Quote :

"just shows how formulas and calculators can only go so far."

Oversimplified process perhaps?

5/19/2009 11:07:37 PM

there was a night back in '89 where i did so much pcp i could have choked an antelope.



[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 11:56 PM. Reason : .]

5/19/2009 11:55:31 PM

here's the intercooler piping modifications towards the left. money has gotten tight recently, so I made a few cuts to my old pipes and got a couple welds done. Total cost: $20. It's not pretty but it will be secure. I hope to redo it eventually, but getting the car started is priority.

5/21/2009 11:44:21 PM

I've seen worse

5/22/2009 8:03:03 AM

and better

5/22/2009 8:07:41 AM

Eric from Piedmont Custom Motorsports came over with his 115v MIG and tack welded the last piece of the downpipe for me. They are only about 2 minutes from my parents place so it was convenient. Then I got Henry's to finish the weld up with their higher quality machine. So the downpipe is done until I get the wastegate recirculated. I decided to add a flex pipe, so what you're seeing there probably cost me $180 parts and labor due to getting some good deals.

[Edited on May 22, 2009 at 4:45 PM. Reason : .]

5/22/2009 4:40:46 PM

word, i always forget about those guys. looks like i'll be making a trek to henry's or bob's as well next week.

5/23/2009 12:00:04 AM

shoulda used polished stainless

5/26/2009 6:09:26 PM

Quote :

"money has gotten tight recently"

5/26/2009 6:45:01 PM

^^^^ Those are some pretty cool guys at PCM. They did my friend's 6g72 big single T70 conversion, did a good job from what I hear

[Edited on May 26, 2009 at 6:49 PM. Reason : ]

5/26/2009 6:49:21 PM

very, very good looking setup, cant wait to see the gate recirc. installed.


this thinga gonna be mean

5/26/2009 6:54:16 PM

^^the 3000gt w/ megasquirt?

5/26/2009 8:07:48 PM

The continuous rain sapped my motivation to work on the car over the holiday weekend. Maybe Thursday or Friday I'll get back on it. Stuff left to do before starting the vehicle:

-- tighten down the last fuel feed and return lines at the firewall
-- Pressurize fuel system with diagnostic connector, adjust regulator and check for leaks. If there are leaks at the rails under the intake manifold that will be a big setback.
-- install radiator and oil cooler--8 bolts total and 4 hoses
-- install one intercooler pipe and the boost control solenoid hoses. I have already twice pressurized the system to look for any potential boost/vacuum leaks and there are now none.

-- load the new map I have been working on into the ECU.
-- test electric fan operation by changing the switch point in the ECU to a very low temperature to make sure it comes on.
-- verify that oil pressure gauge works since I changed the POS autometer sending unit for another POS autometer sending unit because I can't afford Defi. the needle should blip when I turn the key.
-- adjust throttle position sensor

Doesn't need to be done right away but I may do it anyway:

-- Wire in main relay ignition power and duty signal for boost control solenoid (just have to tap it into my ECU adapter harness, wires already have been run).
-- Wire in main relay ignition power and ground for the EGT box. The wires have already been run and they will be tapped into the ECU adapter harness.

And finally, fill fluids before I build oil pressure and start it up. It may seem like a ton of work, but I think it's basically a full day of a parts run or two and all these little things--maybe one weekend max if I don't have to pull the intake manifold off to fix a fuel leak.

[Edited on May 26, 2009 at 8:34 PM. Reason : oh yeah, install the throttle cable and clutch slave cylinder... hmm that's plenty of work]

5/26/2009 8:32:54 PM

^^ yeap, I think it's Kyle at PCM that's been doing the work

5/26/2009 8:56:00 PM

i thought tht guys name was will. must be another 3000gt

5/26/2009 8:59:32 PM

^ nah, it's not will, i dont even think his shit runs. arghx would know

5/26/2009 9:02:15 PM

yeah, there's a build thread on it in their forum on hpj.

5/26/2009 10:02:57 PM

Is this done yet?

5/27/2009 7:41:38 AM

[Edited on May 28, 2009 at 12:29 PM. Reason : wrong thread]

5/28/2009 12:27:54 PM

I got pretty much all the wiring done on the car today but didn't get a chance to check if everything worked. Down by the ECU I have a bunch of wires for my wideband, ECU datalogging interface, my EGT analog signal converter, and my boost control solenoid. The last time I messed with the wires down there I just hooked everything up and threw some zipties in to keep them from getting tangled. This time I cut wires to length better. I separated the wires for each component into separate harnesses by wrapping them together in electrical tape like a factory harness would. Using masking tape I almost finished labeling each harness (or standalone wire) for whatever component it belonged to so I could service everything more easily next time. I also had to get everything routed so the trim pieces would fit.

For my removable datalogging interface box I built a quick-disconnect harness for the 4 analog signal wires I am using for it. I didn't have the money to buy and crimp OEM connectors like I had originally planned, so I used a mating pair of plugs cut from a radio harness and made all the solder connections. So if I want to do some tuning or logs, I just plug the serial connection in and this new quick disconnect harness I made, both of which will be tucked out of view when not in use.

I got the fuel lines on and pressure tested for leaks using the diagnostic connector. It was shooting out from where my front secondary injector sits, right beneath the upper intake manifold. This is an aftermarket fuel rail, as my injectors are Bosch and my factory ones are Denso which have a narrower diameter and smaller o-ring. Unfortunately the rail fits like crap and didn't even come with mounting hardware. It's very difficult to get the injector seated just right, although I have done it before. I removed the 4 nuts and 1 bolt holding the plenum down, but I really don't want to remove the coolant hoses and vacuum lines attached because that will take me a long time to get back on. Tomorrow I am going to see if I can fix the leak without removing all those hoses for increased access.

I'll see if I can get some pics up as well.

[Edited on May 28, 2009 at 11:39 PM. Reason : .]

5/28/2009 11:37:03 PM

i would like to see pictures of all that

5/29/2009 4:18:20 AM

show us some wires and a fuel rail

5/29/2009 7:48:47 AM

I actually solved the fuel leak pretty easily. After loosening up the front fuel rail allen bolt I just adjusted the injector and the rail. Then I repressurized it and nothing leaked, so I set the pressure regulator and that was it.


Here is the quick disconnect harness I made. It gets the job done, and I won't have to worry about mismatching any wires. Unfortunately I got sidetracked chasing down a wiring mistake that I had made so that took a while.

I guess I could've just taken a screenshot but I didn't even think of it. My wideband and EGT inputs appear to be working. This digital EGT setup uses regular thermocouples but the signal goes to a dual-channel box that converts to a loggable 0-5v signal. The best part is that I can read separate EGT's for the front and rear rotor, and it goes up to 2200 degrees instead of the 1600 degree max on my old autometer which Jeepman has.

[Edited on May 29, 2009 at 9:50 PM. Reason : the 0-5v signal responds way faster than an autometer gauge, which is helpful for tuning]

5/29/2009 9:45:01 PM

what fuel pressure gauge do you use and can it thread into the top of the honda fuel filter banjo?

i will drive over to find out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111111

5/30/2009 9:49:29 AM

I have an external FPR with a gauge threaded into its 1/16 NPT gauge port. The gauge is mechanical and is on the FPR, and I use it to adjust base fuel pressure only. I don't have a gauge in the car and I don't plan on getting one anytime soon.

I do have a fuel pressure tester kit I bought from Advance a long time ago if you just need something temporary. Otherwise, build a tee with hardware store brass fittings.. Use a 3/8 or 1/4 NPT female Tee, then two male NPT --> barb (5/16" probably) fittings for the fuel line, and then screw a gauge or a gauge sender into the other part of the tee. you might need a reducer (like 1/4 --> 1/8).

Why are you sweating the fuel pressure thing?

5/30/2009 11:29:26 AM

I know where he's going with this. On most Hondas, the fuel line coming from the fuel filter is of the banjo variety, and there's no test port anywhere. There is, however, an M6-1.0 bleed screw located in the center of the banjo bolt...where it would be perfect for reading fuel pressure.

5/30/2009 11:56:13 AM

ding ding ding

5/30/2009 1:06:57 PM

You are going to need an adapter(s)

5/31/2009 9:46:58 AM

Check. -- tighten down the last fuel feed and return lines at the firewall

Check. -- Pressurize fuel system with diagnostic connector, adjust regulator and check for leaks. If there are leaks at the rails under the intake manifold that will be a big setback.

In progress.-- install radiator and oil cooler

In progress. -- install one intercooler pipe and the boost control solenoid hoses. I have already twice pressurized the system to look for any potential boost/vacuum leaks and there are now none.

Check. -- load the new map I have been working on into the ECU.
Check. -- test electric fan operation by changing the switch point in the ECU to a very low temperature to make sure it comes on.
Check. -- verify that oil pressure gauge works since I changed the POS autometer sending unit for another POS autometer sending unit because I can't afford Defi. the needle should blip when I turn the key.
Check. -- adjust throttle position sensor

Doesn't need to be done right away but I may do it anyway:

Check. -- Wire in main relay ignition power and duty signal for boost control solenoid (just have to tap it into my ECU adapter harness, wires already have been run).
Check. -- Wire in main relay ignition power and ground for the EGT box. The wires have already been run and they will be tapped into the ECU adapter harness.

Pending -- install the throttle cable and clutch slave cylinder
Pending -- fill fluids before I build oil pressure and start it up

Barring some unforeseen circumstance, maybe I will start it up today or tomorrow?

[Edited on June 2, 2009 at 11:59 AM. Reason : .]

6/2/2009 11:58:51 AM

yeah so my right hand drive intake manifold has a throttle cable bracket that doesn't work well with my factory USDM throttle and cruise control cables. I have modified it enough to make the throttle cable work but now I need to get the cruise control cable working. Otherwise, I put all the fluids in except for the coolant and the car seems to be making oil pressure.

6/2/2009 11:58:24 PM

start it and idle w/o the throttle cable. are you dragging this out on purpose?

6/3/2009 8:44:34 AM

Quote :

"but now I need to get the cruise control cable working"

dont give us this shit. fuck cruise, fuck a/c, fuck a radio, fuck any functionality



except for the go pedal and the cup-holders

6/3/2009 9:27:17 AM

started it up and from what I've seen so far it is running flawlessly (knock on wood). It fired right up and after some fiddling with the idle adjuster screw it is idling fine. I saw no leaks and it only smoked for about a minute as it burned off the assembly lube. I took a video but I don't have the camera with me right now. I ran it in the garage for about thirty minutes and I even hot started it to see if it had enough compression that it wouldn't flood, and it was great.

I haven't driven it yet but I probably will tomorrow.

6/4/2009 12:24:43 AM

awesome man. all the hard work is paying off!

6/4/2009 7:22:21 AM

so I found out that the idle air control valve I bought from somebody online is for a non turbo car and is not adjustable. Hopefully the guy will send me the right one or refund my money. It's not a big deal right now because I am setting the idle by opening the throttle plates with the adjuster screw, but later on it will be important.



[Edited on June 4, 2009 at 12:36 PM. Reason : added pic]

6/4/2009 12:33:27 PM

6/7/2009 1:45:13 AM

That intercooler is no joke! I painted mine and the elbows flat black. I guess when the side of your car says "TURBO II" there is no point.

So what everyone wants to know. How does it drive!?

6/7/2009 8:45:03 AM

whoa it only rained around your car

6/7/2009 10:28:21 AM

^^ It is a Greddy 3 row FMIC kit, the larger one they sold for this car. The core is 12"x24"x3" and the piping is 60mm OD with a 2 1/8" ID that matches the ID of my compressor outlet.

^ I just hosed the car down really quickly. It had 11 months worth of dust on it, and it still looks like crap once you get close to it. I'll probably wax it in the next couple weeks.


As for how it's driving, I've got 9 miles on it. With the throttle plates held open by the butterfly stop screw, it idles very solidly at around 1500 rpm right now. Once the idle gets much lower than 1200 or so the weak vacuum signal (because it needs to be broken in) makes it less stable. I'm seeing maybe 12-13" vacuum at 1000 rpm which isn't the best. At 1500rpm it's about 16-17". It really needs to be able to pull about 15" under 1000rpm before I can trust the idle to stabilize.

The throttle position sensor is not really set correctly because I have the butterflies open so far so
that makes it stumble some if I try to move the throttle open quickly. But that is to be expected and I will be able to address the issue as the motor breaks in and can idle better.

Another thing i've noticed is that it doesn't seem to smoke. It's definitely got way less blowby than my old motor did, which had some sloppy clearances and would have blue smoke on a cold start that would eventually go away. It's also not showing the classic problem of a rebuilt rotary engine with marginal parts: flooding, especially during a hot start. So I'm happy about that.

The map I have in my ECU is a composite of the old map I was running, a map I ran on a friend's FD, and some other stuff I found online, mostly MAP sensor scaling. It seems to be working out well. It's not overly rich. The car is maintaining a very stable 185ish operating temperature and the Pontiac e-fan is working out well with the ECU controlling it. There is still coolant dripping off the engine. I think it's just residual droplets from all the coolant I spilled when I filled the thing up. I've felt around all the possible leak points and they seem ok, but I still plan to keep an eye on that.The new clutch I put in (sprung 6 puck) is much smoother than the unsprung clutch the previous owner had installed.

The interior is still a mess and I plan to work on that later today. It also needs the cruise control cable fixed and the bumper remounted so the hood will close completely. I've moved the car out of my parents' garage and am keeping it at another spot.

[Edited on June 7, 2009 at 1:52 PM. Reason : .]

6/7/2009 1:49:35 PM

Here's a quick video of the car idling:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zW55MyB-yQ

I had to figure out some cooling issues. It turns out the car was dripping coolant because the main block drain was loose. And then the cooling fan motor died so I had to replace that. But it runs pretty good now, and I've got about 120 miles on the engine. I am taking it up to about 0 psi boost with maybe 1/4 throttle. The interior rattling is getting to me though, so I'm going to do some more work on that to bring it to a tolerable level.

6/10/2009 3:46:52 AM

sorry, but this is all I could think of while watching your video



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_MDulz3W2g

6/10/2009 7:45:30 AM

Quote :

"That intercooler is no joke! I painted mine and the elbows flat black. I guess when the side of your car says "TURBO II" there is no point."

ok.... YOU PAINTED A HEAT EXCHANGER? If you are going to pay money for something that transfers heat one would think you would want it transferred as efficiently as possible and wouldn't do a silly think like insulate it with paint....

If someone wants a pretty colored intercooler have it anodized.. its the beauty of aluminum it doesn't need paint to be colored.

6/10/2009 9:16:26 AM

There are lots of heat exchangers that are painted. I guess if you want to get technical, you could look at the heat transfer coefficients of the base metal and the coating and the coating thickness. One thing about painting flat black...the goal is to improve radiant heat transfer, though in my opinion, sometimes conduction/convection are definitely affected as well.

The correlation between surface finish and heat transfer is something that intrigues the hell out of me.

6/10/2009 9:28:14 AM

Quote :

"If you are going to pay money for something that transfers heat one would think you would want it transferred as efficiently as possible"

I doubt he's sweating the 1 hp he might have lost...

6/10/2009 10:15:31 AM

Quote :

"There are lots of heat exchangers that are painted."

I painted mine white so it would reflect heat better.

6/10/2009 10:22:19 AM

HAhahahaha i knew someone would throw a fit.

Do you have any idea how much total surface area you coat when you paint it? Have you ever measured intake temperatures before and after? I think I can answer my own questions :

NO

AND

NO


I think intercoolers are ugly as hell. I paid 100$ for this thing used. the last thing i need is bright blue couplers and a giant shiny intercooler on the front.



[Edited on June 10, 2009 at 6:39 PM. Reason : if you want to put your money where your mouth is we can pickup another one for 100$ and A to B. ]

6/10/2009 6:37:35 PM

is that there one a dem 3/4 race cams?

6/10/2009 10:44:12 PM

Today I modified the cruise control bracket and throttle position sensor bracket to get those two respective systems working. I think I have the idle set better now than in that video. I also tightened up the e-brake and got the passenger side carpet reinstalled.

6/10/2009 10:45:09 PM

Quote :

"is that there one a dem 3/4 race cams?"

If I had a dollar for every time i heard a statement about a 3/4 cam from some redneck

6/11/2009 7:42:29 AM

back in the day when I had my nonturbo Rx-7 I was getting the battery tested at autozone and the guy asked if I had a cam. The car was ported but it loped a lot less than my current car.

6/11/2009 10:34:29 AM