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No, got to look at each step as an opportunity to upgrade, rather than “scheisse” ;) Hopefully some updates coming soon once the trans is stripped down. |
I'm from Westbury-on-Trym, a sweet liitle village northwest (no, actually Northeast) of Bristol that postwar became a suburb. It was like growing up in Camberwick Green or Penny Lane.... There was a greengrocer, butcher, fish-monger, etc. Lovely place to be a kid and likely still is. We moved from there to Munich in the mid 70's, then back to Bristol for a year before coming to the US. That one year we lived in Clifton**, which is now VERY shi-shi, has always been beautiful with much sandstone Georgian architecture and, of course, Brunel's fanstastic bridge, the Zoo, the posh school.
** We were on the Cotham side of Clifton, more moderate, less toffy. Lots of lovely girls there, some with "that" accent. ("Oi dun knah, Mister 'olmes" said the scullery maid to the great detective. OR, Vicky Pollard! Likely that's the image your GF wants to escape.) So only 11 of my years were spent there; the Greater Bristol area must contain some grittier parts but I'm pretty clueless as to where. I am STAGGERED at the prices of homes there, but that seems to be true of England in general. Must be so daunting to young people. John |
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Not much to update one since last week, I'm afraid.
The transmission is now with the outfit on the Silverstone business park, awaiting a teardown to uncover what's wrong. I have to admit, I thought we'd be further along by now; in my mind this was last Tuesday/Wednesdays job, then to assess and get parts on order. Hoping to hear by the end of play today what the prognosis is. In parallel with this, however, I decided to go all-out and invest in a Guard Transmission "Club" level LSD, along with a billet differential cover. Which I do appreciate, is OTT for a road-only car, but to me it's a nice thing to have for any future owner in case they decide to do standing starts, or put slicks on there. Or both. And it'll serve as a great reminder of what's contained within, every time I jack the car up! I'm hoping that Mr Monson will be able to get that shipped today, so that we can build it into the transmission in a few days time. Can't wait to see it; when checking back through my emails to Matt (Monson), it was back in 2010 that I first reached out to him. This pre-dated me actually buying this car, and reading back through my diatribe, I think it must've coincided with another white 964T I had gone to look at (which the owner dicked me about on)...so...yes, nice to actually get around to buying a toy that I've had my eye on for almost a decade. I've cancelled the dyno day on the 25th - there's no way we can make that. Hoping we can still get to Northampton Motorsport on Friday 1st March though, for an afternoon (and evening?!) session. Will update when I know more...... |
So a few pieces of progress news today.
Firstly, an outstanding effort by Matt Monson in getting the LSD and billet cover plate shipped, it must've been the very second that the wired funds cleared into his bank, and was sent at the end of your public holiday on Monday. It arrived here in Blighty before 10am this morning. Not seen any photos of it yet, it went straight to Fearnsport. Thanks Matt. The transmission specialists have now stripped the gearbox. First findings show that there's axial and radial play on the lay shaft and the pinion shaft, requiring both of the bearings to be replaced that sit in the "tensioning plate". This plate also apparently needs to be replaced to remove the thrust play.....I'm certainly no transmission expert but having watched a few videos of 915 rebuilds, isn't the shim (Item 26 below) that sits behind the tensioning plate used to dial out any end-float? http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...2021.38.01.png If anyone here has experience of this, please let me know asap...a new plate (Item 1) (>$700, likely the same in GBP) is about to be ordered from Germany. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...2021.42.01.png Both the 4-point bearings I think are in UK stock; hoping these are Items 15 and 24...in which case they're the slightly cheaper ones, £307 + VAT & £142 + VAT respectively. Not going to skimp on trying to source pattern parts, genuine all the way for this exercise. Just hoping that the other pair of bearings aren't also needed (#16, #23), they're £427 & £410 respectively! Also, no word yet on condition of the synchros, but I can feel slight notchiness on 2nd-3rd shifts, so am anticipating this will need attention as well. In re-reading back through this thread (I knew it'd come in handy one day), I've also noticed a faux-pas on my behalf. During Build #1, I timed the cams up to 1.36mm at 0.1mm lash, ie., the factory timing of 1.26mm + 0.1mm tolerance they allow. For some reason, on Build #2, I timed to 1.26mm. No idea why, and upon speaking with Chris earlier, this is likely to give a few more top end bhp, but at the sacrifice of low end torque. Moving to 1.36mm will lose me a few hp but for a road build, the additional low down torque will be more appropriate. Fearnsport are re-timing it, while the engine is out. I'm hoping to get up to Silverstone on Monday to watch the transmission being rebuilt - I want to actually eyeball what I've just spent £3k on with the new Guard diff and cover! Besides, I find transmission rebuilds fascinating to watch, having never attempted one myself. |
fresh trans
Seeing what you have been through you will enjoy this part.Get it back on the road.Guards parts are great.Ciao fred
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Small daily update...
The tensioning plate is on order with Porsche Germany, the bearings are on their way already I believe. Thankfully it was just the 2x bearings I hoped for yesterday. Upon speaking with Matt about whether the end-float could be removed by using a different thickness shim, apparently no, it's not just the end float we're fixing here, the plate itself is damaged! How on earth that's happened, I have no idea - some ham-fisted previous owner perhaps? Thankfully it's come in quite a lot cheaper than the $700'ish I investigated the other evening (which by the time you fly parts over here, exchange rate and import fees, usually works out the same number, just in £'s, i.e., £700); it looks to be coming in at just over £400. Two new synchro rings also required, 2nd and 3rd gears...this backs-up my thoughts on it feeling notchy when going between the two. All-in-all, it should feel SIGNIFICANTLY different as a transmission to drive. Cam timing is now reset back to 1.36mm. The ID injectors are removed ready for cleaning next week. Matt is having another go at fixing the persistent exhaust blowing at the header flanges. This is a perennial issue every few weeks, where one of the fixings works its way loose. Time to bin off the copper nuts and go for proper K-nuts. New 044 pump is with Fearnsport, and being fitted as we speak. If the old one does turn out to be ok with a thorough clean, then I'll keep it as a spare. So long as the parts from Germany arrive swiftly, then we should still be ok for the dyno on March 1st. I'm also still planning on going up there on Monday morning to have a look/see. Progress... |
Happy for you Spencer, it’s going well! :)
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Hi Spencer... any new news...??
I hope all is well.... Bob |
Hi Bob....hmm, yes there’s plenty to write up, unfortunately none of it good news, other than the transmission is now rebuilt and ready for installation.
The rest? Well, yet again, wishing I’d never started this stupid project. S |
Fook! I too was hoping that any day it would be "transaxle repaired by top blokes at Silverstone and all now kosher." Please don't do anything rash(!). John
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Augh fug nuts...!!!
Hang in there Spenc...!!! You are soo close to competition AND your build spec is incredible...!! What ever it is you will get thru this too... This is just another bump in the road.... Let me know if I can do anything to help...!! Bob |
Not the morale either for me Spencer, the electrician who looks after my car has gone into depression, I really have no luck, because of it my car gets stuck. Spencer, you have to ignore the bad things and take the positive, that’s what I’m trying to do for me, you have to support yourself, don’t let go! ;)
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Spenny, your saga must have become thick with complexity but hopefully not too dark in spirit? Please let us know when you can break the silence...unless you've gone and joined a monastery? I hope all is well. John
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Hey gang...did you miss me? Lol.
Blimey, there's a fair bit to write up, so will probably do it over the next few evenings. So, the last update I typed was around the transmission, then a hint that "other stuff" wasn't going so well. Let's resume with the transmission..... At the point of getting the news and costs for the transmission rebuild, I thought I had been dealt a "get-out-of-jail" card, so thought it was time for an upgrade. Something that I started researching many years ago (before I even bought this car, and was just hunting for one) was the upgrade to a Guard differential. I dug out an email from 10yrs previous (yes really) that I wrote to Matt Monson, seeking guidance. I bet he had a "WTH??!" moment when he received a reply with a continuing conversation! Chatting through the options with him on the phone, we decided that a Clubsport spec LSD would be perfect for my use case, but me being me, I also decided to order the billet diff cover, as it's not unknown for the stock cast item to shatter, albeit usually under extreme conditions with slick tyres, but anyway, never let these details get in the way of an upgrade purchase. As things were progressing quickly, the transmission was over with the rebuilders, and it absolutely made sense to get the diff installed at the same time rather than doing it later. So we got it expedited from Guard to Fearnsport within a couple of days. Thanks to Matt for sorting that out. I went up to Silverstone a few days later for other reasons (more on that shortly), but snapped a couple of photos of the new toys.... https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...d/IMG_6041.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...d/IMG_6045.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...d/IMG_6046.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...d/IMG_6042.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...d/IMG_6043.jpg I think you'll agree, it does look very nice and "trick". Looking forward to many years of a far more focussed differential, rather than the [as Matt called it] "litigation special" ZF diff that the factory installed. From what I understand, it was nether Porsches nor ZF's finest piece of work, being a very fragile effort and reverting to an open diff if you dared speak to it in a harsh tone. Not cheap to rebuild either. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...d/IMG_6256.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...d/IMG_6255.jpg "G50/52 ZF differential for sale - one careful owner - PM me for details, can ship worldwide" :D Now, the reason I went up to Fearnsport was that Matt had noticed some news-worthy oil traces coming from the underside of the engine, and wanted me there to jointly decide what I wanted him to do. At this point in time, analysis work is going to get underway to fully understand what happened, so I'm not going to elaborate any further. However, what I will say is that rebuild #3 has now been completed. Clearly not a good day but it proved to be the perfect opportunity to do more upgrades! Always make it better than before..... |
If you stretch your collective memory back to a few years ago when rebuild #2 was being done, I didn't actually strip the crankcase again, only the mid and top sections. I kind of always regretted not doing so, it went against my mantra of doing things properly, so I did take this opportunity to ask Matt to completely strip it, re-check crank journals and bearings, as well as being really really sure that my work to clearance the oil pump for the Carillo rods was sufficient.
And then he had a cunning idea. It just so happened that Matt had available to him a factory RSR oil pump, virtually new. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...d/IMG_6092.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...d/IMG_6213.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...d/IMG_6237.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...d/IMG_6238.jpg He also had what he assumed was a GT3 intermediate shaft. The difference with this particular unit is that it’s a single piece, in steel of course; the one I’ve been using is a steel arbour with an aluminium driven gear bolted onto it. Apparently Porsche moved away from this design on the later GT3’s as it had been known that the ally gear had vibrated loose. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...d/IMG_6217.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...d/IMG_6224.jpg Now, the slight unknown, because Matt hadn’t built these items into a 930 derived crankcase before, was whether the pump and I.S. would line up correctly with the I.S. drive gear on the stock 964 Turbo crank. A few minutes spent mocking it up, and it worked just fine! The only mods needed were to clearance a couple of the ribs on the inside of the crankcase for the pump to sit in there. At this point, Matt went a-delving through the PET to find exactly which model GT3 used the part we had in our hands….hah…it turns out it’s no common-or-garden GT3 or even GT3RS…or even GT3RS 4.0….it’s a GT3 Cup car item, only listed in their Motorsport catalogue! Of course, you fit the shaft and its drive gear as a gear pair, so the old distributor worm drive gear was removed, new I.S drive gear fitted, and the corresponding ally spacer slipped on. The crank journals were measured by one of the nearby F1/WEC supplying manufacturers, and were all in tolerance, so a new set of genuine Porsche shells ordered and fitted. Read:"reassuringly expensive". In fact, Matt will only use genuine Porsche part numbered parts, be that bearings, gaskets sets, fasteners. So, I now have something akin to a “Works” bottom end…apart from the crank of course…. |
We did discuss boat-tailing the crankcase webs, but like me, he’s not a fan and would rather leave the material in the castings. Besides, with an oil pump with dual suction pickups, it should scavenge far harder than a stock pump, therefore oil windage becomes less of an issue.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...2-13-52-46.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...2-13-52-45.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...-52-45%204.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...-52-45%203.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...-52-45%202.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...2-13-52-41.jpg And then being built up.... https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...65851dba5b.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...d35cbdcaa5.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...5af608b948.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...98614d0ab8.jpg That’s about as much as I want to go into. A little bit of a hiatus while the guys needed to focus on another long-standing F40 project, then back onto mine through to the end. Apart from a starter motor hiccup (a loose screw meant that it wasn’t throwing out correctly), the engine and transmission went back in without a hitch a fortnight ago today. For the time being – and perhaps for good – we’ve removed the water cooling circuit. Priority has to be with getting it running in the most straightforward fashion, minimising the variables. A shame – it cost a decent chunk of money to build that, and I invested a lot of time, but right now, I just want a working car to enjoy. Maybe a project to revisit another time. Maybe. |
Next instalment….
A plan was hatched to go and collect the car on Friday 14th, but I was very keen to get the guys from Northampton Motorsport along at the same time, to ensure that the calibration we have in the Syvecs was set up correctly for this rebuild. There were a few differences this time around, so we needed to make sure we had a map that was suitably accommodating. The grand plan was for me to travel up to Northampton by train after working in London on Thursday, stay overnight up there, meet up with Chris (Northampton Motorsport) on Friday morning to drive down to Fearnsport. Along with my suitcase full of tools (not kidding). Matt had let us know that it turns over nicely, great oil pressure but not firing into life. If all went well, then my plan was to drive the car home that day. I think Matt was a little shocked, and reluctant, about letting me do this, haha. As mentioned, initially there was no firing up of the engine, but after a few mins of head-scratching, a SW edit to change the phase of the cam position sensor was all that was needed. Boom! Into life for a few seconds before killing it and checking for leaks. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hxpEdKum-PA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> A few more of these cycles built our confidence. Next job was for me and Chris to go for a drive in the surrounding area (not the race track...), and refine the calibration to enhance driveability. Another check, a small oil leak identified but quickly fixed by Matt and Matt….. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...7E54C70480.jpg ….before another drive out. Chris has essentially wound back the ignition advance, limited the boost to 0.2bar and ensured fuelling was safe. Apart from that, not a lot else was required. After a third jaunt out for me, solo to check that the leak had been rectified, Matt was suitably assured with the numerous visual and spanner checks he did throughout the morning, to send me on my way. My journey was down the M1, the M25 and the M2; for those not familiar with the UK, they’re three of the UK’s busiest roads, especially on a Friday afternoon! Bahh, no problems! I had Yoda as my co-pilot, what could possibly go wrong? (not a trick question) https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...787884C56C.jpg A quick diversion cross-country to drive through my Grandparents village in Hertfordshire…. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...d/IMG_6679.jpg …..and usefully cutting off a snarled corner of motorways intersecting, and I was well on my way. In total, 195 miles and 4.5 hours of running. And it didn’t miss a beat. A few more updates in a couple of days, bit busy until then. |
TYVM Spence for the very positive update of progress so far...
Fingers crossed for the next installment(s) to also be without any issues... Baby steps now... Run w/o water inj and shake her down to get and make all sub systems “ a o k “. Enjoy her back on the road...!! You deserve an amazing and awesome summer of trouble free use... Lets all hope for such... Take care... Bob |
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The water circuit was actually for turbo cooling rather than water injection, but indeed, K.I.S.S. applies at the moment. |
Ok, a little bit of a hiccup on the project last week; because I'm not now running the water cooling circuit, the control loom for the pump/temp sensor/etc was surplus to requirements, and had been tucked up through the back of the centre console where a storage "bin" usually fits. Therefore, strange noises, fumes and draft come up through it. In addition, I had deliberately run the fuel tank as low as I dare, so I could remove the second 044 pump we fitted in a bid to get rid of a strange cavitating/vibration noise from the front pump which was annoyingly loud in the cabin.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YkNHhaypKOw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> The plan was to refit the CIS pump from 8yrs ago, so long as it worked fine and hadn't seized with any remnant fuel doing what fuel does after a long period. Some testing on a few litres of super unleaded proved it was just fine.... <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qudaak3tBCY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> However.....after removing the passenger seat to remove the section of wiring harness, I thought "ah what the hell, the weathers lovely, I'm going over to Rachels house, I'll put some more fuel in and use the Porsche"....well, you would, wouldn't you. So, seat back in, the small qty of fuel I bought for testing was put into the tank (after checking for any obvious particles in the jug, of course) and I drove 100yds down the road to my local fuel station. Just a little family run affair (important point). £20 more of SUL into the tank and I was off. Except the car felt like a bag of spanners and my heart sank. Maybe I'd fouled a plug with the 2 starts earlier in the day, to move the car around? I gave it 5-6 miles before deciding to turn back. Not plugs. Had I messed something up with removing the harness? A feed to a bank of coils perhaps? Or water in the fuel? (seen that before on a mates car in the middle of rural France)....or was this something far more serious; broken rocker shaft....cam timing slip...holed piston....? Circling back to the fuel station to ask about possible water in their tanks, and a quick printout showed 0% for all 6 underground tanks, but the attendant did say that the reason their price for SUL was so high (25% more than other stations) was because they just don't sell enough to give them buying power. Huh. Soooo.....when they do occasionally buy in the SUL, I guess they're topping off fuel that has potentially gone stale? The next day I replaced the harness exactly as it was (not a simple plug/socket, but some spliced-in +Ve feeds for relay power). The next test drive was even worse, with proper popping and banging, not just a missing cylinder sensation. Uh-oh....well...not the wiring I guess. Time to completely drain the £25 of SUL from the tank, do the CIS pump swap, refill with known good fuel (99RON) and re-try. And hope. Now, on the fuel pump side of things, I needed to buy a new tank>pump hose; or rather, another hose, as I bought one a few years ago that I chopped in order to feed the 044 pump via a banjo fitting.... https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...d/IMG_6858.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...d/IMG_6857.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...d/IMG_6859.jpg And then it dawned on me….is it possible that 044’s don’t like banjo fittings on the inlet side, and the fuel flow that happens with them? Was this the noise I’m hearing? The CIS pump has an integrated fuel inlet, not a screw-in fitting requirement. However, the surface area of the 4x banjo bolt holes should’ve been ample for the pump feed….I think…Anyway, a few hours later, new hose on the tank, CIS pump back on and the -6 banjo on the outlet side feeding the engine. New fuel in there and magically the misfiring has disappeared. Cue the elated-car-driving-and-jigging. Most of the cavitating noise has gone, its certainly a lot quieter (and now tolerable) but not gone entirely, which is still baffling me. The CIS pump from factory feeds into a banjo fitting that in turn feeds the injection distributor, so it’s not like I’ve swapped from a straight fitting to a banjo on the outlet…. Oh well….lesson learnt….don’t use my local fuel station again with their sub-standard 97RON fuel. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been a problem in a few weeks time, once the proper calibration has been put into the ECU. I’m wondering whether the REALLY conservative ignition advance curves that I’m running aren’t aggressive enough to burn the lower grade, perhaps slightly stale fuel? |
Glad you're mobile again. What a journey. Seems like you've dound the right shop in Fearnsport. Good thing you didn't run away to join the monastery, or circus. John
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Spencer
I just read through all 60 pages of ups and downs and have to say I am thoroughly impressed with your tenacity. Most mere mortal men would given up long ago. Your saga is a great motivator to us all. I have my 3.0 SC engine on the stand after a rebuild and I've been wanting to replace the blue Victor Reinz case bolt orings with the proper green ones. I have the green orings and the oring lube recommended by Henry at Supertec but I've been dreading this as I hate doing the same thing twice but after reading through your journey it has made my task look like child's play so I'm on my way out to my shop to get cracking on it. Thank you for the inspiration. I hope all of the faceless people who've been following this over the years in the shadows will let Spencer know how much we're rooting for him to have the car of his dreams in perfect order. Let him know how inspiring he is and that you're here to help him get through the rough patches if only with moral support. Thanks for documenting this journey and allowing us to share it with you and know there are many many of us pulling for you even though we've been quiet mostly. Hopefully some more people will come out of the shadows with words of encouragement. Thanks again Tony Moore |
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Funnily enough, the circus was in town last weekend, we *almost* did go to it, for old-time sake and for a giggle. BBQ was more tempting, as we had somewhat of a heatwave over the weekend. |
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Great to have you along! Sincerely, thank you for taking the time to read through the whole saga and for your very kind comments. I'm aware now that this is one helluva long read; I'm considering splitting it into 3 episodes, the first will be known as Episode 4 and will have a rolling opening sequence with the story-thus-far, lol. Yes, there certainly are a lot of folk keeping tabs on the project and checking in. That's great, I don't expect everyone (anyone) to put finger to keyboard to type replies. There are a good number of regulars who do check-in, and I'm so grateful for their continued support, both on this forum and behind the scenes. I was telling a colleague this morning that I have made so many new friends through this build, something I'd never have thought at the beginning. There's obviously Chris at TK, John C our Moderator in NY, Costa in Sth Africa, Kevin in CA, John the UK ex-pat, Pat in scorching France, Jesper in Sweden, plus others who drop in occasionally. All good stuff. My debate now is, do I keep this thread going to document the chassis refurb's and upgrades that are coming soon? Or am I likely to get shouted at for going off piste with an "Engine Forum" topic? Happy to keep going if you guys are..... |
I say keep the story going here...
AND YES PLEASE KEEP THE STORY/JOURNEY GOING SO WE CAN FOLLOW ALONG AND HOPEFULLY HELP IN SOME WAY(S)... At least for me, when a thread like this "splinters', many followers/supporters get lost and the conclusion aka journey is never quite understood as to how it all worked out... |
You betcha.I think its a great read lots of twists and turns and would like to read the next chapter that has your happy ending.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk |
Cheers 🍻 mate!
You are an inspiration both for new DIYers and seasoned p-car builders 😊 Please keep posting and motivating the rest of us... |
Keep it going mate
Tony |
Hi Spencer, super happy to reread you here and me too, I want to read the sequel and happy ending here of your project, to the end!
:) Patrice |
Including your build.Haha
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Spenny...do keep this thread going! This is a go to thread on your progress of your car. You have been through a lot and have done a great job keep us posted. But if you want to start another thread then hop over to the 930/911 Turbo forum.
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Spencer, congrats on being back on the road!
Always love your updates. Thanks for posting. Best wishes as you get it dialed in! |
Hey Guys!!
At last, some good....no...GREAT news!! Ok, now the spoiler alert's done, time for a full update whilst I'm sitting in yet another hotel room. So, where to start? I guess we'll resume with a quick recap. The car was running very well indeed considering it was on an adjusted calibration from the failed dyno run on Engine build #2 in November '18. A little trigger-like on the throttle, perhaps a little coarse at the very low revs (e.g. when at slow speeds pulling into or out of a junction, or over speed bumps in the road). It was certainly “liking a drink”, and the tail pipes were very sooty. But it couldn't have been too bad, as I put on over 1,000 miles in the last month since collecting her from Fearnsport, Rachel and I (and Lucy) enjoying some very nice days out to Brands Hatch amongst other venues. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...t/IMG_6872.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...t/IMG_6873.jpg About midway through that 1k miles, it was agreed that an oil and filter change was due. Out comes the Mobil 1, and in goes some Millers CFS Nano Tech +, which having spoken to the Millers techs has 1000ppm of zinc, just right for our flat tappet engines. The guy I spoke to must've been asked this dozens of times, he was very clued up on what was required. Now, at this point I did almost have another heart attack! I was seeing metallic particles in the oil, very very fine. I did the usual thing and opened the filter and also found metal in the elements. After showing Matt some photos and videos, and chatting it through with him, it was decided to refill, fit new filter (obvs) and go again. We had previously agreed that the day before dyno-day (Tues 16th) I was going to go to Fearnsport for a healthcheck anyway. Now, the plan was to do an oil check as well, and make a decision as to whether the car stays with Fearnsport for further investigation, or if it's clear, then continue with more checks and proceed with the dyno session. When thinking about this, I never did see the oil that came out of engine build #1 5yrs ago, when it was in the engine dyno cell. The oil system was on an "life support" system with additional filtration. That was the only other time that it ran with brand new shells, bearings, etc. With Engine #2, sure I opened up filters but by then the internals had well and truly bedded in (apart from cylinders and pistons of course)...so perhaps not unusual for there to be metal in there, but it was certainly alarming! Thankfully, after arriving up to Silverstone on Monday morning for opening time (and dealing with the bedlam of F1 fans leaving the campsites after the previous days GP) we did our oil checks and found clear oil. Multiple small quantity drain-offs from the crankcase and turbo catch tank into clear containers and lots of light, showed no metallic particles at all. I should also point out that the engine sounded absolutely spot-on at this point, no death rattles that would accompany any serious issues. Clearly if it wasn't sounding sweet, then I'd have not driven it. Next test was to do leak-down tests from the lower plug holes. A very satisfying 1.5%-2% on each cylinder. However, in the process of removing the plugs we found one with a split ceramic section. Unusual, but I think it may have been self-inflicted. When I was running Engine #1, with the Denso CoP’s, the tips of the plugs needed removing. The Denso coils grip on the plug tip threads. The Ford coils don’t, they need the tips on the plug tops. I couldn’t find all of the tips – no idea where they’ve gone, but I found some from other plugs. I remember one of them being a little tight, and in fitting it back on I reckon I might’ve twisted the core and fractured the ceramic. Under the heat of the engine it’s likely busted it open. So, a new set of 6 NGK’s installed in the lower positions. General inspection complete and it’s time to get it 15miles up the road to Northampton Motorsport ready for the morning. I stayed the night in a hotel so I could get an early start on Tuesday morning, removing the rear bumper and lights to avoid any heat damage. It really is a PITA job, but one I’ve got faster at. |
My session was booked in for a 1pm start, so after the bumper came off I decided to also check the top 6 plugs, “just in case”. Not the easiest job but all was good.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...t/IMG_7090.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...FE837989C6.jpg Car strapped down and everything just-so, it was time to fire up the old girl, and for Troy to starting examining the calibration and make some changes. A good number of light runs, checking driveability and making sure everything’s good before then doing some power runs. I should point out that we had a few very nice days of weather, ambient outside temps were mid to high 20’s, whereas the dyno room was up to 30 degs after some light runs and idling. Their doors have to remain shut for noise reasons, so it gets pretty hot in there despite having a pair of big ventilation fans/ducts piping in fresh air. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...A05B7FEEFF.jpg The initial power runs were done using high boost but very conservative ignition settings. As a safety measure, Troy then hooked up another knock sensor, a third one in addition to the two on the engine. Some time spent teaching the Syvecs what is noise versus what it needs to listen out for (i.e., profiling) was then done before going again for some power runs. A quick consultation with “our man in AZ” (thanks Chris!) to get an independent view on the ignition window that we should be expecting, and it absolutely confirmed what Troy was seeing, and was consistent with what he’d done before on a 993 GT Evo. One of the first full boost power runs, albeit I think this was with conservative ignition advance, so just under the 500hp mark iirc.>> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CJgLy0jUfKg" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> A later full boost power run, 1.4bar with full ignition advance, 530hp and a discrete nod of approval from Troy, lol >> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/znIPi4zr-Lw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> Long story short, we made 529.7hp (corrected) at the crank, with 500lb/ft of torque @ 1.4bar and 30ºC ambient. Troy was happy with this, and reluctant to push further on the basis that he wanted this to be a VERY safe tune, not a hint of knock and with plenty of safety margin in there to accommodate “something” potentially failing later down the line. Matt at Fearnsport said all along “Spence, this is a solid 530hp build”, and so I was happy to agree with the plan, although I can’t deny I was hoping for more than Engine #1 (which made 544hp), so a little underwhelmed (keep reading… ;) ). BUT…far more important that we have a successful day, no dramas and something that I can enjoy. Let’s remind ourselves of the M.O. from the very first post in this thread – nothing bleeding-edge or risky, and it’s a road-going hotrod. Two further maps programmed in, one for 0.7bar and a middle tune for 1.0bar. A road test later with Troy sat in the passenger seat with laptop. I was driving along a stretch of dual carriageway out of town, nail the throttle and then question Troy with “is this running 1.4bar?”. I think he was busy doing other tweaks at the time, and gave me a “yep, it is” reply. Hmmmm. Now I’m underwhelmed. It’s certainly smooth….very smooth, way better than the running in map….but it’s not feeling like 530hp. I know we’re heavy, two passengers, a frunk full of tools and “stuff”, but even so. By my reckoning it should feel similar to my M5…..that’s 562hp officially, although always reckon to come in at about 580hp and of course heavier. Similar power-to-weight, Shirley? My arse-dyno is either letting me down or…. I leave the car in the Northampton Motorsports workshops, as there’s no time left to refit the bumper and drive home. Frankly, I wasn’t feeling like driving 3.5hrs back either, far too tired. Another night in a hotel, then resume in the morning and get home during the day. Once in my room, Costa and I had a video call, and I think he could tell I was a little disappointed. On the other hand, there’s no significant changes in the build that SHOULD’VE justified another 40-50hp….better injectors, steel rods, better oil pump, better intermediate shaft and lot better management system, but no improvements in gas flow or thermal management, so why would I expect to get more bhp?! In fact, slightly lower CR this time around....so I think that the 14hp delta between Engine #1 (5yrs ago) and Engine #3 last week can probably be explained thus: 1) Different testing facility, therefore different calibration 2) The engine was in an engine dyno cell…out of the chassis….lots of cold fed air in the room and a shroud atop the intercooler with force fed air evenly cooling it. The rolling road was at an ambient of 30degs at best. 3) Rolling road versus crank attached dyno, therefore calculating transmission/drivetrain loss on the rollers is just that, a calculation. But, the engine dyno isn’t at all representative of the real-world, especially with our engines, their extreme heat build up and the out-of-the-airflow installation location. So…530hp. Troy did say “we’re not a “Quote-You-Happy” dyno facility, no BS numbers, it is what it is”. |
The next day I head back to NMS to refit the bumper and lights; Their first customer of the day? None other than Francis Tuthill himself….
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...t/IMG_7106.jpg ….with a very nice 356 that had just come back from the London > Peking rally. There’s a funny story that Mr Tuthill was telling us, which I won’t go into detail on here, suffice to say that he wanted this latest engine dyno checked to see how strong it was, after he was flown out to St Petersburg with suitcases full of new engine, to build and install out there so they could finish the rally! https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...t/IMG_7108.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...t/IMG_7107.jpg In a similar vein, later on this rolls in…. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l6E6cZqYwak" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> Gary Pearson (historic racing driver of note, and apparently thoroughly nice chap) driving a Ferrari 250 GTO for dyno tuning. T’was a gorgeous sight…they certainly get some serious toys to play with at Northampton Motorsport! Time for me to get on my way back home. Midday traffic was moving but very busy. Certainly no opportunity to give the car some welly until half way home. A short stretch of tunnel on the M25 and I had a decent gap in front of me and 3rd gear at the ready. Hmmm, brisk but not other-worldly fast. Noisy? Yup, definitely lots of noise and bluster. Another longer stretch of empty road closer to home, and again I’m left wondering where the ponies have gone. I then decide to play around with the boost setting switch, not expecting anything great, in fact my thought process was along the lines of “if this is what 1.4bar feels like, how crap is 0.7 bar going to feel?”. So I try it. And then almost fall out the car in fits of laughter! There was a Mini about 400yds ahead of me on one of the fairly narrow lanes. I almost remodelled it’s rear end! It was just silly bonkers fast. Like, proper scary quick. When I asked Troy which setting we were in, he must’ve been focussed on something else and answered me to shut me up (we were doing traction control calibration at the time). I arrived home both giggling and trembling. Rachel and I used the car a lot over this last weekend, and although it spent most of the time in 0.7bar mode, I did wind it up a few times with 1.4bar to overtake a few dawdling cars…maybe they weren’t dawdling, I don’t know…She was certainly screaming for mercy. Once I dropped her back home and drove it back to my house alone, I did have a play on my favourite, well known roads. Country lanes plus 4 miles of motorway with some wide fast sweeping A-roads as well. JESUS CHRIST it really is mental quick, in fact, I’ve now turned it down to 1.0bar as it’s just too much to hang onto at the moment. Needs the suspension sorted out and I really don’t want to be pulling it out from a hedge. I’m not so sure that even with the suspension sorted it’d be a good idea to use 1.4bar on anything other than motorways/autobahns. Am I underwhelmed now? Haha, not a chance! Do I want any more power, to chase the 600’s? Nope, no way does anyone need more than this (on Britains roads at least). The way the boost comes in, it’s like lighting a touch paper. The rear end squats to the point where it must be on its bump stops and the hood shoots for the sky like Apollo 11…you can’t safely deploy it in most instances, IMO….but it is funny. |
Other observations…..the differential has made a huge difference. Whilst running-in, I suddenly realised that this car was actually handling really sweetly. I was starting to think that the “geo fairies” had snuck in and done a chassis setup on my car, lol! Of course, all my focus was on the engine at the time, I’d “forgotten” about the Guard diff being built into the transmission. The difference is just brilliant, the car now seems to pivot around my backside, feels so much more alive (but not twitchy and scary, at all). Braking is very stable, and no longer do I feel like I’m hanging onto a bucking bronco when trying to press-on.
The front fuel pump is still noisy as hell….but I now know what it is. The front output adapter you get with each pump has a spring loaded ball to prevent fuel draining back from the CIS system to the tank (I've no idea how this would actually happen, with the fuel sitting above the fuel pump, and gravity feeding it into the pump...?). At present I don’t have a replacement banjo or 90deg elbow to test it with, but to prove my theory I've drilled out the plastic insert of the adapter and removed the spring/ball. The stock "cap" fits back on to secure the banjo fitting, per stock fitment. I'll get onto this tomorrow evening. The traction control works nicely, although a small wiring change is required to enable all 12 settings; from what I understand, the 12v feed is wrong, meaning we can't select anything other than a single setting. Should be an easy change, and we have a good datum setting in there to catch any wheelspin (as tested in Northampton, heh-heh) Some dialling in of the eGas throttle body also needed; we've made some significant changes to the parameters for this unit, a "filter" setting in the S-Cal s/w and some increase to the damping function, essentially slowing down how quickly you can go from full closed to full open. It was set to max (hence it felt a little like a trigger), to a very damped setting, but this still means a max of 0.5 sec from closed to open! The problem is that we seem to have introduced a "hysteresis" condition, where on cold idle and warm idle after a shutdown the engine hunts up and down, sometimes stalling. One of those really annoying issues to fine tune but one that we'll get on top of with a remote connection from Northampton to the car. Troy has also accommodated the UK MoT emissions test requirement. He has the same gas analyser as used by MoT stations in the dyno cell. Thirty minutes spent adding the correct settings to the (very targeted) engine speed, and that should now ensure it gets through the test legitimately. Time to go and enjoy the car with this glorious UK summer! |
Some graphs - not the best quality, just photos of the printouts - I'll scan them in tomorrow and re-upload.....
Power >> https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...t/IMG_7146.jpg Torque >> https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...t/IMG_7147.jpg |
Very nice! Glad to see your car is up and running good!:)
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