573

iTrader: (2)

Wouldn't a slave cylinder issue manifest itself in a mushy pedal and incomplete disengagement? I can imagine that decreasing the life of the clutch but I'm not sure that it would explain what I experienced, especially since it was a one-time thing. The clutch has been fine ever since and I certainly haven't been boosting any less.

thasac

iTrader: (3)

Correct, except before mine completely ---- the bed, it would fail intermittently. I had some clutch slips during high load gear changes ... probably resultant of the clutch not disengaging and causing momentary shock loads which the clutch didn't like.

Not likely the case in your car given the load rating on your FM clutch.

If it persists, I'd check your weep hole on the transmission for oil and flush the hydraulic fluid. It's not likely, but it is possible that moister in the closed system could, under heat, cause expansion and thus partially disengage your pressure plate reducing the clamping force.

-Zach

Erat

iTrader: (5)

I like these.

http://www.shelbystore.com/product-p/7s3z-16c630-ss.htm

2 of em would get REALLY f'n expensive, but... They look damn good IMO.

Edit* sold as a pair, so that's good.


I'm still looking for an intake scoop headlight cover for my car (not fiberglass or carbon fiber), not that you can run one of them with your bauce headlights.

573

iTrader: (2)

Okay, good to know. Was the issue that you had such that if the car is standing still, in gear, with the clutch pedal depressed, that it would begin to creep forward?
Those do look good, but unfortunately, I don't trust myself to install them in a manner which is pleasing to the eye. Since they're recessed and don't have a flange, the cut would have to be perfect and my touch up paint job would have to be perfect as well. I'm just a hack with a jigsaw.





I think that I may end up going with marine vents. Some of the options are pretty nice, and I'd expect them to cool and look better than a standard louvered panel. The only potential issue is that most of them are made of ABS plastic. The melting temperature is 221* and the max recommended temperature 176*. I've been monitoring my under-hood temperature for the past few days and haven't seen it go above 152*, and that was near the exhaust manifold and about 1" above the air intake. So ABS should be fine and I really need to devise a new intake.

These are probably what I'll end up going with. A functional and stylish design for not much money.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BOAT-MARINE-...ht_3831wt_1299

And here are two other options, which I don't like nearly as much.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VENT-LOUVER-...#ht_500wt_1156

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BOAT-VENT-ST...ht_4879wt_1398

573

iTrader: (2)

Some rubber trim will probably go around the edge at some point.

573

iTrader: (2)

This is where the interior sits right now. Eventually I would like to switch to the older dash, which weighs less and lacks a passenger airbag. Other items on the more distant to-do list are relocating the ecu to the dash(and shorten all of the wires), and paint the interior so it's all one nice uniform color.


I also ran into Bryan at the usual Woodward hangout spot.




Don't mind my goofy friends--I think that this is a cool picture of my car.



edit:
I just ordered these marine vents. They're the perfect size, and I'm a fan of the utilitarian look. They're properly cheap, too.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VENT-LOUVER-...#ht_500wt_1156

This is where they'll go:



Here is 43 pounds worth of stuff that I don't feel is worth 43 pounds. Not bad for one week.

Erat

iTrader: (5)

Lmao, i saw that picture with bobby tagged in it on FB.

Wish i could have made it up there this weekend... I will again soon, we'll all be lame and park next to each other.

573

iTrader: (2)

This was my first time out there in a while. The turnout was pretty good--I struggled to find parking on both nights. A turbo Miata lineup would be adorable!

I auto-x'd the thing for the first time today. My times were meh, but all things considered, it was a good day. The car is a lot of fun and very neutral, although it was kind of a handfull at times. I need to adjust my driving style and I need more tire.



Ohs noes....




I'll leave this here too. The lid actually went all the way down and my camera was in there(medium size pelican case). I was surprised.

573

iTrader: (2)

My vents arrived today so I grabbed my new Harbor Freight angle grinder and quickly got to work. The vents function very nicely and I think that they look cool, too. My primary motive for installing these was to keep the car cool while stopped or moving slowly. I used to see coolant temperatures go up to 210 in slow moving traffic. Today was kind of cool, but the temp never rose above 195, which is the threshold for the cooling fan. I left it idling in the drieway as I took photos and the fan was only on about 1/3 of the time, if even. Plenty of hot air flowed out of the vents--so much so that my forward vision would be blurred while waiting at lights.















And the money shot.


My inner ricer appreciates this.


Don't forget protection.

573

iTrader: (2)

Who doesn't love photos?

573

iTrader: (2)

Drawing hot air from the engine bay, right next to the exhaust manifold, was less than ideal so I decided to put together a cold air intake. It's relatively simple, involved the use of a 3.5" hole saw, makes the car feel noticeably quicker, and generates a horrible sound whenever I'm in boost and let off the gas. The sound has to be coming from the compressor, and it sounds nothing like compressor surge. It's more like the kind of sound that I would expect a fat man to make upon being punched in the lungs. For perspective, this wretched sound overpowers the bov. Any ideas? I know the turbo has a little bit of shaft play. Could the wheel be contacting the housing and generating a sound that resonates through my new plumbing? Seems unlikely, but that's all I have at the moment.


Anyway, here's the intake. It's pretty cool otherwise.

I thought I had a 3" ID coupler laying around but I didn't. The aluminium tape is temporary.


Generic foam mushroom filter. Freshly oiled.


To help isolate the intake from the water and dust that the wheel kicks up.


All buttoned up.



I went on a road trip to Kentucky last weekend. The car was a blast on the twisty roads. I put together a 93 octane tune before leaving because e85 would be a pain in the dick to find. I ended up averaging just over 31 miles per gallon on the way down. Not bad.

Fireindc

iTrader: (13)

Badass man! I love what you've done with it. Keep up these updates, threads like this are why i still love this forum.

573

iTrader: (2)

Thank you, squire.


I have a suspicion that the horrible noise that I'm hearing is compressor surge and that the cause is due to an increased pressure differential across the compressor. Firstly, the inside of the bumper where I'm drawing air from now is likely lower in pressure than the engine bay, which was where I drew from previously. Second, all of the 3" piping may act as a big low-pressure plenum, which could suck air back through the compressor. I ordered a 0-2" H2O magnehelic gauge(under $30 shipped, not bad) so that I can quantify this, and in the mean time, try to increase the air pressure near the filter.


In other news, one of my projectors crapped out. TRS is putting a new one in the mail today. This is why it pays to buy from reputable businesses.

573

iTrader: (2)

Oh, and two of these came in yesterday. Installation was a pain in the *** though, and I quit after the drivers side because I thought that it was Wednesday and that I had class in the morning. Nope, today's Friday. Oh well. I had to remove the roll bar to get rid of the stock seat belt retractors, and the frame rail braces made properly positioning the anti-sub belt anchors more difficult. At least it's done, and done according to spec.

Erat

iTrader: (5)

I need me some hood vents. My car is freeking cooking today, just driving a little bit after work.

573

iTrader: (2)

Mine are working very well. The water temp hasn't gone over 195 since I installed them, and it only reaches that if I'm stopped. That held true on a hot Kentucky day where I could be driving the car hard on twisty roads and then be creeping through a small town only a few minutes after. Although, I wouldn't recommend getting ones made of ABS plastic. The back corner of the vent that is closest to the exhaust manifold and turbine has warped a little bit. Fortunately, it doesn't seem to be getting any worse.

Erat

iTrader: (5)

Good deal. If I were to get some I might get the FM ones they seem affordable. But I'm still looking at my other options.

Gonna be up at Woodward to tonight? I may be up there just past 10.

573

iTrader: (2)

The FM vents look pretty good, and there are some similar louvered vents that are intended for Jeeps and such that you may also want to look into.

I'll be on Woodward in about an hour or so.

Erat

iTrader: (5)

Walked around, spotted the car, warmed my fingertips with your louvers, but didn't spot you.

I parked in the AUX lot a block down though.

573

iTrader: (2)

My pressure differential gauge came in today and the suspected compressor surge is definitely compressor surge, and is caused by the foam air filter.

The data:
-The engine bay is slightly higher in pressure than the new draw point for the filter. .25" H2O. That's pretty negligible but I'll still try to reverse it.
-The needle slammed into the stop (2" H2O) when I got into boost with the foam filter. With the old K&N filter, I never registered over 1.75" H2O. I got these numbers by putting a tube inside the filters and using a consistent spot in the engine bay as a reference point.

The compressor surge showed up, very clearly, on the gauge when I was using the foam filter. The needle would be pinned at 2, I'd let off the gas, the needle would jump back to 1.25 or so, and then return to about 1.75 as I coasted down. The drop to 1.25 is due to air flowing the wrong way through the turbo. This didn't happen at all with the K&N filter.

I'm trading filters with a friend who doesn't mind having a junk filter because he's selling the car that it's on. If that filter doesn't solve the problem, I'll just boss up and buy the biggest K&N that will fit in there.