kangaroosa

Xtreme Clutch

The brakes are a bit rusty and the calipers where reconditioned not long before ripping the engine out. I have only done a lap of the block, so they didnt really have a chance to wear in. It could be that simple, but the pedal just feels weird. The first 1" or so is just nothing...like its just slack. Then the brakes start working, but there is no real drop in pedal height. Its like i have to jump on them hard to really work, but theres not that section pedal where you can feel the softness of the pedal that you get from vaccuum assisted brakes. I have to get a new fuel pressure gauge as mine doesnt change no matter what setting i have the pressure reg on. The pump and reg are holley red and are much newer than the gauge. So i don't really want to drive the car too much until i get that sorted, so i don't empty the fuel bowl and lean it out.

Well the engine is finally all plumbed up and running. I've only driven around the block to a servo to fill up after dumping the old fuel which I assume had all the old 2 stroke oil sitting in the bottom because the car sat engineless for over 3 months. Hence the smoke...but after i filled up, the smoke has totally gone. Temps all seem fine just at idle. No oil leaks. Just have to work out if my oil pressure multi point adaptor is the reason for lower than the dyno pressure, or if the gauge is at fault. Unfortunately the gauge sensor fouls on the block, so i have to run an adaptor anyway. I'll have to go to a workshop and use a proper screw in gauge to test it. For some reason the brakes have turned to crap again. The pedal is hard and has no bite. I bypassed the the booster tank I have and ran it in the traditional method, with the same result. I did adjust the brake pedal height when I had the booster out to paint the engine bay. I adjusted the fitting on the end of the push rod so the pedal sat closer to the firewall, which makes heel and toeing easier as the accel pedal sits much lower. That really shouldnt affect the feel of the pedal as its the other end where the business happens. I've also swapped to a spare valve with no change. I knew the brakes werent 100% so the lap of the block was quite sedate, but jeebus did it pull like a teenager in the brief 1st and 2nd gear squirt. I have an Xtreme Rotaries Short Shifter installed now. It will take a bit of getting used to as its such a short throw and I found myself holding the clutch in longer doubting if i had the right gear. I guess its just something that will come naturally with some driving time. Anyway, heres the movie of the first startup in car. I was just holding the camera as i was walking around checking temps, leaks, noises etc so please excuse the random shots and jerkiness as my mind was elsewhere. The idle has been adjusted and is alot more brappy now.

I bought the cage on here from an interstate bloke. In hindsight, it wouldnt be hard to make one from scratch with a selection of mandrel bends, or even a pipe bender. The leaky water pump housing is my main concern. I had a new one welded up this arvo, and now have to go grab some new gaskets, acid dip the housing and get it all sprayed up again. Hopefully it will be all sorted Sunday if I get a chance.

I got it all wired up on Sunday and tested the sensor in a cup of boiling water. The fans came on at 83-85C but kept running right until the temp dropped to 35C. I even took it out of the water and let the sensor cool in the air, and the fans still kept running until the sensor was down to 35C. I used a digital thermometer probe to test it. The drawing they sent me to modify for my setup was a generic RX2-5 & 7 CAD Drawing. After all of that, the bottom pipe on the water pump housing got a leak. Because the original pipe has a bit of a dogleg in it, I cut it off straight and had a straight piece welded onto it, so its a straight out pipe to clear the front engine mount. That was all done for the original motor nearly 2 years back. Now all of a sudden, its got a pinhole leak in the weld. I tried to weld it in the car, but it wasnt successful. So i took it off and tried again....no luck. I put weld after weld onto it patching suspect areas only to weld one section and blow through because it was paper thin. I need to cut the pipe off, get a new pipe and get a pro to weld it properly. The last thing i need is a pipe snapping off and dumping my coolant. So it was a bit of an anti climax. The new enigne is still yet to be fired up in the car. :(

I texted you that arvo - 105mm. I guess it got lost in sms limbo.

As requested. Just a simple bolt in cage, but i guess its better than not having one at all.

Yup, 2 pin plug. Will have to google a diagram or pic later to fully understand. The sensor is listed as 85c - 80C which i don't fully understand. If the temp goes over 85C, the fans will come on? Seems a bit low for fans to be kicking in. I got a KN56-1210 which has an 85mm high element, and the overall height is 105mm. I had the exact same one here (although the filter was stuffed and the chrome housings were a mismatch) from my engine builder as a mockup one. I also had a taller filter to try (about 5") and there was no chance in hell of that fitting without the grinder making an appearance. So I have about 25mm of bonnet clearance, which works out nicely. I just had a quick look at slotting the Rad in. I don't have the patience to start that crap now, as it seems the PWR rad is not a duplicate of the stock one. Theres brackets for the oil cooler welded on which i don't need and its just fouling on things...... Argggh i'll have to sit them side by side and see what has to be done to make it work.

Good to hear. Yay for a 4 day weekend!!! My new Radiator turned up during the week....picking up my new K&N Air filter tommmorrow. I ran out of time trying to pick one up cheap so i went to repco this arvo after work. They quoted me $230...i said "nah don't worry about it, i can get it for $165", so then he spent an eternity bashing keys on the keyboard and finally sold it to me for $160.....really makes it clear it pays to shop around....or atleast bullshit a bit :P Still have to work out the sensor in the radiator thats supposed to turn on the fan. Then I have to grab some angle and weld up a new accelerator cable bracket. After i help the younger bro move that is. Anyway heres the latest pics.

Saw this on Ausrotary. Apparently the worst injury was a cracked rib and bruising. AR

I got one in the shed that I used to have on it. Yeah it was fun to have......but the twin V belts provide the same non-slip properties, with the added peace of mind that theres a backup belt if one fails. I'm about to fit a PWR Radiator and 16" SPAL fan, so room is a bit of an issue at the moment. Maybe one day i'll chuck it back on if it still fits, but theres really no benefit from it other than the awesome sound. Hows your car going? Last i read, you were looking to offload it.

It wiil cost you................A ride in yours :P

I found some motivation today and fitted the new motor. I also relocated the PWR oil cooler. I have a PWR 55mm Core Radiator on order, so the engine wont be started until that arrives. I am waiting for the new batch of Short shifters and gear knobs to be machined up. I'll throw one of those in when they are ready. I also wouldnt mind ordering some new carpet for the front as i have a hole where the old shifter location was. Anyone know if you can still buy genuine heater tap pipes for a KE30. Mines a little leaky, and I have had the heater bypassed. Last time I drove in the rain the car fogged up in minutes and was a real pain in the butt. Tommorrows work includes: - Fit Tailshaft and fill up gearbox - Fit bonnet and grill - Wire up the engine - Bolt in the Oil Cooler Anyway heres some pics from today.

On my old 5K, I just ran a 'scorcher' coil suited for electronic ignitions that i puchased from Performance Ignition Services from memory. It didnt have a bolt on resistor. Was just a basic black cylindrical coil and i never had any ignition issues.

You'll only get your car crushed if your caught multiple times for reckless driving. If you havent learnt your lesson after the first 1 or 2 convictions, then you deserve to have your car crushed and your license cancelled for at least 12 months. You'll only be a target if your a hoon. If you have an old car and like to cruise, then you have nothing to worry about. The police wont crush your car for abiding by the laws. So, I'm all for it.

Your agreeing or disagreeing with me Si?

The wheel diameter has nothing to do with scrubbing. You most likely have a crappy offset. Your ride height shouldnt have changed if you used the correct tyres. Your speedo would also read correct aswell if you did so. Stock tyre size for a KE30 was what....165/75 R13 The equivilent tyre size in a 15" is 195/50 R15 That would mean the overall height of your wheel and tyre would be identical, as would the rollout except for a few mm. The speedo would also read 0.3km/h more than what you were travelling. Now to the original question. I had 15" x 7" rims on my KE30 with a standard driveline (+8 on the front and +25 on the rear) with no scrubbing. That was with 195/50 R15 tyres. I've also had 15" x 6" R31 Chasers which are ~+30/32 offset from memory. They fit fine too. TRX are similar in size and offset and they also work.

I picked up the motor this arvo. I want to upgrade the cooling system as it was always a bit marginal, especially on warmer days. Still deciding on either PWR or A.R.E for a radiator. Probably PWR and a 3000CFM 16" SPAL Fan for ease of ordering and you never hear anything bad about them. Looks like the strut brace is going into storage too as I think it will foul on the IDA. I'm in the middle of house hunting, so that has priority of my time at the moment. As long as its running before Summer, i'm happy.

Nope

Needs more Rotors :P

EDIT - Better quality vid now

The engine was dyno tuned today. I'm dropping in tommorrow to see it in action on the dyno stand. The phone line was a bit sketchy, but it either pulled 275hp at the fly or 250hp at the fly. Either way, its a big step up from the 140rwhp currently.

Not debating the water in the fuel thing, as i know its true. But i drove my daily car out there to fill up the jerry cans. They then got poured into the corollas tank when i got home.

I used to run it in my rotary during the early period of EPA testing. Its great for getting lower emissions. Back then there was only 1 Servo in Melb that stocked it, and that was out at Hoppers Crossing. I used to drive from the SE Suburbs with Jerry Cans and fill up. These days there are a few of them around. You have to tune roughly 1/3rd more fuel into your tune over regular unleaded. Alot of Turbo Rotary blokes use it and swear by it. They had substancial power figure increases from just switching to E85 and dyno tuning their cars to suit. I wasnt fussed with power figures, as my main intention was to lower my emissions and get my car engineered. So i just drilled out a few jets to get it idling and drivable. E85 = $1/L You use 1/3rd more, so effectively its costing you $1.33 to travel the same distance as 1 Litre of Unleaded at roughly $1.33 would get you. Thats the way I see it anyway. Rotaries don't have the best fuel economy, so i'm in no rush to go switching fuels and reducing my mileage by 1/3 from each tank. Theres plenty of debate on Ausrotary if you want to read others opinions. Not sure if its just coincidence, but my Elec Fuel pump and pressure regulator both developed weeping leaks after about 5 tanks worth of fuel. They were both still fuctioning, but the fuel was weeping from the seals and fittings. I replaced the pump and reg after engineering, and switched back to Unleaded.

Nope. I'm still tipping it will be ready some time after the Jamboree. I think thats around the 21st of this month, so maybe a few weeks after that i'll get a call.