Lucky's Series 3

[codge]

Ohhh Nik, I don't think Mr TOOL was trying to be anything but helpful.

But my approach would be to recognise that the stripout of the reactor and gubbins has only been half done, and just complete it to loose some weight.
So pull off the air valve and the air pump, blank it up, blank the pipe inlets to the air box as per instructions and ask nicely for a mixture check at the next MOT.

So my approach is different to TOOL's but both valid from a different angle.

Have I had my breakfast yet? I can't remember.......

[Lucky]

Lol, I did say I wasn't trying to be confrontational, Dave. Honestly, I'm not, I appreciate people taking the time to look and offer an opinion. Please read that post in a tone of self-effacing irony, not hostile cheek I don't think Mr Tool will take offense . I hope he won't ...

...Nahh, he wouldn't, would he?

Right, last pictures on the subject, I promise. I think I have it sussed now. The pipe that used to go to the rear of the exhaust from the manifold seems to have been blanked off already, yeah? Just like Ian suggested.


So basically they've blanked off the pipe that used to go to the thermal reactor (as per earlier pics), left the pipe that went there from the air cleaner housing cut off and dangling in space, blanked off the hindmost union as above and left the airpump in the middle of it all, maybe as Ian suggests, in case they wanted to put it all back. I think.

So this leaves me just two questions, if the solenoid (anti-afterburn?) and actuator pipe to the air control valve are still in place and operational, as they seem to be, is the air control valve still trying to work, and if so, does it matter?

Secondly, the pipe that used to go from the air cleaner housing to the front of the ACV is just open to atmosphere. This means that this spigot here...

...is in theory sucking unfiltered air bypassing the airfilter element. And that probably isn't majorly catastrophic, but also isn't a brilliant idea either. Block it off or just filter it?

Right, that's all on the subject, I promise. I guess if it hasn't made the car run badly yet or sucked a stone in past the airfilter then there's no reason to assume it suddenly will, but I'd like to get it sorted properly now I know about it. I guess when (if) my inlet fanimold gasket ever shows up I can use the blanking plates Steve kindly proffered and sort the whole lot out in a oner

[Casey]

I still can't believe how clean everything is in your engine bay Nik. I've seen much worse in far younger cars

[Lucky]

lol. It's amazing what you can achieve with an industrial-size can of WD40 and an endless supply of old uniform polo shirts to use as rags .... and a boredom threshold

[ian65]

Right, that's all on the subject, I promise.

Keep talking about it for as long as you want Nik.... that's what the forum is for.
My take on the remnants of the air pump setup is to just strip it all out, fit Steve's blanking plates and crimp over any redundant connections on the bottom of the air filter housing.
I can't see any merit in leaving it on there... you're never going to fit a full factory exhaust to the car and neither is anyone else.... they cost a fortune, sap the power and weigh a ton... the air pump, emission junk and complicated exhaust was only put on the satisfy US Federal emission requirements and Mazda Uk were too lazy to take it off for us.
It's not needed so there's no point in keeping it in there.

[codge]

The accepted wisdom is to crimp up the unused stubs of pipe that go into the Blue Box of God using a vice. I've seen plenty like that but I just couldn't do it to mine.

A hunt around the garage and some beautiful electrical and plumbing bungs just jump into your hand. An extra wrap around the bung-up with Beauuuuuutiful white or blue electrical tape for extra sealing and the jobbies concourse.

[Lucky]

I'm not sure about just bunging the pipes. Maybe because I'm paranoid (like six years of FD ownership has certainly given me acute rotornoia) but I think the airbox was designed to work with those holes moving air to and from somewhere and it may affect how efficient it is if I just bung them. I'm certainly not going to be crimping them flat with a vice, that's just outright barbarism So I thought a good half-way compromise is a couple fo these li'l fellas;


If it looks ludicrous I may go for finding a good secondhand "Blue Box of God" and butchering that, but no way am I doing any permanent mullerage to this one

[codge]

You are supposed to bung 'em or crimp 'em Nik. That's in all the data sheets from the aftermarket exhaust companies.

[Lucky]

Well, that's fine then. I've got a set of alloy threaded bungs in the garage somewhere from neatening up the FD plumbing. It just won't look as neat, which is slightly annoying

[Lucky]

Amazingly verstaile and spacious, these RX-7 things. When I tried this in the FD I was only 3/5ths as succesful as in ol' Safka today





Five alloys, with tyres. Excellent Paid a visit to a delightfully grumpy fellow of the good ol' British artisan I'm-lowering-myself-to-serve-you stylee at a wheel refurbishers who'll I'll name and praise if they do a good job and name and shame if they do a crap one lol. He was OK, to be fair, he warmed to us. Sorta . After much discussion and teeth-sucking it was agreed that trying to polish the lips was asking for trouble, both in terms of longevity and actually performing the task, as the Watanabes have a radiused rim which would be near impossible to machine turn. So, they're going to be Bentley Storm Grey. Which is nice

Updates to follow in a week or so...


As an aside, saw this little beauty in the carpark at B&Q. Oddly. My favourite ever Ferrari, and yes I know it's not really a Ferrari. Ain't it lovely Guess he wasn't buying shelves lol