Another RX7 in the mix
Posted by MeCalledEvan
MeCalledEvan Evan Horner Senior Moderator Location: Columbus OH Join Date: 01/03/2012 Age: Settling Down Posts: 109 Rally Car: 1983 Mazda RX7 GSL |
When my car ran last with the windshield wipers, they were slow. Like really rrrrrreeeeeeeeaaaaalllllllllllyyyyyy slow. To the point where they would die mid-swipe half the time. I'm not a huge fan of that. To add insult to injury, the 2 years I let the car sit, the plastic wiring connector has rotted away from what looks like either UV or salt damage, or maybe just because of Mazda's idea to use biodegradable wiring components. Well, actually it could have been rotten way before I let it sit, I just never noticed. But anyways, I've got no connector for it.
Currently, it is June-uary in the Pacific NW and we are getting loads and loads and loads of rain. I would like to drive her more than once a week, which is making me crave windshield wipers. How strong are rebuilt/new FB wiper motors? What are other similar motors I could look at? I know 510 guys often times use Miata wiper motors. Does anyone know much about that? Or FC wiper motors: Are they any better? Thanks guys, -- Evan "The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know and have so much more to learn." - Claude Rouelle, Optimum G lecture June, 2011 |
pdxphil42 Phil Meyers Junior Moderator Location: Portland, OR Join Date: 05/05/2011 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 116 Rally Car: 1988 Mazda 323 GTX #214 |
Mine on the GTX did the same thing as it had been sitting for quite some time. I pulled the motor, disassembled it and put some fresh grease in and lubed the pivot points on the arms and it works like a champ now. The grease on my had hardened and there was a lot of corrosion in the piviot points.
"I, for one, welcome our Robot Overlords." - Philip J. Fry |
MeCalledEvan Evan Horner Senior Moderator Location: Columbus OH Join Date: 01/03/2012 Age: Settling Down Posts: 109 Rally Car: 1983 Mazda RX7 GSL |
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Pete Pete Remner Professional Moderator Location: Cleveland, Ohio Join Date: 01/11/2006 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 2,022 |
It's probably not the motor YET, it's probably the wiper pivots. Take them apart NOW and clean them and grease them, which costs nothing but time, or you WILL burn the motor out, which costs money. The wiper transmissions are long since NLA, so cleaning and greasing is the Only Option. Be careful not to crush the brass sleeve that the pivot rides in while trying to wrestle it apart. Pete Remner Cleveland, Ohio 1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing) 1978 Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver. |
MeCalledEvan Evan Horner Senior Moderator Location: Columbus OH Join Date: 01/03/2012 Age: Settling Down Posts: 109 Rally Car: 1983 Mazda RX7 GSL |
Thanks Pete. I started to disassemble the linkage and clean it up. There's a bit of grease and grime, and some surface rust here and there so I'm going to tackle the thing with some simple green, sandpaper, and some paint as well.
I'm assuming nothing really needs to be done to the plastic pivots in the linkages, just the 2 threaded brass ones? Getting them off just looks like careful work with some small snap-ring pliers, correct? "The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know and have so much more to learn." - Claude Rouelle, Optimum G lecture June, 2011 |
Pete Pete Remner Professional Moderator Location: Cleveland, Ohio Join Date: 01/11/2006 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 2,022 |
Correct. What usually seems to happen is the metal pivot rusts and binds in the brass. There's really no seal to keep water from getting into the pivot, so when the grease dries out and gets shoved out of the way, the rusting starts.
I've been playing with these silly things since 1998, every one needed to have the pivots cleaned up. One was a Texas car and another was a summer-only Wisconsin car. The first time I encountered it, I didn't do anything about it until the wipers stopped mid-stroke. Needless to say, use a GOOD grease. I'm fond of the black synthetic brake grease, seems to stick around a long time. Pete Remner Cleveland, Ohio 1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing) 1978 Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver. |
MeCalledEvan Evan Horner Senior Moderator Location: Columbus OH Join Date: 01/03/2012 Age: Settling Down Posts: 109 Rally Car: 1983 Mazda RX7 GSL |
I got some carbon grease meant for padlocks. I'll see how that works. I'm still hunting for snap ring pliers that go that small. I was trying friends and family before I went to purchase some. So far I've pretty much just struck out so I think I'll buy some.
"The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know and have so much more to learn." - Claude Rouelle, Optimum G lecture June, 2011 |
Pete Pete Remner Professional Moderator Location: Cleveland, Ohio Join Date: 01/11/2006 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 2,022 |
Oh, for that little clip? I'd just use a pick. You don't need to spread it very much, just carefully pulling it out of the groove with a pick is better. Spreading it would actually be Bad as it doesn't really have much spring to it, so it's easy to bend out of shape.
Pete Remner Cleveland, Ohio 1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing) 1978 Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver. |
alkun Albert Kun Godlike Moderator Location: SF Ca. Join Date: 01/07/2008 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 1,732 Rally Car: volvo 242 |
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MeCalledEvan Evan Horner Senior Moderator Location: Columbus OH Join Date: 01/03/2012 Age: Settling Down Posts: 109 Rally Car: 1983 Mazda RX7 GSL |
Thanks for the info. The carbon lubricant I picked up didn't really do too much, so I ended up using some Phil Waterproof Lithium grease I had laying around. I think I've used it in the past rebuilding the bottom brackets of my bicycles and it's done really well with that. Everything is smooth as butter now, but so far I haven't gotten it to work. The reason: Wiring!
I keep rediscovering is that the wiring for pretty much everything in this shell I have is super duper fucked. Almost to the point of me toying with the idea of tearing the whole harness out and making my own for just powering the essentials. I don't think I will just yet, because that's a steep learning curve and I don't have the time or money for an undertaking like that right now. The wiring I discovered for powering the wiper motor in this chassis almost made me laugh (or cry): it has wires leading to the fusebox, but nothing on the other side of the fuse. Time to start chasing little blue wires around under my dash! :.( "The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know and have so much more to learn." - Claude Rouelle, Optimum G lecture June, 2011 |
eyesoreracing Dave Coleman Ultra Moderator Location: Long Beach, CA Join Date: 05/13/2007 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 448 Rally Car: Mazda3, SE-R Spec-V, 510 |
I had similar wiring issues on my 510 rally beater and finally plopped down the $250 for an EZ Wiring harness and just re-did the whole thing. Working with a pre-made generic harness like that is pretty damn simple. Takes a while, but its simple, brainless, meticulous work. The car is hilariously reliable now. Looks like it got stuck between Godzilla's toes, but starts every time and everything works.
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MeCalledEvan Evan Horner Senior Moderator Location: Columbus OH Join Date: 01/03/2012 Age: Settling Down Posts: 109 Rally Car: 1983 Mazda RX7 GSL |
That's a really good idea Dave! Thanks. Before I do that though, I have one last defense: an Electronics Engineering student. My buddy has been in charge of designing and building the wiring harness on the Formula SAE car for the past 2 years now. Within the next couple weekends, I promised him beer for help with my cars wiring. We will see how much success we can have, but the guy is an absolute wizard with wiring so I have high hopes. "The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know and have so much more to learn." - Claude Rouelle, Optimum G lecture June, 2011 |
MeCalledEvan Evan Horner Senior Moderator Location: Columbus OH Join Date: 01/03/2012 Age: Settling Down Posts: 109 Rally Car: 1983 Mazda RX7 GSL |
Progress is being made!
I got the wipers working and my buddy explained why I was so confused about the wiring. Everything that has an intermediate setting (turn signals, windshield wipers, clock, door dinger, etc) in the RX7 is not run thought relays like normal. Instead, it is run through a microcomputer titled "the flasher unit." He also got me started on stripping a lot of wires. So I have been systematically going through and clipping out my harness. I've removed about 3/4 of the wires in the car and last night I started to re-loom everything back together. In addition, I've been shopping. I found a 2nd get subframe, powersteering rack, front calipers, and oil cooler. So now its time to find more parts cars to get the uprights, hubs, struts and rotors! I'll probably wait to put this all in until after I get the main spider of my cage complete. I'm looking for access to a welder currently. As soon as I'm done with all this wiring, I will be ready to start. Originally the plan was to use the welder at school, but access is very limited over the summer. I'll be able to use it in the mornings on weekdays, I hope. I do have a question. Rear axle with 5X114 lug pattern that fits the RX7. What options do I have? Volvo? Toyota pickup? Any recommendations? "The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know and have so much more to learn." - Claude Rouelle, Optimum G lecture June, 2011 |
Pete Pete Remner Professional Moderator Location: Cleveland, Ohio Join Date: 01/11/2006 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 2,022 |
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MeCalledEvan Evan Horner Senior Moderator Location: Columbus OH Join Date: 01/03/2012 Age: Settling Down Posts: 109 Rally Car: 1983 Mazda RX7 GSL |
I found a Toyota rear end, but it's got drum brakes. Before I go and buy it, does anyone know how hard it is to convert it to rear discs?
"The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know and have so much more to learn." - Claude Rouelle, Optimum G lecture June, 2011 |
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