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brumster

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Posts posted by brumster

  1. Well, fouled plugs could be a number of things (oil for example) unrelated to the coil/wiring but, if you feel that 2+3 could be an indicator, then a quick idea would be to swap the pins of the coil over so that the banks of the coil are swapped over - then, if the issue of fouled plugs moves to 1+4 you've discovered that it's something related to the coil or the trigger wiring to it.

    I would look to the Emerald logging approach again, but log a shedload of stuff this time. It might take a couple of attempts logging different things, but intermittent is good because you can then spot if something changes between the "running good" and "running bad" sections of your drive. Things I would be on the look out for :

    Battery : any massive change in voltage would be a good indicator of a problem
    Engine speed : essential reference to the other values
    Ign Advance : so we can see what the ignition advance is doing
    Inj duration : so we can see what the fueling is doing
    Inj timing : so we can check nothing weird is going on with injection timing
    MAP if you're using it
    Throttle/TPS
    Lambda O2 : will help us spot moments of lean/rich which might correlate against something else

    If nothing appears on the logs, then it would suggest something more physical with in engine induction/wiring, something degrading with heat maybe, or a bad connection such as loose earth strap, some sensor intrinsic to the operation of the engine (crank, tps, MAF, MAP, water temp, air temp, etc)... or air leak/etc but I'm not a forced induction expert to be fair.

    edit: You can save the log to a file (Data Logger -> Data -> Save to file) then share it with me and I can take a look-see if you want... better than a picture ;)

  2. Firing *order* is 1-3-4-2, coil packs usually have 2 banks and fire every other cylinder (so, given that firing order, one side of the coil will do 1+4 and the other will do 3+2 - this gives the coil the best time to 'recharge' between firings). Wasted spark means each plug will fire on both of the upstrokes (ie. the compression stroke, which is obviously the key one, but they also fire on the exhaust stroke too - this isn't intended to perform any useful function but obviously it does mean if you have unburnt fuel in there on the exhaust stroke, the spark could potentially still ignite/burn something - this is useful to remember when chasing popping/banging and so forth).

  3. Never did anything like that on my build so I wouldn't worry - no garage inspection necessary. That's what the IVA is for! Maybe the letter is thinking it's for people who are re-stamping a car that has had a replacement chassis installed? I would say just stamp the plate, affix yourself as above, and at the IVA the inspector will check the VIN and details/etc and job is a good'un.

  4. 1 hour ago, dandan62 said:

    I think I'll get rid of it and put a simple valve in.

    Hmmm, fluid doesn't really work like that. You'll limit *flow* not pressure. I'm not sure a simple valve will have the effect you desire; it might affect pedal rate - which I know is what you want for the back brakes, but might end up stopping you from applying quick brake pressure at all, including the front, with disastrous consequences! I would check carefully this approach before you take it... there is more to these 'proper' brake proportioning valves than just a tap ;)

  5. Not a bad idea, given you're through IVA. I used to have one of these on a competition car with a standard pedal box :

    https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/tilton-screw-type-proportioning-valve-243412/

    Did the trick, allowed me a bit of adjustment.

    Your valve, is it mounted identical to the Sierra, ie. at a slight angle? I was always told the angle was very important as it determined the operational behaviour, but I couldn't say if that's true or not (seems plausible). Or maybe it's just knackered? How about removing it temporarily, joining the pipes with a suitable length of "union", and taking it back and seeing how it looks and behaves - before you go investing...?

  6. I would start with the Sierra-based P100 although I wonder if it ever changed in the time between the Cortina-based one and the Sierra. The parts I suspect are probably the same. A trip to a friendly Ford dealer/parts department should tell you pretty quickly ;) take the old one with you...

  7. I'm not sure 'strengthening' issues on the Exmo are a cause for IVA compliance concern, although that's not to say they're not serious, just that IVA won't spot them - you'll just notice after a few thousand miles when bits start to crack :). The main bits were the strut tops which, with the default arrangement, started to punch through/bend the top of the "butresses". And the rear diff mount, RH provided an extra plate to thicken up the boot floor where the diff bolts up but some cars missed it I think.

    Seat mounts and rear bar that supports them would probably be an issue, if you've used them. Likewise seat belt/harness mounts, the default arrangement with the Exmo was either a cost-option 'roll-over hoop' (snigger) with upper mounts for intertia reel belts, or else harnesses, and it was the harnesses that were the problem as most people tied them to the rear lip of the boot, which is nowhere near strong enough. Put them down through the floor with spreader plates, tensioned over a suitable crossbar rather than the back of the seat, and you would be fine I think... depends what you've done. What bits are you concerned about?

  8. Not sure what ECU you're using or if you're even on injection, but generally I've found the default maps that cars come with very rarely have had any time spent on the hot-start aspects of the map. Spending a bit of time fine-tuning the cranking enrichment settings and temperature-related enrichment settings made a massive difference for me, and my car now starts generally pretty well, hot or cold. How to do this is a topic in itself though and does take time and patience (particularly cold starts; not your problem though)...

  9. To my knowledge, my Ka cylinder is 20.6mm over the standard 22.6 on the sierra. I have a spreadsheet that works this sort of thing out, I'll try and PM it to you, but going 22.6->20.6mm on the m/c and changing nothing else should see about a 20% decrease in pedal effort...

     

  10. Yeah, I wouldn't say a pedal box is necessarily the answer. Maybe just a refresh of sorts is all that's needed... check the existing pedal box arrangement for flex/'sticktion' in the bushes, play across the axle that all the pedals pivot on, lubricate, etc?

    My car is standard Ka M/C on original Sierra brakes and the pedal effort and feel is lovely, spot on for me. Granted it's not like an overly-servo'd tin top but it's a nice balance, just a little bit of 'meat' to it but not overly firm.

  11. A couple is probably barely noticeable on a tin-top but more relevant on cars like ours with such little weight. There is no magic number but generally people go with a ballpark number that most people like, without questioning it. It generally aligns with vehicle weight but there are obviously points where, when the numbers go too high or too low, you get a massive drop-off in characteristics. Too low, the sidewall deforms, the contact patch goes to pot and the tyre most likely overheats - but here you see my point, factors such as tyre construction can make a massive difference - soft sidewalls; more pressure. Stiff sidewalls; you can get away with less. So blanket saying "18 psi" doesn't factor in anything about your car weight or tyres. Likewise too high a number and the opposite happens, the sidewall/squish will be reduced, the car will be too stiff, the contact patch will deform the opposite way, and the car will feel taught to a point, skittish past that. But, again, softly sprung cars could get away with it more, or cars with softer tyres. And we've not discussed tyre temperatures, compound, etc... :)

    Short answer : fiddle. Go out repeatedly over a known favourite road, adjusting pressures by 2psi at a time (check HOT temperatures, not cold) and see which you prefer :)

     

  12. No - they don't care about the heat, just sharp edges. I wrapped my CC but it wasn't from a heat perspective, it was purely to cover the square edges of the lambda sensor/clamps!

  13. Do you mean the pedals don't feel smooth, like the bushes are dry, they 'stick'?

    Or do you mean the pedals themselves feel flimsy and cheap, are they bending, or flopping about/loose?

    Or do you just mean that the pedal pressure is too much, you have to stand on them to get any sort of braking effect?

    Adjustable balance-bar pedal boxes can be finickety to set up, there are nuances to them, they sound all very cool to people who think they've got race car parts in their car but trust me, they require careful setup, planning on balancing the cylinder ratios, and just as easy as they can make things better they can make it worse. I am talking from experience, I have a competition car running one.

  14. I noticed in that for sale thread for Gaz's "Hood" that he uses Lotus Elise seats, which look rather nice a fit.

    I've got the intatrim ones and they're not great comfort-wise, to be honest (they're not horrendous, don't get me wrong, but my previous Westfield ones were better), the angle they sit  is (for me) too flat, they don't lift your thighs up or pitch you backwards enough to create a natural arch to your legs when on the pedals because obviously they're pretty much flat on the floor. They need tilting back really, like on a wedge (or raising up, but I don't really think that's sensible or practical in a Zero!)

  15. Green flag you have to provide details of one vehicle but on the personal cover you're not locked to it, so it doesn't matter. I put our tin top down but claimed on the Zero a couple of years ago, no problems.

    edit: Green Flag renewal is up for me too, for personal UK cover, including onward travel to a destination of your choosing, for myself and partner (all cars), is £80.

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