helmet on, so I did a temporary cable tie mounting to the center speaker bracket.
Sometimes I take my car too seriously. Why not have some fun with a few stickers?
One of the recently printed club stickers! #notoldschool
And a wee Pistonheads Grin sticker
The car ran perfectly with the new coils, my tyres are still in good health and it was a very fun day out. I'd like to get some semi slicks and sway bars eventually, the RE003 road tyres do a good job but they are a compromise.
Edited by Pelo on Thursday 17th May 10:50
Edited by Pelo on Thursday 17th May 10:50
Nik da Greek said:
Gahhhh... those poxy coolant sensors are an utter PITA. So fragile and crap. Worth gunking up the place where the wire enters the plastic nut with some silicone or something, they have a nasty habit of shearing off the wire almost flush with the plastic. You can separate it with a bit of heat and re-solder but they often disintegrate completely during the process.
For future reference, if you can find one for an FB-series RX-7, all you have to do is swap the connector on it for the FD-style one and they're then identical. Except the FD one costs about three times the price...
Yeah its a common problem, Mazda really cheaped out on that particular part. Here's hoping I don't need to remove anything in that area for a while!For future reference, if you can find one for an FB-series RX-7, all you have to do is swap the connector on it for the FD-style one and they're then identical. Except the FD one costs about three times the price...
Fun times on the Hauraki plains. Hitting 200+ kph at a Standing & Flying 1/4 mile event hosted by the Thames Valley Car Club.
Hamilton Rd Kerepehi Standing 1/4 & Flying Mile - YouTube
RX7 Flying Mile Sprint - 0 to 200 kph - YouTube
Hamilton Rd Kerepehi Standing 1/4 & Flying Mile - YouTube
RX7 Flying Mile Sprint - 0 to 200 kph - YouTube
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