My Other Hobby

Love a good trip to the dyno. How'd it do?
 
Cool car. What series do you run it in?
 
Geez, like guns aren't expensive enough, you got to feed this habit too?

Cool car. I'd be interested in some details.

Is that a Volvo I see in the background?

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It is SCCA F Production, and yes that is a Volvo P1800. I had to leave the car for them to get a starting MAP programmed into the Haltech ECU and get the AIM dash communicating with the ECU. I have been working on this car for approx 3 years (life kept getting in the way) if everything goes as planned my first race is next weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the new infield track layout they have done for NASCAR.
 
Very cool teg, more pics please! And details!
 
Well I got word yesterday that they got the base map into the ECU and got it started with good oil pressure, so dyno on Monday. This engine is more of a mule motor so that I can get the chassis figured out. We are limited on cam lift and compression anyway but we should be able to find lots more power with different rods and custom cams, as this engine is pretty close to the compression limit and cam lift but more to find with cam duration and maybe exhaust and intake tweeks.
 
Well here is a update, got a call today and while getting some setup things taken care of Before ever Going to the dyno the car has NO compression. It's nearly 3 hours away and won't know anymore until I get there and at least pull the valve cover. Right now life SUCKS
 
Les said:
Well here is a update, got a call today and while getting some setup things taken care of Before ever Going to the dyno the car has NO compression. It's nearly 3 hours away and won't know anymore until I get there and at least pull the valve cover. Right now life SUCKS
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What could have happened to lose ALL compression?
It was running fine last week and now nothing?
 
I'll find out when I can see the car and do a little diagnostic investigation tomorrow, for right now it's pretty disappointing.
 
Well I picked up the car and took it to my engine builder. We pulled the valve cover and found that the cam timing is off and we appear to have some bent valves and for some reason we have NO oil on the top end of the engine?

I left it there and the motor should be out tomorrow and we will see what happened I hope as until I know it will be tough.
 
Sorry to hear
Very odd since it had great oil pressure just three days before.
 
HMP said:
Sorry to hear
Very odd since it had great oil pressure just three days before.
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May have had great oil pressure at the bottom end but the valve train was oil starved. Could be an oil return problem or a blocked passage. I see it a lot on LS engines. Great bottom end pressure none to valve train. Just cause the gauge says it has pressure doesn't mean it does.
 
Les said:
Well I picked up the car and took it to my engine builder. We pulled the valve cover and found that the cam timing is off and we appear to have some bent valves and for some reason we have NO oil on the top end of the engine?

I left it there and the motor should be out tomorrow and we will see what happened I hope as until I know it will be tough.
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What motor is in it? Honda?
 
It is the non vtec Acura double overhead cam 1800 engine. The car has a AIM dash so no analog gauges. The good oil pressure comment came from looking at the gauge on the Accusump.
 
Nice Integra, who is doing the tuning?
 
Les said:
It is the non vtec Acura double overhead cam 1800 engine. The car has a AIM dash so no analog gauges. The good oil pressure comment came from looking at the gauge on the Accusump.
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B18? Those were vtec but take the solenoid off and no vtec..

I use to work for honda and have built severals hondas over the years.
 
This a B18A1 engine no vtec at all The car started out life as a 97 RS
 
Well bottom line on lubrication issue seems to be all on ME. I'm pretty anal over things like plumbing a race engine and have never since 1992 made such a stupid mistake. The remote oil filter adapter (Canton) was plumbed backwards thus no oil circulation. I looked at their site today and oddly enough since the last time I looked which was probably 1 1/2 years ago has changed and now has in big print with arrows inlet and outlet so I will have to assume I'm not the only person to make this mistake.

I will now have to wait and see what is salvageable and what isn't.
 
Well it appears as though we got lucky. I think we will be able to salvage everything but the bearings. I am going ahead with a set of Manly rods though as it is legal to do so now and the stock rods were sort of the weak link.
 
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I was in Charlotte on Wednesday to verify placement of a additional Oil Pressure and Water Temp gauge. My engine builder called last night and said he went through the head yesterday can find nothing that is really wrong with the motor. We are putting new bearings, the new rods(just because They are legal now) and a new timing belt and then back in the car and start over with the process. I feel better this time as we found what happened and we now have a base tune in the car so we can safely start it after getting everything back together and make sure everything is good before going back to the dyno.
 
I would pressurize the oil gallary before starting it. Use a insect spray bottle and a fitting. It would drive my crazy not knowing why oil wasn't being moved around.
 
I know why I didn't have oil circulation(me plumbing the remote filter adapter, see above) the thing we aren't sure of is why the valve lash changed so much.

Les
 
Les said:
Well drivetrain is back in and has been cranked and sounds good with 70 psi of REAL oil pressure so it is time to reschedule dyno time.
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Looking forward to more updates!
 
Well I finally got to hear the car run yesterday afternoon and it sounds pretty damn good to just have a start up tune in the ecu. It is also running 70 lbs of oil pressure. I am still having an issue trying to figure out how to configure fuel pressure, oil pressure, and oil temp. in the AIM MXL Pista dash as they are going straight to the dash as analog signals and the rest including tach are coming from the Haltech PS 1000.

We took the shocks Penske 7500 DA's back to RE suspension as they were leaking and appeared to have varying degrees of pressure in them after setting for close to 3 years after the initial build.

I hope to have them back and on the car so we can scale it and do the alignment then off to the dyno so I can make out VIR race on the 13-15 of Oct.
 
@Les do you have camber plates on the car? If you do, who are you using for alignment?
 
Don they are built in to the shock towers on this car and all of the control arms with the exception of the front uppers are non stock items. The car was at Sam Moores shop and he has a great ex WC guy working with him Randy Anderson, he did the alignment and scaled it for me yesterday. The car end up perfect on diagonals with percentages ending up at 53-46. The car ended up at 1900 lbs with full cell, cool shirt air and water system, and a Optima red top battery. We had to end up putting 250 lbs of ballast in it to get to weight.

We have a box full of springs in 50 lb increments and 4 or 5 different size front and rear bars to play with at VIR during the test day and going into the double SARRC MARRS weekend. I'm also lucky enough to have Randy being there for the test day.
 
Do you ever run at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw?
If so let me know as I live 15 minutes from there.
Ron
 
I'm going to need someone to align the Boss when I get the front springs swapped out and the original owner had camber plated installed.
 
I will most likely at some point. I used to run there when it first opened on a pretty regular basis. I actually set a track record for my class that stood for a long time on the first trip there. The ironic part is I NEVER went that fast again in the car no matter how much better it was everywhere else. I guess you could say I have a love hate relationship with the place.
 
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