STOLEN: My 1993 Mazda RX-7

Ranger · Postby **Ranger** » Wed May 27, 2009 9:14

No, they didn't do the rebuild. They were going to at first, but then after they found out how bad the engine was, they were going to charge $10k for it, so I said screw that and bought my own rebuilt engine. In the end what I paid them for was to tear down my old engine, and then install the parts I supplied to them (keg, turbos, wiring harness). I think I mentioned this before, but they definitely suggested buying a new wiring harness. I NEEDED a new one because mine was melted. But I didn't want to buy new due to how expensive they are, like you said. So I bought a used one off rx7club. Precision claimed that the one I supplied wasn't any good, because some electrical components of the turbo controls were broken. I'm not sure about that, I don't want to hold them at fault, but whenever I go there next I'll ask for my harness back, because they charged me $150 for this POS harness that they installed. And this is definitely NOT how the car went into the shop...everything was mounted properly before. IMO, regardless of the wiring harness problem, reinstalling everything correctly, the way it was, should be a part of the rebuild process...hence my frustration.

I'm not saying the buzzer going off is a result of their work, more than likely it's something I did, since it wasn't going off until I did that oil change. I'm sure it's not a labor issue. But I do think it's related to the wiring harness that they installed, which they said was "good"...and by no means would I call this wiring harness "good". You'll see at the BBQ lol. Again I'm not trying to hold them at fault for the buzzer thing...but I wish they would have taken the time to reinstall everything correctly. I wish they also would have said that I would have to buy another wiring harness, or at least make me aware of the condition of the one they installed, because, IMO, it's in dangerously poor condition...doesn't take an expert to see that.

Postby **RX-7 Chris** » Wed May 27, 2009 9:14

I have to agree with Speedjunkie on this.

Ranger · Postby **Ranger** » Thu May 28, 2009 9:14

Chris did you read my post? We posted at the same time LOL anyway I'm not trying to blame Precision for the buzzer. I just wish they would have put things back together the right way, the way it was when it came to them. See post above.

I test fitted rims on my car tonight. Looks great, though I wish they were 18s and not 17s. I also polished and waxed my paint, can you tell?

Postby **RX-7 Chris** » Fri May 29, 2009 9:14

I didn't read you post untill I had already posted, lol.

I really like those wheels

speedjunkie · Postby **speedjunkie** » Fri May 29, 2009 9:14

Oh, well I see what you're saying now. I thought they had rebuilt the engine. And if the parts were installed properly when it went in, it should have came out the same or better. And don't get me started on the wiring harness, I don't even know where to start on that one.

I love those wheels too. That looks really good.

Ranger · Postby **Ranger** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 9:14

Talked with Precision today. They still have the harness I gave them, so I'm going to go pick that up tomorrow. They said they're not sure if they have my rotor housings and such, apparently a lot of it was thrown away when they moved their shop, but they'll look for it. When I go there tomorrow I'll talk about the work that was done and see if they will put it back together right for me.

In the meantime I put together a list of things that ought to be done, or things I want to. Ugh...this is turning into a big project. I'm now looking at picking up a sporty RWD car as a daily driver, like a Nissan 240SX or a Miata, maybe an FC...after driving the FD daily for the past couple weeks, I can't stand driving my 4runner. It just feels wrong, I just can't go back to driving it daily. I'm selling it anyway to get a bigger truck to haul my race car around with. So if you know anyone selling a sporty rwd car for cheap, let me know. Anyway here's the list, I put an o next to the ones that Precision "should" do:

- Replace coolant level sensor
- Fix crack in overflow tank / replace tank if necessary
- Figure out why Power FC isn't reading water temp correctly
- Replace coolant temp sensor (possibly?)
o Check and re-route vacuum lines for turbo controls
o Replace / rewire harness
- Figure out why the car changes idle so often / why it dies at idle from time to time
- Fix tachometer problem and do linear water temp gauge mod
o Correctly mount radiator
- Install oil cooler
- Install emissions equipment and high flow cat
- Fabricate ducting to place between intercooler and radiator
- Replace front and rear control arm bushings
- Aftermarket toe links and toe control arms for rear

Ranger · Postby **Ranger** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 9:14

Well the car is not boosting at all now. Go figure. I think my wastegate is getting stuck open somehow. The weird thing is that it works great and pulls hard when the car isn't hot. No...I don't boost when the engine is cold...but there is a point where it's warm enough to boost, but not too hot to keep it from boosting. Each pull it got progressively worse, until finally, it would not hold boost at all. Here's a short video of what it sounds like, this is a full throttle pull from around 3500 RPM:

http://s19.photobucket.com/albums/b196/dillonp87/RX-7/?action=view¤t=DSCN2415.flv

Turbos don't spool at any RPM, and it struggles to rev, there's just a massive "wooosh" sound, and towards the end (probably around 6000 RPM, that's as high as it wanted to go) you can hear it surging, I don't know a better way to describe it...

Postby **RX-7 Chris** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:14

So are you going to take it back to them?

Ranger · Postby **Ranger** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:14

I don't think so. When I went to pick up the wiring harness, I pretty much decided that I'd be better off doing it myself. I talked to a mechanic who did a lot of work on my car and told him about my problem. He insisted that the wiring harness they installed was in a lot better shape than the one I gave them. Said that the reason they didn't use mine is because the connectors kept breaking off when they plugged them in. Yeah, right...I think it's more likely that they broke the connectors off and didn't want to fix it. He didn't mention anything about the wiring harness causing a boost issue, which is what Mike (shop owner) had previously told me was the reason they didn't use it. In fact, he said he thought the turbos were bad, which is obviously not right. I told the mechanic that the wiring harness they installed is not in good condition at all, that there are exposed wires all over the place and lots of wires spliced in that aren't factory, etc. All he said was, yeah, that's what happens with used wiring harnesses. He offered some advice on my boost issue, saying that maybe the heat is causing the pills / solenoids and such to not function properly. He's probably right about that, at least. But the bottom line is, they don't know the cause of the problem, they don't seem willing to fix it, and it would take just as long for them to figure it out as it would for me to do it myself. I feel like it'd be a waste of my time to demand for them to fix it.

goldrocket · Postby **goldrocket** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:14

Ranger wrote:Chris did you read my post? We posted at the same time LOL anyway I'm not trying to blame Precision for the buzzer. I just wish they would have put things back together the right way, the way it was when it came to them. See post above.

I test fitted rims on my car tonight. Looks great, though I wish they were 18s and not 17s. I also polished and waxed my paint, can you tell?

Those are very trick!!! Me Likey!!!

speedjunkie · Postby **speedjunkie** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 9:14

Ranger wrote:I don't think so. When I went to pick up the wiring harness, I pretty much decided that I'd be better off doing it myself. I talked to a mechanic who did a lot of work on my car and told him about my problem. He insisted that the wiring harness they installed was in a lot better shape than the one I gave them. Said that the reason they didn't use mine is because the connectors kept breaking off when they plugged them in. Yeah, right...I think it's more likely that they broke the connectors off and didn't want to fix it. He didn't mention anything about the wiring harness causing a boost issue, which is what Mike (shop owner) had previously told me was the reason they didn't use it. In fact, he said he thought the turbos were bad, which is obviously not right. I told the mechanic that the wiring harness they installed is not in good condition at all, that there are exposed wires all over the place and lots of wires spliced in that aren't factory, etc. All he said was, yeah, that's what happens with used wiring harnesses. He offered some advice on my boost issue, saying that maybe the heat is causing the pills / solenoids and such to not function properly. He's probably right about that, at least. But the bottom line is, they don't know the cause of the problem, they don't seem willing to fix it, and it would take just as long for them to figure it out as it would for me to do it myself. I feel like it'd be a waste of my time to demand for them to fix it.

I don't really understand the logic with heat causing the pills and/or solenoids not to work. I mean, yes, after an amount of time, I can see the solenoids possibly going bad due to being right on top of the engine, but they won't be good again, know what I mean? And the pills shouldn't be affected at all by heat. It sounds like that dude doesn't have a clue what he's talking about, AND probably just trying to tell you something to get you to leave and not come back. I can't stand when people don't hold themselves accountable for stuff like this. I'm trying to think of what the issue could be with why the boost won't work after it gets hot. I wish I could drive it and see exactly what happens. It's hard to diagnose without seeing it for myself. Let's put my coolant tank in there first though haha. You said you do have a boost gauge already right?

When I talked to Mike the other day, he said his car was still there and although they've always treated him right and he's been a customer since the owner first started out, they've really screwed over some other guys he's sent there. So he's waiting to get his car back and see how it is before he decides what to say about them, but he said he'll already not send any more people there. I still want to take pics of your engine bay and post them online. Next time I see you...

I can understand you not wanting to take it back to them though. That's why I do all my own work. We really need to just dive into that engine bay and figure out everything that's wrong. Anything that's visible we'll fix first, then see if it fixes your boost and buzzer issues. Do you have anywhere to park the car and start tearing it apart? One of these weekends in June, or sometime this summer, I can come up and we'll tear into it and see what we can accomplish.

How much do you want to sell the 4Runner for? Is it 4WD? I really want one of those.

Ranger · Postby **Ranger** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 9:14

Check the video in my previous post, if you haven't already. Gives a pretty good idea of what the turbos are doing. I think the wastegate is getting locked open. But yeah, I don't think they know what they're talking about, either. I do have a boost gauge but it's not hooked up; can't really see where the line goes. Currently the car is parked in my garage and can stay in there indefinitely. I may be able to park it at my friend's shop too. I'm probably going to start taking apart the upper part of the engine this weekend so as to get a better view of wtf is going on in there. Coolant level sensor came in today so I'll at least be replacing that. Let me know when you think you'll be able to come up here.

Yeah, I saw Mike's car there when I went to pick up the wiring harness. I'm curious what exactly they are doing to it. It was off in a corner, didn't look like it was being worked on. And it has been there for months...

I'm actually not sure I'm going to sell the 4runner, I'm having second thoughts about having four cars :lol:

Plus I really like it, despite my groaning about not wanting to drive a truck. But I definitely would like something bigger; the 4runner is just not that great at towing. I lose speed on the hilly parts of C470. It is 4WD, yeah. It's a 1999, SR5, 5-speed manual and electronic rear locker. Pretty rare combination actually. It's super clean too...so I'd probably looking for NADA value, which is around $7500.

Ranger · Postby **Ranger** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 9:14

Alright, so after hooking my boost gauge back up I've got a better idea of what's going on. As long as I don't get into the secondary turbo, the primary pulls hard and it feels great. But once I rev it up past that 4500 RPM mark with any decent amount of throttle, it kills the primary turbo. Let me describe what it's like doing an onramp pull...

2nd Gear, full throttle: Primary boosts to 8 PSI. Pulls hard, feels normal. Secondary comes on at 4500 RPM, switches over just fine, stays at 10 PSI. This is how it should be.
3rd Gear, full throttle: RPMs drop back down. I can feel and see that it's not boosting as high as before. It's almost like I can feel it slowly slipping into less and less boost.
4th Gear, full throttle: With both turbos on, only 5 PSI of boost, car struggles to go anywhere. Feels terrible.

And every time after that, I get NO boost at all from the primary turbo. You just hear this massive whoosh noise in place of the turbo whine. If I let it wind out to the point where the secondary comes on, it's the same as the last run, it boosts to 5 PSI (or less, sometimes it only boosts to 3 PSI) and feels terrible. I have no clue where to even start diagnosing this. I made the decision tonight to start saving for a single turbo kit.

Oh, I also figured out that there's nothing wrong with my coolant overflow tank, so no need to bring that. The ghetto rigged tank is gone haha. I don't know why I thought it was leaking before. And unfortunately the cat you gave me won't bolt up...for one thing it's 2.25" and my exhaust is 3". Not a big deal, but the main reason is that the Racing Beat exhaust is a straight-up turbo back exhaust, it's in three long pieces, and there are no holes for where the cats used to be. I'd have to have an exhaust shop cut it for me, and even that would be difficult, because there's not much room to place the cat close to the engine. It'd have to be placed really far back and wouldn't do much good. I'd probably need another just like it haha. Nick at MAC auto (who also has an FD) thinks I can pass emissions if I have factory cats on, even though my air pump and emissions controls have been removed. I'm going to see if anyone local has a factory exhaust with factory cats that I can borrow. Do you know anyone who might have that stuff?

Speaking of coolant though. There is something majorly wrong with my cooling system. Not that I didn't know that already...but now I don't think it's related to my oil cooler or intercooler placement. There is way more air in the system than is normal, even with a functioning AST, and even after burping it. I took it to my friend's shop and he put one of those air-tight funnels over the filler neck by the water pump. Then we filled the funnel with coolant. Every single time we rev the car, a huge air bubble rises up in the coolant. WTF man? That would probably explain why the buzzer is still going off even after replacing the coolant level sensor. Something IS broken and causing air to get into the system. I think you're right, I really can't catch a break with this car...

Obie2kenobe · Postby **Obie2kenobe** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:14

I have the factory exhaust with all the factory cats and shit minus the DP, if you really think you need it I can let ya borrow it. Mine passed emissions with flying colors but I also still have my airpump connected and whatnot.

Ranger · Postby **Ranger** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:14

That would be great! I'll pay you for your trouble. I would say that we can hook up my RB exhaust on your car while I'm borrowing yours, but I'd be concerned about boost creep on the stock ECU. And yeah I'm sure I will need a stock exhaust and both cats, it absolutely won't pass like it is, we had a sniffer hooked up and it was reading something like 500 HC, over twice the limit :lol:

Unfortunately I've heard that it's kind of a pain to swap exhausts on this car...sounds right, considering how hard the turbos are to get to. But I'm sure it can be done in a day. You have my number right? I know I have yours so I'll give you a call later.

BTW, Eric, whenever you come up here to look at my car, I'll coordinate it with my friends so we can use their shop. They're both ASE certified mechanics too and one owns an FC, so they should be a big help.

STOLEN: My 1993 Mazda RX-7

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