M Collins wrote:
Yes, it is an S1.
I have changed the throttle pot setting that causes it to cut the fuel, it should now cut off the fuel if the engine is running over 2500 rpm and the throttle is lifted. It still feels very light though, and I am not used to the change down requiring so little "blip".
Robin, from your description, I assume you have either used one or own one, so did you find engine braking was very much lighter with the Emerald, or have I missed something somewhere?
Had an S1 PTP165 but with their ECU, not the emerald. Now have an emerald on an S2, though not running yet
I don't think the ECU will influence engine braking at all - if you notice it now being different from what it was with the PTP ECU fitted, then you haven't got the overrun settings right (or you have a manifold leak - did you plug all the holes left by redundant sensors?).
/nit/ there is a small possibility that a little bit more air will get pulled through the IACV if you haven't told the ECU to adjust it dynamically - but this is peanuts and I would be amazed if it made any difference to engine braking /nit/
You can tell if the overrun is working properly. Accelerate hard in 3rd to 5,000 rpm on a nice straight bit of road, preferably a quiet one, and if you can engineer to end up going down hill, all the better. Lift right off the gas and watch the tacho as the engine slows and hence revs drop - just around the 2,500 (or whatever you've set) mark you should hear the burble as the fuelling comes back in and the sparks kick off a wee pop of the unburned fuel in the exhaust.
The PTP head was fitted by sinclairs, I assume it was them who cut the old intake off, and so I assume it was also them who cut the replacement ducting 2 inches to short and failed to secure it to anything
DIY, it's the only way to know what's been done and what's been bodged; and then you also have no-one but yourself to blame afterwards either
TBH, it could also be whoever changed the fuel filter last - these are notoriously hard to remove and are attached to the backside of the plate that the ITG airbox usually fitted with PTP kit mounts on to.
The last thing we noticed in this flurry of tender loving care, was that she was practically out of oil - last serviced 7K miles ago. Does anyone else find that they are drinking quite a bit of oil?
Engines fitted with PTP kit (and properly "loved") go through pistons and rings much quicker than standard cars. You've probably lost some compression and are burning a bit of oil (and this may fit in with the engine braking being light too, but only if it was always really like that).
Best solution to this problem (without regard to cost) is to purchase a new bottom end from our pals at PTP - ITRO 1200 quid, but will last another 50-100K+ depending on how you drive it.
A cheaper solution is to buy a low mileage 2nd hand bottom end, preferably out of something like an MGF that's had a low mileage front end write off. But then you don't know how well cared for that engine ever was (e.g. does it have saggy liners that will give you HGF repeatedly). An EU3-based car is a better bet (both in terms of age and in terms of the changes made to tolerances on things like liners) than an EU2 - EU3 will have plug top ignition and no distributor, so easy to recognise.
An apparently cheap, but usually costly, route is to strip and rebuild the engine. The only advantage this has over a factory built bottom end is you can fit forged pistons which will survive PTP170 and beyond levels of abuse for much longer than standard pistons.
Hope this helps - the PTP kit is great and you will enjoy it - is it destined for the track?
Cheers,
Robin
