MX150R Supercharging Project

[mscott]

MX150R Supercharging Project. Part 1.

Introduction..

I own and race an MEV MX150R (Race version of the Exocet) for the last 3 years in the 750MC Sports Specials Championship.




During the second race meeting back in 2014 we got talking amongst the drivers and the Club Organiser about Supercharging the MX150R’s and mixing it up with some of the other faster, lighter and more powerful cars in the Championship.

From This..



To This..



The original plan was that Stewart (Freaky Parts) (having contacts in the industry) would work with some suppliers to have a kit made what would effectively “Bolt On” to the MX150R’s. The original plan was he possibly would fit it on Sylvia’s car to give him a “Test Bed” on which to work on.

By the end of the 2014 season Stewart made it to the final race meeting @ Donnington with the “Skuzzle Proto-type” fitted to his car. It was Dyno’d at 195BHP at the flywheel so that was going to the MX150R Regulations Limit for the next season to keep it fair.


The Cross-over Pipe and By-pass Valve were poking through holes cut into the Bonnet, still we were excited to see how well it worked. Taking a good look at it and the Mods made the concept seemed simple enough and other than the physical SC installation & RX8 Yellow Injectors the only other change was a MegaSquirt (unknown version at the time) that had been “Piggy Backed” on the Stock ECU (Not exactly sure at the time what it was doing as the Stock ECU was still connected).






Yes it worked, well mostly. Stewart does like sticking his Nose Cone into the Walls at Donnington, and apart from the Engine cutting out during Practice/Qualifying (originally thought to be the Cam Angle Sensor (CAS) but later turned out to be a connector on the Fuse Box) it was good enough to prove the concept. Unfortunately due to the weather being appalling and Stewart replacing the 1.8 CAS with a 1.6 CAS (all we could get hold of in the paddock) and not being able to get the correct ignition timing it was still far quicker than the Naturally Aspirated (NA) cars but not perfect.


Want 1, need 1..

[mscott]

MX150R Supercharging Project. Part 2.


Planning the build..


I caught up with Stewart at the 2015 Auto-Sports show and his car was now furnishing a re-designed Aluminium SC Front Mount and Bracing, it looked much better than the "Proto-Type" that had been at Donnington.





After much chasing after the show the Skuzzle kit just never seemed to materialise, not sure why really to this day but something had to give, and I’m sure I could make something similar with the time I had before the season started.


Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery… So they say!


I looked at what other had done in the past for inspiration and worked on the KISS approach (Keep It Simple Stupid)..


The SC Kit that TR-Lane, MOSS and TDR all used a simple front mount bracket with an Idler & Tensioner Pulley and this seemed like the route to go, after all the average race is around 13mins + 1 Lap, even an Endurance race would only be around 3 hours and a belt shouldn’t stretch enough or need adjusting in that time.




This is how I went about mine …

[mscott]

MX150R Supercharging Project. Part 3.


Parts Required & Sourcing..


The vast majority (in this day and age) of parts were easiest to source on eBay.


Note: Be careful as M45 Superchargers are going for stupid money these days so take my advice and try and find someone breaking a Mini Cooper-S and see if the SC is available that way, it worked for me.


M45 Supercharger & By-Pass valve from Mini Cooper - eBay. £100 for the Supercharger and £40 for the By-Pass Valve (purchased from a guy stripping a car in Hounslow. Long drive but worth it for the cost saving).  

MegaSquirt 2 ECU (Kit Form), Inlet Air & Coolant Temp Sensor, Pigtails & Weld-In Bungs. – DIYAutotune. I bought the ECU in kit form from America as it worked out cheaper even when you put Customs/Shipping charges etc. on top.
List item 2

Electronic Components for MX5 Mods to ECU - eBay & Maplins


4 * Yellow Mazda RX8 Injectors 450cc - eBay for £80 hope they work o.k.


AEM UEGO Wideband 02 Sensor & Gauge - EFI-Parts


Metal Plate - Local Engineering Company off-cuts


Exhaust Pipe - Local Exhaust Manufacturer


Nuts, Bolts, Washers, Paint, & sheet of MDF - B&Q


Gasket Paper - eBay


2nd Throttle Body - eBay


2nd Throttle Body Cable to 1st Throttle Body - eBay


Power Steering Pump Bracket (you’ll see why) - eBay


2 * MX5 Cam Belt Idler Pulleys - eBay


New Spark Plugs NGK-BKR7E-11 (Cooler version) - Local Motor Factors


4 Ribbed Drive Belt – eBay (due to being a strange size)


Silicone Hoses for Inlet/Outlet Ducting, Hose Clamps, Silicone Hose for Map Sensor to Plenum Chamber & Mini Air Filter * 2 - eBay (Auto Silicone Hose)


Wiring Components, Wire, Fuse Boxes & Fuses, Relay - Vehicle Wiring Products


Spare Engine: (and a few other goodies) - eBay £150 from a crashed MK1 in Telford so 30 mins from my home in Stafford. (Not required as part of the build, only to allow work on in my single garage without the car being at home)

[mscott]

MX150R Supercharging Project. Part 4.

Start Prototyping..

Due to not having room to keep the car at home as I only have a single garage I decided to buy a Spare Engine and mount it on my Engine Stand to help with all the “Development/Proto-typing”. This had the bonus of allowing me to work during the cold dark January-March evening’s “In-doors”.



Once I had a part made I could remove it and try it on the Car for fit/clearance then back to the Garage for further progress.


Having a good idea of what I was try to achieve the start was the easy bit, bolt the Power Steering Bracket onto the Engine where it would normally go. Step 1 of many done!




Next task was to work out how to mount the M45. This is where the MDF sheet came in as working with 12mm Plate Steel is hard going for the development stage.



Before doing anything with the SC I first removed Mini’s (sorry BMW’s) Outlet Flange/Duct (in the bin), then removed the Water Pump (in the bin), then finally the PTO (Power Take Off) which changed the shaft speed of the SC to run the water Pump (again, in the bin).



I then used “Duck Tape” to cover the Inlet & Outlet ports on the SC to keep anything from getting inside, that wouldn’t be good! The only other mod needed was to blank off the small breather/vent hole near the SC Intake. At a later time I would also take a hack-saw to an “Un-used Mount” on the front of the SC as this wouldn’t be needed and would foul the bonnet when installed in the car.



A few (rather lots of) attempts at ”MDF Shaping” on multiple versions ended up with a solution that appeared o.k. At one stage during the “Proto-typing” stage I even made some MDF Idlers (later to be replaced with the real things when they’d arrived from the eBay seller.





Once I had the Front Mount Sorted I started on the 2 Side Mounts. 1 was taken from the old Heat Shield Mounting Tabs on the Exhaust Manifold and the other was a Brace Bar down to the Engine Mount on the LHS of the Engine. These 2 mounts along with the MDF Front mount appeared to hold the SC rock steady.







It had to be done, I mounted the SC Install back on the car and started the engine with the MDF Front Mount, it sounded awesome.

[mscott]

MX150R Supercharging Project. Part 5.


Prototype to Production..


Now I knew that the SC could be mounted and actually fit under the standard bonnet I transferred the MDF Front Mount Plate over to the 12mm Steel. After slowly cutting on the Band-saw I ended up with a fairly clean cut plate and used my old (now dead and buried) belt sander held in the vice.. (I must buy a Bench Belt Sander soon). This did a great job of smoothing out most of the Band-Saw blade marks and took of those lovely sharp edges just waiting to cut me.






To ensure I got nice 90 degree edges I used the bed of my Drill Stand at 90 degrees to the Belt Sander and “Bobs your Uncle”. I also made the Outlet Plate/Flange for the SC, 2nd Throttle Body, 2nd Throttle Body Planking Plate, By-Pass Valve flange and SC PTO Blanking Plate.





Once the Front Mount had been sanded I had to drill it for the Power Steering Mount, SC Front Bolt and the Idler/Tensioner. The slot was a pain the arse and I wish I had a Milling Machine for this one. I could have done the job a fraction of the time and had a better result, not that drilling lots of holes and “slotting” it with a File wasn’t fun, it just took a long time! Then the Tensioner Bolt hole had to be drilled in the side and Tapped for M6 thread.



Later once mounted back in the car I noticed an issue that became apparent from going from Wood to Metal was the Belt Alignment. I ended up having to cut the Front Plate and step it back 6mm where it bolted on the Power Steering Pump bracket to get the belts to run better. SC’s are a pain to get the belts aligned. 1 small move on the SC and the belts are tracking left or right. Be patient.



On the subject of Drive Belts, I ended up with a drive belt length that was in-between (Too Short or Too Long) a Gates 4PK. I could get a Gates 5PK that I would have to trim 1 of the ribs off, and that didn’t sound good so in the end I found an Un-known brand on eBay that would fit. Better buy 2…

[mscott]

MX150R Supercharging Project. Part 6.


Inlet Duct Time..


Once the “Metal” version of the Front Mount was done it was time for the Intake and 2nd Throttle Body to be mounted. This would be fun as I needed the car to reference but didn’t have room so keep it at home. I decided instead to make a Mounting Jig that floated in the air (stay with me) so that I could build the “Inlet Duct” in the garage.


I brought the car home and re-fitted the SC and Mounts. I then fitted the 2nd Throttle Body with the Piper Cross air filter and held it where it would clear the Fuse Box in the engine bay and also get a good source of Cold Air from near the NSF wheel. I mounted a Temporary Plate on the SC using 2 of the PTO bolts and cut out a Thin Plate to sandwich between the 2nd Throttle Body and the 2nd Throttle body flange I had cut out earlier.




Once I had it located where it would live I cut and welded a set or brace bars/rods between the temporary plate on the PTO and the Thin plate sandwiched between the 2nd Throttle Body and the 2nd Throttle body flange.

Once these brace bars were in place I then was able to transfer the whole SC setup to the Engine on the Stand in the Garage. I then took the car back to where I store it and now can fab the duct in my garage know it will fit the car once completed (fingers crossed)..




The Intake was made from 63mm Stainless Exhaust Pipe Pie “Cut” to make a gradual bend towards the SC Inlet Duct from the 2nd Throttle Body Flange.


Anyone who knows anything about the M45 off the Mini will be familiar with the Oval Intake Port. I first made a thin strip of steel that wrapped around the Outside of the Oval Port, then I welded the 63mm Pipe that I had flattened slightly to match the Oval Shape. Shaped pieces of steel were cut and welded in to fill in the gaps between the Oval Ring and the 63mm Pipe. This was as far as I could go on the Intake Duct Oval Shape.


This was as far as I could go on the Intake as the By-Pass valve needed to be fitted but this sits between the SC Inlet and the “Yet to be made” Outlet Duct.

[mscott]

MX150R Supercharging Project. Part 7.


Outlet Duct Time..


I re-fitted the SC assembly back on the Car again. My aim was to end up with the SC Install not poking through the bonnet as with Stewarts so this had to be Mocked up in-situ rather than the garage.


I mounted the Blank SC Outlet Plate I had cut previously on the SC over the Duct Tape.




Now this in place I could start Pie Cutting the 63mm Outlet Pipe and the 38mm By-Pass feed pipe then Tack Weld them to the SC outlet plate. Once I had the basics in place I started working out the plates required to close in the outlet flange as best I could whilst at the same time ensuring it would clear under the bonnet and allow for the engine to rock when revved.









Once all the parts were Tack Welded together I transferred the whole assembly back to the Garage Engine. Now this was completed I was able to drill a hole in the Inlet Duct, weld on a length of 38mm for the other side of the By-Pass valve to connect to with a Silicone Hose, Red of course to match the Radiator Hoses.





Once this was completed I was able to take it off the SC, cut any Tack Welds holding the Duct to the SC Outlet Plate and fully weld up the Duct on the Bench. I used the Fully Welded Outlet Duct to work out where to cut the SC outlet plate then welded the duct to the plate. Done.







The last part needing to be welded was the cross over pipe. As we were going to be running the install “Without” an Inter Cooler this was a fairly simple task of cutting a few pie cuts and welding a 3/8” NPT Bung for the Air Intake Temp Sensor to screw into.





The Cross Over pipe is connected to the SC Outlet Duct and the 1st Throttle Body on the Plenum with Silicone Hose and clips





As I now had Twin Throttle Bodies to open the 1st Throttle Body (on the Plenum) needed to operate the 2nd Throttle Body (Inlet Pre SC).

This would been easier if I had a different style of Throttle Cable Bracket & Throttle Body Pulley, buy once you have Welder and Angle Grinder you can make nearly anything. I needed a Throttle Cable Bracket that could hold both the Original Throttle Cable and the one to link the Throttle Bodies together. Cut, Drill, Grind, Weld and Grind again. Done.



Of course now I needed to modify the 1st Throttle Body Pulley and give the Throttle Cable a guide to follow. Lucky enough as I have spare parts I was able to carefully Drill Out the Cable Guide form the spare Throttle Body on the other Engine and Weld this to the Pulley. Told you Welders are handy.



Now the other end needed sorting to the 2nd Throttle Body.

I welded up a Bracket that would use one of the CAS Mounting Bolts to hold it secure, then fitted the cable to the 2nd Throttle Body using the Cable Clamp which looks like something you use on a Push Bike Brake Cable. A little tweek with the Cable Adjusters on each end and I had the Throttle Bodies Opening and Closing in Sync.




Now having 2 Throttle Bodies does make the Throttle Pedal Heavier. It doesn’t bother me and I’m both used to it now and prefer it, some other people who have driven my can hate it, some didn’t even notice. What it appears to give you is Smoother Control of the Revs and the added security that if the Throttle Body jammed open on the Plenum then it wouldn’t rev out of control.

[mscott]

MX150R Supercharging Project. Part 8.


ECU & Wiring…. Stay awake, it’s not that bad,,, really ! Part 1.


There was very little point in trying the “Power Card” or “Piggy Back” style method to get more performance, you might as well fit an “Aftermarket ECU” and have the benefit of being able to Properly Tune the engine.

The Stock MX5 ECU isn’t worth bothering with and will be consigned to the scrap pile (after I de-solder/cut off the Connector), but only once the Install is complete as I still have to Race in the meantime.


As such I decided to build a separate Engine Harness to run the Injectors, Coils, TPS, CAS, Fuel Pump, Intake / Coolant Temps, IACV & Rev Counter/Tacho Feed and as I had the Engine Loom that I got with the Spare Engine this was easy enough to do.


After looking around at ECU’s I decided on MegaSquirt 2 to do the job. I decided to Build/Mod my own from a kit as this was I would least know who it was supposed to work and fault find if required in the future.

After shopping around I eventually bought a MS2 Kit from DIYAutotune in America and had it shipped over complete with a MegaStim (basic MegaSquirt tester), Intake Sensor & Bung, Coolant Sensor and Bung and a Lead Forming Tool (used for bending Resistors & Diodes during assembly).


The order arrived in under a week, however there was a Customs Charge but still it worked out cheaper than souring in the U.K.! Please be aware if importing items.


A couple of words of caution, I’m experienced in Electronics and Soldering, and the kit is simple enough to Assemble & Solder.
A few of the Small Transistors have ridiculously close Solder Pads on the PCB and very easy to Bridge by accident.


Read, re-read, then re-re-read again the Generic Assembly Instructions.


Plan your Mods out as part of the Build as some Mods will involve “Un-Doing” parts of the generic Assembly Instructions and this if not done carefully can cause damage.


Print Out the Assembly Instructions and High-Light anything that needs doing. Lots of the Assembly Instructions do not apply to every build, so take my advice and find what does.

[mscott]

MX150R Supercharging Project. Part 9.


ECU & Wiring…. Stay awake, it’s not that bad,,, really ! Part 2


Assembly of the ECU was fairly easy and I did it over a couple of evenings on my desk at home, it was a little cramped but cleaner and warmer than the garage. After I had finished assembling the Kit and performing the DIYAutotune’s “Modding your Miata Mods” I followed the Power On Test Instructions and Flashed the Firmware. Success. Tuner Studio detected the ECU and I was away,, or at least I thought.!










I tried the MegaStim on the ECU and some parts appeared to be working, however as it was ”Modded” for a 4G63 CAS as it’s Trigger Signal I needed to test using the MX5 parts.


I assembled a basic Harness using the Thin Wall Wire I had bought from Vehicle Wiring Products in the colours to match the DIYAutotune Diagram, I then connected these to the relevant Injector / Coil / TPS Plugs etc. on the Spare Engine Harness. I powered all the parts up using a 7AH 12V Alarm Battery to save me getting my bench power supply out from the garage.






Tuner Studio would allow the ECU to Test the Fuel Pump Relay, Test the Injectors (both Banks as it runs Batch Injection) and both the Coil Packs. TPS was all over the place but all I had to do to fix that was swap 2 wires out of the 3 and it worked fine. The MK1 1.8 TPS has 4 wires, the 4th is used for WOT (Wide Open Throttle) and isn’t needed by the MS2.



What didn’t work was the CAS (Cam Angle Sensor). Without the CAS signal the ECU will not power the Fuel Pump relay, energise the Injectors or Coils or even know how fast the engine was turning, kind of a requirement for an ECU.

After re-reading (hence why I said earlier read, re-read then re-re-read) I spotted that I had missed a step of fitting 4 links during the ECU build. Once added, Bingo Cranking, Fuel Pump On, Injectors started Clicking, Coils started Sparking.

READ THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY !

As I still had the Stock ECU and wiring still in place I decided to wire the loom I’d just tested with temporarily into the car. Long term I will re-wire the whole car and get rid of the mess that is known as “The MX5 Loom”. This was covered in Split Conduit and tapped up. I fitted a separate Dedicated Fuse Box for the ECU/Injection System just to make life simpler to Work On or Fault Find in the future rather than splicing into a 20 year old loom.














I had to fit the Coolant Temp Sensor for the MS2. I might have been able to use the Mazda Sensor but I decided to go with the GM Coolant Sensor as this is pre-calibrated on the MS2 and besides the Stock Sensor is right at the back of the block. This involved taking the thermostat housing of, giving it a really good clean then drilling a hole for the Sensor to fit through. Then I lined up the hole with the Aluminium NPT Bung and TIG Welded it to the housing. Considering how old the housing was and Aluminium welding can be funny it welded great. Once finished I cleaned it down and coated it in Aluminium paint. It looked great.





The last Welding & Wiring related job was to fit the UEGO Wideband Unit. This involved drilling a hole and welding in a Bung on the Down Pipe and then fitting the Sensor and plugging it into the Gauge. I’ll have to mount the Gauge after the 1st Tuning Session, time is running out.


Now I don’t consider Plumping to be Wiring, however I had to “Plumb” the ECU into the Plenum Chamber for the MAP Sensor feed. This was dead easy as there was a spare Blanked Off Outlet on the Plenum. 2 Minutes and done. I ran the Silicone Hose through the Split Conduit as this was going to the ECU which is where the MAP sensor is fitted on the MS2 install (assuming you’re using the Built In MAP Sensor).

[mscott]

MX150R Supercharging Project. Part 10.


Megasquirt MS2 Wiring Warning!


The MS2 works mostly by “Grouding” items to make them work. What does that mean?


Take for example the “Fuel Injectors”, they are fed with constant +12V when the Ignition is switched on, when they need to be “Fired” the ECU Grounds (-12V / 0V) the other side of the Circuit for the time required and the “Coil” in the Injector is Energised, the fuels flows through and sprays out into the Inlet Manifold/Head, Bingo… On/Off/On/Off etc. hopefully you get the picture.


Now where you need to be very careful is how the +12V is supplied to the “Injectors & Coil Packs”. Both have “Coils” that can be “Burnt Out” and the big risk is that the MS2 when turned Off “Grounds” all the outputs.


This is Bad if the ECU is Turned “Off” or Blows it’s Fuse whilst the Ignition is turned “On” as the “Injectors/Coil Packs” risk being fried to Death .


The simplest and safest way to sort this is to feed the +12V to the “Coil Packs and Injectors” from the “Fuel Pump Relay” as this will only run for 2 Seconds when the ECU is first powered (to prime the fuel system), then will only turn back “On” when Engine Cranking is detected and allow “Fuel & Spark” to be delivered and Start the Engine. This way the risk is 2 seconds and unlikely to cause an issue.


On a separate note, the Mk2 MX5 Alternator is controlled by the ECU. My car was made form a Mk1 which doesn’t so fitting an aftermarket ECU isn’t an issue.


If you have a Mk2 you can buy or make an adapter to make it work, or simply fit a Mk1 Alternator, I believe they will just bolt on, plug in and work.


You can’t say I didn’t warn you….!

[mscott]

MX150R Supercharging Project. Part 11.

1st Tuning Session..

Before I could take it to be “Tuned”, it had to run. Just because Tuner Studio says all is Green doesn’t mean it will run, and well, it did and it didn’t!

Prior to running I fitted some Cooler Rated Spark Plugs, in addition I was going to need Larger Fuel Injectors and a slightly better Fuel Injector Technology so I used a set of Yellow RX8 Injectors 450cc from eBay.





I found a “Base Map” on one of the MX5 forums for a Turbo’d MX5 so used that to at least give me a fighting chance, plus I used the DIYAutotune’s settings to go with the mods I’d made. I ran the “Required Fuel Calculator” in Tuner Studio for the size of Injectors / Engine CC then gave it a go.

Would it start, would it hell as. A few coughs and bangs but nothing. Knowing I had Spark and the Fuel Pump was running I was starting to doubt my eBay Yellow Injectors. I put the old Standard MX5 Injectors back in and Bingo, it ran. I could hardly believe it. So I tried the Yellows again, nope, MX5 injectors yes, Yellows nope. WTF.? I checked the Spark Plugs and they were soaked so looks like it was either over fuelling or the Injectors were leaking (but surely not all 4).

I double checked Tuner Studio, re-ran the “Required Fuel Calculator” and got a completely different number than the first time. Applied this to the Tune and tried. It started first time, simple error in the calculation was allowing too much fuel in per pulse and flooding the engine. Worth watching out for!




Now I had a running Engine, Supercharger and ECU I headed off to see Chris @ EFI-Parts. Having never had a car on a Dyno before this was an experience.
Chris hooked the car up to his rolling road but had reservations from the start about not having an Intercooler. I told him about Stewarts and the fact he’d run 4 race meetings without any issues so it should be fine (words I’ll later live to regret).



The only change I needed to make “Post Tuning” was to weld a Bung into the Cross-over pipe to connect to the Idle Air Control Valve (IACV) as I had fitted a “Mini Cone Air Filter” to this. Chris advised me that the IACV’s were designed to be Under Vacuum and not Under Pressure and I might get Boost loss and we don’t want that now!


To get the tune done the first part was to get the idle working correctly which isn’t under Boost. Once this was sorted we blanked off the IACV intake using an old “Spark Plug” to block the pipe then run the Tune with Boost without risking any leaks. Simple mistake I can (and did) fix in about 30mins when I get home.


Chris Tuned and Tuned and Tuned but was getting massive Knock/Detonation issues. We’d measured the Air Intake Temps and they were hot, very hot but as I didn’t have an Intercooler there wasn’t anything I could do.


Chris said he’d put a “Safe’ish” Tune on but really wasn’t happy with the way the car was running, however I was at Silverstone the following weekend so I told him I’d take responsibility for any issues.


The end result was 171 BHP @ the flywheel and 700KG chassis. Yep… I took the car for a quick spin and Holly S**t, it’s so much faster. Not the 195BHP that I wanted but a good 1st attempt.

[mscott]

MX150R Supercharging Project. Part 12.

1st Race Meeting (whoops…..)

This will go down as “Supercharger Mahem” for the MX150R guys. We now had 2 MX150R’s based around the M45 Supercharger (Stewarts & Mine) and 3 of the Red Rascals had gone down the Rotrex SC route. Too much money for me.

Qualifying / Practice: My SC drive belt came off, Stewarts Idler Pulley Came Off, at least 1 of the Red Rascals threw oil all over their engine…

Race 1: got a good start and drove around people who we usually would not have stood a chance with, car felt great and was going well, loving it, then about half way through the race I lost the dashboard power (never found out why, still don’t know today) I only had my Wideband Unity working & Mini Dash, so at least I had an idea of revs and no Idea of Oil Pressure. Then it started..

I noticed in my Rear Mirror Smoke on gear changes, and the car was starting to feel less powerful, so much so that a NA MX150R was starting to catch me up, just needed to finish the race. Last Lap, Chequered Flag, thank god for that, just need to get back to the Paddock, oh nope, off to Parc Ferme and weighing time, smoke pouring everywhere. I managed to limp back to the Paddock and that was the last time that Engine ever ran.

We took a look at the car when it had cooled down and there was oil all over the place, oil had blown out the Crank Case filter so it looks like the crank was being pressurised. A quick Compression test and we had nothing at all on 3 & 4 and very low on 1 & 2.

That’s me out for Race 2, well at least I was able to lend Sylvia (one of my team mates) my suspension arms for her second race as she had had a nasty crash in the first race.



Post Race during the rebuild I took the head of the old engine.
Should you be able to see the Piston Rings whilst the Pistons are still in the Block ?

[mscott]

MX150R Supercharging Project. Part 13.


Rebuild Plan of Action & More New Parts..

Deep Pockets are required for racing..


Well this changed everything, do I rush it back together and have the same issue or not?


NOT!

It’s getting an Inter Cooler this time at the expense of the Race Meeting at Croft.

The plan is to:


Use the Spare Engine as long as it has good compression.


Fit an Inter Cooler and associated pipework.


Re-Wire the car and get rid of the Old MX5 harness.


Get the Flywheel Skimmed and fit a Stage 2 Clutch as the stock Clutch was near its end before this, so stupid not to whilst the Engine & Box are out of the car.


Fit an Aluminium Radiator and a couple of new fans for good measure and help with Engine Cooling.


While it’s in pieces I’ll sort out the Roll Cage. It’d been welded wrong (compared to all the other MX150R’s I’d seen) and to get to the Fuel Tank or Remove the rear cover involved taking the roll cage out, no fun and not very practical in the Paddock.




Re-Weld the Fuel Tank to get rid of the Side Filling Fuel Filler and make it Top-Filling so I can use a Dump Churn.


Last but not least get rid of the MEV rear lights and fit some simple Stop/Tail lights and a MSA Approved Rain Light.


Parts needed:


InterCooler that will fit the small area in the Nosecone. Lots of measuring later and I found a suitable sized 75mm Inlet/Outlet version. Will have to trim the Nosecone to fit. - eBay


63mm Aluminium tube in various bends - eBay


Aluminium MX5 Radiator - eBay


75mm-63mm Silicone Reducers - eBay


63mm Silicone Hose - eBay


Radiator Fans - eBay


Rear Stop/Tail & MSA LED Rain Lights - eBay


Suzuki Swift expansion bottle - local car breakers


Wire, Fuse-box, connectors etc. - Vehicle Wiring Products

[mscott]

MX150R Supercharging Project. Part 14.

Rebuild & Upgrade Time. Part 1

“Reassembly is Reverse of the Strip-down Procedure”, no it isn’t!

As I’m upgrading and have a few extra weeks before the next race I can make a few of the Long Term changes that I want versus whoever “Threw” the car together originally.

1st, off with the Roll Cage, it’s getting re-worked and is in the way, plus I need access to the wiring in the rear lights and access to the fuel tank. 2nd, out with the old engine & box in one.



The usual process, disconnect everything, Exhaust off, Prop Shaft, PPF, SC, Radiator etc. It’s quicker to take them out joined and so much easier as I invested in an “Engine Load Leveller”. Trust me this thing is superb and makes removal and installation of an engine with a gearbox attached simple, safe and controlled.

I found someone on eBay breaking an MX5 locally and I asked how much for the “Gearbox end to Universal Joint” off the Prop Shaft. They seemed confused but I think I got it for £10 from memory. I removed the UV Joint leaving the Splined end and then fed a Bungee Cord through the holes. This now made a handy “Service Tool” that goes into the Gearbox once the Prop has been removed and clips around the Casting of the gearbox, then when the Engine & Box are being “Removed or Installed” the Gearbox Oil stays in the gearbox. Use it a couple of times and you’ve got your money back in replacement Gearbox Oil and no smelly oily mess to clean. You saw it here first ! (or maybe not).



Now the engine & box was out of the way I proceeded with great pleasure in removing the old wiring harness. This left a couple of huge holes in the firewall and not only is this bad, the Scrutineers would not let you race like that so that needed attention. I removed the Aluminium panel with the holes in it and replaced this with 2 separate Steel panels that would allow for the New Wiring Harness and Fire Extinguisher pipes/Nozzles to be mounted with the added benefit of being removable in case I ever needed access to the rear of the Engine.

[mscott]

MX150R Supercharging Project. Part 15.

Rebuild & Upgrade Time.. Part 2.

Whilst access was good I decided to sort out the Roll Cage. Now I can weld well so I was happy doing this but if you can’t weld very well then leave this alone. !

Before doing any welding at the rear end I removed the Fuel Tank and drained out as much petrol as possible (the petrol won’t be going back in the tank but it’s good for cleaning parts if used carefully) then removed the Fuel Pump / Sender unit and left the tank on the patio in the rear garden to vent to clear off any fuel vapour.



I carefully ground away at the welds holding the Rear Down-Tubes from the Cage to the Rear Strut Towers. I’d hoped that I could simply move the Left to the Right and vice versa, however as these are made from parts cut at Compound Angles they didn’t fit so I had to cut the welds from the Strut Tower Ends and re-assemble it back together ensuring I got good penetration on my welds. This now means I can easily get the rear cover off quickly and easily in the future.









I split the Gearbox from the Old Engine and took the flywheel to a local engineering company to get it skimmed. Just because it looked o.k. by eye didn’t mean it was plus I was about to fit a new RPC Stage 2 Clutch and its Limited Warranty would be Null & Void without a Flywheel skim, and again whilst the Engine & Box is out it’s daft not to.


New Engine test time. I say test, all I cared about was the Compression Readings at this moment as I’d seen and heard it running when I bought it, other than the Cam Cover leaking the rest of it looked great.


I took the New (formally spare) Engine off its stand & bolted its flywheel back on. It had to be removed to fit on the engine stand. Next I bolted the Gearbox back on as I needed to mount the Starter as it bolts to the Gearbox. No clutch needed as I just wanted to turn the engine over. Now yes I know you should do a Compression Test ideally on a Hot Engine but this was more for peace of mind, plus I was a fair bit away from being in the position to start it. All 4 cylinders were very close so that’s good enough for me, after all I had no compression on 2 and very low on the others on the old engine so a massive improvement.

The Gearbox was split off again and I decided to degrease and paint it whilst it was off. Not 100% requirement for a race car but it looks cleaner plus you can see any oils leaks easier if they develop. I used a Water Based degreaser, brushed it in the washed it down with a Low Pressure hose spray so not to inject water where it shouldn’t, air dried with the air-line before later masking up and painting with Aluminium Paint.




Whilst I was at it I also degreased the engine and gave it a similar cleaning. This time I only painted the Block and Sump and left the head. I’ll remove the Cam Cover as this was going to get painted once the Engine is back in. The Inlet Manifold on the Engine when I picked it up looked tatty so I decided to use the one from the Original Engine as it was in a cleaner condition to start with.



While I was in detailing mode I also Stripped the Starter Motor, Alternator & Inlet Manifold and made them look pretty, why? Because I can!





Once I got the flywheel back from being skimmed (only took 6 Thou to clean up) I was then able to fit the Flywheel, Install the new Spigot Bearing that came with the New RPC clutch kit and fit the rest of the new Clutch.







Once installed I then joined the New Engine to the gearbox and fitted back in the car. Progress!



PPF, Prop, Exhaust, SC mount back in. Easy.