MonK-E's ST170 Project
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
Haha yeah it’s quite a bit more involved than a normal P&P kit.
Well I managed go get a fair bit done today, so I’m actually pleased with the progress. It allways seems to happen with long projects. It takes ages to strip everything down clean and paint it, it starts to feel like you’re getting nowhere for all the hours that are going in to it then. All of a sudden parts come together and you get that bit of gratification from it.
Anyway first off I got the tank in this morning
Then I started putting the subframe together. I meant to take more pics as I was doing it but I forgot and just cracked on with it. Every bolt got a heavy coat of copper grease, hopefully this will help if I ever have to take it apart again in the future.
After struggling with compressing the springs I got it all bolted up
I also managed to fit longer wheel studs
Well I managed go get a fair bit done today, so I’m actually pleased with the progress. It allways seems to happen with long projects. It takes ages to strip everything down clean and paint it, it starts to feel like you’re getting nowhere for all the hours that are going in to it then. All of a sudden parts come together and you get that bit of gratification from it.
Anyway first off I got the tank in this morning
Then I started putting the subframe together. I meant to take more pics as I was doing it but I forgot and just cracked on with it. Every bolt got a heavy coat of copper grease, hopefully this will help if I ever have to take it apart again in the future.
After struggling with compressing the springs I got it all bolted up
I also managed to fit longer wheel studs
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
I put the back brakes on. But forgot about the little hose brackets that bolt on the blade arms
so I spent the rest of the day cleaning up and painting the last of the bits for the back end
so I spent the rest of the day cleaning up and painting the last of the bits for the back end
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
Yesterday I got pretty much the back end back together.
then removed the rest of the stuff off the mid section
I also removed the front subframe
going back a while now the only panel with a few dents still in is the drivers side wing. So I purchased a cheap wing off eBay and decided it’s abot time I sorted it out.
So off came the bumper.... with the wing as one of the bolts decided it’s head would round off.
with the bumper off I got a closer look at where I’m going to eventually fit the FMIC.
Also noticed the air con rad wasn’t looking so healthy. I’ll probably just get rid of the A/C system. Can’t see much point in replacing it as there’s more benefits with getting rid of it. Like bigger FMIC, less parasitic loss and a bit of weight saving.
Back to the wing. As I mentioned I got hold of another one. I’m not fussed about the colour as the whole car will be getting a new colour coat.
However there are a couple of bits about the wings.
the original has 3 or 4 dents in it plus the area that bolts to the sill is shot.
the eBay wing is rot where it bolts to the bumper and there’s at least one little dent in it (not so much of a good buy)
but hey I’ll use it any way and sort it out. So out came the disc cutter and I cut the part out of the original wing
then painstakingly TIG welded it to the new wing. Quite possibly the hardest thing I’ve ever had to weld as anything over 8 amps just blew holes in it. I actually found welding the cutting edges of razor blades together far easier than this.
then removed the rest of the stuff off the mid section
I also removed the front subframe
going back a while now the only panel with a few dents still in is the drivers side wing. So I purchased a cheap wing off eBay and decided it’s abot time I sorted it out.
So off came the bumper.... with the wing as one of the bolts decided it’s head would round off.
with the bumper off I got a closer look at where I’m going to eventually fit the FMIC.
Also noticed the air con rad wasn’t looking so healthy. I’ll probably just get rid of the A/C system. Can’t see much point in replacing it as there’s more benefits with getting rid of it. Like bigger FMIC, less parasitic loss and a bit of weight saving.
Back to the wing. As I mentioned I got hold of another one. I’m not fussed about the colour as the whole car will be getting a new colour coat.
However there are a couple of bits about the wings.
the original has 3 or 4 dents in it plus the area that bolts to the sill is shot.
the eBay wing is rot where it bolts to the bumper and there’s at least one little dent in it (not so much of a good buy)
but hey I’ll use it any way and sort it out. So out came the disc cutter and I cut the part out of the original wing
then painstakingly TIG welded it to the new wing. Quite possibly the hardest thing I’ve ever had to weld as anything over 8 amps just blew holes in it. I actually found welding the cutting edges of razor blades together far easier than this.
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
Forgot to update over the weekend. Not a great deal done but chipping away nonetheless.
Stripped the front subby down, cleaned and painted a few parts
Then removed what’s left of the A/C cooler
also removed struts, hubs and steering rack along with a few of the A/C pipes
Stripped the front subby down, cleaned and painted a few parts
Then removed what’s left of the A/C cooler
also removed struts, hubs and steering rack along with a few of the A/C pipes
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
Cheers bud, allways good to hear 
Nearly all of the project so far has been resotoration work, not that there’s anything wrong with that but I really can’t wait to start some proper mods. Still a lot of cleaning, painting, undersealing and what not to do first.
Still thinking about which way round to do the ecu. Whether or not to pull the engine loom out and start afresh. Or leave it be, cut and splice what’s needed from the original ecu.
Either way I really should wire in the ecu and get it running before I pull the engine out as it’ll make life a little easier later down the road
Nearly all of the project so far has been resotoration work, not that there’s anything wrong with that but I really can’t wait to start some proper mods. Still a lot of cleaning, painting, undersealing and what not to do first.
Still thinking about which way round to do the ecu. Whether or not to pull the engine loom out and start afresh. Or leave it be, cut and splice what’s needed from the original ecu.
Either way I really should wire in the ecu and get it running before I pull the engine out as it’ll make life a little easier later down the road
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
I started cleaning the under the mid section yesterday. Fist did the subframe mountings so I could slide the ramp jack under them and support the font of the car while I/we worked on the car
Then got the mrs to clean the sills with a angle grinder/wire brush
Bit of zinc primer
after that I drilled the rivets out under the wheel arch and disconnected the loom.
Tucked it up away, then cleaned and painted it all
originaly I wasn’t going to remove the passenger side wing but I put a screw driver through a rust bubble so not ive got to repair it properly, more on that later today though
Then got the mrs to clean the sills with a angle grinder/wire brush
Bit of zinc primer
after that I drilled the rivets out under the wheel arch and disconnected the loom.
Tucked it up away, then cleaned and painted it all
originaly I wasn’t going to remove the passenger side wing but I put a screw driver through a rust bubble so not ive got to repair it properly, more on that later today though
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
Cheers gcfcos, haha yeah she wanted to spend more time with me and do more stuff together. So we compromised
As I said earlier I poked a hole or 2 in the n/s front wing
on the other side it was a bit worse for wear once I cleaned it up a bit
so I welded a plate behind it and filled the holes with some weld then sanded it back.
After a thin skim of filler and a bit of paint it’ll be golden
As I said earlier I poked a hole or 2 in the n/s front wing
on the other side it was a bit worse for wear once I cleaned it up a bit
so I welded a plate behind it and filled the holes with some weld then sanded it back.
After a thin skim of filler and a bit of paint it’ll be golden
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
On Saturday I went round all the seams underneath and in the front wheel arches with seam sealer (something ford must of accidentally forgot about doing 
)
after all that had hardened I gave it all a nice thick coat of underseal
while the underseal was drying I thought about what to do next as I’ve spanked all my money this month and have to wait until payday before I can get some more paint for the front suspension components. So I had a look at the ecu
Thank you ford for putting a chastity belt on it. Makes life that little bit more interesting hahaha.
angle grinder.... no, sparks will burn the carpet.
Weld a nut on the security bolt.... no, same as above
hmmm... sharp chisel and mole grips it is then.
after a bit of fafing about I managed to get it off
I started to think about where I was going to mount the me442 ecu.
My initial idea was to put it under or behind the glove box. But that would mean running a loom under the dash to the stock ecu then following the wires through the bulkhead to the inner wing, which let’s face it is a bit of a pain in the arse.
After a bit of head scratching and looking about I decided I’ll probably be best off mounting to the back of the obd trim as it’s held up by quite a few screws and there’s plenty of room there. Also it’s right next to the stock ecu, so no huge lengths of wire to get the majority wired in.
I also chopped a bit of the sound deadening out around where the stock ecu was to be able to access the loom alittle easier. Some of the unnecessary wires will be cut off the ecu and pulled out to make way for wires for a few extra sensors and solenoids.
On Sunday I pulled out a old loom I had laying about and decided to pillage it for the wires needed to hook up the 442.
After what seemed like forever cutting and cleaning the sticky residue I was left with this bunch of wires that all match up to the stock wiring colours bar 3 of them (which aren’t far off any way)
Then went on to crimping all the ends with the complete wrong tool for the job haha, still managed to do it ok (the proper tool would have taken minutes but couldn’t justify the cost tbh)
After crimping I decided for super anal safety I’ll solder them as well. I know how finicky electronics can be with connections.
You wouldnt think that a hand full of wires took most of the day to sort out and think through some what haha.
Still I’m enjoying it so I wouldn’t want to spend a nice Sunday doing anything else tbh.
Also grabbed a list of stock ecu pin outs and jotted down what I want to chop and change, also any colour changes in wires that’ll take place. I still have to research a couple of pins here and there but I think that’s the majority thought through
)after all that had hardened I gave it all a nice thick coat of underseal
while the underseal was drying I thought about what to do next as I’ve spanked all my money this month and have to wait until payday before I can get some more paint for the front suspension components. So I had a look at the ecu
Thank you ford for putting a chastity belt on it. Makes life that little bit more interesting hahaha.
angle grinder.... no, sparks will burn the carpet.
Weld a nut on the security bolt.... no, same as above
hmmm... sharp chisel and mole grips it is then.
after a bit of fafing about I managed to get it off
I started to think about where I was going to mount the me442 ecu.
My initial idea was to put it under or behind the glove box. But that would mean running a loom under the dash to the stock ecu then following the wires through the bulkhead to the inner wing, which let’s face it is a bit of a pain in the arse.
After a bit of head scratching and looking about I decided I’ll probably be best off mounting to the back of the obd trim as it’s held up by quite a few screws and there’s plenty of room there. Also it’s right next to the stock ecu, so no huge lengths of wire to get the majority wired in.
I also chopped a bit of the sound deadening out around where the stock ecu was to be able to access the loom alittle easier. Some of the unnecessary wires will be cut off the ecu and pulled out to make way for wires for a few extra sensors and solenoids.
On Sunday I pulled out a old loom I had laying about and decided to pillage it for the wires needed to hook up the 442.
After what seemed like forever cutting and cleaning the sticky residue I was left with this bunch of wires that all match up to the stock wiring colours bar 3 of them (which aren’t far off any way)
Then went on to crimping all the ends with the complete wrong tool for the job haha, still managed to do it ok (the proper tool would have taken minutes but couldn’t justify the cost tbh)
After crimping I decided for super anal safety I’ll solder them as well. I know how finicky electronics can be with connections.
You wouldnt think that a hand full of wires took most of the day to sort out and think through some what haha.
Still I’m enjoying it so I wouldn’t want to spend a nice Sunday doing anything else tbh.
Also grabbed a list of stock ecu pin outs and jotted down what I want to chop and change, also any colour changes in wires that’ll take place. I still have to research a couple of pins here and there but I think that’s the majority thought through
Last edited by MonK-E; Apr 23, 2018 at 06:09 PM.
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
Yeah it surprised me, I thought it’ll just be a easy unplug and unclip job. Still nothing wrong with a bit of extra security.
Funny thing with me and wiring, I’ll sit there for hours in a pit of wires and schematics struggling to get my head round even a relatively simple task. Then all of a sudden something will click and it all becomes clear and straight forward.... unfortunately that click hasn’t quite happened yet so I’m still trying to hold back the brain ache
Funny thing with me and wiring, I’ll sit there for hours in a pit of wires and schematics struggling to get my head round even a relatively simple task. Then all of a sudden something will click and it all becomes clear and straight forward.... unfortunately that click hasn’t quite happened yet so I’m still trying to hold back the brain ache
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
Yup it clicked eventually
I spent a few evenings going through pin outs on both ecu’s and tried working through how I’m going to mod the loom. Then populated the me442 connector
so this morning I started on soldering it all in. Slightly daunting but 1 wire at a time is the way to go.
I had a quick chat on FB with Mat at ME about a couple of things I wasn’t quite sure of. Really amazed at how helpful ME are with their after sales service. One being how to wire up the 5v ref for the sensors when they are split between 2 ecu’s. I’ve decided to keep the dash and want all the gauges to continue to work. It turns out to be super simple, I’ll be using the standard ecu to power the 5v ref then the me442 will receive the sensor data and control everything from there on.
I only made a couple of mistakes along the way so far, well ones I’ve realised so far anyway.
I done the good old solder the wires together then realised I forgot to put the heat shrink on haha.
The main one was thinking I was cutting out one of the injector wires that was going straight to me442. When actually it was a 12v switched supply that I was supposed to splice.
I cut it off right at the plug haha. Still after scratching my head for a bit I thought my way out of the situation. I took the connector apart at popped out the pin I cut to short then took one out from a location that I’m no longer going to use then cut it to a sensible length and replaced it.
Yeah the pin from the ecu isn’t the colour any more but it’s easy to figure out and it gets me out of a situation.
other than the above it went pretty much all to plan. I still have to cut a couple of unused wires from the standard ecu that I’ll use to pull through new wires for the extra sensors/solenoids. Then tidy it all up.
also during the week I found a little map sensor in the shed I purchased a while ago for my old twincharger project. It should be more than adequate as it’s a 4bar absolute sensor, should be able to handle 3bar/43.5psi +. Not that I’m going to run that sort of boost but it’s always handy to have plenty of headroom and it’s just sitting there gathering dust so I might as well put it to some use.
I spent a few evenings going through pin outs on both ecu’s and tried working through how I’m going to mod the loom. Then populated the me442 connector
so this morning I started on soldering it all in. Slightly daunting but 1 wire at a time is the way to go.
I had a quick chat on FB with Mat at ME about a couple of things I wasn’t quite sure of. Really amazed at how helpful ME are with their after sales service. One being how to wire up the 5v ref for the sensors when they are split between 2 ecu’s. I’ve decided to keep the dash and want all the gauges to continue to work. It turns out to be super simple, I’ll be using the standard ecu to power the 5v ref then the me442 will receive the sensor data and control everything from there on.
I only made a couple of mistakes along the way so far, well ones I’ve realised so far anyway.
I done the good old solder the wires together then realised I forgot to put the heat shrink on haha.
The main one was thinking I was cutting out one of the injector wires that was going straight to me442. When actually it was a 12v switched supply that I was supposed to splice.
I cut it off right at the plug haha. Still after scratching my head for a bit I thought my way out of the situation. I took the connector apart at popped out the pin I cut to short then took one out from a location that I’m no longer going to use then cut it to a sensible length and replaced it.
Yeah the pin from the ecu isn’t the colour any more but it’s easy to figure out and it gets me out of a situation.
other than the above it went pretty much all to plan. I still have to cut a couple of unused wires from the standard ecu that I’ll use to pull through new wires for the extra sensors/solenoids. Then tidy it all up.
also during the week I found a little map sensor in the shed I purchased a while ago for my old twincharger project. It should be more than adequate as it’s a 4bar absolute sensor, should be able to handle 3bar/43.5psi +. Not that I’m going to run that sort of boost but it’s always handy to have plenty of headroom and it’s just sitting there gathering dust so I might as well put it to some use.
I've found that life I needed.. It's HERE!!
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From: Linc's
Ha ha I often wonder if any one ever usses them 
you know it would have been less work and cash to use the Focus Rs ecu 
you know it would have been less work and cash to use the Focus Rs ecu
Also grabbed a list of stock ecu pin outs and jotted down what I want to chop and change, also any colour changes in wires thatll take place. I still have to research a couple of pins here and there but I think thats the majority thought through
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Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
Yeah would of been cheaper and easier initially but even the stock RS ecu has its limitations. Which would be fine for 99% of people. But hopefully I’ll be going that step or 2 further with this project
plus wheres the fun in plug and play hahaha
plus wheres the fun in plug and play hahaha
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
Started pulling the the chopped wires through the bulkhead and finished sorting the majority of the wiring off in the footwell.
I then plugged the ole laptop in to check it’s all communicating properly and what not.
Turned the key and nothing. No lights on the dash, no relays clicking not even footwell lights.
So I checked the battery, all the fuses even relays. Still nothing.
I went back to the wiring schematics and scratched the ole noggin a bit.
Tried bypassing the power hold relay... still nothing...
at this point I was thinking I’ve seriously ballsed something up.
Then it suddenly came to me, the other weekend I pulled the wires out of the passenger side wheel arch to paint and underseal it.
with the fuse box plugged back in.. turned the key and........
everything lit up
checked the laptop and everything seems to be in order. I calibrated the TPS to make sure all is well.
just need to grab another coolant temp sensor, wire in the map sensor and fuel pump. Also waiting for a couple of fuel line fittings. After that it’ll be ready to fire up the stock engine to and check it’s all good before it gets taken out to be stripped down for forging.
I then plugged the ole laptop in to check it’s all communicating properly and what not.
Turned the key and nothing. No lights on the dash, no relays clicking not even footwell lights.
So I checked the battery, all the fuses even relays. Still nothing.
I went back to the wiring schematics and scratched the ole noggin a bit.
Tried bypassing the power hold relay... still nothing...
at this point I was thinking I’ve seriously ballsed something up.
Then it suddenly came to me, the other weekend I pulled the wires out of the passenger side wheel arch to paint and underseal it.
with the fuse box plugged back in.. turned the key and........
everything lit up
checked the laptop and everything seems to be in order. I calibrated the TPS to make sure all is well.
just need to grab another coolant temp sensor, wire in the map sensor and fuel pump. Also waiting for a couple of fuel line fittings. After that it’ll be ready to fire up the stock engine to and check it’s all good before it gets taken out to be stripped down for forging.
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
Just a bit, I was quite worried at one point. So happy that it turned out to be something really simple. Bit annoyed I spent a good hour or more on something I stupidly forgot though. Live an learn 
Im hoping to eventually put a fixed USB port where the odb port should be to tidy it up further. That way it all should be hidden out of sight but easy to connect to
Im hoping to eventually put a fixed USB port where the odb port should be to tidy it up further. That way it all should be hidden out of sight but easy to connect to
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
I took a little break from wires this weekend and decided to do a bit more to the fuel system.
As you know I’ve done away with the fuel pressure sensor and what not, modified the fuel rail for a return and added a return line in the pump housing.
Now ive started running the braided teflon lines in
Got the cheap little fuel pressure regulator on, fingers crossed it’ll do what it’s supposed to.
With teflon and nylon lines it should all be ethanol/methanol safe now. I might add a flex fuel sensor halfway down the bulkhead yet, as I’m thinking it would be far easier to let the ecu deal with variable ing maps than me manually switching between 2 if I run out of premix somewhere and need to stick
some normal petrol in
As you know I’ve done away with the fuel pressure sensor and what not, modified the fuel rail for a return and added a return line in the pump housing.
Now ive started running the braided teflon lines in
Got the cheap little fuel pressure regulator on, fingers crossed it’ll do what it’s supposed to.
With teflon and nylon lines it should all be ethanol/methanol safe now. I might add a flex fuel sensor halfway down the bulkhead yet, as I’m thinking it would be far easier to let the ecu deal with variable ing maps than me manually switching between 2 if I run out of premix somewhere and need to stick
some normal petrol in
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
I’ve had a month off from working on the car. I’ve been playing about with my zx10r for a bit so now i feel a bit more refreshed and ready to crack on with some more.
One of the front wheel wheel bearings was shot so I decided to do both at the same time.
I pulled the hubs apart which left the inner race on the hub flange
i ended up cutting into the race and beating it with a hammer and chisel to get them off.
Then pressed the outer races out using a hydraulic press.
At the same time I remembered I have longer studs to fit for the lager brake conversion which requires spacers
after that I pressed the new bearings in making sure the magnetic ring is facing inwards on both hubs
then gave them a lick of paint along with the front shocks and springs
i also managed to paint the front arb. Hopefully all this will dry by tomorrow, but I’m also going for a few brewskis this evening so who knows how much I’ll get sorted tomorrow
One of the front wheel wheel bearings was shot so I decided to do both at the same time.
I pulled the hubs apart which left the inner race on the hub flange
i ended up cutting into the race and beating it with a hammer and chisel to get them off.
Then pressed the outer races out using a hydraulic press.
At the same time I remembered I have longer studs to fit for the lager brake conversion which requires spacers
after that I pressed the new bearings in making sure the magnetic ring is facing inwards on both hubs
then gave them a lick of paint along with the front shocks and springs
i also managed to paint the front arb. Hopefully all this will dry by tomorrow, but I’m also going for a few brewskis this evening so who knows how much I’ll get sorted tomorrow
Last edited by MonK-E; Jun 9, 2018 at 06:09 PM.
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
Cheers guys,
I did do a little more last Sunday, but I was slightly hanging so really didn’t do much tbh. Just put the struts back in the hubs and hung them on the top mounts
today I put the front sub back together
then fitted it up to the body
also a bud of mine poped over and offered me this turbo for Ł150. I believe it’s of a escort cossi as it has a .6 a/r exhaust housing. It needs a good clean up and a 360 journal kit but I think it’ll be worth it as it’s a easy turbo for further modification later on
I did do a little more last Sunday, but I was slightly hanging so really didn’t do much tbh. Just put the struts back in the hubs and hung them on the top mounts
today I put the front sub back together
then fitted it up to the body
also a bud of mine poped over and offered me this turbo for Ł150. I believe it’s of a escort cossi as it has a .6 a/r exhaust housing. It needs a good clean up and a 360 journal kit but I think it’ll be worth it as it’s a easy turbo for further modification later on
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
Hopfully once I’ve rebuilt it, it’ll be absolutely ideal for this little project.
It should be capable of 300/350bhp right off the bat and being a T3/4 series turbo the cold side will be upgradable to the T38 housing and comp wheel. So eventually it could produce 400+.
Im also considering welding the wastegate closed and running a external gate for better controllability. I think I’ve said before that I’ll be pushing certain limits here and there so having good quality boost control will be of upmost importance
It should be capable of 300/350bhp right off the bat and being a T3/4 series turbo the cold side will be upgradable to the T38 housing and comp wheel. So eventually it could produce 400+.
Im also considering welding the wastegate closed and running a external gate for better controllability. I think I’ve said before that I’ll be pushing certain limits here and there so having good quality boost control will be of upmost importance
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
Bit of a funny one last weekend. I bypassed the stock fuel pump controller and then blew the hose of the fuel pump on first crank.
at least I had another fuel pump on standby taken from a buddy’s scrapped focus.
So I swapped them over for now just to see if I can get it fired on the new ecu.
Unfortunatly it wasnt having any of it. I went through checking all the sensors and but it still wasn’t getting sync so no spark signal. I spoke to ME and tried a few other things to no avail.
It seems like something is interfering with the crank signal. I have spliced into the stock loom right at the ecu so it’s only about half a meter of my own wiring. It all looked fine but the logs were saying otherwise so I decided to re do the cam and crank wires right from the ecu to the sensor with proper shielded wire.
With new sensor wires done and layed across the engine bay (I’ll tuck them in the loom when the engine comes out) I thought it had a much better chance of firing up. The downside to running the crank and cam straight to me442 is that I no longer have a working dash. But hey that can be sorted at a later date.
My main concern was to try an get it fired up.
So I turned it over again and logged the crank trigger, still no sync.
I switched the cam sensor off in the software and unplugged it which seemed to reduce some of the fluctuations in the crank signal.
I thought I’d give it a try again so turned the injectors onto batch fire and cranked her over again. There was a nice pop then a bloody loud bang out the exhaust. But still no luck.
Went for it again then there was another bloody loud bang but this time I came from the engine bay and was followed with a lick of flames.
After a quick look about it was obvious what had happened. It back fired through the intake manifold and blew it clean off. So I called it a day on that and am now waiting for a response from ME on what the next plan of action will be.
I decided to have a closer look at the old cossi turbo.
turns out it has the .55 A/R turbine housing which is not a bad thing at all.
I pulled the housings off and marked a line so I know where it all lines up to keep some resemblance of balance when it all goes back together. As the turbo has been sitting in a damp shed for years you can see it really does need a good clean up. But still it looks like I’ll be able to bring it back to life.
as you can see someone has had it apart before and upgraded it with a 360 thrust washer.
I will still throw a fresh one in with a rebuild kit.
at least I had another fuel pump on standby taken from a buddy’s scrapped focus.
So I swapped them over for now just to see if I can get it fired on the new ecu.
Unfortunatly it wasnt having any of it. I went through checking all the sensors and but it still wasn’t getting sync so no spark signal. I spoke to ME and tried a few other things to no avail.
It seems like something is interfering with the crank signal. I have spliced into the stock loom right at the ecu so it’s only about half a meter of my own wiring. It all looked fine but the logs were saying otherwise so I decided to re do the cam and crank wires right from the ecu to the sensor with proper shielded wire.
With new sensor wires done and layed across the engine bay (I’ll tuck them in the loom when the engine comes out) I thought it had a much better chance of firing up. The downside to running the crank and cam straight to me442 is that I no longer have a working dash. But hey that can be sorted at a later date.
My main concern was to try an get it fired up.
So I turned it over again and logged the crank trigger, still no sync.
I switched the cam sensor off in the software and unplugged it which seemed to reduce some of the fluctuations in the crank signal.
I thought I’d give it a try again so turned the injectors onto batch fire and cranked her over again. There was a nice pop then a bloody loud bang out the exhaust. But still no luck.
Went for it again then there was another bloody loud bang but this time I came from the engine bay and was followed with a lick of flames.
After a quick look about it was obvious what had happened. It back fired through the intake manifold and blew it clean off. So I called it a day on that and am now waiting for a response from ME on what the next plan of action will be.
I decided to have a closer look at the old cossi turbo.
turns out it has the .55 A/R turbine housing which is not a bad thing at all.
I pulled the housings off and marked a line so I know where it all lines up to keep some resemblance of balance when it all goes back together. As the turbo has been sitting in a damp shed for years you can see it really does need a good clean up. But still it looks like I’ll be able to bring it back to life.
as you can see someone has had it apart before and upgraded it with a 360 thrust washer.
I will still throw a fresh one in with a rebuild kit.
Don't waste you time and effort with that turbo...
send it to Vince at turbo performance.
it all has to be balanced at 130000rpm or it will go bang.
Cheap price for a a T34.55 turbo even tho it needs a rebuild.
Good luck.
send it to Vince at turbo performance.
it all has to be balanced at 130000rpm or it will go bang.
Cheap price for a a T34.55 turbo even tho it needs a rebuild.
Good luck.
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
If every rotating component is kept inline theres no real need to rebalance. Only if the comp/turbine wheels are changed, damaged or misaligned. A simple journal bearing change and clean up will have next to no effect on balance.
Besides if it does have a balance issue itll only knock the bearings out quicker at which point Id chuck a new CHRA in it as they are about the same price as sending a turbo off to be rebuilt for me.
Ł30 for a rebuild kit. Ł200 for a CHRA. Ill rebuild it myself first and see how it goes, Im not a fan of getting other people to do work I can do myself
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
There was a nice box of turbo parts waiting for me when I got in from work.
I decided to go for a new bearing housing and back plate as they were cheap plus some of the tolerances of the original parts were a bit questionable.
I got straight on with it and cleaned up the comp and turbine.
this little stepped seal is a nice little upgrade for the turbine side. It should allow better oil retention when using a low back pressure exhaust system. I.e. a 3.5” downpipe into a free flowing 3” system.
I soaked the journal bearings in some of John Deere’s finest oil
There’s 4 circlips that hold the 2 journal bearings in place, the 2 centre clips are a PITA to locate properly.
then I placed the first half of the thrust bush on the journal bearing followed by the 360 degree thrust washer and sealing ring. Having a 360 thrust washer over a standard one just means it can withstand higher boost pressures for longer without wearing it out as quick.
Then on the back plate there’s the other half of the thrust bush with the front oil seal.
It isn’t pictured because it just a normal one, there’s no point in having a stepped seal on the comp side.
bolted the bearing housing to the back plate
then slipped the turbine shaft in with the turbine shield, through the housing. On with the comp wheel lined it up and pinched the nut up.
There we go one CHRA. Just need to clean up the comp and turbine housings, but that can wait for another day
I decided to go for a new bearing housing and back plate as they were cheap plus some of the tolerances of the original parts were a bit questionable.
I got straight on with it and cleaned up the comp and turbine.
this little stepped seal is a nice little upgrade for the turbine side. It should allow better oil retention when using a low back pressure exhaust system. I.e. a 3.5” downpipe into a free flowing 3” system.
I soaked the journal bearings in some of John Deere’s finest oil
There’s 4 circlips that hold the 2 journal bearings in place, the 2 centre clips are a PITA to locate properly.
then I placed the first half of the thrust bush on the journal bearing followed by the 360 degree thrust washer and sealing ring. Having a 360 thrust washer over a standard one just means it can withstand higher boost pressures for longer without wearing it out as quick.
Then on the back plate there’s the other half of the thrust bush with the front oil seal.
It isn’t pictured because it just a normal one, there’s no point in having a stepped seal on the comp side.
bolted the bearing housing to the back plate
then slipped the turbine shaft in with the turbine shield, through the housing. On with the comp wheel lined it up and pinched the nut up.
There we go one CHRA. Just need to clean up the comp and turbine housings, but that can wait for another day
Thread Starter
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 124
Likes: 13
From: East Sussex
I made a start on cleaning up the housings.
But while cleaning the exhaust housing I found 2 hairline cracks.
I phoned about 5-6 different turbo refurb companies to see if I could find a replacement. They either wanted to sell me a complete turbo or couldn’t find a replacement turbine housing. As no one makes them any more and our Chinese friends haven’t copied them either, it left me feeling a bit lost what to do next. However I did get a recommendation to speak to Vince at performance turbo as he is a bit of a cosworth turbo specialist. He reassured me that the cracks are nothing to be worried about as they pretty much all crack there and won’t effect it in any way as they are on the first radius after the flange. So with that knowledge I’ll finish cleaning it up and run it anyway.
Im still considering welding the standard wastegate up and using a tial 44mm external gate.
any way back to my issues with trying to get crank sensor sync.
Ive run some trigger logs and it looks like it’s occasionally missing the gap on the 36-1 trigger wheel on the back of the flywheel.
So I whipped out my eBay bore scope and poked it in the crank sensor hole to have a look at the trigger wheel.
now to me (I might be completely wrong and barking up the wrong tree) it seems like me442 is very sensitive and is picking part of the standard DMF behind the trigger wheel.
I tried spacing the sensor out with washers until it barely reads all of the triggers but that caused other issues with not being able to use filtering for em frequencies.
So for now I have another crank sensor on its way to test if it’s just that. I’ve also ordered a TTV flywheel but they are out of stock at the moment so it might be a couple of weeks before that arrives.
In the mean time a few other bits have turned up. I know I said I’d do it properly and put forged pistons and rods in but after doing A lot of research I think I can get away with doing it dirty haha.
What will be quite interesting to me is seeing how well this friction plate will work. It’s a hybrid from CG motorsport that has a organic disc one side and 5 puck the other. It’s supposed to have a large torque capacity but the usability and feel of a standard clutch...
so this weekend I think I’ll have a bloody good tidy up round the ramp and start pulling the engine out
But while cleaning the exhaust housing I found 2 hairline cracks.
I phoned about 5-6 different turbo refurb companies to see if I could find a replacement. They either wanted to sell me a complete turbo or couldn’t find a replacement turbine housing. As no one makes them any more and our Chinese friends haven’t copied them either, it left me feeling a bit lost what to do next. However I did get a recommendation to speak to Vince at performance turbo as he is a bit of a cosworth turbo specialist. He reassured me that the cracks are nothing to be worried about as they pretty much all crack there and won’t effect it in any way as they are on the first radius after the flange. So with that knowledge I’ll finish cleaning it up and run it anyway.
Im still considering welding the standard wastegate up and using a tial 44mm external gate.
any way back to my issues with trying to get crank sensor sync.
Ive run some trigger logs and it looks like it’s occasionally missing the gap on the 36-1 trigger wheel on the back of the flywheel.
So I whipped out my eBay bore scope and poked it in the crank sensor hole to have a look at the trigger wheel.
now to me (I might be completely wrong and barking up the wrong tree) it seems like me442 is very sensitive and is picking part of the standard DMF behind the trigger wheel.
I tried spacing the sensor out with washers until it barely reads all of the triggers but that caused other issues with not being able to use filtering for em frequencies.
So for now I have another crank sensor on its way to test if it’s just that. I’ve also ordered a TTV flywheel but they are out of stock at the moment so it might be a couple of weeks before that arrives.
In the mean time a few other bits have turned up. I know I said I’d do it properly and put forged pistons and rods in but after doing A lot of research I think I can get away with doing it dirty haha.
What will be quite interesting to me is seeing how well this friction plate will work. It’s a hybrid from CG motorsport that has a organic disc one side and 5 puck the other. It’s supposed to have a large torque capacity but the usability and feel of a standard clutch...
so this weekend I think I’ll have a bloody good tidy up round the ramp and start pulling the engine out