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Post by adam1001 on Aug 4, 2020 17:47:02 GMT
Next question - please could someone tell me the best place to pick up a pulse for the rev counter? Currently I've got a wire wrapped around one of the plug leads which seems to top out at about 500 RPM (although it may just be incorrect configuration on the Vapor dash which is going soon anyway). I've spent about an hour looking online but haven't found anything useful. Would one of the coil pack wires work?
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Post by mark1976 on Aug 4, 2020 18:37:05 GMT
One of the outer wires on the coil pack provides a signal, think it’s a green wire off top of my head. You may need to adjust the settings in the vapour dash to get the correct reading though as the Ford system uses wasted spark. HTH
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Post by adam1001 on Aug 4, 2020 22:41:12 GMT
Great, many thanks Mark, that helps a lot!
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Post by adam1001 on Aug 6, 2020 18:51:21 GMT
I've made good progress in the last couple of evenings:
• Removed the rev counter 'pickup' wrapped around the coil lead and stripped out excess wiring • Found the spare black wire in the loom and also the rear end of the water temp sender wire which wasn't being used • Connected the rev counter wire to ECU pin 58 and now have revs showing correctly • Fitted clutch switch, used spare black wire to connect it to ECU pin 43 which was previously earthed • Prepared wiring for water temp sender
Plan to fit water temp sender tomorrow, then I'm putting the car back together for the weekend. Next project will be to rip out all the dashboard wiring and fit a decent cluster and switches, followed by changing the rack for a faster one.
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Post by adam1001 on Aug 11, 2020 18:31:17 GMT
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Post by adam1001 on Aug 11, 2020 18:32:30 GMT
Next issue is sorting out the wiring. Does anyone know if there's a wiring diagram or explanation for the power board/control board combo, something that explains all the black wires between them? Ideally I'd like to remove the control board and keep the power board, but my electronics ability stagnated at GCSE level 30 odd years ago.
Is this option possible or is it likely I'm going to have to rip the whole lot out and start again?
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Post by adam1001 on Sept 15, 2020 16:42:34 GMT
Considering the car is taxed, MOTd and insured, it's spent worryingly little time on the road since I bought it. My biggest concern has been cooling - I've now got a reliable temperature reading but something's still up: calm driving seems OK, but pushing it a bit harder causes a surge in temperature when you stop. I'm pretty sure the header tank is too low which is causing an airlock in the top of the head. I wonder if someone could post a picture or give me an idea of relative height of the header tank to the top of the head. Picture of mine below, hopefully this gives you some idea.
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Post by pines7 on Sept 15, 2020 17:04:48 GMT
Mine sits higher than that. Looks like your level is below thermostat out
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Post by pines7 on Sept 15, 2020 17:06:32 GMT
For some reason I can’t post pics on here
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Post by buildityourself on Sept 15, 2020 20:46:35 GMT
It might not help as we have not run it yet but this the height we have. Don't think this position will cause any issues as the coolant level is higher than the head, and the overflow is higher than the engine. I may have to remove the drop from the overflow hose. Its maybe an 25mm higher when in the focus, but much higher will hit the engine cover. The more likely cause is an air lock in the main coolant tube. After filling the system I can feel air in the hose at the front between the rad and where it joins the chassis pipes. This needs to be purged out somehow.
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Post by adam1001 on Sept 16, 2020 6:42:16 GMT
Many thanks guys, definitely look like it needs to be raised significantly.
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Post by daydreamer on Sept 16, 2020 11:11:17 GMT
OK, I might be wrong here. but...... I don't think there is any overflow on the coolant expansion tank. What you have as overflow is a return spill back possibly from the heater matrix. I believe the system should be sealed and in normal operation under pressure from thermal expansion allowing for temps over 100 degrees without boiling. If you have it open to atmosphere, you will not get the required pressure , you will have boiling , esp , when switching off and the coolant is not circulating or when idling and the pump is running slowly. ( adam1001 / buildityourself ) I'd Cap off securely the unused return on the expansion tank. ( buildityourself ) I'd also move the expansion tank further away from the cylinder head, if you do get pressure and coolant release from the expansion tank cap ( the donor unit is designed to do this ) you risk getting coolant directly on the head which may cause thermal shock and warping. If you have excess coolant build up in the expansion tank when running , after the initial purge of air, then your pipework is needs fettling to get the pressure balances correct to ensure flow of coolant in the right way. The expansion tank fill should be on the return to the pump and not the flow to radiator. It took me 2 years to get that right and I can send a diagram and pictures tonight.
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Post by buildityourself on Sept 16, 2020 20:31:54 GMT
OK, I might be wrong here. but...... I don't think there is any overflow on the coolant expansion tank. What you have as overflow is a return spill back possibly from the heater matrix. I believe the system should be sealed and in normal operation under pressure from thermal expansion allowing for temps over 100 degrees without boiling. If you have it open to atmosphere, you will not get the required pressure , you will have boiling , esp , when switching off and the coolant is not circulating or when idling and the pump is running slowly. ( adam1001 / buildityourself ) I'd Cap off securely the unused return on the expansion tank. ( buildityourself ) I'd also move the expansion tank further away from the cylinder head, if you do get pressure and coolant release from the expansion tank cap ( the donor unit is designed to do this ) you risk getting coolant directly on the head which may cause thermal shock and warping. If you have excess coolant build up in the expansion tank when running , after the initial purge of air, then your pipework is needs fettling to get the pressure balances correct to ensure flow of coolant in the right way. The expansion tank fill should be on the return to the pump and not the flow to radiator. It took me 2 years to get that right and I can send a diagram and pictures tonight. Thanks for the comments. The extra return is plumbed right into the top of the rad on mine, as on the focus, so its not an open vent. This should help purge any air trapped in the front pipes. The coolant fill is one reservation I already have, as the flow may be pushing fluid into the fill, rather than pulling it out. You are correct on the Focus the fill is on the return side. This was more tricky to plumb and I found this diagram specific to my engine online on the locost forums as a recommended setup, so thought give it a go and if a problem encountered replumb. Having said that I also found photos of the engine elsewhere with the flow marked up the wrong way!! You can't trust stuff online, hence my reservation. Not heard of cap pressure expansion wreaking heads before though so thats a new one for me. Not sure i fancy making new brackets but maybe a shield between may be wise.
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Post by daydreamer on Sept 17, 2020 10:44:41 GMT
This is what I have. RE: "Not heard of cap pressure expansion wreaking heads before though so thats a new one for me" My only concern is in the event of coolant discharge from the expansion vessel, that the coolant does not come into contact with the head as that would result in uneven cooling of the head. re expansion vessel height, this is what I have. Ignore the level of coolant in the pic , it is jacked up at the moment and I'm working the exhaust and rear suspension.
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Post by adam1001 on Sept 18, 2020 16:37:39 GMT
Many thanks for the comments - very helpful indeed. The system is fully pressurised, but the way it's been put together means I have no idea how the flow will actually be working. Unfortunately whoever built the car originally didn't know the difference between front and back: the bypass pipe is blanked off, while the pipe coming out of the back of the thermostat (always open, went to the heater matrix) goes straight to the header tank. Therefore there's no bypass circuit and the thermostat is doing nothing when it reaches temperature other than blocking off the blanked off pipe. This means I'm going to need to re-do the pipework between the water pump, thermostat and header tank. Without complicating things too much by adding a third diagram (this is the one from the build guide), the bit I need to add is the section marked as 20mm. I wonder if someone could possibly explain the best way to do the two junctions (where thermostat pipe meets header tank pipe and also where 20mm pipe meets 30mm pipe), as well as the best place to plumb in the temperature sensor? daydreamer I see you've got a metal pipe running across the bulkhead in the bypass circuit, is this better than going for a hose all the way?
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