I Planned it to take 2 years!!! (started in April 2006) As for the exhaust, I've left it a bit long, as well. I thought I'd let the roadworthy tester decide how much it is supposed to protrude, then i'll cut it back and try bending it up a bit. But yeah, I'm planning on taking some time off for some road trips when spring arrives.
Richard,
the only issue with the rear tail-pipe on a sedan is getting it to sit centrally between the fuel tank and the spare wheel well.....
As S/Tim states - it will need a definite shortening or straightening or you'll get grief....
You could incorporate a straight out the back pipe with a "megaphone" tip - that would enhance the "note"......
As long as it extends a bit behind the bumper far enough not to corrode the chrome - but does not extend beyond the overall length of the vehicle (i.e. over-riders) - I believe the engineer will be happy.
If you complete the "project" before Spring, you could come up here to sunny FNQ... they only have three seasons... there's a missing one between autumn and spring..... and they only last for 1 week each.....
Looks excellent Richard, your patience has certainly paid off
Good luck with the official part, then get ready to enjoy cruising in the better weather.
regards
Roger
Been driving out on the road (at last!). Took the opportunity to do some tuning out in the real world. Just bought a wideband O2 setup do I can monitor the mixture while I drive. Not a bad investment. So with laptop on passenger seat logging the engine performance, it gives me a histrogram of the trip, showing me throttle position, load (manifold pressure), advance, dwell, AFR, and a bunch of other stuff. Gradually been tickling the mixture settings at the various points where the mixture was too rich or lean at the various parts of the fuel map. Gradually getting improved performance with each trip. Noticing with more power coming from subsequent tunes I'm getting a high whistle coming from the intake-sounds pretty cool!
Went to the exhaust place to get the noise level measured, 99dB-fail! Should be <=96db spewin! . So looks like I'll have to get a smaller, second muffler, probably in that straight bit between the diff and the rear. The real kick in the plums was being charged 41 bucks in the process!
Got a hot dog fitted to the straight bit at the end of the exhaust on Friday. Raised the tip a bit as well, looks and sounds better now. Got the pass from the EPA tester (88dB), and went up to Montrose to get the weighbridge certificate. Took the opportunity to use the "auto-tune" function on the ECU. Worked really well, after only 20 minutes of driving, the car runs much smoother and has some decent acceleration and throttle response. Checked #1 plug afterward and it reads very nicely. Also more of that induction whistle from the intake which just sounds cool. Only hassle now is the pre-filter before the lift pump is clagging after about 30 mins of driving, very annoying! It's one of those Speco glass tube ones, with the little mesh cage inside. Bought a couple of those Ryco Z92 plastic ones today, they have a lot more surface area inside, and will tolerate more rubbish before they clag up. I figure the tank will run out of crap-eventually! Engineer is away OS at the minute, but I'm ready now for the final inspection from him when he gets back early September. Can't wait!
Guess he'll be back around the same time as us (2 weeks or so).... hope I get a look at it sporting the new rego plates......
Can't help with the tank clagging issue..... I spent two days trying to get a dead bogon moth out of my tank (remember?)..... there's a baffle in there which prevents clear and open access to all the tank through the fuel sender hole...... next to pulling it out altogether and giving it a jolly good flush and a lot of compressed air - you're going to have to chase the grit for a fair while...
Just by the bye..... are you filling up at Caltex (Woolworths) ?....... might have some suggestions to make if you are....
And - if I can put any emphasis on how finely fuel needs to be for injectors ...... you certainly don't want anything but fuel going through your injector pump and injectors..... $12,000 to replace the components in a D4-D V8 diesel...... so I am told on the LCOOL forum....
So, after frightening the living daylights out of you, Richard - once set, you should have a powerplant which will only ever need oil and filter changes.... everything else should remain set until Nina gets to take it for a spin..... on her "L's".....
I hope I've got the filtration covered. The z92 filter is cleaning the fuel as it leaves the tank, protecting the lift pump, which feeds the surge tank in the engine bay, then the overflow runs from the top of that back to the main tank.
Fuel from the surge tank passes through a proper generic EFI filter (5micron) before the EFI (standard Bosch) to the rail, regulator, and back to the surge tank. What would be handy would be a way of knowing when the surge tank stops returning fuel. This gives me a 1 liter warning before she starts stalling.
great stuff richard .. you got out of the epa testing cheap mine cost me $90 bucks last time i had it done ..
what wide band sensor did u get ? -
must say that auto tune function sound great, i have to adjust mine manually .. and since i know stuff all about tuning im running a std tune most of the time, i had a throttle sucking noise too , but it drove me nuts, not sure if your setup has a AFT valve ? , but that was the cause just wound to butterfly stop up a bit the reduce the need to AFT to open too much ..
Relieved to learn you have adequate fuel filtration, Richard - don't ever be tempted to by-pass it .....
There are a lot of fuel suppliers who are sadly responsible for many electric fuel pumps.... I was warned of a number of them some time back from a contact at Bursons.... he told me the amount of replacement fuel pumps he was supplying per week..... and most of them were attributable to one particular supply outlet.... sourced from Singapore... unfiltered, and delivered as supplied...
frats,
Rosco
ps - we're currently in the Calypso CP in Yamba.... not in cabin #4 this time (as in the Yamba nats in 2008) but on site #29..... here for four nights - weather? - perfect..... about to deplete my stock of 4x tinnies.... all six of them - huge day today.... can you imagine what it was like hauling the van (GCM of 6.5 tonnes) up to the top of the Byron Bay lighthouse lookout?.... I can tell you it wasn't easy - auto trans temp got to 113 C ..... lots and lots of shocked faces - priceless, lot of strife trying to do a 7 point turn...... but the views - spectacular... along with Ballina and Evans Head....
Hi Ross, Great to hear you are enjoying what northern NSW has to offer. Hope you bring some of that sunshine back with you on your return. I don't know about plates so soon, but the engineer's certificate will definitely be a major step in the right direction. As for the whistle from the throttle body, now that you mention it, Dave, I recall it became more apparent when I set up the idle bypass valve. Basically, I set the throttle Zero so the butterfly was a cigarette paper from the wall, and adjusted the idle using the bypass valve. Also Zeroed in the TPS to the computer. With the auto tuning, it's very clever indeed. While driving, the computer takes readings from the oxy sensor and compares the readings to a pre-determined AFR map (which you can set; power, economy or minimum emissions)and corrects the VE table along with the pulsewidths to the injectors as you go. If you are happy with the new settings, just hit the "Burn to ECU" button and it's set. (I've done this with the laptop in the passenger seat. You can alter and save settings while the engine is running.
Once registered, there will be a lot more "On-Road" tuning, hopefully with the wife driving while I play around with the spark advance, looking for the optimum advance curve, so as to maximize power/economy and minimize heat from the extractors.
The Oxy sensor and guage (The guage is really handy) is an LC-1 unit from DIY Autotune in the U.S. Cost me 300 bucks, money well spent. Its great to be able to see what the fuel mixture is doing while I drive, right now, it drops to 12 under power, 14 at cruise and 14.7-15 at downhill coast. Car runs well, too!
Big day today. Had the engineer come over for final inspection and test drive.
Passed!
You little rippa!
Booked in for a roadworthy next week. But I reckon the big hurdle has been cleared.
Very exited!!
Well done, gotta be happy about that. Its more than the big hurdle, your coasting now! Although you do still have to go to vicroads, which is always testing. Make sure you have everything with you!
As for the exhaust, I've left it a bit long, as well. I thought I'd let the roadworthy tester decide how much it is supposed to protrude, then i'll cut it back and try bending it up a bit. But yeah, I'm planning on taking some time off for some road trips when spring arrives. 
