That black thing between intake and carb

After looking at some of my spare engines I noticed that the engine in my car does not have that black spacer looking thing that goes between the carb and the intake manifold. I think it might be called a gasket. It has probably 6 or so tiny tubes coming out of it. My car has been running kind of lean and a person at the last track told me that putting that thing back in may or may not cure the lean problem, but that it's good to have in there and that it kind of helps create a down draft carb and also keeps the heat away. My car came like this so I don't know why it is gone.

So the couple questions I have are:
1. Is it good to have that thing in there?
2. Any hints on how to plug off those tiny tubes.
3. Is it illegal to not have that thing in there?
4. Will adding this piece affect the mixture?
5. I noticed that mazdatrix has an actual gasket for this purpose, would this be better?

It's a lot of questions but I know you folks are up to it! Thanks for helping out.

Ben
ITA #33 RX7

Interesting. I would think that the linkage would bind up or hit something, or that the throttle blades might touch the manifold...

I'd throw it back on. Just plug off the 6 tubes with vac plugs. The carb will run a little cooler since the spacer is made of phenolic (sp?) plastic which will insulate the carb from the manifold. As a plus, the "shelf" will keep some of the exhaust manifold heat off of the carb. It also increases your runner length ever so slightly. Adding it will affect your mixture... how, I'm not entirely sure, but there are some signal passages built into it.

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Scott Rhea
It's not what you build...
it's how you build it
http://www.izzyscustomcages.com/images/IzysLgoSm.jpg
Izzy's Custom Cages

According to the factory microfishe the thing is called an insulator. Therefore I would have to say it is a mandatory part of the intake system. At that point I think all of your other questions are irrelevant, unless you can argue that it is part of the emissions system. But that sounds like a long shot to me. Better find one and put it on!

Jim

Well it will be going on tonight! This car, or should I say it's previous owner, never fails to suprise me.

Thanks!

Quote:

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Originally posted by benracin:
... This car, or should I say it's previous owner, never fails to suprise me.

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I think I know the previous owner... He must have built my car! Every time I have to fix something that the P/O botched/modified/ or just plain cheated by doing, I wonder if it would have been easier/cheaper to build the car myself. Just the other day I had to unexpectedly replace the cool 79 intake manifold with a spare 84/5 model because it was freaking ported like you wouldn't believe. I had to have the carb redone by PB&J Racing down in Florida and fix what was supposed to be "the fastest carbs in the country" POS built by the same company that made the cheater manifold. :angry: SAE threaded braided brake lines jammed into calipers and hard line fittings :angry: mis-wired MSD's... the list keeps going and going.

Chill Speed Raycer, Chill. I've been undoing most of the original prep on my car for almost 2 years. Yes it does get expensive to do it right and make it legal but if your going to do anything other that Track Days you gotta get it right. In addition to redoing the cooling system, the new aluminum radiator has arrived, I've got to do some electrical work. I found a rats nest of speaker wire and extension cords spliced into the electrical system for all the gages.

Quote:

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Originally posted by itaracer:
. In addition to redoing the cooling system, the new aluminum radiator has arrived, I've got to do some electrical work. I found a rats nest of speaker wire and extension cords spliced into the electrical system for all the gages.

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What radiator did you get? Oil cooler?

At least the guages have good current carrying wire in that extention cord!



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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]

Quote:

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Originally posted by lateapex911:
At least the guages have good current carrying wire in that extention cord!

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LOL... At least there were some wires for you to work with Mark! I had to ADD the entire wiring harness as well as the headlights, motors and linkage back into my car! http://Forum.ImprovedTouring.com/it/wink.gif

Just think Mark, next year there'll be no more issues with YP2. The only one you'll be able to blame is.... oppps... you'll be able to blame me for the cage won't you http://Forum.ImprovedTouring.com/it/biggrin.gif

That's funny speed raycer, I just got done adding the headlights and motors too! Were our cars made by the same person? So far I've had to put in a new cage (his had tubing to thin), new flywheel (lets just say his was a little light), and... well... I should just stop. We'll just say it's a new car.

So for this big black plastic thing. I have one on one of my junk engines and there's quite a lot of a plastic heat shield type thing attached to it. Good idea to keep that on there or should I knock it off?

Quote:

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Originally posted by benracin:
That's funny speed raycer, I just got done adding the headlights and motors too! Were our cars made by the same person? So far I've had to put in a new cage (his had tubing to thin), new flywheel (lets just say his was a little light), and... well... I should just stop. We'll just say it's a new car.

So for this big black plastic thing. I have one on one of my junk engines and there's quite a lot of a plastic heat shield type thing attached to it. Good idea to keep that on there or should I knock it off?

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Keep it, it's light, it's effective, and it's the way it came. Technically removing it might be ......not as legal as it could be.

Your comments, (from both of you) are both sad and encouraging, at the same time. They reflect things I often hear when I talk to guys with ITA RX-7s that they have bought "built"...or should I say "deconstructed".

It is all too common for these cars to be sold with HUGE illegalities to future owners with no comment from the seller. Things that are SO blatently obvious there is no excuse of ignorance. If I bought one of those cars, and found ported intakes, welded on intakes, ported housings, illegal bored out carbs, missing headlights, and so on, I think I would hunt the seller down and demand a partial refund. Talk about misrepresentation!
Not to mention the potential for ME as a buyer to be found guilty if I didn't find all the bad stuff first!

Often guys buy cars built so they don't have to become instant experts of the marque. The new owner is likely to have no idea of a problem in some cases.

But more than that, it speaks to the level of legality that exists right under the surface of our class. Are these the ONLY cars like this?? The exception, not the rule? Or....? Makes me wonder.

But, the story has a happy turn. Which is that the cars got sold to guys like you who actually care and are bringing the car back to a legal example. I for one thankyou.



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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]

Jake,

It's a Howe Radiator from ISC. I was joking with Mike a few days ago about all the stuff I've been buying from him these last few weeks. It's like building an ISC IT7.

The radiator is a stock air type. The new Radiator requires relocating the oil cooler and longer hoses. A little welding but nothing serious. I'll leave all the serious welding to Scott.

Speaking of Scott (aka Mr. Road Race Webmaster) I probably would not have noticed the electrical wiring issues if I had not been adding gages. Between the speaker wire, extention cords and black electrical tape I'm not so sure I want to add gages now.

As for excuses...I'll always be able to say there is a loose nut behind the wheel!!!!