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May 16, 2019 16:35:15 GMT
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That certainly makes interesting reading, I'm following with beady eyes. What's left to do now then? You had to ask.... So happens I have a list. While it might look daunting, the majority is stuff that can be attended to after the car is on the road. A lot of the remainder is just small assembly jobs with no technical challenge or fabrication and I can go though several of them in a day. The "Nut and bolt" list ws two pages long a week ago. In all reality, after last night's progress, if it had plates, I would take it for a shakedown spin. It is insured, just needs a safety certificate and payment for yearly plate fee. To do ( must do) before roadworthy1. Pressure test the AOD/TV cable 2. Thermostat housing leak 3. Alignment 4. Safety 5. Plates Tag Interior Work:1. Glove compartment installed 2. Stalk control hood 3. Tighten steering wheel 4. Battery box/hold-down5. Speedometer cable 6. Dead-pedal install 7. Rear Bulkhead carpet finish 8. B post /seatbelt plastic covers 9. Deck carpet 10. Dye rear side panels 11. Front kick panels 12. Headliner 13. C post panels 14. Speakers B post 15. Whatever other trim needed Chassis/Engine 1. Water leak at thermostat 2. Air filter installed 3. Battery cable tie-down at rear 4 . Shifter cable rubs drive shaft5. E-brake adjustment 7. Wheels on mind they are directional Body 1. Block-off plate for clutch mc on firewall 2. Rear window 3. Side windows 4. Final chrome trim 5. Rear hatch seal 6. Bonnet installed ( still no latch plan) 7. Windshield squirter 8. Shark gills need fastener 9. Inside of shark gills tighten the tube Electrical6. Front turn indicators installed ( when they arrive) 7. Fuel gauge adjust/calibrate 8. Tuck wiring 9. Wiper relays to change polarity 10. Oil pressure gauge 11. Tach calibration 12. Rear plate lights 13. Figure out light wiring to shifter quadrant. 14. Figure out dome light wiring; front and rear. 15. Install dome lights might be looking at dash lights to tap into. This could suck. curse word to buy1. AC drier 2. Piece of aluminium Miata AC tube 3. Plate lights rear 4. Door handle interior 5. Carpet dye 6. Carpet for rear deck 7. Lug Nuts Systems to nut-and bolt 1. Do a light test to find any holes from outside to inside cabin and grommet as needed 2. Seat bolts 3. Headlight aim 4. Headlight chrome ring screw 5. Tail-light screws for lenses and attach to car 6. Tire pressure 7. Chrome trim fasteners 8. Wheels 9. Front bumper bolts 10. Console 11. Shark-gills on side 12. Calipers front 13. Calipers rear 14. Fuel filler door
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May 16, 2019 15:26:32 GMT
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Finished the new exhaust crossover. It is now a simple H configuration and other than the fun of doing exhaust work on the ground under the car, no real drama. The car does sound different
Mucked with the IAC as it was not where it should have been adjustment-wise. The fitech does not come with anything that could be described as a "User Manual". The philosophy seems to be to let you muck with it and figure it out if need be by asking random people questions. At a minimum, a glossary of terms to explain the menu options in the handheld controller would be useful. That said, it is all online for the asking sorta if you know how to sort through the chaff.
IAC steps were at 227 when I first looked. Supposed to be 3-7. Found the diagnosis and adjustment method on line and off we went. The end result is that the hissing noise through the IAC orifice is much less and the vacuum signal is around -13 inches and climbs with rpm, so I can live with that.
Also mucked with the timing a bit.
The engine does not exactly "purr" at idle, there is still some hunting that I do not understand nor do I know if it is something that will get better with the "learning" that the Fitech is supposed to do. Certainly driveable
At this point, since carburetors are not a mystery to me, I am tempted to say that a Holley Street Avenger carb would have been a much easier and more cost effective induction for at least an equivalent result. Time will tell if that feeling persist.
A final observation on the Fitech is the wiring harness. Not only is their execution not tidy, but it is done so that it is difficult to make it look tidy, leaving an exposed bundle of wires randomly draped on the intake manifold. It could have been a single master connector for everything.
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May 15, 2019 20:33:28 GMT
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Do you know how many people with project-cars currently in paint shops would be thrilled to be able to watch the progress!
I notice that the product you use is Direct To Metal. Worth noting for those following along that feature is not a given with all of the polyester high build primers.
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Last Edit: May 15, 2019 20:38:18 GMT by bjornagn
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May 15, 2019 14:53:11 GMT
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I believe there is ground to be gained by learning more about the IAC circuit. While it could be a bad IAC motor, it could also just be that the IAC steps need to be adjusted/learned.
Got the exhaust mostly fabbed up last night, so will fire it up and see if the exhaust crossover change made a difference.
The really good news is that the sound system works and I was able to sit in the drivers seat listening to Joe Bonamasa rocking out of the headrest speakers
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May 14, 2019 23:09:41 GMT
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Do you know what the expected vacuum from FiTech is? I would expect that the vacuum would be same as any engine. Stock cam healthy engine 19 inches, mild cam 12-15 and as lobe separation angle goes up vacuum goes down. I am expecting 15 or more.
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May 14, 2019 21:20:01 GMT
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That sounds like a better place to start. Can you block it with a finger while someone watches the vacuum gauge? The vacuum reading is right on the handheld display at the end of the cord, and since I have not routed this into the car, so no need to recruit a helper. Most people seem to route the display into the cabin and make use of it as a mini dash. In my world, if the thing is dialed in, it will be disconnected and tossed in the glove box to be given as much attention as the EFI on the Daily Driver. If it is not up to that, then it is not worth the going. If I want entertainment, I will go back to playing with SU carbs.
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May 14, 2019 21:12:05 GMT
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You have mentioned that, and if you're interested in a good foundation for the workings of it, I can highly recommend " Ford Fuel Injection and Electronic Engine Control" by Charles Probst. It specifically deals with the Ford EEC-IV system, but the terminology and theory will translate well to any EFI system. Agreed that my education could use some guidance, but the reality is that at this point I am getting a bit exhausted of learning new skills. My background is electrical engineering and sensor development, so a lot of the theory is at least comprehensible. Where I kind of stand up on my stool and shout is that the Fitech is marketed to people who struggle to turn on a faucet without hiring a plumber. "Plug and play" and "self Learning" is the gist of the Fitech Marketing plan. The truth is not quite that. While it did fire up with no drama once I sorted the fuel system and the wiring, I daresay the Holey 670 cfm street avenger would have done the same thing for less than half the cost and a fraction of the time it takes to do a tidy install of the Fitech plumbing and electrical. Once fired, both owners could be at the "leave it alone and drive it" stage or at the start of a steep learning curve for either technology if they choose to optimize the running. The Fitech handheld controller offers a lot of parameters to play with, so your can optimize to your heart's content if you wish, but that is kind of ironic considering their marketing pitch. You can also make a royal muddle of it if you are ham-fingered and don't fully understand what you are doing. The good news about the Fitech is that it is pretty much made from GM parts, so a known quantity and easy to source spares. The bad news is that each and every part on the Fitech is a Chinese clone of the real GM part, not the real thing. It is widely acknowledged that the Temp sensor can go straight into the dustbin and much the same for the O2 sensor that is a bosh clone. The jury is out on the IAC motor! At least I know that it can be had from the real GM in the 95 to 97 Camaro V8 model.
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May 14, 2019 19:33:29 GMT
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can you test the IAC valve with an exterior vacuum or pressure source? (mytivac or similar) so maybe its not the exhaust? JP It maybe might not be entirely the exhaust fault. However, the funky crossover never did pass the sniff test so not going to break my heart to see it go. Can I test the IAC with a vacuum gauge? No idea how I would do so, new to this EFI stuff. Suddenly nostalgic for a set of dual SU carbs that I know so well. The plan is to pull the IAC out and see if the thing responds as it should. Did I mention that I am somewhat new to EFI theory of operation? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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May 14, 2019 13:57:34 GMT
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That sounds like a better place to start. Can you block it with a finger while someone watches the vacuum gauge? Bear with me guys as I am new to EFI and just feeling my way around. The hypothesis is that the IAC is stuck open. This causes the loud hissing noise and a lack of vacuum. I have put my finger over the hole and the engine dies off pretty quick. Have not had the analog vacuum gauge attached at the time. Worth a try. What I was going to try was to actually pull the IAC valve out of the back of the throttle body and then block off the port to see if the actuator moves in response. Unfortunately if the IAC valve does turn out to be the problem, I am out the $100 for a new one since the new unit has sat on the shelf for a couple of years waiting for me to catch up with the build. Lesson to be learned there!
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May 14, 2019 11:43:33 GMT
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While I still think that the exhaust mods will be for the better, after a bit of research, I am going down another rabbit hole.
The Fitech makes a very loud sucking sound when the car is running. The sound comes from the Idle Air Control opening. Not knowing anything about this product, I thought that it sure made one hell of a sucking sound. Kind of annoying really.And boy does it ever sound like what a big vacuum leak would sound like.
But, not knowing all that much about Fitech and only enough about EFI to be dangerous, I figured that since it is a new part, it should be good right. Maybe not. So now I am looking into how to diagnose and replace an IAC valve on a Fitech. Or maybe its just a firmware setting? You see where this gets fun?
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May 13, 2019 20:31:55 GMT
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Easy check, run engine without the exhaust system and see what the vacuum is. Then do a compression check, see if valves are leaking. I did actually fire it up without the O2 sensor ( It is in the downpipe) and what I noticed is that it was rock steady at 10 inches at 600 rpm where as before it bounced around a lot. So maybe there is more than one thing at play...crank up the rpm to 750 rpm and adjust timing for the new back pressure reality, and see where it all lands. The steady vacuum reading gives me some confidence that the valves are sealing.
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May 13, 2019 16:56:23 GMT
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I think that is exactly what is happening. 140 degree temp change from one side to the other is trying to tell me something?!
I COULD just toss the abbreviated exhaust back on and test to see what happens, but since it needs a crossover regardless, might as well do it and be done with a simple proven H design.
If this does not solve the issue, I will be at a loss and have to start tearing the engine down looking for the cause.
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May 13, 2019 14:56:42 GMT
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With all possible venues of vacuum leak checked for and nothing found, I turned my heat gun on the suspect exhaust crossover. There was a 140 F degree drop from the upstream to the downstream side of things. Hmmmm that is fishy. So here we are. Going to replace what I thought was an elegant piece of fabrication with a simple proven H pipe build and see what that does for me. If this does not find my missing 10 inches of vacuum, I will start tearing the engine apart since I have verified with 3 other engines that have the same cam and pull 16 inches or more of vacuum.
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May 13, 2019 11:20:34 GMT
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Here is a sad one for you. This was an example of a car that "Just needs final assembly" The body is done by a first class body shop and the drive-train is perfect. Of course none of the trim wanted to associate with the car.
So after a full drive-train rebuild and discovery of no end of bodgery, it was ready for this initial test drive around the block. Unfortunately, after the one drive around the block, the owner , who was expecting to collect the car after this drive, had to be informed that what he had was essentially a parts car.
In the second video...If you look at the left front wheel as it enters the drive, you will see that the tire is cambered in. The gap across the engine compartment had closed up by almost 2" in the very short drive. Had even a fraction of that engine's potential been unleashed, something bad would have happened.
That was not one of my projects thank god, so I did not have to make the phone call, but one that I spent a lot of time around. While I an not a professional like Mr Grumpy I have been loitering around the deep end of this restoration hot-rod game to realize that there is an actual business model based on the fact that very few restorations ever get finished: Lets say that my business model is to make money and not history, you bring me a car and ask for work. You might even be using the old "I don't have a lot of $$$ do it on the side as filler work" story. I know because you brought it to me ( did not do your homework) and used those words, that you will probably never finish the car, so no need to worry about the quality of the work. I know for a fact that very few peoples lives are stable/predictable enough to accommodate a 5 year restoration and this car will fall of the priority list by the time you get the car back from me. I can take a year or two, return a shiny car with a rotten core that will languish in your garage until you sell it on. Because of time passed and change of ownership, the body shop does not fear liability for the work. Sadly, that is the reality for for many owner managed first-time restorations.
The other moral of the story here is to be very cautious when buying an unfinished project.
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Last Edit: May 13, 2019 11:27:59 GMT by bjornagn
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May 10, 2019 13:06:22 GMT
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One (3) bite at a time... HVAC controls in and working; air blows when and where it should. Radio in and working Console in and fits. Was 51 items on the list last night, now down to 48. A lot are very simple like "Tighten steering wheel" or "Install Glove Box". The other thing that started last night was a comprehensive list driven nut and bolt check of the entire car. If it is on the list it gets checked and if it is tightened but not on the list it gets added to the list.
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The NOT fitting of trim before paint is one of the more enduring restoration mistakes that I see. People take the car to a shop and make no plans to prefit stuff cause they think the shop should know by magic, then nothing fits when the owner tries to put the car back together.
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Valve lash correct? Cam timing correct? How tall is the cam? Cam timing is the only one I have not checked yet. Since it requires tearing the engine down. It is a pretty mild ford e-cam. On the internet the e-cam is despised almost universally. My buddy who has built maybe 100 Ford 302 engines worships the cam. So, I feel a little stuck in the middle of the argument not having taken the time to devote my life to Ford 302 cam selection. Last might we hooked a vacuum gauge up to my friend's latest e-cammed engine and it pulled a solid 16 inches of vacuum. The engine is down for a bit till some new fuel fittings arrive this weekend, but I will next do a vacuum test to check for plugged exhaust and see what that says. On a more positive note, last night I finally got the rear deck buttoned up. Had been waffling back and forth about bolting it in place or spot-welding. Ended up with 71 weldnuts in the Miata subframe and bolted the sucker in place. Painted with rubberized undercoating for minor sound damping. Starting to piece all the interior pieces in place to see where that wants to go.
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Last Edit: May 9, 2019 15:41:25 GMT by bjornagn
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Nice work so far. Got to say though that exhaust cross over is a disaster. It's going to cause a major restriction. Crossover DesignBeen carrying this around since April 17 of 2017. Always been a niggling voice in my head that you were going to be proven right. The engine is running now and truth be told, not running all that bad in the shop. No road test yet. The thing to note is that the vacuum reading is very low, like under ten inches of vacuum. Not retarded timing and not a vacuum leak that I can find. Waiting on some new fuel fittings and then I am going to do a clogged exhaust test with the vacuum gauge to see if it explains the low vacuum.
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To a large degree it depends on where you and your supplier sourced the rubber trim. At best, it is one of those brute-force-and-ignorance jobs that happens a mm at a time while you swear that it should not be this hard. Kinda like the trim on the windscreen. Spent many hours fitting the trim back to the BGT windscreens - you just need positive patience along with a few methodical methods - one being to simply walk away from it when its not going how you would like it to - then go back and tackle it once your head is clearer I walked away from the front screen trim on my MGB GT about 25 years ago...Any day now, I might go back!
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I still haven't worked out how you fit the rubbers to the inside of the 1/4 light glass. Total pig To a large degree it depends on where you and your supplier sourced the rubber trim. At best, it is one of those brute-force-and-ignorance jobs that happens a mm at a time while you swear that it should not be this hard. Kinda like the trim on the windscreen.
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