April 2005
Saturday 30th April 2005
I ran the engine today. But first I fitted the 45mm air horns to the throttle bodies, then I tweaked the map in the ECU for easier starting. I've set the ignition values for 500rpm all to 35° which also helps prevent the engine from stalling when the revs drop below 1000rpm. I also turned the Lambda sensor on which makes for a better mixture at tickover. Again this may help when cold starting. It took me around 3 mins of cranking to generate any oil pressure. The only problem with Mobil 1 oil is that oil pressure can take a while to rise when the engine hasn't been run for a while (since September 2004).
I'll be on the Performance Ford magazine stand at Fiesta in the Park on May 15th. Hopefully I'll have the new silencer on the car too. I've removed the huge Ashley rear silencer, and I just need to swap it out for the smaller Dynomax item.
Tuesday 26th April 2005
I'm reading Dave Walker's Engine Management book at the moment. There's a few bits of info I've learnt from it, but it is a bit too simplified in some areas. Still, its a useful reference to have lying around.
Friday 22nd April 2005
I've fitted my lightweight ignition coil bracket back on the engine, so its all reconnected ready to be started over the weekend. I removed over 90 grammes from the weight by driling and filing holes in the steel bracket.
The Dynomax silencer arrived from the USA at the start of last week. Looks fine. I'll have to have a go at fitting it before FITP on May 15th.
I've ordered some 120mm length runners from the states for my home brew inlet manifold. Should be with me in a few weeks. The throttle bodies are 120mm long, so I'll have a combined inlet tract length of 240mm + whatever ram pipes I can find, and the rule with the Zetec engine is the longer the better.
Monday 11th April 2005
Filled the radiator with water and antifreeze mix. Bought a metre of rubber hose from Halfords, to use with the header tank, which is now plumbed in. Started work on the ignition coil bracket, I'm drilling and slotting it, to remove weight, and then I'll paint it when its finished. It weighs 463 grammes in standard (unpainted) form.
Booked the Audi in at the gearbox specialists. They'll need the car for a week.
Sunday 10th April 2005
Drove down to Luton yesterday to let CTS test drive the Audi. They think its a layshaft bearing thats failed/failing, and have quoted me 6.5 hours labour to remove and replace the gearbox, and £180 to overhaul the box, plus the costs of any parts it needs plus the VAT. So I'm looking at £455 + parts + 17.5% tax, which is going to be quite an expensive repair. I'll have a think about it. But it does need doing, and soon.
There are some fascinating fuel injection setups that some Honda owners in the USA are using. I'm now researching Suzuki GSXR 750 and GSXR 1000 throttle bodies, on a home made manifold. It looks such an easy conversion. I'll most likely stick with my Jenveys for the time being, but I'd love to make a manifold and GSXR setup and compare the two for power and torque. Motorbike throttle bodies are very cheap 2nd hand, and the wiring and fuel would be easy to install if you already have a fuel rail, four injectors, and a throttle position sensor.
Refitted the radiator. I've modified the plumbing to cure a small leak that was caused by a badly fitting brass elbow. And I've made a small mod to the header tank feed, to try to get the header to work properly. Just need to refit the ignition coil and the engine should start.
Saturday 9th April 2005
Getting the Audi looked at today to see if we can diagnose the gearbox noise. I've also obtained some jointing compound for the bleed nipples on my HiSpec calipers. The compound will prevent the plated nipples from sticking to the aluminium caliper bodies. The compound is made by PPG Industries, and is called JC5A (also known as Desoto 823E508) corrosion inhibiting compound. It is very toxic according to the COSHH data sheet. Its usually used in aerospace industry, and I've managed to scrounge a thimble full from work.
Thursday 7th April 2005
Ordered a Dynomax silencer for the Fiesta. Its been shipped, so should be with me in a week or so. Been researching info on Manifolds, and found a few leads, suppliers of parts etc.
Monday 4th April 2005
Suspension, brakes, and wheels are now back on, and the XR2 is finally back on her wheels again. Need to get the suspension setup again, but its looking good with the new M14 rod ends fitting nicely to the front subframe.
I've done some research on the inlet manifold/air horns length problems, and theres only really one answer. I can get some U shaped air horns, but they have a 3" lead which means they still wont fit in the 45mm space. Therefore, the answer lies with the inlet manifold. I need to fabricate one with some angled runners, to point the throttle bodies up at around 25-30° which will clear the bulkhead, and point them up towards the windscreen. I need to make two flanges, and source four angled pieces of ally pipe. I can use the inlet manifold gasket as a template for one flange, and use the inlet manifold itself for a template for the flange that the throttle bodies mount on to. I'll get them laser cut for accuracy. Then I need to find four length of pre-bent ally tubing, with a wall thickness of around 5mm, and find someone who can TIG it all together for me. I'll search some more for suppliers of weldable aluminium over the next few days.
I've been reading John Beardmores site (www.beardmorebros.co.uk) regarding exhausts, and John recommends using Walker Dynomax Silencers, as they publish the flow rate so you can calculate which silencer to fit depending on the specification of your engine. As a rule of thumb, for every 1 bhp, the silencer needs to flow 2.2 cfm so as not to restrict the engine. Therefore with 165 bhp, I need a silencer that flows 363 cfm (cubic feet per minute), and the Dynomax website lists many silencers that easily surpass this specification. I've measured the existing Golf GTI back box, which is I believe creating too much back pressure to allow the engine to breath properly, and I'll get one ordered from www.summitracing.com in the United States. Price is anywhere from £35 to £60 depending on the size and type of silencer ordered.
Saturday 2nd April 2005
Fitted the exhaust system back on the car. The back box is very heavy, and I may look at replacing it with something lighter, which would also hopefully improve the sound.
Fitted the wire loom back in the engine bay. Spotted that one of the two wires that goes to the voltage regulator on the alternator had fractured and come free. I've crimped new connectors on the wires, and used heatshrink to prevent this from re-occuring.
Friday 1st April 2005
Refitted the inlet manifold, engine steady bar, and front suspension mounting bracket. I've relocated the steady bar, to the top of the gearbox instead of directly on to the side of the block. This allows me to locate it with an M10 instead of an M8 bolt, which means the rose joint wont rattle now. I've also relocated the earth strap, to tidy things up a little. Just working out now if I can fit an air box, or longer air horns, or even curved air horns to the throttle bodies. I only have 50mm to play with, between the TB's and the front bulkhead. Would I be able to use 90° silicon hoses on the ends of the TB's, so angle the stub stacks up in to the air?
