HDP

iTrader: (2)

What size vacuum hose and length do I need to buy? I think I am going to go with silicone.

aReX-7

iTrader: (3)

I like the Baker Precision silicone hose. Order 25 ft of 4mm and 5 ft. of 6mm to replace all hoses. It is good stuff. Thick wall to prevent kinks and it comes in all colors (I prefer black).

Here is a link.

Baker Silicone Hose

Jeff

HDP

iTrader: (2)

Wow! Why is black and silver more expensive?

aReX-7

iTrader: (3)

I am guessing a little thing called Supply vs. Demand. Otherwise, I have no clue.

I like black myself because the other colors show dirt and oil right away and end up looking like crap in no time. Just my $0.02

HDP

iTrader: (2)

Actually, I think I'm just going to go with the regular black rubber ones for now. The previous owner through in a high performance clutch with the deal and whenever I install it(maybe next summer), I'll pull the entire motor as well and give the engine and bay a good cleaning. Then I will redo them with good quality hoses.

HDP

iTrader: (2)

Well, I was able to inspect my problem more closely this weekend. I found another hose that was off. Now it doesn't stall at stops, but it still has a high idle, jumpy tach, and bucks while cruising. So, it seems I'm making a little progress, but I'm still going to change out all the vacuum hoses very soon. I'm going to change the plugs and wires as well.

While disassembling, I found so many little things wrong/missing. The guy I bought the car from said he was very particular about the maintenance of car. Well, if that was the case that means I must be **** I found so many mixed matched screws, missing screws, broken bolts, missing clips, and broken brackets. All that alone would probably nickle and dime you to death There is NOTHING securing the throttle cable around the manifold. The nipple on the air box leading to the air pump was melted. I had to jerry rig the hose till I can get a new air box. There are no screws holding the air duct to the intercooler, and the rubber insulators are now little round crumbled pieces of charcoal But anyway, probably my best bet on fixing all this would be to locate an FD in a junkyard and have at it.

Tim, do you know of any junkyard FD's in your area?

eurautodave

i hate to tell you this, but the kind of stuff your looking for is not likely to be on a salvage car either. just carefully make a list and call the nearest dealer. btw, you're going to want to establish a relationship with a knowledgable dealer partsperson(there's just no other place to get some things). this prblm sounded more ignition related to me...please let us know when you nail it down.

ZoomZoom

iTrader: (2)

Make sure the air pump is plugged in. I bought my car and it had been unhooked because it has seized up nd the owner didnt want to front the costs. I didnt know this until after i bought the car. They turned up the trottle to compensate because the air pump supplies secondary air injection at idle and low rpms. Also part throttle acceleration was poor. The miss is probably from fouled plugs. Your car should be gone over by a mechanic that works on 3rd gens. Going to a rotary specialty shop would be much more productive than a dealer.

HDP

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the info. One of my problems was probably an air pump issue because the inlet on the air box was melted nearly shut hence the need for a new air box.
I went to Advanced Auto on Saturday to get plugs and wires, but found I had 4 plug choices; NGK ???7??P, ???9??P, ???7??, and ???9??. Last night I did a search on plugs and wires to get the best setup and got quite a few different options. Some said go with copper NGK 7L 9T and change them every 10-15k. Another option was with the same setup and maintenance schedule but use platinum. And then others said go with all 9 platinum. So I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to go with. I guess if all else fails I can just go with factory specs. And as far as wires go, I found different choices as well. From Taylor to Accel. What would you guys suggest?

maxpesce

In an FD (13brew) COPPER plugs will only last 3k-5k miles, the PLATINUMS wil last up to 25K w/ Mild use, But lots of WOT driving will reduce their life to the 10k-12k range.

HDP

iTrader: (2)

So would you recommend going with all 4 platinum 9's or factory platinum 7L 9T setup?

ZoomZoom

iTrader: (2)

platinum 7's go in the leading and 9's for the trailing. On stock to nearly stock cars. Running 9's all around on a stock car will cause the colder plugs to foul easier. Do not use the copper core plugs. They are not intented for the turbo models. Mazda put the platinums in from the factory on the 3rd gen.

HDP

iTrader: (2)

Thanks, that's what I needed to know.

HDP

iTrader: (2)

What do I use to secure the hoses? I've read of some using adhesive and others using zip-ties. I was able to find a few small 1/4" hose spring clamps, but not enough to do all the hoses. So what should I go with?

aReX-7

iTrader: (3)

I do not use anything. Zip ties are a PITA! The silicone hose stays in place plenty well on its own. It doesn't get crispy like the stock hoses, which is what makes them want to come off in the first place. The pressures that the engine creates (10-14 psi) over that small of an area create a very small force that would make the hose want to "pop" off. The vacuume hoses would actually pull themselves on! So, I recommend to wet the end of the hoses just a bit to make installation easier (water will not leave a slippery residue) and walk away.

Just my $0.02, based on my experience.

Jeff
"Never had a silicone hose come off yet"

HDP

iTrader: (2)

But I don't plan to use silicone hoses at this time. I plan to use regular rubber hose for now and redo them with silicone or viton in about a year or so.

aReX-7

iTrader: (3)

Well, even if you are using the old stock hoses, I wouldn't waste my time putting tie wraps on them if you are just going to replace them in a year or so. Plus, your stock hoses are probably too hard for tie wraps to do any good anyway.

Jeff

Dee_seal

iTrader: (1)

I had a similar problem for months, I was told I needed a Haltec to solve the problem, yeah right!! I solved it with a huge Ground wire from the battery to the frame with the original ground wire connected to the fram at that point. no more iddle stumbles since

HDP

iTrader: (2)

Well, I bought all my vacuum hose, belts, plugs and wires, K&N filter, boost/vacuum gauge, pillar mount pod and a new air box. I think I need to get new engine to chassis grounding straps as well. All I need now is a nice weekend to do all the work.

Also, while I was washing the car Saturday, I found a small hairline crack on one of the rear wheels. So now I need a new wheel
Oh well, I guess just one of those things that comes with owning a high powered sports car

HDP

iTrader: (2)

What gauge wire did you use? Is it the Autozone battery cable, or is it some multi-strand high current cable?

HDP

iTrader: (2)

I installed my boost gauge today. I must say I'm impressed with the install I did. I routed the hose through the rubber cap inside the finder well lining. I got the Autometer 2401 that came with a tiny vinyl tube. I joined it to a 7/64" hose and then to the manifold nipple. I hope to have pics of it shortly. I still need to hook up the light. I've read that most people use the ash tray wiring, but I don't want to run the wire that far. Does anyone know of another source that will dim with the dash lights?

I started the car and the vacuum reading was about 16. After the car was warm, I goosed it a little and it spiked to 20 and then instantly back down to 16 then back to 20 for a second or two and back to 16. Is this normal? I guess I won't know the overall status untill I get it out on an open road.

Tim Benton

iTrader: (1)

Don,

No luck around my area, not many FD's anywhere, especially in my small town neck of the woods, no help here. Mazmart might have some of the parts you need, but if you call ask for Paul, english sounding chap who is better at the customer service end compared to the other guy.

Who did you buy the car from, where did he live, what color, etc? A local friend sold his to a dad and son, can't remember where they lived, but the airbox being somewhat melted alittle sounds familiar.

Tim

HDP

iTrader: (2)

Tim,
I think I have a few leads on the parts I need from people on the board, but we'll see. I just bought a new set of wheels, so my "crack problem" is not more.
I bought the car from a guy in Maryland. It was originally in Texas but then he moved up there. The color is Vintage Red. He just had the car painted in August, not a very professional job as far as taping and masking (the oil coolers and a few other parts are now red) but other than that, it's a rather nice spray. I just need to find out if it's the exact same color red as the original.

Tim Benton

iTrader: (1)

16 on the vacuum side sounds fine, alittle on the lower side but its a normal engine with some miles on it. Premix some 2 stroke oil into tha gas tank at most every fill up to keep the side seals better lubricated.

His was black and I think they were in middle Ga I think.

Oh, BTW, Kevin sold his probe GT klze to get the S2000, has now traded that in and gotten a silver 2001 C5 vette.
See ya soon,
Tim

HDP

iTrader: (2)

Wow, I haven't seen Kevin since the 2000 Nopi Nationals. Maybe we can get him to come out and hang for a minute.

Well, I got the boost gauge wiring complete. It looks very close to the factory gauges. I can't wait to try it.

Here's another problem I just uncovered today. The rear wing was a little loose and I was getting water in the trunk, so I took off the hatch trim to take a peek inside. Well, the hardware securing the inner pedestals was rusted beyond recognition. When I tried to loosen the nuts, one of the studs broke. And one of the small metal plates was rusted to the point of peanut brittle. I wonder if Mazda or anyone sells a mounting kit for the wing? If not, I might have to find a "creative" way of remounting it.