fiestaturbo.com

[heeman10]

Update

After a chat with Wayne at Pro Alloy, it appears two tubes have split in the radiator, and in no small way. I've decided to have them repair it with a resin, which has proved to be successful for them, and of course the radiator will be pressure tested after the repair's been made. It's not ideal, but after the last ordeal (gearbox mount snapping and puncturing two tubes with the turbo) two tubes were welded up at the ends. That stops water passing through them and leaking, but of course it means I lost some cooling. Welding up these two latest tubes would reduce the radiator's cooling capacity further still, which is why I opted for a repair. I'm very paranoid about coolant systems and want them to be far more efficient than needs be, and am paranoid about leaks occurring, so I'm not happy about my situation with the radiator now. At £280 + VAT for a new one, plus all the hassle of having it made to very precise dimensions to (a) fit my car properly, (b) clear the turbo, fans and bonnet bar, (c) clear the intercooler and vertical panels and (d) line up with all my custom radiator hoses and pipes...repair to the current radiator was the better option.

I've also just got off the phone to Stu at MSD, and it seems I'll be able to drop in around the beginning of March for my boost tweak and fuelling check afterwards. I could just up the boost and assume my Cosworth pump and big injectors will respond properly to the increased pressure, but I'd rather check it all to be utterly sure it won't run lean or detonate at the top end under load, as I'll be using it pretty damn hard at Brunters. What's new?!

[Captain Tightpants]

Whooop!

Looking forward to seeing some of these times from McBrunters mate!

Steve

[heeman10]

Likewise! I think I'm gonna need to buy lots of batteries and tapes for my camcorder, I want so many videos of that day!

[MarkRS2K]

what makes you think your be selected

[heeman10]

I flipping well hope I will be or it'll severely spoil my year, particularly if I can't keep the car!

[bcracknell]

Don't want to put a downer on the radiator situation but I had mine repaird with that resin and it didn't work very well.... I thin the heat from the turbo may have affected it.
worth a try though.... that was my opinion as it didn't cost as much as a new rad!

[jayrs]

ya made the right chioce mate, if something can be repaired then repair i i say.

[t2rst]

speek to danny boy he might have a spare alloy rad





dave

[heeman10]

Brendan - Just one of those risks matey, all I can do is keep an eye on it, though I badly want a header tank with a level indicator on it. Keep meaning to make something, but never do!

Dave - As I've said above, my rad was made to my precise measured dimensions, then modified further to get it all to fit. My top hose is a combination of a modified custom hose from Roose and a custom made fan switch takeoff from Fusion, and my bottom hose consists of a Samco reducer, followed by a custom pipe with a diameter change and precise angled bend, followed by a modified Zetec radiator hose. The mounting tabs on top were accurately measured, welded on, then drilled to mount it to the top of the slam panel, and all three inlet/outlet ports on the radiator have been modified to fit absolutely everything. This is the reason Danny's radiator wouldn't fit, and having a new one made would be a big hassle. Thanks for the suggestion all the same! Maybe now you appreciate my reasons for attempting a repair rather than replacement!!

[jammy86]

Glad to hear your still progressing with this and at uni, its a baxtered when your away from the toys. I cant wait to get home n play with our FRST Ka. I see someone else has one of these too, and with a Blakey intake manifold too

Nice work I like the recirc'ing DV, very VAG.

JAmes

[xrsi]

the clutch does not sit right next to the centre console mate, well it doesnt on mine with a modified clutch peddle assembly in.

best bet is to go to a scrap yard and get a full peddle box with it already in from a fiesta clasic as these had the modified design as std, alot cheaper than ford new bits and just as good!

[heeman10]

jammy86 - It really is frustrating when you can't enjoy what you've created! I really like the recirculating DV too I think...I love chatter and enjoy some dump valve sounds too, and I've combined the two

xrsi - I don't suppose you have a picture of the original clutch pedal with the later, manual adjust clutch pedal do you?? Would like to see the difference in shape. I don't want to have to change the whole pedal box really!

[xrsi]

i havent at mo, but will try get a decent couple for you.

belive me, it is just as easy to change the lot as to try and get the new bits into an old peddle box as its a nightmare trying to unbolt everything to get it out in pieces, alot easier removing as one and then replacing as one!

[heeman10]

Hmm..I don't know how much longer I can put the pedal mod off..just don't want to attack it down here (away from everything I have at home) and 'conquering device' up before Brunters. I haven't fitted the oil cooler yet either

[t2rst]

i see what you meen now heeman good luck in getting it sorted it sounds like your ironing out the creases in your car b4 brunters i was gonna do the whole clutch pedal thing i beleve it to be a good mod gets rid of that crap clutch rachet good game plan i should hopefully be going down brunters with my mates s2 that was there last time so will probably get to have a nose a the heeman machine.


dave

[heeman10]

Will you be there on the same day? Would be good to meet another FTer, been almost half a year since I met an FT member for the first time! Make yourself known if you are there, my car will have its FT.com stickers on, and I'll probably wear a FT.com T-shirt with my name on anyway. See you there perhaps

[heeman10]

Update

I'm confused. Wayne from Pro Alloy has just called to say he's just had my radiator in their test tank, and all is well. To test radiators, they're immersed in a tank of water and pressurised air is forced into the radiator. A coolant system normally runs at 16-20psi, and mine was tested with 20psi of air and didn't push out any bubbles As we know, air is much thinner than water, so testing it at 20psi of air is a very reliable test to find any leaks, so basically, my radiator's absolutely fine, and we're both stumped! I left the car running for 10 minutes plus, and it just kept on and on steaming. I thought if there was water sitting in between the fins it would all have burned off by then, but it wasn't stopping. The top hose wasn't leaking as far as I could see, the turbo's oil cooler, not water cooled, and there's no other source of water anywhere near the radiator! So basically...WTF!

The radiator will be back home on Friday, so I'll go back home on Saturday and bolt everything back in and see what happens. Check everything else over on the car, maybe give it an oil change, then bring it down to uni on Monday morning, all being well. I think I might go a bit mad if it does the same thing again when I re-fit it all! Most confusing!

[musicdrummer42]

weird hope you find the problem and get it sorted soon!

[heeman10]

Yes it is weird! I'll be taking the train/bus home again at the weekend, so the Metro can stay here, so hopefully I won't have to take the train back down to uni AGAIN like last time, Fiesta-less!! Will be able to tell whether I was successful or not on Monday night Will be able to fit the recirculating dump valve in its entirety at the weekend too, can't wait!

[pornstar!]

seem a weird one, hope you get it sorted chap!

[MAD_Adamski]

yer mate A+H fabrication do the smae thing to test there equipment ...


but its quite puzzling how it wasn't leaking infact i'd be more cauious as there must be something somewhere even if its just a hoses that came loose which wasn't apparent??

neways good luck hope its sorted bro

[heeman10]

Cheers dudes, there is literally just the one hose near there, the top hose, and that's about 10-15cm away from where all the water was! The water was all in the face of the radiator on the passenger side. I checked the hose at the time anyway, all seemed well. No clue, will just have to re-assemble and check over and over.

[Badgerboy]

Worth checking the hoses. Mine did this sat at the traffic lights, and I can only describe it as a 'nitrous purge'. Continuous blast of steam shot out the front left for 2 seconds, scaring the crap out of the bloke walking past.

After I had hidden round the corner, popped the bonnet, the rad was steaming quite badly. After I stripped the cooling down, I found a damaged hose. It had probably squirted colder water over the rad when it let go, which steamed off the radiator. Changed the hose, and not a problem since.

You could try buying some UV ink (For car rads) and a pen, and try to trace where the water is coming from.

[heeman10]

Well, I checked the hose near the radiator, like I say, there's just the one to check, and I saw no signs of leaking. The water was actually in between the fins on the face of the radiator, not just dribble down the edge or anything. We'll see what the re-fit shows up...

[chris-fiesta]

hope it gets sorted dude, which im very sure it will....so will we be blessed with a new vid of your zt antics with the new dump valve on when the beast is back on the road??

[heeman10]

Damn right you will! I aim to make at least one really good video, a montage of interior and exterior footage of the car. I want video of acceleration on the road, and footage of the car hitting the limiter from outside the car. I haven't heard that yet! And yes, footage to give the sound of the car with the recirc dump valve.

[heeman10]

Update

I got home at 1pm today, so got straight to work fitting the air filter, air filter pipe, recirculating hose, radiator and intercooler when I got home. Also checked some crucial parts of the car (front caliper bolts, gearbox mounts and gearbox oil level), and had a look at what I need to do to fit the crossmember around my Mongoose exhaust. I think some crossmember modification and 10mm spacers between the chassis and crossmember ought to do the job. The crossmember is the lowest point of the car when fitted, so I don't want to space it more than necessary.

I noticed the insides of the tyres are very worn, so before Bruntingthorpe I'd like to stick some new tyres on the front, and dial out some camber. I have 2 degrees at the moment, but will take it back to between 0.5 and 1 degree. The reduced camber and new tyres will undoubtedly give me more traction, something I want at Brunters!

Here are two pictures I only thought to take tonight. It's been 2-4 degrees all day, and I've been snowed on a bit, but the bumper and anti-freeze are all that remains now, so I'll check it all out once I've gone and got the anti-freeze.

Pic 1: Changes include the boost gauge/dump valve take-off fitted to the left hand side of the throttle body, dump valve now fitted in the top boost hose, and the blue silicone hose leaving the dump valve to the right is the one I had made to take the dumped air back round to the turbo. This is the hose that should practically eliminate the loud TSCHH associated with dump valves:



Pic 2: A better view, showing the recirculating hose meeting the air filter pipe. I had the pipe modified a few weeks back with a 25mm stub to accept the recirculating hose, and angled to take the recirculated air directly into the compressor blades. I counted 53 hose clips today



So, anti-freeze in tomorrow, and hopefully I won't be greeted by steam rising out of the bonnet vents this time! It really must just have been water sitting in between the fins of the radiator from when I last washed it, steaming as it warmed up. No problems at all! All being well, I'll be driving the car down to Preston on Monday morning, and storing it locked away in my friend's garage. I'll be able to work on it there, so it's ideal Bish bash bosh!

[mike_wall15]

Excellent stuff! If you get the anti freeze in tomorrow, and take it out and it's fine then hopefully you'll get to Preston ok!
If it was just water that was steaming off.... how annoying! I guess as soon as you saw it all you didn't want to keep it running too long to see if it stopped, you just assumed a leak and turned the engine off... I think a lot of us would have done the same.

Cool red car jim bob!

[Captain Tightpants]

Nice work mate, hope you don't have any more problems.

Steve

[heeman10]

I guess as soon as you saw it all you didn't want to keep it running too long to see if it stopped, you just assumed a leak and turned the engine off... I think a lot of us would have done the same.

More annoyingly, that's not what I did! I left it running for ten minutes or so to warm up, then a further ten minutes with it steaming, trying to burn it off if it was just water sitting there. The header tank wasn't emptying itself, and the temperatures were fine, so I left it to sort itself out but it didn't stop. So yes, it is rather annoying! I have the anti-freeze now, so will fill it all up and when it's stopped snowing (!!!) roll it out and start it up to see what happens

Scort -

[chris-fiesta]

Damn right you will! I aim to make at least one really good video, a montage of interior and exterior footage of the car. I want video of acceleration on the road, and footage of the car hitting the limiter from outside the car. I haven't heard that yet! And yes, footage to give the sound of the car with the recirc dump valve.

thats what i like to hear!!

[heeman10]

Well, having ground enough of the original XR/RS crossmember away and making up four 10mm spacers, it now fits and clears the exhaust! It'll be nice to have it back, as I can imagine the extra lateral stiffness could make a noticeable difference in cornering

Now I have 3.5 litres in the coolant system, ready to fire it up and fill/bleed it all, but the battery's being odd The charger says it's finished charging, yet I can't switch the ignition on or use the alarm without the charger plugged in. Hmmmm. Have left it on a slow charge. I really need to be starting and checking it all, then driving it before the daylight goes! Then get on with packing everything I'll take South with it, ready for Bruntingthorpe. Come on battery!


edit: It is indeed just a case that the battery needs charging. The charger now says it's empty! So I'll give it a 30 min quick charge and fire it up. Can't bloody wait!!

edit 2: All is now fine Battery's charged, car's running, but it's too dark to top up and bleed the coolant system. Just let it run for 3 or 4 minutes, long enough for it to warm up a little bit to take a bit of throttle. There's absolutely no chatter at all! Total silence, weeeeeird things these recirculating dump valves! Will warm everything up in the morning and check things over

[heeman10]

It's back in town!!!!!!

Have just got back to uni after dropping it off at my mate's, where it's safely locked up in a big big garage in the middle of nowhere. I had my boot full of tools (two socket sets, trolley jack, axle stands, engine + gearbox oil, coolant, brake fluid, spanners, screwdrivers, cleaning stuff etc) so the back dropped down, reducing my traction somewhat at the front. So much so, when I took a mate out for a spin it was still scrabbling for grip near the top of 4th gear

Anyway, all is well and it goes as well as ever. The exhaust is knocking on the crossmember when I lift off, so will put some exhaust wrap on that. Gave it some very hard runs in the higher gears and everything's sound, good test pre-Bruntingthorpe anyway.

Oh, and the chatter IS still here, followed by a very hushed whoosh of dumped air after 1 second. Love it

[random_dav]

Excellent fella, will have to blag 'Mr Happy' Rawli to bring me up for a proper scan

[jdfiesta]

good test pre-Bruntingthorpe anyway.

when you at brunters?

sounds good though fella
JJ