Shugmobile upgrade - Now with throttle linkage photos.

[Shug]

Not sure whether I'm making progress or not. Feels like it's getting further into the gears than it was, but still only engaging 5th and reverse. Was warned it'll take time though so will go at it again tomorrow.

[Rich H]

Sounds like a battle of wills...keep up the good work!

[Mikie711]

Any update Shug? the suspense is killing me

[Shug]

Aye - no f*cking progress apart from me getting a sore left arm (makes a change as I'm right handed) 2 hours I was trying to get it to move - can get 4th to the stage where it's almost engaging now (can hear chattering with the clutch up and can actually move the car by holding it against the gear) but no joy. So it's gonna have to come back out.

Really really can't be arsed giving up another bloody weekend doing that... Bit pissed off with it, all being told.

[Rich H]

Well that sucks

[steve_weegie]

Grim shug, rotten luck

[Shug]

Okay - final update on this, as it's all completed.

As I indicated a couple of posts up, I had had enough of taking the bloody gearbox out, so as I had absolutely no drive to do it again, I phoned Dan to ask him if he'd do it for me... No shame in admitting defeat if you simply can't justify spending the time.

So, go the car ferried down to Dan's and he set to work. Only took him a few days to get back to me and he asked if I'd tried the gearbox on the bench with the reverse light switch in. "Odd question" thinks I, but I remembered that I noticed that it wasn't in the box on the day that I was going to re-fit, so it got screwed in just before the gearbox went into the car. This appears to be key - as the reverse light switch was fouling on the mechanism inside - Dan noticed witness marks on it, tried to file it down and re-fit, but it was much too long. Can only imagine it was out of something else and just got slotted into the gearbox by the seller, by mistake. So, cut down sump plug bolt inserted (my reverse light wiring has been dead for ages anyway) the box worked beautifully and got slotted back in the car.

Couple of Sundays back, I rolled down to County Durham in the Merc with Elaine and picked it up. Had to take a driveshaft seal down (I had spares, Dan would have had to wait until Tues for a delivery - so I took my spares as it'd take him half an hour to fit them and re-fill the box with oil) Got some coffee, while Dan went to work. 45 minutes later, it was ready to roll out. Also had Dan swap out a cranskhaft sensor while he was in there, as my misfire was still making itself felt now and again - looking at the Emerald live mapping screen, the revs would zero as it misfired, so I guessed a sensor...

Drove off - after a visit to the Metro Centre to keep Elaine on-side

Gearbox was fantastic, but the car was pulling badly and misfiring like a git - obviously not a sensor and something was badly wrong at the back. I'd gone back via Dan's and while we eyeballed that the rear toe was out, we couldn't find a reason (nothing felt loose anyway). The way Dan took the back end apart, there's no way he could have changed it, so instead of totally dominating his Sunday, I decided to get it up north at safe pace and get it apart myself.

So, we get home and I leave it a couple of days. After work mid-week, I get inquisitive and roll about on the drive, looking at suspension - to be treated to the surprising view below:



That's looking forward, past the spring and driveshaft, to the nearside balljoint. It's unscrewed itself and is sitting on about three threads!!!

Now, to be very clear THIS WAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DAN. He took the whole corner off and didn't split any balljoints - I took the balljoint apart when I changed the box at first and I must have just nipped up the nut. When the car was up on a jack (as it was when we were wiggling wheels) the weight of the wheel assembly slotted the balljoint into place and therefore it all felt solid - it was only when the weight of the car was on the suspension that it popped off...

So, I swore a bit and thanked my lucky stars (it will have been unscrewing all the way home), then tightened it up properly (gladly, I don't seem to have damaged the balljoint) That dealt with the odd handling, now for the misfire...

That had to wait until yesterday until I got time to deal with it. Drove over to my parents (where the tools are) and it was still doing it. Odd misfire though - only at certain revs and load when hot - you'd imagine it was the ECU dropping a load site, or perhaps an odd coil failure. Picked up a second hand coil pack of the fleebay and tried that - was a bit better (this was with the coil pack temporarily gaffer taped in the boot, as the original bolts were pretty seized and I just wanted to test) So I decided this was at least part of the issue and took out the old coil and bolted the new one in. Then it wouldn't start at all!

Looking at the emerald live mapping screen, the rev display was very odd. It'd flash 600 odd rpm, but then zero. When it registered rpm for a few revolutions in a row, it'd try to fire. Must be a sensor issue...

Went back and thought "what's changed since it was running okay with the coils in the boot" The only thing different was location, therefore where the cables were and - Eureka!!!

The HT leads had been re-routed in the name of tidyness - and it was then I noticed that they were actually lying on the connector for the crank position sensor. First rule of automotive electrics is to keep HT leads away from signal leads - and these were touching! So, pulled and re-routed the HT leads. Tried it and it fired first time - no hassle. Settled to a steady idle and then I could drive off beautifully! So, that's that sorted then

First impressions? G/Box is lovely - much quieter than the old one, which I'll put down to it being tighter shimmed. Feels like the car is much more on it's toes now as it never drops out of the power band if you're even slightly pressing on. Noise at motorway cruise doesn't bother me. Not really pushed it hard enough to feel the diff at work yet (in the two short journeys in traffic I had yesterday) Certainly on a couple of 'press on' roundabout engagements, it didn't push (which was my worry), nor did it let go at the back, even on greasy roads with a decent amount of throttle. Obviously, will need to try it in controlled surroundings to get a feel for the real differences - Walshy next month being the ideal location.

It's been much more of a mare than it needed to be, but it's done now - so I'm happy. Cheers to Dan - whilst it wasn't something major, it's pot luck whether I'd have identified the reverse switch anytime soon - many thanks for giving up part of your Sunday as well, to fit in around me.

[steve_weegie]

Good to hear a mechanical success story these days shug

[r055]

Good to hear a mechanical success story these days shug

glad shes back on the road mate

[philthy]

Great bit of detective work by Dan and yourself with the misfire.

[Rich H]

Good news!

[Victor Meldrew]

Well it had to hqppen. The cable broke. Most likely caused by the angle/curve of the cable due to the car having the lower height alloy rear cover causing a tighter angle than expected.

[Mike Scib]

Glad it was a easy-ish fix in the end mate

Would be interested to hear how you get on with the diff? What rpm is yours sitting at now at say 80mph? Mine is 4000rpm, what would a normal box be?

[tut]

Standard box would 93mph, 23.3mph/1000rpm as opposed to 19.7.

tut

[Mikie711]

Good to see you've cracked it Shug, who'd have thought the reverse light switch............ . Just need to get it on the track now