Flash tuned and SC'ed!
05-31-2009, 05:56 AM
#52
Registered
Thread Starter
it would be nice after missing last years nats.
but luck isn't on my side. I tempted fate and thrashed it Friday night with the higher boost and no tune.
it wont start now.
it did start on Saturday and I moved it a couple of times. now nothing. still diagnosing it.
I wish I had bought one of those compression testers in that other thread
but luck isn't on my side. I tempted fate and thrashed it Friday night with the higher boost and no tune.
it wont start now.
it did start on Saturday and I moved it a couple of times. now nothing. still diagnosing it.
I wish I had bought one of those compression testers in that other thread
06-01-2009, 05:12 AM
#54
Registered
Thread Starter
thanks for the tip brettus.
do you need to pull a fuse when doing that compression test? I don't think I want the plugs firing with my thumb over the plug hole.
do you need to pull a fuse when doing that compression test? I don't think I want the plugs firing with my thumb over the plug hole.
06-01-2009, 07:59 AM
#56
You don't need to put your thumb over the holes - if the motor is functional, it will make a quite audible "puff" out of the plug holes at each compression cycle.
06-01-2009, 08:42 PM
#59
Shootin' from the hip
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 7,584
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hope it's ok too.
If you're running, come down in August.
Fri night must have been the night for it. I got pulled over by plod on the way home from the Crusty Demons show for a little chat. He thought I should have been exercising more caution in the wet.
Luckily, he was one of the few humans accepted into the force (hi Drew, Trev, lol) and accepted my contrite apology with a severe caution and much finger wagging. 
If you're running, come down in August.
Fri night must have been the night for it. I got pulled over by plod on the way home from the Crusty Demons show for a little chat. He thought I should have been exercising more caution in the wet.
Luckily, he was one of the few humans accepted into the force (hi Drew, Trev, lol) and accepted my contrite apology with a severe caution and much finger wagging.
06-02-2009, 03:08 AM
#60
Registered
Thread Starter
Hope it's ok too.
If you're running, come down in August.
Fri night must have been the night for it. I got pulled over by plod on the way home from the Crusty Demons show for a little chat. He thought I should have been exercising more caution in the wet. Luckily, he was one of the few humans accepted into the force (hi Drew, Trev, lol) and accepted my contrite apology with a severe caution and much finger wagging.
If you're running, come down in August.
Fri night must have been the night for it. I got pulled over by plod on the way home from the Crusty Demons show for a little chat. He thought I should have been exercising more caution in the wet.
Luckily, he was one of the few humans accepted into the force (hi Drew, Trev, lol) and accepted my contrite apology with a severe caution and much finger wagging. 
06-02-2009, 03:17 AM
#61
Registered
Thread Starter
While I haven't confirmed it yet I believe I'm getting spark. I find it hard to believe I have suffered coil failure overnight.
Fuel seems to be there and I have never had starting issues previously so I'm doubting it is the tune or management.
loss of Compression is what I think it will be. What caused the loss?
I may have been driving around with a bad seal for quite awhile and just not noticed it. The boost was originally rock solid at 7-8psi and then it started to bounce around. I thought the bouncing boost thought was a leak that I have never really found or my drive belt slipping. This could also possibly be a bad apex seal? However the idle has always been smooth and the local rotary mechanics have never noticed anything.
I may have killed it on the last drive with higher boost. It had a couple of psi more and was still bouncing and inconsistent 6-9psi. I think my boost gauge is optimistic as it doesn't zero it sits at 1-2psi with the engine off. Also when I use full throttle at low rpm it tends to jump to 1-2psi then starts to climb. If it is optimistic then I'm running low boost. 5-6psi on the old pulley and maybe 8psi maximum on the last drive.
The tune was struggling with throttle enrichment but seemed to be running smoothly though the rpm range and had more power. My log of the drive failed to download so I lost the data. The next day the car had a slightly rough idle on start-up but nothing out of the ordinary. Started twice that day.
I'm actually leaning towards a sticky apex seal cause by synthetic oil. Now I have thought about it, there has been a couple of overly long starts in the past few weeks.
I have revised my opinion of the trailing plug on the front rotor that I pulled on the weekend. it now looks fowled and wet. it looked clean on the weekend. No visible carbon chunks, black but not oily and I could still clearly see the different materials through the black soot. The plug looked fresh with the electrode having sharp well defined edges without pits or wear. Gaps seemed large but that’s how they come in the box. Is there a need to gap them?
the front rotor has three distinct puffs when I put my finger over it. I thought I'd see straight into the combustion chamber however the plug looks like it is shrouded. the hole looks like it is 5mm or so. is that normal for the trailing plug?
I couldn't budge the trailing plug in the rear rotor and gave up. After I check the compression I will use a decarb spray through the spark plug hole and see if that helps.
Fuel seems to be there and I have never had starting issues previously so I'm doubting it is the tune or management.
loss of Compression is what I think it will be. What caused the loss?
I may have been driving around with a bad seal for quite awhile and just not noticed it. The boost was originally rock solid at 7-8psi and then it started to bounce around. I thought the bouncing boost thought was a leak that I have never really found or my drive belt slipping. This could also possibly be a bad apex seal? However the idle has always been smooth and the local rotary mechanics have never noticed anything.
I may have killed it on the last drive with higher boost. It had a couple of psi more and was still bouncing and inconsistent 6-9psi. I think my boost gauge is optimistic as it doesn't zero it sits at 1-2psi with the engine off. Also when I use full throttle at low rpm it tends to jump to 1-2psi then starts to climb. If it is optimistic then I'm running low boost. 5-6psi on the old pulley and maybe 8psi maximum on the last drive.
The tune was struggling with throttle enrichment but seemed to be running smoothly though the rpm range and had more power. My log of the drive failed to download so I lost the data. The next day the car had a slightly rough idle on start-up but nothing out of the ordinary. Started twice that day.
I'm actually leaning towards a sticky apex seal cause by synthetic oil. Now I have thought about it, there has been a couple of overly long starts in the past few weeks.
I have revised my opinion of the trailing plug on the front rotor that I pulled on the weekend. it now looks fowled and wet. it looked clean on the weekend. No visible carbon chunks, black but not oily and I could still clearly see the different materials through the black soot. The plug looked fresh with the electrode having sharp well defined edges without pits or wear. Gaps seemed large but that’s how they come in the box. Is there a need to gap them?
the front rotor has three distinct puffs when I put my finger over it. I thought I'd see straight into the combustion chamber however the plug looks like it is shrouded. the hole looks like it is 5mm or so. is that normal for the trailing plug?
I couldn't budge the trailing plug in the rear rotor and gave up. After I check the compression I will use a decarb spray through the spark plug hole and see if that helps.
06-02-2009, 08:28 PM
#63
Shootin' from the hip
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 7,584
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just a short lived rush of blood in the wrong place at the wrong time. No risk involved but a teensy bit naughty. Plod seemed ok once I explained it was out of character... 
Great show though. Those guys are nuts!
Great show though. Those guys are nuts!
06-02-2009, 08:56 PM
#65
Hmmmmmm.........
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 3,564
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes
on
4 Posts
Would second the fact that the coils will just go, would also add to check the battery. The .com.au forums see's a lot of "hard to start" issues around winter time.
06-03-2009, 02:48 AM
#66
Registered
Thread Starter
the battery was just replace a week ago. it is a tinny pulse battery but it has been trying to start the car like a champ. the engine cranking speed seems really good pointing to no compression also.
06-03-2009, 03:30 AM
#67
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 575
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Jarl
Most of us preffer seeing you actually driving ,enjoying your car rather than constantly working on it and fixing it lol lol ,, i have got to admire your determination in getting your system to work , i would have buried the car by now
Most of us preffer seeing you actually driving ,enjoying your car rather than constantly working on it and fixing it lol lol ,, i have got to admire your determination in getting your system to work , i would have buried the car by now
06-03-2009, 04:09 AM
#68
Registered
Thread Starter
yeah times like this I just want to get rid of it but I know I would just chop up my next car. I looked at sti's and evo-x's late last year and they just didn't make me want to part with the 8.
If i get it running it will be tempting to go back to NA and trade it in quickly.
If it has lost compression and needs to be rebuilt I might as well stick with it.
If i get it running it will be tempting to go back to NA and trade it in quickly.
If it has lost compression and needs to be rebuilt I might as well stick with it.
06-03-2009, 04:32 AM
#69
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 1,432
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Fri night must have been the night for it. I got pulled over by plod on the way home from the Crusty Demons show for a little chat. He thought I should have been exercising more caution in the wet. Luckily, he was one of the few humans accepted into the force (hi Drew, Trev, lol) and accepted my contrite apology with a severe caution and much finger wagging.
Luckily, he was one of the few humans accepted into the force (hi Drew, Trev, lol) and accepted my contrite apology with a severe caution and much finger wagging. 
You were also obviously dealing with an ordinary copper (not the Traffic *****)....pass the attitude test and you're on your way again.....
06-05-2009, 08:33 PM
#70
Registered
Thread Starter
I finally got the rear trailing plug out it was really seized in there. I resorted to a air ratchet and after about 9 goes it finally released just before I stripped the plug. it was in good condition like the front rotor however it was flooded.
the thumb test returned one strong and two weak pulses. a weak apex seal. although I don't see why it shouldn't start.
checking plugs next. and decarbing.
the thumb test returned one strong and two weak pulses. a weak apex seal. although I don't see why it shouldn't start.
checking plugs next. and decarbing.
06-05-2009, 09:22 PM
#71
Registered
Thread Starter
one of the coils on the rear seemed dead. but retested ok.
the rear rotor wasn't producing regular puffs so I think it is an issue with weak compression.
the rear rotor wasn't producing regular puffs so I think it is an issue with weak compression.
Last edited by rotarenvy; 06-05-2009 at 09:55 PM.
06-05-2009, 10:51 PM
#73
Registered
Thread Starter
I was thinking about that. I live on a good sized hill and the street is down hill.
then I though about what would happen if it didn't start. might as well call a tow truck to drag it home as I could never push it back up the hill again
then I though about what would happen if it didn't start. might as well call a tow truck to drag it home as I could never push it back up the hill again
06-06-2009, 03:09 AM
#74
Registered
Thread Starter
It's alive! 
you can tell something is wrong by the idle but it is starting again and reving quite cleanly.
tomorrow I'll finish the de-carbing treatment and that's about all I can do. I may try some AT fluid also.
time to start purchasing parts for a rebuild
you can tell something is wrong by the idle but it is starting again and reving quite cleanly.
tomorrow I'll finish the de-carbing treatment and that's about all I can do. I may try some AT fluid also.
time to start purchasing parts for a rebuild