Papa's MKIV Roadster Build - #9115 (Post Grad) - One million + views!!!

[Papa]

A couple of weeks ago, while I had the car on a lift to do an oil change and look things over, I noticed that my number five spark plug wasn't seated as far into the head as the others. Shure enough, the plug threads showed evidence that it was cross-threaded. So, I ordered a 14mm spark plug thread chaser and coated it in grease before threading it in to repair the threads. A new spark plug threaded in cleanly with a little anti-seize on the threads and all is good.

I also bought a new GoPro Hero 11 Black camera and a different rollbar mount and wanted to try it out. The new camera has a feature that locks the horizon and does a brilliant job at stabilizing the video. What I didn't expect was the rattling sound that the camera picks up on rough roads. I suspect this is likely coming from the trunk aluminum since I never used any of the sound dampening material on those panels. Here is a video using the new camera.



Also, for anyone that still believes that stacks aren't "drivable" at low speed/RPM situations, this video should dispel that. For a good portion of this clip, I'm puttering along in 4th gear at 35-40 mph.

[Mike.Bray]

Also, for anyone that still believes that stacks aren't "drivable" at low speed/RPM situations, this video should dispel that. For a good portion of this clip, I'm puttering along in 4th gear at 35-40 mph.

100% correct! I've had Webers and their finicky reputation is well earned. I've had some early EFI stack injection systems with primitive DFI/Accel ECU systems running on Alpha-N maps. Even with that they were very drivable. Today's IR systems with Map sensors that work, wide band O2 sensors, and sophisticated ECUs like from Fast or Holley run as well and are as streetable as anything else. About the only thing you have to do different is make sure the airflow is balanced through the throttle bodies and check it every few months.

A SBC with a Moon crossram intake manifold and TWM EFI throttle bodies.

[Nigel Allen]

G'day Dave,

I just purchased one of these cameras as well. I also bought the media mod and a small microphone with the plan that I can move the mic to a place where I won't get unwanted noises. I will let you know how I get on, when it stops raining for long enough for me to try it out.

Cheers, Nigel.

[Papa]

G'day Dave,

I just purchased one of these cameras as well. I also bought the media mod and a small microphone with the plan that I can move the mic to a place where I won't get unwanted noises. I will let you know how I get on, when it stops raining for long enough for me to try it out.

Cheers, Nigel.

Nigel,

If you haven't already considered it, "The Remote" from GoPro is a great accessory for this camera. It lets you start/stop recording without touching the camera; great for in-car control.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SHZ2BL3...roduct_details

The camera also has a GPS feature that will let you view a "gauge" that can be overlayed in your videos to show your location in sync with the video. I haven't played with that feature yet.

Dave

[Nigel Allen]

I haven't stumped up for the remote yet. Installed the GoPro app on my android phone, that is supposed to be able to control the camera, however, not sure, as apart from charging and firmware updates, I haven't had time to play yet. Have got a pretty decent roll bar mount and am looking forward to putting it all together.

Not having owned a GoPro previously, what is a good way to get files from camera to PC?

Cheers, Nige

[Papa]

I haven't stumped up for the remote yet. Installed the GoPro app on my android phone, that is supposed to be able to control the camera, however, not sure, as apart from charging and firmware updates, I haven't had time to play yet. Have got a pretty decent roll bar mount and am looking forward to putting it all together.

Not having owned a GoPro previously, what is a good way to get files from camera to PC?

Cheers, Nige

The GoPro app will let you control the camera, but not a good option when driving in my opinion. The Rmote is much better with a big fat record button to start/stop recording. You can strap the remote to your steering wheel or any convenient place that you can reach. For moving files to the computer, I just pull the XD card and pop it in a card reader on my PC.

[Jeff Kleiner]

A couple of weeks ago, while I had the car on a lift to do an oil change and look things over, I noticed that my number five spark plug wasn't seated as far into the head as the others. Shure enough, the plug threads showed evidence that it was cross-threaded.

Dave,
Have the plugs been out since I put the set in while it was with me? I don't remember any of them being difficult (once you sent an appropriate socket ) and would hate to think that I left it that way

Car is looking and sounding great!

Jeff

[Papa]

Dave,
Have the plugs been out since I put the set in while it was with me? I don't remember any of them being difficult (once you sent an appropriate socket ) and would hate to think that I left it that way

Car is looking and sounding great!

Jeff

Jeff,

I likely did it somewhere along the way. I've had plugs in and out a few times since you last saw my car. It was actually the #1 plug, which I'd pulled recently to verify TDC when installing the new distributor.

Dave

[Papa]

It's spring in Colorado. That means that we'll get a 70 degree day on Saturday and start the day at 9 degrees with snow on Wednesday. Well, I fired up the Roadster on Saturday for the first time in months. She started right up and idled like a dream. I got out on the road and was having a blast with all the waves, shouts, thumbs-up, horns, etc. and then while cruising along at 40 mph, the car just died. It had done this a couple of time in the past, but as you'll recall, I completely redid the entire fuel system and ignition components (coil and distributor) when I installed the stacks last summer. The car started right back up after cycling the key off and then to start and it ran perfectly. I'm thinking I may have a bad ignition switch. Given everything that was replaced, I'm not sure what else could be causing the problem, but I'm ready for your ideas.

Dave

[rthomas98]

Question is your EFI throwing any codes? Also how many miles have you put on since you installed the stacks? It could also be the system still learning. Given the altitude and temp swings I am guessing it is taking a bit. It could be ignition but given the cut out might be wiring shorting out as well. Does it do it after a bump or braking or any sort of event?

[Papa]

Question is your EFI throwing any codes? Also how many miles have you put on since you installed the stacks? It could also be the system still learning. Given the altitude and temp swings I am guessing it is taking a bit. It could be ignition but given the cut out might be wiring shorting out as well. Does it do it after a bump or braking or any sort of event?

I've put several hundred miles it since the stacks were installed. I had the car tuned and the learning parameters are pretty locked down. It had done this a couple of time before swapping out all the stuff last year, and just like before, it starts right back up and runs fine. The road was about as smooth as any here in Colorado, so it wasn't like something moved before it cut off. It is literally like the key was turned off. It was running smoothly, then shut off. No warning, no stumble, nothing.

[Nigel Allen]

Some checkpoints:
1. Did you lose power to the gauges? If so, it is a power issue not the EFI.
2. With engine running do a 'tap test' with a screwdriver handle on the ignition switch body. Do wiggle test of wiring as well. Repeat for fuse panel and inertia switch.
3.rig up a pilot lamp temporarily mounted in the cabin from the power input to your EFI. This will indicate a loss of supply when you are driving along.
4. For all the trouble you have had, are you sure you didn't cross paths with a black cat when assembling the fuel system?

Hope this helps with diagnosis and I hope it makes sense as well. If it doesn't, reach out and I can help out some more.

Cheers, Nige

[Papa]

Some checkpoints:
1. Did you lose power to the gauges? If so, it is a power issue not the EFI.
2. With engine running do a 'tap test' with a screwdriver handle on the ignition switch body. Do wiggle test of wiring as well. Repeat for fuse panel and inertia switch.
3.rig up a pilot lamp temporarily mounted in the cabin from the power input to your EFI. This will indicate a loss of supply when you are driving along.
4. For all the trouble you have had, are you sure you didn't cross paths with a black cat when assembling the fuel system?

Hope this helps with diagnosis and I hope it makes sense as well. If it doesn't, reach out and I can help out some more.

Cheers, Nige

Nigel,

If it hadn't done the same thing before changing out the EFI, I might suspect that was a potential source of the problem, but I want to think that this is something purely electrical. The fact that it's only happened three times in over two years makes it very difficult to zero in on. The first time it happened, I actually tried to restart the car with the starter while it was still rolling and when I pressed the clutch and turned the key to start, nothing happened. I had to cycle the key to off and then it would start normally. That's what has me thinking it's the ignition switch. I just ordered a Cole Hersee switch and will swap it in. It's easy to do and we'll see if that resolves it, although it may take some time before I feel confident in that based on the infrequency of the problem.

Dave

[Nigel Allen]

Agreed. I don't think it is EFI system either. Given the reported failures of the ignition switch, a replacement with a quality Cole Hersee is the goods and with a bit of luck, the end of your problem.

Great to hear that you have the car fired up, hope to see some more driving footage.

Cheers, Nige

[Papa]

I was invited to support the Collector Car Council of Colorado on Saturday at a local cars & coffee that featured several cars from various local clubs.







It was pretty poetic to be parked next to a replica Grand Sport Corvette!

[Papa]

The never-ending excuse to do stuff on my car strikes again. This time I decided I really liked the look of the traditional Cobra oil coolers, but don't really need to cool the oil. So, the solution was to install a faux oil cooler.



Nothing difficult about doing this and since I wasn't actually planning to plumb it to my engine, I didn't need to worry about buying top-quality parts. I have just under $140.00 in this cosmetic update and I'm happy with the way it looks.

[Papa]

With all the rain in Colorado over the last several weeks, I haven't been able to drive the car much, so today I finally got around to swapping the ignition switch over to the new Cole Hersee switch. It was a quick 15-minute job. Time will tell if this is a fix for my intermittent gremlin.

[Papa]

Well, I can rule out the ignition switch. I took the car out today and it cut off on me three times. That's a first, as it has never done it more than once on a drive and as Iv'e said, it had been very infrequent. Perhaps we are getting to a point where I will be able to pinpoint the issue as it becomes more prevalent.

[Papa]

So, thinking through the possibilities of what else could be causing my issue, I want to focus on what is common to the electrical for the old and new setups. After the ignition switch, I am now looking at a relay that proves power to the coil. This relay is mounted to the chassis in the upper driver's side near the fuse panel. I replaced that and will see what happens. I'm also going to remove, clean, and reattach my main chassis and engine grounds.

[Papa]

I took the car out again today for about 1-1/2 hours and no issues. I'm not declaring victory yet, but compared with my last drive, I'm optimistic.

[Papa]

The car died on me twice in five miles yesterday. The first time I was sitting at a light waiting for a green arrow. Got the arrow and started through the intersection and it died. I coasted to the curb and it didn't want to start this time. Usually, it fired right up after stalling. It eventually fired and I headed home. About three miles up the road cruising at 45 on a level road, it died again. I put the clutch in and started to pull over. Since I had some speed, I put in a lower gear and dumped the clutch, and it came to life instantly. Today, I tested the battery (six years old) and the tester said it was bad. I also tested the charging system, which got a pass. So, I put a new battery in the car today and we'll see if that resolves the issue. It's interesting that I had no issue cranking the car with the bad battery, but I wonder if there could have been enough voltage drop to cause the EFI to cycle randomly? Unfortunately, if that was happening, data logging would not be very revealing since the file has to be saved before you cut power or there is simply no file available.

[Papa]

I drove the car for about fifty miles today and it ran perfectly. Way too early to tell for sure, but I'm really hoping that the battery was my issue. I'll update with another post if it dies on me again. I attended a local car show today. Perfect weather and lots of cars.

[Windsor]

4-5yrs is normal for a battery (for me) and judging by your signature yours is in the 6yr ballpark.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Dave,
I’m afraid your problem lies elsewhere. Once the car has been started if the charging system is working properly it’s running off of the alternator output—-the battery can actually be disconnected and removed.

Jeff

[Papa]

Dave,
I’m afraid your problem lies elsewhere. Once the car has been started if the charging system is working properly it’s running off of the alternator output—-the battery can actually be disconnected and removed.

Jeff

Jeff,

What if there was a brief dip in voltage that caused the EFI to reboot? The main power and ground for the EFI go directly to the battery.

Dave

[Jeff Kleiner]

Jeff,

What if there was a brief dip in voltage that caused the EFI to reboot? The main power and ground for the EFI go directly to the battery.

Dave

Can't speak to the EFI Dave, but the charging system SHOULD maintain consistent voltage without any peaks or dips.

Jeff

[Papa]

Can't speak to the EFI Dave, but the charging system SHOULD maintain consistent voltage without any peaks or dips.

Jeff

I guess we'll just have to see if it dies on me again. I hate these random issues.

[Papa]

I went for another drive today for an hour or so with no problems. I'll keep taking it out as long as the weather stays nice and see if I can get some confidence in it again.

[Al_C]

Just my 2 cents... I'd swap out the battery, but Jeff already said that may not be it. (I defer to Jeff as a matter of course) So then I think alternator. Have you checked it out? (mind you, I have no idea how to test an alternator other than "does it generate electricity?") Other than that, we're down to the typical Ford help desk response: "check your grounds", which could actually be decent advice here. Or it's a bad connector somewhere. If it's intermittent, I'm betting on a bad connector. Ask me how I know... I know you will figure this out!

[Papa]

Just my 2 cents... I'd swap out the battery, but Jeff already said that may not be it. (I defer to Jeff as a matter of course) So then I think alternator. Have you checked it out? (mind you, I have no idea how to test an alternator other than "does it generate electricity?") Other than that, we're down to the typical Ford help desk response: "check your grounds", which could actually be decent advice here. Or it's a bad connector somewhere. If it's intermittent, I'm betting on a bad connector. Ask me how I know... I know you will figure this out!

My battery tester also tests the charging system if the battery is in the car. Once the battery is tested, the tester prompts you to start the car and then turn on the headlights, high beams, fan wile revving the engine over 2500 rpm and looks at the voltage measured with and without loads to determine if the charging system is working properly. I had planned to test my theory this weekend by disconnecting the battery while the car is running to see if the EFI reboots, but I didn't get to that. Maybe next weekend. I'm also data logging my drives now, which could be helpful if the EFI isn't rebooting as I suspect. If it is, there won't be any data captured since you have to save the file before turning the car off and if it's rebooting, it's basically like cycling the ignition off and back on. When I get the car on the lift to do my next oil change, I'll clean and reinstall my engine and chassis grounds.

[Papa]

Another update on the mysterious stall issue. I've been so reluctant to touch the car for the past few months, but with 65 degree weather and time off from work, I finally put the car on the lift to do the end-of-season oil change. I put less than 1,000 miles on the car this year, which I hate, but having it stall randomly sort of makes one hesitant to get out on the road. While I had the car on the lift, I pulled the main engine ground strap and noticed that the metal surface wasn't nice and shiny anymore. I cleaned it up and reassembled it and after completing the oil change, I noticed that the oil pressure gauge issue I'd been having appeared to be fixed with the pressure reading steady at 60 PSI instead of jumping to 100 PSI and bouncing around. Could the erratic reading and the random stalls have been due to a weak ground? It makes sense, and I'll report back if the car stalls again, but I'm optimistic this is all that was causing my problems. I may add a second engine ground strap on the driver's side next time I have the car on the lift.

[craig6990]

Papa, I really like this turn signal option!! I have looked high and low for the momentary switches but with no success! (Probably looking the wrong place) Could you steer me to a web site, vendor, or whomever I need to get these switches (Part # would be helpful if you have it)!!

Thank you so much!!
Craig

[Papa]

Papa, I really like this turn signal option!! I have looked high and low for the momentary switches but with no success! (Probably looking the wrong place) Could you steer me to a web site, vendor, or whomever I need to get these switches (Part # would be helpful if you have it)!!

Thank you so much!!
Craig

Here is where I got those button switches: https://billetautomotivebuttons.com/...down-indicator

Dave

[Mike.Bray]

Here is where I got those button switches: https://billetautomotivebuttons.com/...down-indicator

Dave

I used some of their buttons, very nice quality.

[craig6990]

Dave,
THANK YOU!! ordered!!

[Justin]

The problem could be the ground. I personally would add a second ground strap. Wouldn't hurt anyways. In the past I've always had 2 straps and the neg battery cable was grounded to the chassis at the same place as one of the straps. Chassis grounds are always a concern.I learned a long time ago to minimize grounding terminals to the chassis. Makes it easier to find an issue if there is one. I hope this is the solution to your issue.

[Papa]

The problem could be the ground. I personally would add a second ground strap. Wouldn't hurt anyways. In the past I've always had 2 straps and the neg battery cable was grounded to the chassis at the same place as one of the straps. Chassis grounds are always a concern.I learned a long time ago to minimize grounding terminals to the chassis. Makes it easier to find an issue if there is one. I hope this is the solution to your issue.

I've driven the car a couple of times since reworking the engine ground and it has run great both times. I will continue to venture out longer as weather and time allow.

[JMD]

I've spent hours reading through your build and have pages of notes based on your experience and journey. I'm waiting for delivery of my Mk IV next month so have had lots of time to read up and prepare. Thank you so much for all the documentation, I'm sure it's been a huge help and source of knowledge for so many!

[Papa]

I've spent hours reading through your build and have pages of notes based on your experience and journey. I'm waiting for delivery of my Mk IV next month so have had lots of time to read up and prepare. Thank you so much for all the documentation, I'm sure it's been a huge help and source of knowledge for so many!

Thank you, and welcome to this amazing community!

Dave

[Papa]

We're still settling in after our move but I took the car and my brother-in-law to a local car show yesterday and received the People's Choice award!