Jazer

Hows the progress coming? She runnin yet!? :D

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

Got the engine installed last night. It got late and I had to work today so I didn't have a chance to finish the assembly. I just got home form work and I'm going to finish it up here in a few mins. Hope to hear it run in a few hours. Will continue to post my progress! Here are a few pics from last night:

Me and my boys just before I started installing the engine:



Engine ready to go in:





Almost there:



Engine in the car at last:



How the car sat before I went in for the night:

Jazer

Awesome! Hope the rest of your progress goes smoothly this evening.

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

Engine gave me a little trouble trying to start due to the MMO in the engine. I got out what I could but there was enough residual oil to foul the plugs. I cleaned the plugs and unflooded the engine and it came to life! It ran super well and I drove it up the road and back to the house. It drive well. The check engine light was flashing but never stayed on. Its currently off which is good. A little coolant seepage from the water pump so I'll replace that here in the next day or so. Still checking it over really well for leaks but all in all I'm pretty happy how it turned out. Here are some pics from tonight:

First start and idle after the engine install:





Took it for a drive and stopped to take another pic of the cluster:



Back in the garage for the night and in desperate need of a bath:

soundawake

Awesome thread!!! 34 RX-7s!!!! Hoooolllyyy sheeeeit. And did I see a gold RX-7 a couple of pages back? Is that another new one or did you respray the black one? And I agree, definitely the same one that is in the book.

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

The gold RX-7 was a customer car. It's a 1980 Leather Sport in Solar Gold. The black 80 is next on the list to restore but it will be some time before I get to it. I've just been buying and enjoying and selling RX-7'S for the last 18 years so the number I've had over the years has been gradual. I'm down to just two RX7'S and my 8 as my rotary powered cars.

Jazer

Fantastic! Glad to hear it's running well for you!

My understanding is the flashing CEL is a misfire (you may know this already).. you said you cleaned the plugs, maybe time for some new ones?

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

Bad cats can cause misfires also.
It happened to me when I first got mine.
Changed all plugs, wires, & coils and still had the flashing CEL.
I installed a BHR midpipe and no more CELs.

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

Well, the flashing CEL turned into a solid CEL. Not a problem. I'll take it into work and hook it up to the scanner and see what code I get. The engine runs smoothly and the car accelerates well. When I stand near the exhaust I can hear a slight miss. The converter never gave me any issues with the other engine and had been replaced by the dealer before I bought the car. Same converter of course, but I did have MMO in the engine to eat up some carbon and it did smoke like crazy when it first started. Could have done some damage to the cat I suppose. But the plugs are from my old engine and I cleaned them thoroughly but that's not to say that one is worn or one of the coils in the BHR kit are weak. I'll do whatever it takes to keep this engine running smoothly for many years to come.

Next on the list today, bleed the clutch again and replace the water pump!

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

Took this picture Tuesday after work. I got home and drove the car and took this pic before I pulled the 8 back in the garage. First daylight pic out of the garage in over 7 months:

SMRBS8

Glad to see you got your 8 up and running. Hope you get the CEL sorted out.

Also, you have quite the collection of vehicles. I like the RX-7's.

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

I replaced the water pump gasket yesterday with a brand new Mazda gasket and put my original water pump on as well. The leak has slowed down and is at slight seepage. However, that's still too much for my liking. I'll have to pull the pump back off and recheck the mating surfaces.

I drove the car up and put some fresh gas in it and when I restarted the engine, the CEL was off. Odd. It stayed off for 5 or so miles and then blinked a few times and stayed off. Again, odd. I'm going to drive the car to work today and scan it. Then I'll toss it on my rack and check everything underneath for any leaks or seepage.

However, the last time I put one of my cars on my rack at work, the power went out and my 7 was stuck up there for an hour or so, lol:



On the plus side, it seems as though my rack likes my MR2. Its never given me an issue when I have it up there. Must be something about working on a Mazda at a Toyota dealership, lol

MANIACman

I just wanted to say I really enjoy your thread. The blinking CEL light... I wonder if its just old gas??? I've changed plugs, put on new coils but it still gives me problems. Most of the time when I'm down shifting. If you figure yours out please pass along the solution.

p.s. Great picture of your boys and you. You have a good looking crew.

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

Thanks man! My boys are great. I have three girls as well. Big family but it's great being a father to such wonderful kids. I'll keep the thread updated with what transpires of the codes.

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

The two codes I have are

P0301 cylinder 1 misfire
P2004 intake manifold runner control stuck open bank 1a

Got new plugs being delivered to the dealership today for me to install and I'm hoping that they are the cause of the misfire. I did have MMO in the engine before I installed it and removed what I could. When it started it smoked for awhile and I'm thinking it harmed the plugs on the front rotor. I will research the other code and see what's causing the issue and keep you guys poted.

Jazer

Excellent!

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

Have you had the code read?
Do you still have a catalytic converter?
Misfires are usually caused by bad ignition components, which in turn can damage the cat.
You can have misfires with new ignition parts if your cat is bad.
Misfires kill cats, bad cats kill engines.

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

I checked the APV actuator and per the Mazda FSM, tested it's operation. The linkage for the ports has bound up in the intake manifold, holding the ports open. The miss that I'm seeing is most likely a low rpm lean miss, not an ignition miss. So, those ports aren't supposed to open until like 6250 rpm and with them being open all the time I'm getting too much air at low rpm and I'm then seeing the miss. I did replace the plugs and the old ones looked pretty good.

So, how does one go about fixing this issue you ask. Removal of the intake manifold... Which requires the engine to come back out. So, all I have left are the oil cooler lines and mounts and it will be out of the car...again... I tested the system from my old engine and it work great. I cleaned it up last night and it will be ready to go on the engine today. The engine will be back in the car today. There will essentially be no down time for the car. I'm off work at 4 and I'm going to work on the car until the engine is back in and its up and running again.

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

As of last night, I was here. Taking the MR2 to work today, lol:

MANIACman

Great thread. Really enjoy reading about your experiences. Hope I don't need to do anything like it anytime soon. Are you going to try to rebuild the original engine at some point or is it beyond repair?

I would really like to know more about cat coverters because I have a cel light that I need to address now that the weather is warm and it time to go from a truck to the RX-8

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

Removed the engine from the 8 after work today and I replaced the lower intake manifold with my original manifold. I cleaned the manifold inside and out and lubed the linkages for the APV and cleaned the and lubed the sleeves per the FSM as well as removed carbon from the engine where the sleeves cycle.

I then installed the engine and fired it up. Ran great. I need to drive it and check for leaks and ensure that CEL remains off.

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

I plan on rebuilding the original engine. I want to find a Nordic Green GT to rebuild and I may install the engine I rebuild in a Nordic Green 8 if I am able to find one within a couple hundred miles or so.

Jazer

Glad to hear you made some progress. Sounds like you have it fixed?! You do work fast, you must have the rene in/out down to a science now!

Have you thought about getting a paint job in Nordic Green since you like it so much? You had mentioned the paint was bad in a few spots on this car anyways. Might be a good excuse to get her in the color you want!?

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

Lol, I've learned a lot having pulled this engine more than once, lol. I had a goal to get the engine out and back in in one evening. I drive it last night for about 8 miles and it ran fantastic with no check engine lights. I didn't see any leaks but I will recheck today as I plan to drive the car to work

MANIACman

I wish I could be there to see how this is done!