Well, it's been a while. The car stalled a little through ill health and a funding lack, unfortunately, but we seem to be back on track now....These sort of projects all need money and sometimes with these things you just have to wait until you get a little in the piggybank.
The idle situation was most definitely down to the Miller chip. I think that they are very sensitive. Ordering a "stock" one when I did the MAF might have been a mistake as it doesn't take account of the BBTB and the inlet manifold work. SO, I'm stuck with an ilde around 700-720rpm until we can change it through whatever iteration of the Miller software we end up using. I'm hoping new injectors and fuel pump will smooth it out and render it a little less idiosyncratic, however. That being said, the idle is perfectly fine to live with.
Speaking of injectors, we came up up with some 18lb possibilities: Alfa and BMW. The Alfa ones were hideously expensive and would have taken ALL my money (yep...thousands). The BMW ones looked promising and I thought that would be the route that we'd go. It was an interesting choice in the end.
The car developed a dash issue which has been solved. No more strange occurrences (like the temp gauge surging, dash lights staying on, tacho jittering, etc). I went for a new backboard. Second hand just seemed silly and asking for trouble.
From RealOEM:
"05 Printed circuit board 1 09/1987 62111385581"
See:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=62&fg=05
There are two possible variants for these boards. Do make sure you get the right one before ordering if you ever find yourself needing this part.
Interestingly, the old board had some strange markings on it. The area around where the temp gauge sits was quite damaged (hence the dodgy readings). I suppose heat and printed boards do not mix. Hence the failure.
We also noted that the battery was cranking low and was less than optimal in its condition. So we binned it. For some strange reason, the previous owner had put a huge thing in there. Something you might see out of a 7 series...pumping out a huge whack of juice...and weighing a ton. The correct battery is now in place.
The car has also had a brake fluid change. I have been running AP Racing fluid (and have been very happy with it) but at my mechanic's suggestion I swapped to the Motul RBF 600. I wanted to try this one anyway, so I didn't need any convincing.
Further, the front strut mounts had seen better days. Actually, they were rooted. I could have gone for something that would allow a degree of adjustability but I am actually very happy with my settings and see no need to tweak them on a varying basis. That degree of interplay with with the setup of the car is not what this project is about. So, I went for the standard items. It is just nice having factory fresh in there.
I also received something nice in the mail:
Miller WAR:
Which means we have this nice little collection of bits and pieces:
Sweet!
I also sought out some larger injectors so as to make use of the more advanced map for the Miller system.
Mine were old and needed to be cleaned up (they are the standard 0 280 150 715 ~ M20B25/M40B18 units) so I took the opportunity to buy 8 second hand injectors with a higher rating and dropped them in for servicing (they are 0 280 150 714 units ~ from the M42B18/M30B35). They are the same size (EV1) and run the same resistance (15.9 ohm) and are rated at around 200cc/min at 3 bar. I choose these injectors over the M50/52 injectors because the M50/M52s, whilst the same shape, are of a different resistance. I believe that the 714 injectors are also sold as Ford Motorsport injectors.
I got a great deal on it and if I ever decide to really go bonkers with the engine then this clutch will take whatever I can possibly imagine to throw at it. Initial impression is one of great "feel". It's a little heavier than standard but much lighter than I thought it might be. I'm a big fan of UUC products and my opinion has not changed one jot. It was nearly 40 degrees celsius on the drive home but I didn't notice ~ I was too busy enjoying the car...and the clutch.
