Basic V8 tuning
Discussion
Hi peeps,
I'm having my 350i tuned next week, having it done by a V8 specialist for about £70 - what can I expect, what is he likely to do and is there anything I can request? I've just had it serviced and would like to obtain a bit more acceleration. I know it's a novice question but I'm used to working on Beetle engines which you can do practically 'funk all' with
Cheers,
Matt
I'm having my 350i tuned next week, having it done by a V8 specialist for about £70 - what can I expect, what is he likely to do and is there anything I can request? I've just had it serviced and would like to obtain a bit more acceleration. I know it's a novice question but I'm used to working on Beetle engines which you can do practically 'funk all' with
Cheers,
Matt
Hmmm... quite a lot, or not much, depending on your viewpoint!
First off you want what you have optimising; you can rule out valve clearances at this stage as they're preset and use hydraulic lifters.
Ignition timing? The RV8 is OK on unleaded (and even quite happy on 95 RON as long as you're talking fairly standard engines) and it'll benefit from a couple of degrees of advance if it hasn't already been done.
Compression pressures could be checked, this'll tell you if you have significant wear/ cam problems.
Fuel pressure can be checked but unless you have running issues it's probably not worth bothering.
All this assumes you have clean oil, filters and correct new spark plugs.
So for £70 he's not going to check much!
To go further you're loking at stripping the injection system off to check the injector flows and patterns, cam wear, lifter preload. Also it's not unheard of for the crank pulley timing marks to be wrong, so now you want the heads off to check for true TDC... then you could replace the cam drive chain and sprockets cos there's no chain tensioner...
port the manifold and heads while they're off...
now you may as well go for a 3.9/ 4.6/ 5.2 conversion...
Ah, I can smell the credit card melting from here...
First off you want what you have optimising; you can rule out valve clearances at this stage as they're preset and use hydraulic lifters.
Ignition timing? The RV8 is OK on unleaded (and even quite happy on 95 RON as long as you're talking fairly standard engines) and it'll benefit from a couple of degrees of advance if it hasn't already been done.
Compression pressures could be checked, this'll tell you if you have significant wear/ cam problems.
Fuel pressure can be checked but unless you have running issues it's probably not worth bothering.
All this assumes you have clean oil, filters and correct new spark plugs.
So for £70 he's not going to check much!
To go further you're loking at stripping the injection system off to check the injector flows and patterns, cam wear, lifter preload. Also it's not unheard of for the crank pulley timing marks to be wrong, so now you want the heads off to check for true TDC... then you could replace the cam drive chain and sprockets cos there's no chain tensioner...
port the manifold and heads while they're off...
now you may as well go for a 3.9/ 4.6/ 5.2 conversion...
Ah, I can smell the credit card melting from here...
Thanks mate, much appreciated - just doing a few simple things at the moment whilst I save for big things to do in the summer.
I'm impressed so far - I've got adjustable shocks on the back so the ride ain't bad, the acceleration is a pleasant surprise. I've recently sold my Audi A4 2.8 quattro and cannot believe the performance difference between the two considering it's an old engine! I use a Jag x-type 2.0 d for daily use as a company car, it was brand new whan I got it, now I've covered a couple of thousand miles it feels pretty crappy. My major gripe is the poor build quality, it's been in a couple of times already for stupid rattles so it's nice to get back into a 'real' car!
LONG LIVE THE WEDGE!
I'm impressed so far - I've got adjustable shocks on the back so the ride ain't bad, the acceleration is a pleasant surprise. I've recently sold my Audi A4 2.8 quattro and cannot believe the performance difference between the two considering it's an old engine! I use a Jag x-type 2.0 d for daily use as a company car, it was brand new whan I got it, now I've covered a couple of thousand miles it feels pretty crappy. My major gripe is the poor build quality, it's been in a couple of times already for stupid rattles so it's nice to get back into a 'real' car!
LONG LIVE THE WEDGE!
A rolling road session is really the only way of seeing what the car is doing under load - certain conditions just can't be replicated in a static test. Not only will it give you a baseline for further tuning work, the power/torque curves will give a good idea of the state of the engine, as will the lambda ratio over the rev/load range. This would then help you decide whether to replace worn items, and / or start upgrading in the quest for more, more, more.....
For example, typically cams can be worn out by 60K miles, or significantly less depending on treatment from cold, oil changes etc.
Who's doing your tune-up, and whereabouts in the S.E. are you - I'm in Kent?
7.
For example, typically cams can be worn out by 60K miles, or significantly less depending on treatment from cold, oil changes etc.
Who's doing your tune-up, and whereabouts in the S.E. are you - I'm in Kent?
7.
Matty Boy said:
Mike Gore & Sons who are based in Berkshire.
How much do you reckon it would cost to replace the cam? It's done 66,000, the bill file is huge but I can't find a receipt for this being done. Surely there would be tell tale signs of it being knackered eg. poor starting, poor idel etc.
Well I don't think necessarily. It tends to be a gradual deterioration over miles. Someone experienced with the RV8 would be able to tell without a strip-down. I think amongst other things, the emissions go way out from normal, and power drops away. For a cam job (cam, lifters,timing chain etc.)you're looking at c. £6-800. If the cam is gone, I'd suggest its a good idea to replace the oil pump gears, cover, pressure relief valve and spring, which is fairly easy diy job. The relief valves have a tendency to stick open, usually caused caused by debris in the oil, leaving you with no oil pressure when re-starting the engine.
Is this garage familiar with the RV8?
7.
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