What a difference a day makes, as they say...
I took the aux panel off and, after a bit of head-scratching, I realised the incredibly stupid wiring mistake I had made. Seriously, I have an electronics degree - how the heck did I pass that?
With that fixed, my LED strip works fine and, most importantly, the lambda sensor is working properly. It really seems to be a good piece of kit - using the Emerald software, I can see it making continual adjustments and the strong petrol smell is mostly gone. It still needs some tweaking because the engine bogs down a bit when pulling away in first gear - I'm guessing the sensor can't keep up with rapid change in AFR (air/fuel ratio) but I'm sure there will be a setting somewhere to help with this. Bit of research needed...
I'm more and more convinced that my rattle is engine knock and not something mechanical. The rattle is just so random - there is no pattern to it at all. Sometimes it rattles at idle, other times not, sometimes while accelerating but not always etc, etc. If it was mechanical, surely there would be a clearer pattern? Anyway, that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.
I reckon the 8 months or so of running rich has coked up the cylinders (and the spark plugs were pretty black when I checked them) and that is a known cause of engine knock. I'm going to buy some engine/injector cleaner and hope that helps clean the cylinders out; otherwise, I'm hoping they will eventually clear out now that I'm running with the correct mixture.
HINDSIGHT: get a wideband lambda sensor or a rolling road session asap after IVA.
Richy (the guy doing my doors) sent me a few pics of progress and they're looking awesome - can't wait to get them. Hopefully, end of this month (he is also busy building his own caravan from scratch!).
So, all in all, much happier today...let's pray my head-in-the-sand attitude bears fruit, hey?
Wednesday 13 June 2018
Monday 11 June 2018
The lows and the lows
Not having a good time...
Alternative theories for the rattle were propounded and then i noticed that it also sometimes happened when i pressed the clutch, even gently, which suggested a possible problem with the thrust bearing or even the clutch itself.
Another suggestion was the water pump bearing and that seemed to be a possibility; when i took off the fan belt and ran the engine briefly, no rattle. So, for £25, i bought a new one:
Sadly, that didn't help - argh!
Then, after some time on YouTube, i heard a typical engine knock and it sounded exactly like my rattle. Its also a bit more random which fitted better with my symptoms.
Engine knock is basically a result of bad engine tuning. A clutch problem needs the engine taking out, something I'm desperate to avoid doing - just the thought of trying to do that in my single garage; draining water, oil, unbolting exhaust, engine mounts, wiring - arrgghhhhh!!!
So, I'm praying that the wideband lambda sensor will fix everything - but its not looking good.
I've changed the coolant and oil. There were a few tiny metal particles in the old oil but it doesnt seem to be enough to suggest engine wear, more like normal wear from a relatively new engine.
The sensor took 2 weeks to arrive (i had to order it from Holland) and i finally fitted it a few days ago. I decided it would be easier to go through the passenger footwell, so drilled a hole through the side:
Wired up and, initially, everything seemed ok - followed the calibration process after some discussions with Richard and i could see the sensor doing its thing; after reaching 60 degC, system went closed loop and i could see the AFR figures hovering round the 14.5 mark, as it should. Best of all, i could tell that there was no strong petrol smell from the exhaust.
Now, unfortunately, at this point, i decided to wire in an LED strip under the dash to give me some light at night on the aux panel and my clock. What i didn't realise was that my superb wiring abilities (not) meant the labda sensor and LED strip are on the same circuit and as soon as i connected up the LED, it blew the fuse. So off i went on a test drive with a non-functioning sensor! Not surprisingly, i had running problems; stalling at low speeds and RPM.
So, i need to revisit the wiring...but I'm still worried that the rattle might be mechanical.
Couple of extra pics - first, a pretty clam shell to hide the hole:
This is the lambda controller under the scuttle:
...and this is the new switch for the LED strip:
Alternative theories for the rattle were propounded and then i noticed that it also sometimes happened when i pressed the clutch, even gently, which suggested a possible problem with the thrust bearing or even the clutch itself.
Another suggestion was the water pump bearing and that seemed to be a possibility; when i took off the fan belt and ran the engine briefly, no rattle. So, for £25, i bought a new one:
Sadly, that didn't help - argh!
Then, after some time on YouTube, i heard a typical engine knock and it sounded exactly like my rattle. Its also a bit more random which fitted better with my symptoms.
Engine knock is basically a result of bad engine tuning. A clutch problem needs the engine taking out, something I'm desperate to avoid doing - just the thought of trying to do that in my single garage; draining water, oil, unbolting exhaust, engine mounts, wiring - arrgghhhhh!!!
So, I'm praying that the wideband lambda sensor will fix everything - but its not looking good.
I've changed the coolant and oil. There were a few tiny metal particles in the old oil but it doesnt seem to be enough to suggest engine wear, more like normal wear from a relatively new engine.
The sensor took 2 weeks to arrive (i had to order it from Holland) and i finally fitted it a few days ago. I decided it would be easier to go through the passenger footwell, so drilled a hole through the side:
Wired up and, initially, everything seemed ok - followed the calibration process after some discussions with Richard and i could see the sensor doing its thing; after reaching 60 degC, system went closed loop and i could see the AFR figures hovering round the 14.5 mark, as it should. Best of all, i could tell that there was no strong petrol smell from the exhaust.
Now, unfortunately, at this point, i decided to wire in an LED strip under the dash to give me some light at night on the aux panel and my clock. What i didn't realise was that my superb wiring abilities (not) meant the labda sensor and LED strip are on the same circuit and as soon as i connected up the LED, it blew the fuse. So off i went on a test drive with a non-functioning sensor! Not surprisingly, i had running problems; stalling at low speeds and RPM.
So, i need to revisit the wiring...but I'm still worried that the rattle might be mechanical.
Couple of extra pics - first, a pretty clam shell to hide the hole:
This is the lambda controller under the scuttle:
...and this is the new switch for the LED strip:
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