11/12/06

Installed my Infinity Perfect 6.1 set halfway, and dynamatted the driver side door.

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11/13/06

Passenger side door went WAY easier after learning the ropes on the driver door. I didn't take pictures this time.

11/15/06

Finally got some synthetic oil in the car, and what a difference. Idle is great, seems much smoother throughout the powerband now. I'm not sure the car liked whatever crap oil the dealership put in when i bought it. Oil change place showed me the air filter was pretty much done for. I rolled down to Autozone, and I figured I might as well spring for a K&N since a regular filter is about half the cost anyway. I installed it tonight, and went for a short run around the neighborhood backroads. Feels like the synthetic/air filter combo put a little spring back in her step. Seems like gas mileage got a little better also just from the synthetic switch. I think my next step is cleaning out the intercoolers and TB, tranny service, and spark plugs.

11/19/06
Got bored, mowed the yard, and decided to clean out the ICs. I've seen many Mazdaword members do this but I applied a little logic. The ICs are going to accumulate crap on the outside no matter what, so I decided that an internal cleaning after 5 years was the best option. I did about 3 internal washes on each intercooler using laquer thinner. The insides of each arent' completely clean, but enough to make me feel better. I had a thin film of oil, no excessive accumulation. I guess I can breathe easy that my supercharger is in good shape for the moment. I got everything back together without issue, and took her for a test drive. The butt-o-meter says I restored a little power. The initial restart hiccups were a little worrisome. I had an almost stall (excused because of power disconnect or lack of positive pressure in intake tract), and a high idle (again, power disconnect or lack of pressure), but a 4 mile test drive made me feel better about the whole thing. Got back from my test drive, and put my tools away. My dad then told me my Grandmother died. I'm kind of glad I was working on my car when I got the news, it's been a mainstay in my life since I hit 16. I'm almost done paying off my tuition for this semester, so expect big things on my Milly S in the next month.