PaulF2B

If you have a Mass Airflow sensor that could be giving bad feedback under load (they do often fail), found this site that shows how to test it. may be worth a try: http://my.prostreetonline.com/2016/02/02/how-to-test-a-ford-focus-maf-sensor/ Or is there any test software for the Emerald that will help determine if the sensors are all reading correctly?

Looking at the photos the hole spacing on the bracket appears around 2cm. Why not drop the left side down to the next set of holes (as per Al's build) that would give around 6cm both sides. However lowering the left side would reduce your overall ground clearance, not sure if that is an issue? If so, you need to look at raising the right side to 8cm, possibly with a new bracket as Agent_Z suggests. The other thought is to just use the tolerance in the bracket holes (they are often well over the bolt diameter), you will probably find to can close the gap be about 1cm by loosening the bolts one side and push the bracket up / tighten. Then the opposite side pushing down.

As you mentioned you skimmed the head, the bolts will go further down into the block. So the bolts could be bottoming as mentioned above, requiring the bolts to be shortened.

Hi Andy, Let us know how it goes, I tried fitting a Powerspark Elec' ignition module that worked fine until I connected the Rev' counter (to the Neg' of the coil). The extra impedance of the instrument was too much and it would start missing sparks, you could clearly see missed flashes on the strobe. I have the standard rev counter in a Sierra instrument cluster. I am interested how you get on. Cheers Paul

Just a regular service with new oil, plugs, filters (oil, fuel and air if its paper) and points can help bring back power to the Ford levels. A carb' strip/ clean of the DGAV can also help, fit new jets if you still have the original factory ones, also replace the fuel inlet filter. A DGAV service kit is under £20. I recently found my compression pressures were low on my 2.0L only around 60 psi, also I was getting oil smoke on startup so the valve seals needed replacing. I have just completed a head strip over winter, new stem seals and re-grinding in the valves. It has made a big difference to power and the compressions is now around 120 PSI on all cylinders. You could do all of the above for the cost of a rolling road session, or just upgrade to a 2.0 as Paul suggests.

I previously had a regular points setup where the coil negative is connected to ground 2 times each revolution of the engine. The sierra rev counter connected to the coil negative would then get the pulses and convert this into RPM. There are 2 pulses (sparks) per crank revolution on a 4 stroke engine, you will notice you have to turn the crank round twice for 1 rev' of the camshaft and all 4 pots to fire. I then fitted a Powerspark electronic ignition module, but with the rev counter fitted it added extra electrical loading to the coil negative (it's impedance was too low), and the engine would not run smoothly, missing some sparks. A better solution for the electronic ignition modules is to get the rev pulses from the alternator. If your alternator has a "W" terminal you should be able to connect this to the rev' counter feed and keeping the coil connections to the minimum.

Ah, sorry they are a lot smaller than they look in the photos! So probably not boot or side panel. Although left and right look like they may have come from the factory with the striped protection paper, the middle one looks home made with pencil lines. Anyone else any ideas?

Hello Shane, This looks like quiz of the day! The left picture looks like a boot panel, either the bottom panel or a top cover. The right picture looks like a front offside side panel, it may be spare for an alternative suspension set-up. As for the middle picture I am not sure, possibly a steering column shroud, to be bent around the steering with a hole for the column to go through. But not sure of its size from the photo. Maybe if you can post some pictures of the car and what is fitted it may help further. Cheers Paul

Here's a copy (attached) of the Vicky Green loom drawing as a .pdf that shows the Ford Motorcraft amplifier. There is also wiring info' on this post: http://community.rhocar.org/downloads/wiring/Hoodwire.htm See the "Ign & Charging 2" page that may help. I have not used the Ford module though as I have an old dizzy with traditional points that seems to work well. Basically you just take the switched Ignition feed to the +ve of a ballasted coil, then the -ve is switched by the points to ground. You just need the standard capacitor (condenser) fitted across the points. Keeps it simple and seems to work fine. You could also invest in one of the electronic ignition modules that fits inside the dizzy, but beware they can cause issues if you want to take the rev counter feed from here. It is not an issue if you have a rev counter output on the alternator. vicki_green_pinto_wiring_loom.pdf

You could always go for the South African optional extra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDrzMGdYWZc You may need to invest in some VHT Paint though

I am guessing you may have carb's with Auto-Choke (possibly Webers). If so the choke may not be fully opening at the cooler temp's and using the extra fuel. You can take off the air filter after a run and see if the butterfly is fully open. But hopefully a new thermostat will fix it

Also check out section 19 "Seat Belt Anchorages" in the IVA Manual, it gives you some ideas of what the examiner will be looking for. But good solid welded plates as in John's site link above is your best route.

Yes the Fiesta unit is an easy fit in the pipework with 4 ports and internal bypass, electrically it just needs an on/off switch on the dash to supply 12V. The switch toggles between bypass and flow through. Internally it has a simple solenoid actuator. On/ Off control is plenty for a RH

Interesting! Thanks Peter. It flows the opposite way through the heater than I expected. I have used a heater control valve/ actuator from a Fiesta and I think it needs reversing now, probably why my small heater is always warm.

Do you have an open tank breather pipe that could be getting sand/ grit kicked up from the back wheels? If so one of the small air filters can be fitted to keep it out. Otherwise maybe get the old filter and cut it open over a white sheet of paper and try and see just what it is in your filter (do the CSI bit), it may help you see if really is sand and grit or shards of metal, rubber etc, may give you a clue where it is coming from.

If you do need to strip the carb' or just see the internals, check out this topic in our forum, there's a nice link there: "Rebuilding A Weber 32/36 Dgav Carb" http://www.rhocar.org/index.php?showtopic=36620&hl=%2Bweber+%2Bcarb+%2Bsite

If you are building towards getting through IVA, you may want to think about using the fitting holes for a future windscreen to mount the mirrors, probably with some strengthening inside the scuttle. It is a lot easier to fit the windscreen after IVA as you don't need to worry about wipers, washers, demisters etc along with the radius's of the screen frame/ supports, until after you are on the road

I went through IVA last July (with a G Plate) and got a years tax, which came up for renewal this month stating that it needed a valid MOT. So as expected on age related IVA you get a year and as suggested above you should get 3 years grace with a new registration. It thankfully went straight through the MOT but cost £45 round here, you got a good deal at £25 there in Kent Bob!

Following on from Nigel's comment, as the batteries are in the boot on the 3 Series, it is worth following the power cable forward checking for any rubbing or flexing that could start to break the cores in the cable. Any warning lights on the dash? the ECU is usually quick to pick up electrical faults with the charging circuit. Also worth checking all fuses/ relays are seated correctly, could be just an issue with the output to the reverse light & fan circuits.

If you can't get a Sierra one, you could get a universal reservoir (from eBay or Car Builder Solutions), mount it on the bulkhead above the master cylinder then pipe down to it (assuming there is space). If you are going for IVA you will need one with the lamp circuit test button on the top.

Well done! Sort out the plates and you can be out in the fine weather forecast for June! Then you can customise it as you want

I think it may have been Ian who sent me this useful link last year: http://www.hi-tensilebolt.com.au/Head%20Markings.html This shows the Imperial, Metric and Stainless markings with their tensile strengths, I am afraid my examiner at Derby did not recognise the imperial markings so it was one of my failure points. I replaced the UNF bolts with metric 8.8 and all was fine on the re-test, even though the replacement bolts were actually a slightly lower strength! Make sure the bolts you use actually have the 8,8 or 10.9 markings on the head, as not all bolts you buy are marked. The other thing my tester did not like was the exposed triangular seat belt fixings, I had to make a "Sock" to cover them. Just a piece of folded plastic fabric over some foam did the trick.

My 2B has the crocodile bonnet (mild steel) and includes the windscreen, wipers, motor etc. I am not sure of the weight, but I have 2 gas struts from a Fiesta tail gate and they hold up the whole lot nicely. There are times when I have removed one of the struts in the garage (for accessibility) and it just stays up with 1, but I would not want to be under it in a strong breeze.

I have the same setup and as per the above it should not be a problem. If you take off the air filter you should see the butterfly fairly closed on a cold day before the engine has run. Start it up and after a couple of minutes you should see the butterfly in the carb start to open. Then fully open after a few minutes of running. This will verify the auto choke is operating correctly. The power of the water pump should blow through any air bubbles into the rad' (once the thermostat is open) and will accumulate in the neck, then just top up the coolant level.

With this cold weather at the moment, it is worth running the engine for a while before you start. The exhaust will heat up the copper pipe making it easier to bend and less likely to crack. Have you bought a heat shield or made one? It sounds a god idea to deflect the heat away from the servo.