'01 Silver - The daily commute smile machine! (Turbo build)

[jvanzyl]

Just fit a good quality suitable size cat and that's the job done   then there is mo messing about every year to try and get a test, unless your going for huge power it's not a restriction anyhow and even then with correct size it could still flow enough and be legal.

I used to mess about with decats and things years ago, these days  I'm too old to be faffing for minimal if any gain from doing it.

This might become the approach... I'm not massively keen on trailering the car back up to RRR.. to do this though.

[jvanzyl]

Today's progress has focused on taking off the oil drain flange and starting to create a "lip?" So that the flipping thing can make a decent seal on the pipe and stop frigging dripping oil.
Will still have to add some more meat to the shape but it's progress of a sort..

[jvanzyl]

Happy with the profile now.. ready to go back on, just need to remove the old gasket remains off the turbo.

[jvanzyl]

First startup with the new ecu, and the wrapped mid pipe. No errors on dash which is great- just trying to figure out how to connect to the EMU logger as the iPhone throws an error each time..
After meetings I'm going to try login with the PC to see what's what, run it up to temp and see if I'm still leaking oil...

[jvanzyl]

Ok- I'm connected to the data logger which is nice..

Aaand upon closer inspection of my oil drain I think I've found the problem..
Even though I can't see it with the naked eye there appears to be a microscopic hole where my weld is that is letting oil through.. so I'll have to take that off again and try harder.. hopefully my gasket will be ok and I won't have to order another..

[jvanzyl]

So it's out of focus but you can see the tiny pin prick hole!

Fixed!

And I flattened the mating surface as it was NOT flat..

Put the front and rear end back together..


Aaand the out of curiosity I thought I'd find out how much it'd cost to pay a garage to fit my wheel bearing. First garage came back with a comment saying they wouldn't fit a Borg and beck one...which is what TCB supplied me with.. anyone got any experience with Borg and beck bearings??

It turns out I'm about to be made "unbusy" by my company shortly... so looks like I'll have some time on my hands...

[Joesson]

@jvanzyl said:

Aaand the out of curiosity I thought I'd find out how much it'd cost to pay a garage to fit my wheel bearing. First garage came back with a comment saying they wouldn't fit a Borg and beck one...which is what TCB supplied me with.. anyone got any experience with Borg and beck bearings??

A quick look on the www will show that Borg &Beck have been around since 1903, a 120 years of getting it right or getting it wrong ?

PS
IMO supplying parts for a garage to fit creates a stumbling point if something goes wrong. Was it a faulty part or was it poorly fitted. The garage would likely blame the part.

[thetyrant]

Borg and Beck used to be a well known quality british brand well know for decent clutches among other things, looks like they were bought out by First line in 2000's who make a lot of lower budget/quality parts, a lot of these old names seem to be reappearing but are not the same company or quality of part, also a lot of fakers these days target and old supposed reputable name to brand on there rubbish which doesnt help.

I suspect the garage as had issues due to one of the above so chose not to get involved which is fair enough as they have to stand by it should it fail.

[jvanzyl]

Yeah I just got a quote from that garage to supply and fit their own bearing for about £700... I'll give it an go myself for that amount I think..

[Alex Knight]

Yeah I just got a quote from that garage to supply and fit their own bearing for about £700... I'll give it an go myself for that amount I think..

SEVEN HUNDRED POUNDS?

What is this bearing made of? Unobtainaium?

If it's a front bearing, it simply bolts on with 4 bolts. And the part is circa £100-£120.

https://roadsafetymoris.org.in/MR2/Suspension%20and%20Axle/05%20-%20Front%20Axel%20Hub%20-%20Components.pdf

The rear is press-in, and a little more complicated, but not £700 complicated. That's pure mental.

[jvanzyl]

SEVEN HUNDRED POUNDS?

What is this bearing made of? Unobtainaium?

If it's a front bearing, it simply bolts on with 4 bolts. And the part is circa £100-£120.

https://roadsafetymoris.org.in/MR2/Suspension%20and%20Axle/05%20-%20Front%20Axel%20Hub%20-%20Components.pdf

The rear is press-in, and a little more complicated, but not £700 complicated. That's pure mental.

My thoughts exactly... this time of the year is super busy for garages so I reckon they thought they'd just try it on..

[Ardent]

 

[Alex Knight]

My thoughts exactly... this time of the year is super busy for garages so I reckon they thought they'd just try it on..

Do it yourself. Piece of cake.

[inigopete]

SEVEN HUNDRED POUNDS?

What is this bearing made of? Unobtainaium?

If it's a front bearing, it simply bolts on with 4 bolts. And the part is circa £100-£120.

https://roadsafetymoris.org.in/MR2/Suspension%20and%20Axle/05%20-%20Front%20Axel%20Hub%20-%20Components.pdf

The rear is press-in, and a little more complicated, but not £700 complicated. That's pure mental.

That's a crazy price. I run a bicycle workshop, and sometimes if something comes in that we really don't want to work on (usually either the customer's expectations of the difference it will make to their low-value bike are too high, or we know it's going to be a very time-consuming ball-ache that needs proprietary tools and / or parts), we'll quote a "f*ck off price". The idea is that if the customer _does_ want to go ahead, we stand a chance of making a small amount of money from the job (money that pays the mechanics' wages, I mean), or ideally the price puts the customer off a job that we don't think is a very good idea.

That said, I'd agree with everyone else - you're eminently mechanically capable, you can probably replace the wheel bearings yourself easily enough.

Good luck with the imminent decision about your job - I hope you get the result you want.

[jvanzyl]

That's a crazy price. I run a bicycle workshop, and sometimes if something comes in that we really don't want to work on (usually either the customer's expectations of the difference it will make to their low-value bike are too high, or we know it's going to be a very time-consuming ball-ache that needs proprietary tools and / or parts), we'll quote a "f*ck off price". The idea is that if the customer _does_ want to go ahead, we stand a chance of making a small amount of money from the job (money that pays the mechanics' wages, I mean), or ideally the price puts the customer off a job that we don't think is a very good idea.

That said, I'd agree with everyone else - you're eminently mechanically capable, you can probably replace the wheel bearings yourself easily enough.

Good luck with the imminent decision about your job - I hope you get the result you want.

Thanks... in order of priority it's going to be MOT passing, wheel bearing, then replacing the power steering lines and fluid... LOTS to do! :-)

[jvanzyl]

Following today's refail, I'm going to try and find more ways to reduce the hydrocarbons and achieve a better burn of the fuel.
Apart from the tune (which I'm a bit stuck on as I've only got experience with the fuel table) I'm going to change the oil to 5w40 (which I have sitting around), check and clean the spark plugs, and possibly swap out the pcv valve..

[thetyrant]

Did it fail on hydrocarbons this time ?  Was ok on that last test wasnt it? Thats a whole other ball game.

What about Co did you improve that

Any details from emisson fail?

[jvanzyl]

Did it fail on hydrocarbons this time ?  Was ok on that last test wasnt it? Thats a whole other ball game.

What about Co did you improve that

Any details from emisson fail?

Ah right sorry- was on the other thread on fine tuning.
Here's what happened last time:



And here's what happened today:



So I passed idle test this time, but clearly by altering the lambda target to 1 and adjusting the fueling accordingly it's resulted in me some how being leaner than what I'd mapped it to (I was plugged in and watching the numbers live via the laptop and their sniffer) and I noticed that my Wideband was reading 0.06 richer than theirs was.

So I've got to somehow get a cleaner/more complete burn.. I've read that by retarding the timing it can improve things but I've no idea other than the MOT test to verify if any changes are working.. bit stuck really.

BUT wrapping the cat and changing the fueling at least resulted in a pass at idle.. 

[thetyrant]

Hmm what a mission and the joys of modifed cars     at least wrapping the cat has helped a bit i didnt think it would that much, still not enough at fast idle though,  a good service with new plugs and oil along with a tweak to the map to get the fast idle mixture correct and you could well be there....just! 

I would still get a better quality higher cell count cat as it can only help, could well of passed if you had already done it and fueling map was correct, your lambda of 1.26 doesnt seem much from 1 but its a long long way out!   as you have found widebands are not all the same which doesnt help.

Keep up the good work you will get there...

[jvanzyl]

Hmm what a mission and the joys of modifed cars     at least wrapping the cat has helped a bit i didnt think it would that much, still not enough at fast idle though,  a good service with new plugs and oil along with a tweak to the map to get the fast idle mixture correct and you could well be there....just! 

I would still get a better quality higher cell count cat as it can only help, could well of passed if you had already done it and fueling map was correct, your lambda of 1.26 doesnt seem much from 1 but its a long long way out!   as you have found widebands are not all the same which doesnt help.

Keep up the good work you will get there...

Thanks man - I've managed to confirm I've got a whacking great big exhaust leak at the v-band by the turbo. So i'm going to rectify that and then try again.

[jvanzyl]

Soooo... lifted the car up, removed the under trays, and thought whilst I'm there "let's tackle the oil drain".. so started pulling on the hose and it was a lot more belligerent than usual (because I'd effectively created a barb... muppet)and managed this:






So back to welding we go!



Will hopefully get this done today or tomorrow and then I can have another go at the exhaust issue.

[jvanzyl]

Sooooo...
Put 2zz injectors in, wired open the waste gate, stock O2 sensors and stock ECU and headed for the MOT center.

Revved the engine whilst waiting out side the center. Engine flooded and couldn't restart/maintain idle.
Uber home to pick up tools and stock 1zz injectors. Uber back and installed the 1zz injectors.

Ran it I up and down hill and took it straight in for emissions test and it failed... So by process of Elimination the cat is clearly utter rubbish.

The question now is. Mid priced 400cell or magnaflow 200?

[thetyrant]

Finally lol.....get 400cell as good as your willing to spend, not super cheap you will be back to square one, 200cell is borderline even if quality one not worth risk imo

[jvanzyl]

Been a bit of a while!
Drove down south to pick up my mother to bring her round ours for Christmas. My ever leaking rear left wheel needed filling up and something didn't feel quite right the whole way there and on the way back I had the pleasure of being in the fast lane and have the rear swerve out and wobble!

Managed to dodge some cones and inspect in the emergency lane.

Turns out I had a snapped wheel stud and the other 3 had worked themselves loose on the rear left!   
Had a good inch of play in it.
Managed to jack the car up (with mother still in the passenger seat staying remarkably calm) and tighten the remaining 3.
Stayed at 50 the whole way back without issue.

SOOO... I will be replacing ALL of my wheel studs.. This is the second one that has broken in my tenure. So I guess a suggestion to others is to seriously consider replacing yours..

[Chilli Girl]

Crikey, that must've been incredibly scary. I'm glad you are both ok and the car of course.