[car_overhaul] Track Hack Refesh & Tidy Up.

[Anthony 1,000]

I also decided that because I needed a lambda boss fitting to my exhaust I'd make use of an old four branch manfiold I had with e loose ball joint in need of replacement.

 

I had a brain wave that while getting this replaced by a flexi joint I could have the pipe from it bent to follow the orginal system & connect straight up to the 1.9 GTI cat centre system, keeping the standard backbox I have.

Interesting, and sounds like a very good idea

 

I've got a complete Magnex system to go on mine but am a little dubious as to whether the increased noise will grate after a while, and this sounds like a good solution if it does - especially as I've got a second manifold that like yours has a loose/blowing ball that needs something doing with it.

[pug_ham 240 3 Cars]

Interesting, and sounds like a very good idea

 

I've got a complete Magnex system to go on mine but am a little dubious as to whether the increased noise will grate after a while, and this sounds like a good solution if it does - especially as I've got a second manifold that like yours has a loose/blowing ball that needs something doing with it.

I figured it was about the best use of the manifold & killed two birds with one stone by getting the lambda boss fitted while having the balljoint replaced.

 

I wasn't super keen on having to use the rest of the magnex system, I've got a different walker backbox I can use if I want a little more noise but will stick with the Arvin one for now.

 

The combination of my air filter & the exhaust manifold should help it breathe even better & could change the exhaust note for the better.

 

It was dropped off last night all done;

 

 

Hopefully with a couple of busy days next week I'll have the wheels back on.

 

Graham.

[feb 47]

Nice one Graham.

So with this mod the manifold isn't supposed to crack anymore?

I would be interested to know how the car performs with it compared with the standard phase 2 one.

Also is a Magnex manifold noisier than an OE one?

Edited May 6, 2011 by feb

[Anthony 1,000]

I personally think that alot of the cracking issues are down to people not running an uprated lower engine mount, which Magnex supplied at the time but often wasn't fitted either because of the hassle of doing so, or because it was bought second hand and it wasn't included in the sale. With a standard tired mount, the engine swings back and forth alarmingly as you come on and off the power, and this movement takes its toll on the manifold/exhaust.

[Baz 421]

+1

 

They were also supplied with buffer spacers.

[feb 47]

Has anyone actually done any back to back testing whether a Magnex manifold is beneficial compared with an standard phase 2 one?

 

I was reading somewhere that a 4-2-1 (which is the standard OE one if I am not mistaken?) gives better mid range torque whereas a 4-1 is better for top end power.

 

Not sure how true/why this is, maybe someone with a mechanical engineering background could summarise about fluid mechanics

Thanks.

Edited May 9, 2011 by feb

[pug_ham 240 3 Cars]

So with this mod the manifold isn't supposed to crack anymore?

I would be interested to know how the car performs with it compared with the standard phase 2 one.

Also is a Magnex manifold noisier than an OE one?

As posted above by Anthony & Baz, the cracking is more down to them being used without an uprated lower mount but I've done this to replace the worn leaky balljoint more than anything & I couldn't see the point in getting a lambda boss fitted to a previously used standard phase 2 front pipe.

 

I don't think the manifold alone will make any difference to the noise, that's controlled by the silencer boxes.

 

Has anyone actually done any back to back testing whether a Magnex manifold is beneficial compared with an standard phase 2 one?

Max power did a group test a long time ago which at that time the magnex manifold & system was the only system to show any gain over the standard one, iirc was the earlier three piece system when they did the comparison & also not a brand new system so whether there would be any difference over the later, slightly larger bore phase 2 system I don't know but I think there was another car mag (Revs or similar) did another back to back group test & once again only the aftermarket manifolds & system showd any gains over a standard one.

 

I was reading somewhere that a 4-2-1 (which is the standard OE one if I am not mistaken?) gives better mid range torque whereas a 4-1 is better for top end power.

That's also how I understand the differences will work but they are very minor & my old engine had plenty of torque so hopefully this build will be improving on that anyway.

 

Graham.

[pug_ham 240 3 Cars]

Well, not quite the update I'd hoped for this week due to the change in weather but progress at least & tbh probably things done easier without the engine in place.

 

When sat in the engine bay at the beginning of the week I noticed the rad cowl support frame across the bottom had a few spots of rust coming through so I gave it a quick clean up & then also gave it the Por15 treatment but before doing that I drilled the holes for the lowered rad brackets to get rid of the main fan cowl etc & drop the rad about 1".

 

I have the fan off a lower spec 205 (afaik) & cut up an XS fan cowl for the lower mounts to bolt them to the support frame.

 

A quick pic of it below with the changes in place but not yet permanently fixed;

 

 

Luckily the fan surrond with this one will also bolt to the slam panel giving back some much needed rigidity so closing the bonnet will still be simple to do.

 

The engine won't be going in this week now but I'm crossing things of the little list leaving just the bigs things to do now.

 

Graham.

[pug_ham 240 3 Cars]

Good news, finally an update with decent progress made.

 

I woke up saturday morning with a watching eye on the weather, with the Northwest Rolling Road day at Stockport going on but rain showers stopping me get the engine back in the previous few days I decided that I'd stay home & get the engine in instead as the sun was shining.

 

Started off by lifting the front of the car up on the axle stands so I'd enough height to slide the engine under the nearside inner wing & put a board on te floor so it would slide across easily.

 

 

I then lifted the engine onto a spare wheel so when ready I could lower the shell down & connect the engine mounts back up to get the car back to a better height on the stands that it could stay at until it comes off them for good.

 

I then refitted the flywheel; clutch & gearbox so it was ready as one lump to hang in place.

 

 

 

Five minutes later & it was in place;

 

 

I then started looking at final fits for the cambelt covers which needed modifiying to suit the wrong water pump I'd fitted with built in cover edges.

 

A bit of chopping, bending & plastic welding got it right;

 

 

 

All that in 90 minutes, clearly I'd forgotten how easily they go together, I would easily have got it all back in on Friday after the clouds had cleared mid afternoon before going to the pub in the evening & could've made the RR day to spectate.

 

I then moved to the inside of the car to finsih wrapping the loom up but also replaced the starter solenoid wire for a nice fresh length from the under dash multiplug to the new superseal connectors I'm fitting in the engine bay.

 

I'm also making a fresh engine senders loom for the other side of the superseal connector.

 

I've got to ring Chipwizards to see how soon Wayne can fit me in for the remap around my work & then aim to get it all done before the current MOT runs out mid June.

 

Graham.

[pug_ham 240 3 Cars]

Even closer to being back together now & I have two targets to hit in the next few weeks.

 

The manifold & subframe have been back on ;

 

 

But the changes I made on the manifold so it was a straight mate up to a CAT centre box for a nice easy fit were wrong so with the manifold in place I could only get third thru fifth & reverse gears.

 

The kink we copied from the standard system put the new manifold exit over to the left which meant it catches the gearstick & heat shield.

 

 

I've bought the centre box (Klarius / Timax) but with it propped in place it was about 4-5 inches short.

 

 

So I had to drop the subframe etc again to get the manifold out once we'd taken measurements etc needed to make it fit.

 

Basically we've removed the kink we copied & running straight to the centre box join & I've had the lambda boss moved back because with the Pug Racing gearstick, the linkage looked to run very close to it.

 

 

All in place & the exhaust fully fitted.

 

 

The MOT runs out in the middle of the month & I want to renew it before then instead of letting it lapse then it's booked for a remap with Wayne at Chipwisards on the 30th.

 

Hopefully it isn't pinking to much When I fire it up with everything back together so I can get the MOT without killing the fire rings on the new head gasket.

 

I'm going to put some fresh fuel in once its ready to fire.

 

The ecu wiring is 99.9% finished, all except the lambda & coil pack plugs are reconnected but I need to fit a terminal to the lambda earth now I now where the wire is routed.

 

I'm attempting to clean the inside of the black expansion tank out with coke overnight then refit it & the cooling system pipework behind the engine is finished.

 

The lower radiator brackets are now mounted to the lower cross member ready & the rad in place, just the associated pipes to be fitted & it's ready to fill up.

 

 

 

With the grille temp fitted.

 

 

I'm going to buy some cheap oil for the initial run's & I'll change it after it's mapped for some fuchs XTR & a fresh filter.

 

There is another patch of welding to be done just in front of the tank inside, the rear seat footwell to bulkhead corner. Easy access & I've already a mate lined up for the job with his tig once I'm mobile & can take the car over.

 

Of course the rear brake pipe runs just underneath where the hole is & I'll probably have to drop the tank down for the repair welding in.

 

At least that should be uneventful after it was dropped for the new fuel pipes & flexi's fitting.

 

Annoyingly though once thats done & I've got a few miles on the engine I'll be dropping the tank again one weekend for the rust I found on the sides cleaning up or repairing as required.

 

I'm still undecided about the front springs, I've put the PLR 180lb tramac front springs on the struts but I'm wondering if they'll be a bit stiff compared to the 20mm rear bars & I've some Eibacks I got cheap off ebay from a 106 that work out about 130lb iirc or I have some SBC front springs but I don't think they lower the car as much as before & I don't really want to go higher, ideally stiffer & slightly lower than it was.

 

Hopefully this time next week everything will be done & ready for the retest.

 

Graham.

[Anthony 1,000]

I have some SBC front springs but I don't think they lower the car as much as before & I don't really want to go higher, ideally stiffer & slightly lower than it was.

If you're talking the standard SBC dual rate springs that come with the Roadspeed kits then in my experience they sit quite low - a smidgen lower than Eibachs, or certainly no higher.

 

I've got pictures here somewhere of cars with both setups parked on my driveway if you want me to dig them out for you to compare?

[pug_ham 240 3 Cars]

If you're talking the standard SBC dual rate springs that come with the Roadspeed kits then in my experience they sit quite low - a smidgen lower than Eibachs, or certainly no higher.

 

I've got pictures here somewhere of cars with both setups parked on my driveway if you want me to dig them out for you to compare?

Oh, that sounds interesting so if you could find some pic's it'd be great.

 

Although I think you've already made my mind up & I can use them with some upside down struts making it roadspeed spec up front.

 

I'll dig a pic of how high mine sat on the previous set up to compare them all.

 

Looking at a pic of NickR's old one;

 

 

It might be alright.

 

Graham.

[feb 47]

Graham, this is what the car looks like with the SBC roadspeed springs

Edited June 9, 2011 by feb

[pug_ham 240 3 Cars]

Thanks Feb, I built up the front struts yesterday using the SBC Roadspeed springs I bought from super josh & the Bilstein B6's I got from Anthony a while ago.

 

 

I also realised that I have remarkablely few decent side on shots of my car on level ground but finally found this one;

 

 

My MOT is going to run out, the garage I use is closed this week so it'll have to wait until they get back from holiday but soon as they get back I'll drop it down.

 

Saying that there is another garage I used to use which could see me get the MOT easier if my emissions are a bit high...

 

Wayne rang this morning to ask what spec my car was because when he saw it was a 205 GTI he didn't want me trailering / driving half the country if it was still on Jetronic but also couldn't confirm if my ecu will already have the lambda parts in place on the ecu.

 

Might be a good thing I have a 106 XSi cat ecu to try.

 

I'm going to fit the last coolant hose today & fill the system, time depending I might even fit the struts, driveshafts & hubs so all I have left is the brakes & it'll back on four wheels.

 

g.

[pug_ham 240 3 Cars]

Just a quick update with a proper one to follow later.

 

Good news is the car is now back on four wheels, moving under its own power & fully road legal once more with a fresh MOT.

 

I had to cancel the mapping I'd booked today due to a slight oil leak from what appears to be the crankseal behind the cambelt & the valve clearances were much worse than I remembered setting them to so it sounded something akin to a Talbot horison.

 

I knew they were over but didn't think any were above the clearances mention on the Puma site.

 

Measured them once I got back yesterday from the MOT & they ranged from 0.026" to 0.042", between 3 & four times the recommended gap so out came the cam & micrometer to measure some other shims to get them on spec.

 

I had four in the sizes I needed & took four more to my mates engineering firm to be surface ground to size which I'm off to pick up very soon.

 

Also the cambelt is pushing off the pulleys so the tensioner is getting swapped for another one whilst the belt is off.

 

Lambda mod worked perfectly, co was 0.23% for the MOT with limit of 3.5% so clearly the ecu has the ability to run a lambda inplace of the mixture pot with very good results.

 

Ride height on the SBC roadspeed springs is about where I wanted it & it still rides well on bumpy roads so everything seems good.

 

Initial impressions are for a good lump once the valves are opening the right amount, it certainly felt lively when they were so far out & it couldn't breathe properly so I can't wait to drive it with them right.

 

g.

[pug_ham 240 3 Cars]

Now for a better update with some picturs of a few of the final steps from getting it finsihed.

 

With the shocks & hubs etc back on;

 

Nearside;

 

 

Offside;

 

With the driveshafts etc back on & oil breather pipes all in place I filled up with fluids.

 

I used to have the ignition module bolted to the underside of the slam panel above the radiator but decided I wanted it somewhere better this time so I made a new alloy bracket to utilise one of the battery tray / AFM bracket bolt holes & mounted it directly to that with some cpu paste on the back.

 

 

from head on;

 

 

Then the brakes & wheels went back on before lowering it down onto its wheels.

 

 

 

I did the valve clearances again last night but they have hardly improved so I'm borrowing a proper metric micrometer rather than the Mitutoyo digital thing I've got now which never seems to give me the same reading twice in a row, albeit only a couple of thou of a mm but it's still annoying I can't get them where I want them.

 

Seems a shame most of my shims are smaller than I need so once I have a better idea of sizes needed, it looks like I'll be ordering some from Peugeot next week.

 

g

[TT205 42]

Looking good mate

 

Where's your dizzy?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:P

[pug_ham 240 3 Cars]

Thanks, valve clearances are being fun, the bigger shims I need are on special order & will be up to a week through pug but off to see an engine remanufacturer in Bradford today.

 

Hopefully I'll find some there.

 

Where's your dizzy?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:P

Same place as yours dave, on a shelf somewhere replaced by a coilpack.

 

g

[pug_ham 240 3 Cars]

Small update on progress.

 

I've got the shims all sorted, it turned out I was putting the figures into the shim calculater wrong which is why I was getting minimal differences in shim thickness so once I corrected that things fell much better but I still had to order the shims from Pug.

 

I ended up being able to get all the shims from stock & only had to surface grind one down a little to get the clearances on spec.

 

I've been waiting for Stew Baker to get some of his black silicone hoses in stock, just the new heater matric hose with bleed screw & 8v top hose so my coolant hoses are BBM except the small radioator to expansion tank hose.

 

These turned up today & I've fitted them already, just needs fresh coolant now.

 

Then I need to swap the cambelt tensioner for the one from my old engine because the one currently fitted is pushing the cambelt off.

 

I also need to replace the crankseal behind the cambelt pulley because its weeping slightly, a nice new Payen seal is waiting to be fitted.

 

This does mean that unfortunately it won't be at Pugfest.

 

I should know by the weekend if it is desperate for remapping due to the higher c/r or if the ecu can self adjust enough to prevent pinking at low rpm.

 

Either way I'm going to take it to chipwizards for checking when its all ready.

 

g

[pug_ham 240 3 Cars]

Another small update, I had a spare hour or two on Monday & with the fresh motivation from Pugfest got a few more little bits done.

 

I fitted a different rocker cover with new gasket after it was weeping on the previous one, swapped the cambelt tensioner to (hopefully) cure the cambelt moving out on the pulleys.

 

The one removed had an absolute tiny amount of play which I think/ hope is what caused it to move.

 

Just the cambelt end crank seal to change & then refit the cambelt, fill with coolant & fire it up again.

 

Also, whilst doing the valve shims I found a handy use for the strut brace;

 

 

 

g

[pug_ham 240 3 Cars]

After a busy month with Pugfest, stag do's & work etc another update.

 

I replaced the crank seal a week ago one afternoon before work which was fun in itself.

 

I got the old one out easily enough but managed to push the new one in to far & slightly cocked so I removed the end plate to straighten it out & seat it correctly.

 

With the final goal in my head I failed to consider the fact the front of the car was raised up on stands moving the oil level back so as soon as I removed the end plate I had an oil spillage to cope with.

 

Made even better when a neighbour walked up amost on queue to ask if I had something to help him get his wheel nuts loose after the usual kwikfit monkey had airgunned them up & the standard wheel brace wasn't meaty enough even with him bouncing on the end.

 

I finally got the cambelt refitted yesterday & the car back on its wheels ready to fire up but left it there because I had to be at work an hour or so later.

 

Today I replaced the wires to the water level sensor in the expansion tank as the pins were particularly green & reconnected the battery to fire her up.

 

Now runs quiet by comparison, if it wasn't for the air filter noise it would sound like a modern engine up front, no pinking at idle with the higher c/r so the MP3.1 ecu is working well.

 

Annoyingly though the cambelt is still being pushed off the pulley so I have more investigating to do to find whats causing that.

 

The tensioner is from my previous engine which had no problem, water pump is new, I can see the cam pulley has no wobble.

 

Any suggestions?

 

g

[Tom Fenton 1,525]

Head not skimmed square to cam bore c/line....?

[Anthony 1,000]

Try putting the original lower pulley back on in place of the alloy one if you've not already done so?

[pug_ham 240 3 Cars]

Head not skimmed square to cam bore c/line....?

I hope not, was bought through here from Bottrill as refurbed & had been used for a short while iirc.

 

Try putting the original lower pulley back on in place of the alloy one if you've not already done so?

How would the alloy pulley for the alternator belt effect the cambelt?

 

g

[pug_ham 240 3 Cars]

I'm now expecting the worst & planning to change the head for the one from my old engine, assuming its not damaged when it lost compression on #3 cylinder which started this whole thing.

 

I loosened the headbolts off on that engine yesterday & will take it off later today.

 

g