Another successful re-build.

Another successful re-build.

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Discussion

PeterT

Original Poster:

26 posts

275 months

Wednesday 6th June 2007
quotequote all
About two years ago I decided..... The 928 had to make way for a Cerbera.... but V8 or straight 6?

I decided on the six (for various reasons), and yes, I was fully aware of the issues with the in-line engine after all the chitchat on this website and also conversations with 'folks' who have experience rebuilding and improving these units.

I simply wished to establish a strong engine for reliable road use. Also, my expectations regarding mileage is around 5k miles per year, therefore 100k between rebuild is not an issue for me.
I have kept a watching brief over all the suggestions and alternatives to either correct initial design flaws, materials and QA of parts or improvements to extract further power / delivery or longevity.... the eternal compromise that all engine designers attempts to balance.
A 'well cared for' SpeedSix with an engine that needed a re-build was for sale locally, so for me this was an excellent opportunity.

I decided that TVR Power should complete the rebuild.

I will admit that I had to be patient and there were a number of issues that we had to resolve, such as a new starter motor and a replacement 1/2 time bearing which required the engine to come out again!

So, the reason I now place these words on this forum is simply due to what I regard as the completion of the rebuild, the re-mapping of the ECU. This was actually done by John Ravenscroft. The engine now is, as I believe it should be, simply having a very strong smooth delivery of torque as the revs rise….. actually very very smooth.

Yes, it did take a long time to sort and there were repairs along the way following the rebuild, however, I'm now seriously pleased at the end result and I do have confidence that the work Dom and his team has completed on my 4.0ltr is certainly producing the goods.

Whitey

2,508 posts

289 months

Wednesday 6th June 2007
quotequote all
PeterT said:
So, the reason I now place these words on this forum is simply due to what I regard as the completion of the rebuild, the re-mapping of the ECU. This was actually done by John Ravenscroft. The engine now is, as I believe it should be, simply having a very strong smooth delivery of torque as the revs rise….. actually very very smooth.
Was that done via TVR Power or directly with John Ravenscroft? Why did he/Power/you decide a remap was necessary?

PeterT

Original Poster:

26 posts

275 months

Wednesday 6th June 2007
quotequote all
I decided that a re-map was necessary. I was never happy with the way the engine behaved during warm-up and at operating temps. The mechanical build of the engine is one thing, however the ignition and fuel settings complete the package. During the rebuild there were a few minor changes that may have effected fueling, such as the cleaning of the ports and ceramic coating of the exhaust. Also, the earlier mapping gave issues with the emissions at the time of MOT ( even with new cats! )

TVR Power has had their rolling road operational for a few months now but are still learning the finer art of re-mapping the MBE ECU - not any piggy-back unit. Dom suggested that I call John and he was happy to come in person to do the re-map.

With the re-map, there are a number of significant improvements:-
- It actually starts better (seems to be less load on the starter).
- Warms-up more quickly and it's less rough when cold.
- Just seems smoother all the way through the revs when warm.
Oh - as well as improved torque and Bhp.



Mr Freefall

2,323 posts

263 months

Wednesday 6th June 2007
quotequote all
PeterT said:
Oh - as well as improved torque and Bhp.


By how much can I enquire?

Mr F

PeterT

Original Poster:

26 posts

275 months

Thursday 7th June 2007
quotequote all
Mr Freefall said:
PeterT said:
Oh - as well as improved torque and Bhp.


By how much can I enquire?

Mr F
Sure, the end result was just over 10% increase in both torque and bhp (measured at the wheels). That is obviously nice to have, however, as I mentioned earlier I was most impressed with is how smooth the engine now feels.

dvs_dave

8,972 posts

230 months

Thursday 7th June 2007
quotequote all
Can you give us the actual before and after numbers? Both power and torque?

Better still, a scan of the before and after dyno curves would be very interesting. thumbup

PeterT

Original Poster:

26 posts

275 months

Friday 8th June 2007
quotequote all
dvs_dave said:
Can you give us the actual before and after numbers? Both power and torque?

Better still, a scan of the before and after dyno curves would be very interesting. thumbup
I will do. I'm traveling at the moment in Europe. A job for the week-end.

SimonSparrow

1,507 posts

267 months

Friday 8th June 2007
quotequote all
Does this imply that TVR Power can now re-map the MBE? If so, thats good news.

PeterT

Original Poster:

26 posts

275 months

Friday 8th June 2007
quotequote all
SimonSparrow said:
Does this imply that TVR Power can now re-map the MBE? If so, thats good news.
No implication.... TVR Power can re-map MBE and burn new chips. This and with the their rolling road set-up is certainly good news.

SimonSparrow

1,507 posts

267 months

Friday 8th June 2007
quotequote all
PeterT said:
SimonSparrow said:
Does this imply that TVR Power can now re-map the MBE? If so, thats good news.
No implication.... TVR Power can re-map MBE and burn new chips. This and with the their rolling road set-up is certainly good news.
Thats good to know. I guess now for MBE remaps there is Austec, TVR Power and Trackcar. Gives a few options. smile

PeterT

Original Poster:

26 posts

275 months

Friday 8th June 2007
quotequote all
SimonSparrow said:
PeterT said:
SimonSparrow said:
Does this imply that TVR Power can now re-map the MBE? If so, thats good news.
No implication.... TVR Power can re-map MBE and burn new chips. This and with the their rolling road set-up is certainly good news.
Thats good to know. I guess now for MBE remaps there is Austec, TVR Power and Trackcar. Gives a few options. smile
I'm not sure how many others can re-map the MBE directly. I do know a lot of occasions a piggy-back chip is used. - obviously not the ideal situation!

PeterT

Original Poster:

26 posts

275 months

Monday 18th June 2007
quotequote all
dvs_dave said:
Can you give us the actual before and after numbers? Both power and torque?

Better still, a scan of the before and after dyno curves would be very interesting. thumbup
Sorry for the delay. See below the before and after.



And yes, it's the 'at the wheels' values.