BigPeBe

TY.

I don't have any precise specs, because I bought the clutch as a used item for cheap, but it's a 215mm clutch with some type of stiffer pressure plate and a springless 3 plate sinter clutch disk.

BigPeBe

Monday was a dyno day. After a little tuning to the spark & fuel maps we produced 307 hp and 368 Nm, with little under 1.6 bar pressure. We had some spare time after this so also tried to adjust spark maps for the cruising areas, but it wasn't necessary, adding timing to any point of the map didn't seem to produce any more torque, so the timing tables were left like that.



Didn't go as planned tho, Sierra was fine after, but friend's GTI Peugeot suffered a headgasket failure (it wasn't dyno'd, he just came along). It appears that some of the head bolts had gone loose (!) and this caused the gasket to fail.

That's not all tho. Next day (today) I gave my friend a lift, he had requested a ride along in the Sierra. Did few long pulls on the freeway and after that drove home. Checked under the bonnet and noticed that some water has been spraying out of the coolant tank! Yes, it appears that both of us suffered a headgasket failure during two consecutive days...

Car seems to run fine when driving carefully, but after those pulls the engine had boiled. When the engine is running it seems to push some foamy slimy gunk to the reservoir. I can't imagine any other than a headgasket failure that could cause these symptoms, so it seems that I have to take the head out.

Kinda ironic really, it was just the day before I had said to my friend that I'm feeling like I want to also drive my other Sierra after a little break, because I'm missing listening the 2xDCOE goodness. The next day fate gave me a reason for that.

tjRS500

Any build threads on your daily Sierra?

Great results from the dyno

BigPeBe

-EDIT- Now looking at the MS logs from the dyno pulls, to be exact the boost pressure during peak power is 1.5 bar, but it raises to just under 1.6 bar before rpm limiter cuts at 6400 rpm.

Thanks. Clicking my sig pics will open you my build threads.

BigPeBe

RalliArttu

Congratulations breaking the 300hp limit

Have you found out what did cause this headgasket failure..? Allthoug it´s good excuse to install new cylinderhead with larger valves, right?

BigPeBe

TY.

Dunno what caused it, but we pulled the head off last weekend and saw no any clear damage anywhere. I ordered a GroupA gasket and gonna put it back together next weekend, hoping I'll get some few drives for the motor before the winter comes.
I was feeling a little unmotivated for a headgasket change because I didn't want to pull the head off before I'd be able to put some performance upgrades in. But I don't currently have the parts or the budget for all of them so it'll have to do for now.

BigPeBe

Assembled everything back together. Tomorrow some test drives to make sure everything is ok again.

essy

Hi there, I have been following your renovation and I am very impressed with what you have done so far. How much silicone oil did you use in the LSD unit.

BigPeBe

Thanks. I don't know the exact amount these bottles hold in, but they're quite small and it took two of them to fill it up.
http://www.ultimaterc.de/articles.ph...cle=1000002623

BigPeBe

Have been doing some driving today. Everything seems to work and surely having some fun doing proper pulls again at last.

Modified the ignition map slightly, now it's safer because if the boost rises above 1.6 bar there is actually a 280kpa area on the map, so the advance will decrease accordingly. So now if the boost creeps sometime at least I don't have to worry about detonation.

BigPeBe

That humongous turbo lag when shifting to third have since been fixed by adjusting the boost controller map.

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

It seems to perfrom well.

BigPeBe

It does ok I guess.

BigPeBe

Thanks for the one who took these delicious pictures of my dirty Sierra.

Ogimieras

Hello BigPeBe nice project, i am playing with my pinto turbo and have some questions to you. What megasquirt you are still playing on it? And what firmware is installed in it? Do you use TFI ignition module? Why i am asking, i have already maped my car with ms2 (firmware B&G 2.905) but have some issue on cranking, seems there are noise on hall sensor and when cranking seems like it's wrong ignition. Some time it happens, some time cranking is fine. I set the crakning pulse tolerance to 70% but the problem is still there.
Any ideas?

BigPeBe

I use MS1 V2.2 and yes with the TFi module. Firmware version I don't remember right now, but it was the latest firmware when I bought the unit and this was March 2012.

Can't quite help you with that really, in my case everything was just followed from these instructions and the car fired right up and has been doing so since.

-EDIT- I believe my firmware is 029y4a, which has been the latest version for quite a while now. Can't check it now tho, since I have removed the ECU from this car for winter time.
But I don't know if this relates to you at all, since you have MS2 and I have MS1.

Ogimieras

I think that the main setting of ignition should be the same if we look at the map my car is also closed in garrage for winter time, in spring i will play again. if you are interesting in my project you can fisit:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...0773464&type=3

the turbo are from stock cosworth 2wd and i think is to small for my setup, i also haven't dyno jet but with it should be around 250-270ag. with 1.35bar

BigPeBe

Probably yes, I'm just not familiar with the MS2, so dunno if it has more different settings available than mine. I just checked TunerStudio in my laptop, and seems like there is no setting called "cranking pulse tolerance" at all.

Your project also looks interesting, the pictures don't reveal much detail about the engine specs tho.

Ogimieras

Mm intresting.. nevermind
Yes it's only foto.

Specification:
Cosworth rods
Cosworth pistons
Engine CR increased to 8.6:1
Cometic 3layer metal headgasket
ARP studs
Turbo Garret TB0361 from cosworth
Home made exhaust manifold
Exhaust 3"
Cosworth Clutch 240mm
Machined transit flywheel with Pinto starter ring,
MT75 sierra gearbox
7" LSD diff 3.61ratio
Front brakes focus ST170 300mm and mondeo mk3 calipers
Rear brakes scorpio 273mm vented and scorpio calipers
Sierra electric brake pump.

BigPeBe

Haven't really been updating this thread for a while now. Little updates on the car here and there, but haven't bothered with pictures so thread updating activity been low too.

Here's a quick recap on summer stuff tho:

Installed an EBC that works in closed loop. Boost control little better now.
Holds about 1.5 bar now but real max boost is around 1.7-1.8 bar.

Added a better harness to keep driver & passenger on the seat during trackdays.

Installed adjustable cam gear, retarded the cam quite a bit and readjusted the mapping. Pulls now to 7000+ (limiter at 7200) instead of the earlier 6000 rpm. MUCH more enjoyable to drive. Didn't loose any noticeable pull low down, just extended the usable RPM range.

All front bushes changed to poly-urethane.

Relocated front TCA inner mounting points 15 mm wider and 5 mm higher (more camber, wider track and higher roll center).

Added some washers between the ARB and TCA's (about 6 mm worth IIRC). = More caster.

Had some custom "rack spacers" machined. These add a touch of more steering lock by relocating the stoppers.

Installed a hydraulic handbrake. Customized it a bit (reversed the mechanism, so the cylinder sits in front of the lever). Also made a longer lever for it. Haven't had a proper change to test it yet, was supposed to do some drifting last trackday, but rain ruined the plans.

Also the exhaust manifold had cracked AGAIN, so had to remove it and weld it and put it back together.

Tires are now "semi slicks". Nankang NS2R (medium compound).

Attended a trackday. Improved my Ahvenisto PR by two seconds (propably mostly due to the better tires).

Video from trackday:

Some pics:

RalliArttu

Nice improvements! I quess all you need is a rollcage I bought mine from Luuppala, wasn´t actually expensive (allthough I would have saved lots of money with pending tubes by myself).

Have you considered CSAs to front (adjustuble caster option) and flipping current ARB to front side of the axle?

BigPeBe

I have considered plenty of stuff yea.But next improvement on the suspension would probably be much stiffer / adjustable coilovers.

I was supposed to go do some drifting tomorrow at Pesämäki track, but my plans didn't quite come thru.

This evening I was racing against a Porsche on the freeway. Once again, a properly long pull on 5th gear resulted in blown headgasket. It seems that the headgasket cant take long pulls, even tho it seems to be fine driving at track etc.

The Porsche lad was good to chat with afterwards, he liked the fact that his 911 didn't pull away from the Sierra. Especially because he also has some experience with Turbo and Cosworth Sierras. We had a bit of a chat and after that I called a towing service so I got the car back home.

BigPeBe

Lifted the head off today.

Piston in number three cylinder has melted.

Well, I guess this is time to start planning the next proper upgrade.

BigPeBe

I have been lately contemplating different engine options for next build, but fate stepped in as form of a for sale ad. Seems like the next engine will still be ye old trusty Pinto.
Just had a bit of a road trip today and bought myself some bits (price was too good to miss). Injection pinto head with big valves (44.5 in 38.1 ex) and looks like a pretty good porting job on it too. Cam in it currently is a 281 degree cam but I will probably end up using a hotter cam.
Pinto bottom end with Cossie pistons & rods and Cossie oil pump with the spray bar.

Future specs are not 100% sure yet, but plan is starting to look something like this:
205 block, Cossie pistons & rods. Contemplating about using a Cossie crank too.
Cossie oil pump with the spray bar.
Clutch that will 100% sure take the abuse. Easiest solution probably Cossie flywheel with SRE -765 pressure plate (?).
Ported injection pinto head with 44.5 and 38.1 valves. Cam choice still open, but not gonna pussy out on this one. Something with 300 degrees or so with plenty of lift sounds good to me.
Custom intake / plenum with bigger throttle body.
Same exhaust manifold than before, same turbo (china GT35) but bigger wastegate.
Gearbox choice still open, been dreaming about a BMW 6-speed ZF, but this depends on lot of things (time and money constraints).
Megasquirt, will go for Edis now.

New fuel lines "big enough" and a surge tank.
Still have to research this topic more, but currently thinking about using big enough lines and materials that will take RE85 (ethanol), if maybe some day in future I want to go there.

If I don't end up with a +400 bhp Pinto with these I'll be quite surprised.
Hopefully gonna be able to get it to driving condition for next summer, but not gonna take any pressure about the schedule this time. It's ready when it's ready.