brumster

The cell that measures hydrocarbons in it shows a failure code and when Mr.Snap-On engineer was here to maintain it, he informed it was about a grand to replace the cell. Considering I got the analyser from a friend who ran a local garage for a few hundred quid just to be able to map cars a bit more accurately in terms of MOT compliance (exactly as you are finding), and the fact that I've done that about 4 times in the several years of ownership of it, let's be honest.... it's not worth it....

Fingers crossed for you I had a go at fixing my gas analyser last night but no joy... looks like it's going on eBay for spares or repair!

Worth pulling the return line off and, after ensuring it's FULLY DRAINED AND CLEAR OF ANY PETROL ;), wipe it nice and clean and give it a bit of a blow (ooer missus) just to ensure it's not obviously blocked....?

Aha, stumble across this thread - puts the emissions saga into context! As richy says, if your fuel pressure is way too high (which it sounds like) that would explain it running rich and failing the emissions test. I would check your regulator - there must be one somewhere, you can't run an injection system without one!

Sounds like the mapping just needs setting up, tweaking for the idle, possibly the throttle bodies need some tweaking/balancing... assuming everything is in good condition, gaskets are sealing, plugs are good, fuel pressure, injectors, etc. Certainly just "plugging a lambda in" and expecting it to fix emissions is not how it works, I'm sorry to say not on aftermarket engine management anyway, assuming you're on Emerald for example (which I think is what GBS supplies?) edit: I believe some of the GBS exhausts do include a cat at the front of the silencer?

Agreed. But certainly at the idle test, the lambda is rarely in closed loop mode as I was always lead to believe that the mixture and combustion at idle is too irregular to get reliable readings off a wide-band lambda quick enough to adjust. Obviously if we're talking the 2500-3000rpm test here, that's different. Either way, depending on the management system, there is typically a configuration setting that will only allow the adaptive fueling to correct by a maximum amount of 5% (for example) so if they fueling is way off, it won't adjust enough to get where you need it to be. You can up the maximum allowed adjustment or just do a number of sessions of merging in the corrections to the base map and then going out and letting it learn again. Personally, when I had issues with the MOT emissions test, I just sat and manually tweaked the fueling while watching the gas analyser on 'free measurement' mode. I'd offer to help but unfortunately my gas analyser has a failed cell in it which is £1k to fix, so I'm like, *bleep* that something to stick on eBay when i can get round to it!! EDIT: Does a mod want to move this into a more appropriate section I get the mistake the OP made thinking "test" meant MOT related!

Was it the idle CO or the fast engine speed (~2500rpm normally) CO level that it failed on? Does the car have a catalytic converter fitted, I am assuming yes because you'll have fun making those numbers without one :D. I wonder if the cat is damaged/no longer effective, that's all. Burning any oil? Is the exhaust nice and air-tight, no leaks? What engine management is the car using? When the lambda was added, was the ECU reconfigured to make use of it correctly? Assuming everything has been done right and is working correctly, then someone can tweak the fueling/advance for the load sites you're testing (either idle or fast engine test - you're not clear on which one it failed) to get that number down. You'll need someone with a gas analyser, or do it at the garage doing the test while it's on their analyser.

1 - the best way to answer this is to just ring one up and ask them. If you're on about one of these kit cars where you basically drop a new body (or major body parts) onto a BMW Z3/etc then I suspect they'll happily quote you, yes, it's business after all. 2 - best for who? I'm not getting why you're asking - are you looking to make this body kit yourself? If so, wow, you're taking on some job there and if you're having to ask what the best material is, then I'm going to hazard a guess you're not trained in panel beating or laying up of GRP, in which case.... you might want to consider what you're taking on here !? 3- As someone who did most of his student life with a GTM Rossa (from 2nd year onwards), it would be awkward of me to say "No" but, errm... let's be honest, they might not be the most practical of vehicles... but I made it work and if you're determined enough and willing to understand the compromises, then sure, why not! 4- Depends on the car. There are lots of different kits, just like any 'normal' car, some with more space than others, etc. you need to think about what you want out of a car, and then assess every kit car you're looking at against those criteria. Think about weather protection, reliability, performance, boot space/interior space and practicality, economy, cost to run, cost to insure, safety, security... if you've got not garage or secure parking, for example, then buying a Lotus 7 replica with no roof for a car you've got to drive into college every day come rain or shine, including the winter.... I'd say yeah, there's a downside ! 5 - Yes, Look up "IVA inspection" or "guide to the iva scheme"... some bedtime reading there! 5 - Quite a fair bit, I suspect!

Dammit, how do you break up quotes in this forum software?! I'll come back later... started with the intention of typing something but it didn't work....

Interesting - my lawn mower has a warning on the filler not to use more than 10% ethanol-mix fuel. I wondered what that was all about! I've learnt something today I only ever put Super into the kit anyway so I won't worry too much... but I have seen what happens to crappy/cheap non-rated "fuel" pipes when used with even E5 fuel so your statement above doesn't surprise me...!

Brett Sims is a straight and honest guy, he gets my thumbs up. He did the head on my competition car when he worked for Longman; he worked there for years and learnt from Richard Longman so he knows his way around head work. If you're just after a straightforward recondition and mild tidy-up he can probably do that with his eyes closed

Good luck! The timed sprint section will be a minefield of legislation, public indemnity insurance and so forth - might be worth interacting with a local MSUK-affiliated club to run it as a formal event, which would probably make it easier than trying to arrange something yourself.

It's not a simple question to answer really, if you scour eBay you'll find all manner of engines available for less than £3k but the cost of your engine swap isn't the engine itself, it's all the ancillaries as Zed says... inlet/induction/fuel delivery, exhaust, gearbox and/or gearbox adapter plate, custom engine mounts, coolant pipework, sump clearance costs and so forth (latter probably not an issue on the Exmo). Depends on your appetite for doing something different versus just doing what's known as works, is plentiful, cost-effective and meets whatever your needs are in terms of performance... in which case, going Zetec is what everyone else does and is a known, low-risk approach But if you want to stand out from the crowd, go Ford/Jag V6, Rover V8, Toyota straight 6, Hyundai 3-pot turbo, Lambo V10, yada yada yada and budget a fortune to adapt it for all the bits above

It *used* to be the case that the GBS screens were not IVA compliant. I would check they have all the relevant markings before you order.

Back in the old days all kit car VINs were assigned by the DVLA and began "SABTVA". I say this because I had 3 kit cars in the 90's and they all followed this format - except one of the cars, which was misread by whoever entered it into the computer, so I had a GTM with "SABTVR" instead X-D I think the take-away here is that the two departments in the DVLA/DVSA/whatever don't really talk or act in any connected way, so whoever issues/comes up with VINs is separate to whoever accepts the paperwork you send them, and provided when the VIN is entered into their system it doesn't already exist, no-one in the DVLA really cares. There is a formal process, as I've mentioned on the forums before, for requesting a chassis number and it is simple and it works - they send me one in the space of a few weeks... but a lot of people prefer to just make up their own. Personally, I'm a stickler for process, but hey ho - each to their own

When we did the Rover K swap our Exmo we had to cut these to clear the sump. We removed what we needed to then stitch-welded a 30mm square section piece of steel down the length to put some strength back in. Never any problems for us

I had a mate who was a Powerflow franchise - Powerflow supply the parts and, as you say, each garage bends and welds to your spec. Simspon I wouldn't bother with any more - I had some stainless tubing from them on the Zero; they were expensive and it's discoloured already compared to much cheaper stainless tubing that I got from https://www.304stainlessexhaustparts.com/ for a de-cat section, which is still looking great (I will be using them more in the future!). Personally I wouldn't go stainless on a manifold - the system, fine, fair enough - but the manifold I'd keep mild steel for longevity (it fatigues less, as I understand it). Unless you just want it for the bling factor, or for concours type cars where it's more important for it to look good than last. I suppose if you're not talking a high miler, then it matters less.

That's not right in the head, for sure... # edit: unless it was the 1.4, in which case, good move, should have be done as soon as it came out of the factory

Looking at that, I *suspect* the bell shaped washed is to stop the mount pulling totally through (upwards) in the case of a crash or the rubber bush separating apart? As it doesn't seem to make contact with any rubber directly?

I would go with the mindset you'll get some failures at your first IVA; think of it more as a snag list. People's experiences are vary variable over the years, you can get picky examiners and you can get easy-going ones. Plan for the worst; hope for the best If you go to IVA with a windscreen then it must have the appropriate sundries also fitted at the same time - a mechanism to clear it (wipers), wash it (washers) and demist it (heater/blower mechanism or heated screen), wipers must sweep a certain amount clear, must sweep a certain speed, etc. It must also pass all the usual safety requirements in terms of edges, glass markings, etc. A lot of people go to IVA with no screen, therefore meaning they don't have to make any effort around meeting those requirements. They get the car through the test, then fit them afterwards where they don't have to worry about using properly marked glass, or wiper blades/arms that meet requirements, or coverage, or speeds, etc. There is NO reason why you can't go to IVA with a windscreen and pass, though. You just have to meet the requirements in the IVA guide, that's all.

It'll be a different bike - he's on about the engine from a Superblackbird, aka a CBR1100XX. Although maybe the management on a 929RR is the same, I don't know, but.... just sayin' I'd have suspected fuel first if it'd been standing around for ages how long is 'ages' ?

You're saying a constant 5v but this doesn't come out of the lambda sensor itself, you're talking about your controller, right? So it could very much be the controller at fault rather than the sensor. A spare sensor isn't a bad thing to have. I had an Innovate LC-1 that died within what must have been 20-30 hours of total running time; electronics fault - the Bosch sensor itself was fine. So it's entirely possible, I guess.

Lord knows we're all driving less !

<chuckle> this takes me back to being a kid, I had the same discussion with my dad. "What's nearside mean?" "It's the side of the car near the kerb" "Oh, so, the left?" "Yeah" "Unless you're in europe..." "Yeah" "So why not call it the left side?" "Errm, yeah"

I scrapped an entire Exmo chassis and rear suspension from a Sierra and got about £50 for it. So you'll almost certainly get more for the parts. Then just weigh in the body. You just need to spend a bit of time on eBay and Car Builder Solutions looking at what prices things go for, for the things you've got. Radiator, steering rack, etc. Or else if you're just contemplating weighing it all in, just stick each of the items on eBay at 99p start or somesuch and see how it goes. Also consider listing it on locostbuilders.co.uk forum, donor parts tend to go pretty quickly on that (I've used it in the past)...