Exige S1 over-winter Refresh
Discussion
Right well today's update centres around the engine. Finally got it all pulled down today to see whether I needed to add new pistons to the shopping list. I already really knew the answer to be honest, but I figured that I would double check since the engine needed to come to bits anyway.
The pictures show that new Omega forgies will DEFINITELY be going on the shopping list as these ones have certainly seen better days.
Pistons on bench
Number one Piston (thrust side)
The background of the engine was that it had done 25,000 miles, many of these on track and was using a fair bit of oil. A bit of a rattle had also developed that we'd traced to a resonating heatshield bracket. Although I could have just dropped the engine back into the car and pressed on with it, I made the call a couple of months back to go ahead and rebuild it top-to-bottom since I had a hunch I'd regret it if I didn't.
When I saw the state of the bottom end today though, I'm now 100% glad that I decided to rebuild it when I did.... I reckon this is about as close to death as an engine can come without actually throwing itself to bits!
Thankfully though (and amazingly) the big end crank journal looks fine and in perfect condition so despite the awful state of the big end, the crank looks like it's in perfect nick to fight another day.
So now I'm able to complete my engine rebuild shopping list and get an order underway. On one hand I'm disheartened to be spending all this money on the car when I'd not budgeted to do it... on the other hand I'm thankful that I decided to strip it down when I did as things would have got REALLY messy if I'd chanced my luck doing another trackday on the engine.
Sadly now this means that over the next few months that progress will be slowing and the bills will be getting LARGE. This has gone from an over winter refurbishment to what amounts to a full nut-and-bolt rebuild of the entire car. Much more than I'd ever planned, but I'm hoping that's when it's all done, the car and its performance should reflect the time, effort and money put in by myself and others.
Stay tuned...
The pictures show that new Omega forgies will DEFINITELY be going on the shopping list as these ones have certainly seen better days.
Pistons on bench
Number one Piston (thrust side)
The background of the engine was that it had done 25,000 miles, many of these on track and was using a fair bit of oil. A bit of a rattle had also developed that we'd traced to a resonating heatshield bracket. Although I could have just dropped the engine back into the car and pressed on with it, I made the call a couple of months back to go ahead and rebuild it top-to-bottom since I had a hunch I'd regret it if I didn't.
When I saw the state of the bottom end today though, I'm now 100% glad that I decided to rebuild it when I did.... I reckon this is about as close to death as an engine can come without actually throwing itself to bits!
- 4 Big end bearing starting to show signs of wear:
- 1 Big end!!!
... I don't think I've ever seen ANYTHING look this sick apart from on engines that have already flown to bits!
Thankfully though (and amazingly) the big end crank journal looks fine and in perfect condition so despite the awful state of the big end, the crank looks like it's in perfect nick to fight another day.
So now I'm able to complete my engine rebuild shopping list and get an order underway. On one hand I'm disheartened to be spending all this money on the car when I'd not budgeted to do it... on the other hand I'm thankful that I decided to strip it down when I did as things would have got REALLY messy if I'd chanced my luck doing another trackday on the engine.
Sadly now this means that over the next few months that progress will be slowing and the bills will be getting LARGE. This has gone from an over winter refurbishment to what amounts to a full nut-and-bolt rebuild of the entire car. Much more than I'd ever planned, but I'm hoping that's when it's all done, the car and its performance should reflect the time, effort and money put in by myself and others.
Stay tuned...
Edited by Esprit on Sunday 7th December 12:17
Hells teeth George!! Thats some serious wear! and the piston crowns look like someone cooked a fry up on them ! So is KW letting you strip it down and rebuild it at his work shop I see. Or your taking it else where?
Best of luck with the rebuild George. Perhaps not what you wanted, but hardly surprising for that engine at that mileage, with that previous use. A bit of future-proofing now will no doubt make the next few years motoring all the more rewarding. Given it's a rare car down there I reckon you're not only protecting your precious fun-time in the good weather months, but also your investment.
Keep posting!
Keep posting!
Espirit : Following you project, awesome!
The bearing i see might have had a problem with to high oil pressure.
Friend of mine wasted his suzuki bike engine and the bearing had exactly the same problem. We investigated and found out the oil pressure was way, way to high.
(He was running falkon rods and falkon made a mistake with the oil tunnels)
Might be something to look at, little time and hugh profit
The bearing i see might have had a problem with to high oil pressure.
Friend of mine wasted his suzuki bike engine and the bearing had exactly the same problem. We investigated and found out the oil pressure was way, way to high.
(He was running falkon rods and falkon made a mistake with the oil tunnels)
Might be something to look at, little time and hugh profit
Cheers Capo.... indeed that's the explanation I've had from many people so I'll definitely be keeping that in mind.
The S1 Exige runs an external oil cooler (air to air) at the front of the car. It's non-thermostatically controlled. Given the large size of the lubrication circuit, it can take AAAGES for the oil to heat up to operating temperature. My guess is that it's been driven hard before the oil's had a chance to get up to full temp in its past 7 years and it's gradually degraded. First thing I'll be putting in the car with the new engine is a datalogging oil temp/pressure sensing system so I can see exactly what's going on and then if high oil pressure IS a problem, then take appropriate steps to rectify it.
The S1 Exige runs an external oil cooler (air to air) at the front of the car. It's non-thermostatically controlled. Given the large size of the lubrication circuit, it can take AAAGES for the oil to heat up to operating temperature. My guess is that it's been driven hard before the oil's had a chance to get up to full temp in its past 7 years and it's gradually degraded. First thing I'll be putting in the car with the new engine is a datalogging oil temp/pressure sensing system so I can see exactly what's going on and then if high oil pressure IS a problem, then take appropriate steps to rectify it.
Esprit said:
Cheers Capo.... indeed that's the explanation I've had from many people so I'll definitely be keeping that in mind.
The S1 Exige runs an external oil cooler (air to air) at the front of the car. It's non-thermostatically controlled. Given the large size of the lubrication circuit, it can take AAAGES for the oil to heat up to operating temperature. My guess is that it's been driven hard before the oil's had a chance to get up to full temp in its past 7 years and it's gradually degraded. First thing I'll be putting in the car with the new engine is a datalogging oil temp/pressure sensing system so I can see exactly what's going on and then if high oil pressure IS a problem, then take appropriate steps to rectify it.
that's not the issue, it's one of sThe S1 Exige runs an external oil cooler (air to air) at the front of the car. It's non-thermostatically controlled. Given the large size of the lubrication circuit, it can take AAAGES for the oil to heat up to operating temperature. My guess is that it's been driven hard before the oil's had a chance to get up to full temp in its past 7 years and it's gradually degraded. First thing I'll be putting in the car with the new engine is a datalogging oil temp/pressure sensing system so I can see exactly what's going on and then if high oil pressure IS a problem, then take appropriate steps to rectify it.
t bearings, all too common...there are later material ones avalable now that don't do this (can't remeber the name off the top of my head, a quick main to DVA would answer that one though).
Scuffers said:
there are later material ones avalable now that don't do this (can't remeber the name off the top of my head, a quick main to DVA would answer that one though).
Cheers Simon, already on top of that one.... DVA will be supplying me the new improved bearings for the rebuild... I'm picking that it's just a case of standard bearings not being up to track abuse at 8000RPM.
PROGRESS!!!! ... ok well no, not really... but I felt I should update y'all to let you know where I'm at with things
As I've mentioned before, the VHPD is going to be rebuilt. After weighing up several options, I've decided to go "the whole hog" and build the engine with a decent budget doing everything right, rather than just slapping it back together as a standard VHPD. Everything's been pulled apart and inspected and I'm hopefully going to soon pack up the complete cylinder head, crankshaft, flywheel, clutch cover, pulleys and oil pump to send back to the UK.
The plan is to order new rods and pistons in the UK and have them meet my bottom-end components at Vibration Free so that I can follow what Steve Butts/Skeggsy have done with their Ks and do the full on high-tolerance balance and tungsten crankshaft insertion. While this is going on, my head will go on to DVAPower and get the magic DVA tough with porting and will be rebuilt with all new fresh bits and pieces and all the good bits to make the head able to make more use of a freer bottom end. I'm currently just trying to find out when Dave's got some free time to do the job but other than that it's all go!
The other hold up has been (as some of you might have seen from my other thread on SELOC) that I discovered some corrosion in the lower rear firewall. This was discovered as a small 4mm diameter hole in the bulkhead when I was reinstalling the fuel tank. Subsequent stripping of the firewall heatshield has shown that moisture has gotten in behind this and has caused an identical crevice corrosion problem as to what occurs with the OEM rubber floor mats.
The images I below show the state of the engine bay with the corrosion being clear in the fourth picture. There's a few other small pits on other locations along the firewall.
I have been in contact with Lotus over this issue and they have been very helpful to date. They are interested in learning more about this as they've not been aware of this area being a problem on the chassis before. My chassis is under the 8 year corrosion guarantee and they are currently formulating a fix and are going to send me a repair kit (and new engine bay heat shield) free of charge once they determine the best cause of action to affect a repair and prevent any further corrosion spread.
If any of you are contemplating a strip down and rebuild at any stage in the future, or doing an engine-out job, it would certainly be a worthwhile exercise to strip back the firewall to see if there's any corrosion damage lurking underneath.
Alternatively you can simply drop out the fuel tank and look at the bulkhead from this side to see if there are any holes that have gone through, although this may not show any corrosion that's still in its infancy. I'm certainly very lucky that I bothered to check as I've caught this at a reasonably early stage and can now hopefully arrive at a permanent fix so it'll never need doing again.
All this has put a large pause on proceedings and what was initially meant to be an over-winter refresh (as the thread title suggests) is now turning into something altogether rather more comprehensive. I'm hoping to have the car back together in the NZ Autumn in time for the last of the nice weather before I have to put my toys away again for winter '09.
Rest assured, when she's all done, it's going to be SIGNIFICANTLY better than it was before.
Jobs coming up in the next couple of weeks will be to finish cleaning up the engine bay and to re-hang the rear subframe. Once this is done, I'll then install bushes and balljoints in all the wishbones and set about hanging them back on the car. I'm hoping to get the car rolling again by early/mid December as this'll give me a chance to clean up the garage a bit and also to wheel the car in/out so I can work on it in the sun when the weather's nice as the garage is a little dingy, even in daylight.
f**k me, I don't do things by halves do I?
As I've mentioned before, the VHPD is going to be rebuilt. After weighing up several options, I've decided to go "the whole hog" and build the engine with a decent budget doing everything right, rather than just slapping it back together as a standard VHPD. Everything's been pulled apart and inspected and I'm hopefully going to soon pack up the complete cylinder head, crankshaft, flywheel, clutch cover, pulleys and oil pump to send back to the UK.
The plan is to order new rods and pistons in the UK and have them meet my bottom-end components at Vibration Free so that I can follow what Steve Butts/Skeggsy have done with their Ks and do the full on high-tolerance balance and tungsten crankshaft insertion. While this is going on, my head will go on to DVAPower and get the magic DVA tough with porting and will be rebuilt with all new fresh bits and pieces and all the good bits to make the head able to make more use of a freer bottom end. I'm currently just trying to find out when Dave's got some free time to do the job but other than that it's all go!
The other hold up has been (as some of you might have seen from my other thread on SELOC) that I discovered some corrosion in the lower rear firewall. This was discovered as a small 4mm diameter hole in the bulkhead when I was reinstalling the fuel tank. Subsequent stripping of the firewall heatshield has shown that moisture has gotten in behind this and has caused an identical crevice corrosion problem as to what occurs with the OEM rubber floor mats.
The images I below show the state of the engine bay with the corrosion being clear in the fourth picture. There's a few other small pits on other locations along the firewall.
I have been in contact with Lotus over this issue and they have been very helpful to date. They are interested in learning more about this as they've not been aware of this area being a problem on the chassis before. My chassis is under the 8 year corrosion guarantee and they are currently formulating a fix and are going to send me a repair kit (and new engine bay heat shield) free of charge once they determine the best cause of action to affect a repair and prevent any further corrosion spread.
If any of you are contemplating a strip down and rebuild at any stage in the future, or doing an engine-out job, it would certainly be a worthwhile exercise to strip back the firewall to see if there's any corrosion damage lurking underneath.
Alternatively you can simply drop out the fuel tank and look at the bulkhead from this side to see if there are any holes that have gone through, although this may not show any corrosion that's still in its infancy. I'm certainly very lucky that I bothered to check as I've caught this at a reasonably early stage and can now hopefully arrive at a permanent fix so it'll never need doing again.
All this has put a large pause on proceedings and what was initially meant to be an over-winter refresh (as the thread title suggests) is now turning into something altogether rather more comprehensive. I'm hoping to have the car back together in the NZ Autumn in time for the last of the nice weather before I have to put my toys away again for winter '09.
Rest assured, when she's all done, it's going to be SIGNIFICANTLY better than it was before.
Jobs coming up in the next couple of weeks will be to finish cleaning up the engine bay and to re-hang the rear subframe. Once this is done, I'll then install bushes and balljoints in all the wishbones and set about hanging them back on the car. I'm hoping to get the car rolling again by early/mid December as this'll give me a chance to clean up the garage a bit and also to wheel the car in/out so I can work on it in the sun when the weather's nice as the garage is a little dingy, even in daylight.
f**k me, I don't do things by halves do I?
Edited by Esprit on Sunday 7th December 12:25
Kiwi XTR2 said:
I get scared to look at this thread for fear of what the next update is.
At least having it rolling again will be a significant milestone in having it finished.
Yeah well once it's rolling there'll be a big wait while I get the engine components back from the UK and begin the engine reassembly. I'll then have some minor bits and pieces to do around the chassis like fabricating up a carbonfibre battery mount for my new lightweight battery (yet to purchase) and wiring in the Emerald ECU ready for the new engine, but the biggest hurdle by far will be getting the engine back in one piece and ready to run again.At least having it rolling again will be a significant milestone in having it finished.
tricky 100 said:
Are you going to respray the body ?
Possibly eventually, although not as part of this winter. After I get the car built up I'll have to cut spending on it for a few months to rebuild my battered savings. The paint's in pretty good condition but I'll respray it in a year or two and put some armourfend on the nose and sills to stop the thing stonechipping quite so badly.And thanks Tim
I'm sure I'm doing the right thing S Works said:
Esprit said:
f**k me, I don't do things by halves do I?
You certainly don't, but I reckon you're making some smart choices now which will pay dividends over the coming years. Keep up with the good work chap 
You're making a superb job of it also, and I'm very jealous that you have the time, the inclanation, the ability and the desire to do it.
Bloody well done, it looks like a credit to you and I cannot WAIT to see the finished result. Bravo
TonyHetherington said:
Absolutely.
You're making a superb job of it also, and I'm very jealous that you have the time, the inclanation, the ability and the desire to do it.
Bloody well done, it looks like a credit to you and I cannot WAIT to see the finished result. Bravo
Not quite sure I have the time (he says sitting at his work desk at 5 minutes to midnight... again)... but yes, it's a case of knowing that I'll not be satisfied if it's not done right. I want the car to be in a state I can enjoy for the next 10 years or more without having to worry about hidden niggles. I'll know that everything's been done right and the car's effective age has been reset to zero. That way, I know its history intimately and that if I look after her, she'll look after me.... which is important when you're at Pukekohe turning into Jennian at almost 200km/h You're making a superb job of it also, and I'm very jealous that you have the time, the inclanation, the ability and the desire to do it.
Bloody well done, it looks like a credit to you and I cannot WAIT to see the finished result. Bravo
Thanks one and all for the kind comments.... I know I need not worry because if I get stuck I've got such a great community behind me to call on should I need
Edited by Esprit on Monday 3rd November 10:57
Well a little bit more progress today.... aside from the engine dramas that is, but I got my wishbones preassembled today including the suspension bushes and ball joints.
Fingers crossed, I'll be hanging these off the car sometime in the next week or two as I work towards getting the car back on its wheels and rolling so that it's a little more easy to work on.
Tomorrow's job is the rear subframe detailing.
But for now, wishbones...
Fingers crossed, I'll be hanging these off the car sometime in the next week or two as I work towards getting the car back on its wheels and rolling so that it's a little more easy to work on.
Tomorrow's job is the rear subframe detailing.
But for now, wishbones...
Edited by Esprit on Sunday 7th December 12:26
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