MAP Search
Very quick question...
Have you guys ever come across an inexpensive boost sensor? I know you can get a
2 or 3 Bar GM/AC Delco one
in the States for $50-$60 as there was a turbo Trans-Am in the late ‘80s, but is there anything commonly available here in
Australia that
you know of?
Shaun O'Brien
Australia
We aren’t aware of one that works off car voltages and has a conditioned output (eg 0-5V) - and we have searched long and hard! Can any readers make a suggestion?
Detonation Detection Brilliance
Great idea regarding detonation detection
and recording using the
mini recorder (Detonation Detection and Recording). I was meaning to build up the earlier
box version for some time but this
is even better and
easier - especially since
I have a high quality mini recorder on
hand. Keep up the good work.
Tony Goodlich
Australia
Dog Link
Your link to the "dogandlemon" site in the Response column Response
points to the wrong place. It should point to here... dogandlemon
Kim Miller
Australia
Thanks for that – link now fixed.
Ouctomes?
In your story "Not More... Tech Tips"
you have used the word "ouctomes" - what does this word mean?
:-)
Brett Cashmore
Australia
You probably guessed it – we meant
"outcomes".
Article now fixed.
Electronic Kit Info
I am looking for the Digital Fuel Adjuster and its associated hand controller. Could I
get the documentation for the operation and usage of these two units? I have read the two articles on the Digital Fuel Adjuster and understand how it works but I am not clear on the actual settings –
for example, if you increase the richness (or
decrease it) how do you know when the mixture is correct?
Scott Stierheim
USA
For more info on building and tuning the DFA we suggest you purchase and have
a good read through the book Performance Electronics for Cars - AutoSpeed Shop. We also suggest reading Real World Air/Fuel Ratio Tuning and Tuning Air/Fuel Ratios.
Big or Small Block?
Re GM's 7-litre V8 GM's LS7 7-litre V8
- the "small block".
Could you please tell what defines a large and
small block? I thought it
just came down to displacement.
SamAustralia
As its
name suggests, the big block has a larger block design
and is
bigger overall compared to a small block
variant. This difference is most easily identified by the width of the valve
covers. Interestingly, the Chev small block came in versions ranging from 4.3 to
6.6-litre
capacity while big blocks range from 5.7 to 8.1-litre.
Do-It-Yourself Alignment
Has AutoSpeed ever written an article about
fabricating some small laser
units to aid wheel alignment? I run a Subaru
rally car in local Queensland comp and find I am wheel aligning before every event. It’s amazing how accurate you can get with string lines and a
fine gauge adjustable camber device (mine is a rowing
tool!). But a "shade tree
garage" tool would be ideal! Any ideas?
Ralph French
Australia
We haven’t covered this in an article but it’s a very interesting idea.
Pump Suggestion
Just a quick one on high pressure pumps for intercooler sprays. If you have a look at industrial/agricultural suppliers you will
find that you can get high
pressure (up to around 150 psi) 12V pumps that may be suitable. They use these to pump insecticides out of those big tubs that you see on the back of
the quad bikes. A good
example is the Shurflo pump part # 8030-813-239 -
if you shop around it can be found on the ‘net for around US$120. Hope that this is a help.
Paul Nelson
Australia
We’ve mentioned using agricultural pumps for water sprays in a couple of
previous articles The Complete Guide to Intercooling - Part 2 and Water Injection and we’ve listed
another Shurflo part number in the article Intelligent Intercooler Water Spray, Part 2. But, yes, the Shurflo
pump you
suggest does look good for the application –
thanks for that.
Magnificent Magna
I see the article The Sporty Magnas
I have owned a TJ Mitsubishi Magna Sports since June 2001 and have been very happy with it. I think that my best performance
modification was to remove
the lowered springs (installed by me at 600km) and 17 inch rim/tyre combo, put the standard stuff back on and
then put the tyre pressure up to 40 psi! The change in
handling is amazing for such a cheap (like free!) modification.
I haven't driven
a manual version of the same car but this mod, in combination with the auto
trans and its
trace/traction control function, means you don’t have to lift off the
throttle in the majority
of conditions. Because I
also didn't want to change the ride quality (due to having to carry the wife around as well) I couldn't justify a total spring/damper change just to take advantage of
the bigger tyres and lower
ride - not to mention
potential problems with gutters and
driveways.The brakes were
a bit of a weak link but,
through experimentation, I
ended up settling on Bendix Ultimates combined with some locally sourced grooved rotors. The pads were about
AUD$70 and the discs were AUD$90
each (including machining). Slightly
increased pedal pressure was
needed and there was a
bedding in time of about 100km but after that –
wow!
I have favourite road that I travel on the way home from work and it’s a good indicator of how effective this mod is. The
road is about 15km long
with mostly 2nd and 3rd
gear corners followed by short straights with a couple of high speed ones thrown in. After the 2nd high
speed straight I would
need to nurse the brakes,
but now I just try to push
the pedal to the firewall and turn in - no fade, plenty of power and you can
get the discs glowing at night (which caused me some consternation at first!). One trade-off is
that you get plenty of
brake dust but I don't
mind washing the wheels in exchange for the better performance.
Maintenance wise I've had the dealer do all the scheduled servicing. I'm
still on the original rear brake pads after 112,000km (though they are due for
replacement) and have
had the fronts replaced
three times. The
auto
trans used to flare on the upshift from 2nd to
3rd when driving hard
but since I mentioned this
to the dealer and they 'flashed' in another program it's been perfect
- although it seems to want to return to the flaring on
occasion. I've never had
any mechanical hiccups from the car except when taking it in for a service. The dealer always seems
to break or damage something when they have the car - like broken wipers, scratches in the paintwork, etc. When I had the air filter replaced they
broke the airbox, when
they replaced the battery (three years old) they
broke the battery box,
when they replaced the
steering column (twice under warranty) they scratched the dash plastics and the paint work. I also still can't work out how they check the trans fluid level without actually pulling out the
dipstick. Recently, when the
timing belt was replaced,
the air-con stopped working and I was
told it needed re-gassing.
When I pressed them they inspected the system and found one of the plugs wasn't
connected - but they
re-gassed it for free anyway. Currently, after they disturbed the air-con system when doing the timing belt, I now have some sort of ticking noise on start-up in the mornings
- it isn’t in the engine but the belt was slipping and the whole air-con set-up just sounds wrong.
Overall, I'm very happy
with the car - to the
point where now,
due expansion in the
family, I'm looking for a
low km TJ Series
2 Sports Wagon which I'll more than likely
pick-up for less than AUD$20k. I just can't
bring myself to look at a TL model though - there's something about those headlights...
Darren
Australia
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