Scaffolding poles + old VW bits + Rotary engine....
Discussion
Well, cars ready, all packed up, loaded on trailer...and Ed gets called into work because the weather has dried the crop out, bloody farming!
Sat twiddling thumbs all day on the off-chance that we can get down there tonight if he finishes in time, but it's not looking likely now - it's a 6 hour drive, and it'll be at least 2 hours to walk the course in the morning and half an hour for scrutineering too....
Sat twiddling thumbs all day on the off-chance that we can get down there tonight if he finishes in time, but it's not looking likely now - it's a 6 hour drive, and it'll be at least 2 hours to walk the course in the morning and half an hour for scrutineering too....
Right, didn't make the last event
All that work wiped out by the weather and farming! Ah well, down to 7th now but we'll see what we can claw back.
Loaded back up and on the trailer ready to head to SevenOaks tommorow though, supposed to be a nice tight and twisty track, so might be good for us. Hopefully!
All that work wiped out by the weather and farming! Ah well, down to 7th now but we'll see what we can claw back.
Loaded back up and on the trailer ready to head to SevenOaks tommorow though, supposed to be a nice tight and twisty track, so might be good for us. Hopefully!
Well, few issues again, that's what you get when you've not got anywhere big enough to test it - car misfiring badly when it got warm, which meant we took a maximum penalty time early on for not completing a stage.
Think it was down to a couple of failing coils, however, we didn't have enough spare coils to replace them all and completely get rid of the issue, but we got it better and good enough to run around all day, albeit still with a misfire and about 40bhp down from a reduced rev limit to preserve the engine/coils.
Apart from that, it was an absolutely fantastic course, with something for everyone - some faster stuff through a couple of fields, plenty of lanes through forests, turning into tight tree-dodging sections (which the new suspension and fiddle brakes on our car were fantastic, I don't think there could have been anything much faster through them), and then some nice narrow flowing tarmac and gravel sections back through the forests again. Think it's up there for one of the best events we've been to.
It also gave a great proving ground for some alterations to the brakes and the suspension work, and they were flawless all day, so at least the rest of the car is about where it needs to be now, on pure laptimes we weren't all that far behind the podium guys even with the dicky engine, which was encouraging.
Pity about the engine as it's cost us any chance of regaining a podium this year, but that can be sorted and it's proven the rest of the upgrades anyway.
However, since the engine was playing silly buggers anyway, we spent half the day giving passenger rides, which judging by the grinning faces when they got out went well
Hopefully we can still hang on to some more points at the next event after sorting the engine, and make sure we get a single figure race number for next year
We did get the highest jump over a bump in the field though
Think it was down to a couple of failing coils, however, we didn't have enough spare coils to replace them all and completely get rid of the issue, but we got it better and good enough to run around all day, albeit still with a misfire and about 40bhp down from a reduced rev limit to preserve the engine/coils.
Apart from that, it was an absolutely fantastic course, with something for everyone - some faster stuff through a couple of fields, plenty of lanes through forests, turning into tight tree-dodging sections (which the new suspension and fiddle brakes on our car were fantastic, I don't think there could have been anything much faster through them), and then some nice narrow flowing tarmac and gravel sections back through the forests again. Think it's up there for one of the best events we've been to.
It also gave a great proving ground for some alterations to the brakes and the suspension work, and they were flawless all day, so at least the rest of the car is about where it needs to be now, on pure laptimes we weren't all that far behind the podium guys even with the dicky engine, which was encouraging.
Pity about the engine as it's cost us any chance of regaining a podium this year, but that can be sorted and it's proven the rest of the upgrades anyway.
However, since the engine was playing silly buggers anyway, we spent half the day giving passenger rides, which judging by the grinning faces when they got out went well
Hopefully we can still hang on to some more points at the next event after sorting the engine, and make sure we get a single figure race number for next year
We did get the highest jump over a bump in the field though
Edited by PhillipM on Monday 22 August 12:45
Keep going, no point racing just for the results, we go 'cause it's fun
The next event is quite tight and twisty too so if we get the engine sorted we might be in with a chance for our highest finish at an event, she flies through twisty forest tracks. Traction/power and top speed don't tend to matter as much.
Well, unless it rains, then we're screwed
The next event is quite tight and twisty too so if we get the engine sorted we might be in with a chance for our highest finish at an event, she flies through twisty forest tracks. Traction/power and top speed don't tend to matter as much.
Well, unless it rains, then we're screwed
Edited by PhillipM on Thursday 25th August 12:43
PhillipM said:
Thinking about the building next car now, bit of crude alteration to some PS'd Clio pics...
Need to do something with the front bumper to keep it off the floor when the wheels are in ruts if someone wants a go.
Something like this then....?Need to do something with the front bumper to keep it off the floor when the wheels are in ruts if someone wants a go.
http://pistonheads.com/sales/3161437.htm
I suspect the budget may not stretch?
Similar, never really liked that old shaped one when I've seen it going though.
Not going to buy one though, there's usually too many problems and compromises when buying someone else's car, and I don't like the way the transmission shafts are done either. Besides, there's some trick suspension to package on the new one...
Not going to buy one though, there's usually too many problems and compromises when buying someone else's car, and I don't like the way the transmission shafts are done either. Besides, there's some trick suspension to package on the new one...
Well, in the hope of sorting out the munching coils issue, there's a set of D585 coils on the way from the 'states, they're a lot more powerful than the stock mazda coils, but more importantly, the components are rated for a higher ambient temperature (120*c instead of 85*) and they come with their own heatsink on the ignitors to help with cooling.
Should help with coil life, they're a damn sight cheaper too, bought 8 x D585's for less than the price for 4 Mazda OEM coils.
Got some rewiring to do to make them fit, and need to make some new ends for the Magnecor leads (do Magnecor still do custom leads, seem to remember they used to?), and some tweaking to the dwell tables in the ECU to charge the new coils for longer.
Fingers crossed!
Should help with coil life, they're a damn sight cheaper too, bought 8 x D585's for less than the price for 4 Mazda OEM coils.
Got some rewiring to do to make them fit, and need to make some new ends for the Magnecor leads (do Magnecor still do custom leads, seem to remember they used to?), and some tweaking to the dwell tables in the ECU to charge the new coils for longer.
Fingers crossed!
Right, this bloody new engine is making me loose what hair I have left:
Mis-fires badly from 3.5k to 7k.
After 7k it clears and goes like s
t off a shovel.
Engine starts just fine, no excessive cranking, idles smooth as butter.
All injectors are working and staging okay, coils are working, variable valves are working, there's nothing stuck in the intake tracts, the earths are all good and clean.
Leads are relatively new Magnecors, new set of spark plugs. Swapped two coils for brand new spares that made a small improvement but not much.
Fuel pressure is fine, fuel lines are clear.
Throttle pot checks out okay, new throttle pot makes no difference. Same for the shaft sensor.
Our rudimentary coil tester (patent pending) - otherwise known as a trailing plug with the bar snapped off - shows a consistant spark across all 4 coils - albeit a relatively weak sounding orange spark, but with no difference between 'em that would mean we'd have to have got 2 duff new coils too...
Winding the coil dwell up just to check makes no difference either.
Only change between this engine and the old one is the timing (S1 > S2 timing is different), checked with a timing light and it's right, tried it 20 degrees retarded and no difference bar a lack of power.
Any ideas guys?
Mis-fires badly from 3.5k to 7k.
After 7k it clears and goes like s
t off a shovel.Engine starts just fine, no excessive cranking, idles smooth as butter.
All injectors are working and staging okay, coils are working, variable valves are working, there's nothing stuck in the intake tracts, the earths are all good and clean.
Leads are relatively new Magnecors, new set of spark plugs. Swapped two coils for brand new spares that made a small improvement but not much.
Fuel pressure is fine, fuel lines are clear.
Throttle pot checks out okay, new throttle pot makes no difference. Same for the shaft sensor.
Our rudimentary coil tester (patent pending) - otherwise known as a trailing plug with the bar snapped off - shows a consistant spark across all 4 coils - albeit a relatively weak sounding orange spark, but with no difference between 'em that would mean we'd have to have got 2 duff new coils too...
Winding the coil dwell up just to check makes no difference either.
Only change between this engine and the old one is the timing (S1 > S2 timing is different), checked with a timing light and it's right, tried it 20 degrees retarded and no difference bar a lack of power.
Any ideas guys?
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