1st Gens 1990 4WD work log

[worldhazard]

So i just rode in a boosted 323 this evening, and it made me miss the 4wd very much. Jon, we need to get the b!tch going!!

[1st Gen]

So i just rode in a boosted 323 this evening, and it made me miss the 4wd very much. Jon, we need to get the b!tch going!!

Lol, bet that was a fun ride.

Well, I got a new Lincoln Electric Pro MIG 140-Amp Welder sitting in my shop waiting for me to round up the other pieces for the exhaust. I've got just enough money for a new 18" Magnaflow muffler with all the trimmings, an EGT radiator, and a can of spray paint to coat those new calipers. On my to do list for today, get the parts coming in, then get that fuel pump swapped out for the walbro.

It's been a long holiday. The wife and I just got home from visiting Dad and I still have three days of vacation left over. It's time to get busy with something good.

And thanks for bumping this up. It helps.
I've got some chores keeping me busy for part of the day today but I think I'll have a good hunk of time to work on it.

Edit-Okay,
got the EGT radiator coming and made some inquiries about the exhaust components I need. So far so good.

[1st Gen]

The Walbro fuel pump install
I'm going to test it tomorrow. I'll have to hook the battery up and turn it over probably but I should be able to hear the sucker run. I'll try just pushing the door to the VAF open first to see if I can get it to run that way. This is a big test since it will confirm the fuel supply as well as that aspect of the wire harness.

[1st Gen]

I guess the fuel pump works. It started

[me109]

Congratulations!

[1st Gen]

Congratulations!

Thanks Man. It really is rewarding, and a relief. I don't think it runs very good but it's hard to tell being up on blocks. It idles just fine.

I did discover a few things.
The windshield wipers don't automatically return to their resting position.
The dash lights don't work.

[1st Gen]

Aluminum Escort GT Radiator
I don't have the thing fully mounted yet but I'm getting there.

[Lex]

Coming along - great to see this project start. I am sure it won't be long before it will be off the blocks.

[wgnths]

that new rad looks sooo much nicer

[Mazda_Powered]

awesome, glad you got it running man

[1st Gen]

With the new radiator installed, I started it up today. My intention was to get it up to operating temperature to make sure the cooling system works properly. Well, besides the noisy HLA's, I also discovered that the temp gauge appears to be hooked up backwards.

I have no recollection of messing with this circuit so am not sure where to look for backward wiring. I did replace the sensor but the plug is a one way affair.

I'm going to go mess with it now but any suggestions are appreciated.

The fan never did come on but I have no way to tell what the temp was.

[Justbp-me]

You could at least test our the fan by grounding out the temp sensor for the fan to see if it kicks on.

[1st Gen]

I shorted across the relay. As it turned out, I had it wired backwards so it pushed air through the radiator. Both fans work the way their supposed to now.

I may not have let the car run long enough. When I realized the temp gauge wasn't working properly, I shut the car down.

[FE3-323]

the temp guage has one spade connection terminal on the head. what did you do inside of the car??

[1st Gen]

When I thought I was going to use the LX harness, I de-pinned the 10 pin under dash plug from the 4WD harness for it. When I realized it would be easier to use the stock harness, I pulled the plug back off of the LX loom and put it on the stock harness. I'm pretty sure I did it correctly but I'll double check it anyway.

The unknown for me is what was done to it before I got it. The dash cluster was modded with a home made light array that didn't go though the plug. I'm not sure if that would explain why the dash lights don't work now but I think it's a good place to start looking. The wipers not canceling properly is a bother too. You turn them off and that's where they stay.

As for the gauge, if someone rewired a plug somewhere and switched the wires, or maybe the gauge itself is faulty. I have another cluster I'm going to try, and I'm going to see if I can get to understand the schematic better. I don't know what else right now.