1065 replies to this topic

[Kam]

Did somebody order a b20?



Just bedding the rings in hence making sure it don't idle for the first 10 minutes, its a bit on the loud side! garage was shaking full monty! neighbours must've wondered what the hell its only a little mini!

Plugs were soaking wet with fuel after so need to sort out the mapping but as I ain't got a scooby with that kinda stuff I'll leave it to someone else

After about half hour of investigation I found shall I say a 'bit' of an oil leak? turns out someone forgot to plug up the inlet side of the cam cover behind the dizzy.....





Nice one numpty!

As I'm on my todd here I took a precautional method just incase my hand got fatigued whilst blipping the throttle spindle to bed the rings in, an open drivers side window and a mop and some making tape!



If my hand got tired I just reached inside - sorted and the roof lining is looking like new aswell!

Its a bit hit n miss here at the moment, its nice it started up and I did what I can about the new rings but it don't hold idle, plugs are soaking wet with fuel so need to sort this map malarky out

On a more positive note I picked up my second radiator from the guys, they have done a cracking job as usual and mounted the two aprilia rsv fans, haynes manual is squared up for reference







I won't plumb it in now, I'll see how the main rad copes, I still don't think the main rad will be enough in traffic but we'll see

Next job - less kfc

[johny:)]

Sounds like a machine Kam what sort of power will that be throwing out makes me want mine running now

[Kam]

Cheers mate, aslong as it makes more than the 165hp 116 torque I had in the b16 I'll be happy!

[johny:)]

Should do they are good engines think a standard b18 is 180 hp and you Gota b20 so I recon you should be close to 200 plus as you say it can be maped

[Kam]

It can still go pete tong so (no pun intended) I'm not counting my horses yet

[Kam]

Ok, after yesterday and the plugs getting soaked after cranking I decided to change the injectors, I did have some RC 370cc's installed but as the map I'm using is my old b16 one I put my old b16 injectors in (240cc) and cranked it over



Still can't get it to idle, and if you hold the throttle its splutters a bit, took the plugs out for a check



Not wet (thank god) but full of soot/carbon/black stuff whatever you call it! wipes clean away with your finger, not sure what that means

I'm gonna keep these 240cc's in for the time being, not sure if they are getting maxxed out but obviously the 370cc's are wet fouling the plugs

[Jamie_hail]

What mapping are you using, is it just ignition timing thats changeable, or can you adjust fuelling on it as well mate? If so, Try and get a little more air in there - seems to be the right amount of fuel looking at them plugs. Running rich would explain the carbon on the plugs, and the inability to idle. What idle speed are you hoping to acheive?

[Kam]

Its a DTA system, the map on there is what the tuners did for my previous b16, I thought it might be ok just to fire it up to see where I stand, I've got a laptop hooked up but I'm not changing any parameters as I don't understand or get involved with this stuff, trying to book it in with the tuners now

I've also bought a wideband sensor so will get on with removing the exhaust so that can be fitted, still got quite alot to do so will crack on with those while I wait on the tuners

[Kam]

Wow! what a complete pandemonium day! Why can't I have a normal quiet life!

Had the day off work and an early dentist appointment, got back mouth all numb and dribbling away (nice) so sitting down chilling out (and dribbling) with no plans today then the phone rings and its the tuners, my car is booked in on the 17th with them so I'm thinking they are calling to cancel it and move it further away

"Kam, we've had a cancellation today can you bring your car up?"

"What! you having a giraffe or something! car aint ready for a rolling road or trailor and I got no trailor?"

"Well see what you can do, its there if you want it?"

"Let me make some calls first......."

Call up the trailor company, I'm booked for 17th can I have it NOW, yes - sorted!

Call up my mate, are you working as I need a hand, no he's not working - sorted!

Call up tuners, I'll be there this afternoon!

Put the phone down and it rings again, its honda saying my parts have arrived - sorted! run down there and get back and put them on and fill up the gearbox oil, then get a delivery pop through the door, my brake bleeding kit has arrived - sorted! bled the clutch slave cylinder then think about bleeding the brakes........nah I aint got time to do the brakes, who needs em!

Raised up the ride height so it can get onto the trailor...........see later.......

Finish off some last minute jobs and look at the car, this aint ready for a rolling road! 17th would've been nice and chilled but doing this in a few hours is crazy! mate pops round and we load up the mini with EVERYTHING as I aint got a scooby what to expect

All I wanted from today was for the car to start up and idle and move under its own power, wasn't bothered about anything else

After some last minute struggles we got there late afternoon



Gave them the specs and told them its got a 68mm throttle body with an AEM fuel rail with an adjustable fuel pressure regulator and my b16 injectors and walbro 255 fuel pump, I will put the 370's injector in another time, not important right now, just want it running, so they punch in the numbers and get to work



After a few minutes its starting up and idling sweet, but at about 25mph its making a horrid metallic rotational noise under load? they stop and we jack up and have a good look round, nothing obvious but one of the guys says your driveshaft angles look extreme? I said yeah thats an allspeed frame they are like that, he says yeah I've seen a few before but yours look too extreme? after some head scratching he asks have you raised the ride height? I say yeah they are new donuts so were at the lowest setting to fit them in and I cranked them up after, then it hit me, I raised them up even higher earlier on just incase it didn't clear my garage ramp and getting it on the trailor

They were a bit on the high side, so we cranked them down and ran it again, noise all gone - sorted, so they carry on doing there stuff, in the meantime my crankcase/oil catch can is starting to worry me with its dissipating method????? is this normal for a b20? anyone know?



Other than that the engines running sweet and sounding sweet and everything is going a bit too well for my liking and luck.......



Then.........my luck sets in.........BANG SCREEEEEEEEEECH and the steering wheel rips out from his arm and the passenger wheel LOCKS UP! what the hell! switch engine off and head scratching time.....not good!

Pass wheel is locked solid, jack it up and no change, no movement, start hearing scary things around me "driveshaft has locked up or snapped" "wheel bearings have collapsed" not feeling so chirpy at this point!

We undo the driveshaft nut and the drive flange aint turning or coming off whatsoever??? its literally welded onto the hub, this is where I start to panic, how do we get it back on the trailor with a locked wheel? how do I repair this without taking it apart as I can't get it on or off the trailor? not good

Then steve does a little trick for a few minutes (with a sledgehammer!) and the drive flange frees up! and we undo the straps and push it off the rollers and it starts to roll! Sweet! We call it quits there, but the main thing is the car moves under its own power so I drive it onto the trailor (my first drive in 16 months!) also its 99% mapped for driving to put some miles on the car, need to get it about 1000 miles on it with 5k max revs and loads etc then I'll take it back

I'm gonna take the passenger hub apart tomorrow and am guessing I'll find my wheel bearings in pieces, these were genuine timken bearings from minispares aswell (the only ones I will use) so I'll investigate tomorrow

In the meantime I will finish what I can to get a MOT ticket on this (hopefully) and get some miles on it

Also when I drove it off the trailor back home, I drove it from the main road to the garage (naughty naughty) and was able to spin 1st gear easy - good good! bring it on!

Heres the result of the locked tyre on the rollers doing about 50mph, A539 yoko with only about 1000 miles on it, four square patches are down to the bottom



I'm glad I didn't have my A048's on here......

And yes I'm still chuffed even after today, having dramas at rolling roads aint nothing new to me with this mini, does get tiresome after a while though.....

Although my dribbling has stopped from the dentist it started up again when I drove it into the garage, such a nice feeling, a much needed boost

Next job - who cares?

Edited by Kam, 04 April 2012 - 08:14 AM.

[Kam]

I've just edited the above post to include a short vid of it on the rollers, forgot to add it in

[ministar]

Think you need some KFC mate.

Wow..... What a day, glad its running and setup enough for driving. One big step towards germany!!

[Kam]

Ok, whats the first thing you do when you get back from the rolling road after its running ok?



Yep, start taking it apart!

Taken the exhaust off as I've got myself a wideband sensor which I'm gonna drill in somewhere where theres room

Gonna take the inlet off as I need to re-route my rear block breather pipe as I can't get to it errrm topside or bottom side!

Also my air filter cone location is as useful as a chocolate teapot with it being so high its touching the bonnet so its grabbing all the heat as the heat can't escape anywhere, gonna try and route it errrm somewhere, god knows where, room I need more room!

The amount of smoke coming out the catch can was worrying, but I've only got the one rear block breather pipe and the factory rocker cover pipe both going into the catch can - this is no way gonna be enough, so for starters I'm getting a bigger catch can and getting some more venting pipes going as........

......I've got a leak it was weeping at the rollers but couldn't tackle it then so had a good look back home and its as I thought.......



.....the crank seal is leaking

I can't blame the engine builder who built the bottom end as he said you need two rocker cover breather pipes and the ports need to be welded in, as my rocker cover was already powercoated this weren't gonna happen, but as its blowing the seal and it still needs more venting which I think must be the reason for all the catch can smoke I'm gonna drill and get a couple of vent pipes in there, I'm not paying for this to be powercoated again so its gonna be hondabond to the rescue!!!

I don't really have the room for the breather pipes to route round to the front so need to drill the rear section of the rocker cover, anyone know if I drill all the way through including the baffle or leave that plate free?



Still fun - just

Edited by Kam, 09 April 2012 - 09:10 PM.

[ministar]

Juju said:

Kam, you are nuts. Clinically & pathologically nuts. Christ, you're mad.

I agreed!! haha. nah, i know you want it done properly as its clearly the way you work. Can't wait to see it in Germini. Bagsy a passenger lap Kam?

[Kam]

Bagsy a passenger lap

For sure mate for sure, don't expect anything though, driving miss daisy on a track is me......

[Kam]

Just updating the build diary with the recent post from 17th April that were wiped out after the recent spam attacks, have they nothing better to do? Good work on the recovery admin anyway

Still waiting for parts and stuff and had a few days off work so would be nice if they came through before then but no, great

In the meantime popped down to the new forest for a little break and we decided to go through the safari park, interesting sign this



But its the main entrance before you head in which made me laugh as its displays the stuff 'they' have nicked, its hard to get your head around this but if you have ever owned a mini then I'm sure you'll understand!



Got back and finally had some parts slip through the door, need to get the front hubs done as the passenger wheel locked up on the rollers, new bearings and new oil seal for the crank



I've also made another "slight" adjustment to the rad, gave it in before I went away and picked them up today

They have mounted my fan on



And as I'm still having a bit of trouble closing my bonnet I needed a couple of sections cut away from the top tank



And the bottom tank corner to clear the clutch slave cylinder banjo fitting



On the second rad I've got them to make up some brackets for me, don't worry it'll all make sense whenever it goes back in, just remember there is always a method to my madness



I found with it idling in the garage it was getting to just under the max reading then the fan kicked in and cooled it down but it didn't really come down much and fan kicked in again and thats just idling with the one main rad, so will need the second rad, more so now with both tanks on the first rad having some sections removed

Yes it was fine at the rollers but it has a ruddy great fan whacked on the front, I think having a similar fan mounted on the front 'might' be visible when the bonnet is closed! so trust me, I've done the calculations beforehand and knew this main rad would not cut it, second one is needed

Also had a new oil catch can come through, mocal 1 litre jobbie, wanted 2 litre but don't have room!



So time to get on it

Started off with changing the front wheel studs for longer ones, although I'm using factory steel wheels I've got some spacers on for clearance so went from 35mm to 50mm jobbies



Then time to tackle the passenger side hub which locked up on the rollers, was having a complete nightmare trying to get the hub off, it wasn't budging, ended up taking the whole shaft out



You can see where the bearing has collapsed



Two hours later and its still not off



Tried both ends but its a no go, so new outer cv joint needed, threads are now gone aswell whilst trying



Can't even get the cv joint off the driveshaft! don't see why its not budging even after an hour of smacks! The bearings have collapsed yes for the hub but the other end which the driveshafts pops into should not be affected.

I need to salvage the driveshaft as its allspeeds own custom one, I'm gonna angle grind the hub off as its goosed and I got a new replacement here anyway but I need another allspeed outer cv joint as the outer threads are gone on this so will try and angle grind this cv off, need to save this driveshaft as they aint cheap and I think are only sold in pairs - not good for my wallet or sanity at the moment

Car is feeling like crap at the moment



I think me and this mini has ESP or something as I can't say I'm feeling too rosy here either at the moment


From 19th April

Still having major trouble getting the old hub off the old outer cv, I've had a new outer cv come through from Allspeed anyways as the old one is now ruined but in the meantime I can't even get the driveshaft out of the old cv joint, after some advice (and much clearing away of cv grease!) found theres a circlip to release it



But still having trouble prising the clips apart to knock the cv joint off, so took an angle grinder to it! easy does it....



All done, got some new ball joint accessories come through earlier today so I've made both hubs up, hopefully get them back on the car tomorrow and chuck the wheels on and get on with other stuff