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Updates!
A small update:
It was time for an upgrade after spending a year on and off cleaning contacts and still having the number plate lights blink sometime. Using the original housings the standard bulbs have been switched for LED blocks from CBS. These are the same as the type used for the interior lighting. Not tried them in the dark yet as it’s a really nice day today! http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...924-031714.jpg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...924-031728.jpg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...924-031735.jpg Did a bit of surface rust clean up on the bottom of the chassis too, mainly on the drivers side. MOT in a couple of weeks! |
It passed MOT today :) One advisory - play in ball joint on the near side.
I'll be referring to http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...ad.php?p=13375 Are there any good quality Metro / MGF ball joints out there or are they all made of cheese? This looks to be the right type to get: http://www.minispares.com/Product.as...d=34748&title= |
Hi Patrick,
well done on the MOT pass and interesting that you have a ball joint on the way out. Marlin are currently supplying 'First Line' which is what my local motor factors tend to sell. http://www.flickr.com/photos/5806804...57626800104389 (Ian Morris may have the part number?) But I have no idea if they are any good. I would avoid buying anything that is not in a recognised packaging. I have collected a couple of new old stock 'Unipart' original parts as spares that do come up on eBay from time to time. I think there are two different types of metro ball joints and I think the ones you want are GSJ269 but to be honest I have not yet fitted any of these. Out of interest, how many miles have you clocked up now? |
Thanks :) Just under 4.5k now been a slow couple of years for one reason or another (weather being a big one)
Will have a closer look when I get home, surfing and being a passenger in a car make my gut queeezy |
Hey Patrick,
a chance to get your M20B28 engine tested... http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...referrerid=181 ...could be interesting? |
Interesting, something I had been planning on doing for while. Need to see what the weather will be like :)
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did you get the Minispares supplied ball joints? Any comments on quality and make, etc. thanks Peter |
its on my to-do list, been busy with other stuff recently - that has reminded me to order some! :)
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Did a little bit on the Sportster today, Richard was following me a while ago and commented that the brake lights were not so easy to see. So as a temporary fix I stuck a 3rd brake light on, Richard sorted the wiring:
(Sorry about the poor pic, the camera in my phone is shot and I left my DSLR at home) http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...901-180457.jpg |
It was MOT time this week. I change the driver side ball joints as they had a warning last year, the lower one had noticeable slop.
I didn't check the handbrake, or the driver side ball joints this year - guess what it failed on... hindsight a wonderful thing. The rubber on the lower driver side ball joint was perished so failed on that. I replace the whole ball joint as I had spare ones. The passenger side handbrake had no brake effect, on checking the cable seems to have stretched a bit and there was not enough thread to tighten it up properly, so put a space it and did them up. Passed just fine with those two little fixes - could have avoided them if I'd spent a bit more time check the car over before the test. |
Glad you got your pass eventually.
Those metro ball joints do seem to be a weak spot in the design. Watch out for your steering rack gaiters. They'll be next to go....:eek: ...peter |
Almost seems like the balls joints spent 20 years on a self while the rubber rotted. Odd that the passenger side ball joint went as the rubber was fine on that one. At least they are easy to change!
Started on swapping out the metro brake servo for a dual diaphragm servo - been a while now so this is long overdue. So far I’ve fitted the new servo by expanding the mount holes of the old servo, extended the push pin with a bolt and started making the servo to master cylinder adapter. Need to wait for a rose joint to connect the servo to the brake pedal. Also my counter sinker isn’t making much of dent in the servo master cylinder adapter plate so need a better one! http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...007-181725.jpg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...007-181737.jpg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...007-192410.jpg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...007-181752.jpg |
Another thing while I remember, I'm considering one of these:
http://www.megasquirtpnp.com Looks to be one of the most straight forward ways into megasquirt and it's all laid out for the m20 requiring only a few minor changes to get the engine running on the base map. I was looking at the millermaf / WAR chip which looked interesting and has some good feedback, as well as a few negative ones online. What I like is that it's simple, what I don't like is that it seems like a very closed system. I might start with a wide band lambda sensor and AFR gauge to get an idea of how the engine is running. I know is rich on idle and lower down the rev range but I don't know what it's like furhter up. In theory the standard 2.5 injectors are getting close to their limit with the 2.8. |
Finished off machining the adapter plate today, brought some proper countersinking bits with me! Had to machine down the bolts ever so slightly to fit in to the counter sunk holes.
Bought a rose joint to go on the servo, minor issue bought the wrong thread direction – oops! New one on order :der: . Also 10mm bolts don’t go through 3/8″ holes by about 0.4mm so ordered some 3/8″ nuts and bolts to use. http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...010-195319.jpg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...010-195328.jpg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...010-195335.jpg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...010-195341.jpg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...010-195347.jpg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...010-195352.jpg |
Very neat Patrick!
[QUOTE=Patrick]Finished off machining the adapter plate today, brought some proper countersinking bits with me! Had to machine down the bolts ever so slightly to fit in to the counter sunk holes. http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...010-195328.jpg [QUOTE=Patrick] |
Thanks Mike, hopefully I'll get the new rose joint and 3/8" bolts tomorrow then I sort out the mechanical side of it at the weekend. Brake pipes I'm think of getting some braided flexi pipe to get a nice finish. Either that or I try and sort out the copper.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDVDzzX5tJ8
Short video which gave me an excuse to try iMovie on my new phone showing the rose joint in situe. |
They look really good quality Patrick.
What have you done at the other end, do they connect up to some sort of bulkhead bracket or are they just spliced inline onto the original copper pipes. John |
They're just test fitted at the moment - the plan is to shorten the existing copper pipes putting a new flare on the end. The rear one goes directly into the pressure valve. I'm probably going to create some kind of bracket to attach it to the bulkhead. I just need to find time to head back into the garage!
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I like the idea of the banjo fittings on the M/C, it looks very neat. I will take some pics of my lines from HEL when I get home this week. They appear a bit different at the ends ie the crimping,
John |
I know, I'm taking my time over this one ;)
Made good progress today installing the new flexi brake hoses from the master cylinder. http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...103-173811.jpg Old copper pipes still there, but the flexi hose fixing located and bolted in http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...103-173825.jpg Painted the master cylinder adapter plate http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...103-173836.jpg The pressure reducer for the back is relocated just above the steering column and all 3 pipes have been chopped and re-flared. I was a bit worried about running the flexi pipe at this radius but it feels OK. http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...103-173847.jpg Pressure reducer peaking through from the top. Next time I go work on it I'll be able to bolt everything up and fill the system back up with fluid, had to wait for paint on the back of the adapter plate to dry first. |
Cor, get you with your pretty blue pipes and adaptor plate! :)
Looking good - those banjo fitting on the MC look a very good idea, especially with how close my pipes get to the side and top bonnet. |
http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...111-145545.jpg
Paint on the back of the adapter to avoid any rust http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...111-145555.jpg A tube of heat shielding goes over the brakes hoses, this adds extra heat protection as they run past the servo underneath it. http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...111-145604.jpg The most useful tool ever in a situation where you can’t see – a camera on the end of a long bendable probe! http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...111-145614.jpg Snake cam, allowed me to easily locate bolts and screws while using the laptop screen to see what was going on. With the aid of this tool I bolted up the rose joint to the brake pedal. http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...111-145627.jpg Old heat shield adapted and fitted under the master cylinder, the extra tube covers from the heat shield back. http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...111-145635.jpg The heat shield keep everything nice a cool as it’s directly above the exhaust manifold. The servo gets close to the side, but there’s more than enough room! (Zip tie is temporary until I get some ali foil tape to finish it off properly. http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...111-145642.jpg Lots of clearance for the bonnet to close. http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...111-145652.jpg Here is is all back together again! Took it for a quick test drive, it was cold dark and the first time I’ve needed to use the fog light on the car! Initial impressions – pedal travel is longer, but way more progressive. The feel is much more like my tintop – not as much bite but much easier to use. Took it out again today and tried a few emergency stops, it stop nice and straight and you can pump the pedal relativity easily to stop the wheels from locking. All in all a very good upgrade! |
Hi Patrick
Glad you like your new brakes. Where did you source your rose joint from? I'd like to add a note to the Dual servo thread for anyone get to fit their servo - I suspect there are quite a few who have left it until winter to do along with a list of other things. Mike |
I bought the rose joint from an ebay seller:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180425540596 Name - should the above listing end: 3/8"x3/8" UNF Ultra High Performce Female RH Rose Joint It's important you get the right hand thread one. I used a 3/8" nut, bolt and washers to connect the pedal. Metric bolts are a smidgen too big. Seller: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/mcgillmoto...p2047675.l2562 |
Those flexible brake hoses do look very nice :thumb:
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Not so much an update, but a new toy:
http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...109-115451.jpg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...109-115458.jpg Innovate MTX-L: http://www.innovatemotorsports.com/products/MTXL.php Wide band O2 gauge and sensor with data logging (laptop connect with serial cable). I know mines not fuelling right - the screw on the AFM was messed with before I got it. I should be able to tweak that with it a bit but its more peace of mind I'm after that it doesn't lean out at the top. It as suitable outputs to connect to after market ECU's like Megasquirt so that may be on the cards next... |
Calibrated the sensor today, the big plastic plug that you connect to the sensor has a little plastic tab if you connect the plugs without lifting it then it can very easily go the wrong side of the plug. That stops it connecting up properly which this one did first few times I tried.
http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...113-213747.jpg I put the power on with the sensor disconnected which puts it in calibration mode. Unplugged the power and plug in the lambda sensor then put the power back on. The sensor gets quite hot, you can see it glowing here inside: http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...113-213950.jpg It showed HTR on screen while it warmed up. My bench power supply showed between 1.4 and 1.7 amps being pulled while it was warming up. http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...113-214125.jpg It briefly showed CAL is the display while calibrating then switched to 22.4 as it is in free air: http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...113-214231.jpg Now ready to install when its dry enough to drive over to the garage with all the tools :D |
Fitted a new battery, thread is here: http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...ead.php?t=6064
http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg New project: The current clutch slave is about to pop, the mechanism for moving the clutch in and out appear to be overly stressing the hydraulic components. As I’ll need to take the gearbox off anyway it seemed like a good time for an upgrade. Apparently the ZF 6 speed from the E46 320d is a straight fit and as a bonus the same angle as the M20, it's also a more solidly built and younger than the getrag that's in there now. Only down side is that I might need a different final drive ratio to make full use of the new ratios. One eBay special later: http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg But the shift linkage at the top was smashed in transit :( http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg So decided to try and fit it using HTS 2000 brazing rods. I tired this with propane but it wasn’t hot enough. I instead got a can MAPP gas and a new burner from B&Q: http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg Braced with a bolt and a custom cut piece of rod http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg |
Putting a hold on the 6 speed box for now, it's more than 10cm longer than the existing so needs new gearbox mount and the drive shaft shortened. I'm going replace the damanged hydrualic parts of the E30 clutch system initally instead.
Service time! New oil – fully synthetic ester http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...e-1024x576.jpg Managed to avoid spilling anything on the ground for a change! http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg Being able to take the side off the engine bay really makes filter swaps easy! http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg Also done is 6 new spark plugs (they’re pretty cheap so why not!) Found a minor vacuum leak so the idle is much better now. Also tried installing the AFR guage but it's stuck on the HTr display and won't calibrate so there's some testing and messing to do with it. |
Hi Patrick. Just browsing back through this thread I noticed that you have put the (Sierra?) rear brake proportioning valve across the bulkhead. It has a ball inside that rolls up an angled bore to limit the flow of fluid to the back wheels and on the Sierra is on the near side inner wing facing forwards, not across the car. The idea is that the harder you brake the more it rolls up the bore and restricts the outlet port, delaying the pressure build up in the rea wheel cylinders. If fitted across the car it it won't do this.
Meanwhile it's all looking very smart. I love those banjo fittings on the master cylinder. I will probably go that route when I do my proposed pedal box move during the coming winter months. Peter. |
Hi Peter, thanks for the info. The valve is from the E30 donor car. I'll double check the orientation in the donor and adjust as needed.
Brakes passed SVA like this, front lock before the rears but I'd rather make sure I don't have any long term issues with the most important system in the car. |
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I'll get to it at some point, just more than I want to tackle right now :)
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A few more service things done:
My jump leads didn't work - no continuity = useless jump leads. The copper was crimped and cut straight through at the factory. Trimmed and now soldered – much better. http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg Inside the rocker cover still looking very clean. Adjusted all the valve gaps to 0.25mm, glad there are only 12 valves to do! Most needed a little tweak. Also gave the oil spray bar a good clean out with brake cleaner while the cover was off. http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg The rocker gasket was a bit very second hand, I managed to get one in Basingstoke same day which was a pleasant suprise! It explains why there was some oil in the plug holes. http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg |
The clutch slave failed – not sure why, perhapse the master cylinder was a miss match or it was just a bad part. The reason is not so important.
I’ve decided to use the BMW master cylinder as this will be matched to the slave. Unfortunatly the original design for the clutch attachment is very poor – the whole pedal box twists. Therefore I’ve started protyping a new bracket design that will be a strong mount for the master cylinder with a bracket the bolts up through the top of the scuttle – already re-enforced for the pervious alternative clutch arrangment. I’ll 3D print this bracket for test fitting and if it works OK I’ll try to recreate it in aluminum. http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...t-1024x914.jpg |
Couple of hours into the print:
http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...t-printing.png EDIT: Bit further along: http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...printing-2.png |
Since first installing the brakes a spring has been missing off one of the pads which means the passenger side calliper rattles. I decided to switch from the jurid to ATE pads – the ATE’s bite a bit better initally than the jurids – something I’ve found on my daily drivers. Also the ATE pads are OE for E46 / E9x.
http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x765.jpeg A few bits of rust, here under the drivers door: http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x765.jpeg Chipped off, brushed and some rust remedy: http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x765.jpeg Sprayed with rollbar and chassis paint, you can see the hole in powder coat but I’d rather this than have the surface rust carry on creeping: http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x765.jpeg The wing mounts had also started to rust, so took these off while the wheels were off for the pad change. Also cleaned up any chips in the powder coat on the front suspension: http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x765.jpeg http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg Refreshed with new nuts and bolts: http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg 3D part has also finished printing, need to how this fits: http://www.msportster.co.uk/wp-conte...-1024x768.jpeg EDIT: Here's a timelapse of the 3D print: https://youtu.be/MD8rNL4XSsw |
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