mikeb75's build thread

[mikeb75]

Finished the start-up list yesterday; oil & coolant are in the car - waiting & looking for leaks.

The electrics are 'finished' - battery is installed and wired. I tested the system and got as far as having the car in the 'on' position before ignition. The fuel pump ran and the fuel level sensor read correctly (bone dry) and no smoke or fires - a successful test in my book.

I attached the AccessPort and successfully communicated with the ECU to read the first codes : TGV sensors... ha, they don't exist anymore !

Working to track down some problems: I'm not getting anything from the 12v @ the cigarette lighter I used to power the gauges and I can't get the ECU into test mode by jumping connecting the 2 green connectors together, so no reflash (the ECU reflash jumper works fine says the AP). I need to trace the test mode wires back to the ECU & check another 12v circuit to make sure it's got power.

I'm not planning to prime the system until I at least get the Oil Pressure gauge working...

[mikeb75]

If you are using an AccessPort or other ECU programming tool that requires the ECU to be put into 'test mode' there are 2 pairs of green connectors to do that.

• The first pair is located very close to the 'flash memory' connector.
• The second pair is located closer to the ECU and is labeled (on the wiring documents) as Line End Connector.

The first pair traces directly to the second pair - so if both aren't connected no test mode. That figured out I've successfully reflashed the ECU and the AP is communicating properly (verified by testing Throttle Position Sensor on live data screen). So far so good.

Also resolved the power problem with the gauges, I hadn't completely seated the power to fuse block connector AND had the 12v lead in my connector came unconnected after I 'assembled' the whole thing.

Just about ready to start the engine, but I'm going to hold off until FIL can get over here to join the celebration.

[Tamra]

I hope it goes smoothly! Make sure to post a first start video

[mikeb75]

Thanks Tamra!

Another note : if you are not using the standard pedals remember to jumper connector B106 the clutch switch [& ignition interlock] (properly ); using a paperclip isn't going to do it.

The engine cranks properly; spark plugs have been removed to allow turning the engine over to try to prime the oil and cooling system to find major leaks.

The brakes have been bled, chased a bunch of leaks down there of my own doing (finger tight connectors don't hold pressure). I'm still working with one of the pressure transducers, but everything else seems good now.

This weekend is scheduled to put fuel in it; make sure there are no major leaks and get the engine started. Am so excite!

[mikeb75]

Couple of set backs:

Last weekend boy-child was sick; trumps working on the car

This weekend we pressure tested the cooling system and the upper reservoir tank was puking coolant into the overflow tank @ 4 psi. Not good! We thought it might be the seal of the radiator cap, but no that would be way too simple. I grabbed the one off the STI and we had the same issue.
I took a close look at the seat of the coolant tank to see if there was any debris or something that would prevent a good seal. Sure enough, there’s a hairline crack I didn’t notice earlier –that’ll do it.
Replaced the coolant tank with a ‘newer’ plastic one – looks like it belongs there – and problem solved. Holds pressure up to 16 psi.



Really trying to get the engine started soon!

[mikeb75]

it's alive:

https://youtu.be/e1qo0k5_Ai8

I'm pretty amazed it started to soon after cranking the engine over. Franken-zombie lives!

[Frank818]

As you said, wow indeed!

What's that muffler again?

[mikeb75]

Frank, as requested the rice-boy muffler:
Universal N1 Stainless Steel Carbon Black 3 Inlet 4 Inch Outlet Muffler
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
(hard to beat the price)

[Tamra]

Congrats! It sounds great!!!!

[mikeb75]

Thanks!

Am chasing a few leaks, down to 1 at the cat to muffler junction. Then some paint and wrap and the exhaust is a done deal. Was amazed that FIL could get the bung in place for the rear O2 sensor, he had to profile it with a grinders, but it's in a perfect spot now -and no O2 sensor CELs

Actually, the only CEL's I've seen are expected ones: TGVs, and Evap controls. Just amazed considering how much mis-match there is.

After I get the exhaust finalized I'll be purging the cooling system/testing the fans, testing the alternator (the battery voltage was a bit low via the AccessPort live monitoring), and cleaning up the wiring harness/ interior. Then time for the maiden drive (not going to count reversing into the garage).

[Hindsight]

Congrats on the first start!!!

[metros]

Nice work! Think of all the things that had to go right to get to this point.

[STiPWRD]

Congrats Mike! Just in time for summer

[mikeb75]

same muffler, less baffle :
https://youtu.be/15yHVRfgTik

I think it sounds a ton better, like it wants to eat small furry woodland creatures, or domestics

[Pearldrummer7]

Couple of set backs:

Last weekend boy-child was sick; trumps working on the car

This weekend we pressure tested the cooling system and the upper reservoir tank was puking coolant into the overflow tank @ 4 psi. Not good! We thought it might be the seal of the radiator cap, but no that would be way too simple. I grabbed the one off the STI and we had the same issue.
I took a close look at the seat of the coolant tank to see if there was any debris or something that would prevent a good seal. Sure enough, there’s a hairline crack I didn’t notice earlier –that’ll do it.
Replaced the coolant tank with a ‘newer’ plastic one – looks like it belongs there – and problem solved. Holds pressure up to 16 psi.



Really trying to get the engine started soon!

This whole process sounds familiar Good upgrade!


Congrats on the start, Mike. Sounds great without the baffle!

[Frank818]

37 bucks for a muffler... no comment.

[Frank818]

same muffler, less baffle :
https://youtu.be/15yHVRfgTik

I think it sounds a ton better, like it wants to eat small furry woodland creatures, or domestics

I really really like that sound, especially when you give it gas. Do you know how much louder than other people's mufflers around here it may sound like?
I wonder how that muffler, or 2 of them in-line, would sound on my VR6...

Remind me, you got a 2.0L or 2.5L?

[mikeb75]

yay, go karting! (actually been lapping the neighborhood since the weekend when it isn't raining). Lots of details to address and hard to make a judgment on handling/braking, but damnation that's fun!

https://youtu.be/Iwbd7m7hcLg

Frank, sorry, didn't see your questions:

It's a 2L (all EJ20x's are 2L, all EJ25x's are 2.5L).

Can't really tell loudness versus other videos, too many variables. I'll try to get a SPL test on my phone to test and let you know. I get the feeling this can is going to be pretty f-ing loud without the baffle, even with the cat.

[AZPete]

I LOVE go-kart videos! It's a big milestone and a big smile to see it finally go, turn and stop. Mike, I noticed no fires, no leaks and no tow straps so Congrats.
I also noticed you are driving as cautiously around the 'hood as I have been driving my go-kart . . . like guys with no insurance yet.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

yay, go karting! (actually been lapping the neighborhood since the weekend when it isn't raining). Lots of details to address and hard to make a judgment on handling/braking, but damnation that's fun!
https://youtu.be/Iwbd7m7hcLg
Frank, sorry, didn't see your questions:
It's a 2L (all EJ20x's are 2L, all EJ25x's are 2.5L).
Can't really tell loudness versus other videos, too many variables. I'll try to get a SPL test on my phone to test and let you know. I get the feeling this can is going to be pretty f-ing loud without the baffle, even with the cat.

Mike
I love the g force indicators on the front bar. Please put some thicker fluid in one of them to make it easier to read.
Congrats
Bob

[metros]

Congrats on the milestone!

[mikeb75]

I LOVE go-kart videos! It's a big milestone and a big smile to see it finally go, turn and stop. Mike, I noticed no fires, no leaks and no tow straps so Congrats.
I also noticed you are driving as cautiously around the 'hood as I have been driving my go-kart . . . like guys with no insurance yet.

No fire, the most important criteria! Had 2 fire bottles handy during startup. And I actually drive like that around the neighborhood in all the cars... lots of kids and pets. Drives me to the brink of rage-MDK whenever someone blazes through the neighborhood.

Mike
I love the g force indicators on the front bar. Please put some thicker fluid in one of them to make it easier to read.
Congrats
Bob

I can try packing the clutch reservoir with Vaseline, but not sure that's the right way to go about fixing clutch chatter

'common Metros, join us!

[Tamra]

Congratulations on the milestone!! That looked like a very successful drive!

I love your video summary:
Idle is high, alignment is off, steering is not centered, brakes don't (not bedded), throttle is very -er surgey, oil is weeping from the filter block.

What a rush

For idle, check that the cable isn't being pulled slightly (assuming yours is cable).
Your alignment didn't look bad from the drivers perspective. On our first go-kart, it was so bad I was sawing back and forth at the wheel going 5mph trying to keep it straight!
Our throttle is still very surge-y. Not sure if there is a solution.

The rush won't wear off. Every time I drive ours (heck every time I start it) I just get the biggest grin plastered across my face

[mikeb75]

I had figured out the source of the oil leak a few weeks ago; the oil pan was seeping from the gasket. Apparently I used the wrong material to seal the pan to the bottom of the engine –it never fully set or the oil partially dissolved it.

Took the pan off, cleaned everything up with acetone and re-set it using RTV black (maximum oil resistance !). I got that done just before leaving for a week of holiday and a week in Paris for business; so the RTV had proper time to set up.

While we had the car up I pulled off the water jacket oil cooler, plugged the lines from the water pump and the block and installed an oil filter relocation plate (thanks Scargo for the discussion a while back). Fabbed up new lines from -10AN, first time using it –lovely stuff, very easy to work with.





I haven’t installed an oil cooler yet, I’ll plumb that in after I get some data about temperatures and available space. (I did put insulation on both lines to and from the filter replacement block). After filling the oil pan, pressurizing the system and running some shake down neighborhood laps - no leaks !!

Also I had completed some more of the interior; especially mounting the kill switch and brake bias adjuster. I need to do some slight adjustment to the mounting position of the center console after I install the dash panel; the kill switch is just at my fingertips when I’m fully strapped into the seat. I’ll pull the entire panel backwards towards me less than 1 inch.




Just finished scheduling the mechanical pre-tune inspection and tune sessions at the end of the month. The garage I prefer (AndrewTech Automotive) will confirm the mechanicals/engine to verify no vacuum, fluid or exhaust leaks before the tune session. They’ll also perform an alignment while the car is there. Then a dyno tune will be performed around the corner at TurboXS. I’ve never worked with them before (always used canned maps with an AccessPort), but AT recommended them. I am looking forward to seeing what the Franken-Engine puts down.

So, while I’m waiting I need to figure out what to do next… Manual indicates body work fitting. On the one hand I do want to start that; on the other I don’t really want to get too far so I still have access to all the mechanicals - especially during the inspection.
Since I’ll be taking delivery of the hard top (probably in) August I’ll be leaving the windscreen, hood and engine covers unmounted.

[Tamra]

That's all looking great!

How did you decide on the location of the kill switch? I'm not well versed in the rules yet, but I thought in some instances they had to be on the exterior of the car?

[mikeb75]

Tamra, I always planned to have the switch within drivers arms reach (ha... almost). Either on the dash to the left of the wheel so a corner worker could also reach in easily, or in the center of the car. Seeing that other builds have the switch in the center and looking at how I ran the starter wire (down the center) and the order of the build (don't think I'll get the dash in place for a while yet) I was pretty much limited to the center.

I'll add a secondary pull outside the car, probably on the passenger side of the windscreen. Plavan's build gives a really good example of how to do this with a wire pull.

[mikeb75]

No, your car makes your trailer look big –err that isn’t how the joke goes…
Tomorrow should be fun, getting the car mechanically inspected and ready for the dyno. Loading was interesting; just lined the wheels up, grinned and gunned it. For now it’s a trailer queen.

[mikeb75]

Just heard from the shop; the pre-dyno inspection is done. There were 3 issues:

1. ICAV was seized. This was the cause of the poor/surging idle as the ECU was deactivating one cylinder to keep the hot idle in check. Pulled, disassembled, cleaned, lubed & reinstalled. Fixed; now idle is smooth.
2. One of the bolts on the exhaust collector to up-pipe had worked loose (heat cycles that I forgot to check)l this caused the gasket to let go. After replacement the exhaust is good to go.
3. The BPV hose was kinked/ the clamp wasn't fitted properly. Done.

Amazingly, that's all the issues they found.

Next step: alignment.


He is happy!

[Pearldrummer7]

Good luck! It's look good. I like your method of loading the trailer. When I did that I shot a ramp across the garage.

What're you going for with alignment specs?

[Tamra]

Don't try to load like that with the body on otherwise you'll be buying a new bumper most likely! Heck we couldn't even load the car facing forward at first. We ran out of boards.

So have they completed the dyno session yet? How did it go? I second Pearldrummer's question on the alignment specs.

[mikeb75]

Don't try to load like that with the body on otherwise you'll be buying a new bumper most likely!

Agreed! Wouldn't consider it if the body was on. Speaking of the body, after doing a bunch of repair, sanding, cleaning, sanding and cleaning I put on my first coating last night to see how it would work out. I'll just throw this teaser out there:


There's some overspray and edges that need to be addressed; I screwed up an area (on the underside) where the cord of the sprayer hit the still wet surface, but I'm pretty happy with how it's looking. This is 6 coats of matte black plasti-dip. I bought a gallon of un-thinned material and diluted it with 1 gallon of Xylene. Other than the buzz (even using a paint/organic solvent filter mask) it seems to be going on well and sprays properly.

The cost for the material (paint/thinner) is less than $100; and I should have enough to do the entire car (hopefully, forgot to include the hard-top in my estimation).

Tune is scheduled for this afternoon. Don't know about the alignment numbers, a bunch of the hardware had loosened after the test drive(s-ha!), and I forgot to re-torque, so the guys at the shop aborted the alignment after verifying it was 'close'; since they didn't want to waste my money going around re-torqueing all the suspension bolts. I'll be taking the car back after the body is fitted for corner-weighting and final alignment anyway, so no biggie.

[Pearldrummer7]

Wow, that looks great. I wanna see the finished product from a few feet back! What paint did you use?

[Flamshackle]

Agreed! Wouldn't consider it if the body was on. Speaking of the body, after doing a bunch of repair, sanding, cleaning, sanding and cleaning I put on my first coating last night to see how it would work out. I'll just throw this teaser out there:


There's some overspray and edges that need to be addressed; I screwed up an area (on the underside) where the cord of the sprayer hit the still wet surface, but I'm pretty happy with how it's looking. This is 6 coats of matte black plasti-dip. I bought a gallon of un-thinned material and diluted it with 1 gallon of Xylene. Other than the buzz (even using a paint/organic solvent filter mask) it seems to be going on well and sprays properly.

The cost for the material (paint/thinner) is less than $100; and I should have enough to do the entire car (hopefully, forgot to include the hard-top in my estimation).

Tune is scheduled for this afternoon. Don't know about the alignment numbers, a bunch of the hardware had loosened after the test drive(s-ha!), and I forgot to re-torque, so the guys at the shop aborted the alignment after verifying it was 'close'; since they didn't want to waste my money going around re-torqueing all the suspension bolts. I'll be taking the car back after the body is fitted for corner-weighting and final alignment anyway, so no biggie.

My race car is matt black plasti dip. Great product.

Cant wait to see all the pics of this.

[mikeb75]

Well, the dyno session didn't work out... dummy (me) forgot the lug key. Couldn't take the wheels for the Mustang dyno (I'd never been there before, didn't know what type they had). Too disappointing. Re-scheduled for late August.

I have to clean some over-spray from the side panels and mount the tail lights; then I can get few shots of the black half of the car (see what I did there )

[Hindsight]

That black looks great! Can't wait to see the whole car. I'm planning on dipping mine too. I don't understand about the lug/wheel issue for the dyno though.

[mikeb75]

Mustang dyno doesn't use rollers, it uses adapter shafts that are attached in place of the wheels. These shafts are inserted into individual units at each driven corner of the car holding it up. Since I couldn't remove the wheels, the adapters couldn't be attached -ergo, no dyno tune for me.

[Hindsight]

Wow, I didn't know that. Are all Mustang dynos like that?

Why do you have to re-schedule an entire month out? That's ROUGH!

[mikeb75]

Yea, the lesson is always remember your lug-key...

It's not quite so rough, going to Alaska with the family for 2 weeks

[Hindsight]

Ah gotcha. Have fun on the trip.

I quit using keyed lug nuts/bolts. On my daily drivers, I got sick of tire shops not putting them back in the car and my not checking to ensure they did it, only to find myself stranded with a flat tire on the side of the road with no way to get the wheel off to put the spare on.

[mikeb75]

Almost finished the rear wiring; still waiting on a 3rd brake light and need to figure out where I’ll put the license plate & lights.


Got the rear of the car panels dipped; didn’t come out too badly, not perfect, but not bad. Will be doing some touch ups in the future.

I did have a major issue where the solvent I used to dilute the Plasti-dip attacked the adhesive of the masking tape. Made a genuine mess on the gloss black I had sprayed prior to dipping. I was able to salvage one side with a ton of Goof-off, denatured alcohol and elbow grease; the other side was so far gone I attacked it with acetone, stripped off all the gloss paint and re-shot it.




I do have a question/dilemma… Obviously this car currently has a mono-chromatic theme: black. Most of the bodywork will be matte black (this may change in the future). I am using gloss black in some areas for contrast; around the tail lights and at the side vents in these panels. I taped in the mesh panels I’m going with (much more airflow than what FFR sent; but no structural rigidity) and I'm torn on how to finish them:


On the one hand, keeping them unpainted as just aluminum looks pretty good; and they’ll pick up the gas cap, hood pins & whatever other hardware shows.

On the other hand I had originally planned to gloss black them so they’d match the color scheme. I'm not sure how they would match up if I changed the car color (to say an atomic orange with the same gloss black accents).

Opinions?