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_Chris_

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Everything posted by _Chris_

  1. And you're still left with silly quantities of power going through the wheels you're trying to steer with !!!!! As above, best option by far is to buy a GT4 if you want GT4 performance. It will be cheaper too.
  2. The 25 quid won't be deducted from the MOT fee though, so it'll cost you £65 total. Retests are normally free.
  3. I think the key is that KNOWINGLY driving a defective vehicle is a much greater crime. There are certain parts that drivers are expected to check regularly themselves such as tyres and lights, but you are very unlikely to be prosecuted for a bit of play in a fig 8. The way I view it is that I rectify any safety related issues ASAP so that if I'm stopped I can't be prosecuted for driving a 'dangerous' car, then the cosmetic stuff (welding, emissions etc. ) and retest can be done at leisure.
  4. Upol is what the pro's I know use. I use the easy sanding / quicksand stuff as I'm lazy and only use it as a thin skim. If you're filling holes use the stuff with fibres in (used to be upol-b from memory) I always mix as per the video above, except I don't piddle about weaving from side to side, I scoop up in one direction and squdge back down at 90 degrees. ( in the video he scoops and squidges in the same direction so the weaving is the only way he can mix left to right ). Mixing by stirring with a stick is like whisking in cooking - it introduces air bubbles.
  5. Always worth going round and checking all the critical bolts after a couple of weeks too.
  6. It's very rarely the rubber that wears out on the standard suspension. It's normally the rod ends or sperical bushings (many people mistake the latter for rubber and replace with poly making the suspension softer !! ) People replace the ECU with a mappable one and end up with better ecconomy and more power. Seems like a win/win, however it has NOTHING to do with newer technology and everything to do with the mapping - it has had nearly all the safety margin taken out. One duff batch of fuel, or a bit of drift with age or temperature (it takes man years of mapping to get corrections right, if anyone thinks £200 for a couple of hours on the dyno gets a perfect map they're seriously deluded by the sales patter). A recent case was a well known 165 owner who fitted an AFR gauge and found his previously mapped PFC was running 12.5 AFR + on boost - very lucky not to have killed his engine. I can also think of at least one person whose engine went pop soon after fitting a PFC running right on the edge to achieve a target power. I'm not saying that people shouldn't tailor a car to their needs, but don't go into it blind thinking there is no downside to any modification.
  7. I keep saying it, but Toyota spend millions in r&d creating a good compromise between performance, comfort, reliability and ecconomy. Yet people seem to think they can do better after reading some sales spiel. if you improve one aspect, you lose others. Polybushes remove the cushioning effect from road vibration so will inevitably cause more wear to spherical joints in the chain. Likewise lower profile tyres - these will also reduce the ease of controlling the car as they are less progressive and also have a greater tendancy to just let go when hitting a slippery bit. Too many times I see modified cars being broken because the owner can't cope with running them.
  8. I'm considering making a Toyota OBD / OBD2 converter to allow the use of normal OBD2 tools on the celica (for real time info, not fault codes). If it goes ahead it'll probably be available autumn / winter time and cost somewhere approaching £100 finger in air. Otherwise, I'm not aware of anything.
  9. As above, it will be immersed in petrol so will need to be petrol resistant. IMO use a piece of petrol hose as insulation, and make it long enough that if it drops all the way down the wire, the joint will still be covered - i.e. make the wire above the joint longer than below and put the tubing above while making the joint. DONT use sticky tape, the stick won't last 2 minutes. Don't rely on cable ties unless you use petrol resistant or stainless ones (the latter WILL conduct of course) Don't mount the wire in such a way that it can rub on any metalic surface and wear away the insulation.
  10. Firstly, I would never even dream of running an engine without a substance in the bearings that is designed to lubricate and form a liguid layer between the moving metal bits. Sticking in something thin and watery can only cause rapid wear of the engine. If the oil is in poor condition then do the next change sooner rather than later. I wouldn't even waste money on 5L of oil for a few miles, use the proper oil (it doesn't cost a vast amount more) and keep it in there until the next change.
  11. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LPG-conversion-INSPECTION-uklpg-certification-old-new-systems-tested-/380648926003?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item58a071ab33
  12. Not sure whether it has a warning output, I'd guess the spec will say. Most likely is a relay contact which you can use to drive a big lamp and a klaxon A word of warning by the way, once you've fitted the sensor, don't drive the car without the controller fitted and powered. Exhaust gas will damage an unpowered sensor.
  13. Not quite unless you use an LC-1. On all others I've come across the conroller is built into the gauge so: The wideband sensor in the exhaust is wired just to the gauge. The gauge has a 0-5V output which you then feed to the ECU. You may need to download software from the gauge manufacturer and hook up the gauge to a PC to configure the output correctly. I would still advise using the gauge with the built in warning as above if you have a turbo engine. Going weak on boost means pretty instant engine failure.
  14. p.s. I think this is it http://www.amazon.com/AEM-30-4900-Wideband-Failsafe-Gauge/dp/B007ZAQLF6 Manufacturer Part Number: 30-4900 http://www.aemelectronics.com/wideband-air-fuel-systems-15/wideband-failsafe-gauge-84/
  15. I always think a wideband is worthwhile on a turbo engine, especially on a non-standard setup as it allows you to monitor the mapping stays safe under all conditions. The is a version of the AEM one which also reads RPM and map sensor and provides a warning if it goes too weak on boost - a potential engine saver. Mapping the mixture is pretty simple, ignition is harder although if you're only tweaking then you mainly just need to retard in areas where you get detonation (you will need det cans or knock warning system)
  16. The 205 has a relay fairly local to the starter, so this solution probably doesn't apply.
  17. The usual problem in relays is burning on the contacts as a result of the small spark you get when switching. Sometimes they weld themselves shut, sometimes you just get a poor contact which is the symptoms you have. Not sure where the relay is located, but I would most expect it to be in one of the fuseboxes in the engine bay. Most likely to be worn contacts on the starter solenoid itself, but could also be the starter relay (or earths, or power lead to battery)
  18. The relay is a better solution. A resistor capable of disipating the 20W to simulate a bulb is fairly bulky, plus it's a fair bit of heat to get rid of.
  19. Doesn't hurt to take them out every so often otherwise they end up corroded in and you damage the threads struggling to get them out.
  20. I change mine when they give trouble. So that's about 80K miles so far then.
  21. Keep an eye on coolant level, if it starts losing coolant then suspect head gasket. In the meantime, it's more likely condensation especially if you do loads of short journeys and no long ones.
  22. A pothole hit hard enough to puncture a tyre and bend a wheel would give a bang big enough for you to know exactly where it is. If the tyre stayed up long enough to get you home would certainly have pumped up had you not driven on it. The main tyre damage would have been while driving flat, and I suspect the wheel damage too. A flat tyre will leave the rim so close to the tarmac that a small stone or a drain cover could impact and damage. Seems very unfair to blame a council for something that probably isn't their fault, more likely a nail in the tyre.
  23. As a bump for more opinions, I'll just recap. Looks like very little interest in a dash replacement option. I'm surprised as this had the potential of a really good looking, very functional system, definately a WOW factor at a reasonable price. With current interest levels, this looks like a dead duck. Looking at the other options, it looks like there's potential for a separate display / warning / logging system which can be mounted in the centre console, dash top or on top of the steering console. Currently some debate about size & shape - din standard to fit spare stereo hole is one option, but that's too big for steering column. Display size & readability is also very important. I'm curently looking at doing a PCB / display combination that can fit a stereo size din case and a smaller case so the customer can specify when ordering which size is wanted. I'm also looking at whether I can get the electronics for the whole thing in a shallow box without going surface mount (not efficient for quantities less than 500), if not I'll consider doing a separate display unit connecting via canbus - this may be a product in it's own right as an OBD driven display which is built in the car rather than via a phone. Currently looking at 12 analogue inputs (maybe 4 of them thermocouple for EGT), at least 2 digital inputs (RPM,speed), supply voltage built in, built in 3 axis G sensor, CAN bus (hopefully obd2), RS232. For anyone interested in the discussion on the DC (I think you can view without registering): http://www.gt4dc.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=6240
  24. I have run torque (not pro so far) on my clio with bluetooth / htc phone and agree it takes some beating as an 'add-on dash' system. I would say there's no real market for Gen 7 / other modern cars for an add-on / side box for engine monitoring / performance measuring. i would personally not consider removing the OEM dashboard and replace with an item that relies on operation of a nearby mobile phone / bluetooth. It should be self contained so any driver can get in, having been robbed of all their posessions, and drive the car with full readout of speed, distance etc. I believe this is also a legal requirement. From discussions here & on the DC so far, it looks likely that the first offering will be a generic monitor / display / warning in a din case designed to fit in a roughly stereo size hole. Many people remove the standard double din stereo and relace with an aftermarket single one and are looking for something to fill the hole anyway. This can be on the market within a couple of months as most of the work is already done. I'll continue to look at the feasability of the original idea of a replacement dash, as I think it should appeal to many who want something a bit modern & flashy.
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