2007.08.10 - kupplung schaden :(

In short - put aggresive chip inside moronic, went to race track, ruined clutch. It seems that clutch plate or pressure plate leaf spring gave up. Pedal is soft, max speed is ~130kmph, engine happily revving at higher speeds, and the speed is not rising. Back in to the garage for a looong time (no planned funds for the new clutch and pressure plate). Will pull engine and box someday. Maybe in autumn? Silence starts...

Searching for the boost leak

Due to low boost (1.3 bar instead of 1.5) searched for the boost leak. Spent half of the day trying to pump up the system, however it was not possible with one pump. The air was escaping faster than I was able to pump. So I've tightened the clamps again and went to some drive :) :

video

Also during the drive (not in video), tried to run sharper in one usual corner - massive understeer at low speed :(. Bad wheel alignment is serious for handling. Will try to align front myself. Will see what that will bring ;).

Exaust bump stop

Still fighting with exaust movement. After my rubber/duct tape temporary item melted at the track (after boost hose blew off, and the exaust was really hot), exaust pipe was happily melting the rear bumper. So I need something more rigid. Yes, and more clamps ;). Here is the result:
Adding more flexibility benefits whole system, now the engine is not trying to break the exaust off the turbo, but pushes rubber. After engine returns to the initial position - the exaust returns also. Went to the street for a test drive - after some pushing, exaust still in place. Good :). For some reason DVR refused to record this run. This is bad. I think I need to rethink whole on-board camera concept.

Alternator and stuff

The pain is gone, so it's time to check why alternator is not charging battery. Took out voltage regulator with the brushes. They are worn, but ok. Replaced whole unit with the 14.5v aftermarket one - just to be on the safe side.And as expected - nothing good happened. No battery warning light, no charging on start. Okay, that means dirty job awaits...

After checking bulbs, tracing schematics and wiring, I have found where blue wire from the alternator ends (near driver legs, red 1 pin connector). Checked the wire - it's clearly shot. So it's time to do a new one. Just made single lying wire, hope it will not rub to anything (fixed it with cable ties) and the car will not burn...
Now battery light is on with ignition, and it seems, that battery is charged without rising rpm. Good.

2007.07.19 fitting samco's

The day started by badly injuring my little finger. Good thing, that it happened to the left hand, and another good thing is that the bones were intact. Started to work at the garage only in the evening, instead of entire day :(.
First took out old intake. Looks strange, isn't it?
It's not so restrictive as it might look, but was really PITA to make. And the elbows are poping from the hoses all the time. That's because engine is moving under load and the intercooler - is not. This radial movement turns elbow out of the hose (due to it's bent surface, elbow tries to exit hose when you turn it around).

So I have installed this thingy right after the turbo:
Now the hoses have space to move. Also replaced three SS elbows with two, changing diameter silicon hoses. Those are more flexible than SS, so now hoses should not be under stress by the engine. No photos of the hosing, because it was done on the fly underneath the car. Only the final result (bumper was cut more after drive test ;))
Also found, that I have tightened the clamp for the BPV a bit too much:
Poor thing doesn't seem to be very happy with it. Hope it will hold the boost without leaks.

2007.07.12-18 vacations

Driving my human carrier, visiting places of interest and resting. A lot.
No time in garage, so nothing interesting to put into blog.

2007.07.10 SAMCO'S!

Finally, my SAMCO silicon elbows have arrived. It's a pity, that I'm leaving for vacations. I hope that they will be a key to stop damn boost hoses blowing from the turbo.