Today I hit another big milestone, testing the engine power right through to actual car movement. In a sense this worked but it wasn't without a few hick ups! I can however say that the oil pressure was ok, the fan kicked in when it was meant to and the seats were quite comfy.
After the long cold winter the car took a little while to start, this was mainly due to a lack of fuel in the carb but also linked to the cold air. Once started there was the usual smoke as mentioned in the last couple of posts, this soon disappeared as the engine heated up. There was also the issue of the high revs, Mike & I set about adjusting the idle speed, the engine might have died down slightly hoverer we never got to really test this as we then encountered the carb issues.
The carb issues are related to the auto choke on the Weber DGAV 32/36 and the point at which the choke opens up the air flaps. Basically these seemed to open up despite the engine not being able to cope with the cold air, therefore at lower revs the engine would stall. The only solutions were to either rev the engine very high for idle (4000 rpm) or for Mike to hold the flaps shut, we went with option 2! Once we were happy everything else on the engine seemed OK, it was time to test the clutch and try moving the car on its own. The fear was that the clutch was fitted by myself early on in the build, the engine & gearbox had come from the Sierra donor but the clutch was all down to me. So I stuck the car in reverse, released the brakes and lifted the clutch slightly - and the car moved!!! Fortunately Mike was paying attention and moved along with the car so the engine would keep running. Also tried 1st gear which also seemed to work OK, my cheeks were hurting as I was smiling far too much, I couldn't believe it was actually working.
I should probably add that my throttle pedal wasn't connected up properly so Mike was also operating the throttle cable. Essential I did gears, clutch and brakes; Mike did throttle and choke which not getting run over.
Saturday, 2 March 2013
Thursday, 28 February 2013
The forgotten blog
I must be honest and admit I've been neglecting both the blog and the car for a few months, the last post I made celebrated a huge milestone but it came with a number of issues which probably deterred me slightly; that, the cold whether and the thought of driving to the IVA centre in the snow!! I'm pleased to say that in the last few months I have managed to get a few hours out on the car every now & then, I've managed to overcome a few issues I previously mentioned.
Doesn't switch off
I had managed to wire my alternator wrong, somehow I have a live going back to the ignition coil which effectively created a closed loop with the engine providing the earth. I've corrected this fault, or human error, but still need to wire in the alternator to get the battery warning light to work correctly.
Oil Leak & Pressure Light
The seeping oil has cleared up, think it was just some residue muck from the time the engine has spent on the garage floor. Hopefully when running for a period of time this won't return. The pressure light still needs to be tested but I think this will be fine.
Smoke
Its clear my carb is over fuelling, hence all the smoke, and a strong smell of fuel. The plan is to correct this over the weekend and get the engine running a little more smoothly. Hopefully an easy job and doesn't end up breaking anything I'd previously done!
Actual Progress
Over the winter period I managed to carpet the car, I was surprised how much of a difference this actually made to the car, it suddenly became a real looking car. I think I even vacuumed the carpet/car which is more that can be said for my Focus.
Halfway through the carpeting we decided to put our house on the market. In order not to put off any viewers I thought I'd get the car moved to my parents, also it would be one less thing to worry about when it came to actually moving. Big thanks for Rhocar member(s) Florin Metal Works for organising a trailer and delivering my Zero for me! Fortunately my parents have the space to take the car and tools, also I now have a few extra helpers to bring me tea & biscuits.
Back to the carpeting, once fitted I made up some seat runners. Due to the flat floor on the zero and the flat bottomed seats I needed to create a step so that the runner release arm could be operated. I'm not sure if the picture below really show the solution but you might get the idea.
Once these had been bolted to the floor I was able to fit the seats, the end result makes the car look pretty amazing - even if it hasn't moved under it's own steam yet.
What is apparent in the seat picture is that I must decide if I want inner panels to hide the chassis and protect the bodywork from accidental knocks. I think something there would really help finish off the appearance of the car.
Small amount of progress over the winter but I think the break was good, I'm back on the car and determined to save up for the IVA test!
Doesn't switch off
I had managed to wire my alternator wrong, somehow I have a live going back to the ignition coil which effectively created a closed loop with the engine providing the earth. I've corrected this fault, or human error, but still need to wire in the alternator to get the battery warning light to work correctly.
Oil Leak & Pressure Light
The seeping oil has cleared up, think it was just some residue muck from the time the engine has spent on the garage floor. Hopefully when running for a period of time this won't return. The pressure light still needs to be tested but I think this will be fine.
Smoke
Its clear my carb is over fuelling, hence all the smoke, and a strong smell of fuel. The plan is to correct this over the weekend and get the engine running a little more smoothly. Hopefully an easy job and doesn't end up breaking anything I'd previously done!
Actual Progress
Over the winter period I managed to carpet the car, I was surprised how much of a difference this actually made to the car, it suddenly became a real looking car. I think I even vacuumed the carpet/car which is more that can be said for my Focus.
Halfway through the carpeting we decided to put our house on the market. In order not to put off any viewers I thought I'd get the car moved to my parents, also it would be one less thing to worry about when it came to actually moving. Big thanks for Rhocar member(s) Florin Metal Works for organising a trailer and delivering my Zero for me! Fortunately my parents have the space to take the car and tools, also I now have a few extra helpers to bring me tea & biscuits.
Back to the carpeting, once fitted I made up some seat runners. Due to the flat floor on the zero and the flat bottomed seats I needed to create a step so that the runner release arm could be operated. I'm not sure if the picture below really show the solution but you might get the idea.
Once these had been bolted to the floor I was able to fit the seats, the end result makes the car look pretty amazing - even if it hasn't moved under it's own steam yet.
What is apparent in the seat picture is that I must decide if I want inner panels to hide the chassis and protect the bodywork from accidental knocks. I think something there would really help finish off the appearance of the car.
Small amount of progress over the winter but I think the break was good, I'm back on the car and determined to save up for the IVA test!
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