Laser Heart Swap
I have a Ford Laser
KETX3 4WD
turbo and I desperately need any information you guys can give me on
converting to the 1.8 BP
engine. Is it a big job to do and is it worth
the performance or is
there a better engine that will bolt in? Please, if youguys
don’t mind, can you give me some advice on doing such aproject?
Steven
Australia
The BP turbo engine is the best option for you – a good performance
enhancement and relatively easy. Check out some of the 323/TX3 related
forums - you
will find
plenty of people who have done the conversion and are willing to share
info.
Canning the Crunch
I've been looking for a solution to the typical synchro 'crunch' of a Nissan R33 gearbox
- any suggestions?I've thought about a swap to a 6-speed Zed ‘box but can't find anydetails on this being done before
- any suggestions?
Peter Halcomb
Australia
Our first suggestion is to experiment with some different gearbox fluids.
Beyond that it’s a matter of replacing the synchros – it is possible to modify
synchro or fit aftermarket items to improve shift speed.
Useful Info!
Copied from The Honest John section of the Daily Telegraph, who
said...
"This is a fantastically useful resource. Such work deserves as much recognition as it can get".
(See www.telegraph.co.uk)
"Many readers might not be aware that there
are lots of unresolved recalls on grey-market Japanese imports. It's a big issue
in New Zealand, because
vehicles have suffered brake failures, among other things.
Anyway, we were so fed up with the lack of data that we paid translators to convert the entire
Japanese transport department recalls database into English. As far as I am
aware this is the only
English-language translation of this data on the planet. Access is free at www.dogandlemon.com
Please note also that VIN numbers on Japanese recalls are often different from those in England, so
accessing our database is the only way of knowing if a second-hand Japanese import was
subject to a recall at home.
C.M., New Zealand"
David Sparkes
UK
Very well spotted – a useful site!
Fuelling Set-up
I have a grey import BMW M635 (1985) that came factory without a cat or
oxygen sensor. The car was then fitted with a cat and oxygen sensor when it
arrived in the US to meet our emission requirements. At some stage, the oxygen
sensor was disconnected – or it was never was connected. I just replaced the cat
converter with a new one and was told it will die if the oxygen sensor remains
disconnected. Do you know of any electronic units to allow this set-up without
needing the oxygen sensor functioning correctly? If the oxygen sensor must be
connected (I will figure where it goes) what set-up do you recommend?
Scott Stierheim
USA
Interesting one. If you’re running the car on unleaded you shouldn’t have any
immediate problems with the cat (assuming mixtures are set within the standard
range). The ideal situation would be to fit the oxygen sensor and use the
factory closed-loop fuel system to take care of mixtures. However, being a grey
market car, we’re not sure if the car’s ECU has closed-loop capability. Your
first step should be to check the ECU number to find out if it supports
closed-loop – if not, you might need to swap ECUs. There are no cheap electronic
kits to give closed-loop fuelling.
Watered WRX
I am just building my first PCB (the Smart Mixture Meter)
- all is going well and plan on tackling the
Intercooler Water Spray Module next. My question is in relation to a spray nozzle to use. I
like the one you
are selling but do you
know if it would be suitablefor the standard top-mount on a MY99 WRX? If not, would you be
able to recommend an alternative (or point me in the right
direction)? Similarly for
the pump, is it possible to add a pump to the existing water tank (for the
wipers) or do I need to
source a tank that has
been moulded for the second pump (or add an additional water tank
somewhere!)?
Anthony Southwell
Australia
In the case of a WRX with a top-mount intercooler, it’s best to mount the
nozzle(s) using a right-angled brass fitting – as shown in the article Installing an Intercooler Water Spray The decision whether to
use the existing washer bottle or a dedicated water spray bottle depends a lot
on the way the water spray is calibrated and how much water it consumes – if the
system consumes a lot of water you probably won’t get away with sharing the
washer bottle.We believe that the WRX wagon has a washer bottle with provision for two pumps (one for the front and another for the rear window). You may be able to
find a complete WRX wagon bottle for low cost at the wreckers. If in doubt regarding
water capacity, it’s best to add a dedicated tank (as shown in the same
article).
DFA Query
I have recently bought an old Range Rover with a vane style AFM and modified
the fuelling via the Jaycar DFA. The kit and handset all work great, however I
am looking for advice on the best way to configure it. This AFM drops in voltage
from 2.8V to 1.6V with increasing airflow, but does so in a non-linear fashion.
This gives me a resolution problem where idle represents a load point of ~70,
and full throttle a load point of ~42, but the 1st few millimetres of throttle
travel sends the readings from idle to ~50, with then only 3-4 load points to
represent the rest of the usual load range. Can you suggest how I might increase
resolution in the mid-range (ie change it to a 1V max and use the trim-pots to
offset the zero and full range to close to that represented by my AFM?)
Regards and thanks for the great work in helping anyone interested in DIY car
modifications.
Tony Plunkett
Australia
The DFA should be set up so that it has full scale at 2.8V rather than
5V. So in the Input Signal Calibration, apply 2.8V rather than 5V and adjust VR1
for 5V at TP2. VR2 should then be adjusted to deliver 2.8V and VR3 set so that
the output is 0V with 0V applied. This will give a wider range of load points.
The operation from 0V to 1.6V will still be lost. For all load points below 1.6V
set the output using the hand controller all to the same value. This value would
be that required to be set at the 1.6V setting. (John Clarke - Silicon Chip)
Cheap Pumps!
Re World's Best Intercooler Water Spray, Part 1...
Just wondered if you
saw this - http://www.aristoservice.com/shop/store/listCategoriesAndProducts.asp (under the ‘Vibrating Pumps’
section)? Would
this do just as
well in your "World’s
Best Intercooler Water Spray"? It appears
to be a 24V version of the
pump you are using.
Andrew MillerUSA
Wow, that company’s vibrating pumps are very cheap! The
pumps listed - including the 24V version - are still AC so it’s probably easiest to run a mains-powered version with an
inverter. But, again, thanks for the great find!
Not So Impressive
Re: Merc's most powerful V8 ever The World's Most Powerful V8...
I was blown away by this engine until I thought about it in terms of
power per litre. 375kW from a 6.3-litre engine
equates to 59.53kW per litre...not bad really. But my five year old 1.8-litre Honda Type R produces 141kW in standard form -
78.3kW per
litre (standard). And it now makes 151kW (with an ECU
mod) which means 83.88kW per litre...WITHOUT A BLOWER IN SIGHT!
Paul Kennedy
Australia
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