In reply to Placemotorsports :
Yep, and replaced it. That is the only thing I have not checked the reading of at the TCU connector though.
I have replaced the speed sensor and TPS. Verified that the TCU has power and ground. Verified resistance for the shift solenoids is in spec. TPS voltage reading at the TCU connector is in spec. Adjusted kickdown cable.
With the TCU plugged in the transmission will not shift out of first gear when in the D position. It also has no engine braking, if you let off the gas the revs drop down to neutral. With the TCU plugged in and the transmission selector in 1-2 position it will still be in first gear only but has engine braking.
Check that and the TPS sensor if you are sure the TCU is good. That's all I can think of
The RX7 made the first trip around the block. There is something loose in the front end, lots of clunking. The old tires are also terribly flat spotted but I had planned to swap different ones on before driving anyway. I swapped the oil pressure sensor from the old engine and now the gauge works. The tach still doesn't work but did bounce a bit as I was driving.
Edit: nothing actually loose in the front end, tires are just that bad. I need to get some more lug nuts tomorrow before i can put the wheel adapters on with a good set of wheels and tires from the 4x100 stash.
Got it up to temp and took a few more trips around the block. There seems to be a lot of driveline slop that makes on-off throttle transitions rather violent.
With the RX7 out of the way it is time for the MINI to reassume this position.
Oil pan off to see why the crank sensor signal was not great.
No issues on the reluctor wheel. It is still firmly bolted in and the teeth look normal. The only thing I could possibly find out of place was this notch in one of the teeth that looks normal.
Well, that's good? The only thing apparently remaining is timing chain, although that still doesn't quite make sense.
i am getting a memory that the front diff mounts on FCs were common to fail.
Bolt pattern fixed and tires newer than 2003 installed.
Started on the timing cover for the MINI today. I got everything off and started turning the crank over to line up the timing marks. With the two copper links aligned to the marks on the crank the single copper link should be aligned with the mark on the cam sproket. I was hoping it wasn't so some questions would be answered.
After turning over the engine about 20 times I got here.
Check the cam sprocket.
Well berkeley.
That... makes negative sense. The cam/crank phasing is off per the waveform.
It is really unlikely, due to the lack of bad noises, but I wonder if cylinder 1 and cylinder 4 aren't at TDC at the same time.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
How would that happen?
From what I've read, with the timing marks on the chain lined up the pistons should all be in the middle of the stroke.
In reply to EvanB :
Bent or broken crank.
USUALLY this will result in one end or the other wobbling horribly, lots of metal in the pan, deep knocking noises. So it's super unlikely. Like really really really unlikely.
going back to memoryland. Runs great if you add fuel. Fuel pressure is good. No way to verify timing. Did we ever verify that the MAP sensor readings are the same as actual readings? I thought we did but I can't remember it. I remember that fuel injectors are being pulled to GROUND, so probably not a ground issue.
Are the ignition coils being pulled to GROUND? (yes all caps is required) I don't see Mini having separate ignition coil ground(s) but who knows. Weak spark can be masked by added fuel. Although I thought we checked spark strength too...
I spent my lunch digging through all the boxes of RX7 parts in the basement to find a trailing coil mount. Finally found it in the last box. Now that the trailing coil is bolted in and grounded the tach actually works.
I'm torn between bolting on the nice body panels and having a multi-colored car with decent looking panels or keeping it all one color and ratty looking. I'm definitely not ready to paint it yet.
I think part of the driveline issue is the shot trans mount, I think I have a spare to swap in.
Ratty and single color looks less ratty to me than multicolor panels, unless it's a Harlequin Golf.
Indeed.
I note that the 4x100 adaptors mean your rally tires will fit the car now. And probably 4/5ths of the wheel collection in the basement.
Yea, single color seems to be the best way to not look trashy.
Avoiding putting the mini back together I decided to polish the terrible paint on the RX7 to make it look a little better. It's not great but it does look a little more presentable.
The rally tires will fit now, although with as few events as I will have this year before nationals I may just keep rallycrossing the Miata, not that I have a shot at winning with the way I have been driving the last few years anyway.
Your car was farting fire at the NEOhio event, which has to count for something.
Today Pete was here with his oscilloscope. He checked the speed sensor signal on the Cherokee and got nothing. That lead to a search for vehicle speed sensors. I had replaced the output speed sensor on the transfer case but there is another. He found where it is and when I was looking at it I followed the wiring harness and there was a broken wire. The wire was broken right out of the connector so I depinned it. I did a bit of searching to find what kind of terminal it was and came up empty. Rather than waste more time I just clipped it on the other side of the connector and bypassed it with a 1/4" quick slide inline. Now the Cherokee finally shifts gears automatically.
With the Cherokee shifting automatically now and me going back into the office for the first time since March 2020 it will be seeing more use. Time to make it a little nicer to live with.
The interior isn't in bad shape but it was dirty. The driver seat was sagging badly on the outside.
So the interior comes out for cleaning and fixing the driver seat. The sag is more noticeable in this view.
The floors have some rust spots that are going to need patched in the future so I'm not taking the carpet out yet. When I do that I'll pressure wash it but for now it will just be a vacuum and spot cleaning.
Some satisfying pressure washing on the seats got them much cleaner.
I had been looking for a replacement seat with the same upholstery in local junkyards. With no luck I did some research and it turns out the seat bottom is extremely easy to remove and the cover is held on with screws. There was a 93 2 door in the local yard so I pulled the passenger seat bottom from it to get one with foam in better shape.
Original pan on left with the "new" replacement on the right.
The foam on the replacement isn't perfect but it is much much better than the old one. And for $10 who can complain?
Swap the cover out and bolt it back onto the seat and now I have two decent front seats. The vinyl is cracked a bit on my original cover so I'll continue checking junkyards when I go to see if I can find one in better shape.
All back together and much nicer to sit in.
I ordered a trailer hitch on Monday from ETrailer and it should be here tomorrow (Wednesday) so that will be next on the list.
How did I miss that you have a short bus?
In reply to cghstang_chris :
I'm just storing it for a friend who is building it into a camper. It would make a cool tow rig/camper for races but my van works out better for me.
I guess I should go through the Miata a bit in the next few weeks to make sure it is ready for some actual MR competition.
Well the Miata held up pretty damn well considering it survived me driving it! (I broke my M3 and Brian's E36 ti this weekend...) Thanks again for the co-drive, I had a blast in it! It's quite different from my car but it was very easy to learn and was more forgiving than I would have thought. Pulled hard too!
In reply to 95maxrider :
Happy to share it and glad it didn't break.
Once again I did terrible at a DC region rallycross. Something about the cones there, they fall over too easily. I ended up 9th out of 14 in MR.
Back home it is time to get the Forester XT I recently picked up back on the road. It was my sister and BIL's daily for the past 10 years but they were finally ready to part with it when the passenger control arm broke.
E36 M3's berkeleyed
In addition to the control arm, the engine cradle was rusted out as well. New vs. old. The left side wasn't as bad but I am replacing both now.
And it looks like I'll need some new bolts.
Everything is apart now, I ordered some new bolts to replace the bad ones and when those get here later this week I can throw it together and hopefully be done.
