<![CDATA[DSM Forums - Blogs - '97 TSi AWD Auto 2.4 Build Project by VETDRMS]]> http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/ DSM tech forums for performance enthusiasts. en Sat, 25 May 2013 20:09:44 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg <![CDATA[DSM Forums - Blogs - '97 TSi AWD Auto 2.4 Build Project by VETDRMS]]> http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/ El Diablo Rojo http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/3044-el-diablo-rojo.html Wed, 07 Sep 2011 20:28:03 GMT It has been a while since I updated this as it has been very busy here and the Talon has been relentless in playing a game of chicken with a partout. ha!

The 2nd head gasket failed in the exact same way as the first. There is another thread discussing this here:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/cyli...way-ideas.html

Basically, the way the head was lapped created a dip in the middle. There was a .005-.006" dip in the middle of the head. You could see from the imprint of the fire ring in the middle two cylinders that there was much less clamping pressure at the points of failure.

Unfortunately, the repaired head was not repaired correctly and the new seats were showing signs of bad wear. Powdered-metal seats were supposed to be installed but stock-replacement seats were installed. They are softer and the high EGTs combined with higher spring pressures/rpm had the exhaust valves pounding into them only after 600 miles.

Seeing how the head had already been cut 4 times it was time to just toss it and start over. :cry: The chambers were pretty small already and I wanted to lower the compression by going back to the stock 47cc chambers.

The guys at English Racing found me a decent core (almost near stock height, with maybe one light resurface) and did some mild porting in the bowls/dividers. I picked up a new set of valves and dropped it off at the machine shop. The machinist replaced the exhaust guides, did a valve job, enlarged the throat of the seats and blended it into the bowls, and surfaced it for an MLS gasket.

I prepped the block with 400/800 grit paper and the large lapping block from ER. This time I checked everything with a machinists edge. There was one orientation where I could fit a 0.0005" feeler but overall it was near-perfect. The head had one spot where i could fit the same feeler so both surfaces are VERY flat this time.

This time I went with the FelPro PermaTorque 1153-1 gasket. The head was torqued in 15lb increments: 20-35-50-65, then let it sit for about 15 minutes and went straight to 95lbs. I then put it through two heat cycles and let it cool completely before re-torqueing. Doing it this way, the nuts barely moved at all on the re-torque. Before, they would all take about an 1/8 turn!

Everything went together a couple weeks ago and I have been taking it easy as I am honestly growing tired of working on it.

It could sense that I about had enough and decided to break again! The new water pump started squealing 30 miles after I had everything back together! :mad: Not wanting to throw another NAPA china pump on it again I just put my old GMB Japan pump off my other motor on it and it has been fine.

I drove it up to Pacific Raceways this last weekend for a road-worthiness test and it performed flawlessly. Going up in the morning when it was cool it ran a constant 165-170F. Coming back going down the highway at 70mph, with 90F temps and the AC blasting on full, coolant temps stayed between 183F-190F. Not bad for a stock radiator 2g with a big FMIC! :) Ducting FTW.

It made the 300 mile round trip with no issues and managed 21mpg on E85.

Of course, the car was not content to let me enjoy it for the whole weekend. I was getting ready to take another short trip on Labor day and looked around the engine compartment and saw what looked like mud all over the front cover/suspension. The CV boot split and tossed all its grease everywhere!

The only place I could find an auto driver side axle was O'Reilly's so I picked one up quick until I can find another good OE one and got it back on the road.

I'm not sure what El Diablo Rojo has in store for me next.

:ohdamn:

]]> VETDRMS http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/3044-el-diablo-rojo.html 2 Cometic Head Gaskets Fail the Same Way http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2972-2-cometic-head-gaskets-fail-same-way.html Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:29:48 GMT As the title implies I just finished removing my 2nd Cometic gasket after it started to pressurize the coolant system.

The first failure happened at relatively low boost (24-25psi) and conservative timing for E100 (14* total, 7-8* @ 5000).

Both the head/deck were prepped for MLS to a mirror finish. The block deck was checked for flatness. I am using A1 H11 studs torqued to 95 ft/lbs (30-60-95).

The first gasket was a Cometic 87mm (.066" thick), the second gasket was 87.5mm (also .066" thick). Copper spray was used on both.

The first time it failed it was mostly at the back of cylinder #2, right in the middle. After cleaning the deck surface it also leaked in the front of #2 and the front/back of #3. Each point of failure was directly in the middle and directly in line across the cylinder (front to back).

Upon the first disassembly there was some overhang of the gasket into the chamber due to too much material being taken off when deshrouding the valves. The head was welded up, seats replaced, and re-machined.

It failed at the same boost/timing on the 2nd gasket. It held fine at 22psi. It failed in the same spots as well.

I will post up a solution when I find one, hopefully the third time will be a charm. :)
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]]> VETDRMS http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2972-2-cometic-head-gaskets-fail-same-way.html Washed, clayed, polished, and waxed. http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2956-washed-clayed-polished-waxed.html Tue, 02 Aug 2011 22:56:33 GMT After waiting 90 days I polished/waxed the newly painted panels after the accident. I used a wildberry bumper that as completely stripped and any stress fractures were repaired. It turned out great and the shop did a good job on matching. Both the bumper and the rear quarter panels were painted. Image: http://i1041.photobucket.com/albums/b420/VETDRMS/FinishedBumper.jpg Added: Image: http://i1041.photobucket.com/albums/b420/VETDRMS/FinishedBumper2.jpg After waiting 90 days I polished/waxed the newly painted panels after the accident. I used a wildberry bumper that as completely stripped and any stress fractures were repaired. It turned out great and the shop did a good job on matching. Both the bumper and the rear quarter panels were painted.



Added:

]]> VETDRMS http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2956-washed-clayed-polished-waxed.html Transmission Slip Fixed http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2955-transmission-slip-fixed.html Tue, 02 Aug 2011 22:55:27 GMT I found the source of the 2-3 shift flare. It looks like it is TCU related as it shifts just fine using a shift box that simulates 100% TPS and forces full line pressure. It is running good, now that the 2-3 shift is sorted out I will schedule some dyno time. :) I found the source of the 2-3 shift flare. It looks like it is TCU related as it shifts just fine using a shift box that simulates 100% TPS and forces full line pressure.

It is running good, now that the 2-3 shift is sorted out I will schedule some dyno time. :) ]]> VETDRMS http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2955-transmission-slip-fixed.html Back from the dead (Where did summer go?) http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2906-back-dead-where-did-summer-go.html Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:39:46 GMT Well, it turned out to be a long road of waiting to get it all back together but it is finally running again! Once I got the deck cleaned up to start lapping I noticed that the gasket actually failed in 4 spots, the worst of them being on cylinder 2 at the front of the block. Both cylinders 2 and 3 failed directly in front and in back of the cylinder: *Cylinder 2 - Front* Image: http://i1041.photobucket.com/albums/b420/VETDRMS/2-Front.jpg *Cylinder 2 - Back* Image:... Well, it turned out to be a long road of waiting to get it all back together but it is finally running again!

Once I got the deck cleaned up to start lapping I noticed that the gasket actually failed in 4 spots, the worst of them being on cylinder 2 at the front of the block. Both cylinders 2 and 3 failed directly in front and in back of the cylinder:

Cylinder 2 - Front


Cylinder 2 - Back


Cylinder 3 - Front


Cylinder 3 - Back


I then lapped the block with 800 grit until the scarring from the gasket failure was no longer visible and the deck surface was clean and mirror-like.



The cylinder head took some time to repair. It was welded at ETS to fill in the cuts from the unshrouding work where the gasket was hanging in to the chamber. The welding made the valve seats brittle as it had to be welded right next to the seats. This was confirmed on the cutter and the area around the weld was very brittle so it was time for new seats.

I had to ship the head to Montana to have the machine work done, and my buddy was backed up at the shop so it took some time to get to. The chambers were then re-shaped and approximately 0.0045" was removed from the deck surface.

The valve seats were replaced, blended into the ports, and a new valve job was done, resetting the valve installed height to the lower end of the stock specifications (1.921" I believe).

While it was apart we checked the GSC springs and they were spot on spec after the first 1800 miles.

Once that was done the head was sent back to me unassembled and then it was off to English Racing to be lapped and assembled.

I had ordered another 87mm 0.066" thick gasket from Cometic and it was finally time to assemble it. I put a couple light coats of the Hylomar spray on it, but I really didn't like how this stuff goes on. It sprays quite uneven, like a silicone spackle.

I bolted the head down and noticed a slight amount of the Hylomar pushed out along the gasket edge. I didn't like how it looked and wanted to make sure it didn't find its way into any of the coolant/oil ports so the head came back off. I probably put too much on but practically all of the Hylomar had moved away from the flat surfaces and into the coolant/oil feed ports. The flat parts of the gasket were solid black and nearly free of any Hylomar... If I were to use this stuff again I would only put a very light single-coat "spackle" on the gasket.

I also checked the imprint on the head to see if there was any overhang in the chamber and to see where the fire-ring sat. There is some core shift in the head and there was some very small overhang near the intake valves on a couple chambers.

After talking with Lucas @ ER we decided to order a custom 87.5mm 0.066" thick gasket from Cometic so that meant a couple more weeks of down time. Might as well get it right.

The new gasket showed up on Friday so it was time to put it all back together. I put two very light coats of Copper spray on the gasket and installed the head with the A1 H11 studs torqued to 95lbs in a 30-60-95 sequence.

I fought with the timing tensioner for a while trying to get the right amount of protrusion but torqueing that damn thing to 35ft/lbs and keeping it from moving (even with the special tool) is a pain. I am probably way too anal about it but I try to get the protrusion between 1.15" and 1.16" exactly instead of just making sure the pin is loose and calling it good. When the pin is actually loose in the hydraulic tensioner actual protrusion is usually under 1.15". I ended up at a protrusion of 1.142" and decided to stop messing with it.

I had a full tank of E98 in it when it was torn down 2 months ago so I was a little concerned about the fuel keeping, but I sealed off the lines when it came a part so no moisture should have gotten into the fuel.

The motor fired right up once it got fuel and did the usual clacking for the first 10 minutes. There is still some lifter clatter but I will drive it a bit before worrying about it. When checking the lifters on reassembly I noticed one of them was leaking and the valve wasn't sealing, which would explain some of the additional noise I heard before. I replaced this lifter. Even when the lifters are pumped up the the S2-R cams seem to produce more valvetrain noise than stock or more mild cams, which GSC has acknowledged and is probably due to the agressive ramp rates.

I let it get up to operating temperature and then shut it down to let it cool before re-torqueing the head studs. After it had cooled down all the studs took another 20* turn or so at 95ft/lbs. I also changed the oil to get rid of any crap from machining the head (switched from VR1 to Brad Penn), flushed the coolant to remove the WD-40 from lapping the deck, and tonight it will be ready to get back on the road!

Hopefully head gasket issues are over. Work had been crazy but I want to get it on the dyno at ER in the coming weeks and then off to the track. I will post results back here then!

Thanks Pete, ETS, and the guys at English Racing! ]]> VETDRMS http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2906-back-dead-where-did-summer-go.html Little Fixes and Misc. Stuff http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2760-little-fixes-misc-stuff.html Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:11:50 GMT The head is still off being repaired so I have been doing what little projects I can and collecting parts for the reassembly.

The O2 housing had a pretty large leak right at the wastegate opening so that would explain the slower-than-expected spool. I had it re-surfaced and it was pretty out of whack. I don't see why MAP won't use a 1/2" flange.

I had originally used cap screws on the O2 housing and wastegate, which looks nice but is hell to tighten/loosen when everything is assembled. This time I will be using ARP 12-point stainless fasteners which should make it much easier to get to with the smaller head.

For anyone who is looking the sizes and part numbers for the ARP fasteners are:

M10x1.25x30 – 773-1003 - SummitRacing 773-1003
M8x1.25x20 – 771-1001 - Summit Racing 771-1001

This should make it more serviceable in the future. Hopefully it doesn't leak this time.

I also got a can of Hylomar which I will be using on the headgasket and exhaust gaskets this time. The can says "especially for copper or multilayer head gaskets," and I have heard really good things about this sealant from various engine builders. The Hylomar part number is HUBRA-1. I got it from Atkins Rotary off eBay: Hylomar Spray eBay

Also, if anyone is looking I found some nickel-based high temperature anti-seize that is specifically for stainless steel and is rated to 2400F. The 8oz can with brush is part number 77124 from Loctite. Loctite High-Temp Nickel Anti-Seize ]]> VETDRMS http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2760-little-fixes-misc-stuff.html Head Gasket http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2746-head-gasket.html Thu, 26 May 2011 23:12:42 GMT Well, the 2150s work great and E98 is a blast, but it started pushing coolant. After a re-torque and lowering timing it stopped but when brining the timing back up it pushed again so it was time to pop the head! Here is the last pull before pulling the head (attached): Image: http://i1041.photobucket.com/albums/b420/VETDRMS/LastLog.jpg It was running really well at 25-26psi, ~58lb/min. It scratched it way to ~3.2s 0-60 spinning, full weight, full tank of gas and a passenger. It... Well, the 2150s work great and E98 is a blast, but it started pushing coolant. After a re-torque and lowering timing it stopped but when brining the timing back up it pushed again so it was time to pop the head!

Here is the last pull before pulling the head (attached):



It was running really well at 25-26psi, ~58lb/min. It scratched it way to ~3.2s 0-60 spinning, full weight, full tank of gas and a passenger. It launches pretty well and doesn’t squat too much, I can’t wait to get it to the track on a sticky surface.

I never ran excessive timing. Timing near the torque-peak range of 4500-5500rpm timing was below 10* on the "high" timing map and ~5-6* on the low timing map. I never registered more than 1.8* of knock retard but it still lifted.

The #2 cylinder leaked on the block side of the gasket. Upon disassembly we noticed an issue with how the valves were un-shrouded: there is an overhang of the gasket that creates a hot spot, which would explain its low tolerance for timing (6* peak) on pump gas. I am looking for a gasket solution but unfortunately the chamfer in the combustion chamber comes very close to the fire ring. Cometic cannot move the fire ring and I am waiting to hear back from Fel Pro about the fire ring starting diameter. If neither of those will work a copper gasket is a possible solution, but not one I want to try very much. Another option would be to weld the chambers and re-machine it but that will be a last resort.

All of the cylinders looked good, perfect cross hatch and minor scuffing from the skirts but no gouges or signs of material in the cylinders. The ethanol was just starting to clean all the carbon up from the piss gas it was running on low boost.

Hopefully it will be back on the road in a week or less and I can turn it up!





]]> VETDRMS http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2746-head-gasket.html FIC 2150s and E100! http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2729-fic-2150s-e100.html Sat, 21 May 2011 22:08:14 GMT I picked up the FIC 2150s on Friday. :)



One of the injector tips didn't look like it was machined very well, is this going to cause cone/spray distribution to be off?



I ran it down as much as possible and filled up with E100 while I still had the 750s in. I was surprised how well it idled, it really smoothed the motor out at idle.

I installed the 2150s last night using the solder in pigtails. I wanted to keep it looking stock so I unwrapped the wiring harness to slide back and retain the stock injector wire loom covers. Removing the stock resistor pack was kind of a pain. I cut the harness of the pack and soldered all the wires together.



I put together a spreadsheet to expand the latency table as provided by FIC. I can post it up if anyone wants to see it, it just uses the FIC table and Power or Poly regressions to expand the voltage or base fuel pressure resolution.

With a global of ~ -65% and the latency settings from FIC it didn't want to idle at first, it was way lean. I ended up adding about 200usec to the 12v-16v latency settings in the direct access table and then fuel trims were within a couple %.

I adjusted the throttle tip-in a bit as it was going lean on quick throttle transitions but it drive and idles really well!

It feels really strong and wideband matches AFRest within 0.3% over a 0-70mph pull. Its at 20psi now and about 10* of timing so there is some more to go. I will be turning it up this afternoon/tomorrow and will post results later. ]]> VETDRMS http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2729-fic-2150s-e100.html VP110 and more boost + lowering coolant temps http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2702-vp110-more-boost-lowering-coolant-temps.html Sun, 15 May 2011 18:20:07 GMT I'm slowly getting to the point to see what this new combo will do. I picked up some VP110 today to see if the knock I was seeing was mechanical noise or if this thing just really doesn't like pump gas.

Turns out it doesn't like pump gas. I started turning it up a bit. My transmission is still acting weird on the 1-2 shift so I need to sort that out. With some more timing (+2) and 16psi it was moving 46lb/min and felt pretty good. 0-60 was ~4.3 on wet roads. Peak timing is only 7* right now.

I turned the boost up a little and leaned it out from 11.1 to 11.4 and wow it just came alive. Spins hard on launch and just rips. At 20psi and 7000rpm it's moving 52lb/min!

The 750cc injectors are at 95% IDC at 11.4:1. I have the VP110 mixed 2 parts pump to 1 part 110. I am going to up the ratio and make some full runs. I am out of injector so I will just see what I can do with timing and maybe lean it out a bit.

The FIC 2150s will be here this week and then it's E85 time.

I think I am going to run out of turbo fast. At a PR of 2.4 and 52lb/min I am very close to the choke flow line for this turbo. I have attached a 16psi and 20psi log. I didn't get a chance to run it out at the higher boost it looks like I need to work on my VE table a bit at the higher boost level.

My wastegate started leaking so I picked up some of the TiAL embossed gaskets and it fixed the leak. However, the O2 housing is leaking a bit on the turbine side at the wastegate port. I'm sure this will impact spool a bit. This MAP SS O2 housing looked pretty nice but it seems to be a little warped. I will probably pull it off and have it milled flat. I am using a SS O2 housing gasket.



I also installed a Mishimoto thermostat, which brought coolant temps down considerably. I have used just about every other 170 or 180 thermostat with varying degrees of success but I wanted a lower, more stable temperature. The 2g cooling system is a bit odd with the thermostat on the inlet side. Because of this, the cool inlet water will cause it to close just as it is opening and it wont' be fully open until the inlet temp is at the thermostat temperature. This is why the 2gs always run at a higher temperature than the thermostat rating (~20* higher). The 1g and most other systems I've used put the thermostat on the hot outlet side.

I would rather control the temperature with the fans. I tested it with no thermostat and I could run whatever water temp I wanted by changing the fan control. I could pull it down to 150 if I wanted to. The downside is if you are coasting down hill or it is very cold the coolant temp will get way to low. The cooling system is sufficient, but the design is just wrong for running lower temps without a much lower thermostat opening point. The Mishimoto 143 thermostat fits the bill. I checked it in a pot of water with a candy thermometer and it opens right at 143 and is nearly fully open by 150.

I have it set so the fans come on at 183 and turn off at 173. It only takes the fans 10-15s to pull the temp down while idling. And driving/cruise temps stay in this range. $50 for a thermostat is a little ridiculous but there really aren't any other options. I picked mine up for $39 from MAP. YMMV

I hope to have some track results in the next couple weeks if it stops raining for once...
Attached Files
File Type: elg 16psi.elg (11.8 KB, 25 views)
File Type: elg 20psi.elg (6.7 KB, 31 views)
]]> VETDRMS http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2702-vp110-more-boost-lowering-coolant-temps.html Boost Control Solenoid Install http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2690-boost-control-solenoid-install.html Wed, 11 May 2011 00:16:02 GMT I installed the IR boost control solenoid yesterday and got it set up. I made a small bracket out of aluminum stock to mount it to the radiator. It is working good, and is at about 16psi at 45% duty cycle. It is hooked up using both the top/bottom ports. My only concern is how tolerant these solenoids are to heat. I like where it is mounted to keep the hose lengths down, but it will obviously get heated up by the radiator/hose. It is not physically touching anything other than the fan mount tab... I installed the IR boost control solenoid yesterday and got it set up. I made a small bracket out of aluminum stock to mount it to the radiator. It is working good, and is at about 16psi at 45% duty cycle. It is hooked up using both the top/bottom ports. My only concern is how tolerant these solenoids are to heat. I like where it is mounted to keep the hose lengths down, but it will obviously get heated up by the radiator/hose. It is not physically touching anything other than the fan mount tab where I secured the bracket.

The brass/rubber hoses and clamp setup may be temporary. I will probably switch to the polyehtylene tubing push-to-connect fittings for a cleaner look.





I also installed the chipped TCU and de-wired my old shift box. The shifts feel good but I think I have a 1-2 engagement issue that could be a sticky valve or kick-down band that needs to be adjusted.

Other than that I am going to finish wiring up the tranny cooler fan to run off the foglamp switch. Right now it comes on with the lights on only. I am going to re-wire it so I can turn it on independent of the lights.

I develped a small leak from the turbo side of the TiAL wastegate. I currently am not using gaskets but it looks like I need to. I will be ordering a few on Monday.

There is just under 1000 miles on it now and hopefully soon-ish I can convert to E85 and turn it up! ]]> VETDRMS http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2690-boost-control-solenoid-install.html Accident http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2689-accident.html Wed, 11 May 2011 00:15:08 GMT Well this is not the kind of update I was looking forward to but someone rear ended me on my way to work this morning. :mad: Image: http://i1041.photobucket.com/albums/b420/VETDRMS/BumperCover.jpg I was stopped at a red light getting off the highway and I stopped, then pulled forward to see if any traffic was coming to go right on red and about the same time I stopped after pulling forward the lady behind me rammed into me... She said she thought I was going so she went. There was a... Well this is not the kind of update I was looking forward to but someone rear ended me on my way to work this morning. :mad:



I was stopped at a red light getting off the highway and I stopped, then pulled forward to see if any traffic was coming to go right on red and about the same time I stopped after pulling forward the lady behind me rammed into me... She said she thought I was going so she went. There was a cement truck turning right in the oncoming lane of traffic so I couldn't see anything behind it. So apparently if the car in front of you is going (or you think it's going) you can just follow it through....ugh ]]> VETDRMS http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2689-accident.html <![CDATA[Mini Battery Install & JMF Oil Catch Can Install]]> http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2688-mini-battery-install-jmf-oil-catch-can-install.html Wed, 11 May 2011 00:14:32 GMT I finished up a few things on Saturday. I finally moved the battery down to make room for the JMF catch can and stop dumping my crankcase evac to the ground. It is supported by a piece of 1/8"x2" angle iron. A piece of masking tape worked good to transfer the bolt holes that the charcoal canister mounts to over to the angle iron so it would sit level.

The top of the battery is now at the same height as the frame rail, which gave me a lot more room. For now the battery is just held in with a battery box strap but it feels really solid. I will work on a better setup later.





This gave me a lot more room to mount the catch can. I used a piece of 1"x1/8" aluminum bar stock to make a bracket so the catch can bolts to the cruise control throttle cable "interchange" piece off the firewall.

I also re-wired the new fan to come on with the stock fan's low speed. The 2 fuse distribution block was used for both the fan and the fuel pump and the Saturn alternator "S" sense wire is hooked up to this block. The distribution block is fed with a 4 AWG wire and the pump and fan run off 10 AWG. Idle voltage with fans on is 14.1v!







As you can see above the stock coolant expansion tank is mounted under the intercooler pipe. It is attached the AC line and rests on the top of the transmission for now. I am going to replace it for a custom tank, but this is working for now.

The motor has 400 miles on it now and it is running good. The last oil change was 300 miles and it hasn't used/lost any oil.

I am going to try to put another 100 miles on it today and change the oil again and then switch to Brad Penn at 1500 miles. ]]> VETDRMS http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2688-mini-battery-install-jmf-oil-catch-can-install.html Little Things Update http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2687-little-things-update.html Wed, 11 May 2011 00:13:12 GMT I haven't had a lot of time to drive it and sort out all of the bugs but it is running pretty good! I just switched from the Brad Penn SAE 30W to Valvoline 20w50 VR1 at 150 miles and there is just under 200 miles on it now. It doesn't smoke or burn oil and there are no leaks.

It is now time to start cleaning up a few things that were skipped in the rush to get it running while I had a shop buddy around.

The new OEM spark plug wire looms worked well with the OEM plug wires and the upright Evo III coil pack. I also picked up a new brake reservoir cap and oil fill cap.



I also hooked up the stock oil pressure sender and dummy light off the oil filter housing. I now have a bunch of different BSPT fittings sitting around to dry different setups but I think this will work for now. The first fitting off the oil filter housing is a steel 1/8 BSPT male to female and the second fitting is a nickle plated brass 1/8 BSPT cross so both the sensors will screw into it. The fitting going to the oil feed line is a -4 AN male to 1/8 BSPT male adapter that is also steel. I could not get a steel 1/8 BSPT cross.



There are still a few ugly wires running around that need to be cleaned up and I still need to move the mini battery down to make room for the JMF catch can. For now a hose is just ran down to the ground right from the valvecover. I will probably have Andrew at Frontline Fab build me an overflow tank that I can tuck up in the stock location.







I am still have a few issues. There is a more knock than I would expect at only 7psi and low timing (12 degrees). I expected the 9.8:1 compression ratio to make it borderline pump gas friendly. I think it may be mechanical noise as there is some vibration/resonance at higher rpms. I posted another thread about the dash lights coming on and no charge at 6000+rpm. I think the alternator might just be bad. I did run a 4AWG ground wire from the alternator to the frame. Voltage is a pretty steady 14v even with everything running.

Even at 7psi this thing rips, I can't wait to turn it up. :D ]]> VETDRMS http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2687-little-things-update.html First Start! http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2686-first-start.html Wed, 11 May 2011 00:12:20 GMT Good news, it lives! Now, it certainly was not without its drama but I am impressed with how well it did right off the bat. Before the first start I turned the key on to finish setting up ECMLink and I hear a loud pop and saw a bunch of fluid shooting all over the car out of the engine bay.... the damn meth injection pump came on for some damn reason and blew a hole in the rubber vacuum cap I was covering the pipe with. I unhooked the sensor and turned the activation up all the way to... Good news, it lives!

Now, it certainly was not without its drama but I am impressed with how well it did right off the bat.

Before the first start I turned the key on to finish setting up ECMLink and I hear a loud pop and saw a bunch of fluid shooting all over the car out of the engine bay.... the damn meth injection pump came on for some damn reason and blew a hole in the rubber vacuum cap I was covering the pipe with. I unhooked the sensor and turned the activation up all the way to keep it from happening again on first start.

So it's time for first start and we crank it over and the motor doesn't even make it over 1 full turn before it fires right up! Hold it at about 2000rpm and look for leaks and vary the revs from 1000-2500 or so while letting it get to operating temperature. Oil pressure went straight to 90psi cold and stayed around 65psi when warm at 2500rpm. It dropped to 15-20psi at idle when warm so that looks good. This is with straight 30w. The lifters were clattering their little hearts out for quite a while, and I still think there is some clatter so I might have to look into that. I then checked under the car for leaks and it all looked good other than the water/meth puddles.

I went to put the side covers on and noticed there was some oil, looked like it was coming down the front of the block.... Took a while to find it but the plug in the end of the head wasn't tight. It never leaked while priming the system but a little heat loosened it up, once that was tightened up there were no leaks and it was time to go for a drive!

The car actually drove really well and was responsive with only the basic VE map and standard speed density settings! It just wouldn't idle without dieing. I wanted to get 20 miles of varying load on it so off we went. The coolant temp went up a lot faster and higher than I had expected and it wanted to settle on 200-206F right off the bat. New motors run warm but that was too hot.

I then checked the new fan and it wasn't working. It turned out that the fuse had blown so I replaced it. However, the temps were still too high. The top hose was hot but the lower wasn't so it had to be the new thermostat not opening.

I drained the fluid and installed my old thermostat that used to keep the car at a constant 180F. Sure enough, with that in it took some time to get to 180F and stayed around there, going up to 186F with fans set to come on at 190F.

The fun wasn't qutie over. I was doing some 1st gear and 2nd gear pulls 2000-5000rpm and coasting to vary the load. Right now I am on wastegate pressure of 8psi but was only running 5-7 at part throttle. I went from 2000-5500 in first gear and got a nice big smoke show. I was about 2 blocks from home so I just darted back to the garage thinking it was a pretty minor leak. The smoke was constant but not real bad. I should have just pulled over right away. It has been non-stop thrashing on this for a week and I am exhuasted.

The oil pressure never dropped and was above 40psi on the way back to the garage, pulled in with it smoking and saw a trail of oil going down the driveway. S**t! The pressure guage take-off in between the oil filter housing and the oil feed line for the turbo had come loose and sprayed oil all over the place. So much for the clean motor! The bad part is I lost 1.75qts of oil. It should be fine as the pressure never dropped but its still scary.

After tightening that up and putting some more oil in it I put another 10 miles on it. It still smoked like a mother while it was burning all the oil off the downpipe's heat-wrap, but there were no leaks.

The motor sounds awesome, I can't wait to get turn it up. I got 20 miles on it and will be changing the oil tonight and will run it for the next 200 miles until the next change, when I will switch from the Brad Penn 30w break-in oil to Valvoline 20w-50 or similar. At 1000 miles I plan to switch to Brad Penn 20w50.

I first need to get it to idle and then get the tune dialed in. The trims aren't very far off but it is leaner than the AFRest at moderate load factors so I have some work to do before turning up the boost. I am very happy with how well the speed density worked out of the box though! The turbo sounds sick, even at light throttle it sounds like a jet taxing down the runway. The exhaust sound is 10x better than the old motor, its got a "crackle" and a "snap" to it now. :)

The transmission also feels great, shifts are firm and crisp and no sign of binding/slip. I installed an Alto 5-disc front clutch and replaced the end clutch as wells as the sun shell and kickdown band. I also modified the valve body a bit more. :) I am running John Deere Hy-Guard this time. ]]> VETDRMS http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2686-first-start.html Motor/FMIC install and Misc. Updates http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2685-motor-fmic-install-misc-updates.html Wed, 11 May 2011 00:11:36 GMT Ok, taking a short break to do an update. I have been absolutely thrashing non-stop since Wednesday night to get this thing finished. My father is in town for a while so I have had a great shop hand to keep things moving along. We've been met with challenges at every single corner, what a pain in the A55 this thing has been.

I am approaching each issue and trying to do it "right" so while I am in a bit of a hurry I still want to take the time to make it good.

First off I will continue the shroud/FMIC install from my last update. We ended up re-doing the upper part of the shroud as it didn't clear the headlights and looked like crap when "clearanced". All the shrouding was built with aluminum flashing and sealed with aluminum tape. This is normally used on HVAC ducting and is pretty durable. I think it will work pretty good and doesn't look completely terrible. I would love to have access to the proper tools, like a bending brake, shear, etc. But for the tool-limited DIY-er this works quite well. You can get a roll of the flashing from Home Depot for about $10 and the tape is about $5.

First we built inserts that sealed the sides of FMIC to the A/C condensor core. This piece wraps around the condensor core on the passenger side and is clearanced for the A/C lines on the drivers side. Then we built the top cowl that attaches to the FMIC and sits behind the latch and upper bumper support. We notched the lower bolt hole on the upper bumper support to make installation easier.

We then sealed the condensor core to the radiator using high-density self-sticking foam. The bottom of the FMIC was sealed to the lower core support using the aluminum tape. I thought about building an air damn from heavier gauge aluminum but decided against it.

Pics:













Once that was done it was time to start the laborous process of installing the bumper cover! The idea was to measure 2x and cut once, but it turned out to be measure 20x and cut 20x. I have seen a lot of crappy hack jobs on this and the goal was to get a nice even fit across the front of the FMIC with no gap. We literally spent almost an entire day on this process while taking breaks to do other little things when it got too annoying.

The crash beam was cut to fit the core of the FMIC. This is also sealed to the FMIC on the top/sides by the high-density foam:







The bumper was trimmed with a metal cut-off wheel. I still need to clean off marker lines used for guides and clean it up a bit but here is the nearly-finished fitment:







Once that was done it was time to install the radiator. There was no way the stock driver's side fan was going to fit so I had to try to source one quick. I found a Maradyne 12" slim fan that fit perfectly and flows quite well: 1560cfm. This was wired into the stock harness and fastened to the radiator using some pull through ties. I never like to use these but I didn't have the material or time to fabricate some mounting tabs. This also allowed me to get the fan closer to the core. I used all 8 rubber pads on the fan side and big thick rubber pads on the other side so it should be fine. All electrical connections are always soldered and shrink-wrapped. I also installed some DEI reflective heat material on the fan motor as it sits right in front of the turbine housing. It will still be hot but this should help quite a bit. We'll see how long it lasts.











Here are some pics of my AIT sensor install and AFPR install.







Other than that there is a million little things that kept us busy that I will follow up on in a later post. Right now I am trying to find a coolant overflow tank and a place to put the JMF oil catch can. I am picking up a mini battery tonight and will make a mount to move it down. That should give me space for the catch can at least.

Thanks for looking, start-up should be...tonight! ]]> VETDRMS http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/vetdrms/2685-motor-fmic-install-misc-updates.html