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#61
Projects and Build-Ups / Re: The Rebirth
Last post by BigMike - November 29, 2015, 09:58:31 PMMay 18, 2015: Datalogging AFR
Finally got my AFR gauge connected to my Propeller Microcontroller. It was so easy as the Innovate MTX-L has a simple 5vdc digital output. Just connected one wire and I was done
Now I am data logging AFR and manifold pressure.
And.... um well I quickly found out that I am in the 13.x:1 AFR range under full boost
Ohhh man it's not good. So I'll need to sort this out, and like always, more to come on this 
Finally got my AFR gauge connected to my Propeller Microcontroller. It was so easy as the Innovate MTX-L has a simple 5vdc digital output. Just connected one wire and I was done
Now I am data logging AFR and manifold pressure.
And.... um well I quickly found out that I am in the 13.x:1 AFR range under full boost
Ohhh man it's not good. So I'll need to sort this out, and like always, more to come on this #62
Projects and Build-Ups / Re: The Rebirth
Last post by BigMike - November 29, 2015, 09:56:10 PMApril 22 & 24, 2015 (continued)
And here it is all back together.
In the meantime I also encountered an issue with the el cheapo water injector I installed JUST BARELY ONE MONTH AGO!!
This pile of crap injector was leaking and I nearly tossed a rod because of it. Water had leaked into the S/C and I went to start it up one day and it fired up and then idled really rough and then just HALTED instantly. WOW it sounded horrible. I cranked it once and it DIDN'T LIKE IT. Stopped the started in it's tracks. Ended up having to pull all plugs and disable the OCR (turn off fuel pump) to crank and spit out all the water from the intake and cylinders. It took a looooong time of just cranking and cranking afterwards until it would start. I think the intercooler was full of water....
Anyway, SCREW you Chinese injector. I went ahead of bought this bad mama jama that I should have done in the first place: "Mini Lightweight 300 PSI Solenoid" http://www.alcoholinjectionsystems.com/product_info.php?cPath=35&products_id=499. I was actually so upset that I posted the following review on Amazon:
Source: http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2QKMQXGLN2FBW/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00LGIZKMI
So out it goes and in goes the AWESOME Alcohol Injection Systems 300 PSI injector. Far smaller, far lighter, less amperage requirement, MUCH BETTER!!
edit: I forgot to include the first image
And here it is all back together.
In the meantime I also encountered an issue with the el cheapo water injector I installed JUST BARELY ONE MONTH AGO!!
This pile of crap injector was leaking and I nearly tossed a rod because of it. Water had leaked into the S/C and I went to start it up one day and it fired up and then idled really rough and then just HALTED instantly. WOW it sounded horrible. I cranked it once and it DIDN'T LIKE IT. Stopped the started in it's tracks. Ended up having to pull all plugs and disable the OCR (turn off fuel pump) to crank and spit out all the water from the intake and cylinders. It took a looooong time of just cranking and cranking afterwards until it would start. I think the intercooler was full of water....
Anyway, SCREW you Chinese injector. I went ahead of bought this bad mama jama that I should have done in the first place: "Mini Lightweight 300 PSI Solenoid" http://www.alcoholinjectionsystems.com/product_info.php?cPath=35&products_id=499. I was actually so upset that I posted the following review on Amazon:
Source: http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2QKMQXGLN2FBW/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00LGIZKMI
Quote from: BigMikeI purchased this solenoid Dec 29th, 2014, and installed it March 10, 2015. I'm using this on a DIY 50/50 water methanol injection system on my Supercharged MR2. I'm using a 60 PSI Shurflo pump with filter and a Shurflo Accumulator to maintain a constant pressure at the solenoid. After only 2 weeks of use the solenoid leaks, something I found out that almost destroyed my engine. I had to remove my spark plugs and crank the engine to clear the water out of the cylinders. When the front side of the solenoid is pressurized it has a small but steady stream of water just dripping out non-stop. I'd like to return this Chinese pile of crap but I purchased it more than 3 months ago so I'm SOL. It claims to be "Heavy Duty" but you can just tell it was cheaply manufactured down to the Chinese crappy wires that came with those Chinese crappy twisty ties (if you've bought made in China parts then you know what I'm talking about). I am going to do what I should have done and that is to get a high performance solenoid from Alcohol Injection Systems (search for "Mini Lightweight 300 PSI Solenoid" on Google). It's $70 but I don't want to take any more chances in damaging my engine. I do not recommend this solenoid for water injection.
So out it goes and in goes the AWESOME Alcohol Injection Systems 300 PSI injector. Far smaller, far lighter, less amperage requirement, MUCH BETTER!!
edit: I forgot to include the first image
#63
Projects and Build-Ups / Re: The Rebirth
Last post by BigMike - November 29, 2015, 09:46:41 PMApril 22 & 24, 2015 (continued)
The old seal was R-O-C-K H-A-R-D! Wow it needed to be replaced a long time ago. I am fortunate that it was bad, otherwise I might have blown a crank seal like a rear main and man that would have sucked to replace.
Pic 1: Note the grove in the shaft the hardened seal had cut.
Pic 2: There is no snap ring or index on where the bearing should be pressed on, so I found a drill bit that would correctly fit between the bearing and distributor gear (happened to be a 1/4") so I could get it back together the same.
Pic 3: Outgoing KOYO (thank you so much bearing!) and incoming AMCAN......?
Pic 4: Used our lathe to get the grove roughened up with some sand paper. I didn't want to take too much off but did need a rough surface to break in the new seal
Pic 5: Pressing the new bearing on using the same drill bit as reference
Pic 6: I installed the new seal at a height slightly deeper than before so as to not contact the deep grove on the shaft
Pic 7: Reassembled!
Pic 8: New cotter pin hammered in and ready to go!!
The old seal was R-O-C-K H-A-R-D! Wow it needed to be replaced a long time ago. I am fortunate that it was bad, otherwise I might have blown a crank seal like a rear main and man that would have sucked to replace.
Pic 1: Note the grove in the shaft the hardened seal had cut.
Pic 2: There is no snap ring or index on where the bearing should be pressed on, so I found a drill bit that would correctly fit between the bearing and distributor gear (happened to be a 1/4") so I could get it back together the same.
Pic 3: Outgoing KOYO (thank you so much bearing!) and incoming AMCAN......?
Pic 4: Used our lathe to get the grove roughened up with some sand paper. I didn't want to take too much off but did need a rough surface to break in the new seal
Pic 5: Pressing the new bearing on using the same drill bit as reference
Pic 6: I installed the new seal at a height slightly deeper than before so as to not contact the deep grove on the shaft
Pic 7: Reassembled!
Pic 8: New cotter pin hammered in and ready to go!!
#64
Projects and Build-Ups / Re: The Rebirth
Last post by BigMike - November 29, 2015, 09:38:38 PMApril 22 & 24, 2015 (continued)
Oil was just pouring out of the poor distributor and it had gotten all over my poor alternator. Sheeeesh.
Locked it up in the vice
Drilled out the pin (was tricky, started with a small drill and tried my best to keep it straight)
Punched out the remains of the pin
Marked the alignment so I don't screw up the timing
And apart it all came
Oil was just pouring out of the poor distributor and it had gotten all over my poor alternator. Sheeeesh.
Locked it up in the vice
Drilled out the pin (was tricky, started with a small drill and tried my best to keep it straight)
Punched out the remains of the pin
Marked the alignment so I don't screw up the timing
And apart it all came
#65
Projects and Build-Ups / Re: The Rebirth
Last post by BigMike - November 29, 2015, 09:35:49 PMApril 22 & 24, 2015: Fixed an oil leak from hell!!
Somewhere after the track event and only one month later my engine developed an oil leak from hell!! It was so bad that any RPM over about 4,000 would cause a TON of white smoke to bellow out from the engine lid.
Loooooooooong story and a lot of head scratching short, I discovered that my oil separator (installed @ reply #310) had mostly clogged up causing higher than normal crank case pressure. Combined with the boost and/or high pressures due to high RPM and oil was BLOWING straight past my Distributor seal.
MAN this was a mess and took me longer than I would have liked to fix. I had oil spray EVERYWHERE and it was so bad that dust was collecting on the top of my engine lid, trunk lid, spoiler, and entire back of the car with a bunch of small oil droplets all over. So gross
So I bought the Distributor Rebuild Kit from Twos R Us (link http://twosrus.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=28) and here is the install:
Somewhere after the track event and only one month later my engine developed an oil leak from hell!! It was so bad that any RPM over about 4,000 would cause a TON of white smoke to bellow out from the engine lid.
Loooooooooong story and a lot of head scratching short, I discovered that my oil separator (installed @ reply #310) had mostly clogged up causing higher than normal crank case pressure. Combined with the boost and/or high pressures due to high RPM and oil was BLOWING straight past my Distributor seal.
MAN this was a mess and took me longer than I would have liked to fix. I had oil spray EVERYWHERE and it was so bad that dust was collecting on the top of my engine lid, trunk lid, spoiler, and entire back of the car with a bunch of small oil droplets all over. So gross
So I bought the Distributor Rebuild Kit from Twos R Us (link http://twosrus.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=28) and here is the install:
#66
Projects and Build-Ups / Re: The Rebirth
Last post by BigMike - November 29, 2015, 09:28:28 PMApril 17, 2015 (continued)
I also fixed an issue where my front to rear brake conversion mounted the caliper too high causing the pad to miss the rotor and create a squeaking noise that I've been putting up with since the dawn of man. I finally ground down the spindle bolt hole.
Pic 2: Brake pads missing the outer edge of rotor
Pic 3: Much better!
Pic 4: New (vented front) rotors re-mounted out back
I also fixed an issue where my front to rear brake conversion mounted the caliper too high causing the pad to miss the rotor and create a squeaking noise that I've been putting up with since the dawn of man. I finally ground down the spindle bolt hole.
Pic 2: Brake pads missing the outer edge of rotor
Pic 3: Much better!
Pic 4: New (vented front) rotors re-mounted out back
#67
Projects and Build-Ups / Re: The Rebirth
Last post by BigMike - November 29, 2015, 09:24:57 PMApril 17, 2015: Installed new Brake Rotors
At Thunderhill I COOKED my brakes. I mean I warped all four of em. The rotors I had were from a group buy I'd guess in 2000 or 2001. I do not recall what brand they were and they have no markings on them. They have been resurfaced a few times so not only was the track abusive to them but they were also nearing the end of their lifespan.
The new rotors I got are sourced from Marlin Crawler (see https://www.marlincrawler.com/brake/disk-rotor/brake-rotor-high-performance -- custom made by a vendor of Marlin's). The new rotors are 0.51 mm / 0.020" thicker. I'm not blaming the thickness; I know I got my brakes waaaay hot at the track! (Much more on this coming soon )
At Thunderhill I COOKED my brakes. I mean I warped all four of em. The rotors I had were from a group buy I'd guess in 2000 or 2001. I do not recall what brand they were and they have no markings on them. They have been resurfaced a few times so not only was the track abusive to them but they were also nearing the end of their lifespan.
The new rotors I got are sourced from Marlin Crawler (see https://www.marlincrawler.com/brake/disk-rotor/brake-rotor-high-performance -- custom made by a vendor of Marlin's). The new rotors are 0.51 mm / 0.020" thicker. I'm not blaming the thickness; I know I got my brakes waaaay hot at the track! (Much more on this coming soon
) #68
Projects and Build-Ups / Re: The Rebirth
Last post by BigMike - November 29, 2015, 09:16:51 PMApril 9, 2015: Added a resonator, Found an oil leak, Removed hot water supply to TB
At the track I ended up melting the plastic coupler between my Exhaust Throttle and the servo so I ended up just removing the throttle plate all together. On the long trip home I noticed the exhaust was quite louder. Was this from only the removed throttle? Or is my muffler being blown out?
At any rate I decided to install a second resonator. I went with a Vibrant 1141 2.5" Ultra Quiet Resonator and am very happy with the results. It definitely quieted it down.
I also discovered that I did not tighten the high pressure hose to my factory oil cooler and it was squirting onto the top of the oil filter.
I placed it where the stock CAT goes. Fit in there nicely. It is a straight through design and is very heavy. It definitely has a lot of material packed in it.
My ugly welds turned out pretty good
This is the hose clamp that was loose
And finally I removed the hot water supply to the throttle body. I don't live in Alaska.
At the track I ended up melting the plastic coupler between my Exhaust Throttle and the servo so I ended up just removing the throttle plate all together. On the long trip home I noticed the exhaust was quite louder. Was this from only the removed throttle? Or is my muffler being blown out?
At any rate I decided to install a second resonator. I went with a Vibrant 1141 2.5" Ultra Quiet Resonator and am very happy with the results. It definitely quieted it down.
I also discovered that I did not tighten the high pressure hose to my factory oil cooler and it was squirting onto the top of the oil filter.
I placed it where the stock CAT goes. Fit in there nicely. It is a straight through design and is very heavy. It definitely has a lot of material packed in it.
My ugly welds turned out pretty good
This is the hose clamp that was loose
And finally I removed the hot water supply to the throttle body. I don't live in Alaska.
#69
Projects and Build-Ups / Re: The Rebirth
Last post by BigMike - November 29, 2015, 09:07:17 PMOk so I will update this once I post a separate thread about my Thunderhill experience. As for now I've got so many updates I'd like to get this thread moving, so here goes:
April 8, 2015: Installed new plugs
Outgoing plugs were IK22 Iridums installed sometime in 2011 (I can't seem to find where I documented this?). At reply #321 I mentioned them having about 60k miles as of June 2014. According to my Gas Cuddy app, my car was at 296,258 miles June 24, 2014. April 6 of this year it was at 305,139 miles. So my old Iridiums probably had 65 to 70k miles on em. Not bad
Factory gap was 0.030" and I believe I left em this way. The last pic is blurry but you can still see how worn out the ground electrode was
April 8, 2015: Installed new plugs
Outgoing plugs were IK22 Iridums installed sometime in 2011 (I can't seem to find where I documented this?). At reply #321 I mentioned them having about 60k miles as of June 2014. According to my Gas Cuddy app, my car was at 296,258 miles June 24, 2014. April 6 of this year it was at 305,139 miles. So my old Iridiums probably had 65 to 70k miles on em. Not bad
Factory gap was 0.030" and I believe I left em this way. The last pic is blurry but you can still see how worn out the ground electrode was
#70
Projects and Build-Ups / Re: The Rebirth
Last post by BigMike - November 29, 2015, 08:50:55 PMOk guys, gonna try to get some updates posted finally 
The track event was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I should have posted a full trip report afterwards but I became very busy with wheeling events in my Hilux as well as other work on my car which is why I haven't made much time for posting here. So for now I'd like to move this thread along as I have a TON of updates to post.
I will create a separate thread for the Thunderhill track event and update this post with a link to it once I do. I did write a comment about it on a different site so I'll quote it here:
The track event was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I should have posted a full trip report afterwards but I became very busy with wheeling events in my Hilux as well as other work on my car which is why I haven't made much time for posting here. So for now I'd like to move this thread along as I have a TON of updates to post.
I will create a separate thread for the Thunderhill track event and update this post with a link to it once I do. I did write a comment about it on a different site so I'll quote it here:
Quote from: BigMikeBecause I had zero track experience I was supposed to sign-up for a required Driver's School but the school was full. I really wanted to attend since a fellow MR2 friend had invited me & was already registered, plus traveling there with a friend is nice since it's a 9 hour round-trip drive to the track (yes we drove our MR2s!).
So I decided to register as a normal driver and sent them an email about my situation. They thanked me for the email but said the driver's school is mandatory. Unfortunately the next available school wouldn't be for another month and worse yet it is on a Monday. So after a few more emails they offered a full-day on-board Instructor for an extra $100 as the only way they'd let me on the track. I promptly agreed to this and WOW what a GREAT decision that was!
The gentleman in my car is Andrew, the NCRC Driving Instructor assigned to me and he was AMAZING. Great coach, very polite, very calm, very well spoken, easy to listen to and understand. He gave me the option to have him drive my car first which I thought was a great idea and WOW right from the first corner I was AMAZED at how fast we were going!
Having Andrew drive my car for the first gave me the opportunity to jump straight-in with both feet at full speed. After three laps it was my time to drive and after having experienced the expected pace I entered the track at full speed from the very first corner and never looked back.
This was such a great experience and I HIGHLY recommend anyone thinking about tracking their car to have an on-board instructor for your first session. I was on the track with other novice drivers & I could see that very few were taking the proper driving line Andrew was teaching me. Without Andrew I would have just followed any random car & would have started my track experience with bad habits.
SO MUCH FUN, CAN'T WAIT TO DO IT AGAIN!