It Just Doesn't Want An Mot

[brian j 32]

So you love your 205 right?

 

You treat it to a full respray and wheel refurb.

You rebuild the beam.

You fit new cv joints, rear pads and disks, xsara rack. You spend every weekend in January lying on your back on a freezing, wet road half under it to get this done.

 

You check it over and book if in for an MOT the next day.

 

And how does it repay your love and attention?

 

The battery dies, an abs sensor fails, and a tyre goes flat with no obvious cause.

 

What did I do wrong...?

 

(I have a stinking cold and I'm fed up of being cold wet and oily, so I have paid a garage to do the work for the first time in 5 years. She had better pass tomorrow!)

[mowflow 67]

ABS. Reminds me of my old man saying years ago that any tech on a car was just another thing to fix at some point.

 

Easy fixes and back on the road.

[brian j 32]

I know they are easy fixes. Normally I would fix them myself. I was just fed up. And cold. And I really want the mot done because I need to tax it being as I have no off-road parking.

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

Shame it's being awkward, at least they are easy fixes though.

 

It'll be interesting to see what kind of figures your car makes, really missing mine on mp3.1 now but that ought to be sorted in a few months, hopefully

[brian j 32]

One new ABS sensor fitted by the MOT Garage.

One new battery under warranty from Halfords (even though I've lost the receipt!)

Tyre pumped up, and...

 

Yay!

 

She passed.

 

I have treated her to a a celebratory wash and hoover out!

 

Particularly, as having cured the inlet air leak, and fitted the Xsara rack, she drives beautifully. Like a go-Kart through corners.

[brian j 32]

It'll be interesting to see what kind of figures your car makes, really missing mine on mp3.1 now but that ought to be sorted in a few months, hopefully

I would also like to know what figures it makes.

 

I am saving for a remap, because with the raised compression ratio, Longman big valve head and non-standard cam, the map is not ideal for the engine. It seems to cope very well (probably having a lambda rather than mixture pot helps)

 

Hopefully later this year I can take her up to ChipWizards and sort both things together.

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

Good to hear its all sorted & running well, mp3.1 makes a standard 205 drive so much nicer its a surprise for such a simple change.

 

How 'non standard' is the cam? MP3.1 doesn't like anything too lairy afaik but you should be able to recover some stability from the remap. IIRC Mei fitted a PTS max torque ~285' cam which it struggled to cope with.

 

Swapping to the lambda from mix pot on mine made an amazing differene to the emissions, can't say about economy on the whole as I didn't use the car much.

I would also like to know what figures it makes.

 

I am saving for a remap, because with the raised compression ratio, Longman big valve head and non-standard cam, the map is not ideal for the engine. It seems to cope very well (probably having a lambda rather than mixture pot helps)

 

Hopefully later this year I can take her up to ChipWizards and sort both things together.

Chipwizards doesn't strictly exist atm but iirc from talking to Mark (sorrento205) Wayne is working out of ninemeister in Warrington & still does remaps using their road.

 

g

[welshpug 1,657]

I think on a lumpy cam the fixed fuelling from the pot would be better, mine did struggle on the gravel cam, but it is standard compression, it flew above 2k, but you couldnt even think of part throttle under that

 

Though the raised compression might even things up a bit.

 

Its running well now on a milder cam, same as Graham i think? Running the mixture pot currently as i think the lambda i had was dead, though might see if it will wirk with the output from the wideband i'm running after i tidy the loom up.

Edited January 31, 2014 by welshpug

[brian j 32]

The cam isn't hot, just a piper 270. It was more because the standard cam was worn than an upgrade. I didn't want to go silly because it is very much a road car.

 

The MP3.1 copes well, but the idle is not quite as stable as I suspect it could be (It's fine at 1400rpm cold/1200hot) and I suspect that there could be more power to come with a new map. Certainly, the part throttle drivability is fine in my book. I am running 10.5:1 cr, so maybe it does make a difference?

 

I had heard that Wayne had closed ChipWizards for a bit, but his Facebook page seemed to say otherwise. Thanks for clarifying.

 

I'm hoping to have the money together in April/May time, but I suspect Wayne will be hard to track down at that time of year. Still, a couple more months won't hurt.

Edited January 31, 2014 by brian j

[welshpug 1,657]

Mine is about that, idles at 900 hot quite easily.

[Anthony 1,003]

I am running 10.5:1 cr, so maybe it does make a difference?

10.5:1 is probably a bit high to be honest for such a mild cam given that the standard ZX M3.1 mapping is based around 9.2:1 - certainly I'd be running that on SUL at a minimum with the CR that much higher than standard.

[brian j 32]

Hi Anthony, thanks for pointing out my bad!

The head was skimmed for 10:1 CR, not 10.5:1. I was having brain fade...

 

 

On the other hand, it has never seen anything other than SUL in my ownership, and since I went to Motronic, I have never heard it pinking (Unlike it used to on standard management)

[EarthMummy 0 1 Cars]

One new ABS sensor fitted by the MOT Garage.

One new battery under warranty from Halfords (even though I've lost the receipt!)

Tyre pumped up, and...

 

Yay!

 

She passed.

 

I have treated her to a a celebratory wash and hoover out!

 

Particularly, as having cured the inlet air leak, and fitted the Xsara rack, she drives beautifully. Like a go-Kart through corners.

Glad to hear she passed!

I feel really sorry for you!

 

Do all 205s have ABS? I am hoping (and praying) my latest purchase doesn't have it..... I don't think it will because of the age but that said my first 205 had it......

I have had an ABS sensor nightmare with my current drive now 2 years 1 month and I've still not won the battle.

I won the fight with the air bag electrics, but this ABS sensor, well - I've had enough and FEEL YOUR PAIN!

 

So glad she passed for you, yippee!

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

We all appear to have the same cam fitted in that case (Piper 270').

 

When mine was last running it idled nicely at about 800rpm warm & wouldn't stall even when loaded up with the heater & all lights on.

 

I've also removed the SAD but it starts & idles from cold without it so I won't be putting it back on.

 

Do all 205s have ABS? I am hoping (and praying) my latest purchase doesn't have it..... I don't think it will because of the age but that said my first 205 had it......

ABS was fitted to some late models but not many & it is only a two channel system where modern ABS is four channel, Brian has fitted the ABS from a 306 so its nothing like the antiquated system found on the 205 GTI (where fitted) & is very often removed.

 

I had heard that Wayne had closed ChipWizards for a bit, but his Facebook page seemed to say otherwise. Thanks for clarifying.

Looking at the Chipwizards FB page, things get even murkier;

May Be Permanently Closed

Hopefully Mark will see this topic soon (I'll point him in this direction) & clear things up, I think he was talking to Wayne recently at Ninemeister.

 

I've honestly no idea what compression ratio my engine is running, skimmed head & 1.6 pistons so I expect it'll be higher than you have Brian.

 

Time will tell when I get it running again in the next few months, I'll update when that has happened.

 

g

[dcc 855]

Graham i have a similar spec engine to you, running 11.98:1 cr.

 

Estimated 145whp

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

Graham i have a similar spec engine to you, running 11.98:1 cr.

 

Estimated 145whp

Ooo that'll be interesting, I've got a four branch manifold as well.

 

I've got the amount skimmed off my head somewhere, its not a massive amount iirc.

 

It did feel to go better than the previous engine but I hadn't got the cam timing right when I last drove it so now its set correctly I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes.

 

g

[dcc 855]

Not sure on your cam spec, but the quoted cr and bhp were for a ph4 newman, minor head work, 4 branch maniblow and itbs . Mapping not quite fine tuned.

[welshpug 1,657]

its 300 degrees, plus bodies, double springs.

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

Not sure on your cam spec, but the quoted cr and bhp were for a ph4 newman, minor head work, 4 branch maniblow and itbs . Mapping not quite fine tuned.

We all appear to have the same cam fitted in that case (Piper 270').

 

g