E30 with SR20DET

Post Sat Oct 31, 2009 6:30 pm

Hi Geoff, I've not had a chance to do anything on the car which is very frustrating when it's so close to being finished. I did briefly have a play with it this morning and made up the front drop links but acheived nothing else. I did however take it for a quick drive in the rain which was rather amusing. Hopefully I'll get to do test the tacho against the GPS tomorrow afternoon.

Post Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:07 pm

MOT booked for tomorrow afternoon - not sure what will happen with regard to the PAS not being connected. I need to MOT the fecker and then take it to a Hydraulics place so they can make up the high pressure pump>rack hose.

Also just bought an external Walbro 255 fuel pump. Thinking of taking it to the BMW only trackday at Brands Hatch towards the end of the Month

Post Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:09 pm

Good luck with the MOT Theo.

Have you diagnosed a faulty fuel pump for sure now? I was thinking that if you were limited to 5000rpm at WOT due to limited fuel pump capacity (but no fuel pressure gauge or AFR meter to diagnose) then possibly you should see if you can get her past 5000rpm at say half WOT. Might need a down hill (minimal engine load) and 2nd gear, but if she limits dead bang on 5000 rpm again, then it's not the existing fuel pump. Mind you, maybe not the sort of test you want to expose your new engine to just yet.

I'm guessing though that if you bought the Walbro the problem must have been the existing pump?

BTW, busy doing the exact same job on my car at the moment - installing the PAS pump and getting the hoses made up.

Post Thu Nov 05, 2009 7:32 pm

Good idea with trying to get past 5000rpm on part throttle, I'll give that a go tomorrow. I haven't diagnosed the fuel pump as being at fault, but an upgraded pump was something I had always intended to get and one came up on ebay very cheap so it was rude not to.

Tomorrow could be an expensive day - MOT, Tax and insurance in one hit. Ouch! Will probably need to fill it up with super unleaded as well come to think of it.

Post Fri Nov 06, 2009 4:07 pm

It passed! Well chuffed with that

Couldn't coax the car past 5000rpm on part load, still hit the limiter. I MUST do that speed test to clarify what revs it's actually doing.

Post Fri Nov 06, 2009 5:44 pm

Congrats, well done.

Will be interested to hear what's causing that problem.

Post Fri Nov 06, 2009 5:52 pm

Well it's currently got a 6 cylinder coding plug in, which would account for it under reading - but it seems to display the correct RPM when idling, whereas the 4 cylinder coding plug gives a reading of 1500rpm at idle which it really doesn't sound like.

Post Fri Nov 06, 2009 6:09 pm

Congratulations old bean. I looked forward to being served on track at some point!

Post Fri Nov 06, 2009 6:54 pm

Cheers Joan.

It was quite an amusing MOT, took ages to get the bloody thing on the ramp because the front splitter is so low. The tester said his leg hurt after using the ever so slightly heavy clutch so much.

Post Fri Nov 06, 2009 8:46 pm

Nice on mate!

Post Fri Nov 06, 2009 11:54 pm

Theo325 wrote:It passed! Well chuffed with that

Couldn't coax the car past 5000rpm on part load, still hit the limiter. I MUST do that speed test to clarify what revs it's actually doing.

SCHWEEEET!

do you still want to borrow my tomtom? could bring it with me if that chappie comes for a look at your LPG bits if it helps?

Post Sat Nov 07, 2009 9:27 am

I've got a satnav now, I should finally get a chance to do the speed test today.

My walbro fuel pump turned up today, sadly I had to order the fittings seperately and they are still in transit. Doh.

Post Mon Nov 09, 2009 4:33 pm

Powersteering is now working after getting a hose made up locally, the Walbro is also fitted and alot quieter than the old Bosch pump. Not had a chance to drive it as there is a car blocking my route out of the garage!

Post Mon Nov 09, 2009 4:49 pm

A quiet Walbro, that is novel!

I want a passenger ride in this beast at some point. If you do go to guilford, send me a messege and I might pop up and have a look. Depends if I go watch Saints get thrashed though.

Post Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:00 pm

Will do mate, not sure the police infested Guildford town centre is the best place for passenger rides though.

Post Tue Nov 10, 2009 10:37 am

Theo325 wrote:Powersteering is now working after getting a hose made up locally

Snap! Seems we are at very similar stages in our builds. Where abouts is your Nissan PAS pump located? Mine is directly over the rack. Soooooo easy to connect. Any issues with the Nissan pump pumping the BMW rack?

Post Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:04 pm

The Nissan pump is located on the exhaust side, so not quite as convenient as your setup. I've routed the low pressure rack hose behind the rack itself, and the high pressure hose round the front of the engine. I'm yet to road test it, but it seemed to be working nicely when the car was static with the engine running.

Which E46 rack are you using? Have you ever measured the travel per turn of lock?

Post Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:28 pm

Theo325 wrote:Which E46 rack are you using? Have you ever measured the travel per turn of lock?

I think all E46 racks are the same (could be wrong). Using this one here:

Shown next to my old E30 rack:

Winding the wheel full-left to full-right it's bang on 3-turns, but I think technically its listed as 3.2 turns (once again, I could be wrong). One thing I checked closely was that the stroke of the rack is the same as the E30 rack (it's not just reduced full-lock because of reduced stroke) so it truly is a "faster" rack.

Post Tue Nov 10, 2009 2:26 pm

Interesting, I've got an E46 M3 rack on mine which is approximately 3.2 turns lock to lock, but this is limited to 2.8 turns when on the e30 as the wheels hit the anti roll bar before the full lock potential of the rack is reached (I really must fit some lock limiting tabs)

Post Tue Nov 10, 2009 3:26 pm

Ah, that's probably why I only get 3 turns out of mine then. Definitely rubbing on something at hard-starboard. Keep in mind my frame is custom.

I distinctly remember placing the two racks on the bench next to each other and comparing their strokes. Near identical as I recall. You don't think this problem is more specifically related to the size of your front tyres? I'm pretty sure the small amount of fouling on mine is due to my 205/50/15's. My plan is, likewise, to fit stoppers.

Post Tue Nov 10, 2009 3:51 pm

My front tyres are 195mm wide and on the original 15" BBS so I definitely think the rack is the reason the tyres are fouling the ARB.

Post Tue Nov 10, 2009 4:09 pm

Well, I guess it's possible that an E46 rack has a slightly longer stroke. I'll make a note to measure both my racks accurately some time. If that is the case then it's great news for me as it means my rack is even faster than I thought it was.

So you reckon 2.8 turns gives about the same stroke as the E30 rack? I'm pretty sure that if I limit mine to 2.8 turns full lock I won't have any fouling at all. Great news this is.

Post Wed Nov 11, 2009 4:52 pm

Rev counter is now working! Suprise ,suprise it was my cock up(s) which were causing the problem. When I had taken the m3 tacho apart to replace the 0-8000rpm face with a 0-7000 rpm face I didn't put the needle back on in quite the right position. The 6 pot coding plug compensated for what I thought was a high idle but of course meant the car hit the revlimiter at a supposed 5krpm. I adjusted the needle position to match that of another unmolested cluster of mine, and refitted the tacho. At the same time I swapped the 325i coding plug to a 318is plug and that was that. Perfect idle, and hits the limiter at 7k rpm - exactly as it should.

I've taken it for a couple of drives today and I'm really pleased with it, power steering works a treat - I forgot how good the E46 rack is with the power assistance actually working.

I'm going to the Guildford meet tonight which will be by far and away the longest journey yet, about 120 mile round trip at a guess. Wish me luck!

Post Wed Nov 11, 2009 5:00 pm

Good luck indeed! & enjoy...

Post Wed Nov 11, 2009 5:07 pm

Damn, thats a shame you haven't got another 2000rpm to go then!

Ho hum, 300bhp is fairly easy on the sr20.

Weapon, and the cars nice too.

As said on the phone sorry I can't make it, got to watch Saints get humiliated.

Post Wed Nov 11, 2009 5:23 pm

Thanks Ziggy.

For 300bhp I need a bigger MAF, some 555cc injectors and a different chip - will see how it is with 260 odd first. I want to get it on the rollers soon and check the AFRs through the rev range, I'll post up the power graph when I've got it.

Enjoy the football (is that possible at a Southampton game?)

Post Wed Nov 11, 2009 11:28 pm

Theo325 wrote: For 300bhp I need a bigger MAF, some 555cc injectors and a different chip - will see how it is with 260 odd first. I want to get it on the rollers soon and check the AFRs through the rev range, I'll post up the power graph when I've got it.

Not bad

Without reading the whole thread, I assume it's not particularly heavy either?

Enjoy the football (is that possible at a Southampton game?)

They won

Post Thu Nov 12, 2009 9:26 am

Theo, that's great to hear. I thought it should work properly with a 4-pot coding plug, but never would have guessed that you had put the needle back "out-of-clock"

.

I have that E36 final drive flange drawing for you BTW. Haven't been able to post it up on on out ftp server for some reason though. I think they may have blocked me due to all the "odd" things I have been posting there. Either that or our server has bombed out again. PM me your e-mail and I can mail you the two files if you would prefer.

Post Thu Nov 12, 2009 9:33 am

I will know the exact weight next week, It's an aluminium engine so it should be fairly light.

Made it to Guildford and back last night which was pleasing, I did have to tape the front middle of the bonnet to the front bumper as it lifts alot at motorway speeds. A 5th bonnet pin will have to be fitted. I did have a boost pipe pop off on the way home, which was odd because I wasn't on boost. I was planning on remaking it anyway as it was a bit of a bodge in the first place.

Another problem that has become evident is that the engine simply doesn't get warm enough! Water temp sits at around 55/60 degrees and the heater is unable to provide hot air unless you let the car idle for a while to raise the water temperature. Similarly, the oil temp is very low thanks to it not being thermostatically controlled. I think I'll just put a piece of cardboard in front of the oil cooler and see how this effects temps. I will also check there is a water thermostat fitted - you never know what suprises the previous owner of the engine has left.

Post Thu Nov 12, 2009 9:52 am

Well done Theo, you must be feeling well pleased with yourself.

If your water temp is too low then heat transfer from your oil to the block to the water jacket will keep your oil temp down. You need to get your water temp right before you fiddle with your oil cooler. Would suggest that your thermostat is jammed open if you can't get over 60'C. I assume your temperature sensor is on the head and that's not the radiator temperature you're quoting?

FTP server now working again.

Right click and select "save target as" here for the PDF drawing (print on A3, scale 1:1)

and right click and select "save target as" here for the DXF file (suitable for water-jet cutting).

Print the PDF on A3 paper (make sure your printer doesn't autoscale or it will come out the wrong size) and you can use it as a template to help you cut the two required gaskets.

Post Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:16 am

I missed your first post there Geoff, thanks alot for those drawings.

The temperature is in the stock location, which is on a water way just off the cylinder head. I'll check that the thermostat is working correctly and replace if necessary.

Post Thu Nov 12, 2009 11:16 am

It was a refreshing change Theo!

Good to hear you there were no major speed bump dramas. Few issues to iron out and then that engine will take untold levels of abuse.

Post Thu Nov 12, 2009 12:53 pm

and I can confirm that when hot you do get a little flame out of the exhaust on the overrun

Nice to see you and James last night, you have done a good job on the car so far, and I look forward to having a go with the pedal box when I get my car apart later this year, having said last night I think the pedal was a bit soft I am sure that can be overcome, it was still (imho) in the perfect position for heel and toeing as well as that was a worry to me. I look forward to a passenger lap soon, unfortunately can't make Brands this month as I am shooting in Scotland that day.

It certainly had a lot of interested people round it last night, especially as it was supposedly a 'No Rice' meet

Post Thu Nov 12, 2009 2:10 pm

Thanks Henry, the brakes may well benefit from a final tweak but in truth I'm really pleased with how it brakes and can't wait to properly stand on them when I get on track. Getting the brake pedal in the right position to allow heel and toeing was very important to me and it seems to be spot on.

I may change my mind on Brands Hatch. As great as Paddock Hill bend is, the Indy circuit is just a bit too short for my liking and can easily get congested on track days. Instead I think I might do Bedford which is flat and featureless and marshalled by idiots, but a good track to really push the car to it's limits.

Post Thu Nov 12, 2009 2:38 pm

Theo325 wrote:Instead I think I might do Bedford which is flat and featureless ...

Is that a generalisation?

Don't forget to bed your pads in properly before you go stomping on anything too hard.