MG ZR: Cams & Maps

[jammapic]

Isn't one of the bolts missing from the alternator?

[Mattcheese31]

Can't believe you're still persevering with this, have you really not bought a 6 yet?

[lolsteve]

altenator seemed fine before the hg job though so seems odd it started to die whilst off the cat
Yea the bottom bolt went off some where , does the altenator ground through the mounts then? Thought that was the little bit on the sides job
yes I'm sticking with it, I don't like being defeated so I won't let this rest til I cam beat a 6'

[Mattcheese31]

Ironic how you say until you CAM beat a 6 pmsl

[lolsteve]

Dammit spellcheck
Really gutted it's being all so last minute rush with this for the april action day and that I still haven't got my coilovers assembled and fitted. Or the rear strut brace made up etc. Still leaves more to be done for FCS where it can be setup properly and ensure it's more at 100%

[cully]

il be waiting for you at FCS

[procta]

its still too heavy man steve!

[lolsteve]

I'll be waiting at the finish line...replacing the headgasket ...again

Still lighter than a 6' though

[procta]

I'll be waiting at the finish line...replacing the headgasket ...again

Still lighter than a 6' though

have faith about the head gasket will you, bed the car in and iron out what ever is going to go wrong.

[tenwierdufos]

Flicker/lumpiness sounds like a bad earth to me, check the battery -ve lead and also the earth between the engine or gearbox and the body of the car.

If the alternator was dodgy the lights may dim but it wouldn't cause any engine lumpiness. Although would cut out when the battery went flat haha.

[lolsteve]

Updates:
The BAD
So for those of you who don't know castle combe action day was a major fail for the MG team ( I say team as my friend brought his VVC'd ZS)
On the drive to combe the battery light flashed a few times however went out for when I was in the queue for track. However about 10 seconds or so onto said track resulted in a battery light that wouldn't go away after changing its mind a few times. After about 6 minutes I pulled off as I didn't fancy having the engine cut out or something.
Pulling up afterwards resulted in huge amounts of smoke from the engine bay and something dripping.
After a few minutes of having strangers tell me the headgasket is fk'd I crawled back to the stand where the smoke cleared and could see the inner cv boot has split and dumped grease onto the exhaust/cat pipe
Fked off I went for a passenger ride in the zs and rather enjoyed it. Didn't win no trophies but it performed flawlessly. Was then offered to use my other track session in the zs.
Halfway through the zs session the battery light came on, bollocks.
However we continued to the end and despite me being a cock with it the car didn't die/spin/loose coolant
Pulling up we found the alternator belt to be shredded and only half of it still on the pulleys
This ended the day for us early as drove 35 minutes to the nearest open eurocarparts to fit a new belt in their carpark as they closed with the staff standing around watching

The GOOD
I've fixed the electrics Was down to one nut not being on the alternator. Think it connected a stud from the internals to the voltage regulator, without it the stud was just randomly making contact.
That would properly explain what it was that went pinging down the car the other week if the nut had been loose and worked its way off.
Car now pulls like a train and still haven't put a remaped file on. Need to sort blowing exhaust as well as the cv boot.
Also also went to silverlake scrap yard and got myself the washers I needed for the coilovers, so I can now finally assemble them and have decent suspension and not the old stock crap in time for FCS

[Dum-Dum]

Sounds like your getting there mate

[lolsteve]

Aye she's finally on the way, just needs the coiloves and map

the footage of what time i spent with the zed . notice 1:55 & 3:05 and 10:50 fo smoke
https://youtu.be/XcnpySLJ-RQ

[jammapic]

Any joy with this? Half of it is still spread across our unit floor :-)

[lolsteve]

I know and sorry I haven't been round to tidy it up. knowing I left your place in a shambles has been bugging me but yet to have any weekend time free. Have gotten a replacement bit fir blueys engine so can reassemble it and sell it

---

Oh and might ha e a buyer for the old exhaust so should finally be seeing some dollar

[lolsteve]

FCS is quickly approaching and so I must get a move on.

The exhaust is still blowing, was going to get a decat pipe but janspeed have a 4 week turn around or something so going to see if I can get a custom one made up somewhere or just coat the blowing join with firegum. Once thats done I'll upload the prototype remap file if there's time/money I'll try and whack it on some rollers to get an idea on the afr so can check its safe

Got my makita impact wrench so will be tackling the coilovers and brakes soon enough So happy, my tool collection is growing so I wont have to bum off other people any more.

Also been working in a steel fabrication plant this week, asked a guy what the policy was on taking bits of scrap pipe to make a strut brace which resulted in us wondering around the factory for 20 mins to find some pipe and asking the boss if i can have it to which he responded with "sure if you get a size we'll cut it for you too" Going to be taught how to weld later on so will see if I can weld it in my free time although might be pushing it

[lolsteve]

Got a sports cat woo. Find out manifold is cracked boo. Pipe isn't beautiful but it'd under the car so what does it matter.
now very annoyed I have to take e manifold back off remove the heat wrap and get it welded back up to put it back on 

[7057sam]

My god steve, your like most unluckiest guy know for stuff going wrong on there car,closely followed by rowell

looked fun in the video,action days are starting to get abit crazy

[lolsteve]

I know right, really is starting to drag me down a bit. Everytime one thing is fixed something else goes wrong  

Got back from my last ever student weekend in bradford had dinner and thought..mm probably too late to start working on the car but i can at least jack it up ready for tomorrow... 4 hours later and the exhaust manifold is off and I've swapped over the front subframe for blueys old one which had "race" spec poly bushing. Once again the impact wrench and £5 breaker bar did not fail me. Without them this job would have been impossible.

With the manifold off and having removed the heat wrap (now very itchy) I found the cause of the chronic blowing and subsequent power loss. Question is do I A) get it welded up properly although I have no time during the week to drop it off anywhere or B) get some chemical metal/gumgum and bodge it back on nice and quick  

[cully]

FFS dont bodge it as it will take ages to clean off when you have to repair it again

[Piggy]

fix it once, fix it right I would say

[procta]

you want to buy a full blown new system for this, rather than bodge that.

[lolsteve]

Too expensive. This car is costing me too much alongside a social life
Going to try and get it welded up properly if i can find somehwere open today. Still need to fit the coilovers too..

[jammapic]

You could ask Ash, Steve. I don't know if we've got any gas in the welder though...

[procta]

Too expensive. This car is costing me too much alongside a social life
Going to try and get it welded up properly if i can find somehwere open today. Still need to fit the coilovers too..

what did you do with the spare system you have? or did you just give all that the elbow when you got shot? 
I would have just put the spare on, for the time been.
I will have to get an exhaust this year, as sadly piper are stopping making exhausts for the metro range. So I am practically good as f*cked now.

[Piggy]

Too expensive. This car is costing me too much alongside a social life
Going to try and get it welded up properly if i can find somehwere open today. Still need to fit the coilovers too..

we can have a social life ASWELL as a tuned motor...

dang. I didnt realise

[Eeyore]

Get it fixed properly.

[lolsteve]

Haha okay i was being a bit dramatic earlier. Was having a down moment but a day of decent weather and actual progress has brightened my spirits.
Today I fitted the grooved discs on the front and cleaned up the slider pins. One of them had seized solid, had to use mole grips to get enough force onto it to remove. All cleaned and lubed up with lithium grease.
Then thought mmm i guess ill fit one coilover while the sun is still out, an hour later and it's in. Took a little while longer as the inner cv joint fell out which was a brown trouser moment.
Sun was still out and 20 minutes later the other one was done. Twas alot less seized so didn't take most of the time hammering the hub to beak it loose. Also helped alot to undo the drop links

Going to get the manifold done correctly, borrowing the cuore so can drop it off at the local garage on my way back from the doctors tomorrow.
Can't fit the original as sold it just before finding out mine was cracked. Typical.

[Paul Baldwin]

Drill a hole at each end of the crack before you weld it and the repair should last longer

[Poodle]

And don't heat wrap it again.

Need some pictures of all your shinies, sounds like you're making bloody good progress!