4722 replies to this topic

[Nev]

Well, today I finally got round to a job I've been putting off for about 7 years since I did the original engine upgrades. Basically, I have had a mild issue when I park up, whereby the extra cooling demand of the external waste-gate (and perhaps turbo) has meant that the collant boils badly when I switch off. This means steam pressure builds up which can only exit via the pressure relief valve on the coolant tank cap. As a result I get a nasty brown stain on the top of the coolant tank and several loud busts of noise as the pressure is released. Also over time I need to top the water up, due to the loss.

 

So, today I finally installed the wiring, fuse and dashboard switch to allow me to switch on the auxiliary electric water pump that is already integral in the plumbing. Now when I switch off the engine, I can run the pump for a minute or two and syphon the coolant round the entire engine. If it works well, I might install an adjustable timed relay into the circuit, so I can switch the pump on and walk away from the car in the knowledge that it will switch itself off after a couple of minutes or so.

 

Such an easy thing to do, just a bit time consuming.

 

As another nice side effect, after switching off the engine, I can run both the water pump and the front rad fan simultaneously - even better for cooling the engine when I haven't had a chance to coast down or when it is a particularly hot day.

 

I have now used up all 5 of my additional switches and 3 dial spaces on my extra dashboard console and still have a vacuum gauge waiting to be placed somewhere permanently on the dash. I guess I will have to think about a really big new console, perhaps along the entire dash front where the stereo is on most VXes.

 

Edited by Nev, 02 June 2016 - 09:53 AM.

[siztenboots]

pop out DIN with extra switches , some ribbon cable would work ( or cup holders )

[TFD]

Why not installed a turbotimer?

Switch off the car. Car will run for another xx time (self adjustable) to cool the flow through the turbo. This reduces the risk of a hotspot in the system (turbo).

[ayresyy]

 I did this mod but slightly differently. I had water boiling in the turbo after shut down so I installed a small bosch pump that solely caters for the turbo. I noticed also on the the z20let the water circulation through the turbo was poor at best, so thats why I did it that way. The pump starts via thermostatic switch once the engine is warmed up and then runs on via a timer for 5 mins after shut down.

Edited by ayresyy, 03 June 2016 - 10:19 AM.

[siztenboots]

I don't know if Nev kept the VX water hose setup with the garrett , but the aux turbo pump on standard cars does a good job of running a small circuit round the turbo to the other feed on the expansion bottle

[Nev]

I still have the OEM water pipe setup, but added an extra set of hoses T-ed into the system to cool the wastegate. Letting the car idle just makes it hotter as there is no ram effect on the rads, so a turbo timer isn't really suitable unfortunately.

 

[Nev]

On Sunday morning I got up super early for the usual run around and as it was really warm with good traction I decided to set the dash switch to the high torque map for the entire journey. It's so long since I've done this I was both cautious and nervous initially, but after half a dozen squirts it all seemed much more planted than I expected. Though, when driving with this map I really had to be in "full alert" mode, as the progress towards the next braking point is in another league as the speed builds incredibly quickly. Instead of 330 ft/lb I get 420 ft/lb from 4700 to 7500 RPM and consequently the power comes in so much earlier.

 

 

On the less fun side, the engine has been making a progressively louder "ticking" sound from the top end/exhaust manifold area over the last 500 miles. So today, I did the usual checks like nipping the exhaust manifold bolts, checked the spark plugs were down tight enough and waved my hand around to check for gas leaks around the manifold. None of this made any difference.

 

I was starting to get a bit worried about my solid lifter/cam lash at this point, but finally with a flexi-stick mirror I noticed a dribble of oil coming from the centre of the cam cover and dropping near the turbo. To try and remedy this I have tightened the cam cover down a bit, but the bolts already blooming tight and I didn't want to over toque them into the soft aluminium head. Anyway, as I was doing this I noticed that a thin bead of RTV had been ejected from the cam cover to cylinder head, so this I guess this is likely to be letting out both the oil and the noise. Tightening the cam cover bolts has helped reduce the noise, but if it is still leaking oil after the next run I think I will have to take off and re-RTV the whole cam cover.

 

The whole process took about an hour. This short video was taken after the "fix"; you can just hear the ticking as I move the camera forward. Excuse the dirty engine bay.

 

 

Edited by Nev, 06 June 2016 - 10:24 AM.

[Nev]

Got a bit bored today, so spent an hour or so taking the cam cover off and re-applying some gasket sealant. Hopefully this will fix the small oil leak I've had out of it. This time I have only lightly tightened the cam cover down whilst the sealant is wet, will wait for the sealant to harden a bit more and then tighten it a bit more.

 

I also took the opportunity to inspect the cam lobes and lifters for wear - thankfully all seemed good, though I didn't turn the crank over to rotate the cams.

 

 

 

Edited by Nev, 16 June 2016 - 12:12 PM.

[Nev]

Went out for a quick trial of my gasket sealant. All seems good and the leak has stopped.

 

However I still think I have some sort of exhaust gas leak from the manifold/downpipe/exhaust pipe. It's only slight so I can't detect it with my hand at idle, so was wondering if a smoke machine might help pin-point the leak. Has anyone got any good ideas how I could make my own smoke and point it into the engine bay or some other clever solution please?

Edited by Nev, 17 June 2016 - 03:04 PM.

[CocoPops]

Speak to a Local bee keeper?

[Nev]

Speak to a Local bee keeper?

 

Hmm, quite a good idea, I do know someone local who keeps bees. Thanks.  

[iceman]

Good Evening.   Your question reminded me of the draw testing they do for chimneys, so i had a little look around and found, what i believe, is a good link for you. http://www.wonkeedon...acing-dyes.html

 

 

In hope that that helps...

 

..icey

[CocoPops]

Ooh good idea Icey! Set of matches should do the trick, allowing 20secs to wave around suspect areas.

[hairy]

Went out for a quick trial of my gasket sealant. All seems good and the leak has stopped.

 

However I still think I have some sort of exhaust gas leak from the manifold/downpipe/exhaust pipe. It's only slight so I can't detect it with my hand at idle, so was wondering if a smoke machine might help pin-point the leak. Has anyone got any good ideas how I could make my own smoke and point it into the engine bay or some other clever solution please?

 

Nev, you can buy smoke leak detector kits e.g. https://www.google.c...tONKN8QfZr5SABQ

[Nev]

Thanks for the ideas guys, those smoke pellets look suitable, so I've just bought a few.

 

This morning I stopped off at Castle Coomb circuit to have a chat with the guy who runs their fleet of single seaters. The cars are very basic, nice wide track, manual shift to 4 gear trans-axle, long wishbone suspension, skinny road tyres, no aero at all, Ford Kent cross flow 1600 CC engine making about 60 HP.  Anyway I asked him how much for a single day driving one and he said £1200 - I nearly fell over. Anyway I haggled a bit and he came down to £800. Even so, that's far too much for a taster IMO, when you could probably buy one for about £5000 do a few days in it and sell it for the same money 1 month later.

 

Edited by Nev, 18 June 2016 - 09:43 AM.

[Nev]

I've also got a little snippet of the new cheapo video camera I bought from Lidl the other day. It's not as good as a GoPro, but it's quite reasonable for £30.

 

I've mounted it on the dash by the start button and it seems to be able to focus on the outside, though it does vibrate a lot which spoils the pic a bit. Coping with light changes seems to be a bit of a weak point.

 

 

http://www.youtube.c...bed/wu5DgR2jui8

 

Edit: Sheesh, cant get the bastard thing to embed properly!

Edited by Nev, 18 June 2016 - 11:29 AM.

[KurtVerbose]

Edit: Sheesh, cant get the bastard thing to embed properly!

 

Need some help with IT Nev?

 

[siztenboots]

just use the url from the browser address bar rather than the embed code

[Nev]

MOT & tax & insurance today = £50 + £295 +£492 = £837 just to keep the thing on the road.

[siztenboots]

At least you drive it