Paid the lawyer for the plate transfer but he says all the WRC's are taken up so I opted for 1/ JCW 037 2/ JCW 370 3/ JCW 007 I did think of a few more with 3 letters Like FUK ,CAT, WTF, GAY etc
Finally the Mini is legal and now sitting in the works car park. The drive to work was amazing, I just hope the Midland box holds up as now it's superb with the low final drive, 5th comes up very fast making use of the NA engine. Got a nice plate too!
I working on that..haha The Mini made one day on the road! Now it's in pieces again. I rebuilt the PSP and pulled out the very very dirty so I'm going to replace it. I have an error code saying misfire (low fuel) so I hope it's the dirty fuel filter. While doing the PSP I did notice the back of the cat has got very hot so that suggests the engine is running lean. So I need to fix this.
get more sponsors! one day in a row is pretty good, actually. fix the thing and get to a rally! we need some vids, too, so have a camera mounted.
No Problem Nathan I got the low fuel pressure fixed with a new fuel filter and finally got to open up the Mini on the open road today. The combination of a mildly tuned engine, low final drive and stiff suspension has made the Mini a pleasure to drive. The 2nd to 3rd to 4th shifting feels so strong with 7000rpm coming up very fast, The 3rd gear over taking potential is awesome as is I can drive everywhere in 5th! The suspension alignment still needs to be done but overall the handling is very nice with the rear end breaking free on tight corners taken at speed. The extra ride height does not seem to upset the legendary Mini handling so I’m well pleased with the end result. I have at least 4 weeks of driving to iron out any bugs. First issue today was the driver’s inside door handle not opening the door! Plus I have a rattle and a slight leak in of rain water to fix.
The good thing about driving to work in your race car is you find out any bugs! Yesterday the drivers inside door handle does not open the door so I have open the window and use the outside handle. The dreaded none starting has returned! I turn the engine over and can hear a relay clicking like crazy , then I get 1 cylinder, then 2 , then 3 . If I switch off the engine and restart I get all 4 . the engine seems to be running lean because the cat is getting very hot, hot enough to smell it. I have an Auto Zone rear O2 sensor and the original 130,000 fuel pump. I'm leaning towards the pump so when I return on Saturday I'm going to buy a new one. Another issue is the manual switch for the engine cooling fan melted! I did take a short crappy video this morning but all you can hear in the gearbox whinning! hahaha
http://www.youtube.com/edit?ns=1&video_id=MoDTFw0775g I backed off at 95mph due to the lively rear end. haha
Some fun for sure but that's lost fixing the bugs! haha I found the door handle issue to be the cable had popped out and the fan switch was made in China! The starting issues come and go but now I have a slight knocking noise from the gearbox at idle. The box was fitted with new bearings so maybe one was bad? or could be just the oil? Anyway I'm going to drain the oil and pull the end cover to see if there is any play. I figure I'm going to be getting good at gearbox rebuilds! hahaha
What clutch are you running Chris? Some aftermarket clutch / flywheel packages make a knocking noise at idle.
That's a good point chuck...the noise does seem to be coming from the bell hosing area. The noise is a very slow tap tap tap at 900rpm and goes away at 1000rpm which is strange because surely a bearing noise would be faster?? The clutch is a custom built job which is semi competition. The center plate has springs which could be rattling. I'll get a better idea when I pull the end cover.
I sure hope it is something that turns out to be a non-issue.:fingerscrossed: Rally cars are supposed to make odd noises. :wink:
Probably just the knocking noise Chuck mentioned then. I've had it for years with 2 different aftermarket setups.
interesting...I'm still going to pull the end cover seeing as I'm going to swap the oil on Saturday. If anything has any play I should find it. The starting issue is interesting to. If I turn the key and start the engine the 1 cylinder , 2 cylinder etc thing happens. If I turn the key, wait for the fuel pump to run and stop , the engine fires up on are 4. I tested this a few times with the same results. So I've got a new pump coming and some used injectors for my next visit. I need to sort the alignment too as that rear end is very lively....I quite like how the rear jumps out on slow corners..hahaha Fingers crossed I might have a sponsor to cover the rest of this season and 2014. I placed an order for 195/65 15 gravel tyres but the tyre dealer got 185/60 15's . I wanted 195/65's to get me some extra ground clearance....damn
The knocking noise may be the through out bearing some of them rattle even when their new. Good luck. Hope you do we'll in the Rally