Radiator Clean

I dumped the coolant and pulled the radiator out thinking i would take it to a radiator place to get it flushed. There is a bit of black crud inside and what looks like calcification inside the cooler but also the outside is pretty dirty and needs a good clean.

From memory i brought the radiator and

Testing Cooling System

I tested the cooling system today to see if it holds pressure.
First i checked the total system and it held 15psi no troubles at all.

Checking the radiator cap it would not hold

Trackday

Today i managed to get out for the first track day in over 4 years of the car being off the road.

To say i was nervous was an understatement, i didn't

Short Circuit causing Positive +12v cable and Negative cable on Battery to get hot

After installing the loom and dash back into the car i was able to start it up and had no troubles. When i went to screw the center panel back in and i turned the power on the start i could see that the negative battery cable got really hot. Tracing everything back i worked out it was only when i screwed the center panel back in that i had the short.

Checking all of the terminals

Dash 2 - Software Update

After fixing the firmware and software updates previously i found that i could not set up the sensors on the Dash 2 that are on the DL1 logger.
I could see the voltages but was not able to convert these into readings.

Previously you could enter equations to convert these readings but the software didn't allow you, after contacting Race Technology again we found that in the last update they hadn't added the feature in and have now added it and to download the latest software.

Originally this was how you would set it up
 Version 1.0.124

In the Version 2 you could enter

Dash & Logger

I have had some troubles with the Race Technology Dash 2 and DL1 logger of late and it has taken a while to work it out.

To fix it i had tried contacting the Australian distributor Adaptronic but they were not helpful at all as i had purchased it from the distributor in Australia prior so i think they didn't want anything to do with it, that and as i didn't have one of there ecus maybe.
I emailed the UK guys who have been great so far.

Bascially a lot of the sensors havent been showing and also the dash has funny information on it. It was really bugging me and i had thought the issues was with the new way i had set up all the sensors but as it turns out it was just a software issue.

I had updated the firmware on the dash and logger to 10.06

And thought i was using the

Tuned Up

Well after a few issues the car managed to make 294 rwkw on 22 psi which is a little lower than I was hoping but I didn't want to go much about 22 psi boost.

Interestingly the power curve is nearly exactly the same as the GTRS but at the top end it keeps making power and ends up

Few little issues

Well it seems like time has taken its toll on the old girl and sitting around for so long is not good especially with E85 in the lines.

When dropping the car off it lost

Drop off to get tuned

So after quiet some time I am dropping the car off to get tuned. Fingers crossed everything goes ok, it looks as though there is a coolant leak now which was not there before.
Noticed it when sitting

Door Panels

Replaced the screws holding on the door panels tonight. Used m3 rivnuted with m3 16mm SS countersunk bolts with a countersunk SS washer.

Had some problems

Intercooler Piping - Plenum Feed

Next bit was welding on the pipe that goes to the Plenum.

It was really soft

Intercooler Piping

Did some more work on the intercooler piping tonight. Welded on the Air temp sensor and starting to re-polish the outside.

This is the drivers

Firewall connector plate

Finished off the firewall connector plate, had a lot of trouble lining up the connectors into the engine as they fouled on the fuel rail and engine block.

Moved it across

Main Wiring Control panel

Finished off the main panel tonight. The original one i had changed the positions of the pieces which left holes in the panel. I cut a new panel and also pop riveted the distribution blocks on rather than bolts to make it much more cleaner.

Finished it off with some

Corner Weighting Car

Today we weight the car with 20ltrs of fuel 

And then again with

Car running again

Pretty exciting day today as the car was started for the first time after over 3 years of sitting idle in the garage.

A few little issues have come

Id2000 Injectors Seized & Rusted (E85)

We pulled the injectors out of the car today whilst trying to start it and found that they had rusted shut. We tried to get them to open but they were not budging.

Pretty surprised that they

Surprisingly good low profile jack from ebay

My old aluminium racing jack gave up the ghost and i have been looking for a replacement for some time. I inquired about a bluepoint super low profile jack and found it was stupidly expensive ($600+) and also the local tool guy could not get hold of one.

I had a look around and

Finished off Centre Panel

I finished off most of the center panel tonight. I am pretty happy with how it has turned out and is now more clearly packaged and labeled for easy fault finding. Managed by using the distribution blocks to do away with multiple power in wires and also some of the ground wires.

Just need to wire in the two isolation switches which control the main power solinoid and then i can re-do the acutal metal panel with a new piece of aluminium and i should be right to go.

Center Panel

Call me crazy but i was not 100% happy with the layout for the center panel. It appeared that things were too tight and i found it hard to trace back wires, if there were issues it would be hard to determine them. I wanted to put one feed for power in as well as i wasn't happy with the individual feeds going out so i have pulled it apart and started again.
Below is a shot of where i am up too so far. Starting to get a lot neater.

Wiring Loom Check - Power to the lights

After a few days of playing around at night, i have thankfully traced an issue that i had which was causing no power to get to the lights as well as other things.

The issue turned out to be actually two issues as so often these things seem to be.

The first issue i

Unfinished and unresolved

I sit here contemplating what i have achieved so far and then what remaining things are needed to be done. It is a small list compared to when i started but somehow seems like a long list.

It is interesting how your priorities can change over time. Things that once were are large part of your life no longer seem as important as they once did to you.

That feeling i longed for to go as fast as i could, wavers as time passes on.
Not yet completely replaced but it seems to have sunken away to be more a memory and not so much as a burning desire. The enjoyment that i received from something is not the same ad it once was and has started to be replaced by new priorities.

Children take more and more spare time that you have away, it is a new thing but one that with it brings with it amazing rewards. That little cuddle you receive, falling asleep in your arms, lighting up when you come into the room and saying Daddy. It is pretty special stuff.

I don't think all has gone though and there is still something that is inside of me i cant put my finger on. Tonight i went out into the shed and pondered over the car, i put the battery charger on and thought to myself that i might start to tinker again.......

Power through the firewall

Split the Alternator to Battery wire and the Starter to Battery wire up.

I had some trouble previously when i was cranking for an extended period and the current draw threw the isolation switch. The good thing is that it can become redundant if everything is OK but i though rather than have an issue in the future i could add it now just in case.

Joining the loom

You know what..... I have really been enjoying playing around in the garage again, i was lucky enough to do some more wiring on Australia day in between bbqs and have been able to also do some bits each night this week.

The wiring I am finding is quiet therapeutic especially after the stresses from work, i can focus on something else whilst listing to some nice tunes on the radio or Soundcloud.

Over the last week or so, I completed both Ecu plugs and the main harness. Even after having a little trouble with the knock sensor wire i was able to get in everything neat and tidy. 

This time purposefully i have left most of the heat shrinking till last.

With the connections from the main panel i had to join and crimp a couple together which was a little tricky but the right tools made it a bit easier.

This example is for the front and rear tail lamps as i wont have a park setting.

Here is the crimp for the Deutsch DT connector which is rated quiet high for amperage and will be more than enough for each power circuit.

Here you can see some further tidy up of the Main Panel which i did by routing all the wires together and zip tieing them together on the back of the panel then i am planning to shrink from the edge of the panel.

There is always one wire

Well after a long hiatus and a lot of peer pressure i have gone back into the shed to tinker some more with the car.

First job was to check the loom for continuity and as luck would have it i have found one wire that seems to have an issue, problem is that i got a little ahead of myself and had already put the heat shrink on.
I thought about just running this one wire separately as it was the only one i have found but i didnt want to spoil all my hard work so i am going to do it right and strip off all the shrink.