Reply With QuoteThanks for making me think of the rx7 I had ten years ago. It had a smokescreen!
Oy, I've had a long weekend. It's about time to get the RX-7's registration renewed, which also means it needs to be inspected, which also means it needs to run. It has been suffering from some random electrical problems, including randomly not starting. This in itself wouldn't be a huge deal, but if the fuel pump is running but the car isn't cranking, this car will flood and it will be a pain in the ass. The last thing I did to the car was install a new starter, I figured the cable between the battery and the starter was loose, as that can cause all kinds of electrical funkiness.
I spent a lot of time yesterday trying to hunt it down, and I gave up. It couldn't possibly be the battery could it? I had left it on the charger all day, and the multimeter shows it reading 12 volts. It would be pretty stupid if I did all this work and it was the fucking battery. I can't jumpstart the car due to where it is parked, so I remove the battery from my Miata, install it in the 7 (it doesn't fit, but fine for diagnostics) and the car cranks right up with no trouble. This actually surprised me, I expected flooding, smoking, something, but nope, cranked right up and purred. I had forgotten about the sexy, sexy exhaust I had installed a few years ago, it's quiet but awesome.
Went to the store, got assraped for the battery, and I installed it and some new battery terminals today. I drove the car to the parts store to pick up some new wiper blades and oil, then pamper my car with an oil change, new wipers, and some light engine cleaning. I also check for the lights and stuff for inspection, and everything is fine except when I popped up the headlights THERE'S A FUCKING WASP NEST THERE. Cobwebs in the engine bay, wasp nest in the headlight, okay, this car has sat too long.
The car seems to be running great. Not perfect, but much better than I would expect after sitting nearly a year, and having at for a year before that. I'm not sure if it's because I'm used to the powerless Miata or what, but this car really HAULS when it wants to. I mean, I know it's only like 170 HP or so, but when your car weighs 2400 pounds it feels like a rocket.
Thing is, the car needs a lot of work. I'm not certain I'm in love with the car anymore, so I am unsure if I want to keep the car or sell it to someone who really will love it. It's a gokart from hell, and I love the rotary, but the car has one issue that is nearly impossible to fix-the steering sucks. It uses a recirculating ball type steering, with no power assist, so at low speeds it drives like a truck. I may be happier to go back to a 2nd gen RX-7, but if I don't get a turbo model they won't be nearly as fast as my 84 is now, so I may not be happy. Also, my car may not look like much, but the engine is strong as hell, and the suspension and exhaust are upgraded quite a bit. It will cost a lot of money to get another RX-7 and do comparable upgrades, as most cars you buy will either still be rolling on 20 year old shit or will have newer "upgrades" that are shit from ebay.
What to do, what to do...
Originally Posted by EvilMog
Thanks for making me think of the rx7 I had ten years ago. It had a smokescreen!
Wild Arms Junky.
Remember, volts don't start your car. Amps do. If a battery is old then it is possible for your car to show 12+ volts on the DMM but not flow enough amps, something to do with internal battery resistance due to corrosion on the cells or something. Also, unless you really hammer on it flooding isn't usually that big of a deal since a lot of gas will get pushed out the back as the engine cranks.
Lastly, if your RX has best 2/3 concerning driveline/suspension, interior, and exterior then keep it yo! RXes are pretty slick. Have you checked into adding power steering? There are power gear box steering cars out there, lots of 'em. Conversion kit might only be a couple hundred bucks and a weekend of work.
http://www.fvza.org/index.html
It's possible, but neither cheap nor easy. The last one I saw was actually a modified and rebuild VW Golf steering setup. Only $800!
Wild Arms Junky.
Did Mazda not actually make a power steering set up for it?
http://www.fvza.org/index.html
lone standing tuft
Yeah, me too. This one is my third. Too bad it's also apparently going to be my last.
Regarding braking on motorcycles, I thought that it was a giant no-no to use just the front hand brake? Isn't, like, 70% of your average bike's stopping power from the rear? And, God forbid, you lock up that front wheel. I was taught to always use both brakes, and I try to make it a habit to do so if for no other reason than to have the muscle memory in the event of an emergency.
...because without the bitter, baby, the sweet ain't as sweet.
They did, and it's awful. The problem isn't really the lack of power steering, but the lack of rack and pinion steering. The fixes are either to buy a custom rebuilt box like I mentioned, or replace the subframe with a 2nd Gen 7 or Miata, then use that car's parts. It's tough to be motivated enough to do that when I have a perfectly working Miata that drives perfectly already!
I can probably tighten up the play in the steering box and replace some of the bushings and shit, that would help a little.
<3
It's the other way around--your front does 70% of braking (at least). What happens when you brake quickly? All your weight transfers to the front of the bike. (You feel this in your wrists or knees.) The added weight to the front increases the traction of the front tire, and the reduced weight on the back tire reduces the grip of the back tire.
You're right that locking up the front is bad news and generally much worse than locking up the back. But it's also much less likely to lock up because of weight transfer. Squeeze the brake lever progressively--and not suddenly--and you will not lock up the front even under hard, hard braking.
lone standing tuft
...So it is. And the way you explained it makes sense. Thanks for the correction, man. The last thing that I want to be doing is riding around with a mistaken understanding of how things operate.
...because without the bitter, baby, the sweet ain't as sweet.
With the hills around here, I find I use my rear brake a LOT.
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