Project Pay2Play: My Eunos Cosmo has arrived!

[Antoine]

any news antoine, its been a while!

Good question...Definitely got news but I haven't had much time to post about it...I'm bringing the Cosmo to my friendly Mazda Dealer today for some summertime TLC:

• Replace Hood Struts

• Discuss upgrading to a High-Power High-Performance Alternator

• Fix Driver's Side Door Panel (popped out a bit in one area)

• Check for error codes (while I was at the EC meet, they had a scanner and it said I have some sort of ignition code popping up..?)

• Change oil & filter

• Check catalytic converter (my catalytic converter warning light has popped up a few times but only after warming up the car a bit and only for a very short time...Not sure if it's a faulty sensor or the converter is on the way out..?)

• Check rear tires, suspension and diff (when I was coming back home recently, something felt strange for a bit, like I had a flat rear tire but my tires seemed fine when I got home) ((it was a rainy day so maybe I drove over some oily water or...?))

• Discuss installing my rear Okuyama Strut Tower Bar and converting the rear seat belts to lap style ones (and possibly keeping my original rear deck intact while sourcing a another rear deck to cut into for the installation)

• Check cooling system

AND...

Got some new juicy pics of the Cosmo while attending a big Rotary Meet last weekend! I'll be posting a full thread in the News Forum soon...Here's a quick sample:

 

[Nasos Mazdaspeed]

Antoine,ypou have a absolutely awesome car and a mazda beauty!!!congratulations!!!!(yippy)(yippy)(yippy)
seeing this car cant help to avoid tears in my eyes!!!

 

[bbrich57]

I like the 1st & 3rd gen RX7s too. I'm a sucker for the 3rd gens... in appearance at least. 'Never had a chance to try one out.
I'm not spotting a lot of 2nd gens from that picture though? Are they out of the shot, or just not as prevalent there as they are here? Or are my eyes just that bad? I can't make out much past that second line of "whites."

 

[Antoine]

The Direct From Japan - RX-7 & RX-8 Meeting 2010! thread is up...Unfortunately, I was the ONLY Eunos Cosmo on the scene and probably the only ****** in the house...Here are a few pics of the Cosmo...Enjoy!

 

[Antoine]

Got Updates?

• Replace Hood Struts - DONE!

• Discuss upgrading to a High-Power High-Performance Alternator - Rebuilding the original and upgrading with 100amp internals!

• Fix Driver's Side Door Panel (popped out a bit in one area) - FIXED thanks to a semi-retired Eunos Cosmo expert/engineer called in to help find a solution without having to replace any parts!

• Check for error codes - FOUND...The original alternator was starting to weaken and it was causing electrical / ignition error codes to pop up...WILL VERIFY once the rebuilt / upgrade alternator is installed!

• Change oil & filter - DONE!

• Check catalytic converter (my catalytic converter warning light has popped up a few times but only after warming up the car a bit and only for a very short time...Not sure if it's a faulty sensor or the converter is on the way out..?) - POSSIBLY DUE to a loss of "juice" from the original alternator...WILL VERIFY once the rebuilt / upgrade alternator is installed!

• Check rear tires, suspension and diff (when I was coming back home recently, something felt strange for a bit, like I had a flat rear tire but my tires seemed fine when I got home) ((it was a rainy day so maybe I drove over some oily water or...?)) - ALL CHECKED & ALL FINE! Must have been the rainy conditions.

• Discuss installing my rear Okuyama Strut Tower Bar and converting the rear seat belts to lap style ones (and possibly keeping my original rear deck intact while sourcing a another rear deck to cut into for the installation) - STILL IN DISCUSSION

• Check cooling system - DONE!

Antoine,ypou have a absolutely awesome car and a mazda beauty!!!congratulations!!!!(yippy)(yippy)(yippy)
seeing this car cant help to avoid tears in my eyes!!!

Thanks for the kind words...Great to meet a true Eunos Cosmo Fan! (2thumbs)

I like the 1st & 3rd gen RX7s too. I'm a sucker for the 3rd gens... in appearance at least. 'Never had a chance to try one out.
I'm not spotting a lot of 2nd gens from that picture though? Are they out of the shot, or just not as prevalent there as they are here? Or are my eyes just that bad? I can't make out much past that second line of "whites."

There were a couple of super sweet ragtop 2nd Gen RX-7s there along with some other wild ones...Have a look if you haven't already...

Direct From Japan - RX-7 & RX-8 Meeting 2010!

 

[Berty]

Got Updates?

• Replace Hood Struts - DONE!

I need to do this one as I am sick of the car "nomming" on my torso every now and then when I am working on it.

With regards to your exhaust sensor, I have a spare one if needed. I replaced my exhaust a while ago and the exhaust already had the sensor on it. Let me know if you want it.

 

[13bcosmo]

I'v got by with a c clamp. it's never dropped. or even a vice grip..
they do sell generic struts at auto stores.

I saw on some rx3's an alloy looking hood hinge with like a lock in the middle damned if i can find them online.

 

[13bcosmo]

antoine whats on your center caps?

 

[Herblenny]

You get to goto all these cool events... I'm jealous!!!

But glad you take tons of pics for us to vicariously live though you

 

[Antoine]

I need to do this one as I am sick of the car "nomming" on my torso every now and then when I am working on it.

With regards to your exhaust sensor, I have a spare one if needed. I replaced my exhaust a while ago and the exhaust already had the sensor on it. Let me know if you want it.

Yeah...My Cosmo tried to eat a mechanic while at the Dealer...lol...Don't have to worry about that happening again for a while..

As for the exhaust sensor, thanks for the heads up, I'll keep that in mind...You can never have enough spare parts!

I'v got by with a c clamp. it's never dropped. or even a vice grip..
they do sell generic struts at auto stores.

I saw on some rx3's an alloy looking hood hinge with like a lock in the middle damned if i can find them online.

A locking one would be nice but I dig the sound of the struts...Every time you open the hood and reveal the infamous 20B (or 13B) powerplant, you get a cool "whooooosh" sound...Plus, they make lifting the massive EC hood a little easier...

antoine whats on your center caps?

Of my rims? I believe it's the logo for that model / series of RAYS / VOLK rims...I like that the gold accent ties in with the "Cosmo" badge in the side skirts and the "MAZDASPEED" badge on the rear as well as the Eunos badge front & rear...(thumb)

You get to goto all these cool events... I'm jealous!!!

But glad you take tons of pics for us to vicariously live though you

You've got some super sweet events in the States as well...As for pics, I can't help myself...lol...Passion & excitement take over when I'm at an event...I love capturing all the action and sharing it with the Community...It's all part of the fun...Glad you're enjoying it! (rockon)

 

[Antoine]

UPDATE!

Just got the Cosmo back from the dealer after a few weeks and they took a couple shots of the alternator rebuild that I'll post up soon...On a related note, everything is fine except when driving home...I noticed that every time I got some decent revs going, all my warning lights lit up briefly...Anyone know why?

I believe they upgraded the associated relay already...I'll have to mention this the next time I'm at the dealer...Other than that, Pay2Play is running like a TOP! (2thumbs)

 

[Herblenny]

Stock alternator rebuild to stock spec or did you go higher amp?

 

[Antoine]

Higher amp...RX-7 alternator rebuild...I have been having issues keeping the Optima Battery happy/fully charged with the stock alternator if not starting up the Cosmo for a while...Could it be that the Optima battery is not fully charged combined with the higher amp alternator?

 

[Herblenny]

Optima's are horrible once they are discharged all they way. Pretty much they are paper weight when you discharge them fully... and if you are lucky you might get it to charge back up, but it will loose its duration.

Best is to disconnect the battery when you know you will not be using the car for a long time.. otherwise, don't get an optima. I had mine replaced under warranty like 5 times now.. I have ran optima for many cars but when the car sits for a long time, I disconnect.

 

[Antoine]

Yeah...I've already had it recharged/revamped once under warranty but it seems to be more "sensitive" now if not charged often...

Any idea what might be causing all my warning lights to flicker during spirited acceleration? Could it be the battery or some sort of "break-in" process?

I hope it's an easy fix and not an issue with the ecu...?

 

[frank20bcosmo]

Hi Antoine,

I know this might seem a little stupid but it would be worth checking your battery connections and the earth connection especially, It could just be that under hard acceleration that the battery connection is breaking down if the connection is loose,, when you hit the pedal the front will lift and the connection moves slightly,, might be worth checking first.

When the garage has been working on it they would have disconnected it so it would be worth just double checking

Good Luck

 

[Vocko]

I would check the alternator, it could be due to a bad rebuild.

 

[Herblenny]

Antoine, Can you describe to me what you mean by spirited acceleration? If I understand what I think you mean, I say its your alternator... Best way to check your alternator is to check at different RPM... It could be that at high rpm or at certain RPM, you are not generating power and your battery is not able to keep up as its loosing amp. Also, is it worse at night vs. day??

 

[Antoine]

Thanks for the feedback, fellas...Much appreciated! (2thumbs)

Quick update...I took the Cosmo back yesterday and as soon as I got out...They were under the hood checking things out...Based on the initial inspection...Seems that the rebuilt & upgraded alternator is putting out too many volts (14.5v ~ 15v) under mild to hard acceleration which is over powering the warning lights causing them to light up (and possibly messing with everything else in the car powered by electrical juice).

The next step is to adjust the IC regulator which unfortunately means taking out the alternator and leaving my car there for a few more days...In addition to that, checking out the wiring and possibly making a few upgrades in that department.

Seems they only bench tested the alternator to a certain rpm and not for hard acceleration / high rpm...I guess we can consider this whole experience as "Alternator Tuning"...lol.

More updates and hopefully good news to come...

PS...On the plus side, idle has never been so ROCK SOLID and the whole electrical system seems to be boosted now...Even the sound system sounds better! (2thumbs)

 

[Austerror]

Right, that is something I will keep in mind!

Good to here your Cosmo is running great