[trackday_prep] Project 150

[RossD 44]

Quick Update, (but no pictures).

 

Driveshafts are back in and the car is back on its wheels. Made a start on the coolant plumbing and plugging the existing loom back in today. Have ordered a load of parts to make up the ECU loom, so hopefully should have a fully functioning ECU loom pretty soon!!

 

Does anyone know where the cooling fan wiring on a TU car goes? I can't for the life of me find where it plugs in

[Sandy 191]

The big twin spade male grey goes into the big twin female grey. The other big twin male goes into the black power block, the blue connector goes onto the rad switch.

[RossD 44]

The big twin spade male grey goes into the big twin female grey. The other big twin male goes into the black power block, the blue connector goes onto the rad switch.

 

Cheers Sandy, trouble is I can't find the female grey plug anywhere. Odd, seeing as I didnt even remove the loom from the car. (Saying that it's probably staring me slap bang in the face....)

[jackherer 543]

Unless TUs are different from GTIs the plug you're looking for is on a flying lead coming straight off the fan itself.

[RossD 44]

Yea, sorry, I've got the flying lead on the fan, its just I can't find the plug it goes into on the loom!!

[welshpug 1,661]

the Female grey plug is usually clipped to the top of the chassis leg behind the headlamp

[jackherer 543]

Yea, sorry, I've got the flying lead on the fan, its just I can't find the plug it goes into on the loom!!

 

The fan loom is self contained and very small so you can easily follow the wires and find all five or so connectors just by following the wires. If you can't easily find the matching plug start looking for cut wires...

[RossD 44]

Cheers people. I'll open my eyes when I'm next down at the garage and find that plug!!

[RossD 44]

Right, quick update. I found the female grey fan plug, I had stupidly plugged it into the distribution box on the slam panel!

 

Also, I've been aware for some time that the standard base model exhuast may restrict the new engine quite a bit. After doing some poking around the net, I found that the (proper Euro) Rallye exhaust is simply a GTi exhaust but different at the downpipe end so it will fit a TU engine. Result! Christopher told me of one going cheap on ebay so I took a gamble and bought it.

Its a 50mm OD pipe, so 5mm up on the exhuast the car has which should allow a bit more flow without being too big. (If a normal GTi exhaust can flow enough for an MI16 or GTi6 engine, this will be fine for my engine!) Where it joins to the downpipe is slightly different to the original connection but it looks very easy to mod it to suit.

 

<--Click

I'm still continuing with the wiring, the ECU is going to sit where the headunit used to be and the loom passes through the bulkhead using an existing hole and grommit.

Edited March 21, 2008 by RossD

[GLPoomobile 958]

Not sure if you are keeping a heater in this, but if so then I'd recommend wrapping the ECU in a waterproof bag. When the heater matrix inevitably starts leaking you don't want it soaking the ECU

[RossD 44]

Ah, good tip cheers. I'll bear that in mind!

[RossD 44]

Bit of an update.....

 

I've replaced all of the brake lines in the car, just now need to put new fuel lines in from the tank to the engine bay.

This weekend I stripped the rear beam and rebuilt it. Amazingly, after 95k the arm shafts and bearings are in pretty good condition, so I simply replaced the seals and repacked the bearings with grease. Replaced the base model torsion bars with 19mm GTi items.

 

Pics: (Click pic for larger image)

Before stripping the beam.

 

Bearings - look good and move smoothly

 

New seals and lots of grease (Added a bit of EP90 into the tube for good measure!)

 

Torsion bars going back in - Dummy shock set to 330mm initially, I dont want the wheels to rub with the base model arches.

 

Finished! It had a lick of paint too and the bars painted red....

 

All I have to do now is set the radius arm oil seal clearance (0.05mm??) and rebuild the brakes.

Edited May 6, 2008 by RossD

[welshpug 1,661]

All I have to do now is set the radius arm oil seal clearance (0.05mm??) and rebuild the brakes.

 

 

Spot on, and the ARB end plate to 1mm (i.e 0.5 each side) 330mm should be about right for a base model, BUT, the fat torsion bars might make it quite tall

[RossD 44]

Ah thanks for clarifying the ARB clearance, I was going to set it to 1mm each side, I didn't realise it was 1mm overall!!

[RossD 44]

Right, update time....

 

It's been so long since I posted here and I've done so much since. The TB's are on, as is the ECU and fuel lines, so the engine has been started and the cam bedded in. Its running a little too rich at the moment, so that needs tweaking, but I've got other things to do first! It really does sound fan-bleeding-tastic when its revved with those big 45mm TB's!

 

I've been a bit cheap with the 106 Rallye wheels I've got and rubbed them down and painted them with domestic enamel radiator paint - Seems to do the job so far, but when they do start to flake I'll get them powder coated properly. Got 2 tyres (2 others to come nearer payday!) and they fit fine.

 

(Click for bigger pic)

Front brakes are on, all new pipes (Solid and flexy) along with new discs and recon calipers. Because this is a base model I've had to make some new mounts for the flexy\solid pipe join in the wheelarch, ala the GTi models.

 

I've made up a modified gear linkage with a rosejoint on one of the rods, I'll take a pic of it at the weekend which will explain all.

 

Its starting to look like a car again. This weekends jobs include making up 2 solid pipes to go from the rear cylinders to the rear flexy hoses and then the brakes will be ready for bleeding.

 

Lots more pics to follow, hopefully I'll be able to put them up tomorrow!

[Sam 4]

We need engine pics

[RossD 44]

Here's a couple of the engine bay I took today. Wiring needs tidying up....:-) Click for bigger pic.

 

 

 

The only thing that Mr MOT man might notice is how the pressure reg is mounted.....

Edited August 23, 2008 by RossD

[Sandy 191]

Good man

[calvinhorse 870]

coming along nicely! im doing something very similar myself i love these engines!

 

whats the mount for the coil come from? and what coil is it?

 

and which crank possition sensor are you using? if you dont mind me asking!!!

[RossD 44]

CalvinHorse: The cylinder head is from a 106 1600 XSi and so the coil and coil mount have come from that. All models from about 1993 onwards had a coilpack like this.

 

Again, the crank position sensor is from a later TU engine - Now worries about asking!

 

Pic below shows my modded Gearchange rod. The box I'm using came from a Saxo and the gearchange arm on the box is slightly different. Trouble is, the pin that holds it on was siezed solid, there was no way it was coming off, so I used a small rosejoint with a bolt instead of the standard ball joint.

 

 

Also a pic showing the new pipe mounts in the front wheelarch - I modified the brackets that usually sit at the rear of the car by bending them through 90 degrees, drilled a hole and mounted them. This one is going to have to be moved slightly though, as the pipe is too tight at full lock!

 

Edited August 26, 2008 by RossD

[calvinhorse 870]

cheers ross! wow you just answered my brake pipe mounting problem too! lol

[Sam 4]

Good work, I remember how nice that linkage was - worth the effort. Looking good.

[RossD 44]

Yep, it is nice, although it's prooving a bit of a fiddle to get the bodies perfectly synchronised with it!

[Sandy 191]

Start with the lead one (the cable one) and work outwards.

[RossD 44]

Ok, Cheers Sandy, I'll give it a go!