HISTORY
[most recent work at the top]
(click here to jump to the bottom)

1/November/2009 – Diff oil, central locking and power window research..

- Drained and replaced diff oil, there is a lot of backlash!
- Lubricated left door lock and window motor
- Drilled and screwed central locking actuators in - nice and secure!
- Tested window motors direct to a battery and through the wiring, they run perfect. The problem must be the wiring from the in car battery to the switches (and the switches). Wiring from switches to windows is perfect.

16/October/2009 – New engine build is complete, installed and started!

- Plates are 12A N plates from Ben

- Housings are brand new 13B from RaceOnly (got some from Mick which I practiced porting on, but they had no exhaust inserts)

- Intake porting by Stuie of RX Performance

- Exhaust porting by myself (a lot easier to port alloy than iron!)

- Apex Seals - Rotary Aviation Classic Seals

- eShaft, Rotors, stationary gears and counterweights from AllMaz Wreckers - Thanks Julian

- XTreme Rotaries - full engine balance from front pulley bolt to the clutch, rotor side clearancing and advice!

- A lot of advice from RaceOnly, Xtreme (Rohan and Andrew), Stuie, Drew
- New engine installed at 281859 KM ODO reading

February/2009 – Collecting Parts for new engine that I will build myself

- Got housings

- Got plates from Ben

 

November/2008 – Engine Destroyed (3539km in)
-
- I had test fitted the air-box and gone for a test drive... it was so much fun I forgot I had only test fitted it... drove maybe 300km on it and one of the trumpets came loose, and a bolt too, and the bolt went down the throttle into the rear rotor and destroyed it.

- Upon opening the engine, found the only serviceable item is the eccentric shaft

 

October/2008 – Intake Air Box + Battery

- Got an Optima Deep Cycle battery 870CCA

- Dad has done most of the work building a new air-box, with perspex lid, so I can use ram tubes on top of my TB.

 

June/2008 – Lower Intake Manifold Modifications
-
- Added vac nipples so we get a balanced MAP signal

- Added extra tubes in for bypass air control (to come in the future). They lift the idle PLENTY! :)

- Added welch plugs into my housings so I don't lose coolant when removing the LIM

 

April/2008 – Bracket for coil packs

- Made a bracket with dads help that mounts from the top of the strut tower to hold both leading and trailing coil packs.

- Unfortunately the car doesn't start when the trailing coil pack is plugged in, however if you plug it in after starting it runs fine.

 

March/2008 – Exhaust

- Header to twin resonators, to rotaflo big resi, to rotaflo straight thru 2.5" muffler. SOUNDS GREAT!!! Soft, bassy and nice!

 

February/2008 – Megasquirt Tuning
- Got MegaSquirt tuned perfectly for voltage drop compensation!

- Noticed that when I brake hard, the steering pulls to the right. This is because left pad got flooded with oil when the hose came off. TO BE FIXED!27/January/2008 – O2 Sensor
- Installed Innovate LC-1 O2 Sensor and controller
- Ran wiring in and connected to MegaSquirt
- Still facing preliminary configuration issues at this stage - will look into these next time I have a chance :)
- Preliminary test reveals at idle about 11.5% Oxygen - confirming my suspicions of running ultra rich :)

 

21/January/2008 – Exhaust
- Interchangeable piece made up from stuies original long primaries.
- O2 Sensor bungs installed in both pieces

 

3/November/2007 – Work @ Stuies
- Wired existing fuel relay into the MegaSquirt so if engine is off, pumps turn off after 3 seconds
- Chucked the Pirtek hoses in the bin, made up some new oil hoses with Aeroquip 250psi blue hose to perfect lengths!
- Ran on the dyno.. 110rwhp @ 7200rpm (Cat restriction and short primaries)
- Fixed rear hatch strut bolt that goes through the glass - got replacement piece from Drew's old rear hatch glass
- Picked up new front-bar for my car

 

18/October/2007 – Rotaflo rear muffler installed
- Rotaflo RF250 Muffler fitted! Nice deep yet soft sound!
- Thanks Ringwood Performance Exhaust

 

13/October/2007 – Megasquirt now running direct fire ignition
- Megasquirt harness finally complete
- Installed CAS and lined up with -5 on fixed timing
- It runs! :)

 

2/October/2007 – Cat and Rotaflo Resonator installed
- Cat installed up front
- Rotaflo RFRR250 Resonator installed just before the diff

 

24/September/2007 – Oil Lines, Tune, Exhaust
- New oil lines installed (500 psi pirtek with reusable fittings)
- Exhaust is now legally quiet (at a cost of 50hp) :(
- Stuie tuned the mega a little more... with the air temp sender installed

 

15/September/2007 – Brake noise and tuning
- After a quick test drive, discovered the outer edge of the left brake rotor was touching against the calliper… I remember this calliper needs to be held up while you tighten the bolt to avoid this happening… will look into long term solution next weekend.
- Modified the req_fuel value from 38ms to 34ms. Adding the air temp sender made it quite rich, it’s now running a bit richer than Stuie’s tune.
- Fiddled with head unit wiring, now seems to reliably work :)

 

13/September/2007 – Took car to Pedders, Frankston
- Faulty inserts were replaced... Feels so much better!!
- Simon assessed the brake issue, suggesting that the calliper mounting plate was able to be bent easily and it must have been bent by Pedders FTG if the machine they used to do the camber correction was resting against it by accident. BRAKE ISSUE REMAINS UNRESOLVED - Continued to get grinding noises on my drive home, generally under braking and for perhaps 10 metres when starting from a stop.

 

9/September/2007 – Noticed Pedders front shocks are totally useless
- In a hills drive I noticed that every bump I went over, the whole car was bouncing for a while after, and handling in the corners was quite bad and became dangerous in a number of places!!! Specifically bumpy corners.

 

6/September/2007 – Front right guard rolled - Tom / Mister Mazda
- Tom rolled my front right guard as it was hitting the tyre :)

 

4/September/2007 – New oil hoses purchased at Pirtek
- 2 Hoses made, one with a banjo fitting on the end. $115.10

 

2/September/2007 - Megasquirt - Air Temp Sensor Testing
- I calibrated the temp sensor to read 79 degrees at an average temperature, in the hope that this would bring the tune back to normal..
It seems ok although it seems to be stalling at idle which was not the case when using the default thermistor tables.. Hmm. Further testing required to confirm that is the cause of the stalling.
I have a feeling that air temp is part of a base calculation the ECU does and 79 is a ridiculous temperature for air, so that could be causing some chaos for it...
Thermistor table calibration used to cause ambient temperature to be around 75-85 degrees C:
    -40C = 170 ohms
    30C = 1300 ohms
    99C = 120000 ohms
- Resetting the thermistor table back to default caused the car to be able to idle again with air temp sender plugged in!

 

1/September/2007 - Megasquirt - Air Temp Sensor
- Wired up an air temperature sensor in the engine bay, to Megasquirt
- This caused the tune to be out initially, inducing some flat spots at high rpm's. This is probably due to the tuning being done with no temp sender, and the temperature was reading as 79 degrees C. Plug in the sensor and suddenly it reads as 16 degrees C - so naturally with the air density calculation, more fuel will be injected with this large change.
- The random spikes in injector PW have disappeared as of connecting a sensor here.
- The car WAS stalling at idle between 1 and 2 minutes and this seemed to solve that problem.

 

1/September/2007 - RX Performance
- Picked up a CAS and trailing fc coil-pack for Megasquirt Ignition
- Added hose for CCV from centre plate to charcoal canister
- Bent bonnet arm so it doesn't fall out while holding the bonnet up causing dents :)
- Trimmed radiator overflow hose
- Swapped the stock springs with Pedder's ones - stiffer but same height
- More dyno-tuning
- Reset idle to around 1100
- Changed oil & oil filter
- Cleaned struts as Pedders hadn't drained the oil out before putting new inserts in... messy!

 

28/August/2007 - Headlight Upgrade
- Picked up some H4 7" Headlight Inserts from Ringwood Automotive (Wonga Park)
- Picked up some 100/90 Watt globes on eBay (5000K White)
- Picked up some Narva relays with integrated fuses at Autobarn
- Installed neatly, providing excellent light :)

 

23/August/2007 - RX Performance fixed Pedders' mistake.. no bull
- Stuie made up some spacers to hold the calliper in the correct position

 

21/August/2007 - Pedders Suspension
- Comfort gas shocks installed in front
- Camber correction on fronts
- Wheel Alignment to custom specs:
    Castor left +4º10'
    Castor right +3º52'
    Camber front left -1º58'
    Camber front right -1º45'
    Toe left +1.3mm
    Toe right +1.5mm
- In doing camber correction, Pedders bent the stub axles and some studs. This caused the brake callipers to grind on the brake rotor. :(

 

18/June/2007 – Got my car back!!!!!!!!
- Have to get used to driving it again... it's not quite a Pintara :)

 

16/June/2007 – Mega Dyno Day 1!!
- Started tuning the Megasquirt properly now.
- Bonnet fell due to bad catch (thanks Nomad Automotive) and caused dent in the middle of the bonnet :(

 

15/August/2007 – TB Fix & New TPS
- Took the ThrottleBody back to EFI Hardware - they fixed the butterfly alignment issue as one was sealing more than the other!
- Bought a TPS Kit from them which has proven to give a very nice clean signal as opposed to the horribly noisy signal we got the TPS that came with the TB.

 

10/August/2007 – Engine, brakes and exhaust are complete!!!
- All done and tuning has began.
- New engine installed at 278320 KM ODO reading

 

14/June/2007 – Still waiting.. nothing done to car yet..
- Dropped into Stuie's- nobody home - "closed" until 24th June.......

 

4/April/2007 – Brake rotors
- Dropped off 4 rotors to Stuie (2 for the Ute, 2 for my car), and 2 to Rob's place.

 

3/April/2007 – Brake rotors
- Picked up 6 Holden VT-VZ front brake rotors (298mm) from Angus (Volvoman) - $44 ea. :)

 

29/March/2007 – Engine is out and apart
- "Inside it was a lesson on what not to do when building an engine" -Stuie
- Silicone had been used everywhere excessively, even between the plates! The oil pickup was full of silicone.
- Housings unserviceable - chrome coating worn right away at the edges, chatter marks all the way around, had been dropped before engine built - chip out of one of the housings.
- Plates showed evidence of previous water/rust damage on surface
- Flywheel nut was not done up tight, and had suffered from excessive heat
- 2 Threads in the flywheel that the clutch was bolted onto were stripped
- One of bolts holding gearbox to engine had broken off
- Bearings very worn - metal filings in sump + pickup

 

Late February/2007 – Dropped the car off to Stuie (RX Performance)
- Initial intensions were to get an exhaust and dyno-tune with the Megasquirt
- However, I have opted for the following options:

 

25/November/2006 – Megasquirt Installation
- Soldered harness to Megasquirt connector
- Plugged harness into ECU
- Started the car, first go :-) Ran quite rough.. After a little tuning it was running better. Drivable (on primaries only).

 

24/November/2006 – Remove Microtech
- Stripped out the Microtech Digi harness completely
- Made up a new wiring harness for the Megasquirt

 

18/November/2006 – Oil Change
- New oil filter and new oil

 

13/November/2006 – Respray and panel alignment complete
- Front-bar cut and re-glassed into correct shape
- All front-end panels lined up nicely
- Everything from and including the doors to the front of the car resprayed
- New colour a much closer match to the original paint
- Also touched up some surface rust in the rear left wheel well
- Overall I am quite satisfied with the result :-)
- Things that were not done/broken:

 

11/November/2006 – Respray and panel alignment
- Dropped car into Nomad Auto Restorations Friday evening
- Things he is supposed to work on:

·      Cut the front-bar and rejoin it properly to match the other side

·      Re-spray everything so the colours match (bonnet, frontbar, front end)

·      Lift the drivers door a bit so it closes smoothly without hitting the catch

·      Fix bonnet catch so it springs up

·      Front left and front right panels need to be bent to correct shape, chips fixed

·      Fix up surface rust in rear left wheel well lip

 

21/October/2006 - Radiator hoses
- Replaced radiator hoses
- Lower hose from Mazda was too short - got replacement for a V8 Jackaroo $30!!! (had to cut this down too)
- New radiator cap. $7
- New coolant and flush of the whole system
- Cut off the pin in the thermostat that generates all the noise
- Found the bloke at Clayton Repco has a series2 rx7 as well :)

2/August/2006 - Rear Brakes
- Re-alligned rear brakes for perfect balance (pistons had 1-1.5mm gap to the pads)

29/July/2006 - 2nd Gen Fuse Box
- Installed 2nd gen fuse box in engine bay
- Neatened up all wiring under bonnet
- Resprayed radiator top bracket
- Resprayed top of radiator after cleaning
- Sprayed airbox black

275000 km

28/July/2006 - Stuff
- Took alternator back, had rotor and windings replaced
- Dropped into Nomad, booked in to have bodywork fixed up next week (he has since put it off again...)
- Picked up 2nd Gen Engine-bay fuse box

27/July/2006 - Stuff
- Had my alternator reconditioned - Aim Auto-Elec $155
- Reco alt wasnt charging
- Drained oilpan and oil cooler
- Penrite HPR30 put in

17/July/2006 - Dads Birthday
- Wheel Alignment done at Mitcham Pedders - FANTASTIC!!
- Tried running car without battery - ran rough, turned headlights on and car died
- Jason (TheSly1) gave me a lend of his alternator - Car can run fine without battery + lights on :-)

15/July/2006 - Rewired Headlights
- Replaced headlight connectors - they were damaged, some wires twisted together. All good now!

13/July/2006 - Final Fuel Leak FIXED!@#
- The dripping I had noticed a few times near the rear left wheel has been fixed
- This was caused by an oversized hose linking top of surge tank, to the fuel tank
- Have now used 6mm hose, had to soak in boiling water to get on, but very tight seal now
using good quality, tight hose clamps. (The old clamps were at their limit and not tight enough)

8/July/2006 - Car returned from Stuie
- Apparently the fuel map was so bad in places (8:1 AFR), now 13:1 :-)
- Put the new wheels on
- Little problem with driving with headlights on, may need to enrichen for night driving

5/July/2006 - New tyres on new wheels
- 2 Michelin Pilot Preceda 205/45/16 $215 ea.

30/June/2006 - Dropped car up to Stuie (RX PERFORMANCE)
- EFI Tuning to be done
- Vac hoses to be looked at
- Work in progress, awaiting completion.

274000 km

29/June/2006 - Fuel leak
- Pulled the intake
- Found an injector seal to have a little nick out of it
- Replaced and tested
- No more leaks :-)

24/June/2006 - Injector Cleaning
- Pulled the intake
- Had all 4 injectors cleaned and flowtested
- There were no leaks, spray patterns were good and only one injector flowed a little more than the rest
- Cleaned seal contact areas with fuel and cotton-wool buds
- Cleaned intake gasket and sprayed with sealant
- Cleaned intake and sprayed with sealant
- Added some muffler putty to exhaust header while intake was out
- Put it all back together - runs smoother now =)

1/June/2006 - Muffler putty on exhaust joins
- I believe the exhaust header pipes are cracking away from the plate
- For the time being they have been smothered in muffler putty and this
has reduced noise and the smell of exhaust has gone away
- Also tightened the belts

20/May/2006 - Rebuilt rear-left caliper + hand brake cable de-rust
- Found some broken bits and welded back together
- Removed one of the spring-washers to account for the added metal from weld
- New seals
- Handbrake works amazingly now!

273000 km

6/May/2006 - Rebuilt rear-right caliper + hand brake cable de-rust
- Spent about 7-8 hours today on this
- Rear right calliper completely torn down and rebuilt with Mazda rebuilt kit ($82 pair)
- Lubricated handbrake cable and gave a good workout - now runs smoothely (was jamming on right)

24/April/2006 - Fuel Leak? and Rear Brakes
- Investigated possible fuel leak from rear left of car. Seemed to be dripping from areas around the tank.
- Found no source of leak, and were unable to make it leak again
- Pulled rear left wheel
- Pulled rear left caliper after finding it was feeling a bit loose/rattling
- Inner side of rear left rotor has 2 substantial grooves in it
- Greased the caliper mount/pivots to reduce rattle

272000 km

26/February/2006 - ignition mod success
- Pulled dizzy right down and cleaned out. Regreased innards. Mech advance v smooth now
- Ignition mod success (with R2 removed (min pulse width limit))

19/February/2006 - digi tuning
- Increased fuel % @ 2000 and 2500 rpm (was largely negative) to remove lean spot

11-12/February/2006 - 'Transistor Trick' Ignition Mod Testing
- Unstuck distributor-base and greased
- Marked TDC on the e-shaft pulley
- Set timing on stock ignition
- Created bracket to hold 2nd gen coil from strut tower
- Tested out latest and original TT circuits.. Still a work in progress
- Brought some of the idle and load maps closer together

9/February/2006 - ECU Adjustments
- Adjusted MIXtrm to -6%. Helped at idle but leaned out over 4k rpm. Restored to 0%
- Turned IDLmap to OFF

8/February/2006 - Idle increase
- Allowed more air to bypass the TB. Idle 1300rpm now

5/February/2006 - Direct Fire Ignition Mod Development
- Worked with Rob on direct-fire ignition mod
- All working just need to relocate fusible links + create mount for 2nd gen coil
- Discovered dizzy is extremely hard to move - cant advance/retard timing without mallet
- E-Shaft Pulley not marked for timing
- Leaky injector. Need to have them cleaned + tested

4/February/2006 - Oil Change & A Few Fixes
- Changed oil again, plus new filter
- Fixed drivers door lock problem (caused by nomad)
- Pulled driveshaft and sanded yolk back, packed rear extension housing with grease
- Cleaned spark plugs. Leadings were normalish, trailings black
- Worked with Rob on new Ignition circuit

29/January/2006 - Oil Change & A Few Fixes
- Changed oil... in the rain again!! :(
- Fixed up right front fender under-plastic so no more rubbing when cornering
- Went up to see Stuie. Modified pump1 Amt% to 8 from 5 and told me about MIXTRM

271000 km

26/December/2005 - Front Primary Injector O Ring Leaking at Top
- Replaced primary injector O rings on both + lubricated, with the old sec injector rings
- Put some new autobarn o rings on the secondary injectors
- No more leaks :)
- Also noted a large difference in fuel economy. 230km / 41 Litres
- Also regarding rubbing of front wheel - have found out it's the rubber bit on the plastic insert under the arch!

21/December/2005 - High pitched whine fix attempt
- Removed intake
- New O rings on primary injectors (larger than old ones)
- New LIM gasket (3 piece aluminium)
- At first start it did not run smoothely, BRAP BRAP BRAP, idle around 300rpm and all red dash lights on
- Went over everything again, one of primary injector connectors loose and vac line to plenum not connected. Runs as it did now.
- High pitched air sound gone
- Re-fitted the brake booster connection snugly - cleaning contacts
- Idle is now a bit lower when starting in the morning

18/December/2005 - Fixing new problems
- Tightened up wheel bearings
- Raised right headlight with 5 washers
- Tightened loose bolt on headlight motor
- Removed dents from airbox
- Cleaned overspray from airbox window with acetone
- Padded end of airbox which used to squeal with tape
- New foam to prevent rattling of airbox and filter
- Removed headlight surrounds and resprayed matte black
- Attached front left headlight firmly, was loose
- Re-aimed headlights
- Rerouted headlight wire thru old HL washer bottle hole. Neater
- Fixed front window washer - had clogged up in nozzle
- Filled steering box with oil, was a bit low
- Tightened steering box a little
- Soldered indicator wiring, taped and secured
- Installed new hose clamp onto intake piping
- Noticed left tyre rubs on either the sway bar or canvas mud flap
- Also noticed left front fender is not attached properly near drivers door - loose
- Wiped up all overspray from interior, dash, drivers seat, etc.
- Cleaned overspray from around door edges etc.

270000 km

28/September/2005 to 12/December/2005  - Restoration @ Nomad Automotive Restoration (Mentone)
Broken promise after broken promise... 12 weeks overdue!
Car delivered 28 September. Said it would be fixed in 2 weeks.
Should have been finished on 12th October.
61 Days Overdue

A lot took place at nomad, but the car was returned with the following faults:
- Nose cone to right fender join needs re-alignment
- Drivers door end hangs too low, needs to be lifted
- Right headlight actuator loose
- Right headlight does not come up enough
- Paint bubble in frontbar
- Front left and right fenders could be pulled out a bit more down front - too close to bonnet
- Battery clamp was lost, replaced with dodgy rusted one
- Bonnet support arm was exchanged for inferior model which can fall out while working under bonnet
- Right headlight rubs on fender - will destroy paint
- All new paint is a little light, except bonnet which is noticably darker than all paint on car
- Front wheels both have play in them
- Overspray onto rear hatch glass (shadows of a roll of masking tape etc.)
- Overspray onto airbox perspex lid
- Airbox dents not removed
- Front right corner of bonnet sits too high
- Hose clamp from intake piping missing
- Front right indicator intermittent, wiring found unsoldered and untaped, wire hanging out from under frontbar
- Number plate screwed onto frontbar on an angle
- Square plug from drivers door trim missing
- Overspray on interior - drivers seat, dash
- Right strut tower rubber cap missing

The good news:
- Chassis straightened out nicely, under bonnet looks better than new
- Drivers door looking better than before
- Right fender looks good
- Nose cone decent
- New headlight assembly (from cdawg's wreck)
- Bonnet straightened out
- Other stuff which I can't remember due to the outstanding number of negatives as seen above

31/August/2005 - Car Accident
Mazda 626 turned straight into front right corner of the 7 making a mess.
No rail damage. From what I can see all that needs replacing/repair is:
- Front right fender
- Panel beating of chassis front right corner
- Drivers door
- Bonnet
- Panel in front of bonnet
- Front left fender out of allignment
- Frontbar snapped in half
- Front right headlight, motor etc.
- CAI box needs a little bending
- New Parker/Blinker Lenses
- Wheel allignment - wheels are angled outwards

27/August/2005 - Dual Pulley Belts + Maintenance
Installed 2 matched belts - 11A0815
Topped up coolant
Topped up oil
Tightened heater hose on engine that leaked
Guessing there are some sticky apex seals, need to be decarbonized

18/August/2005 - Maintenance
Removed Throttle Body + Cleaned + polished
Re-ran wiring from dizzy over to near battery. Wires were falling apart.
Ran alternator lead through casing, looks neater!
Found that everything is wired up stupidly... Patched wiring..

22/July/2005 - Rank Rotary
Pulled off the intake - LIM to Engine face is decently flat
Checked Primary Injector seals, they are fine.
Checked injector wiring. All injectors are running. There is no staging.
Both injectors on each rotor fire at same time. This explains rough idle :)
New triple layer metal gasket between LIM and Engine
New Vac Lines (except to the ECU or plenum)
Newer OMP oil lines installed
In ECU config, fuel cut on decel now enabled = popping

269000 km

17/July/2005 - That new rattle... since rank re-installed the thermostat
I have finally caught the rattle, it is the thermostat!
The little pin/hole thing at the top rattles around... Mazda tstats dont have this hole/pin.

14/July/2005 - Fuel Pressure Gauge
- Installed a fuel pressure gauge between the T join and the secondary rail.
Fuel runs at constant 40psi with pumps running and engine off.
Fuel runs at constant 30psi when running well it seems...
- Pulled the spark plugs... all fouled again in such a short time. Must be running rich!
- Cleaned contacts in the connector for the ECU coolant temp sensor.

4/July/2005 - Fireworks @ Rank Rotary
- 3" Resonator installed $150
- Flange installed right after the cat
- Whole exhaust lifted up. 12.5cm clearance under resonator
- Welsh plug removed from recycle port in water pump below thermostat
- New gasket for thermostat housing
- Picked up some new OMP lines
- Double alternator pulley installed (still single belt for time being) $40
- Completely burnt out the 70amp alternator lead - shorted against intake. Replaced. Minor damage to surrounding plastics.

29/June/2005 - Thermostat Installed
- Found out there was no thermostat installed
- Made up gasket from Special-K box
- Cleaned up housings
- Installed new thermostat from bursons - $30
- Noticed car is hard to start when warm now...
(even though its ~10 degrees outside)

24/June/2005 - Spark Plugs Fouled
- Found all 4 spark plugs to be brown/black
- Had been noticing a bit of random misfiring earlier in the week
- Pulled all out and wire-brushed. Runs much better now!

268000 km

14/June/2005 - Exhaust Noise
- 3" High Flow big muffler installed @ Rank Rotary $353
(had to wait 4.5 hours and 2 weeks to get the muffler in)
- EPA Noise Test @ Daalder Box Hill. Failed at 103 dBA @ 4500 rpm
- Paid Daalder to install the Nissan 200SX muffler $25
- EPA Noise Test. Passed 90 dBA @ 4500 rpm $31

16/May/2005 - Alternator
- Had alternator tested by AIM Auto Electricians, Burwood. Alternator is charging fine.
- Pulled the fusible link on the old alt charging line ( i think ) and now the elec problems seem to be gone...
- not enough extensive testing has been done to confirm lack of elec problems. Street driving it seems ok
but I havent done any long sustained speed driving.

15/May/2005 - Fuel Tank & Filters
- Replaced both fuel filters
- Dropped the fuel tank and checked everything
- Hoses to the fuel tank replaced
- Suspension system for piston pre-pump created
- Sealed hole in fuel filler cap... but fuel still leaks out (maybe the second o-ring isn't helping)
- Alternator charging at 13.6-13.8v

267000 km

12/May/2005 - General Maintenance
- Made sure all the fuel pump connectors to both the pump and relay were good
- Replaced a few of them with new connectors
- Did not fix the problem with revs when the headlights are on :-(
- Also noticed that even when the headlights are off, the engine has that behaviour...
- Possible causes of the problem:
perhaps the fan is sucking air away from the intake when car not moving?
fuel filters and pickup filter could be clogged. should drop tank one day.
maybe ignition is dropping out for some reason?
maybe power to the ecu is dropping out for some reason? Check if injectors are firing?

30/April/2005 - General Maintenance
- Fuel hoses replaced:
low pressure pump -> surge tank
surge tank -> high pressure pump
return line -> surge tank
- Engine oil changed
- Engine oil filter changed
- Gearbox oil changed

266000 km

15/April/2005 - Starter Problem Resolved
- The thread where the positive terminal nut on the starter solenoid connects was burred.
Not enough current was making it through to the starter.
Bent the nut in the vice so it gripped harder. Cable tied positive lead to starter to strengthen.

14/April/2005 - Starter Problem
- Turn key, *click* but no turnover...

13/April/2005 - Rank Rotary - Clutch, Flywheel and Gearbox
- Pulled the dead gearbox
- Pulled the clutch and flywheel
- Had flywheel machined
- Installed a new Daiken Clutch (feels heavier than the old one)
- Installed the reverse lights sensor and starter from old box
- Installed the second hand box with old shifter
ALL WORKING NOW!

12/April/2005 - Gearbox Failure
Driving along and "BANG" lost another tooth... soon after more went and the box
started making huge amounts of noise and the car was jumping around.
Joined RACV and got towed home for free.
Also picked up a used transmission from Jason for $350

8/April/2005 - Wheel Allignment @ Bridgestone
setback: 0 deg 18'
total toe: -11.8 mm
left toe: +0.8 mm
right toe: +1.0 mm
left camber -0deg 9'
right camber: +0deg 12'
left caster: +4deg 27'
right caster: +4deg 18'

28/March/2005 - Some small problems fixed
- Temporarily fixed the rear-view mirror. Holds still now :-)
- Finally got the steering-column casing to sit straight and proper!
- Cleaned up a lot of little dust-ridden areas.
- Ran the car for a few minutes, resulting in complaints from the neighbours about fumes.

21/March/2005 - Gearbox Problems
- Can hear the countershaft input gear grinding... getting louder (2 teeth broken so far)
- Painted the mirror arm (and broke the ball joint somehow)
- Installed LED ceiling light and LED personal lights

17/March/2005 - Catalytic Converter ;-)
- 3" High Flow Catalytic Converter Installed (welded both ends)
Sits about 4cm higher than the old one
- O2 sensor thread welded on
$330 @ Ringwood Performance Exhaust

5/March/2005 - Fuel Hose + Intake
- DynoTune! 141Nm@5662/102lb-ft/130rwhp@6689
- Fixed headlight problem - thick earth from batt to block
and extra lead from alt to battery +

26/Febuary/2005 - Fuel Hose + Intake
- Pulled off the entire intake, reran fuel hose and have put both rails in parallel.
- New gasket on the intake manifold.

265000 km

24/Febuary/2005 - Fuel Hose
- Picked up a metre of fuel hose and some hose clips, all engine bay hose
redone, except for the return line that's between the intake and the engine.

21/Febuary/2005 - Rank Rotary
- New spark plugs - ones that I can actually change myself BR8EQ $55
- Spare Intake Manifold gasket $10
- New distributor cap $74
- New dizzy rotor $47
- Invoiced for spare exhaust gasket, havent picked it up yet.

15/January/2005 - Fuel Leaks
Fuel was leaking again from the engine bay return line. Teflon tape & a new smooth hose clamp.
Fuel was also leaking from the EFI Pump outlet. Cut end of hose off + New smooth hose clamp.
Found battery terminal was arcing on the bonnet... Flipped battery around and ran new earth lead.

4/January/2005 - Fuel Pump Failure
The VL Turbo EFI Fuel Pump failed.
Bought a new (second hand) one and it's all working again.
The new pump looks in better condition than the old one.

30/December/2004 - Cold Air Intake
Airbox made
Radiator bracket modified
Air conditioning radiator and gas cylinder removed

28/December/2004 - Immobiliser, Alarm & Central Locking
All installed and working ;-)

23/December/2004 - REGISTERED
- Turned up at VicRoads in the morning. Computers were down.
- Came back a little later, had the numbers sighted, recieved plates. DONE :D

22/December/2004 - ROADWORTHY STUFF - Rank Rotary
- Front universal joint replaced $40
- Front wheel bearings $45ea
- Front disc rotors $89ea
- Brake pads $55
- Castor rod bushes $20
- Extension housing seal $20
- Road Worthy Certificate :D $55
Apparently since the injectors are so big and the microtech is so course,
the jolt felt when the secondaries come in is normal.

264000 km

20/December/2004 - Bodywork
- Sanded, added rust converter, painted, filled holes and repainted around rear hatch

17/December/2004 - Roadworthy Failed... Again!
- Right Hand Front Seat Belt
- Rust in rear hatch well (structural apparently)
- Left indicator/park lense
- Headlight Aim
- Pitman Arm Worn
- Idler Arm Worn
- Castor Rod Bushes Worn
- Secure front stone tray
- Gearbox rear extension housing seal
- Rear universal joint
- Front disc rotors undersize
- Engine apparently larger than production (not true!)
- Pollution equipment removed (car wont actually work with it on)

12/December/2004 - Alarm & Electrical
- Bought an inline fuse (5A) and setup the alarm and siren on it.
- All cables neatly inside casing in engine-bay
- Wired alarm to door sensors
- Had to remove the dome light fader (interfered with alarm and set it off)
- Soldered rear hatch contact for demister back on

11/December/2004 - Oil cooler guard
- Purchased bolts and bolted on the guard under the oil cooler/fan area
- Used 2 cable ties for front left corner as mount point broken

28/November/2004 - Universal Joints
- Tapped with a punch the metal around them to secure

23/November/2004 - Exhaust & Interior
- Switched the loud muffler back with the quiet one
- Glued base of shift boot back onto plastic surround
- Filled area below boot with sound deadening material - should stop fumes too
- Double thickness material used to seal top of shift boot, folded over cable tie
- Plastic aluminium cover in centre console covered with black material
- Tested sound levels on the 3" free-flowing muffler at held rpm's:
1000rpm - 89.8dB
2000rpm - 93.5dB
3000rpm - 95.5dB
4000rpm - 99.5dB
5000rpm - 103.7dB
6000rpm - 104.4dB

20/November/2004 - Exhaust
- Pulled the entire exhaust off
- Broke apart the welded join before the cat
- Found and welded up new split in cat
- Found 2 holes in the old welded split in cat
- Removed the old mount that hung the exhaust off the transmission
- Bent back metal that would hit the exhaust
- Sanded and rejoined all the pieces with improved alignment & muffler-putty
- Installed the old muffler. Too loud.

263000 km

16/November/2004 - Oil Change
- Drained old oil
- Filled up with new oil and Nulon engine oil flush treatment
- Engine run for 10 minutes
- Drained oil again
- Replaced oil filter
- Filled with new oil
- Test drive and leak check

10/November/2004 - Premix!
- Started premixing. Poured in nearly half the bottle of 2-stroke oil before filling at the servo.

7/November/2004 - Work
- Made bolt for spare tyre - suits wheel brace
- Sanded dizzy rotor back, all clean now
- Took out alternator and added grease to the bearings. End cap comes out.
- Added proper bolt to hold alternator in. Should be on best angle now.
- Cable ties on the contact points for rear wiper. Works all the time now.
- Rear hatch corner put on. Both sanded and painted.
 

2/November/2004 - Work
- Front brake hoses replaced and bled - no leaks
- Pulled steering wheel and collumn electrics - fixed high beam lock
- Stoneguard confirmed will fit, need 4 bolts and a bracket for front left corner
- Picked up corner hatch, need to paint both and glue on
 

26/October/2004 - Tyres etc.
- Got 2 New Tyres put on the front (Bridgestone GIII)
- Moves front tyres to the back (rear left tyre was worn a lot)
- Put up rear right tyre for sale. 205/40ZR17 80W Kumho 4600km ~$100ono
- Fixed horn spring-terminal between wheel and collumn (wd40)
- The HeadLight warning bells are now working again... why? i dont know..

262000 km

16/October/2004 - Exhaust
- Removed entire exhaust
- Cut off cat casing
- Discovered the cat has split along one half
- Discovered there is in fact the honeycomb of ceramic inside
- Welded up the split
- Welded the casing back on
- Re-installed the exhaust with muffler putty in joints

9/October/2004 - Front End Steering & Suspension
- Replaced tie rod end boots
- Replaced lower suspension arms
- Replaces front sway bar end boots
- Regreased left idler arm, and switched bottom and top bushes
- Put lock nuts on all wheels
- Painted black the front sway-bar end linkages
- Tightened oil level check plate, lower left engine

4/October/2004 - Rank Rotary
- Gearbox Mount replaced. Old one stuffed - Runs silky smooth now!!!
- Exhaust attached to gearbox mount, not helping. Cut off.
- Inspection reveals: rear left wheel bearing leak
- Rear sway-bar removed! No more oversteer on fast corners!
Apparently the sway-bar is fine on stock tyres, but low profiles you will
get more traction without it :-)
- Engine is 6 port, guessing the valves removed and aux ports always running
- Definitely need to replace muffler! Going to burn out!
- The square block mazda fuel pump (the noisy one) is apparently very good!
- The Universal Joints are loose!!! This adds some vibration! Need to use a punch
and hit on the surrounding metal to push in and hold the sleeves in place!
TOTAL COST $50!

1/October/2004 - RX Maz Rotary
- Picked up a dizzy shield for $10

30/September/2004 - Rank Rotary
- Compression test revealed both cylinders were compressing to
the same amount on each side of each rotor = Excellent Condition
- DigiTech Series 1 Pro can't control the 1000cc Injectors with enough finesse
should swap primary and secondary injectors - will need dynotune right after this
- Exhaust is far too restrictive! When you hear the vibrations in it as you rev it,
this is indicative of this. Will visit Performance Exhaust, Ringwood. (Go on a Tuesday)
- Dizzy Shield is missing - for Series 1/2/3 Aus NEEDED.
Cross-firing results from not having one.

10/September/2004 - Alternator
Alternator Seized. Replaced with 60 amp one from wreckers for $75

261000 km

23/September/2004 - Random Repairs
- rear wiper contact points
- secured loose relay near battery
- secured loose wires in the engine bay
- taped up bare loose wires in engine bay
- lubricated all the moving parts on the throttle-body
- bolted oil cooler on (was attached with cable ties)
- lubricated driver door lock
- taped up loose unknown wires in drivers door
- regrounded a few connections
- tightened quite a few loose bolts
- added oil to steering box
- sanded back contacts in driver-side power window switch (wouldn't go down)

29/August/2004 - Passenger window broken... repaired
Took whole door apart, got the panel off! Lubricated and detached everything
then rebuilt it. Window goes up slow because spring is worn out!

19/August/2004 - Garry & Warren Smith Mazda - Booked in
Diff Pinion Seal - $112
Gearbox Output Seal - $157
Should fill up the oil in both of those!!

19/August/2004 - Mornington Mazda - 03 5975 1111
Ordered: Front Brake Hoses, Ball Joints+Arms, Tie Rod End Boots, Sway bar eye-bushes.
Should arrive by Tuesday in Mornington, for pickup. Total Cost $528.15

19/August/2004 - O'Brien Glass - 13 16 16
New windscreen fitted - lifetime guarantee on leaks/noise - $210

19/August/2004 - Tint Professor Quote - 03 9874 8644
Darkest Legal Top Quality Film & Strip Current Tint - Lifetime Unconditional Warranty - $325
Located at Nunawading - Ask for John

18/August/2004 - Tint a Car Quote - 13 63 60
Formula1 Film & Strip Current Tint - 25 Year Guarantee - $365

10/August/2004 - Failed Roadworthy Check
1 - Diff pinion seal leak
2 - Gear box rear-extension housing leak
3 - Front brake hoses need replacing
4 - Ball-Joints
5 - Tie-Rod End Boots
6 - Exhaust too loud
7 - Windscreen
8 - RHR Tyre
9 - Wheel diameters too large
10 - Front sway-bar eye bushes
11 - Window tinting too dark
12 - Engine requires engineers report
13 - High beam lock doesn't work
14 - Horn doesn't work
15 - Rear demister switch doesn't work

3/August/2004 - Fix
Rear Wiper repaired - soldered switch + hookup power to demister
Area around rust cleared back ready for fill
Tightened gear-stick top

31/July/2004 - Purchased the vehicle

6/July/2004 - maz sport - 02 9674 5555
Spark Plugs
Oil
Filter

11/May/2004 - JPS Automotive & Performance - 02 9622 2029
Rear Brake Pads - Supplied and fitted
Diff Centre
Axle Bearings
Lock Rings
Oil Seal
Wheel Stud
Bleed Breaks
Speedo Sensor & Gear
Diff Oil
Brake Fluid

27/March/2004 - TyreHouse Tyre & Mechanical - 02 9622 2599
205/40R17 KUMHO 712 - Fitted, balanced + new tubeless valves