More poor life choices #3(and possibly #4)

Well apparently those weren’t the final results I saw last night, as I ended up 10th in both pax and raw times. Still better than I’ve achieved in a long time. 

Have you figured out your issue yet?

In reply to Stampie :

I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet. 

I forgot to post this last night though - when I was getting ready for tech I discovered the batter hold down had snapped off so I had to improvise. 

Still haven’t figured out why it’s not running right, but on the up-side I corner-weighted it today. 

That’s after adjustment with me in the driver’s seat. I’m pretty happy with those numbers. The car weighs 2,144 lbs empty, which I suppose isn’t too bad with a/c & p/s. 

I finally sorted out the fuel problems. What I *think* happened is the original fuel pump started failing and/or the pickup sock started getting plugged, while the fuel filter was also getting some blockage in it too. Swapping in the used pump assembly only partially helped because of the semi-clogged filter, but I didn’t realize it initially. 

When I installed the new pump & sock, I noticed there was no way to ensure the o-ring was positively seated on the pump output, so I slid it inside the output tube as far as I could & twisted the pump into place. Unfortunately, upon disassembly I found the o-ring was crooked & out of place. I believe this was causing fuel to be sprayed back into the tank & was preventing the engine from building any power. 

I disassembled the other pump to look at it’s o-ring & discovered it had a plastic grommet to help hold the o-ring in place and keep it square. It’s the piece with the slot, which I installed onto the new pump & a short test drive indicated the problem was resolved.

So with a ~2 mile test drive going ok, I signed up for the Nola autox today. The car made it there, competed & back home fine. I learned a bit too...

I’ve always set my cars up to be as neutral as possible. I figured a car that was easy to drive allowed me to focus more on the course, my line, braking points, etc., and thus go faster. However, talking to Alan  McCrispin at the Challenge last weekend, he said something that really clicked. He explained that he likes his cars to be setup loose, that way the car will rotate with minimal effort, and he can roll into the throttle much sooner(at corner-entry), and have a much higher exit speed. He also said that most drivers who drove his cars for the first time would spin on their first run.

This was an “aha!” moment, as I realized it wasn’t that his cars were more difficult to drive - they aren’t, for him - it’s that *I’m not capable of predicting rotation like he is*! In other words, I understand what I need to do to step up my game, even though I’m not to that point yet. 

So at the autox today, I unintentionally didn’t follow my typical MO of slowly shaving time from one run to the next. My 3rd run ended being slower than my first 2, by on my 4th run I came into a sweeper too hot, causing the back to step out a bit. I had to keep on the throttle through the turn, but was able to save it. Even though it wasn’t a smooth run, I shaved 0.367 seconds. 

So the next run I tried to carry more speed through that corner, but keep the back end in line. I was slower by 0.140 seconds. For my last run I tried to duplicate my fastest run, and although the back end did break loose in the same place it wasn’t quite as fast by 0.014 seconds. 

So yeah, loose is fast. I just need to learn how to drive that way consistently, and adjust the car a bit to help out. 

I also realized that in the years I’ve not been very active, STS has gone from a relative soft PAX that was pretty close to HS, to only being 0.007 slower than SS. Oof...

In reply to Pete Gossett :

I was there for that conversation and even though I had bourbon in front of me I was watching you two. I could see some ideas forming in your eyes.  Just that conversation was worth the time it took to build the bar that enabled it. 

In reply to Stampie :

So now that lumber has seen at least 4 distinct purposes that will help your Challenge entries!

I walked away from that thinking "I need more rear bar, on everything". I'm sure we'll be discussing rear Miata bars soon. 

I drove the Miata yesterday for only the 2nd time since before Xmas...and the driver’s side window regulator broke. I ordered a new one yesterday, but it’s not scheduled to arrive until 4/4.

I also sold the parts car/rolling chassis earlier this year & I’m happy to have it out of the yard. 

I happened to be looking under the shelf in the storeroom where the original/bad was stashed & noticed this...

Im thinking this just might possibly be related to the reason the engine seized up. 

In reply to Pete Gossett :

That's the inspection window.  I kinda forgot about your Miata.  Still driving it?

In reply to Pete Gossett :

Bit of JB Weld and it'll be as good as new?

That's just there for some extra cooling. Might want to open one up on the other side for that crossflow ventilation.

Done any more autocrossing this year?

 

In reply to Stampie :

It sat in the garage from father’s day weekend until the the last week of September because it was so miserably hot out this summer, then I drove it pretty frequently until after the Challenge. Now it’s blocked in by the van - which I could move & park next to the driveway in the grass, but tbh unless I’m looking to go rip around the van is far more comfortable & practical for normal use. 

BoxheadTim said:

In reply to Pete Gossett :

Bit of JB Weld and it'll be as good as new?

That’s what I’m thinking!

In reply to Mr_Merkur :

Good idea! I didn’t go to any local events this year. I’m just not thrilled with either club, nor their sites. I’d wanted to go early in spring, but there were no events at the closest site. Plus the heat was pretty miserable all summer long.

I turned down an offer to drive Dusterbd13’s car at the Challenge this year. For me autox was mostly always about the competition, and also about the camaraderie with the other competitors, especially in my class. I’ve definitely lost my edge over time, and it’s way more enjoyable to go hang out at the Challenge, help out if/when I can, and just hang out with friends all weekend.  

I decided to get the Miata out yesterday for the first time since October, and the battery was dead despite being left on a battery tender the whole time... So I picked up one today for ~$112 and took it for a short drive.

I still love how diving it feels like putting on a really great fitting pair of shoes. 
 

Part of the reason I haven't driven it was because our streets been in various states of dirt/mud/gravel due to construction & there were a couple months I doubt I could have got it out of the driveway anyway. They finally paved the street Monday, so after I returned from the drive I decided it was time to finally clean out the garage a bit too. 

Well with the DSM back in "service position" in the garage, I have the Miata where I can drive it if needed/desired. I finally bought a battery quick disconnect a couple weekends ago & installed it, so no more concerns about it draining & killing my battery. 

I also drove it to the quick-lube place this weekend for its first oil change since I put the car together 2-years ago...to be fair it only has about 1500-miles on it, but it was still time to change it, and berkeley reaching up the side of the engine to try & get the filter off without making an absolute mess. 
 

After driving there & back I'm seriously considering overhauling the a/c to try & get it functional. I do enjoy driving the car, but not in this heat. 
 

We may take it to the autox next month, since I doubt the DSM will be ready, but I'm not sure I want to bother with it. I love driving the car, but it's pretty boring for autox. 

Pete Gossett said:

I decided to get the Miata out yesterday for the first time since October, and the battery was dead despite being left on a battery tender the whole time... So I picked up one today for ~$112 and took it for a short drive.

I still love how diving it feels like putting on a really great fitting pair of shoes. 
 

Part of the reason I haven't driven it was because our streets been in various states of dirt/mud/gravel due to construction & there were a couple months I doubt I could have got it out of the driveway anyway. They finally paved the street Monday, so after I returned from the drive I decided it was time to finally clean out the garage a bit too. 

Did it get worse since I was there? If not you literally watched Golfball go through the same mess with no problem.

In reply to Daylan C (Forum Supporter) :

They'd fixed our driveway entrance & paved the street a few days before you were here, but I picked up the DSM a couple weeks after that, so I hadn't driven the Miata since my last post above.. 

Took the Miata to its first autox in 2-years...and had possibly the most fun racing that I've had in almost 20-years(excluding the Challenge, but that's really more about the party). 
 

He's a younger guy who I've seen at several other events, but never talked to. I didn't realize but he'd gotten rid of his BR-Z & had been racing an NB the last couple years, but it got rear-ended & was in the shop. He loved the way my car drove, which was great to hear - having never driven an STS Miata before building mine, nor having anyone in the class to compete against before, all I really had to compare myself against was PAX...and I felt like I was doing poorly compared to the other classes 2-years ago. He beat me by about 1/2-second, which is ok - this is only my 3rd event since 2018, and the last 2 events were spent mostly trying to band-aid the DSM, but having to pack up early before our second heat anyway. 

I'm still reserving judgement on whether to keep it or the DSM long-term. The DSM has the potential to be faster, drives surprisingly well, and has plenty of competition locally, but it will likely also always be more of a pain in the ass. It's not a decision I need to make yet, regardless. 

The timing display wasn't working today, but I just checked the unofficial results & im currently 11th out of 48 in raw time, which is my best finish in years so I'm ok with that. 
 

Edit: official results show 12th raw/9th Pax. Compare that to 37th & 43rd in the DSM last event. Hmm...

I took the Miata for a drive today for the first time since the December autox(other than shuffling it & the DSM around in the garage/driveway). It was also the first drive on the RT660's. I only got to push it hard around one really tight on-ramp, but they sure seem to have TONS of grip. 
 

I also noticed the oil change sticker was from a year ago today. That would have been the last time I drove it on the street. It had 4 more miles on in since the oil change when I left home today. I'm actually surprised it was that few, as it's been to 4 autocrosses, 2 with a 2nd driver, and one with double-entry(12 instead of 6 runs).

We had an autox yesterday & I actually had some competition in STS. At one point we were only 0.074 seconds apart, but I was able to hold the lead. I think my driving is improving, but we have an ESL National champ in our club & I'm still 1.5 seconds behind her on a ~40-second course, so I have plenty of room to improve. 
 

The car did develop a power steering leak, and there's a thud/pop noise from the rear that occasionally happens during transitions, so I need to get it up in the air & see what's wrong.