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Post by boggissimo on Jun 4, 2024 13:47:20 GMT
I am deliberately using an older laptop because the tuning software is basically 20 years old and so is the ECU design...but a new cable has worked! Started up, checked and adjusted the timing to match the physical reality, and went for a drive :-) Need to work out why Tunerstudio isn't reading the AFR from the wideband.
Also popped in for a chat with one of the chaps from the Morgan garage down the road about the oil burning. He's never tried using solvents/snake oil to release stuck piston rings, and agreed that it's best to try the simpler things first and see if they help - check if there are blockages/malfunctions in the crankcase ventilation system, replace the valve stem seals, and if neither of those work then chuck the spare engine in!
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Post by boggissimo on Jun 11, 2024 14:55:35 GMT
Did a bit more fiddling with the ECU stuff. The AFR gauge/controller was reading the AFR, but it wasn't showing up in Tunerstudio. No AFR reading means no point trying to improve the tune, so I swapped the AEM gauge for a Spartan 2 wideband controller, in case the gauge was duff (as atlex keeps telling me it is). Didn't get an AFR signal from that either, so I emailed the chap who makes the ECUs at EFIextra, and he said I should use the 'options' plug to give the lambda signal to the ECU and make the signal ground at the ECU too. Spent some time rerouting wires etc last night and fired it up, and the AFR signal is there in Tunerstudio now :-) Will see what I can tweak to improve the map before a sprint on Sunday! |
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Post by boggissimo on Sept 18, 2024 16:20:15 GMT
Most of my updates over the summer have been in the 'What have you done...' thread, so just putting them together here for posterity. 2 Jul 2024
Started trying to free up the piston rings with solvent, a la atlex. Got 5 litres of paint thinners (mostly toluene) and have chucked a couple of ~200ml doses through already, cylinder 3 it all went through in 10 minutes, so that's my main suspect at the moment - the others were all slower to drain through, suggesting the rings are sealing better in 1, 2 and 4.
22 Jul 2024
I chucked a few litres of thinners through the cylinders, including a bit of air pressure to help it squeeze past, and it seems to have improved slightly but it's still bad. I thrashed it at a sprint over the weekend and it was like the red arrows leaving a smoke trail. It smokes most at startup after sitting, and then on full throttle, doesn't puff out on deceleration and isn't really visible at idle after the initial oil has blown out. I really don't think bad valve stem seals would flow enough oil to make that amount of smoke at full throttle, so think it must be the oil control rings.
I have heard that it is possible to get the sump off with the engine still in the car if you drop the gearbox, anyone done this? A couple of weeks working on my back under the car doesn't sound great. I don't see that it would be any better of a job to pull the gearbox back, drop the sump and get the rotating assembly out from underneath than it would be just to take the engine out altogether, which means I might as well sort out and fit the spare engine instead.
Obvs it's an unknown used engine so might have its own issues, hence I will probably start rebuilding it will some clean and fresh bits. The spare one is an NB 1.6 so has a few differences but I'm planning to just pretend it's an NA and swap in the inlet camshaft with the CAS notch. Any other things I should look out for with the NB into NA 1.6 swap?
6 Aug 2024
After the weekend at Gurston Down, where everyone kept asking if I was pretending to be James Bond with a smokescreen, I've decided I should stop faffing and get the spare NB 1.6 engine in. I've ordered parts for doing the cam belt etc and will start taking it apart later. Only have this week and weekend, plus the first week of September to do it as I'm entered for the Hethel sprint on 8 Sept...
7 Aug 2024
Stripped off the intake/exhaust, timing covers and miscellaneous wiring connections I won't need in the NA car. Front main seal looks good, a bit oily round the back, but will clean it up and see whether it's come from above or below. Going to take the sump off and fit an oil baffle thing, and check out the rotating assembly while I'm there. Will probably also take the head off and do the valve stem seals, to avoid any future issues.
Failed to get the pulley off the front of the alternator to go with all flat belts, is there a way to stop it from rotating while you undo the big front bolt? 9 Aug 2024
More oily work, got the sump off and it all looks OK (coated in treacle but no metal bits), won the fight with the rear main seal and replaced it last night.
The pistons are predictably carbonised, will be taking them out and checking them over properly in case there are any ring issues, and also checking the main bearings. Then start cleaning and putting the bottom end back together. I don't really want to replace much unless it's too worn to re-use, as it's not going to be a big power build or anything, just a sound engine to play with. 2 Sep 2024
I've pulled out of the Hethel sprint in order to focus on rebuilding the spare engine and trying to get it fitted before going to Llandow and Pembrey on 14/15 Sept. Before I went away I stripped off the head, took the sump off and pulled out the crank and pistons. All looks pretty good in there, no major wear and the bores look OK too. Will clean it up, fit new bearing shells and put it back together! 10 Sep 2024 I got the bottom end back together over the weekend, fitted it and sealed up the sump. Then I did the valve stem seals on the head (the worst job, those little batsrad collets just have a mind of their own)...and came back to the garage the next day to find two new seals still in the packet, so had to do that pair again  The NB intake cam doesn't have the notch at the back for the NA CAS, so I took the NA cam off the car and fitted it last night. Then one of the cam cap bolts snapped, which gave me half an hour of worry but I managed to drill enough of it to accept one of those bolt remover things and it unscrewed OK. Took the thermostat neck blanking plate off the engine in the car and then had a frustrating time fitting/refitting/fitting the timing cover under the cam pulleys along with the new water pump, then got all the timing stuff together. I'm using the NA crank pulley setup so that I can keep the NA alternator and power steering setup as that's what the wiring in the car is setup for. I set the crank pulley to the correct torque with one of the Jass locking plate things, and when I took it off the little dowel/lug from the outer pulley fell off, so will have to scavenge one off the other dead engine later. Then will start pulling the smoky engine out tonight! 16 Sep 2024 Well I was out in the garage every night last week trying to get the swap done in time to go to Wales for the weekend, which ultimately ended in failure. I finished up the main bits on the spare engine on Weds and then set about taking the oily one out. Thought it would be easiest to take the head off the one in the car and lift it out along with the intake manifold, as that is a real pain to access and undo while on the car. Once that was out I transferred the coolant reroute bits to the new head, which didn't turn out to be that hard. Then I undid most of the bellhousing bolts and starter motor, put the head back on and lifted the engine out.
 I took off the (real) oil pressure sender and put it on the NB block (the NB only has a switch that warns of low pressure, not a proper reading), which meant removing the knock sensor from the NB. I might put the knock sensor back later but it couldn't stay where it was as the oil pressure sender is quite fat. Also moved the NB engine off the engine stand so I could fit the clutch and lightened flywheel (from Skidnation here) - the new flywheel is 4.9 kg but didn't feel much lighter than the stock 1.6 flywheel to me. This is the same size as on the 1.8 so maybe the OEM 1.8 is heavier than the 1.6, and then a lightened 1.8 flywheel might be similar to the OEM 1.6? Then it was ready to go in the car. I have limited garage space and the engine crane doesn't have quite a long enough arm to drop it directly down into place, so I have to tilt it down at the back and get it to slide in while it gently descends into the hole. Getting the engine mounts to go into the holes in the body while lining up correctly with the gearbox is a bit tricky, and it took a fair bit of grunting and moving things up/down to get it all in properly. Before getting carried away I put the car in gear and checked that turning the engine turned the wheels, and then started doing up the bellhousing bolts etc.  Once I'd refitted the exhaust and intake, the CAS and all the hoses and cables, it was late on Friday night. I reconnected the battery and started it up, and it sounded like a tractor, with exhaust gases shooting out from behind the manifold! Did it up tighter, still the same. Then I took the manifold off and realised I had trapped the bracket for the coolant pipe behind the manifold, it should hook over the bolt after the manifold is put on there. Dangers of working too late in the garage! After that it sounded more normal and started and ran up to temperature OK. Given the trouble I had last time I swapped the engine, I thought I'd check the gearbox/clutch was all working while all four wheels were off the ground. The clutch pedal felt quite stiff with more resistance than I had before, and I hoped that was because of the new clutch....but it wasn't. It won't go into gear easily from neutral, and the wheels still turn with the car in gear and pedal fully down, so the clutch is basically not doing anything. I went to bed and tried bleeding the clutch first thing Saturday, but it didn't make any difference, so I called off the trip to Wales and took a break to enjoy some bonus family time instead, plus a few beers. Already started prepping the NB gearbox to go in, and to drop the NA box out - it has always been tricky to shift quickly from 2nd to 3rd when trying to go fast on track, so maybe this spare one will be better.
Next time I change an engine, I'll get the gearbox attached outside the car and put the whole lot in together!
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Post by boggissimo on Sept 19, 2024 12:31:28 GMT
Back at it Tues/Weds nights to get the gearbox out. Undid the last of the bellhousing bolts, got the prop shaft off, undid the PPF front bolts, took out the exhaust (again) and the heatshield in the transmission tunnel.
The metal plate between the engine and gearbox had got chewed up so I also had to take the clutch and flywheel off to replace it with a cleaned up one off my original dead engine. There was a huge amount of oil behind it, presumably from the rear main seal, which might have been why that engine was starved of oil and seized (still haven't taken it apart to find out!). Will fit a new rear oil seal to the spare NB box tonight and clean it up a bit, then try putting it back in. Not looking forward to that!
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Post by boggissimo on Sept 24, 2024 8:51:25 GMT
I managed to get the gearbox in on Thursday night, and did a few of the bolts up to make sure it wasn't going anywhere. I had missed out changing over one of the temperature sensors on the coolant reroute block, so had to undo the little blanking plug and get the sensor in - it has the fan switch on one side and the temperature sensor for the ECU signal on the other. Could do with tidying up the wiring a bit but it works for now.
Then last night I was back at it and did the rest of the bellhousing bolts up properly. The coolant reroute makes it harder to get at the top bolt on the drivers side, and the starter motor, but I got there in the end. Refitted the PPF bolts and the electrical connections, speedo cable, and prop shaft (with some extra grease on the plate where it meets the diff to prevent it rusting on like before). Checked that rotating the engine moved the wheels when in gear, then put the exhaust manifold back on, and the CAS.
So tonight I need to fill the gearbox with fresh oil, bleed the clutch and see if it works this time! I had a little check on the clutch pedal and it felt the same as last week, so I'm not entirely optimistic...
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Post by boggissimo on Sept 27, 2024 10:12:47 GMT
After a couple of fruitless nights trying to work out what was wrong, I sent Skidnation an email to ask if they had any suggestions. I also went and bought a stock 1.6 clutch kit in case I had to take the gearbox off again and my worst fears of the Skidnation clutch being incompatible/faulty were realised. They asked me to check I had the clutch plate in the right way round - I checked so many times after having put it in wrong a couple of years ago, but there was still a nagging doubt as I didn't take a photo to prove it to myself, so I took the fork boot off to try to look inside, but couldn't really see anything. The release bearing was in the right place and moving with the boot, but I couldn't see inside the fingers to the friction plate. Their other advice was to adjust the clutch pedal travel/height, and they sent me the instructions from Flyin Miata ( PDF here), which I had used previously as well. I didn't think it would make any difference, and didn't enjoy contorting myself under the dash to make the adjustments, but with a few turns of the rod extended it was definitely better. A few turns more and the clutch was working! Slightly annoying that I could have done this a couple of weeks ago before taking the gearbox off but probably better not to have rushed off to Wales and break something else anyway. I struggled to get the IRP short shifter into the turret (the holes in the NB box are the opposite way round to the NA), so I threw in the old original gearstick and will work out the IRP shifter another time. I put the Rainsports on and put the bonnet back on, and put it back on the ground. Ready to give it a less-than-gentle running in with a sprint at Goodwood tomorrow! |
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Post by dadbif on Sept 28, 2024 7:29:10 GMT
Pity they didn’t mention the need to adjust the pedal stroke in their literature, could have saved you a bit of time…
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Post by boggissimo on Sept 30, 2024 14:36:32 GMT
Pity they didn’t mention the need to adjust the pedal stroke in their literature, could have saved you a bit of time… Yeah, they are going to from now on. TBH I should have thought of it, I tried it when I last fitted a new clutch that was stuck.
Anyway, all good now and had a great trip to/from Goodwood and the car was all good on track. A bit of a blow on the exhaust somewhere but no other issues  |
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Post by boggissimo on Oct 1, 2024 9:55:34 GMT
Had another go at fitting the IRP short shifter last night, and succeeded. Turns out the little nylon cup on the bottom of the IRP shifter was slightly bigger than the one on my stock shifter, so I swapped it over and then it went in fine.
Also checked the timing again - I marked the position of the CAS so that I could put it back in the same place, and the engine is running at ~14 degrees before TDC, as I had it previously. The only odd thing is that the idle seems to be sitting quite high, about 1100 rpm, and the adjustment screw won't go any further to make it lower. I had taken the throttle position sensor off to work out about using a variable TPS so I'm wondering if I put it back in slightly the wrong angle so there's a bit of throttle at rest. Will be switching to the vTPS soon anyway so will just leave it for now.
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Post by boggissimo on Oct 10, 2024 16:33:27 GMT
Chasing the vibration/noise on deceleration, I got back under the car and checked the PPF alignment. It was a bit low (gap between chassis rail line and bottom of PPF was ~55mm) so I loosened the bolts, jacked the gearbox up a bit and did them up again, so it's now in spec, or at least within the range I can measure with any sort of accuracy. I fitted a new LED light bar in the aperture under the number plate ready for rally season starting tomorrow. It's a bit close to the plate really so some of the light is being blocked, so will see how well it works. Might need to shift the number plate up a bit. |
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Post by dadbif on Oct 11, 2024 10:13:57 GMT
The constabulary may not like the light around the number plate…
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Post by boggissimo on Oct 15, 2024 14:09:53 GMT
The constabulary may not like the light around the number plate… It's only on with main beam so hopefully won't be too noticeable. Wasn't aware there are any rules about it!
The rally was good fun, we came third overall so not bad for the first effort of the season. None of my fiddling stopped the noise from the exhaust or the transmission, so will have to do some more digging...
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Post by dadbif on Oct 16, 2024 7:26:36 GMT
Don’t give them an excuse….
“A registration plate must not be treated in any other way which renders the characters of the registration mark less easily distinguishable to the eye or which would prevent or impair
the making of a true photographic image of the plate through the medium of camera and film or any other device.”
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Post by boggissimo on Oct 24, 2024 9:42:31 GMT
I put the Megasquirt back into the Eunos. Didn't come without the usual measure of stupidity on my part, I thought I'd plugged it all back in properly but it was running really lumpy and with an AFR of 10. I thought maybe one of the plugs was fouled or not working, and while taking them out to check them I noticed that I hadn't plugged the vacuum/MAP line back into the intake. Sorted that and it was running smoothly again! Duh.
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Post by Zed. on Oct 26, 2024 10:17:20 GMT
I noticed that I hadn't plugged the vacuum/MAP line back into the intake. Sorted that and it was running smoothly again! Easy, quick & cheap fix  Rich. |
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le sigh