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mekilljoydammit posted:... since I have no idea where to start with radio stuff, is there any combination that would let me have a bluetooth connection from my phone to the RX-8 radio without it looking like poo poo? I haven't done it on mine, but it supposed to be really easy to get at the aux input on the back of the radio unit, and then pipe it to the glovebox. Unless you leave the glove box open, no one sees the mess. McTinkerson posted:In other news further reenforcing that us rotards have significant masochistic tendencies, as soon as the RX-8 was back on it's newly painted gold wheels ( pictures will be added later today ) with fresh transmission fluid, the Secondary Shutter Valve (SSV) finally got stuck. Did you have a good test for that? I'm wondering if I need to do mine (not looking forward to doing it)
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May 20, 2018 19:58
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Brigdh posted:Did you have a good test for that? I'm wondering if I need to do mine (not looking forward to doing it) Mine is stuck open right now, which creates a constant 1-second interval ticking at idle. It also affects idle quality significantly. It wants to stall if the revs drop too quickly since there is way more air going into the engine than there should be. RX-8 Club has a pretty good write-up in the DIY section that has been refined over 10+ years. ( https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-troubleshoot-intake-valves-174009/ ) It might also be my VDI valve stuck, I was planning on cleaning all of them and I should probably add a catch can while I'm at it to prevent the issue from ever occurring again. Here is what the 8 looks like now with it's newly painted shoes:   Gold Chrome pinstriping vinyl is ordered to start on the JPS livery. Edit: Images rehosted. McTinkerson fucked around with this message at 04:00 on Apr 11, 2019 |
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May 20, 2018 20:14
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Good news and bad news time... It's not any of my intake valves or their respective solenoids which are stuck/failing/broken. Every single one of them moves freely and the solenoids all check out. It's the purge valve solenoid. Which was already replaced in 2015. I remember doing some homework when it failed the first time and there's no way to delete it, so looks like I'm ordering another one. I'll have to check and see what the warranty is like on it. I suspect that it has expired. Still going to start pulling the front bumper in support of the Mazdaspeed intake installation. Air pump and injection tube is now fully removed as well. Passenger side of the engine bay has much more space now. Edit: Phone posting errors removed McTinkerson fucked around with this message at 23:01 on May 21, 2018 |
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May 21, 2018 21:11
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Is it the evap purge valve? I have a spare Subaru one lying around here and I'm pretty sure it also fit an NA Miata when I was looking at it last.
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May 21, 2018 22:52
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Seat Safety Switch posted:Is it the evap purge valve? I have a spare Subaru one lying around here and I'm pretty sure it also fit an NA Miata when I was looking at it last. It is the evap purge valve. The part number is Z504-18-741A, which based on cross reference is what miatas use as well.
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May 21, 2018 23:11
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Megapost incoming. E/N bullshit first: I have hesitated on posting this and still feel like poo poo but gently caress it; I was laid off on June 5. My project canceled and the entire department shut down. Which is why I dropped out of TM2TW3. I at this point am not employed. Luckily have another 2 months worth of expenses covered. Two interviews lined up next week (both second interviews for both positions.) and am still actively hunting. This does mean that I am basically on a spending freeze. I have been "working" 50+ hours a week upgrading (skills, certs, portfolio, etc.) and job hunting. Some progress on the fleet was made none the less. These will be in chronological order. So where did we leave off? Oh yeah, the purge valve solenoid. Pick N Pull to the rescue (courtesy of Row52). Mazda used the same solenoid from 1996 to 2008. Four Protege5's donated theirs for $12 all in. A single new aftermarket one is $80.  All passed the resistance test.  So in the "newest" one went. I have since cleaned the engine bay. Ticking went away and idle has been restored. As long as this one lasts as long as the aftermarket replacement purchased two years ago, I'll be ecstatic. Next up were the brake lines ordered back in early May. Togue Tuning out of Ontario has a house brand of stainless braided lines that were $120 shipped to my door. A solid $20 cheaper than any competitor prior to currency conversions. I did not get a single picture of the old lines or the new front ones...I am really bad at taking pictures. Primarily due to time constraints and focusing so much on the task at hand that I just plain forget. (SeatSafetySwitch wasn't joking when he's called me the ADHD poster child in the past.) So here are the new rear lines.   Brakes feel noticeably firmer. Old fluid in the lines wasn't as bad as I was expecting either. They were however original with 112k km on them. Following the brake lines is/was the Mazdaspeed/ AEM intake. This required removal of the front bumper cover. Of which I once again do not have pictures, so I'll just link to the AEM installation instructions for those curious. ( https://www.aemintakes.com/instructions/AEM-21-485_inst.pdf )   The goal of this part was primarily heat management. The factory airbox block/re-directs all radiator airflow down and under the engine. Now the driver's side fan is not blowing directly onto the bottom side of the airbox. On its own, this does very little, however in conjunction was a vented hood, temperatures drop measurably. I have probably lost a few HP across the entire rev range right now since the factory airbox and variable fresh air duct are so well engineered. The intake now sites behind and underneath the front bumper impact bar. The plan is to move the battery up to where the factory washer fluid reservoir sits by "upgrading" to an Oddysey PC680. This will happen at the same time as the Sohn OMP conversion. What's next...of yeah, Dorito Power has access to a shop. It's pretty sweet. He is also really good at detailing cars. So we spent a weekend cutting and polishing.  The paint from 10 feet isn't bad but once you get within 5 feet, it's rough.   Fender is before (left), hood is after (right). I also added pinstriping:  It's JPS time, ladies. In addition to Dorito Power being an awesome detailer, he's a drat good photographer. These were taken immediately after we finished on Sunday.       I have since replaced the chrome lug nuts with black ones. Clarke isn't sure what to think of the wife's choice in music:  But he seems to like mine:  Oh yeah, I used the truck for truck things:  Then I broke it. By lowering the rear end end by 50mm / 2".  This is what we start with. Stock ride height. Front wheel gap is 7" and rear is 9". So how do you lower something with leaf spring? Lowering shackles.    The passenger side went incredibly smooth. The driver's side, however, did not. Turns out the truck isn't entirely symmetrical.  The top shackle bolt doesn't have enough clearance to come out and go back in. I had to disconnect the rear shock, jack up the truck as high as I could go and lower the rear axle as much as possible.   It's all good now. New front wheel gap:  New rear wheel gap:  This is merely the beginning as far as breaking the truck. The front is getting new LCA's which lower it 3" along with 2" drop springs. The rear is getting an axle flip, Caltracs, and a rear sway bar. The axle flip lowers the rear between 4-6" inches. I'm shooting for an additional 5" to level it out. Napkin math also indicates that the static safety factory after the lowering in conjunction with the 3" wider track width of the wheels should allow me to Auto-X this thing. That concludes all current progress. Next up: Bushings! All of them on the RX-8....  Edit: Images rehosted. McTinkerson fucked around with this message at 04:04 on Apr 11, 2019 |
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Jul 4, 2018 10:51
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'Dolences on the job, glad you're still pressing forward. Is Clarke named for the cloth ( noticed the collar) he looks like a good boy.
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Jul 4, 2018 14:52
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Crunchy Black posted:Is Clarke named for the cloth ( noticed the collar) he looks like a good boy. Oddly enough, he is not. He's Superman. (And my wife and I are working our way through the alphabet. Our cats are named Artemis and Bravo.)  He's a good boy and due to the self-fulfilling prophecy of his name, has limitless energy.
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Jul 5, 2018 23:40
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 That's a good looking pupper.
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Jul 6, 2018 01:13
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Oh hey, it's that Soundbot speaker everyone loves. Isn't that thing kickass for $30?
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Jul 6, 2018 17:46
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Lowering shackles look sketchy as gently caress (I know they're probably not), JPS RX8 going to look fantastic.
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Jul 6, 2018 21:05
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Seat Safety Switch posted:Oh hey, it's that Soundbot speaker everyone loves. Isn't that thing kickass for $30? It's awesome. It was the "sound system" for Sweet Chili Heat and was semi-capable of not being overpowered by the beehive. cakesmith handyman posted:Lowering shackles look sketchy as gently caress (I know they're probably not), JPS RX8 going to look fantastic. These shackles are beefier than the Ford Performance units (which are just rebranded Ground Force). So far so good on the lowered rear end end. My Heat tape finally showed up, so the intake was insulated. I'll get some pictures this afternoon. My garage PC finally poo poo the bed (RIP Intel E8500). Getting the new one (it's only 8 years old instead of 16) up and running now. Then it's finally time for diff mount bushings on the 8.
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Jul 15, 2018 19:23
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Hoooly poo poo, it's been an interesting few weeks. I am now once again gainfully employed doing what I enjoy (SCADA systems admin/development) with a little bit of a pay bump over the previous job to boot. Logically, I bought myself a present to celebrate:   The re-issue of Tamiyas Lunchbox from the 80's. I am planning on putting together a proper post together in the R/C thread if there is interest. What about the vehicles? Well, I still had all these parts sitting around that required installation. There are now less of them. Like the diff bushings.  Replacing these is a royal pain in the rear end. The easiest way is to drop the entire rear subframe. Since I do not yet have a set of MaxJax, that is not happening. Instead, this poo poo is going to take place "in situ". How? 1) Remove all bolts holding #12 in place. 2) Remove all bolts holding #11 in place. 3) Lower 11 as far as it will go. 4) Twist #12 to free it from the subframe mounting ears. 5) Once freed, twist #12 as required counter-clockwise while pulling it out through the driver's side wheel well cursing like an 8-year-old with tourettes who was just babysat by a group of sailors.    It was tough to get a picture but the driver's side bushing was two pieces. That crack extended all the way around.  I obviously had to torch the fuckers to properly vent my frustration with the difficulty of removal. However, due to the fact that the stock bushings have a metal sleeve and their size prohibiting the successful application of my small gear puller, I needed to farm out the removal. As luck would have it, my local indie auto shop has a hydraulic press and pressed out the old ones and pressed in the new ones for a case of beer. New bushings are in and ready for carrier installation.    As usual, installation is reverse of removal. And just as much of a pain in the rear end. This time though, it was getting the new bushings lined up with the subframe mounting ears. Exhibit A of the difficulty:  DoritoPower came over and gave me a hand aligning the carrier/diff while I threaded in the bolts. It is all buttoned up and the car feels much better. There is still a little bit of wheel hop left. It is significantly less though. I suspect the remainder is being caused by the worn out engine mounts and potentially, sagging rear springs. The final update is the addition of a small ultrasonic jewelry cleaner for the usual fouled spark plugs that plague all rotaries.  These plugs have about 10k km on them.  Ready for the 42k Hz bath in 50% simple green.  This is what they look like the next day.  This is what the cleaning solution looks like afterward. The plan is to clean the plugs with every oil change, this should prevent me from having to throw new plugs at the engine every 30k km since they are iridium and physically last much longer than that since I can now clean them correctly. That is it for now. It is going to take a while to replenish the emergency funds after my 2-month long unemployment so there will be very little new parts purchased. There is still the full energy suspension poly bushing master kit to install, along with the stainless braided clutch line and miniDisc player though! As well as a special Japan only dealer option which I have been saving... Edit: Images rehosted. McTinkerson fucked around with this message at 04:07 on Apr 11, 2019 |
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Aug 5, 2018 19:03
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Work has been insane. Apparently, there is no happy medium in my life, so this is more of an anti archive bump than anything else. I did move over my Yokohama iG51's to the method wheels. Selling the OEM chromies to fund replacing the blown shocks at all corners. I desperately want to get some work done this weekend. Hopefully, I can make that happen.
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Oct 6, 2018 02:42
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Progress on the F-150 has been made. Let's say 80% maintenance and 20% upgrades. Once again, a giant thank you goes out to DoritoPower for letting me use the shop for this as it was just above 0C when this work was completed and the truck does not fit in my garage with the factory bumpers. As discovered when I dropped the rear end end of the truck, the rear shocks were blown. I rolled 92k km and I suspected that the fronts were as well or at the very least, not far behind. [Narrators voice: "They were."]  Exhibit A of what a blown shock looks like. Kudos to Ford on the quality of their labels and adhesives though. Once completely removed, I could compress them by hand without any effort and they stayed compressed. This behavior applied to all four.  Shiny new shocks, courtesy of Bilstein via Rock Auto. These are the B8 5100's. Came with the dust boots, which I haven't seen before. All of my previous shocks have required them to be purchased separately.  New B8's for the front as well. Pictured are: -Bilstein B8's -New Moog top hats -Crown suspension 2" drop springs (Which Crown claims are 10% stiffer than stock. These are also intended for the 4x4 model.) -The OEM lower spring perches. The spring perches are a source of annoyance. Ford does not sell them separate from the shocks. No aftermarket manufacturer offers them either. You must re-use them. This meant that I could not pre-assemble the front units and have them ready for installation. Installation was relatively straightforward. 1) Undo the three top hat nuts 2) Undo the two bottom shock mount bolts from the underside of the LCA 3) Unbolt the ABS sensor mount and brake line bracket from the spindle 4) Unbolt the top sway bar linkage nut 5) Undo the top balljoint nut from the spindle 6) Whack the spindle with a BFH to remove it from the upper balljoint 7) Remove shock assembly Installation is reverse of removal. Except for the following:  I did not notice the rubber thread protectors after I "installed" the front passenger side assembly. Removing them in-situ was aggravating.  Drivers side assembly installed. As usual, I am light on the imagery. Once again fuelled by time constraints.  All done. 2" / 50mm drop all around, which means that the factory rake is back. It really looks like it needs a meaty set of drag radials out back now. (Plus another 3" drop overall.) For reference - Before / OEM  As it sits now. The verdict on the ride quality & handling difference with the Bilstein B8 5100's vs stock: Holy poo poo. It is incredible. That is all.  Clarke still likes the ride as well. Edit: Images rehosted. McTinkerson fucked around with this message at 04:09 on Apr 11, 2019 |
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Oct 20, 2018 23:35
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Yeah, I love the 5100s on my WJ. Looking good.
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Oct 21, 2018 00:19
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Another truck post incoming. I swear there is more rotary content coming! I rolled 93k km on the F-150 and a letter from Ford Canada showed up indicating that my local dealer now had the parts necessary to complete the recall on my door latches freezing in the winter. I figured while it was getting worked on and I was getting close to the end of the power train warranty I should get them to take a look at the engine since there are a few TSB's which could apply. Little did I know how right I was. The mechanics' comments paint a picture.    The service manager said there were tears. Edit: Images rehosted. McTinkerson fucked around with this message at 04:11 on Apr 11, 2019 |
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Nov 16, 2018 05:18
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 Holy poo poo
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Nov 16, 2018 12:46
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God drat! Lmao you made out like a bandit on that.
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Nov 16, 2018 13:34
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Holy poo poo. You oughtta bring back a sixer for that tech. Poor bastard.
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Nov 16, 2018 14:17
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So that's why Ford stock dropped so much recently.
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Nov 16, 2018 14:24
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I wonder if at that point it would have been cheaper to give you a new engine.
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Nov 16, 2018 15:04
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McTinkerson posted:The mechanics comments paint a picture. Holy crap. Take them a sixpack next time you're up that way!
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Nov 16, 2018 22:09
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I'm going to have to go back regardless, there's a noticable exhaust leak on the passenger side manifold. Significantly louder than before. The revs also dip down to 500 and it stumbles when I'm stopped with my foot on the brakes. I have started working on the RX-8 again. Hover mode had been engaged:  I am dropping off the Super Advans to get media blasted, straightened and re-powder coated after work tomorrow. The existing powder coat on the rear wheels is flaking off along the lips and they no longer hold air. Then there is this: 
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Nov 19, 2018 05:41
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The F-150 is scheduled for another look at the dealer for December 3. While I was there, I dropped of a six pack of Innis & Gunn for the tech apologising for how much of a nightmare that job was. The service manager apparently has never in his entire career seen a customer do such a thing. The Super Advans are dropped off for a nice heavy metal flake gold (Prismatic Powders Spanish Gold). Should be ready in two weeks. I snagged a set of new H&R lowering springs for the 8 off of eBay for $200 with free shipping thanks to some coupons. All the dies for bushing removal have showed up as well, so this weekend is when poo poo is getting done. Then there's the steering head for the wife's CB400F that are chilling in the freezer...
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Nov 23, 2018 21:35
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McTinkerson posted:The F-150 is scheduled for another look at the dealer for December 3. While I was there, I dropped of a six pack of Innis & Gunn for the tech apologising for how much of a nightmare that job was. The service manager apparently has never in his entire career seen a customer do such a thing. Top bloke, nice one.
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Nov 23, 2018 23:46
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The H&R springs for the RX-8 have arrived. I was also able to spend an hour working on bushings. I have the rear driver's side upper later link removed. It's ball joint is still good. Zero play, no odd resistance around it's range of motion and the boot is still in great shape. Bushing is removed and ready for the poly unit. The winters haven't been kind to the factory finish, so they all will be getting a coat of Corroseal and metalcast gold that is left over from the wheels. The F-150 was also given another round of diagnostics. The waste gate actuator on the passenger turbo that was not replaced is sticky, which is affecting the ECU's timing relearning process. This can as per Ford take up to 1000km (unless the service manager is full of poo poo). The tech did confirm that as part of the TSB, you must reset the ECU which clears all timing and ignition memory, so it sounds plausible. There is also a revised version of the waste gate actuator...so it'll be going back once that is in stock. Clarke now also has an 8 month old brother from another mother (and father) to keep him entertained and help burn off all of that energy. Apparently, I just hate spare time to work on my vehicles...
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Dec 6, 2018 04:50
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Minor updates & anti archive bump. I'm switching hosting providers, so the images will be broken for a little bit. It's -29 outside and -5 in my garage, so continued bushing replacement is on hold for now. Work is OT heavy at the moment, so it's possible that progress will continue to be glacially slow. Also, I hate replacing bushings. Edit: Spelling.
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Feb 3, 2019 23:30
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More of an anti archives bump than any progress. Spend the month of March in Thailand and Vietnam which also meant that prior to that I had to complete double the work so I could even leave the office. Thailand knows how to have fun with vehicles, holy poo poo. Now I'm dying of whatever weird strain of flu my coworker brought back from South America and I still can't get my rear end into the garage.
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Apr 8, 2019 00:08
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Can I ask for the images to be rehosted or the links fixed? Nothing's showing up for me.
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Apr 8, 2019 03:58
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Bajaha posted:Can I ask for the images to be rehosted or the links fixed? Nothing's showing up for me. Ask and ye shall receive. All images rehosted save for the last two...not sure where those took off to. Edit: What is everyone opinion on instead of JPS doing Suntory Boss Coffee instead? Basically this but in gold chrome instead of white:  Limited other sponsor decals. Maybe NGK and possibly Hario Japan? McTinkerson fucked around with this message at 04:20 on Apr 11, 2019 |
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Apr 11, 2019 04:16
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Leave it white and do it for Dale
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Apr 11, 2019 04:30
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angryrobots posted:Leave it white and do it for Dale RAISE HELL PRAISE DALE BURN DOWN APPLEBEES
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Apr 11, 2019 05:51
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McTinkerson posted:Edit: What is everyone opinion on instead of JPS doing Suntory Boss Coffee instead? JPS livery loving owns so I vote that.      
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Apr 11, 2019 17:04
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Olympic Mathlete posted:JPS livery loving owns so I vote that. Second.
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Apr 11, 2019 17:40
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JPS x Coffee BOSS? Definitely!
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Apr 11, 2019 18:37
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Further slow progress on the RX-8 today. All rear suspension links have now been removed from the car, all old bushings removed and the hard parts corrosealed and painted. New bushings are going in tomorrow and the links all re-installed. I also was able to get one of the new H&R springs installed in the rear. I have memories of doing the full poly kit installation in my FC but I did not remember it being this slow and painful.
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May 5, 2019 22:10
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Vehicle work is on hold due to home renovations taking significantly longer than expected. Who knew replacing 1200sq/ft of flooring would be time consuming? Plus new baseboards and casings, etc. What this does mean is that there are a lot of parts sitting in my garage waiting to be installed. Such as a full 3"/6" DJM drop kit for the truck (which is already sitting 2" lower all around). New Bilstein 5125 shocks for the rear post axle flip. Oh and my coworker gifted me his Vespa ET2 50 that needs an engine rebuild. (There is a Malosi 70cc big bore kit BNIB under the Vespas seat).
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Jul 6, 2019 19:37
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Can you get away without a notch with a flip kit on that thing? With the state of the city's roads, you might want a hydraulic bump stop or something, too. I drove up 178th the other day, which is to say i drove up what's left of 178th.
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Jul 7, 2019 05:09
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Powershift posted:Can you get away without a notch with a flip kit on that thing? Suspension travel will be just over 7 inches after the flip. I do plan on a mini c-notch in conjunction with hydraulic bumps and something similar to the raptor frame rails cross brace though.
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Jul 7, 2019 23:27
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