Phoenix from the flames - Porsche Boxster with an Audi 2.7T
Discussion
It's not really holding it back, other than pulling a bit of ignition timing. I have the water/meth injection which is masks any poor results from the charge cooler system. It's more about just trying to make improvements and refine stuff.
I think I'm probably pushing my turbos past their efficency, next time I go to a dyno I'm going to run it at different boost levels and see what difference it makes to power. I could well be introducing a load of extra heat and making no power gains past a certain point.
My charge cooler system is completely independent of the engine cooling system. The radiator for the charge coolers is in the middle at the front.
If I was to change the charge coolers, I quite like the look of the F10 M5 ones or the Mclaren ones. I also had my eye on new turbos. I need to resist the urge to take it apart and make changes. It's fine as it is and everything is nicely integrated. I do enjoy the tinkering as much as the driving.
I think I'm probably pushing my turbos past their efficency, next time I go to a dyno I'm going to run it at different boost levels and see what difference it makes to power. I could well be introducing a load of extra heat and making no power gains past a certain point.
My charge cooler system is completely independent of the engine cooling system. The radiator for the charge coolers is in the middle at the front.
If I was to change the charge coolers, I quite like the look of the F10 M5 ones or the Mclaren ones. I also had my eye on new turbos. I need to resist the urge to take it apart and make changes. It's fine as it is and everything is nicely integrated. I do enjoy the tinkering as much as the driving.
I'll try and get some logs this evening. The ones I took before were compromised as the pump wasn't operating as I intended. I'd seen enough to know the new pump wasn't a game changer. I log air intake temp, coolant temp in and out of the charge coolers.
On the road the car only sees full throttle for probably less than 10 seconds at a time, I've got enough system capacity that this isn't long enough for me to see significantly raised temperatures on the coolant temp in. I rarely see raised temps for the coolant coming in to the charge coolers. I'm sure under constant throttle on a track (I'm going to Castle Coombe on the 16th April) I'll find it may struggle to bring the temps back down but at the moment the heat exchanger at the front rejecting heat isn't an issue.
My understanding is coolant flow rate is king (if rejecting head at the heat exchanger at the front isn't a problem). the thread I read with the heating engineer trying to re-develop the 4.0T system was all about flow rate, many of them are running 2 of these pumps I've just fitted in series.
Like I mentioned before, I'm probably pushing the turbos too hard and I also think poor efficiency of the charge coolers could be an issue. If my coolant flow has gone up but my temps haven't gone down it points to that. The S600 came out in 1999. I'm not sure how much technology has moved on in terms of core design? It might just be down to physical size. This is what they are like inside.
On the road the car only sees full throttle for probably less than 10 seconds at a time, I've got enough system capacity that this isn't long enough for me to see significantly raised temperatures on the coolant temp in. I rarely see raised temps for the coolant coming in to the charge coolers. I'm sure under constant throttle on a track (I'm going to Castle Coombe on the 16th April) I'll find it may struggle to bring the temps back down but at the moment the heat exchanger at the front rejecting heat isn't an issue.
My understanding is coolant flow rate is king (if rejecting head at the heat exchanger at the front isn't a problem). the thread I read with the heating engineer trying to re-develop the 4.0T system was all about flow rate, many of them are running 2 of these pumps I've just fitted in series.
Like I mentioned before, I'm probably pushing the turbos too hard and I also think poor efficiency of the charge coolers could be an issue. If my coolant flow has gone up but my temps haven't gone down it points to that. The S600 came out in 1999. I'm not sure how much technology has moved on in terms of core design? It might just be down to physical size. This is what they are like inside.
I had a look over the Boxster for the first time in a while. It's got a bit of an issue but I'm not sure what exactly.
When I went under it there was a small oil leak that's started (nothing making it's way onto the floor). I also noticed the dipstick had been pushed up. When I checked the oil level it was bellow the minimum mark on the dipstick. It took a litre to top it up to maximum.
IMG_20240302_175004405_HDR
I instantly thought this was a breather issue. I pulled the spark plugs and every piston was wet with oil pooling in the lowest valve cut outs. I did a compression test and all cylinders are between 180-190psi and I did a leak down issue which shows no problems. All my boost hoses are oil free and the inlet manifold is dry. The oil must be coming past the piston rings.
2024-03-03_12-38-29
I had a look over my breather system. I monitor the crankcase pressure so I've got data to go off. I merge the 3 breathers from the engine into one pipe and run it into a catch can. There's 2 lines that come back out of the catch can. One is to the inlet manifold for off boost with a check valve. It all works fine. At idle, if I open the oil cap the crank case pressure actually goes up as the engine can't pull a vacuum on the crank case. The other line coming out of the catch can goes to the venturis in my exhaust (with a one way valve). This is how I vent it while on boost. I know this works as I logged the crank case pressure with and without, it was lower with the venturi's connected and the pressure comes down as the exhaust flow goes up.
I took it on a 20 minute drive. The crank case pressure ranged from 1006mbar to 1064mbar. Ambient pressure was 1015mbar so it's seeing 0.7psi of positive pressure. The 1064mbar peak was at 5500rpm with the engine making 3000mbar (29psi). The pressure drops slightly after that point as the exhaust flow improves the venturi effect. I've not found much information on crank case pressures but everything I've seen suggests 0.7psi is fine.
The engine isn't visibly burning oil, the spark plugs were clean. All pistons are equally wet, it's not like I've got one worse than all the others. After a drive it looked like this. Still some oil on pooled (left side on the pic).
2024-03-06_21-08-06
The one thing I don't understand, I've had engines with bad valve stem seals, they smoke like a chimney as soon as it's started up, the oil burns off quickly. That's not happening on mine which made me think it's not oil. It could be poorly atomised fuel at idle which would explain why it looks wet although It doesn't evaporate though if I leave the plugs out so probably not.
So I don't know where I'm at with it, dipstick popped up, oil leak started and lost a litre of oil says I've got a problem. The fact it runs great and doesn't visibly burn oil makes me think I might be worrying too much. I've got a track day booked next month, I'll keep an eye the oil consumption and crank case pressure.
I'm running 5w30 oil. Maybe I'll put some 10w40 in it on the next oil change.
In other news I bought some Mclaren 12c charge coolers. Try as I might I couldn't get them in, I just don't have enough space. I'd have had to re-locate the expansion tank into the boot and get my A/C lines re-made. The whole thing is a tight package with everything built around everything else so changes now will have too many knock on effects. It's a shame as they look the business.
IMG_20240303_194345087
When I went under it there was a small oil leak that's started (nothing making it's way onto the floor). I also noticed the dipstick had been pushed up. When I checked the oil level it was bellow the minimum mark on the dipstick. It took a litre to top it up to maximum.
IMG_20240302_175004405_HDRI instantly thought this was a breather issue. I pulled the spark plugs and every piston was wet with oil pooling in the lowest valve cut outs. I did a compression test and all cylinders are between 180-190psi and I did a leak down issue which shows no problems. All my boost hoses are oil free and the inlet manifold is dry. The oil must be coming past the piston rings.
2024-03-03_12-38-29I had a look over my breather system. I monitor the crankcase pressure so I've got data to go off. I merge the 3 breathers from the engine into one pipe and run it into a catch can. There's 2 lines that come back out of the catch can. One is to the inlet manifold for off boost with a check valve. It all works fine. At idle, if I open the oil cap the crank case pressure actually goes up as the engine can't pull a vacuum on the crank case. The other line coming out of the catch can goes to the venturis in my exhaust (with a one way valve). This is how I vent it while on boost. I know this works as I logged the crank case pressure with and without, it was lower with the venturi's connected and the pressure comes down as the exhaust flow goes up.
I took it on a 20 minute drive. The crank case pressure ranged from 1006mbar to 1064mbar. Ambient pressure was 1015mbar so it's seeing 0.7psi of positive pressure. The 1064mbar peak was at 5500rpm with the engine making 3000mbar (29psi). The pressure drops slightly after that point as the exhaust flow improves the venturi effect. I've not found much information on crank case pressures but everything I've seen suggests 0.7psi is fine.
The engine isn't visibly burning oil, the spark plugs were clean. All pistons are equally wet, it's not like I've got one worse than all the others. After a drive it looked like this. Still some oil on pooled (left side on the pic).
2024-03-06_21-08-06The one thing I don't understand, I've had engines with bad valve stem seals, they smoke like a chimney as soon as it's started up, the oil burns off quickly. That's not happening on mine which made me think it's not oil. It could be poorly atomised fuel at idle which would explain why it looks wet although It doesn't evaporate though if I leave the plugs out so probably not.
So I don't know where I'm at with it, dipstick popped up, oil leak started and lost a litre of oil says I've got a problem. The fact it runs great and doesn't visibly burn oil makes me think I might be worrying too much. I've got a track day booked next month, I'll keep an eye the oil consumption and crank case pressure.
I'm running 5w30 oil. Maybe I'll put some 10w40 in it on the next oil change.
In other news I bought some Mclaren 12c charge coolers. Try as I might I couldn't get them in, I just don't have enough space. I'd have had to re-locate the expansion tank into the boot and get my A/C lines re-made. The whole thing is a tight package with everything built around everything else so changes now will have too many knock on effects. It's a shame as they look the business.
IMG_20240303_194345087Peanut Gallery said:
Have fun on your track day!
0.7 psi is low, hope this is not an issue and it was just a one-off!
I have driven a car with no synchro as my dad had been told to increase the viscosity of the oil in the gearbox to do a long trailer tow, this in turn meant no oil made it into the synchro, and cooked it... Could the increase also up oil pressures more? - I don't think you have had any issues with your oil feed side, I am just curious!
Thanks, I'm looking forward to it. The plan is to start off easy and work my way into it.0.7 psi is low, hope this is not an issue and it was just a one-off!
I have driven a car with no synchro as my dad had been told to increase the viscosity of the oil in the gearbox to do a long trailer tow, this in turn meant no oil made it into the synchro, and cooked it... Could the increase also up oil pressures more? - I don't think you have had any issues with your oil feed side, I am just curious!
I think it's fairly common for people to run these engines on 5w40 and 10w40 looking on the forums.
poppopbangbang said:
Where is the pressure tapping for the crank case pressure sensor located?
How viable is it to move it and take the pressure reading off the top of the dipstick tube?
Two thought processes on this, the first is a second reading from elsewhere gives you another data set from a system with lots of variance in it, the second is to validate if the dipstick popped out because of crank case pressure or if it popped out because it's a long length of spring steel (I think it is on the 2.7?) being rung at a frequency that makes it walk.
If the dipstick gets out does it cock the rest of the crank case ventilation system effectiveness up?
I've got the pressure sensor in the middle of the Vee. It's mounted in an aluminium housing which has the breather port on it I'll get another sensor and put it on the dipstick and wire it up to see if there is a difference in the pressure. How viable is it to move it and take the pressure reading off the top of the dipstick tube?
Two thought processes on this, the first is a second reading from elsewhere gives you another data set from a system with lots of variance in it, the second is to validate if the dipstick popped out because of crank case pressure or if it popped out because it's a long length of spring steel (I think it is on the 2.7?) being rung at a frequency that makes it walk.
If the dipstick gets out does it cock the rest of the crank case ventilation system effectiveness up?
I think the dipstick might have been pushed up for a while, looking at logs it's made no difference to the peak pressure, still around 1060mbar but on the over run and idle the pressure was a bit higher as it didn't pull a vacuum.
mercedeslimos said:
Before you go to a semi-synthetic 10w40, I'd go to a BMW-spec fully synthetic 5w40. I did this on my 20v TT and oil consumption went down from 1 litre/1000 miles to 0.1 litre/1000 miles. Would a catch can vented to atmosphere smell terrible? I know the 20v and Audi 30v share design, they are heavy breathers in general I think?
Thanks for the suggestion. If I do end up change the oil grade I'll give this a go. I'm going to wait and see what the consumption is like on track and make a descision after that. A while back I fitted the 2.4 cylinder heads with the larger intake ports. It always bothered me that the inlet manifold ports were smaller. The general wisdom on the Audi forums and Facebook groups was you don't need to upgrade as people have made 700+bhp on the small port intakes. I'm not really buying it, Audi (or Cosworth?) gave the RS4 larger intake ports and obviously a manifold that matched with a larger throttle body also, that was an engine that made 380bhp as standard. I think I'm at the power level where it might make a decent difference.
It's something I've wanted to do for a while but the cost of the RS4 intake set-up is mental. One popped up locally at what I thought was a reasonable price. I went to go get it but it turned out it wasn't an RS4 manifold. That planted the seed though, I found another one and spent a bit more. RS4 manifold with fuel rail.
This is the fuel injectors from the old manifold are longer than RS4 ones
IMG_20240307_191451297
I haven't got the clearance to raise the fuel rail up this much so I needed to get new injectors. My plan was to measure the difference in injector duty cycle after swapping the manifold and tuning for it to see how much difference it had made. That's out of the window now. I bought another set of injectors, these are 1150cc at 4 bar.
The Audi S4 uses a smaller throttle body which has a rubber intake boot where the pipes connect, the RS4 uses a larger throttle, a cast aluminium pipe to replace the boot and then larger boost pipes. I didn't buy any of that stuff as I wasn't sure if it would fit my car. I wanted to ditch the rubber intake boot, it's a known point of failure and I've split one myself previously. My plan was to buy a 74mm throttle body was the aftermarket offers a bolt on flange for it which you can used a clamp on. I can only weld stainless steel, the only place I could get the bits I needed was from Australia. Ended up costing a fair whack as they had a minimum order level.
This is the pipe I came up with, it was way more difficult than I expected. It's dual 2.25" merging into 3". I used a merge I saved from the exhaust I had on the Boxster that caught fire. I was tight on clearance with the bulkhead and also the power steering pump. I couldn't make it symmetrical as I needed to go over gear cables on one side and under the power steering high pressure line on the other side. Being able to fit it and remove it was another concern. It took me ages to make it and I wasn't sure it would work until pretty late on so I'm pleased with it.
Here's all the bits, I had to buy all new silicone pipes and hose clamps as I've stepped from 2" to 2.25". I had the cam covers and intake manifold powder coated as it was painted before it flakes off all the time.
All fitted. A lot of it was done while the manifold was off being powder coated so I wasn't totally sure it'd all go together nicely. It did. The only thing that's a bit of a shame is the clamp on the throttle body doesn't come off as it won't clear the power steering pump so I need to remove the manifold to head bolts so I can lift the inlet up a bit.
Unfortunately I started it up and it's not running well. Baldur looked at a log for me and the throttle body is sticking. I've spent about twice what I thought it was going to cost so I bought a used throttle body to save a few quid, I regret that now. It's actually the part number which would have come on my Boxster originally. So now I've ordered a brand new one.
I'm looking forward to tuning it and see if there's much difference. Easiest way will be to time 100-200 in 4th. Whatever the difference it won't have been worth the outlay.
It's something I've wanted to do for a while but the cost of the RS4 intake set-up is mental. One popped up locally at what I thought was a reasonable price. I went to go get it but it turned out it wasn't an RS4 manifold. That planted the seed though, I found another one and spent a bit more. RS4 manifold with fuel rail.
This is the fuel injectors from the old manifold are longer than RS4 ones
IMG_20240307_191451297I haven't got the clearance to raise the fuel rail up this much so I needed to get new injectors. My plan was to measure the difference in injector duty cycle after swapping the manifold and tuning for it to see how much difference it had made. That's out of the window now. I bought another set of injectors, these are 1150cc at 4 bar.
The Audi S4 uses a smaller throttle body which has a rubber intake boot where the pipes connect, the RS4 uses a larger throttle, a cast aluminium pipe to replace the boot and then larger boost pipes. I didn't buy any of that stuff as I wasn't sure if it would fit my car. I wanted to ditch the rubber intake boot, it's a known point of failure and I've split one myself previously. My plan was to buy a 74mm throttle body was the aftermarket offers a bolt on flange for it which you can used a clamp on. I can only weld stainless steel, the only place I could get the bits I needed was from Australia. Ended up costing a fair whack as they had a minimum order level.
This is the pipe I came up with, it was way more difficult than I expected. It's dual 2.25" merging into 3". I used a merge I saved from the exhaust I had on the Boxster that caught fire. I was tight on clearance with the bulkhead and also the power steering pump. I couldn't make it symmetrical as I needed to go over gear cables on one side and under the power steering high pressure line on the other side. Being able to fit it and remove it was another concern. It took me ages to make it and I wasn't sure it would work until pretty late on so I'm pleased with it.
Here's all the bits, I had to buy all new silicone pipes and hose clamps as I've stepped from 2" to 2.25". I had the cam covers and intake manifold powder coated as it was painted before it flakes off all the time.
All fitted. A lot of it was done while the manifold was off being powder coated so I wasn't totally sure it'd all go together nicely. It did. The only thing that's a bit of a shame is the clamp on the throttle body doesn't come off as it won't clear the power steering pump so I need to remove the manifold to head bolts so I can lift the inlet up a bit.
Unfortunately I started it up and it's not running well. Baldur looked at a log for me and the throttle body is sticking. I've spent about twice what I thought it was going to cost so I bought a used throttle body to save a few quid, I regret that now. It's actually the part number which would have come on my Boxster originally. So now I've ordered a brand new one.
I'm looking forward to tuning it and see if there's much difference. Easiest way will be to time 100-200 in 4th. Whatever the difference it won't have been worth the outlay.
poppopbangbang said:
It's always been the case that the more you optimise the less the improvement actually is. The first 80% is easy but the next 20% is expensive and often hard.
However I'd argue that on yours that was worth the effort. It looks great and it's one of those things you're always going to ponder as being not quite right, or at least not as optimal as it could be!
Yeah, since the day I fitted the N/A heads it bothered me that the ports didn't match up so it's something I've wanted to do for a while. RS4's seem to make stronger numbers than S4's on the same turbos, so I am expecting to see a gain from it. Ideally with less restriction I could make the same sort of power as I do currently and not have to push the turbos as hard to do it. However I'd argue that on yours that was worth the effort. It looks great and it's one of those things you're always going to ponder as being not quite right, or at least not as optimal as it could be!
Stick Legs said:
I think it's fantastic.
I mean at this point anyone rational should have, would have abandoned it and walked off to just buy a used 911...
...but any fool can do that, this is up there with Hillary climbing Everest, Shackleton's lifeboat journey and Colin Furze's tunnel.
Because it can be done, and you are the only one brave enough to try it.
Anyone can get a loan and buy a car.
This is something else, in a sea of older Porsches your car & PopPopBangBang's are unique and fascinating.
Your perseverance and solution-eering are admirable and the site is richer for it.
Thanks. In my mind the performance it has makes it rational. Based off 100-200 times it's 997 GT2RS fast for 997 Carrera money. I'm quite proud of that so I'll forgive it the odd broken clutch or oil leak.I mean at this point anyone rational should have, would have abandoned it and walked off to just buy a used 911...
...but any fool can do that, this is up there with Hillary climbing Everest, Shackleton's lifeboat journey and Colin Furze's tunnel.
Because it can be done, and you are the only one brave enough to try it.
Anyone can get a loan and buy a car.
This is something else, in a sea of older Porsches your car & PopPopBangBang's are unique and fascinating.
Your perseverance and solution-eering are admirable and the site is richer for it.
The pressure has been on to get it ready for the track day on the 16th. I replaced the faulty throttle body with a brand new one.
IMG_20240402_140652905
Since the dump valves had been relocated I'd noticed that at idle they open up. Since I don't use a MAF I don't think it makes any odds other than drawing in some unfiltered air but I figured I'd change them. Nothing special, just Chinese ones off Amazon but they are adjustable so you can set the pre-load so they won't open up at idle. I know DV's are considered a bit uncool and there's an argument they aren't needed but I like them for Max Power era nostalgia reasons. Ppppttsssshhhh!
IMG_20240406_084855230_HDR
Changing anything throttle related tends to be hard work on the ECU side of it. It took me a while to get all the calibrations correct and the car running nice. Once that was done I could start tuning the fuel for the new injectors. I noticed I was making full boost a couple of hundred RPM later. I decided to pressure test the boost pipes, then spray soapy water around to see any leaks. I found a few, breather hose that connected to the PCV valve, a leak on a boost pipe clamp (not the red one on the throttle body) and a few leaks on the pipe I'd made.
IMG_20240407_200030957
Sorting out this pipe took me longer than expected. I had a booking to get a new pair of tyres fitted and had to put it all back together so I could get down there then take it all back apart to carry on. At least I've worked out a simple way to get the pipe on and off now.
IMG_20240407_212009315_HDR
The tyres were a bit of a pain. I'd ordered them from Asda. I've gone with Yokohama AD09's, 295/30/19. I got them sent to my local ETB Autocentre, it's new, about a year old. They were due to be fitted a week ago. ETB emailed me to say they couldn't fit them, I questioned it and they said they don't have the right equipment. Clearly b
ks, they just took one look at them and couldn't be bothered, maybe Asda don't pay them much?
Asda were good about it, they rang around local fitters explained the type and size of tyre and made sure they'd be willing to fit them as I couldn't risk this happening a second time. They then got them sent somewhere else for me.
IMG_20240412_161805258
Showing the tread pattern. First thoughts are positive, they hook up better than the AD08R's that came off. They were a few years old though. Hopefully I don't ruin them on the track day.
IMG_20240412_223155417
Then I went for a test drive/tuning during a flat foot shift it wouldn't go into gear. I instantly knew the issue as it happened a few months ago. I'd panicked the first time thinking I'd done the gearbox. It's a shifter cable that's popped out of it's bracket. I thought it was a one off the first time it happened but clearly not. There was a hole in the top of the bracket so I could thread a cable tie through to hold it place so it doesn't happen again. Easy enough fix but defiantly not something I'd be able to do at a track day so I'm glad it happened now and not on my first lap at Coombe.
IMG_20240413_192912295
There was a small coolant leak from a banjo bolt on a turbo. I would also notice coolant boiling in one turbo after a drive but not the other one. I decided to buy a vacuum coolant filler. I had bought one previously (red box) but it was dog st, never worked, at first I thought user error then I pretty much forgot about it. It won't pull a vacuum and it leaks air all over the place. I decided to buy a decent one this time.
IMG_20240414_161046413
That's it all connected up, simple to use. I decided I'd give it a go on my charge cooler system. I could hear the vacuum pull a load of air from the charge coolers in the engine compartment all the way to the front. It was unexpected but such a good feeling.
IMG_20240414_161734959
I didn't take a photo but I also fitted a pair of Brembo Sport HP2000 brake pads on the front, I had them a while, I have been trying to find a garage that can skim discs while on the car, could only find one place locally and they didn't want to do it was the discs are grooved. I think these machines are a fad that's been and gone. Since the track day is coming up I decided to just fit them.
I've got the tuning done. The jury is out with regards to the new inlet manifold making any difference. It did a 100-200 half a second slower than before at the same boost. I only got one run so it's not conclusive. I'll look into this a bit more after the track day.
I've run out of time now so I'll keep and eye on the logs while I'm at the track. I've set-up a low oil pressure cut off on the ECU. One of the things I'm concerned about is oil starvation. These engines aren't known for it but in the middle of a Porsche is a different proposition than the front of an Audi. I might also play about with the coilover damping.
A couple of photos of the engine as it all stands. That should be it now, no more planned changes.
IMG_20240414_165147831
IMG_20240414_165155524_HDR
IMG_20240414_165141539
IMG_20240402_140652905Since the dump valves had been relocated I'd noticed that at idle they open up. Since I don't use a MAF I don't think it makes any odds other than drawing in some unfiltered air but I figured I'd change them. Nothing special, just Chinese ones off Amazon but they are adjustable so you can set the pre-load so they won't open up at idle. I know DV's are considered a bit uncool and there's an argument they aren't needed but I like them for Max Power era nostalgia reasons. Ppppttsssshhhh!
IMG_20240406_084855230_HDRChanging anything throttle related tends to be hard work on the ECU side of it. It took me a while to get all the calibrations correct and the car running nice. Once that was done I could start tuning the fuel for the new injectors. I noticed I was making full boost a couple of hundred RPM later. I decided to pressure test the boost pipes, then spray soapy water around to see any leaks. I found a few, breather hose that connected to the PCV valve, a leak on a boost pipe clamp (not the red one on the throttle body) and a few leaks on the pipe I'd made.
IMG_20240407_200030957Sorting out this pipe took me longer than expected. I had a booking to get a new pair of tyres fitted and had to put it all back together so I could get down there then take it all back apart to carry on. At least I've worked out a simple way to get the pipe on and off now.
IMG_20240407_212009315_HDRThe tyres were a bit of a pain. I'd ordered them from Asda. I've gone with Yokohama AD09's, 295/30/19. I got them sent to my local ETB Autocentre, it's new, about a year old. They were due to be fitted a week ago. ETB emailed me to say they couldn't fit them, I questioned it and they said they don't have the right equipment. Clearly b
ks, they just took one look at them and couldn't be bothered, maybe Asda don't pay them much? Asda were good about it, they rang around local fitters explained the type and size of tyre and made sure they'd be willing to fit them as I couldn't risk this happening a second time. They then got them sent somewhere else for me.
IMG_20240412_161805258Showing the tread pattern. First thoughts are positive, they hook up better than the AD08R's that came off. They were a few years old though. Hopefully I don't ruin them on the track day.
IMG_20240412_223155417Then I went for a test drive/tuning during a flat foot shift it wouldn't go into gear. I instantly knew the issue as it happened a few months ago. I'd panicked the first time thinking I'd done the gearbox. It's a shifter cable that's popped out of it's bracket. I thought it was a one off the first time it happened but clearly not. There was a hole in the top of the bracket so I could thread a cable tie through to hold it place so it doesn't happen again. Easy enough fix but defiantly not something I'd be able to do at a track day so I'm glad it happened now and not on my first lap at Coombe.
IMG_20240413_192912295There was a small coolant leak from a banjo bolt on a turbo. I would also notice coolant boiling in one turbo after a drive but not the other one. I decided to buy a vacuum coolant filler. I had bought one previously (red box) but it was dog s
t, never worked, at first I thought user error then I pretty much forgot about it. It won't pull a vacuum and it leaks air all over the place. I decided to buy a decent one this time. IMG_20240414_161046413That's it all connected up, simple to use. I decided I'd give it a go on my charge cooler system. I could hear the vacuum pull a load of air from the charge coolers in the engine compartment all the way to the front. It was unexpected but such a good feeling.
IMG_20240414_161734959I didn't take a photo but I also fitted a pair of Brembo Sport HP2000 brake pads on the front, I had them a while, I have been trying to find a garage that can skim discs while on the car, could only find one place locally and they didn't want to do it was the discs are grooved. I think these machines are a fad that's been and gone. Since the track day is coming up I decided to just fit them.
I've got the tuning done. The jury is out with regards to the new inlet manifold making any difference. It did a 100-200 half a second slower than before at the same boost. I only got one run so it's not conclusive. I'll look into this a bit more after the track day.
I've run out of time now so I'll keep and eye on the logs while I'm at the track. I've set-up a low oil pressure cut off on the ECU. One of the things I'm concerned about is oil starvation. These engines aren't known for it but in the middle of a Porsche is a different proposition than the front of an Audi. I might also play about with the coilover damping.
A couple of photos of the engine as it all stands. That should be it now, no more planned changes.
IMG_20240414_165147831IMG_20240414_165155524_HDRIMG_20240414_165141539Edited by Escy on Monday 15th April 00:52
The track day didn't start off great, I discovered a bolt in my front tyre and had to go and get it repaired after I'd done the check in.
IMG_20240416_090650602
Then after my first lap I got a vibration. My wishbone was moving in the subframe. This defiantly wasn't happing on the road, just goes to show the extra load on it on track. The bolt was still tight even though it was moving. We tightened it up, marked it, I drove around the car park, checked it and it had moved. We managed to get it tight enough so it didn't move any more. I'll need to replace the bolt, it must be stretch or a damaged thread.. My alignment was now out, it drove fine but the steering wheel wasn't central anymore. Luckily others had tools I could borrow as I didn't have enough with me to sort that out.
IMG_20240416_103413519
Not the best start. I got it out on track and got a few laps in. The ABS was kicking in all the time, it's been alright on the road but it couldn't handle the track. In the end I turned off a canbus message which put the ABS into an error state, so it was basically off but I still had all the vehicle speed sensors working.
I've decided track days aren't my thing. I'm not truly in the moment as I know I need to drive it home. After a few laps I'd get into a rhythm go a bit faster and start to feel like I'm pushing my luck and come in. I wasn't good enough or brave enough get anywhere near the limit of the car, most of my time I was on the wastegate pressure or the low boost setting, I never use those maps on the road.
Glad I've done it but that's probably it. I think I'd be better off in a cheap and cheerful hot hatch that's trailered in.
Opentrack Castle Combe 16.4.24 - 0209 by Opentrack Track Days, on Flickr
Opentrack Castle Combe 16.4.24 - 1043 by Opentrack Track Days, on Flickr
Opentrack Castle Combe 16.4.24 - 1002 by Opentrack Track Days, on Flickr
Opentrack Castle Combe 16.4.24 - 0904 by Opentrack Track Days, on Flickr
IMG_20240416_090650602Then after my first lap I got a vibration. My wishbone was moving in the subframe. This defiantly wasn't happing on the road, just goes to show the extra load on it on track. The bolt was still tight even though it was moving. We tightened it up, marked it, I drove around the car park, checked it and it had moved. We managed to get it tight enough so it didn't move any more. I'll need to replace the bolt, it must be stretch or a damaged thread.. My alignment was now out, it drove fine but the steering wheel wasn't central anymore. Luckily others had tools I could borrow as I didn't have enough with me to sort that out.
IMG_20240416_103413519Not the best start. I got it out on track and got a few laps in. The ABS was kicking in all the time, it's been alright on the road but it couldn't handle the track. In the end I turned off a canbus message which put the ABS into an error state, so it was basically off but I still had all the vehicle speed sensors working.
I've decided track days aren't my thing. I'm not truly in the moment as I know I need to drive it home. After a few laps I'd get into a rhythm go a bit faster and start to feel like I'm pushing my luck and come in. I wasn't good enough or brave enough get anywhere near the limit of the car, most of my time I was on the wastegate pressure or the low boost setting, I never use those maps on the road.
Glad I've done it but that's probably it. I think I'd be better off in a cheap and cheerful hot hatch that's trailered in.
Opentrack Castle Combe 16.4.24 - 0209 by Opentrack Track Days, on FlickrOpentrack Castle Combe 16.4.24 - 1043 by Opentrack Track Days, on FlickrOpentrack Castle Combe 16.4.24 - 1002 by Opentrack Track Days, on FlickrOpentrack Castle Combe 16.4.24 - 0904 by Opentrack Track Days, on FlickrThanks guys. I was pleased with those photos they take, a nice touch.
MDifficult said:
Delighted that it went well! (Especially in light of your other thread) and any trackday you can drive home from is a good one.
Yeah, I was about to go back out on track when I got the phone call about the breakdown, I thought better of it! Not much has happened since the track day, I've been driving it a bit but didn't want to use it too much with the wheel alignment off. I had a chance a couple of weeks ago to look at it.
I bought new bolts for the front wishbones. Typically I'd dig through the pile of spare bolts I keep but I always do things properly on the Porsche. It helps that the dealer posts out orders.
IMG_20240508_194403217_HDR
Comparison with the old bolt. You can see the design has changed, no longer threaded all the way up.
IMG_20240508_204545325_HDR
I decided to remove my Powerflex wishbones to make some changes (everything ends up looking shabby so quickly).
IMG_20240509_195843319
I originally fitted them how they came in the box, they had the eccentric adjuster for the toe on the same side for both wishbones which meant one was easier to adjust on the car than the other so I changed one side around so they were both facing towards the rear of the car. I also flipped the adjusters for the caster (in the middle of the wishbone) upside down so they are easier to adjust on the car.
IMG_20240509_200500231
Then another alignment, it's already paid for itself. I'd be looking at £150-200 a go if I was taking it somewhere.
IMG_20240514_192259180
I checked over the rest of it this weekend. I'm really pleased to report the engine is all nice and clean, no oil leaks. That's been a constant battle all the way along this project, the fact it's done a track day and loads of pulls on the street while I was tuning it and I'm still leak free makes me think I'd cracked it. It also didn't use much oil, it took maybe 200ml to top it up and that was a concern I had when I'd scoped the bores and the pistons looked wet.
The headlights were looking a bit cloudy. I bought one of those vapour restoration kits. You still need to sand them so it's not the time saver I thought it would be but the results are better than I can manage with polishing so I guess it was worth it.
20240608_105730
20240608_105737
Then protected them with these, hopefully I won't need to do it again for a while.
20240608_105749
Then a couple of shots of it out in the wild.
20240608_203135
20240608_203146
20240608_203201
I bought new bolts for the front wishbones. Typically I'd dig through the pile of spare bolts I keep but I always do things properly on the Porsche. It helps that the dealer posts out orders.
IMG_20240508_194403217_HDRComparison with the old bolt. You can see the design has changed, no longer threaded all the way up.
IMG_20240508_204545325_HDRI decided to remove my Powerflex wishbones to make some changes (everything ends up looking shabby so quickly).
IMG_20240509_195843319I originally fitted them how they came in the box, they had the eccentric adjuster for the toe on the same side for both wishbones which meant one was easier to adjust on the car than the other so I changed one side around so they were both facing towards the rear of the car. I also flipped the adjusters for the caster (in the middle of the wishbone) upside down so they are easier to adjust on the car.
IMG_20240509_200500231Then another alignment, it's already paid for itself. I'd be looking at £150-200 a go if I was taking it somewhere.
IMG_20240514_192259180I checked over the rest of it this weekend. I'm really pleased to report the engine is all nice and clean, no oil leaks. That's been a constant battle all the way along this project, the fact it's done a track day and loads of pulls on the street while I was tuning it and I'm still leak free makes me think I'd cracked it. It also didn't use much oil, it took maybe 200ml to top it up and that was a concern I had when I'd scoped the bores and the pistons looked wet.
The headlights were looking a bit cloudy. I bought one of those vapour restoration kits. You still need to sand them so it's not the time saver I thought it would be but the results are better than I can manage with polishing so I guess it was worth it.
20240608_10573020240608_105737Then protected them with these, hopefully I won't need to do it again for a while.
20240608_105749Then a couple of shots of it out in the wild.
20240608_20313520240608_20314620240608_203201For a while there's been a noise coming from the gearbox that's started getting a bit louder. Probably best described as a low grumbling whir with some scrapey overtones. I'd notice it when I'd slowly accelerate from a roundabout, high gear low revs (this is when the exhaust is quiet). It's always made this noise a bit, it didn't see it as particularly out of the ordinary, a fairly normal transmission sound as you load it up and my stiff gearbox mounts amplify it. It's defiantly getting louder now so it is something that will need addressing. It also seems to get louder as it warms up.
I'm trying to work it out. It only does it when I've got some steering lock on, it's silent in a straight line so that points to the differential. I've got a Quaife ATB in it.
I've got no clunks as I come on and off the power and it's silent in a straight line (accelerating or decelerating) which makes me think no issues with backlash or pre-load. If the pre-load was wrong and the bearings were worn I'd expect to hear a whine in a straight line also. So I'm wondering if the Quaife itself is the issue.
If anyone has some suggestions I'd like to hear them.
I'm trying to work it out. It only does it when I've got some steering lock on, it's silent in a straight line so that points to the differential. I've got a Quaife ATB in it.
I've got no clunks as I come on and off the power and it's silent in a straight line (accelerating or decelerating) which makes me think no issues with backlash or pre-load. If the pre-load was wrong and the bearings were worn I'd expect to hear a whine in a straight line also. So I'm wondering if the Quaife itself is the issue.
If anyone has some suggestions I'd like to hear them.
I'm off to Santa Pod on Monday. It's a test day rather than a RWYB, think there's about 60 of us so should get plenty of runs in.
There's a few slots left if anyone fancies it. Search for Yam Yam Racing Drag Club on Facebook.
I'm not sure what I'm expecting time wise. I guess something in the 11's. I'm struggling to get it off the line on the street. I'm using a rev limiter based on wheel speed to try and keep it from spinning. My best 0-60 so far is 4.4 seconds. I figure I should be able to get it into the high 3's if I get the ecu set up right.
There's a few slots left if anyone fancies it. Search for Yam Yam Racing Drag Club on Facebook.
I'm not sure what I'm expecting time wise. I guess something in the 11's. I'm struggling to get it off the line on the street. I'm using a rev limiter based on wheel speed to try and keep it from spinning. My best 0-60 so far is 4.4 seconds. I figure I should be able to get it into the high 3's if I get the ecu set up right.
Shadow R1 said:
Good luck at the pod. 
Thanks, I'm really looking forward to it.Since fitting the RS4 inlet manifold it's not really panned out like I expected, there isn't much difference on my 100-200km time (done all in 4th gear so fairly consistent for a performance comparison). I'd noticed the boost was dropping off a bit at high RPM I added more duty cycle on my boost solenoid which was then hitting 100%. This all suggests I'm flowing more air but it's not making much difference in times.
I thought I'd upgrade the actuators, I previously had 0.8 bar actuators. I bought some Mamba ones where I can change the springs. I've put some 1 bar springs in. They are Audi RS4 fitment but I have RS6 turbos so I needed to modify one of them (cut the arm in half and extend it) to get it to fit.
20240625_193107
20240626_212054When fitted them, I discovered that all the pre-load had gone off the old actuators (springs must have weakened) so I was thinking maybe they weren't holding closed and it was hurting the spool up.
Much like the inlet manifold changes, it's not gone how I thought and I've been left underwhelmed. My boost threshold seems to be 1000rpm later than before. I've connected them up to an air line and they do open at 1 bar of pressure, both move at the same time and seem to move freely. It doesn't make sense why there's such a difference.
I've added more pre-load onto them but haven't tested since. I figure it shouldn't be an issue on the drag strip, I plan on leaving line making decent boost.
I've got the Sports Design steering wheel, it's nice but occasionally when driving around I'd find it feels a bit bus like in the hands. It's quite large and a bit thin.
20240630_092904I've also rubbed the badge with the back of the laptop and that bothers me.
20240630_092910I've bought this aftermarket steering wheel, It's made by Atiwe/Raid. It's the one all the tuners like RUF, Techart and Gemballa sell. Koenigsegg also used it on the CCX. As far as I'm aware it's the only option for an aftermarket steering wheel which has an airbag and that's something I wanted to retain.
20240630_092728It was on ebay in Ireland, after I bought it I realised shipping was a problem as ebay global shipping won't forward airbags. I found a company based in Northern Ireland that he could send it to and they forwarded it to me, it was cheap and also avoided the Brexit bonus.
It's 340mm.
20240630_094132First impressions are good, I like it. It feels nicer in the hands. I haven't driven it far yet though.
20240630_203604
20240630_203611Santa Pod was good fun.
FB_IMG_1719866053182
I'd said earlier I was aiming for an 11 second pass. My first run of the day I did 11.82 @ 125mph. I did a 3.95 0-60mph
There was some wheel spin, I hit the rev limiter in 4th before I crossed the line. I'd also driven through the water they put down and not around it and didn't do a burnout (on any run). I felt like there is more in it.
I then proceeded to have 9 more runs where I didn't manage to get close. I was tuning the launch control and engine rpm vs wheel speed limiter during the different runs but I wasn't getting anywhere.
If my first run was my last I'd have been happy but I ended up feeling a bit frustrated as I made no progress. The terminal speeds were pretty consistent during the day, it's not like it was getting slower or anything.
Boost is dropping off a bit at higher RPM and I'm pegged at 100% duty cycle on the solenoid. Along with the boost threshold being higher on these new actuators I'm thinking it's not 100% right, I need to look into these actuators. I also think maybe the turbos are giving all they've got.
20240701_162721
Screenshot_20240701-222052
The only casualty of the day was my power steering. After the first run down the strip it just stopped working, that was a surprise when I went to turn off the track. No leaks, belt still on and the pump sounded alright beforehand but there isn't any flow in the system when I took the cap off. I'm guessing the pump has failed internally. That's the 3rd one it's had. That smaller diameter steering wheel felt like a mistake on the drive back.
FB_IMG_1719866053182I'd said earlier I was aiming for an 11 second pass. My first run of the day I did 11.82 @ 125mph. I did a 3.95 0-60mph
There was some wheel spin, I hit the rev limiter in 4th before I crossed the line. I'd also driven through the water they put down and not around it and didn't do a burnout (on any run). I felt like there is more in it.
I then proceeded to have 9 more runs where I didn't manage to get close. I was tuning the launch control and engine rpm vs wheel speed limiter during the different runs but I wasn't getting anywhere.
If my first run was my last I'd have been happy but I ended up feeling a bit frustrated as I made no progress. The terminal speeds were pretty consistent during the day, it's not like it was getting slower or anything.
Boost is dropping off a bit at higher RPM and I'm pegged at 100% duty cycle on the solenoid. Along with the boost threshold being higher on these new actuators I'm thinking it's not 100% right, I need to look into these actuators. I also think maybe the turbos are giving all they've got.
20240701_162721Screenshot_20240701-222052The only casualty of the day was my power steering. After the first run down the strip it just stopped working, that was a surprise when I went to turn off the track. No leaks, belt still on and the pump sounded alright beforehand but there isn't any flow in the system when I took the cap off. I'm guessing the pump has failed internally. That's the 3rd one it's had. That smaller diameter steering wheel felt like a mistake on the drive back.
TheJimi said:
Interesting stuff.
I reckon that car has got low 11s in it.
Hell of an achievement in the building of this thing, through many setbacks and trials. Bravo!
Thanks, it's all been worth while, the car is excellent now.I reckon that car has got low 11s in it.
Hell of an achievement in the building of this thing, through many setbacks and trials. Bravo!
Going quicker is all in the launch. I've got the power and tyre width so t should be possible to get mid 3's. I'd need to spend more time configuring the launch control strategy on the ECU. There's an advanced set-up I'm not using which has loads of extra tables for fine tuning things like the way the ignition cut and fuel cut are implemented.
I didn't think of it while I was there but I might try starting in second gear with the launch control set quite high, see if it'll get off the line without bogging down. I'd also save some time on the gear change. The gear changes really kill the times.
At the top end I'd need to raise the rev limit so I can get it over the line before hitting the limiter. It's at 7400rpm at the moment and I'm not brave enough to go further on standard valve springs.
poppopbangbang said:
Well done Escy! Properly quick car!
Did the PAS fail just after hitting the rev limiter? Pas pumps don't tend to enjoy this and there are a few production roads cars where donuts will equal a failed PAS pump. Have you got room in the frunk for an electro-hydraulic pack? The TRW one has been used many times in Porsche applications with good results.
I think hitting the limiter did cause it. This is the 3rd pump the car has had so I guess it's time to do something different. I've seen the TRW one people use. It would be nice to get rid of the pump in the engine compartment, it was in the way of my boost pipe I made recently, it would be good to free up some space and simplify things. Did the PAS fail just after hitting the rev limiter? Pas pumps don't tend to enjoy this and there are a few production roads cars where donuts will equal a failed PAS pump. Have you got room in the frunk for an electro-hydraulic pack? The TRW one has been used many times in Porsche applications with good results.
I've got one issue with doing it, every installation I've seen it takes up space in the frunk, I've managed to get this far without stealing any storage space so don't want to start now. It might sound odd but the way I've hidden stuff away is one of the aspects of it I'm most proud of about the car.
I'll have to try and find to scour ebay, see if I can find something that's a bit more compact. I wouldn't want to go with a fully electric option, in case it ruins the feel.
I've put a video up on YouTube shorts. The outside view is a 12.1 run and the inside the car is the 11.8. On the inside video you can't really hear my launch control as there was an 8 second Escort Van in the other lane. He aborted his run, knew he couldn't live with the Boxster.
https://youtube.com/shorts/B9ypRi53lYg?si=Vsx49YPp...
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