So, A bit more progress with the Spyder's winter upgrades.
I've now got the old engine out by positioning the engine onto a dolly and lifting the car off it:
(http://s28.postimg.org/691hnbkt5/engine_out.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/691hnbkt5/)
I've also removed the old rattle rod gear change. There was so much wear and slop in the various linkages and the rods are about 6 ft long so its amazing I ever found a gear at all!
I've now adapted the MGF selector end to make it narrower and to make the cables 75mm longer:
(http://s15.postimg.org/49f1oa3s7/Extended_cable_change.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/49f1oa3s7/)
This what the MGF selector looks like before modification (with a GTM bracket that is no longer available):
(http://s16.postimg.org/59o6mdbfl/cable_shiftc2.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/59o6mdbfl/)
Only trouble is how many pipes and wires are in the tunnel that I'll now have to move to fit in the selector and this pic is after I've already taken off the main front to back radiator pipes!
(http://s16.postimg.org/fssrpa3hd/Tunnel_pipes_and_wires.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/fssrpa3hd/)
I've also taken out the radiator housing and altered it to fit the bigger rad. This pic is with the old rad still fitted to the housing. The Passat rad is has about 20% more surface area and is twice as thick as the Metro rad and I now have a 12" fan rather than 10". There will probably be some alterations to the pipework to resolve but can't tell until its back on the car.
(http://s10.postimg.org/flfikbfth/WP_20151204_09_32_59_Pro.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/flfikbfth/)
(http://s12.postimg.org/wecir4m61/WP_20151204_09_37_20_Pro.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/wecir4m61/)
Good work Dave, the new rad looks good with space for a second fan if you've got room in the engine bay 8)
Quote from: Lucky Ed on 09, December, 2015, 08:26:37 PM
Good work Dave, the new rad looks good with space for a second fan if you've got room in the engine bay 8)
Thanks Ed. Might be room for another fan in the engine bay but the rad is at the front ::)
oh yeah - DOH ;D
A bit more progress. I'm re-using the exhaust manifold from the old engine as it has a six bolt downpipe flange and the one form the replacement engine has a four bolt flange. On taking it off I found the welds in the main flange were huge and narrowing down the size considerably so out with the dremel and burr again.
Before:
(http://s24.postimg.org/6b0estw6p/exhaust_manifold_before.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/6b0estw6p/)
After:
(http://s15.postimg.org/b37sn2wh3/exhaust_manifold_after.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/b37sn2wh3/)
The engine is now physically in the car and working through connecting everything up. Before I can sort out anything running down the tunnel I need to sort out the gear change. I've now got the heavily modified MGF selector bracket installed which involved getting to some really hard to reach bolts to detach the P clips that were neatly holding all the pipes and wires in the tunnel and cutting a rectangular hole in the tunnel top for the top part of the selector to pass through. I drilled and tapped holes in the sides of the bracket and the tunnel and supported the bracket using M6 threaded rod all the way through with washers and nuts inside and outside the tunnel as this gives a much more sturdy fixing than just bolts.
(http://s13.postimg.org/5pl9zvhoj/gearchange_inside.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/5pl9zvhoj/)
(http://s17.postimg.org/pv1t247bv/gearchange_tunnel.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/pv1t247bv/)
Next job is to re-attach all the pipes and wires down the tunnel.
Nice work 8)
Random question but how big is the selector mechanism, it looks like it might be the right way around to work on the v-storm, it would be good to leave the cables under the car
Not sure - next time I'm under the car I'll measure it! (The car is at MiL's.) Didn't measure it before I cut bits off it though!
At a guess I'd say as it is currently about 220-250mm long and about 80mm wide. As fitted to an MGF its probably about 280-300mm long and 120mm wide.
If you are fixing it above the floor you'd need to at least leave the front and back brackets on (i cut off the front one) but you could still cut off the side flanges to save width.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MG-TF-1-6-1-8-GEAR-SELECTOR-CABLES-LONG-SHORT-NOT-MGF-/321936499872?hash=item4af4e924a0:g:2BYAAOSw9mFWH3Ik (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MG-TF-1-6-1-8-GEAR-SELECTOR-CABLES-LONG-SHORT-NOT-MGF-/321936499872?hash=item4af4e924a0:g:2BYAAOSw9mFWH3Ik)
You can get a selector and a pair of cables (used) for around £30.
Should have said that the shorter of the two cables is longer on MGF than TF if that matters to you. On the MG's the cables run down the tunnel then the long cable goes over the gearbox and the shorter cable goes under. The cables have a male M6 thread both ends so easy to adapt to whatever the gearbox end fittings are on the scoob.
Hmm it sounds like it is a little bit bigger than the Toyota one I have, maybe in need to look at making my own
Quote from: damouk on 23, December, 2015, 04:39:59 PM
Hmm it sounds like it is a little bit bigger than the Toyota one I have, maybe in need to look at making my own
Checked the dims and my guesses as above are pretty much right - prior to any cutting the MGF selector is about 300x120. Mine, after cutting down, is 225x80
Managed a bit more progress today. Still suffering from a cold and a twingey back but wearing a kidney belt helped a lot (used to wear it whilst riding the motorbike to keep my lower back warm).
New rad fixed and plumbed in. All the pipes and wires down the tunnel are in place. Gear cables connected at the gearbox end and all gears engage correctly. I bought a leather gear lever gaiter as the previous circular rubber bellows one is too small to fit over the rectangular hole - made up a wooden base for its elasticated bottom to fit over - looks really neat.
Got the driveshafts back on and have filled the gearbox with oil.
Have fixed the engine steady bar - bracket needed a bit of modification...
Exhaust back on with just mm of clearance to the steady bar bracket at the gearbox end. A bit of metal taken off the bracket with the angle grinder and hopefully they now won't bang into eachother as the engine rocks a bit.
That wiring is getting near the top of the "to do" list now...
Tell your wife she is a lovely lady letting you do this!
Good progress
Happy New Year
Ian
Quote from: Iancider on 31, December, 2015, 09:14:15 PM
Tell your wife she is a lovely lady letting you do this!
Good progress
Happy New Year
Ian
She certainly is! No car work between Christmas eve and new years eve though so plenty of family time (although I can't promise that if my back had hurt less I wouldn't have been in the garage!) HNY to you too, and everyone else.
This is how the new gear lever gaiter looks:
(http://s9.postimg.org/h82nqjsu3/Gear_Gaiter.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/h82nqjsu3/)
Crop from the best image of the old rubber bellows - hadn't taken many of the inside!
(http://s24.postimg.org/lokv7cn5d/Gear_Gaiter_old.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/lokv7cn5d/)
Quote from: sanzomat on 09, December, 2015, 07:06:14 PM
(http://s10.postimg.org/flfikbfth/WP_20151204_09_32_59_Pro.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/flfikbfth/)
Looks like you are using the exact same electric fan as I am.
Hope they work :'(
I must admit I bought a cheepie fan of ebay (looks like the black one) it isn't a patch on the SPAL one's I have on the radiators, but then it was 1/5 the cost as well..
At only £15 I thought it was worth a try as the equivalent Spal one was about £90! I connected it up straight to the battery to check whether it was set up to blow or suck before fitting it (suck as standard out of the box). It certainly produced a decent draft, very quiet and no vibration.
Yep that was my thought when I bought mine, it's a shame the Spal ones are so expensive! Sounds like yours is a better one that mine, mine is quite noisy.
Mine is a little noisy but I cant hear it when I am driving and only just hear it when I stop.
Had to laugh when I re-positioned the rad and went to test it by turning the stat down. Spent a good half an hour trying to find out what I had done wrong only to realise it was so cold in the garage for the stat to cut in :'(...idiot :P
A bit more progress. The new steering rack is now installed - seemed like a good time to do it before the seats go back in and whilst the front clam is relatively empty with the battery box removed.
Wasn't looking forward to this job (as you can probably tell from the fact I bought the new rack ages ago and only just got around to fitting it.
The bolts that hold the rack to the bulkhead pass down into a box section of GRP at the front of the main tub. This box section has a couple of holes (one in each footwell) that are just about big enough to get a hand in to fix the nuts for the rack and the wishbone mounts but in the original build these tasks would be done early on before other stuff gets in the way! The holes are covered with hardboard glued on to the grp and carpeted over on the kick plate so the carpet and the hardboard need to come off. You end up lying on the floor of the car, shoulders under the dash and one hand stretched out, through the pedals and through the opening into the box section. You can just about get a finger tip onto the nuts. Spanners can only turn a short way and as you can only just hook a finger over the spanner its hard to apply any force - can't move your arm so all done with just the fingers! Here's a pic but doesn't quite do it justice! This with the link section of the steering column already out.
(http://www.gtmdrivers.com/forum/download/file.php?id=1706)
Next problem is that the rack is fitted to the tub before the various grp panels that form the front of the car are fixed so technically the whole front would need to come off to change the rack as there isn't clearance between the inner wing and the main monocoque.
(http://www.gtmdrivers.com/forum/download/file.php?id=1707)
My cunning plan was to cut a small section of the inner wing away to let the rack come forward enough to let the splined input shaft come out of the tub then slide it out sideways. I worked out how much I needed to cut away by measuring the length of the splined part on the new rack and marked out/cut the grp. I cut it in one neat(ish) pice with a padsaw with the intention that I can fix the same bit back in with a few ali plates. Only trouble was that the old rack has an input shaft about 15mm longer so the amount I cut out wasn't enough. I tried taking the boot off the rack and opening out the hole a bit more for the narrower tie rod to fit into but in the end had to reach in with the angle grinder and cut 10mm off the end of the input shaft. anyway. Managed to get the old rack out and the new one in. just need to fill in the hole again!
(http://www.gtmdrivers.com/forum/download/file.php?id=1708)
Sounds time consuming to me with the spanner, I've been there before myself, takes a lot of patience, a good time to do it tho did you put a quick or standard rack back in?
Went for a quick(er) rack. There wasn't actually anything wrong with the old one but it was a bit on the slow side being a standard Metro rack - 3.6 turns lock to lock. The standard upgrade for these GTMs is to use a MGTF rack which is 2.7 turns lock to lock with the same throw and supposedly the same physical dimensions. The main tube is definitely the same but I now know the input shaft is longer on the Metro one - fits okay in the same column adapter though. Went with new track rod ends too.
It has to be a LHD rack upside down because the rack is forward of the axle whereas its behind the axle on MGF/Metro's. LHD racks are hard to get hold of in this country! If it was a RHD rack you'd have to steer the opposite way which could be fun - once did an obstacle course in a landrover that had been adapted to steer opposite - total mind screw, especially reversing!
A bit like the push bikes you used to see on the telly program hosted by someone who we cant talk about these days.
A turn less is going to help...... you could always fit steering stops instead ;D
Another update but no pictures 'cos the current work doesn't look like much at all, just trying to get the wiring to work. I'm fighting against the improvisations that the previous owner did whilst changing from the original 1.4 metro engine to the 1.6 that was in when I bought it. I've been totally baffled by some of the wires that don't correspond to any of the colours on the body loom or to the wiring diagrams I've found online. One wire in particular changed colour twice along its length so was impossible to trace until I'd unwound all the tape from that section of the loom. For most of its length it is orange and this doesn't feature in any of the wiring diagrams so I had to follow it along its whole journey from the engine bay at the rear to inside the dash. It was routed inside the car (unlike everything else that is through a flexi conduit in the tunnel). I eventually traced it to the 5AS module which for those not inducted into the world of MG-Rover is the alarm/immobiliser module. I should have recognised it as it is the same wire that caused my breakdown and recovery home from the Lock Keeper a year ago! The dodgy joint I found then was where it changed from orange back to the colour it should have been (yellow/red). I now know its the wire that shares a signal with the main ECU to allow the engine to keep running once it is first started.
I was flummoxed by the fuel pump wiring for a while until I eventually found that the relay needs its own separate live feed on the MGF but it takes its live feed from the same live that feeds the other three relays in the same black box on other models. Once spliced into the other lives the fuel pump then works!
The one I'm currently puzzling over is a black and white wire that I've now worked out is the relay coil earth for the starter relay. It is supposed to connect via the body loom to the 5AS unit where the starter relay earth is activated by the immobiliser so the starter won't operate unless its is disarmed. There was no corresponding wire in the body loom but there were some wires in the body loom connector that weren't doing anything so I wondered whether the previous guy had used one of these to connect it. One of these matched its location on the connector plug so I thought it was worth a try however much I didn't like the idea of joining a black/white to a green/blue. This did allow me to energise the starter motor and get the engine to turn over (but not fire) but this happened when the key was turned to position 2, not 3!! and I also found by accidentally knocking the hazard switch that you could make the engine crank by switching on the hazards!! Clearly this wasn't the right wire. I went back inside the dash and found that the 5AS connector had not got a wire connected to the correct pin so clearly it had been working without it before. After a bit more reading of various MG-Rover related forums my next strategy is to simply connect this to a permanent earth in the engine bay. Watch this space for the result. Might need a fire extinguisher for this one!
I've got a couple of wires in the body loom that aren't connecting to anything at all which is a slight concern as the body loom was a GTM item so can't see why they would have put unnecessary wires in. They definitely weren't connected in the 1.6 set-up and that seemed to work so hopefully they are redundant.
ah, see wot you mean. lol ;D
I have found some redundant wire in the westy loom recently only to find they were spare earth wires. Which helped get my heated windscreen working again as I had a dodgy earth connection on it so I used one of them & it worked a treat. If you need a bigger bit of ali plate mate just let me know what size. :)
Spare wires are not unusual in larger volume kit cars. Looms are expensive to commission so they tend to create one loom to fit all models with all options. So spare wires probably just mean your car does not use all of the options that were possible in that loom.
And here is an idea for you - a cable tracer. This works best with an open wire rather than a connected one but even if it is connected you can get a signal albeit a weak one. It consists of an audio frequency oscillator and a tone tracing probe. The oscillator would be best connected to the target wire in the loom and the other wire to a good earth some distance from the car. Now bring the probe near to where you think the signal might go and it becomes strong when you are right on top of it. If the wire is a chassis connection then the whole chassis will radiate signal. For proof positive you can disconnect the wire at both end and use an ohmmeter or a continuity tester to prove it is the same wire. With this technique you will not have to worry if it changes colour along its length.
This one is cheap as chips and there are better quality ones on e-bay if you want. Ian
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/350585937672?adgroupid=13585920426&hlpht=true&hlpv=2&rlsatarget=pla-131843261346&adtype=pla&ff3=1&lpid=122&poi=&ul_noapp=true&limghlpsr=true&ff19=0&googleloc=1006715&device=c&chn=ps&campaignid=207297426&crdt=0&ff12=67&ff11=ICEP3.0.0-L&ff14=122&viphx=1&ops=true&ff13=80 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/350585937672?adgroupid=13585920426&hlpht=true&hlpv=2&rlsatarget=pla-131843261346&adtype=pla&ff3=1&lpid=122&poi=&ul_noapp=true&limghlpsr=true&ff19=0&googleloc=1006715&device=c&chn=ps&campaignid=207297426&crdt=0&ff12=67&ff11=ICEP3.0.0-L&ff14=122&viphx=1&ops=true&ff13=80)
That cable tracer thingy looks a good idea. Touch wood I'm almost there though with good old fashioned ripping everything apart, getting frustrated, kicking a few things, cutting wires unnecessarily, joining them back together again, cussing some more....
I've just been lent something that would have been useful to have from the start - the MG-Rover RAVE manual. Fantastic tome and easy to navigate. Within 5 minutes I've confirmed what it took me 3 evenings and two lunch breaks to work out using first principles and the internet - that black and white wire is definitely the earth for the starter relay and in normal set-ups would be earthed via the immobiliser but it should be perfectly safe (but less secure) to take it straight to an earth. That should allow the starter to operate. May not get a chance to find out until Sunday though. Suspense is killing me....
Quote from: Moleman on 14, January, 2016, 07:35:59 PM
I have found some redundant wire in the westy loom recently only to find they were spare earth wires. Which helped get my heated windscreen working again as I had a dodgy earth connection on it so I used one of them & it worked a treat. If you need a bigger bit of ali plate mate just let me know what size. :)
Cheers Colin. In the end I realised I had some bits of matching red grp that I cut off the radiator ducting to fit the bigger rad so I cut that up into plates instead. All fixed now. I'm sure those bits of ali will come in handy for something so thanks for supplying them. Found out today we are through to the next stage of the IRaAT building at Airbus so might be up there a bit more for soon...
Quote from: sanzomat on 14, January, 2016, 09:56:45 PM
That cable tracer thingy looks a good idea. Touch wood I'm almost there though with good old fashioned ripping everything apart, getting frustrated, kicking a few things, cutting wires unnecessarily, joining them back together again, cussing some more....
Suspense is killing me....
This made me laugh Dave!! Brilliant!! Reminded me of why I gave up fiddling with car electrics a long time ago!!!
So, on Saturday afternoon I got to a place where I was totally confident that everything in the engine bay is wired correctly. Still not working properly - cranking as soon as the battery leads are attached!! With the engine loom disconnected from the body loom I probed the various connecters and nine of the eleven were showing about 2v below battery voltage even with the ignition key out and the immobiliser armed. Some of those pins should only come live when the ignition is on (and when the immobilser is disarmed) and the crank signal should obviously only come live when the key is in the crank position and the immobiliser disarmed. I hadn't changed any wiring at the front of the car other than wiring in the new radiator fan and that was a simple 2 wire job and even I couldn't have got that wrong. I had taken the dash off to replace the 5AS immobilser (as they are matched to the ECU so I'd got the one that came with my engine/ECU) so it was conceivable that I'd disturbed something inside the dash so today I set about finding some crossed wires. With the battery attached, the engine loom disconnected and the hazard switch switched on nothing was happening (using the weird behaviour of the hazards as clue), so I wiggled whole chunks of loom and occasionally the indicators would start flashing. Another clue! I found an area of the loom that had the biggest impact and dug deeper to find a cluster of bullet connectors (the type with the clear plastic "condoms"). Here the gentlest of wiggles would bring the indicators on so I knew I was getting close. I found that there was a direct battery 12v wire that was terminated in a male bullet with the condom slipped right back so the live end was exposed. The kind of thing that would have shorted to earth on a steel car and popped a fuse but not so with GRP. Some of the other bullet connectors also had there condoms displaced and the live end was obviously touching them and making those circuits live. Bingo! I spent a while sorting these issues out and the hazards would now work reliably. I probed the engine loom connector and all the pins were now working as they were supposed to. I plugged back in the engine loom, took a deep breath, disarmed the immobilser and turned the key - 1st click and radio came on, 2nd click and the dash lit up properly and a short whirr from the fuel pump. Turn to crank and the engine turns over and with just a short crank she fires up!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D
So, I'm now a very happy bunny. Having bought the engine off ebay I had been worrying for months whether it would be a bag of spanners but, touch wood, it seems to be running fine, no smoke, no odd noises. Warmed it up gently with a few gentle revs to 2-3,000. When it was warm I gave to some decent revs and it was happy to go right up to 7,000 so the VVC must be working (as if the VVC mechs don't respond correctly the ECU limits it to 5,500). Early to say for sure but there are no early signs of head gasket leaks.
I reckon a few more hours and she'll be back on the road - Seats to go back in, steering wheel back on, wheels back on, rear clam back on, off the axle stands and then a road test!! ;D ;D ;D
Good work Sherlock, so did you replace the bullets with solder joints?
Excellent news on the motor as well!
Quote from: damouk on 17, January, 2016, 10:11:04 PM
Good work Sherlock, so did you replace the bullets with solder joints?
Would have liked to but the access is sh*te to that area. Its near to where the section of loom passes through the front bulkhead and joins the main dash loom. I expect that is why it was done with bullets, so it can be separated and withdrawn. I think the only way to get in there to do it properly would be to take the windscreen out (and as its bonded it would be a pro job). I've pulled all the sleeves back into place and taped them up. The odd end with nowhere to go has been folded back and well wrapped in tape. Not ideal but I'll know where to look if I have trouble again.
Excellent to hear that you have it running.
Have you thought of heatshrink sleeving for the troublesome bullets? tehre is a melting innner wall type too if you really dont want it to slip BUT is does depend on you having room to get some heat to it all.
Ian
Nice work Dave. 8)
So close I thought I'd have a go this evening. Got everything back together (well, except for re-gluing the carpet to the kick plate and installing the passenger seat), Wheels back on, off the axle stands, rear clam back on. Started her up to go for a test drive but found I couldn't engage any gears. It seems that the clutch slave cylinder isn't moving far enough. Might just need bleeding but can't see why as I didn't disturb the hydraulics, just unbolted it from the Metro gearbox and bolted it onto the MGF box. I suppose the piston rod could be longer on the MGF to take up some slack. I didn't check 'cos they looked identical so assumed they would be. I've got the MGF cylinder so easy to swap. Even easier to just swap the rods. Anyway, not driveable just yet so still some more fun to have messing with it!
Great work Dave, just in time for some nice weather - I hope ;)
Wednesday is set to be sunny and dry Dave!!! Take a day off work!! ;D
Anyone know what the typical stroke of a slave cylinder is? Mine seems to be giving about 20-25mm? I was just wondering if the clutch might be stuck to the flywheel or pressure plate as it had been stood for so long. Might try some jolting before I go bleeding.
Quote from: sanzomat on 19, January, 2016, 07:41:24 PM
I was just wondering if the clutch might be stuck to the flywheel or pressure plate as it had been stood for so long. Might try some jolting before I go bleeding.
I had the same thing happen to my plus 2 Elan back in the early 80's when I rebuilt the engine Dave. Eventually freed it by getting the engine and box as hot as possible and jolting it free. Covered the whole bonnet in rugs and towels, disconnected the fan etc and let it idle til it was red hot (not literally!) I seem to recall, then it jolted free.
I was thinking about putting the back end back on axle stands (only just come off them!), warming the engine then turning off and starting it in gear, getting some momentum in the engine then hitting the clutch and brake pedals at the same time. Softer option would be to just try the starter motor with it in gear, clutch pedal in and the brakes on.
I'll try moving the clutch arm a bit further by some means other than the slave first - if it disengages fine then I'll know its not stuck.
If you parked the slave above the master while disconnected then there could have been an exchange of air/fluid back to the reservoir.
If it is a stuck plate then try to get it into any gear and bump it - warming it might help as FHO says. Let us know if you need some hired grunt!
Ian
Quote from: Iancider on 19, January, 2016, 08:24:20 PM
If you parked the slave above the master while disconnected then there could have been an exchange of air/fluid back to the reservoir.
Ian
Certainly did. In fact when I lifted the back end of the car up to roll the engine under the rear discs were higher than the master cylinder. I think I should probably bleed the brakes too!! :o :o
It was just the clutch plate stuck. Wasn't too stuck - unstuck it with just a prod of the starter with it in gear and clutch pedal pressed. It seems that 20mm travel of the slave is all it needs as the gears are all changing sweetly now. I will bleed it soon though and I've also planned to renew all the brake fluid too before long.
I took her out for a short drive and everything seems to work except for there were some worrying knocking sounds. I'd already decided before I looked that my cobbled attempt at a solution for the engine steady hadn't worked and sure enough it hadn't. I'd already realised it wasn't good enough and had decided on the right solution but had hoped it would hold out for a few weeks with the bodge but hey-ho. I've now started making a plate/bracket to transfer the fixings from the diff housing to the old Metro bracket rather than using a cobbled arrangement. Probably won't get to take advantage of the mild/dry weather this weekend though...
Good work. On the home run now.
Not clear what the engine steady arrangement looks like here but make sure the steady is decoupled from the chassis through rubber bushes or you teeth will fall out! There should be a quite a few older donors out there for suitable components. I seem to remember candidates on the MGB and the Dolly Sprint.
Ian
(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxMTk1/z/RyQAAOSwsFpWRyo1/$_57.JPG)
The original metro bracket/bush is like this (picture borrowed from ebay). The metro gearbox has threaded holes in all the right places to bolt this on but the MGF box doesn't so its a case of making a transfer plate to get from some of the spare threaded holes that do exist and making use of a couple of the bolts that hold the diff housing together with some spacers to line it all up. I'm on with that. The voided bush gives plenty of isolation from the bar that goes back to the tub (maybe too much).
Gosh it's a beast isn't it!
It isn't actually as big as it looks in that pic. The guy who took it must have tiny feet. Its an ali casting so actually pretty light.
Adapter bracket for steady bar now made and fitted. So, the car is now ready to drive ;D :D ;D :D I was so keen to test drive it I nearly went out in the pouring rain but sense prevailed in the end. Desperate for some dry weather to try it out now! hopefully not too many bits will fall off during the shake down.
Quotehopefully not too many bits will fall off during the shake down.
And I hope the car is okay too!
Good luck on the test drive. :)
Enjoyed your thread and great you are ready for the test drive. ;D
You will have to report the results soon as I cannot wait :P
And...And...And??!!
Weather looks fine to me for a test drive :)
Quote from: CC Cyclone on 28, January, 2016, 01:37:59 PM
And...And...And??!!
Weather looks fine to me for a test drive :)
Unfortunately work gets in the way sometimes. It was dry yesterday evening but it was my grand-daughter's first birthday and sometimes you have to get your priorities right. Forecast isn't looking good for this evening either...
It's better than that day we drove to Stoneleigh ;)
Went out myself for a couple of hours, just to blow the cobwebs away. Got home just as the sky was darkening, put Ratbag away and the sun came back out again ::)
Managed to get out last night in the light drizzle and got back just as it started to rain properly.
It drives okay but there is a fairly pronounced misfire. Its mostly when you open up the throttle. There is quite a hesitation and then it splutters as it starts to pull and kangaroos a bit with the odd pop (not quite a backfire). I drove it for about 15 miles so it was properly warmed up but no improvement. Once it gets in its stride it smooths out and is happy to rev right up to over 7000rpm but still has the odd missed beat here and there. As it revs all the way I'm thinking the ECU must be getting all the right inputs from the various sensors as it is supposed to go into a limp mode and restrict the revs to around 5k if it picks up sensor faults. As such my thoughts are its most likely to be fuelling or spark.
So, I need to get Ian's mates Will and Percy (Power and Verance) round and do a bit more tinkering...
Almost there then. 8)
Managed a couple of hours this afternoon. I swapped over the spark plugs from the old engine as I knew they were working okay and they are the same. Pulling off the HT leads I noticed they don't feel as tight as I expected on the plugs. The plug is deep down inside the head so hard to tell though. With a lead off and a plug out I found the metal part of the lead that is supposed to go over the plug "bullet" was so deep up inside the lead head that it was only just touching the plug, not going over it. I dismantled the lead head and found the actual lead part inside the plastic part that goes down inside the head is able to slide so when you try to push it onto the plug the lead retracts back. Made me think it was a wonder the engine was running at all as the HT must have been jumping from the lead to the plug! I pulled the inner right to the end and made sure it was on the plug then slid the outer down over the lead to close the hole in the cam cover. When I'd done all four I went out for another slightly drizzly run and she is now going much better but there is still a bit of a misfire. When I got back I opened the clam while the engine was still running and went to wiggle the HT leads and got quite a belt just touching the rubber outer - makes me think the insulation is breaking down so new HT leads seems like a good idea.
I had a bit of time left so I got on with another little job - replaced the hydraulic fluid in the clutch and brakes. I invested in an eezibleed. Had always struggled on with the old fashioned pumping method before but couldn't believe how easy and quick replacing the fluid is with one of these - wish I'd bought one years ago. Only took 20 minutes to replace the fluid/bleed the clutch and all four calipers. Actually the clutch seemed fine with virtually no air and the old fluid looked like new. Not so for the brakes, the old fluid was pretty yukky, dark orange/brown. The pedal feels much firmer now so well worth doing. So easy to do now I'll make this a much more regular event.
That reminds me I haven't changed my brake fluid yet this year. That & a oil change is the last thing for me to do. :)
Good work mate - enjoyed following your winter activities
Cheers Adrian
My new HT leads arrived today so wasted no time and got them on this evening. Started easy and settled into a nice steady idle. As it's dry tonight I took her out for a short test drive...
.. :D ;D :D ;D :D ;D That's more like it!! Running great now. Its been a while since I drove it with the old engine but I'm fairly confident it has got more go now than it used to. As it was dark and a bit cold (didn't bother putting the hood up) and my headlights aren't the best I didn't go too far or very fast but once warm I gave it few goes up to the red line in 2nd and it very willingly goes up to 7200 and feels to be accelerating pretty well. Doesn't seem to be all about the top end either as it seems quite grunty lower down too. Can't wait for some daylight and dry roads to have a proper test.
I do need to check the speedo calibration though. Seems to be over reading. Its showing 70 at 3000 revs but according to the spec it should be 20.7/1000 in 5th i.e. 62.1 at 3k. I'll have to find out how to re-set it.
I have a little digital head up display GPS speedo unit somewhere (if I can find it) you can borrow to check it if needs be Dave. I used it to set the digidash speedo in the Fury when it was out. I've tried it in two BMW tin tops and it is spot on.
Quote from: Facial Hair Optional on 10, February, 2016, 08:21:09 PM
I have a little digital head up display GPS speedo unit somewhere (if I can find it) you can borrow to check it if needs be Dave. I used it to set the digidash speedo in the Fury when it was out. I've tried it in two BMW tin tops and it is spot on.
Was going to use a sat nav with a speed display. When I got the current tin top it had one built in so I gave my old garmin away to my son but I'm sure he'll let me borrow it back (he better!) otherwise I'll give yours a go.
Whilst googling how to adjust the speedo (pretty sure its an ETB so found the instructions) I found the IVA speedo calibration rules - apparently mine would still pass as at an actual 70 its okay for the speedo to show as low as 57!
Quote from: sanzomat on 10, February, 2016, 08:43:39 PM
Quote from: Facial Hair Optional on 10, February, 2016, 08:21:09 PM
I have a little digital head up display GPS speedo unit somewhere (if I can find it) you can borrow to check it if needs be Dave. I used it to set the digidash speedo in the Fury when it was out. I've tried it in two BMW tin tops and it is spot on.
Was going to use a sat nav with a speed display. When I got the current tin top it had one built in so I gave my old garmin away to my son but I'm sure he'll let me borrow it back (he better!) otherwise I'll give yours a go.
Whilst googling how to adjust the speedo (pretty sure its an ETB so found the instructions) I found the IVA speedo calibration rules - apparently mine would still pass as at an actual 70 its okay for the speedo to show as low as 57!
That's mad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Talking of speedos etc I was told the other day that the old supposed system the police use of allowing you 10% + 3mph when doing you for speeding (ie at 60 you could get away with up to 69mph) is being got rid of due to digital speedos these days being so accurate. I'm not even sure if that 10% etc thing is an urban myth is it??
Anyway, no doubt it's really just another revenue collecting 'idea'!!!
Why not, easier than catching crooks. ;D
Those roadside speed warning signs are a quick and easy calibration - they are very accurate (cos they work on Radar Doppler Shift!).
Just drive up to one slowly and gradually accelerate until it triggers its 30! warning and glance at the speedo.
If it reads 10% up (e.g. 33mph) then the pulse rate during the calibration needs to 10% more pulses per mile. It is wise to set you speedo, no matter how accurate, to over-read by 1-2% to allow for tyre pressure changing the rolling radius.
Ian
Lovely weather today so took my Spyder out for a decent run to test out the winter upgrades including starting out at the Queens Square meet in Bristol this morning. Really pleased with the car. The improvement in performance is actually better than I'd hoped for. Just one problem and thankfully not a big one. Had me worried for a while though! On hard acceleration I was getting a nasty metal on metal noise. Didn't sound engine related, more like something hitting something else and vibrating together. Lifting the rear clam there was nothing obvious but suspecting my welding on the gearbox mounting bracket I'd made I had a close look in that area and was able to see there was some paint removed and shiny metal on the clutch slave mounting bracket. The MGF slave bracket has to be cut down to fit anyway but it seems I didn't quite cut enough off. There is around 6mm of clearance between the bracket and the end of the tube part of the engine frame at rest but under hard acceleration the engine/gearbox must be moving enough to use this gap up so they touch and thus make the noise. To test this theory I put a cable tie around the bracket and went out for a drive and sure enough when I got back there was a dent in the plastic of the cable tie. I hadn't had the nasty noise so I think the cable tie must have prevented metal on metal contact. This won't last though so a bit more grinding will be needed - access not great though.
Other than that I'm very pleased. I hadn't actually expected the performance gain to be this much but I suppose 40bhp with no extra weight should be noticable. The gear change is SO much better. The clutch is smoother and more progressive. The steering is nicer (but heavy at parking speeds). No fluids seems to be leaking out and there doesn't seem to be any oil/water mixing so hopefully the head gasket is sealing okay. Touching wood but so far so good!!
You mean it's even quicker now?!! It was pretty darned nippy that time I followed you to Queen Square many months ago Dave. You'll be Billy Whizz on the roads now!
An excellent result Dave, with only a simple adjustment cant be bad, if only the V-storm was as straight forward... :/
If someone said they had gained 80bhp in a mini you would be impressed....? well it's roughly equivalent to your 40bhp. I think its that you brain benchmark's bhp against the weight of a tin top.
Quote from: damouk on 14, February, 2016, 07:13:13 PM
An excellent result Dave, with only a simple adjustment cant be bad, if only the V-storm was as straight forward... :/
If someone said they had gained 80bhp in a mini you would be impressed....? well it's roughly equivalent to your 40bhp. I think its that you brain benchmark's bhp against the weight of a tin top.
I take it you mean the 'new style' Mini Damo not the original? An extra 80bhp in the original (which I learned to drive in!) would be an awesome improvement! I'm sure mine never even had 80bhp to start with! ;D My instructor may argue though as I scared him half to death on the 1st lesson, he didn't know I had been driving on the road since 15 years of age!!! (only occasionally though so that is ok right?!!) :o
Glad it's all looking good Dave. We all have to do the odd tweak once the new mods are in but I'm glad it isn't much you have to do. 8)
As it was a nice crisp and dry morning but not quite cold enough to have ice on the tin top I took the Spyder to work today. Top down of course! Lovely way to start the day.
Sitting on the M5 from Almondsbury to Portishead I checked out the speedo versus the rev counter again and actually 70mph is showing at 3200rpm (not 3000). With my gearing being 20.8/1000 (not 20.7) 3200rpm should be 66.5mph so its actually pretty much where I want it. The distance to work and back is actually half a mile less in the GTM than in the Prius so more suggestion it isn't over reading. That means that when the speeds come up quicker than I thought I must actually be accelerating better!
No fluids showing on the garage floor.
Even the fuel consumption seems to be better than it was.
So far so good!
QuoteThe distance to work and back is actually half a mile less in the GTM than in the Prius
Sounds like you reeeeeeeeally stretched it Sanzomat!
Good to hear you are back on the road and by the sounds of it HAPPY :D
Quote from: Gary RH7 on 24, February, 2016, 08:04:34 AM
Good to hear you are back on the road and by the sounds of it HAPPY :D
Certainly am ;D ;D
Thanks, and welcome to Hero status!
I think I've found a few more BHP!
I thought my throttle body was the 52mm version (K series throttle bodies, plenum type not DTH, come in 48mm or 52mm) but I've now discovered its only the 48mm one. That means I can swap it over to 52mm and release a few more ponies! Just ordered one on a well know internet auction site.
I've read that lots of peeps with 1.4 and 1.6 K series fit a 52mm TB thinking it will give them a performance boost but actually 48mm is sufficient until you start to shift quite a bit more air than those engines can breath. The standard early VVC engines came with 48mm but the later ones used 52mm. My head mods, exhaust and K&N should add up to more flow than the 48mm can manage so the 52mm could release between 5 to 10BHP at full bore from what I've read.
That's a good bit of detective work, it always pays to check these things just in case, do you have a nice free flowing filter as well?
That's good to hear mate. ;D
Cooooooooooooooool Dave! Let's hope it works
Go on whack on a Supercharger! You know you want to 8)
Managed an hour and a half of playing today. Tightened up the alternator belt (again!) as it was screeching on Thursday night - seems that a bit of water makes it slip but there was scope for a little more tightness so hopefully that'll cure it. Fitted the bigger TB to the plenum (decided not to change the whole plenum, just the TB). I've lowered the drivers seat about 15mm as it was on spacers. I'm letting a friend share the car at Combe in April and he's a bit on the tall side - when he sat in it a couple of weeks ago his view was a bit blocked by the top of the windscreen! Should also lower the centre of gravity a bit so can't do any harm.
I went out for a short blast to warm it up then tried out Ed's sound meter (thanks Ed). Got a consistent reading of 95.4dB at 4500 rpm at 0.5m straight on from the tail pipe (Ed said straight on gave the closest reading to Combe's meter at 0.5m, 45 degrees). If that's right then I'm now 4.4 dB louder than last time out at Combe which is a pretty good match to my theory that adding power adds noise roughly at the rate of % increase in engine power/10 dB.
Hopefully 95.4 means there is sufficient headroom to pass OK.
(http://s14.postimg.org/frlenwlml/52mm_throttle_body_plenum2.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/frlenwlml/)
(http://s12.postimg.org/e8plnenjt/52mm_throttle_body_plenum3.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/e8plnenjt/)
This is what I bought off ebay - the whole inlet manifold, plenum, injectors, fuel rail and flexi pipes, sensors, wires etc. All I needed was the bit I've circled in red but this whole lot was less than most people are asking just for the throttle body! The rest will be going back on ebay shortly!
Quote from: sanzomat on 05, March, 2016, 08:20:01 PM
Managed an hour and a half of playing today. Tightened up the alternator belt (again!) as it was screeching on Thursday night - seems that a bit of water makes it slip but there was scope for a little more tightness so hopefully that'll cure it. Fitted the bigger TB to the plenum (decided not to change the whole plenum, just the TB). I've lowered the drivers seat about 15mm as it was on spacers. I'm letting a friend share the car at Combe in April and he's a bit on the tall side - when he sat in it a couple of weeks ago his view was a bit blocked by the top of the windscreen! Should also lower the centre of gravity a bit so can't do any harm.
I went out for a short blast to warm it up then tried out Ed's sound meter (thanks Ed). Got a consistent reading of 95.4dB at 4500 rpm at 0.5m straight on from the tail pipe (Ed said straight on gave the closest reading to Combe's meter at 0.5m, 45 degrees). If that's right then I'm now 4.4 dB louder than last time out at Combe which is a pretty good match to my theory that adding power adds noise roughly at the rate of % increase in engine power/10 dB.
Hopefully 95.4 means there is sufficient headroom to pass OK.
95.4 is miles under for Combe Dave. Didn't know your car had tuberculosis though mate. Sorry to hear that
Got to love ebay! I've now sold the remainder of the bits I didn't need from that inlet manifold for only £2.50 less than I bought the whole thing including the throttle body so I've bought an upgraded throttle body for only £2.50 and I've sold my old engine and gearbox etc for only £50 less than I paid for the new ones ;D ;D
Good result that. It's amazing what you can sell, I sold a couple of bits from the box of bits that came with v-storm.
I sold this lot for £35 when I made my carbon fibre ones and am up £15
(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/OTkxWDEwODA=/z/1boAAOSwll1WzeFk/$_57.JPG)
On a slightly different note I also have a load of hub centre adapters for team dynamics wheels if anyone needs some