After reading the multiple posts on other blogs about the M116 and M117 engines, I decided that the best approach to tuning the engine was to have it almost perfectly sealed, No vacuum leaks. These engines are notorious for not having massive amounts of vacuum to start off , so any vacuum leak will not help.
With the help of a vacuum gauge, and lots of patience I isolated a couple of vacuum leaks that were minor, and the gauge went from 14 to 18 Inches of mercury. That is a good start, but I was still having a nasty cutout every time I accelerated the car, If I accelerated it slowly, it would do fine. If I mashed it, it would stumble, vacuum would drop to alomst zero, and try to die. I was thinking that I might have a very tired engine, with worn rings....
Out comes the compression test. I had done this when I bought the car years ago, but hey, a ring could have let gom, or another not so nice episode could have happened. So In I go to check compression on all 8 cilinders. While I was at it, I used my spark plug gauge to make sure that the plugs were gapped correctly, and saw that my spark plugs were rather blackish, showing a very rich running.
I went ahead a tested the compression in all cilinders. The high was 170, the low 165. That is not bad for a 8.0 CR engine built in 1976! So, after that I went and gapped the spark plugs. There were 2 that were way off, , and all of them were too narrow. I also retorqued the intake manifold bolts, as the engine has had time to expand a couple of times. The oil was changed about a month ago, so that should be OK as well.
I plugged my laptop into MS, and turned the engine on. It was still missing, but not as bad. I went through the sequence a couple of times, playing mostly with the MAF tables, and the engine gradually got better. Found that the best running was developign 200 HP at 4750 RPM and 250 Torque at 3000 RPM, but still that damn miss when I mashed the throttle.
Again went through the configuration wizard, and got to the acceleratin enrichment table. Played around with it, as there really is only one side of it, the MAF side, as I do not have a TPS. I enriched the top end, for 200 Pascals, and the engine got worse!. So, I leaned the top end, to 5, and the engine not only did not miss, it ran beautifully. It was missing because it was over enriched!.
Now I can get back to getting this on the road again!. Doing brakes and Exhaust next!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Let there be lights!!!!
Last year one of the HIGHLY recommended modifications was to install "Euro" headlights on the car. I found a good set on eBay that was reasonable, i.e less than 4 digits...
I also bought the instructions to install them with the appropriate plugs. The old lights worked so, so, and I was not thrilled with them. I installed the "euro" headlights, but after much finagling, and trying to get them to work, I realized that there was something very wrong. I traced the wrongness to the switch, and left the lights sort of kinda working the best way I could.
Yesterday I went through probably the most painful repair ever in the SLC. Replacing the (*&(*&(* headlight switch. The manual says that you just take it out with one screw,and lower it into the lower cavity.... There is no such thing. I had to work through the speaker opening, and there is a small amount of give from the cables. I managed after hours of work to replace the switch. And NO, MB did not use a plug, they used spaded connectors with screws, and they used one per circuit. MB also separated the left and right position lights so that you can put them in "park" mode. That means that there are a whole bunch of connectors. But after finally plugging everything in, I got a semblance of normality, with position, low and nothing....
So, off come the euros again... And tester in hand troubleshot all the connections. Finally I figured out that I had 2 position lights connected to the high beams, when it should be connected to the light under the bumper, so I finally got the lights working. I also soldered new connections that I bought on-line, that are supposedly used by the new MB, and they worked pretty nicely. No high power here, so, new connectors work.
Now I have position lights, corner lights, blinker lights, driving, and high beams. It all works!
Next step... Brakes. No ABS, so this is not rocket science. Will take off the booster, to clean, paint, and make pretty, and then replace the master cylinder. Monday, front calipers, pads and disks.
I also bought the instructions to install them with the appropriate plugs. The old lights worked so, so, and I was not thrilled with them. I installed the "euro" headlights, but after much finagling, and trying to get them to work, I realized that there was something very wrong. I traced the wrongness to the switch, and left the lights sort of kinda working the best way I could.
Yesterday I went through probably the most painful repair ever in the SLC. Replacing the (*&(*&(* headlight switch. The manual says that you just take it out with one screw,and lower it into the lower cavity.... There is no such thing. I had to work through the speaker opening, and there is a small amount of give from the cables. I managed after hours of work to replace the switch. And NO, MB did not use a plug, they used spaded connectors with screws, and they used one per circuit. MB also separated the left and right position lights so that you can put them in "park" mode. That means that there are a whole bunch of connectors. But after finally plugging everything in, I got a semblance of normality, with position, low and nothing....
So, off come the euros again... And tester in hand troubleshot all the connections. Finally I figured out that I had 2 position lights connected to the high beams, when it should be connected to the light under the bumper, so I finally got the lights working. I also soldered new connections that I bought on-line, that are supposedly used by the new MB, and they worked pretty nicely. No high power here, so, new connectors work.
Now I have position lights, corner lights, blinker lights, driving, and high beams. It all works!
Next step... Brakes. No ABS, so this is not rocket science. Will take off the booster, to clean, paint, and make pretty, and then replace the master cylinder. Monday, front calipers, pads and disks.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
450SLC cleaning
After sort of abandoning the SLC in favor of the W124, today I took the cover off, and proceeded to clean it out. I took out everything that I had removed and some other parts. I took out the interior carpets (still amazed at how intact they look), vacuumed, and in the process got 28 cents richer!... :-) Took out all the stuff from the trunk, and vacuumed all the little pieces out. Then I connected the third brake light (some PO had it installed in the deck lid, and it is not a bad idea as it is an original w107 part), so now all 3 brake lights work. Tomorrow, some more cleaning, and start on the brakes. I have new front rotors, calipers, and pads, new rear pads, new pump.... I want to stop this beast. Once that is done, to the exhaust shop for a new exhaust system, and O2 bong welded in, to fine tune the mega squirt. Coming along.. :-)
The other thing I need to check, as the floor on the driver's side was a bit damp is those damn sunroof drains, same as in the w124. Small things, but hopefully it will be on the road for the summer!!!!
The other thing I need to check, as the floor on the driver's side was a bit damp is those damn sunroof drains, same as in the w124. Small things, but hopefully it will be on the road for the summer!!!!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
300E leaks (looking to get a DRY w124)
About 18 months ago, we purchased a 1987 w124 300E for my wife to drive....
Well, I have been using it most of the time. :-)
Last summer we were driving north, and a nice summer squall hit us, and it was pouring. About 10 minutes later, it started raining inside as well. It was so bad, that I had to stop and get a towel. After the experience, I took it to a body shop friend of mine, where they proceeded to blow out the 4 corners of the sunroof drains.
2 weeks later, on another squall..... Pouring again. Desperate, I took the front sun visors off, and the front sunvisor cover, and I saw that the drains were badly rusted. I took out my handy Dremel, and proceeded to clean up all the rust, and then to repaint, and finally seal the pipe with some silicone, and most importantly... a zip tie.
MB never put in the zip ties there, and what happens is that humidity and moisture get trapped, and rust the outside of the drain, creating a way for the water to come back at you. After fixing this. the front never ever leaked again, and my floors are mostly nice and dry, except for me getting in and out.
Last week, we noticed a very troubling development, and we saw that the rear carpets were wet. The rear, is not nearly as easy as the front.
So, today, being in MA, winter and all, and the temperature is above freezing, I decided to risk it.
I started by taking the seats out, finding that the vacuum pump for the doors was missing altogether.... No wonder why they did not work! hmmmm. this might not be a new development! The pump happens to live in the same spot that was flooding. After removing both c pillar panels, I took down the rear part of the headliner. That was quite a chore. It has a nice build but it took a bit to figure it out.
Once the headliner was down, I could clearly see that the downspout was wet, but not too rusted. I took the rubber drains off, and with some pressurized air I cleared them, and proceeded to sand, primer and paint the spouts. I waited until the spouts were nice and dry, and applied some silicone on them, and then reconnected the downspout hoses, and tied them with zip ties. Hopefully this will last as long as the car has so far, or 23 years. :-)
So, if you have a very humid w124, and can't figure out where the *&*(^^ the water is coming in, check the downspouts! If they are rusting, or even with old age the rubber is not as supple as it used to be, and water will find a way back into the car.
Well, I have been using it most of the time. :-)
Last summer we were driving north, and a nice summer squall hit us, and it was pouring. About 10 minutes later, it started raining inside as well. It was so bad, that I had to stop and get a towel. After the experience, I took it to a body shop friend of mine, where they proceeded to blow out the 4 corners of the sunroof drains.
2 weeks later, on another squall..... Pouring again. Desperate, I took the front sun visors off, and the front sunvisor cover, and I saw that the drains were badly rusted. I took out my handy Dremel, and proceeded to clean up all the rust, and then to repaint, and finally seal the pipe with some silicone, and most importantly... a zip tie.
MB never put in the zip ties there, and what happens is that humidity and moisture get trapped, and rust the outside of the drain, creating a way for the water to come back at you. After fixing this. the front never ever leaked again, and my floors are mostly nice and dry, except for me getting in and out.
Last week, we noticed a very troubling development, and we saw that the rear carpets were wet. The rear, is not nearly as easy as the front.
So, today, being in MA, winter and all, and the temperature is above freezing, I decided to risk it.
I started by taking the seats out, finding that the vacuum pump for the doors was missing altogether.... No wonder why they did not work! hmmmm. this might not be a new development! The pump happens to live in the same spot that was flooding. After removing both c pillar panels, I took down the rear part of the headliner. That was quite a chore. It has a nice build but it took a bit to figure it out.
Once the headliner was down, I could clearly see that the downspout was wet, but not too rusted. I took the rubber drains off, and with some pressurized air I cleared them, and proceeded to sand, primer and paint the spouts. I waited until the spouts were nice and dry, and applied some silicone on them, and then reconnected the downspout hoses, and tied them with zip ties. Hopefully this will last as long as the car has so far, or 23 years. :-)
So, if you have a very humid w124, and can't figure out where the *&*(^^ the water is coming in, check the downspouts! If they are rusting, or even with old age the rubber is not as supple as it used to be, and water will find a way back into the car.
Monday, June 29, 2009
It is ALIVE
I have not kept up with this blog as I originally intended, but I have kept up work on the car.
On Sunday, I had my wife crank the car, while I checked the timing. It was WAY off, so far off, that I had to move the distributor one tooth!. That would make up for the really bad way that it ran before!.
What I have done in the last year:
1. Fixed the driver side fuel rail to make space for the valve cover. You can now remove the valve cover without taking out the fuel rail.
2. Finished all the hoses, and connectors. One of my home made connectors was a flop though, and at this point in time, I just bought 2 Female M14 X1.5 to AN-6 adaptors that I found on the web. These 2 go to the original fuel line outlets, and they will save a lot of aggravation in the long run.
3. Replaced the fuel pump... Dumb me left the car with gas, even though it had stabil, it still congealed inside the old one. No way to get it out.
4. Replaced the timing chain. There is a pretty good write up about this on the web. Toughest part was actually getting the dumb cir clips back on the chain... This is cheap insurance when you do not know the history of the car, and it takes about 2 hours to do. I also replaced the timing chain tensioner, took off the air pump, replaced all the fan belts while I had the fan off.
5. Finished wiring the megasquirt relay, and installed the MS-II ECU. Programmed it.
6. Replaced the US spec headlights with Euro specs. Car looks so much cleaner. I also rewired the turn signals to operate with the Euro lights. Need to flesh out a connection at the switch, as it seems that the low beams are always on. Who knows what the PO did to this.
7. Wired the Fuel pump directly to the MS relay board. This way it will be turned off with the engine. I never felt safe with the old wiring (left it intact though) not knowing when to turn off the fuel. That would be a bad thing in a major crash.
8. Timed the engine properly. Specs for a 1976 450 call for 7 degrees advance. My nifty Craftsman timing light can be set with the advance. Also, make sure that you highlight the marker, and the TDC 0 line, so that you can see it.
9. Once the car was running, it was nice and smooth. Was surprised at how easy it was to start.
After jumping up and down a couple of times, I noticed some minor fuel leak at one of my constructed adaptors. I immediately turned the car off (gas, and hot engine=bad). This had not happened while testing the fuel system before, (I would not have tried to start the engine had I seen the leak), so I waited while the engine cooled down, and pressure in the system was lost before taking off the connector. What I found was that the blue aluminum connector had sheared inside the makeshift adaptor. I took both off, and ordered 2 more of the NPT to AN-6 adaptors, and I found the M14 to AN-6 adaptor, that I also bought. With the second type, you will just need that single adaptor, and no NPT adaptor. Much cleaner solution, and will look far better.
On Sunday, I had my wife crank the car, while I checked the timing. It was WAY off, so far off, that I had to move the distributor one tooth!. That would make up for the really bad way that it ran before!.
What I have done in the last year:
1. Fixed the driver side fuel rail to make space for the valve cover. You can now remove the valve cover without taking out the fuel rail.
2. Finished all the hoses, and connectors. One of my home made connectors was a flop though, and at this point in time, I just bought 2 Female M14 X1.5 to AN-6 adaptors that I found on the web. These 2 go to the original fuel line outlets, and they will save a lot of aggravation in the long run.
3. Replaced the fuel pump... Dumb me left the car with gas, even though it had stabil, it still congealed inside the old one. No way to get it out.
4. Replaced the timing chain. There is a pretty good write up about this on the web. Toughest part was actually getting the dumb cir clips back on the chain... This is cheap insurance when you do not know the history of the car, and it takes about 2 hours to do. I also replaced the timing chain tensioner, took off the air pump, replaced all the fan belts while I had the fan off.
5. Finished wiring the megasquirt relay, and installed the MS-II ECU. Programmed it.
6. Replaced the US spec headlights with Euro specs. Car looks so much cleaner. I also rewired the turn signals to operate with the Euro lights. Need to flesh out a connection at the switch, as it seems that the low beams are always on. Who knows what the PO did to this.
7. Wired the Fuel pump directly to the MS relay board. This way it will be turned off with the engine. I never felt safe with the old wiring (left it intact though) not knowing when to turn off the fuel. That would be a bad thing in a major crash.
8. Timed the engine properly. Specs for a 1976 450 call for 7 degrees advance. My nifty Craftsman timing light can be set with the advance. Also, make sure that you highlight the marker, and the TDC 0 line, so that you can see it.
9. Once the car was running, it was nice and smooth. Was surprised at how easy it was to start.
After jumping up and down a couple of times, I noticed some minor fuel leak at one of my constructed adaptors. I immediately turned the car off (gas, and hot engine=bad). This had not happened while testing the fuel system before, (I would not have tried to start the engine had I seen the leak), so I waited while the engine cooled down, and pressure in the system was lost before taking off the connector. What I found was that the blue aluminum connector had sheared inside the makeshift adaptor. I took both off, and ordered 2 more of the NPT to AN-6 adaptors, and I found the M14 to AN-6 adaptor, that I also bought. With the second type, you will just need that single adaptor, and no NPT adaptor. Much cleaner solution, and will look far better.
Friday, August 29, 2008
New Car, Work done in July, August
I have been a bit remiss on posting new items, but, I have been busy working on the fuel rails drilling the holes, and polishing them, and some other miscellaneous items... Also trying to try the injectors, I pulled one off, and the hat, and spacer fell into the hole... So, not wanting a disastrous valve-piston contact, I took the intake manifold off, and replaced the gaskets... again. That was a minor set back. I also put the fuel rails and the passenger side one, fit perfectly, and you can remove the valve cover without removing the fuel rail... On the driver side due to the accelerator linkage it is rather tight, so this weekend I will take the driver's side fuel rail off, and have it ground down a bit so that there is at least some distance between it and the valve cover.
I also found out that the fuel lines use an M14 x1.5 tap, and will be making some adaptors with 1" square aluminum stock. As the fuel line needs to "stop" against something (otherwise it will never seal) I am planning on using a 2" long piece, on one side Will use the M14 tap (use a 1/2" drill bit) and drill to a 3/4" depth. On the other side I will drill for the 3/8NPT tap, and use a depth of 1"... that leaves me with a 1/4" shoulder that I can drill with a smaller 3/8" (8mm) hole, and this will provide the "seal" for the fuel line.
I still have lots of work cut out for me, and with the summer almost ending I will take some time this weekend to work and at least complete the fuel lines, and pressure test the system. I have the CIS testing equipment that goes all the way up to 100PSI, but with modern injectors you should never exceed 50.
We have also bought a 1987 W124 from an older gentleman's family, and after inspecting it, and taking it for a ride, it was in exceptional shape. here are some pics of the car:
So far we have replaced both headlight surroundings, buffed out the car (the white paint was chalky) and cleaned the interior. I have never seen my wife so excited with a car, and it is on the road, so we have been enjoying it. I have found some minor things that need attention, and have already bought the parts. I have ordered new rotors, pads, pad sensors, and a new heater valve ($95, and not $650 like some other W107 ones... I have the mechanical one, thanks the production year.. :-) ) So, there has been a lot of car work... Just not enough on the SLC!.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Injectors and electrical connectors
I have been working on getting the injectors ready by replacing the seals, the fuel injector baskets, and the fuel injector pintles (little plastic hats in the injector). I also tested them all and made sure that the resistance is about 14-15 ohms. They all tested within +/- .05 ohms... Not bad.
The fuel injector harnesses were built using fuel injector pigtails, and in parallel, and will use the 2 banks that Megasquirt can controll and alternate them. I also tested all the connectors as I do not want any surprises when I try to start it. I have also started the connectors for the clt, the iat, and the negative post of the coil. I will also wire the O2 sensor cable, and wrap it up for future installation after I have installed the shorty mustang headers (future project).
Tomorrow I expect to finish the basic cabling, and will start wrapping it up so that it looks nice and neat. The fuel Injectors are in the car, and I am waiting on the 14mm drill bits to make the final cuts in the fuel rails. Once that is done, I can assemble all the fuel injector components, including the FPR, and tie down the fuel injector harness and the sensor cables so that they are not all over the engine compartment.
The fuel injector harnesses were built using fuel injector pigtails, and in parallel, and will use the 2 banks that Megasquirt can controll and alternate them. I also tested all the connectors as I do not want any surprises when I try to start it. I have also started the connectors for the clt, the iat, and the negative post of the coil. I will also wire the O2 sensor cable, and wrap it up for future installation after I have installed the shorty mustang headers (future project).
Tomorrow I expect to finish the basic cabling, and will start wrapping it up so that it looks nice and neat. The fuel Injectors are in the car, and I am waiting on the 14mm drill bits to make the final cuts in the fuel rails. Once that is done, I can assemble all the fuel injector components, including the FPR, and tie down the fuel injector harness and the sensor cables so that they are not all over the engine compartment.
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