Geococcyx Velox Blog 2022.

Saturday 12-3-2022.  Bleed all brakes, cooling system.

Sunday 13-2-2022.  Come-and-try Motorkhana. Took Crazy bike.    Geo with 18 psi fronts, 20 psi rears, 80 psi in reservoir.  Brakes not working properly, very little foot brakes, and occasional problems with turning brakes.  Throttle problem with it not picking up after braking, and occasionally stalling. It was very difficult to drive with the throttle problems, so retired the car. Noel came and adjusted the TPS, and changed the air mixture on the throttle bodies, and it seemed to run cleaner, then the ferrule on the throttle cable ran up the outside of the cable sheath.

Tuesday 15-3-2022.  Made new 1mm diameter SS loop for warm up cable.  Tested it OK.  Then tested the throttle pedal, and snapped the end off the throttle cable.

Thursday 17-3-2022.  Bought Yamaha XT500 Throttle Cables from Team Moto Enoggera (Dual action) for $97.96    Measured and drew them. Fitted one, and all works perfectly.

Thursday 7-4-2022.  Put new plugs in, fiddled with wires at TPS, hit starter and it was running instantly.  Octopus grip on tyres, and wrapped them.

Friday 8-4-2022.  Bought 8 CR8E Spark plugs.

Sunday 10-4-2022.  HSCCQ Khanacross / Motorkhana, Willowbank.  Fine, warm.  80 psi in reservoir, 10 psi fronts, 18psi rears.  The throttle seemed to work perfectly around the pits when warming it up, but as soon as I went to full throttle in the first Khanacross test, the throttle then only decided to idle or full throttle.  Very difficult to drive.

I was first into the Khanacross, and was told when I returned that the timing gear did not work.  I then went and did 2 runs at Multiple Loop, 2 runs at Jellyfish, and in the second run at Try Angles the rear suspension collapsed on a severe bump.  Dragged the car back onto the trailer, and brought it home.

Photographed the damage which is :- both top M12 Rod Ends were snapped off, both outer CV joints torn apart, both rear wheels folded under their suspension arms, bending the lower rear arm on the LH side severely.  The left hand bottom Golf ball joint has lost one of its mounting nuts.  The left rear CV joint has lost most of its balls.  I put new M12 Rod ends onto the top mounts.

Tuesday 12-4-2022.  Found that the crossmember holding the mounts for the tie rod ends had broken away from its end plates, and was jacked up at an extreme angle.  Removed bottom ball joint, and two of the 3 bolts are damaged.  Took off bottom A arm, and got jig ready for remaking it. Put new electrical terminals on Fuel pump earth, and turning brake solenoids which had been torn off.   Made new lower left rear A arm using jig.

Easter Saturday 16-4-2022.  Fitted left rear lower A arm, lower ball joint, tie rod.  Assembled right rear hub and tie rod, adjusted tweaked brake fitting which was rubbing on inside of wheel.  Removed inner part of left outer CV joint.

Wednesday 27-4-2022.  Rang Mick Motors re outer CV Joints, and they have no record of my order for them.  Found some used ones in my gearbox spares pile.

Wednesday 4-5-2022.  Rang Mick Motors again, Ross said they have been ordered.  Put used CV into LH rear.

Sunday 8-5-2022.  HSCCQ Interclub Motorkhana, Willowbank.  Overcast, but fine.  Surface wet at first, then gradually dried out.  10 psi front Avons, 18 psi rear Avons, 80 psi in reservoir.  However by the middle of the day, the forward / reverse solenoids would not work. In the finish garage on the final test, the throttle jammed open, so had to hurriedly turn the engine off .  5^th outright.

Thursday 19-5-2022.  Full set of rod end bearings from Premier Bearings.

Saturday 25-6-2022.  Fixed problem with throttle sticking :- the warm-up link was catching on the side of cylinder 3 intake rubber hose.

Thursday 30-6-2022.  Fitted left and right lower rear A arms, fitted push rods with new rod ends.

Wednesday 6-7-2022.  Did corner weights roughly, and toe in of rear wheels.

Friday 8-7-2022.  Geo will not start, blue light on ECU.  Checked website, and it indicates that the ECU needs to be booted through a laptop.

Saturday 9-7-2022.  Rang Gary Stewart, but got answering machine.

Sunday 10-7-2022.  Went to Motorkhana, got Noel to connect his laptop, but could not find problem.  Then took it to Gary who could not solve it either.  Left car with him.

Monday 11-7-2022.  Gary rang early evening to say that Geo starts, and runs well.

Wednesday 13-7-2022.  Gary rang to say that both batteries are buggered, and that Geo started perfectly and ran perfectly with one of his batteries fitted.

Thursday 14-7-2022.  Picked up Geo from Gary.  It started perfectly on his battery.  He changed the mapping to put more fuel into the intake manifold on over-run to try to solve stalling.

Friday 15-7-2022.  New Yuasa YTZ10SY High Cranking battery.

Sunday 17-7-2022.  Started Geo on new battery, ran it till up to temp.

Wednesday 9-8-2022.  Replaced all rose joints in front suspension.

Sunday 28-8-2022.  QMC at Queensland Raceway.  Fine, warm.  Avon fronts 8 psi, Hoosier SAE on rear 18 psi.  80 psi in reservoir.  ECU worked perfectly for tests 1 & 2, but then reverted to ignition switch mode for rest of the day.  Engine overheated for last 2 tests, so did not do them.  Coolant level very low, so topped it up.  Handling was good, with the tail sliding very well on the 15 year old Hoosiers.

Monday 29-8-2022.  Drained engine oil, and there was NO coolant in it.  Emptied around 500 ml from coolant overflow.  New sump plug gasket.

Tuesday 30-8-2022.   2 new Avon 7.2/20.0-13 Slicks, A53 compound, 14443S construction.  Sidecarshop, NL.  Filled engine with oil, took plugs out and they were extremely dirty with soot.  Wire brushed them, and reinstalled.  Topped up coolant, and started engine.  It ran OK, but with backfiring after getting warm.  Made access panel for coolant bleed screw.

Monday 5-9-2022.  Got new Avons fitted to 8” rims at Jax.

Thursday 8-9-2022.  I decided to go to hotter plugs because of the fouling, so bought 4 new CR7E spark plugs.

Wednesday 28-9-2022.  Removed CR8E plugs, turned engine over.  Blew out only fuel vapour – no water.  Put new CR7E plugs into engine.

Saturday 1-10-2022.  Australian Motorkhana Championship scrutineering.  Did not practice.

Sunday 2-10-2022.  AMC at Willowbank.  Rain until lunchtime, then gradually dried out.  Avon front slicks, Hoosier SAE on rear.  12 psi, 18 psi.  Very little rear grip, so decreased pressure in rears to 14 psi.  No difference.  Engine ran all day with CR7E plugs, with no wetting of plugs. I drove terribly, hitting lots of poles.  

Thursday 6-10-2022.  CR7E plugs out, slightly sooted.  Wire brushed them and replaced them in engine.  Panels cleaned and replaced.  Seat cleaned and replaced.

Sunday 16-10-2022.  Started engine first press, ran it till warm.

Thursday 24-11-2022.  Got alloy spacer plates from Action Aluminium.  Got SS Exhaust deflector from Rob Bliss.  Printed 3D gland for wall.

Wednesday 14-12-2022.  VW Golf Mk 1 outer CV Joints arrived from Mick Motors.

Sunday 18-12-2022.  Started engine with side wall exhaust.  Works well.

GEOCOCCYX BLOG 2021.

Friday 1-1-2021. Drilled coolant brass pipe, and fitted it to hose.
Saturday 2-1-2021. Spray painted dashboard & number panels again.
Sunday 3-1-2021. Sprayed Chassis, using 1.5 cans of Cyan paint. Photographed it.
Monday 4-1-2021. Touch up paint on rollbar & dashboard.
Tuesday 5-1-2021. Engine back in, exhaust flange made.
Wednesday 6-1-2021. Replaced dashboard electrics.
Thursday 7-1-2021. Installed master switch, heat shields, and mount for starter solenoid and regulator. Made new earth terminal for regulator. Installed motor earth cable, exhaust system, warm-up cable.
Friday 8-1-2021. Fitted Radiator and cooling pipes.
Saturday 9-1-2021. Fitted new gear lever transfer bracket and gear lever rods, differential, drain tank and hoses, radiator top up tank, F/R lever extension. Wired socket for selfie stick. Fitted air filter pods. Sprayed rear cross beams. Installed turning brake bracket. Replaced steel pipe for coolant bleeder with 6 mm inside diameter fuel hose.
Sunday 10-1-2021. Painted lots of parts. Installed rear cross beams, air reservoir, air cylinders with brackets and wiring, fuel tank mount, rear suspension and dampers. Installed rear cross bracing members.
Monday 11-1-2021. Made new signs for pedals. Installed fuel tank, fuel pump and mounting, shortened fuel line from filter to pump. Plumbed fuel lines to injection. Broke switch on reverse lever. Installed F/R transfer bracket and rods, pedals and clutch cylinder.
Tuesday 12-1-2021. Bought new reversing light switch, and fitted it. Connected throttle cable, clutch line. Fitted steering rack to its mount, and then fitted it to car. Installed cover shield.
Wednesday 13-1-2021. Installed steering shaft into rack, fitted wheel, front suspension, front brakes.
Thursday 14-1-2021. Installed rear brakes. Installed turning brakes
Friday 15-1-2021. Re-routed turning brake. Wired up turning brakes, and made new terminal mount. Re-routed clutch line. Painted seat sides. Sprayed clear on number panels, and when dried put new “G” onto them. Took lots of photographs.
Saturday 16-1-2021. Bled clutch and brakes, installed firewall and seat sides, rear view mirror, test diagram holder, seat belts.
Sunday 17-1-2021. Reassembled leads at master switch, and taped the terminals. Charged battery. Tried to start engine, but there seems to be no spark. Unplugged lead to No 1 plug and removed it, and there is no spark across terminals. Reassembled plug, and found brake fluid all through the starter solenoid and wiring. Checked all the fuses, and none are blown. Sprayed all of the wires around the starter solenoid with WD40, and allowed it to dry.
Monday 18-1-2021. Checked wiring. Removed and repositioned lean angle sensor. Still will not fire. Made cushion for upper back of seat.
Tuesday 19-1-2021. Set up electronic dash, and tried to get error codes. Inconsistent results. I do not know if I am doing it correctly. Charged battery because it was getting low from running the fuel pump. Tried again later, but same results. Will not fire up. Installed upper seat cushion.
Thursday 21-1-2021. Sprayed terminals on lean angle sensor, took it completely apart. Tested values, but could not make sense of them. Unplugged ECU, and reconnected it. Found wire missing from fan light switch, and replaced it. Diagnostic dash will not work.
Friday 22-1-2021. Got diagnostic dashboard working, and it gave me code 13 – intake air sender. Traced wires, and found they were routed incorrectly. Fixed that, and diagnosis now code 14 – intake air piping. Can’t find anything wrong with it. Checked diagram in workshop manual. Cannot work out how to delete old error codes
Saturday 23-1-2021. Charged battery, cleaned wires to starter solenoid, fuses, etc, and reassembled. No change. Shorted across Kill switch, and still no firing. Removed one wire from kill switch, and the starter turns but does not fire. Tested kill switch, and decided to replace it.
Sunday 24-1-2021. Measured voltage going back to ECU from Lean angle Sensor, and it is 11.2 volts. Measured amperage at battery, and it is 10 amps. Calculated resistor value needed, but was unsure of what I was doing. Rang Kerry Williams, and he suggested wiring a resistor into the system. Talked to Dave James, and he suggested using a 5 Volt regulator in the line, then a 10K potentiometer until we get the correct values going back to the ECU. Then measure the pot, and get a solid resistor of that value, and wire it into the box, then fill it with epoxy. Will get part of the wiring diagram that has the lean angle sensor in it, and send it to him. Later I thought of putting a Voltage regulator of 1.2 V in the line, and found one on the web for $16 approx.
Monday 25-1-2021. To Bursons, Autobarn, electrical suppliers, JCar, and auto electrician chasing kills switch and voltage regulator. Bought a new switch from JCar, and ordered a voltage regulator from R S Components.
Tuesday 26-1-2021. Australia Day. Re-installed previous kill switch. Soldered wires to terminals from old LAS. Tyres onto car. Cleaned out vacuum brake bleeding handle, and it works again properly.
Thursday 28-1-2021. Resoldered leads onto blades for LAS voltage regulator. Got out TPS units and tested them all.
Monday 1-2-2021. Made new ralloy mounts for RV mirror.
Tuesday 2-2-2021. Voltage Regulator arrived, and I soldered it into circuit. Tested it’s voltage between yellow/black and Black/blue and it is 1.12 volts. Connected up terminal 23, and fuel pump. Engine turns over but does not fire. Replaced ECU, and same thing.
Stumped. Made aluminium cover for mirror, painted it.
Wednesday 3-2-2021. Fitted RV Mirror cover. Tried to work out error codes. Tried to work out if the wiring to Dashboard is correct. Checked photos and wiring diagrams.
Thursday 4-2-2021. Took Master switch off, and repositioned it to the front of the front cage. Rewired it, and made new battery cover from paxolin. Fitted it.
Friday 5-2-2021. Worked out how to get diagnostic values from dashboard, but did not know how to manipulate them. Most of the readings are correct, except for 08 Lean angle cutoff switch which reads 50 on dash (should be 0.4 to 1.4 V), but reads 1.1 V on multimeter.
Saturday 6-2-2021. Tried to clear error codes, but without success. It has Error 21 (Coolant Temp Sensor) and Error 41 (Lean Angle Sensor), both of which I have fixed. Checked wires to kill switch, and redrew diagram to suit. Assembled firewall, seat, belts again, but it still will not fire.
Sunday 7-2-2021. Tested continuity of wires going to terminals to coils, and they seem to be OK. Same with kill switch. Same with terminals 27, 28, 29 & 30. Tested wires to TPS with it disconnected, but no continuity. Tested terminal 24, and it is not in use. The black / yellow goes directly to earth through a connector.
Monday 8-2-2021. Rang Yamaha service people, and finally booked it in to Springwood Yamaha for Monday 15th Feb.
Tuesday 9-2-2021. Continued checking continuity of wires. Could not get Injector 3 & 4 connectors apart, but 1 & 2 were good. Tested Lean Angle Yellow/Green to terminal 23, and it gives only a momentary connectivity.
Sunday 14-2-2021. Did corner weights on car. Original figures were LF 56 kg, RF 68 kg, LR 124 kg, RR 44 kg (obviously defective scale No 2). After Adjustment figures were :- Left Front 61 kg. Right Front 61 kg. Left Rear 115 kg. Right Rear (after swapping scales) 112 kg.
Monday 15-2-2021. Took car to Springwood Yamaha. They do not know what to do. They confirmed that the error codes being displayed are current, and what I was doing to remove old codes was correct. They said to try a replacement LAS from Allbikes in Moss Street. They had one already on a FJR1300 which was inaccessible.
Tuesday 16-2-2021. Tested continuity of more wires. Removed Starter solenoid and replaced it with spare. Still does not fire. Replaced the original.
Saturday 20-2-2021. Checked continuity of wires from F.I. Relay and coils and all seem to be OK.
Sunday 21-2-2021. HSCCQ Come and Try Motorkhana, timekeeper. Got info re ECU from competitors. Trevor recommended EMS Australia. Rob Bowers Autronic. Philip Haltech Sports. Brant Haltech or Megasquirt. MR2 driver Adaptronic Australia. Greg Alderding has a Haltech Elite 550 for sale.
Sunday 28-2-2021. To Greg Alderding’s place, picked up Haltech Elite 550 ECU, Haltech Elite 750 Harness, Broadband O2 sensor and cabling, fuse box and other parts.
Tuesday 2-3-2021. Contacted Justin Simpson re Haltech. Drained oil, took off trigger wheel, ground off 9th trigger, cleaned it up, and re-installed it. This is what it looked like with the 9th trigger still in place.
Wednesday 3-3-2021. Renewed oil with Fuchs Silkolene Super 4 10W-40 to mark. Thursday 4-3-2021. Made aluminium support for fuse box, painted it.
Friday 5-3-2021. Contacted Horsepower Solutions – Justin Simpson – and he did not want to work on my car. He wants to do the whole lot himself, and is booked up till June. At my request he recommended Scotty Hoffman at Cleveland Exhaust, who I rang. He asked me to send him all the stuff to look at over the weekend, and he would contact me on Monday. I then contacted Fernando at Haltech for his advice on the wiring diagram.
Sunday 7-3-2021. Mounted fuse box in place, made lexan support panel, and put it in place. Mounted ECU to it, and started wiring loom from fuse box to ECU.
Monday 8-3-2021. Started cutting and splicing on sensor wires. Help from Fernando of Haltech. Shortened wire from fuel pump to selfie stick outlet.
Tuesday 9-3-2021. More info from Fernando on Haltech
Wednesday 10-3-2021. Started taking wires out of Yamaha loom.
Thursday 11-3-2021. Started integrating Haltech wires into existing sensors. Started wrapping cables from Fuse Box to ECU.
Tuesday 16-3-2021. Started pulling Yamaha wiring out of the car, and disconnecting wires. I had two to go when I found that the RED/BLUE wire that goes from the starter solenoid to Yamaha terminal Y27 had pulled out, and therefore there was no signals getting to the coils. THAT IS WHY THE ENGINE WOULD TURN OVER BUT NOT START. BUGGER !!!!! I connected it back up, but cannot try it out because the +1 trigger has been ground off the crank trigger wheel. Finished spiral winding cable from fuse box the ECU, and labelled all the unused wires from the ECU so I can plan the run of these cables.
Wednesday 17-3-2021. Continued making spiral loom for Haltech. Repositioned WB1 connector.
Thursday 18-3-2021. Drew loom, and continued building it. Took headers off, and welded adaptor plug for wide band O2 sensor into it. Painted it. Threaded spiral loom through firewall chassis members.
Friday 19-3-2021. Fitted headers again with both O2 sensors. Connected wide band cable, but it is open to heat from the headers. Made a small alloy shield, and covered it in heat blanket. Was not happy with it, so made a much larger one, and insulated it. Fitted it, and it looks like it will do the trick.
Saturday 20-3-2021. Continued with wiring of harness. Connected lots of cables to sensors, then found that I had connected the air inlet pressure wire to the speed sensor. Fixed it by tracing the wires with multimeter.
Monday 22-3-2021. Wired up more cables, and extended spiral to top of engine.
Tuesday 23-3-2021. Connected more wires and made spiral wound cable bundles.
Wednesday 24-3-2021. Deleted Yamaha F.I. Relay from system. Finished spiral winding cables, and started checking wiring. Found throttle warm up cable would not work, and throttles are stiff. Replaced light return spring with a heavier one, but still the same.
Thursday 25-3-2021. Took air filters off to test the throttle cables, and it is stiff inside the shaft. Sprayed it with WD40, and made new aluminium block for end of spiral cable. Fitted it, and made a new aluminium mounting plate for the Yamaha fuse box. Cut old fishing line throttle warm up cable off, and fitted a new one. Started checking continuity of wiring.
Friday 26-3-2021. Sealed cables, and spiral would ancillaries. Checked continuity of all other wires except injectors 2, 3, 4 because I could not disconnect their plugs. Contacted 101 Motorsport, and booked it in for Friday 9th April, 8AM.
Sunday 28-3-2021. Sealed off excess cables from Haltech. Removed crappy wooden handles from Motorcycle lever and forward / reverse lever, and turned up a hardwood replacement, and a macadamia replacement on lathe.
Monday 29-3-2021. Cut off excess DPO & DPI wires from loom, and heat shrunk sealed them. Tried to thread M10 in silky oak, but the thread stripped. Reduced diameter of hardwood knob, and varnished both of them. Photographed loom from left and right.
Tuesday 30-3-2021. Tried to install macadamia knob on F/R lever, but the bolt has 1.5 pitch. Could not re-thread it, so rethreaded the knob. It fits. Tapped M12 thread in 1-5 gear lever, and fitted hardwood knob.
Thursday 1-4-2021. 8 + 1 crank trigger arrived in mail.
Thursday 8-4-2021. Prepare Geo for tuning. Swap left hand side tyres, charge battery, bleed clutch, pump up tyres.
Friday 9-4-2021. Off early to 101 Motorsport. Varun Sharma. No spark, no power to coils, told to buy replacement coils. Got them from Allbikes for $160, and fitted them. Diagnosed as needing an igniter, and found one in a box at 101. A bloke fitted it, but wired it up incorrectly, and the coils started to heat up as well as the igniter. Rewired them, and then the battery went flat. Got jumper battery fitted, and played with the settings, and found the timing was way wrong. Punch marked timing wheel etc and got timing light onto it. Then the timing light failed. Finally with lots of changed settings it popped once, then after a few more attempts, it finally fired at 3 PM. I was told that it would be tuned on Monday morning, and they would ring me either that afternoon or Tuesday morning to pick it up. Brought trailer home.
Saturday 10-4-2021. Downloaded wiring diagram for igniter, and tried to incorporate it into wiring diagram.
Tuesday afternoon 13-4-2021. I rang 101 Motorsport because they had not contacted me, and was told that Varun had not been in today – he was buying another house – and that it would be tuned tomorrow.
Wednesday afternoon 14-4-2021. I rang 101 Motorsport because they had not contacted me, and was told that it had not been tuned because Varun had been in and out of the place all day. It would be tuned on Thursday.
Friday 16-4-2021. I went to 101 Motorsport with the trailer to pick up the car whether it had been tuned or not. It was sitting on the wheel dyno, but nobody around it. I told cousin that I was here to pick up the car, and just give me the invoice for the time that had been put into the car, and I would pay it, and take the car away. He went and got Varun who came to me to say that he had been tuning the car, but now it would not start. There was not even any spark. It was not doing anything. I advised him that I would pay him for the time that had been put into the car, and take it away. He then said that they had spent enormous time on the car, and that it was a piece of shit. I told him that if I treated my clients like I had been treated they would all tell me to get knotted, and because I always work with the truth, and am completely trustworthy, and I do not rip them off, I have had some clients for more than 45 years. He then got very angry, and seemed ready to try to punch me in the face – and cousin and another employee came over and held him while gently edging him away. He then said that I should have rung him and he could have told me about the problems. I truthfully told him that I had rung, but he was never there, and that cousin could back me up on that fact. He then angrily told me that he would not work on the piece of shit again and I could take it away. When I went to help remove things that were in the way of getting the car off the dyno, he angrily told me to get out of the workshop. So I did so, and 10 minutes later the car was pushed out of the workshop where I loaded it onto my trailer. Cousin came out to me, and I asked him to give me the invoice which I would pay. He advised that there would be no invoice. I thanked him sincerely, and drove away.
When I got home I put the car on trestles, and found that the acrylic cover over the bolted power terminal had been broken off, and that a vacuum line had been fitted from the ECU to the line at the injection rail, and the igniter had been removed. We already knew that the engine would not start without the igniter.
Made Lexan cover for bolted terminal. Ordered Haltech HT-020002 dual channel igniter from Haltech. $189 + postage.
Saturday 17-4-2021. When I was looking for a place to mount the new igniter, I suddenly realised that when someone removed the one from 101, they put the wires back onto the coils in the incorrect order. Fixed it.
Sunday 18-4-2021. HSCCQ Motorkhana & Khanacross. Got name of tuning expert from Brant Rayment. Gary Stewart, 240 Learoyd Road, Acacia Ridge. 3273 3164.
Tuesday 20-4-2021. Rang Gary Stewart, booked car in for Tuesday 27-4-2021, 10AM.
Wednesday 21-4-2021. Igniter arrived at PO Box. Tabs under plate foul on heat sink. Drew it up, and emailed Fernando for confirmation of wiring diagram.
Thursday 22-4-2021. Ground tabs off underside of Igniter. Bolted Heat sink onto roll bar. Paste onto heat sink, and bolted together. Crimped wires into terminals, and connected it all up. Heat shrink cables, and photographed it. Drew it onto wiring diagram.
Saturday 24-4-2021. Installed firewall, belts, seat. Found throttle cable had been pulled through the mounting block. Took it apart and araldited ferrule back on. Found reverse switch was loose because nut had come off. Tried using a nut off another switch, but it kept stripping the thread.
Sunday 25-4-2021. To Supercheap, no stock of switches, went to Chermside. Fitted it. Replaced throttle cable into mounting, and adjusted it. Charged battery. Checked tightness of suspension bolts.
Monday 26-4-2021. Inflated tyres, prepared Geo.
Tuesday 27-4-2021. Took Geo to Gary Stewart, 240 Learoyd Road, Acacia Ridge. He plugged in the ECU to his computer, but there was a password on the 101 program meaning that he could not access the settings. We tried the obvious possibilities, but none worked. He then set it up using my USB stick, but needed the timing settings. We looked at the timing punch marks with a timing light, and all seemed OK. So we hit the starter, and it ran – idling around 1500rpm, then gradually coming back to around 1000 rpm. Gary asked for the fuel injectors volume etc, but I did not know that figure. He then ran the engine again, and advised me to come back on Thursday morning. He will try to get info out of Haltech regarding this motor in the meantime.
Thursday 29-4-2021. To Gary Stewart to tune Geo. He got a new map from Haltech, but it would not overwrite the 101 map because of the password. He played around, and tried to overwrite it with another map from a MX5, but that did not work. He contacted Haltech again, and they told him to do something else. He then overwrote the 101 map with the MX5 one, then overwrote it with the Geo map. We then had no signal from the O2 sensor and WB1. Took seats and firewall out, and O2 sensor out. It was not hot like it should be, so we checked the wiring. It seems that it needed a power wire coming in to it, so we cut into the red wire from the fuse box, and connected it to the grey/red wire to the WB1. Suddenly we had an O2 signal. Took the plugs out, and connected leads to some display plugs to check spark and timing. Played with the timing, and got it nearly right. Plugs back in, and igniter re-connected. Temperature sensor giving strange signals, so Gary decided to play with it in the afternoon, and for me to come back on Friday morning. Left around 12:15 pm.
Friday 30-4-2021. Woke at 5:30 AM realising that we had connected the red wire from the fusebox to the grey/red wire, and from that point on we had little battery power. So we must now have created a dead short somewhere. I rang Gary around 7:40 AM to advise him of that. Back at 9am, with 98 octane fuel in container. Filled tank, and Gary advised that he had the engine running earlier. He played with the settings, and started it, idling originally at 1800RPM which settled down to 1200. He tuned it down to idle at 1000, but it was not happy. So he set it back to 1200 RPM. He played with other settings, and tried to get it to rev. He reset the limiter to 3500, and it revved crisp and cleanly up to that. It idled for over 15 minutes while he played with the settings until I noticed smoke coming from the top of the engine. I turned it off, and found that the spiral plastic sheathing was melting down onto the exhaust. I cleaned it all up, and removed the rest of the spiral, and then made a bent wire clip to hold the cables up onto the alloy plate that mounts the O2 sensor plug. So then we sat it on the dyno, and strapped it down. We started it up again, and ran it at 1500RPM in 1st gear, but it ran roughly. We increased it to 2500 RPM, but it still ran roughly. We then went to second gear, but it was not running properly. We then realised that it was running out of fuel, so we turned it off, and it was boiling the coolant. We allowed it to cool, and I refuelled it. Then when we restarted it the battery seemed to be weak again, so the battery was put on charge, and I left around 11:45 AM.
Monday 3-5-2021. To Gary Stewart. He had been running the car, but then it refused to start. He said the Haltech was registering only 8 volts when the starter was operating, and that was not enough. He showed me that there was voltage drop along some of my cables, and I needed to re-wire it so that the Haltech was connected directly to the Main cutout switch, and not through other cables. He told me to shorten the earth cable to the chassis from the battery, and not use that connection for other earths. He recommended B7 spark plugs instead of B9. He said to run the alternator power feed straight to the battery. He said to delete the kill switch, and just use the ignition switch.
I loaded the car on the trailer, and brought it home. Drew modified wiring diagram (Haltech Mk 1B), and sent it to Gary on email.
Tuesday 4-4-2021. Made new short battery earth cable. Doubled up the existing battery supply cable, and connected it to isolator. Took red / green and red wires from Haltech Fuse Box, and prepared them for attachment to isolator. Rewound spiral on cable from fuse box to junction. Insulated cables with heat shrink. Removed kill switch.
Wednesday 5-5-2021. Welded new earthing terminal for battery, and connected battery earth to it. Took isolation switch out, and connected red/green and red wires to it; then reconnected other cables to the terminal. Insulated everything, and bolted it back in place. Connected pink wire to power strip on sidewall. Connected 10 amp fuse to power strip. Connected red/white wires from start relay to power strip, and tested their continuity. Rewound spiral cable back onto wires. Tested continuity of other wires. Replaced firewall and seat. Charged battery. Redrew wiring diagram.
Friday 7-5-2021. Looked at the coil of DPI and DPO wires that I had cut off from the Haltech 750 harness, and found that all three wires (red, grey/red and red) had been joined to all the grey/red DPI and DPO wires – and I had cut them off just 4 mm short – severing all of them. We had joined only one red and one grey/red; so I cut the joiner apart and replaced it with a new joiner for all three wires. Spiral wound the cables together, and zip tied them in place. Now the wiring is just as Haltech required it in the original loom. Redrew the wiring diagram.
Saturday 8-5-2021. Replaced valve in LR Wet tyre, and it seems to be holding pressure.
Wednesday 12-5-2021. To Gary Stewart. Engine started first go, but after 1 minute started to smoke heavily from head area. Turned it off, and tried to work out what was burning on the motor. Turned out to be water vapour coming from out of the exhaust area, and the tail pipe. Diagnosed a blown head gasket. Car was starting perfectly, but overheating quickly. Temperatures varied greatly over system. To Repco with Gary, and bought Chemiweld and coolant. Drained coolant from system, and replaced it with water, then added Chemiweld. Started it, but it wanted to boil again. Removed the thermostat, and tested it as being OK. Put water manifold back together without the thermostat in place, and ran the engine for 10 minutes or so. Coolant temps more even over whole system. Gary decided that it would not keep cool enough on the dyno with the current system, and decided to utilise his water jacket heat exchanger to keep it cool while on the dyno. Left around 2:10 pm.
Thursday 13-5-2021. Gary rang at teatime to say that Geo started perfectly today, and blew no water vapour out of the exhaust pipe. It ran for about 5 minutes perfectly. He organised that I go back on Saturday 1pm for final dyno tuning.
Saturday 15-5-2021. Back to Gary at 1 pm, he had run the car, but it was not cooling properly. He thought that the water pump impeller may have come loose, or there was some sort of blockage in the system. We took out the thermostat, and he tested it – and it worked perfectly. We reassembled the cooling without the thermostat in place, and when it was running I noticed that the bottom 80% of the radiator was cool, and the top 20% was hot – leaving me to believe that the bottom fins had been clogged up by the Chemiweld. He advised to take it apart and replace the radiator. I brought it home.
At the motorkhana on Sunday, Noel advised that the Chemiweld cannot be flushed out in reverse flow, and to buy a new radiator. I did that on line on Sunday night, from Melbourne, cost of $110, 1 week delivery.
Monday 17-5-2021. Took Geo on trailer out onto driveway, and removed the radiator. I flushed out all the coolant pipes, and all flowed perfectly. Just to test, I flushed out the radiator in reverse flow, and lots of Chemiweld flakes came out of the inflow pipe, and then it flowed perfectly with no back pressure. I tried it in forward direction with perfect results. Decided to replace the existing radiator while waiting for the new one, and so went to replace the thermostat. Checked the workshop manual to get the correct orientation of the thermostat (bleed hole at top), and found I do not have any gasket goo left. Measured size of Aluminium reflector heat shield needed. 400 x 500. Ordered it and gasket goo from Supercheap.
Tuesday 18-5-2021. Made aluminium disc for radiator overflow, and araldited it in place. Took off WB1 sensor mounting plate, and removed burned heat shield from it. Resprayed header where plastic melted to it. Fixed rubber bung in spark plug socket. Checked LR Tyre, and it is still holding pressure.
Wednesday 19-5-2021. Made bung for kill switch hole, painted it. Made mount for idle screw adjuster, and fitted it. Cut top out of old cyan spray can for oil catch tank, painted it.
Thursday 20-5-2021. Decided cyan can was too tall, so cut an enamel spray can, but it had too big an opening. So cut another with a smaller opening, and painted it. Made alloy mounting plate, and riveted it on.
Friday 21-5-2021. New radiator arrived. Made support for oil catch tank, and fitted it.
Saturday 22-5-2021. To Supercheap, pick up gasket goo and heat shield. Cut heat shield into 300 high and 200 high pieces. Bolted them to upper mount for WB1 plug, and to the firewall. Installed thermostat, and gasket goo’d it in place. Filled with 2.25 litres of water. Burped it, and there are no leaks. Started it on 4th rotation, and idled around 1500 rpm. Checked heating of coolant pipes, and all seemed to be good. Radiator was even in temperature from top to the second bottom fin, but cooler on the lowest fin. Maybe there is still a blockage in it. Ran it for about 4 minutes, revving it to around 3000 rpm. Replaced firewall and seats. The WB1 oxygen sensor was NOT connected.
REALLY HAPPY AGAIN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday 23-5-2021.

Monday 7-6-2021. To Gary Stewart, ran car with its own radiator on dyno until it started to overheat, connected his heat exchanger, and it then stayed at 80 degrees C all the time. Ran it on the dyno in 5th gear right up to 8000 rpm ( 192kph / 120mph), using nearly three tanks of fuel. Water radiator hoses came loose at drain, and the cover over the trigger wheel started leaking. Took it off, and gasket goo’d it, and all was OK. When running in 5th gear at 1500 rpm, (36kph / 23mph), the left rear wheel came off, and shattered the disc. Loaded it up and brought it home.
Monday 8-6-202. Took LR wheel off, took of brake callipers, took off brake disc. Re-tapped holes M12 x 1.5. Checked wheel for damage, and it has some slight gouges on inside of rim. It runs perfectly true, so has not been badly damaged. Reglued alloy spacers onto inside, this time with 5 minute araldite. Straightened RH pushrod, and repainted it.
Wednesday 9-6-2021. Picked up new Brake Rotors from Rocklea, and took them to Alltype while they were machined by Ken.
Thursday 10-6-2021. Fitted pushrod to RH rear suspension. Took brakes off LH rear, took off broken rotor. Fitted one new rotor, but the brackets for the foot brake calliper were bent, so when I put it back on, the rotor was jammed. Took bracket back off, straightened it, cut down one new M6 bolt, and bolted bracket back on. Fitted calliper, and the hub now turns. Found that the brake fitting on the foot brake calliper is leaking – probably damaged when the wheel came off. Refitted turning brake calliper. Started drawing fabricated steel brake rotor for future.
Friday 11-6-2021. Removed LR foot brake calliper, and tightened the brake fitting. It now does not leak. Reinstalled everything, with new purple wheel bolts on all wheels.
Sunday 13-6-2021. Prepare Geo, charge battery, tyres holding pressure.
Monday 14-6-2021. To Gary Stewart at 9 am. Started perfectly cold, idled at 1500 rpm gradually going down to 750 rpm. Tuned with his O2 sensor in 4th gear, running finally up to8,000 rpm (154kph ). 1.5 tanks of fuel. Approx. 8 full throttle runs, with his heat exchanger connected. He found out that the Elite 550 Haltech does not have data collecting available. He added his tuning map onto my Haltech Stick. Left there around 1pm, home via Centenary Bridge. Drained water out of cooling pipes, and then ran out of coolant to replace it.
Tuesday 15-6-2021. Took dampers off trailer, measured them, drew them & ordered new ones.
Wednesday 16-6-2021. Filled it with red coolant, no leaks. Bodywork on, engine cover on.
Sunday 20-6-2021. HSCCQ Khanacross / Motorkhana, Willowbank. Cool, dry, little wind. Fronts 11psi, rears 17 psi, 80 psi in reservoir. Engine started perfectly from cold with jumper battery, and warmed up OK. Did not pick up cleanly from idle. Ran in first test, but stopped because of rough surface. Engine gave plenty of power, but when snap off throttle, did not want to pick up on reapplication of throttle. Looked at plugs, and they were very black. Cleaned them with brake fluid spray, and reinstalled them. Ran it again with smoother area of bitumen, but it still would not pick up throttle properly. Could be a problem with over richness or TPS not set correctly. Broke winch cable when loading it up, so tried to drive it on. Just wheelspun on grass, so loaded it downhill on bitumen by driving it onto trailer.
Sunday 27-6-2021. Took broken winch rope off, replaced it with 3.3 metres of 3 mm dia galvanised wire rope.
Monday 5-7-2021. Installed new trailer dampers.
Friday 30-7-2021. Bought new 3 jaw 150 mm bearing puller from Supercheap. $25.99
Wednesday 25-8-2021. Fitted SS Wire trace to warm-up control. Started engine, and it works well.
Sunday 17-10-2021. Charged batteries, started engine first pop.
Sunday 21-11-2021. Started engine first pop.

GEOCOCCYX BLOG 2020.

Thursday 20-2-2020.  New helmet arrived, but it is a medium size.  Tight to wear, but did not give me a headache after 30 minutes of wearing.

Saturday 22-2-2020.  Charged batteries, and started car.  It ran fine for 30 seconds, then cut out.  It did not want to run properly, and sounded like starving for fuel.  I took off the fuel filter, and replaced it with a new one, but there was no change.  It sawed off the tube of the old fuel filter, and used it to put into the line – no filter at all – but there was no change.  So I replaced the new filter into the line.  It starts, but does not want to accept any throttle.

Tuesday 254-2-2020.  Motorcycle Mad advised to drain old fuel, replace with new fuel, and try again.  I made a drain hose, and connected it, ran fuel pump till tank empty.  Put 1 litre of new fuel in.  It started perfectly when cold, but as soon as it started to warm up would not accept throttle, stumbled, ran rough, and stalled again.

Tuesday 3-3-2020.  Picked up Geo from Motorcycle Mad.  They said that it was running perfectly yesterday.  My spare starter solenoid had been fitted, and the TPS adjusted.  I paid the bill of $165.00 and when they decided to help put the trailer on the back of the car, they started Geo, and it was exactly as it was when I took it to them.  They played around with throttle settings, unplugged individual fuel injector wires, plugged in the dashboard, unplugged the dashboard, and there was no change.  I noticed that they were using the ignition switch brutally, and it started to malfunction.  Then the battery started to run down.  They then said that the fuel cap was on too tightly, and the return line was aerating the fuel in the tank, and could be causing it to not run properly.  Then the speedo suddenly started to register, and they said that was caused by a loose earth somewhere.

In disgust I simply loaded it up and drove home.

Wednesday 4-3-2020.  Finished making fuel fitting, bought new 8 ID fuel line, and fitted it to inside of tank.  Reassembled tank and return line to outside, and put fuel into tank.  Started engine, and it ran just OK till it started to get warm, then it did not want to accept throttle. When it stalled it would not start again.  Found that the O2 sensor wire was close to the exhaust, so took it apart at the joiner, where there was a piece of SS spring wire jammed into it.  Removed it, and re-routed the cable.  Tested the engine, and it was unchanged.  Took the plug off the water temperature sensor, and it would not fire up.  Ordered a replacement water temperature sensor from Shepparton, with the cost of  $30 + postage.

Tuesday 10-3-2020.  Replacement water temperature sensor arrived.

Saturday 14-3-2020.  Finally built up enough courage to try out the replacement water temperature sensor.  Started car, and it ran perfectly while warming up, and continued to run perfectly when warm.  It picked up without stumbling on the opening if the throttle, and revved out well.  Turned it off, and after 5 minutes tried again.  It started first go, and ran perfectly.  Built an aluminium bracket to sit on the water manifold and hold the temperature sender above it.

Sunday 5-4-2020.  Charged battery, but it needed only 10 minutes.  Started it perfectly, revved cleanly, warmed up evenly, ran it for 3 minutes or so.

Sunday 3-5-2020.  Started engine, and it ran perfectly.  Charged battery.

Wednesday 29-7-2020.  Charged jump battery and car battery.  Started first kick.

Sunday 2-8-2020.  HSCCQ Khanacross / Motorkhana.  Willowbank Raceway.  Fine, warm.  10 psi fronts, 18 psi rears, 80 psi in reservoir. Did 4 runs at Cloverleaf, one run at Khanacross, and one run at Hopscotch.  Engine running really well, but still a bit ON/OFF in the throttle.  Cloverleaf test.

Run 1               21.97

Run 2               22.02

Run 3               21.56               Fastest Outright

Run 4               21.93

Khanacross                  80.26               4^th fastest.

Hopscotch Test.

Run 1.              29.73

Run 2.              28.28               Fastest Outright

Tuesday 4-8-2020. Reinstalled original starter solenoid, sprayed all electricals to clean off coolant.  Painted blue triangle.  Zip tied hose clamps where they came apart.

Saturday 8-8-2020.  Built pull line warm up throttle.

Monday 10-8-2020.  Installed new coolant sender in manifold.

Wednesday 12-8-2020.  Got coolant drain pipe back from Bushell Engineering, and fitted it with M6 bolt and neoprene washer.  Added coolant and ran car without any leaks.

On Sunday 16-8-2020 I tried to replace the existing seat with the one out of Casper, but after lots of problems, reverted to the existing seat.

Thursday 17-9-2020.  Drove car at Willowbank, engine revs right out, no overheating, no fluid leaks.

Sunday 4-10-2020.  Interclub Khanacross, Willowbank.  In first run at first test the bolts stripped the threads of the right rear VW Golf ball joint, and the suspension collapsed.

Monday 26-10-2000.  New wheel bearings into trailer.

Sunday 15-11-2020.  QMC Willowbank.  Fine, very hot.  At start of third test, there was suddenly no power to the ignition.  I checked the battery terminals, main fuse, wires to main switch, and still nothing.  Connected up jumper battery, and still nothing.  Took insulation tape off main switch, and checked terminals, no change.  Jiggled wires at starter solenoid, and suddenly everything worked.  The TPS seems to be set incorrectly, because there is no progressive power – just an on-off switch with the power.  Very difficult to drive.  Reversing box was very slow to change back into forward.  RH Turning brake not working properly, and left hand one only intermittently.

I decided that the car needs a complete rebuild back to the bare chassis, so on Monday 23-11-2020, and started taking car apart.  Photographed details for re-assembly.

Tuesday 8-12-2020.  Cut the four intake pipes off, stole the air filters off Kwakakart, and screwed them onto the intakes of Geo.  Now I have room to reposition the fuel pump and filter, and have saved 0.7 kg of weight in the intakes.

Friday 11-12-2020.  Modified fuel pump mount, painted it, and fitted it.

Tuesday 15-12-2020.  Took little used tools out of toolbox, and weight went from 26 kg to 15 kg.  Painted box.

Sunday 27-12-2020.  Removed R/V mirror, and made wooden tapped blocks to experiment with curving the mirror.  It does so quite well, so drew modified mirror to be larger and adjustable in its curvature.  Designed new coolant pressure equalising pipe.

Monday 28-12-2020.  Shifted bare chassis to driveway, and water blasted it.  Back onto trestles, and rolled it over to weld skid blocks on.  Touched up welds and grinding.  Welded on two earth blocks.

Tuesday 29-12-2020.  Picked up paint, wire brushed exhausts and repainted them.  Sprayed number panels & dashboard.  Found some ¼” dia brass rod for coolant equaliser pipe.

Wednesday 30-12-2020.  Cut out 12 thick ralloy mirror mounts.

Thursday 31-12-2020.  Made jig and drilled & tapped holes in R/V mirror mounts.

GEOCOCCYX VELOX BLOG 2019

The first event for 2019 was the HSCCQ Come and Try Motorkhana / Khanacross at Willowbank on 24^th February. The car would not start – battery flat.  Jumper battery also flat.  Brought it home, charged battery, and it started first touch.  Brake master cylinder caps all breaking apart at layers in the threads.  Next day I bought 4 new brake master cylinder caps from Supercheap, and fitted them.  Butchy revealed he had the same problem, so I gave one of my new brake master cylinder caps to him, and bought a replacement for Geo.

Sunday 14-4-2019.  Interclub Motorkhana, Willowbank.  Scrappy run in Star. but 22.49 fastest first run.  24.19 +5 second run.  2^nd outright. The engine was surging in first run at Eccentric, (37.15), back to pits, top up with fuel, then it would not start.  Battery flat.  Connected jump start battery at home, and it started first go. On Sunday 19-5-2019 I tried to start car, but battery is flat.  Charged battery and jump start battery, and next day it started first click.

Sunday 16-6-2019.  HSCCQ Khanacross / Motorkhana at Willowbank. Ran slicks on the puddles in the Motorkhana, and did 3 runs at Straight Slalom.  Best time 21.22 (fastest outright).Then battery went flat, and the jumper battery also.  Did one run at Knitting in Terry’s Skyline, recording 44.59, 0.59 slower than Terry, but faster than Noel.

Sunday 14-7-2019.  Installed new labels on dashboard.

Sunday 28-7-2019.  Both batteries flat and do not start car.  Charged them both, and car battery started engine OK.  Sunday 4-8-2019.  Batteries will not start car.  Charged them, and it started on car battery.

Tuesday 6-8-2019.  New battery from Battery World, $110.  Charged it, fitted it, and it started first go.

Sunday 11-8-2019.  Geo started first pop on its own battery.

Wednesday 14-8-2019.  Installed new starter solenoid, and started engine OK.

Sunday 18-8-2019.  HSCCQ Khanacross / Motorkhana at Willowbank. The engine overheated after the second run in the motorkhana, and the fan would not work.  In the second run at the top khanacross, at full revs in second gear over some giant bumps, the left rear suspension pushrod broke, and the suspension collapsed.  Top Khanacross Run 1.     51.21 seconds (2^nd to Stuart Bell)  Open Slalom Run 1.   22.10 (2^nd to Brant).

Sunday 22-9-2019.  QMC at Willowbank Raceway.  Engine not running well, seemed to be starving of fuel sometimes.  I took the fuel pump off, and blew through it backwards, and it seemed to improve for 1 test.

1.                   22.21               second to Brant.
2. Pine Tree. 60
3. 41.34               trouble with gears.
4. 49.41               trouble with gears.
5. Gate Slalom mirror. 53               5th

Monday 7-10-2019.  Took fuel pump and its mounting tray off, shifted them to beside the gearbox, rewired it, and re-routed the fuel lines.

Friday 11-10-2019.  Pick up radiator from Valley Radiator Works, there was a groove in the outlet pipe that was causing the leak.  $50.  Fitted it, and filled with coolant.  Fitted new fuel filter.

Friday 18-10-2019.  Ordered replacement TPS from South Australia.

Monday 21-10-2019.  Ordered a brand new TPS from DH gate.com.

Saturday 26-10-2019.  Tested spare (original) TPS with multimeter, and it “seems” to be OK.  Sunday 27-10-2019.  HSCCQ Interclub Khanacross.  Willowbank Raceway.  Problems with intermittent cutting out, and starter seemed to occasionally jamb on

Monday 28-10-2019.  TPS arrived from South Australia.  Typical !!!!!

Tuesday 29-10-2019.  Installed new TPS, and started car.  All seemed OK till the engine warmed up, then it stalled when on the over-run.  Then it would not run at a steady throttle.  I adjusted the TPS throughout its whole range, and it kept doing the same thing.

Thursday 31-10-2019.  Tyres on trailer wheels swapped at Jax, Michelton.  $50.  Fitted them onto trailer.

Friday 1-11-2019.  Moved cutoff master switch to be accessible from outside of vehicle.  Started OK.

Saturday 2-11-2019.  Removed padding from steering rack, and built an aluminium shield for it.  Painted and fitted it.

Wednesday 6-11-2019.  To Team Moto, Alderley.  Asked them about the Diagnosis plug.  They are only on bikes after 2003, and before that the diagnosis was done through the dashboard.  They did not seem to be helpful, so I chased alternative motorcycle mechanics.

Tuesday 12-11-2019.  Bought new multimeter, and tested TPS that is fitted to car.  Problems with calculating operating range, so fitted it in central position.  Wednesday 13-11-2019.  Started engine, but it cut out straight away.  Repositioned TPS, and it started well, and warmed up normally.

Friday 15-11-2019.  TPS from DH Gate, USA arrived in mail.  It does not look brand new.

Sunday 17-11-2019.  HSCCQ Motorkhaha / Khanacross, Willowbank.  Fine, very hot.  Started car on jumper battery, and warmed it up.  It then simply cut out.  Noel came to investigate, and reset TPS, but it still cutout when warm.  Then the starter motor jammed, and was working as soon as the master switch was turned on.  Brought it home, and took all the panels off.  Took off new starter solenoid, and put the original one back on.  Found that the live terminal was oversize, and was possibly shorting out on the mounting plate.  Insulated it with tape, and re-installed it.  All now works perfectly.  However the motor cuts out when warm.  Found the coolant temperature sensor, and tested engine with the temp sensor unplugged.  Engine ran fine, so connected the sensor, and it stalled.  Repeated the procedure and got the same results.  Removed the water temperature sender, and cleaned it.  Tested it again connected and it stalled, but stalled with the sensor unplugged.  My diagnosis of a bad sensor is destroyed.  Battery went flat, so charged it.

Monday 18-11-2019.  Took Geo to Motorcycle Mad at Brendale.  They diagnosed a crack in the exhaust system, which is causing the O2 sensor to shut down the ECU.

Tuesday 19-11-2019.  Electronic dashboard arrived.

Wednesday 20-11-2019.  Ordered exhaust mandrels and expanders from Mac’s Mufflers, Enoggera.  Draw exhaust headers and jig.  Started making exhaust headers jig.

Thursday 21-11-19.  Picked up 4mandrel bends 38 OD x 180 degrees, and 2 x 1.5 metres of 38 OD pipe with expanded ends from Mac’s Mufflers, Enoggera. $125.  Worked on drawings of headers.

Friday 22-11-2019.  To Alltype to pick up header connectors.  Work on headers drawing and jig.  Then I started manufacturing the new headers, and after lots of problems final finished them on 15^th of December.

I got a larger replacement radiator from a Ninja 650, and built new brackets for it, and it was complete on 17^th December.

Thursday 19-12-2019.  Took car back to Brendale, and noticed that the LR suspension had been broken again.  Engine started perfectly, and ran quietly and smoothly. Injectors balanced, coolant “O” rings replaced, tune up etc.  $220.

Sunday 11-2-2018.  HSCCQ Come & try motorkhana / khanacross.  Willowbank Raceway.  Hot, dry.  Seems to be starving for fuel, runs on full throttle for only 1 second, then cuts out.  Throttle blips perfectly.  Fuel pump is working, fuel filter looks like it is not clogged.

Friday 16-2-2018.  Replacement Throttle Position Sensor arrives.

Sunday 25-2-2018.  Started motor, warmed it up, and then revved it right out.  No problems with fuel starvation at all.  Did not cut out.  Increased revs slowly till nearly red line, and no problem.  Do not know what is wrong.

Sunday 4-3-2018.  HSCCQ Khanacross, Willowbank Raceway. In both runs the engine ran normally under full load until nearly redline in first, but then I went to second under full throttle it seemed to starve.  Did it throughout both runs.  I could not take the TPS off because the TORX bolts have a central spigot.  So I brought it home, and found that the Chain Link anchorage on lower right rear had broken off.  I made a new one, and welded it on. I got the TPS Bolts off with vice grips, they are M5 x 15 long, with captive spring and flat washers.  Made two M5 hex head bolts to replace them, but will get some M5 SHC Screws to replace them properly.  The HT Leads were touching the engine block which was hot, so I made a ralloy block with slots in it, and an aluminium cover plate to hold them in place.

Monday 5-3-2018. Removed bolts from TPS, and replaced them with SHCS. Made aluminium cover plate for clutch master cylinder reservoir, and fitted it.

Wednesday 7-3-2018.  Took aluminium clutch pedal off, and trimmed top of it to fit my shoe, painted it, and refitted it to pedal frame.

Thursday 8-3-2018.  Went to Team  Moto at Alderley.  Marty Kransch is no longer there, he is running his own business outside Ipswich.  The Service Manager is now Josh Webster, who I spoke to.  He advised that the TPS controls just where the ECU thinks the throttle position is, and that the adjustment can alter the characteristics wildly.  He advised to change the position to midway in the adjustment, and trial it.  Then keep doing fine adjustments up and down till the wanted rev range is available.

Saturday 7-4-2018.  Tested car at Materials Handling.  Started on Jump starter, with TPS at centre of range.  Did about 6 passes, but then it would not start on the battery.  It did on the jump start battery, but then there was a small whiff of smoke from the isolator switch, so I turned it off.  At home I replaced the metallic chain securing the isolator switch key with sash cord; and bent the wires terminals on the rear of the terminal strip at the firewall away from anything metallic.  It now starts on the battery OK.  Tested it out an hour later and it started perfectly OK.

Sunday 15-4-2018.  Interclub Motorkhana at Willowbank.  In first run it went to about 5000 rpm and kept cutting out.  Did one run at first test (Spiro Slalom), and back to pits.  Swapped over to Tasmanian ECU, and same result.  Adjusted TPS to other end of range, and same result.  Difficult to start on battery, needed jump start.  Butchy looked at fuel return line with engine idling, and fuel was returning to tank, but when I revved it up, the flow stopped and the engine starved for fuel.  Brought it home, took fuel tank off, fuel pump out.

Monday 16-4-2018.  Front lower A Arms were fouling on the inside of the front wheels, so I took them off, cut out the existing suspension tubes, and welded new tubes to be close together at the ball joint. Painted both, and assembled left hand one.  Next day I fitted RH front lower A Arm, and tested full lock on rack both ways.  Wheels clear just.

Wednesday 18-4-2018.  Noel advised that my piddly little fuel filter may be the problem so I bought a Ryco Z549 EFI fuel filter and fitted it.  Engine now runs right up to redline and stays there with fuel still going back into tank.  The fitting on the return line at the tank was cracked and leaking, so I cut it off, and drilled the hole out to 8 mm diameter.  I drilled a 3.5 mm hole down through an 8mm bolt, then filed the thread off the end of the bolt to be 6mm diameter, fitted it through the tank, and bolted it up.  It still leaks, so needs some neoprene washers.  Ordered them from England.

Friday 20-4-2018.  Did front wheel alignment, and found steering bracket on RF upright was coming apart.  Took it off, ground it smooth, and re-welded it. Did corner weights to be 67 kg on each front wheel.

Wednesday 2-5-2018.  Installed neoprene washers, now the tank does not leak.  Started car using jump starter.

Monday 14-5-2018. Took R/V mirror off Casper, and fitted it to Geo.

Sunday 20-5-2018.  HSCCQ Khanacross at Willowbank.  Started car (with difficulty) on jump start battery, but it would not then start on its own battery – nor with the jump start battery.  Wire going from firewall power board to starter solenoid very hot.  At home I took off the alternator stator cover, checked it over – there was a tiny amount of swarf inside – and put it back together.  Car still will not start on battery; very sluggish.  Charged battery again, and also charged jumper battery.

Monday 21-5-2018.  Bought bigger cables from Bursons, with 8 mm lugs.  Made new cable from battery to isolator in parallel with original, with new terminals on isolator.  Made new cable and  installed it in parallel with ones from isolator to power point at firewall.  Hit starter, and it fired on first turn.  HURRAH !!!

Sunday 27-5-2018.  Started car, on first turn.

Sunday 17-6-2018.  QMC at Willowbank.  New Avons front / rear at 9 & 18 psi. Started perfectly all day, but the foot brake line to the LR calliper pulled out three times, so I trailered the car and brought it home after the last run.

Saturday 23-6-2018.  Wrapped Avon tyres in black poly.

Sunday 24-6-2018.  Started first pop.

Monday 25-6-2018.  Made new mounting plate for rear cigarette lighter socket, fitted it, and wired it up to the fuel pump so the dash camera only records when engine is running.  Glued mounting plate to dash camera.

Friday 29-6-2018.  Replaced all 6 fittings on brake callipers with olive type fittings.  Bled all brakes.

Sunday 1-7-2018.  Cut black tyre wrap into two rolls with hackenseiger.

Sunday 8-7-2018.  At the HSCCQ Khanacross at Willowbank Raceway it went perfectly on the first run, but then overheated during the convoy run of the second test.  An air valve in the return line fractured, and sprayed coolant all over the motor.  The radiator was not hot, so it is probably clogged up again.  At home I took it all apart, and cleaned out the thermostat and housing, putting it back together with gasket goo.  New bolt in bleeder.

Tuesday 10-7-2018.  Drained all coolant, removed and flushed out radiator, replaced everything.  Added 2.4 litres of coolant, bleeding it all the time, cleaned alloy corrosion off, re-installed hose etc.

Sunday 12-8-2018.  HSCCQ Khanacross, Willowbank.  Test 1, Run 2.  Throttle felt funny in second last chicane, felt like it was sticking wide open.  At the end in the finish garage the throttle would not work.  The throttle cables had come apart.  Came home and built a new one, this time with nylok nut so it will not come apart again.  Tested long M17 headed wheel bolts in all wheels, and they seem to be OK.  Painted them claret.

Thursday 16-8-2018.  Made rubber seals for inside the lids of the master cylinders, and fitted them.

Sunday 9-9-2018.  QMS 3 at Willowbank.  Throttle was a bit “sticky” at times till I took the return spring off beside the seat, and repositioned the anchor point lower by using zipties.  Heavy wear on outside of left rear tyre from constant right hand turns, so possibly need more camber on the wheels.  Brakes still not perfect, and fluid still coming from reservoirs.

Tuesday 11-9-2018.  Made steel wire connector for throttle return spring.  Made alloy return stop on throttle pedal, attached to brake frame.

Sunday 16-9-2018.  Took plastic relief valves out of master cylinder caps.

Saturday 29-9-2018.  Tried new master cylinder cap, but the thread was wrong, and wants to cross thread.  Redesigned whole cap.  Designed new top A Arms end plates to get 3 degrees of camber.

Sunday 30-9-2018.  Rebuilt both rear upper A Arms with 12 mm less height, painted and installed them.

Monday 1-10-2018.  Made new front upper A Arms, painted and installed them.

Thursday 4-10-2018.  Test fitted new master cylinder cap, and it fits perfectly.

Monday 22-10-2018.  Lowered car to do wheel alignment.  Found RF wheel has 7 degrees camber, and not enough thread on rod end to adjust it.  Took A Arm off, cut 10 mm out of mounting plates, and  re-welded it together.

Sunday 28-10-2018.  Interclub Khanacross.  In first run of second test, I hit a big hole with the left front wheel, and by the time I got to the finish garage there were big gouge marks in the inside of the ATS rim.  Swapped to trailer rim, and loaded it onto trailer.  At home I took it apart and found that the 20 mm axle had snapped at the root of where it goes into the 10 thick flange, and the disc had chewed into the ball joint.

Monday 29-10-2018.  Bought new Ball Joint at Bursons for $40.

Wednesday 14-11-2018.  Made neoprene gaskets for 3D printed master cylinder caps, and fitted them.

Monday 19-11-2018.  Picked up machined parts from Alltype.  Took right hand side upright off and rebuilt it with bigger bearings etc.  Re-installed it on the car.  Everything seems OK.

Tuesday 20-11-2018.  Took left hand side upright off and rebuilt it with bigger bearings etc.

Sunday 7-8-2016. QMC4. Willowbank Raceway. Fine, warm, light winds. Test 1 was Eccentric, and when completing the second loop, the right angle gearbox destroyed itself. Took it home and removed gearbox. Could not remove input shaft, so photographed gears in place.

Got out designs of larger right angle drive gearbox to see if larger gears can be fitted. TEA Transmissions cannot supply larger gears because they all have 27 mm dia bores, not 20.

Tuesday 9-8-2016. Contacted Elite Racing Transmissions in England regarding their MX-200 reversing differential, and advised it has a 2 to 4 weeks manufacturing time. Checked the dimensions of the unit and it will fit in OK.

So on Sunday 14-8-2016 all the existing VW Golf gearbox and related stuff was removed from the car, and new mounting plated made for differential. It was ordered from England. Confirmation of the order arrived on Tuesday 16^th August, but there were problems between banks transferring the money. Approval and transfer finally accomplished on Monday 29^th. Meanwhile I made a complete mock up differential from wood so I could organise ancillaries around it. Repositioned fuel pump, catch tank, fuel tank, air reservoir etc. I found a problem with the throttle cable sticking, and modified mounts to fix it.

Thursday 1-9-2016. Cut VW Golf hollow driveshafts to suit, and cut 30 dia shaft to fit into them. Welded up new halfshafts.  On Thursday 11^th October, Kelly from Elite emailed to say that the CWP was being finished, and the unit would be dispatched this week. Nine days later, on 20-10-2016 Kelly from Elite emailed to say there was a problem with the CWP, and the diff would be finished tomorrow. Advised on 7-11-2016 that it was finally being dispatched. I then tracked it from England through Germany to Sydney where it arrived on Thursday 17^th. On Wednesday 23^rd it is still in Sydney, and found out it is awaiting a further $608.89 in customs duty before it will be shifted into the mailing system.  It finally arrived on Thursday 24^th. When I tested it I found it was stuck in reverse, and the ratio was 6:1 for reverse. I was able with lots of trouble to get it into forward gear, and found the ratio was 4:1 like I asked for.

Friday 25^th I made the final mounts for the diff and installed it in position. I added oil to the unit after finally finding out where the oil level indicator was, and oil leaked out of the flange mounting holes. Frantic emails back and forth, to find out that when the CV joints are bolted onto the flanges, they will seal over the holes.

2017, and I tried to run the motor, but had to stop because of a massive fuel leak. Fixed it and then started the motor with the diff in forward and first gear, and the rear wheels rotated forward. Put it into reverse, and the rear wheels went backward. Success. Next day I lowered it onto its wheels, and did the corner weights. Made left/right threaded pushrods and installed them. Bought two new bathroom scales, and redid corner weights. Fronts set at 66kg left, 64 kg right; with rears 122 left and 101 right. Total weight 333 kg.

Private testing at Willowbank on Wednesday 18^th January, and found it revs really well, and accelerated very strongly in the rev range. Turning brakes do not work well at low speed, but work at higher speeds. The clutch is dragging, and will not release properly.

On Sunday 29^th there was evidence of oil leaking out of the oil level plug in sump, so took it off, cleaned up the hole, and filled it with alloy epoxy. Next day I refitted it, filled it with oil, and there are no leaks. A new battery was bought and fitted on 9^th March.

On Sunday 12^th March I took it to the HSCCQ Come and Try Motorkhana at Willowbank. The rear ride height was too low, so I wound it up as far as possible. Clutch is still dragging, and throttle is still sticky. Difficult to drive.   But the power off the line is impressive, wheel spinning all the way to the first pole of the test. Found oil leaking from alternator cover, so retired the car.

Next day I solved the throttle cable sticking by straightening out the bend in the cable sheath, and rerouting the cable over the front suspension units to a modified mounting on the pedal. Took the alternator cover off, cleaned out the old silicon sealant, and wire brushed the area. Filled crack with alloy epoxy. Refilled with oil, and no leaks.

The first two rounds of the Queensland Motorkhana Championships were at Gladstone on 25^th and 26^th March, and found that bolts on the rear suspension pushrods had fallen out during the journey. Fitted new ones, and found that the clutch would work only once after being bled, and then dragged badly, and the throttle went back to sticking after the first test. Very difficult to drive, but VERY fast when it was going. Next day as I was changing the wheels before scrutineering I found the left front wheel seemed loose. After investigation, I found that the stub axle had cracked completely around a 20 mm diameter circle, and the wheel was only being held on by the brake calliper. Packed it back up, and came home early.

The sticking throttle is caused by the ferrule sliding along the inner sheath and jamming. Epoxy alloyed to hold it in place, and seems to have solved the problem. Steering column bolts have developed some slop, causing some freeplay in the steering. New bolts solved that problem. Made an extension for the gear lever on differential, and fitted it with a repositioned spring. Still needs a strong bang to get it out of reversed and into forward. Cut top corners off clutch pedal to stop it hitting front bulkhead. Started taking front hubs apart to replace stub axles with stronger ones. These have 10 mm thick flanges instead of 5 thick, and are made from 4140 material. Bought a new clutch master cylinder from a Corolla AE71, but the fittings do not fit the existing hoses. Got a specially made hose made by Brakes Direct at Hendra for only $37. Wonderful service by them. Sunday 9^th April, and I fitted the new stub axles into the front hubs, and welded them in place. A week later my injured hand was OK and I fitted the heat insulation to the back of the firewall.

On Sunday 21^st May I took it to the HSCCQ Khanacross, where the clutch is still dragging. I bled it many times, but it still would not release properly. Terry noticed that the alloy pedal is distorting under load and hitting the front bulkhead, so I brought it home and made a new steel clutch pedal.

On Sunday 28^th I did the design of using a double acting air cylinder for the forward / reverse, and ordered the parts. Fitted them on Wednesday 31^st, but wired it up incorrectly, and burned one of the wires out. Rewired it with heavier wire. Tested it and it works perfectly on 60 psi.

Sunday 18^th June was QMC3 at Willowbank, and the clutch will not drive the car. Do not know what is wrong, so took it home and tested the slave cylinder. All works OK, so on Friday 30^th took the clutch plates out to measure their thickness. All is correct, so contacted Noel to get his advice. When he looked at the clutch plates under a strong light, it became obvious that they had been very hot and had blued, baking the oil into the surface. Also it was found I was using car oil and not motorcycle oil, so I degreased all the clutch and fibre plates, and took the glazing off with emery paper. When re-assembled the clutch seems to be working properly, but without the oil filled up.

Sunday 2-7-2017. Bought oil and filter, fitted them, and started it up in neutral. A week later I tested the clutch and it worked OK.

It went to the HSCCQ Khanacross on 9-7-2017, and the clutch worked once, but would not the drive the car. So I measured the stroke of the original FJR clutch cylinder. 14 diameter x 18 stroke = 2,770 cu. Mm. Slave cylinder 33.6 diameter x 3.12 mm stroke = 2,770 cu. Mm. Clutch spring length is 6.78 mm with a minimum of 6.44 tolerance, so it will not go over centre with the stock master cylinder. The Corolla master cylinder is 15.875 diameter with 35 stroke = 6,927 cu. Mm. which is 7.81 mm on the clutch spring; meaning that it can go over centre. S I got my mate to watch what went on in the disassembled clutch while I operated the pedal, and then swapped so I could see. We then realised that the clutch was going overcentre, so I drilled a hole in the pedal, fitted an adjustable stop, and adjusted it to not allow enough travel to go over centre.

Sunday 6-8-2017. QMC 4 at Willowbank. Clutch is very severe, engaging quickly at first lift of the pedal. RH turning brake not working properly, and both master cylinders leaking. Car seems sluggish overall, and brakes seem to be dragging, car stops almost immediately when clutch is depressed. It went into reverse perfectly, but would not then go back into forward. So I extended the lever, and repositioned the cylinder. I put a spring on the brake pedal to try to solve the sluggishness. I made a forward / reverse gear lever for the cockpit, and fitted it on 17-8-2017.

At the HSCCQ Motorkhana on 10-9-2017 the right hand side turning brake was not working, and I found it had split the line right at the fitting on the calliper. I tested it after fixing the hose, and overheated the motor. I took the radiator off, and hosed about 1/3 cup of crap out of it, and now it flows water well. Started it up, and no leaks, but the throttle only works ¼ travel. So I took off the top of the pedal, and modified it to get full throttle.

Saturday 23-9-2017 was the HSCCQ dirt khanacross, and I ran it with the 14” wheels and rally tyres. The rear suspension collapsed from the rough ground, and it ground to a halt only metres from the finish garage.

I made new suspension mounting brackets for the rear, and tightened the mounting bolts on the diff.

Sunday 15-10-2017 was the HSCCQ Khanacross, in pouring rain. The rain got into the electrics, and it would not start properly, even with the jumper battery fitted.

My new Avon slicks arrived on 18-10-2017, and I weighed them on the rims. Fronts on ATS wheels are 9 kg, tyre weighs 4.1 kg. Rears on 7” wheels are 10.8 kg, tyre weighs 4.5 kg. both are 505 diameter.

Sunday 12-11-2017 was the Interclub Khanacross, and when I went to start the car there were sparks from the cigarette lighter socket. So I disconnected the wire from the back of it, and when I went to disconnect it at the isolator switch, the terminal was extremely hot. I found that the terminal from the regulator had been rubbing on the firewall, and worn out the insulation, giving a direct short. I disconnected the battery, and bent the terminal out of the way, and it started perfectly on the normal battery. I ran the first test, and it wheelspun to redline on the way to the first gate, but the brakes were very spongey. I did not run in the second test because all the mountings for the differential failed, and it was sitting at a crazy angle. I took it all apart, and made stronger mountings for the diff. I took the cigarette lighter out of its panel and mounted it in the dashboard. I took the battery off, and mounted it in the cockpit, and mounted the isolator switch on the underside of the dashboard. I wired it all up, but the car would not crank over properly. I was now running all the power through the 50 amp fuse instead of to the dashboard, and it had blown. I bought a 40 amp fuse holder and fuses, and mounted it behind the dash, and it starts perfectly. I made an insulated connector panel for the three wires where the isolator used to be.

A spare ECU arrived from Tasmania (cost $35), and it tested OK, and is now my spare.

On Saturday 9-12-2017 I tested the car at Materials Handling, and the brakes still are not up to scratch. The motor tended to break down at very high revs. It powers out of tight turns extremely well, and is fun to drive on the rain tyres. The front wheel guides on the trailer work well. Next day I took the rocking brake balance bar apart and made it into a simpler non-rocking version.

A couple of days later a new heavier wire was installed parallel to the one running from the isolator to the connector at the starter solenoid, and the extra current makes starting easier.

On Saturday 16-12-2017 I made some ¼ turn WZUS fasteners for the Lexan, and they worked really well. Next day I made 6 more. During the next couple of days all the remaining screws were replaced with WZUS fasteners.

In December 2017 I remade the wheel guides on the trailer to lower them down to the tops of the suspension members. I then removed the old lifting frames from inside the trailer because I have not used them for years. Then I water blasted all the crud off the trailer, and painted it mission brown killrust.

Sunday 29-5-2016.  Onto trestles.  Took wheels off, bodywork off, photographed damage. Removed damaged clutch pedal.  Removed damaged throttle / brake pedal.  Removed R.F. suspension bolts at chassis.  Removed tow point.   After taking dimensions of the damaged area, I need to replace the lower front bulkhead crossmember and towing point, the right front bulkhead vertical member and suspension mounts, the lower front horizontal chassis tube in front of the second bulkhead.  The floor needs to be flattened out, and re-welded.  The clutch pedal needs to be straightened out.  The hinges for the mounting of the accelerator / brake pedal need to be straightened, a new mounting for the clutch pedal hinge fabricated, new “Lexan” panels for right hand side made, and the “Lexan” bonnet repaired.  The special artwork is damaged by brake fluid spilled from the vents on the master cylinders, but it has been rinsed off and can be repainted.  I will have to cut horizontally through the front vertical “Lexan” panel, and make a new panel to go inside and behind it. The side joints will need new splice plates.  I will manufacture complete new suspension A arms with slotted plates on inner and outer attachments.  I will make all new front uprights with heavier wall tubing.  Designed new A arm mounts and “Lexan” fix.

Sunday 5-6-2016.  Cut bent and broken members out of chassis, ground smooth.  Cut new 25 x 1.6 SHS members.  Straightened out floor to be fairly straight.  Tried to start it, battery too low in charge.  Charged battery, and tried again.  Would not start.

Thursday 9-6-2016.  Welded parts to individual members on bench.  Wedged extension bottom chassis member into cut off chassis member.  Tack welded parts, then fully welded members into chassis.  Tack welded new Nutsert into top hole.  Installed accelerator / brake pedal.

Friday 10- 6-2016.  Installed clutch pedal.  Made new mountings for front bonnet, and welded them to the existing mounts.  Spray painted all chassis members and welds.

Sunday 26-6-2016. Made new uprights with 3 mm wall SHS.

Tuesday 28-6-2016.  Made suspension arms jig, and painted it.

Sunday 3-7-2016.  Made all new suspension A arms, and painted them.

Tuesday 5-7-2016.  Got stub axles from Alltype, welded one into RF Disc & hub.  Welded brake calliper mount to upright.

Monday 18-7-2016.  To Cottage Plastics to get new front panel.  $20.  Installed it.

Friday 22-7-2016.  Noticed that the right inner CV joint was not connected to the axle.

Thursday 28-7-2016.  Took RH inner CV off, and balls fell out of it, followed by the cage in 5 pieces.  Took axle out and took CV off it.  Replaced it with a used CV joint. Found that central tie rod mounting plate was bending up under load, so redesigned it.

Friday 29-7-2016.  Made new central tie rod mounting bar, and painted it.  Found that mounting for rear suspension units was badly bent, so took it off and welded a stiffener to it.  Repainted it.

Saturday 30-7-2016.  Fitted rear suspension anchor point.  Fitted central rear tie rod mounting. Zip tied rubber padding around steering rack.

Sunday 31-7-2016.  Put battery on charge.  Topped up coolant, but found it leaking out into drip tray.  Top hose had pulled out of clamp at front of motor, so refitted it with new hose clamp.  Filled coolant. Refitted battery and it started.  Ran for 5 seconds, but oil pressure light did not go out, so investigated.  Oil level low, so started topping it up.  Oil now dribbling into drip tray, and found a pencil sized hole in bottom of oil pan at front. Second hand ones on ebay from UK, Holland and USA range from $60 to $360, but none in Australia. Workshop manual says it is easy to take off, so will do so and patch hole.

Monday 1-8-2016.  Took oil pan off with difficulty.  20 bolts + oil level sensor. Cleaned out oil pan, and pressure cleaned it.  Mixed 2 part epoxy and filled hole with it.  Allowed to dry for 2 hours, then refitted the oil pan.

Sunday 7-8-2016.  QMC4.  Willowbank Raceway.  Fine, warm, light winds.  Test 1 was Eccentric, and when completing the second loop, the right angle gearbox destroyed itself.  Took it home and removed gearbox.  Could not remove input shaft, so photographed gears in place.

Sunday 3-5-2015.  Iron Man Motorkhana.  DEBUT OF CAR. Drove it for about 1 metre, and clutch felt funny, so depressed it only to have it stick.

Tuesday 5-5-2015. Fitted return spring and stop on clutch pedal.  Ran wire from oil level switch through terminal 33.

Monday 18-5-2015.  Charged battery and started engine in gear.  Drives wheels.  Started motor in neutral and ran it for 30 seconds.  Tested kill switch and it cuts the motor.

rear foot brakes.

Sunday 7-6-2015.  Bled rear brakes by pressure.

Monday 8-6-2015.  Dropped car onto wheels, and measured ground clearance front and rear.  Both are now 60 mm.  Checked camber on all wheels.  Left front 1 degree negative, right front 4 degrees negative (reset it to 1.5 degrees negative), left rear vertical, right rear vertical.

Tuesday 23-6-2015.  Tack welded right angle drive gearbox to its mounting plate.  Refitted fuel pump, tank and lines.  Re-wired fuel pump.  Made bracket for throttle cable at pedal, and riveted it to pedal.  Drilled and tapped alloy bar and connected it to bracket.  Fitted cable connector to throttle pedal.  Refitted pedal into car.

Tuesday 30-6-2015.  Charged battery and started motor.  It still does not rev over 3000 rpm approx., and cuts out completely.  Found exhaust gas sensor was not screwed in, so did so and tried again.  No difference.

Thursday 2-7-2015.  Took car to Yamaha at Alderley, and the new service manager did not know what to do.  He recommended that I take it back to Marty who is now at Moorooka Yamaha.

Tuesday 7-7-2015.  Took car to Team Moto Yamaha Moorooka and left it on trailer there for Marty to fix.

Monday 13-7-2015.  Throttle position sensor fitted, and high idle was caused by air screws set at 4 turns out instead of ¼ turn out, problems fixed at Team Moto Yamaha Moorooka.  Oil leak from Left Side stator cover, exhaust leaks around headers and mufflers.  Coolant leaking.  Sensor $300.  Total $610.01    OUCH !!!!

Friday 24-7-2015.  Drained oil.  Took left side stator cover off.  Difficult.  Sprocket and shaft came out with it.  Tuesday 28-7-2015.  Degreased stator cover around damaged area, and dried it off.  Squeezed clear silicon into split from both sides.  Let it set overnight.

Wednesday 29-7-2015.  Trialled fit stator cover, then put blue gasket goo on seam.  Installed cover, and tightened it up.  Topped up oil to top of glass gauge, and started motor.  No oil leaks.  Topped up oil again to top of gauge.  Started it again – no oil leaks.

Tuesday 18-8-2015.  Car onto wheels, Charge battery.  Test drove it under house, and clutch not working correctly.  Reverse not being selected by gearlever, even though blue light says so.

Monday 31-8-2015.  Took Lean Angle Sensor off, and took it apart.  Drilled hole in bottom intending to screw the counterweight so that it would not turn, but bottom of weight is magnetic.  Decided instead to simply masking tape the counterweight so that it cannot rotate.  Re-installed in car.  Charged battery.  Tested voltages again.

At rest 12.0V.  Master switch on 12.0V.  Ignition on 12.0V.  Starter engaged 9.0 V.

Sunday 13-9-2015.  Tested voltage between Lean angle sensor and earth and it is 1 volt – what it is supposed to be.

Thursday 7-1-2016.  Connected lost wire from O2 Sensor to wire from ECU.  Tried to start – would not fire.  Tested power to F.I. Relay – OK.  Tested power from F.I. Relay – OK.  There is power at terminal 29.

Friday 8-1-2016.  There is constant power at terminal ECU 7.

Sunday 17-1-2016.  Fitted replacement ECU and tried to start it.  Then used “Start Ya Bastard” and it fired only one cylinder once.  Charged battery.

Wednesday 9-3-2016.  Took car on trailer to Team Moto, Alderley.

Friday 18-3-2016.  Got car back from Team Moto.  One of the wires to the injectors did not connect properly.  Reverted back to original ECU, because replacement is said to be faulty.    $605.00 cost.

I topped up the radiator, and it took only 2 cups to fill.

Sunday 20-3-2016.  DROVE IT FOR FIRST TIME.  Clutch is extremely touchy.  Fully engaged in 2 mm of pedal travel.  Drove it for about 200 metres, turning left and right.  Accelerated and backed off, when a different gear noise occurred.  Checked, and the outside bearing on the input shaft of the right angle drive gearbox had worked out of the housing, and the gears were badly misaligned.  Put it back on the trailer, and brought it home.  Took right angle drive gearbox off, and took apart the input shaft.  Cut a piece of 21 ID tube to same length as the shaft collar.  Reassembled box, and installed it in car.  Worked it by hand, then started car in gear and ran the gearbox.  All seemed to be OK

Wednesday 23-3-2016.  Designed larger right angle drive gearbox using larger gears and 125 SHS.

Sunday 3-4-2016.  Fiat Nationals.  Tested car – broke weld on driveshaft flange.  Re-welded it at home.

Sunday 24-4-2016.  QMC3 at Willowbank.  Could not fit ATS front wheels on car, so had to run rain tyres.  It would not go back into neutral after selecting first gear.  Clutch is still savage.  .  When trying to run Test 2 the weld in the driveshaft snapped.  Brought it home, and prepared shafts for welding.

Monday 25-4-2016.  To French Car Care to get Noel to weld up the prepared driveshaft and re-weld the flange.  Straightened it in press.  Home, and fitted it into the car with the mounting plate re-welded back onto gearbox.

Wednesday 4-5-2016.  Made gaskets from an old mouse mat, and installed them.  Started it, and sound was less harsh.  Made triangular door for RH side, painted it and fitted it.  Made number panels and “G” lettering from “Contact”, and fitted them to both doors.

Sunday 22-5-2016.   HSCCQ Khanacross.  Fine, warm.  Had to put 3.2 mm spacers on rear wheels to get them to clear the brake callipers.  Ran the first test at cautious speed, and noticed that after strong acceleration the car would dart about when the throttle was closed, and slow down quite rapidly from compression braking.  It sounded slightly flat still, and ran fairly well through the rev range.  When I stopped in the finish garage the left front brake was very hot, and smoking.  The rear ride height had dropped significantly, and was only 10 mm from the surface.  The clutch was still dragging, but I managed to get it into neutral to re-start it in the finish garage.

On the second run, it seemed to be able to go through the chicane very quickly, so on the return through it, I went quicker.  It felt slightly loose on the turn in to the first chicane, and at the central chicane suddenly turned left into the concrete barrier and hit it nose first at around 70 kph, then spun anti clockwise to a halt with the rear of the car close to the barrier.  It took quite a while to get out of the car because my shins were very sore, and my Bakers Cyst was very painful, and then when I tried to walk I nearly collapsed because my left leg would not support any weight.  I was helped to a waiting car and driven to the timing tent where it was noticed that there was a lot of blood soaking into my left trouser leg.  It was revealed that I had a deep horizontal gash in the front of my shin right into the bone, and a 45 mm long gash above it.  These wounds were cleaned and two bandages put on them.  Meanwhile I had given my car keys to someone to go and get my car / trailer to pick up the damaged vehicle, but before that could be organised, Noel used the icecream van and his big trailer to go and with help get the damaged car onto the trailer.  I was then driven back to my car, and the big trailer driven up beside it.  The damaged car was taken off the big trailer, the broken right front top ball joint replaced, and manhandled onto my trailer.  I then changed wheels over, and fastened it down to the trailer.  The damage seemed to be the broken rose joint in the upper right front suspension, the left upright broken where the steering arm connects, the bottom right front chassis tube pushed back about 75 mm, and bend downwards, and the left rear lower suspension anchorage broken at the weld.  I surmised that this breakage was what caused the crash.  The “lexan” nosecone was smashed up, and some other broken pieces picked up from the track where it happened.  The car had been enveloped in a cloud of smoke when it stopped, but there was no oil spilled.  I believe this might have been tyre smoke because of how quickly the car stopped.  The left rear wheel brake was leaking at the connection to the calliper, and this was probably caused by the wheel moving further that the hose would accommodate.

The only photo that I have of the car in competition is this one – ironically only 0.25 seconds before the impact.

Geococcyx from chassis paint to debut.

Thursday 9-1-2014.  Set up and finalised painting.  Loaded everything into boot and trailer and brought it home.

Tuesday 14-1-2014.  Reinstalled pedals.  Lowered chassis onto floor, and dropped motor into place.  Installed engine mounts, and lifted it back onto trestles.  Finished installing engine, most electrical components, and most cooling pipes.  Installed electrical mounting board, and clutch master cylinder.

Wednesday 15-1-2014.  Re-painted exhaust manifold, and installed it onto motor.  Installed steering rack, steering shaft and steering wheel.  Installed dashboard.  Painted clutch operating shaft.  Painted gear linkages shafts.  Installed warning lights onto dashboard.  Installed switches onto dashboard.    Glued acrylic labels onto dashboard.

Thursday 16-1-2014.  Painted gear lever handle, air cylinder for gearshift, coolant tubes, steering shaft, fuel pump mount etc.    Fitted start / cutoff relay, tilt switch, fuse box, fan relay, fuel injection relay.  Connected clutch operating rod.

Friday 17-1-2014.  Fitted gear lever and linkages.  Works perfectly.  Fitted air temperature sensor.  Painted mufflers.  Started putting RF suspension arms onto chassis.

Saturday 18-1-2014.  Finished assembling front suspension members.  Installed first muffler, but not exhaust probe.  Partly installed firewall.

Wednesday 29-1-2014.  Installed rear suspension arms, uprights etc.

Sunday 2-3-2014.  Installed side “Lexan” panels.

Tuesday 11-3-2014.  Installed rear brake callipers for both foot and turning brakes.

Friday 20-6-2014.  Drained oil from VW Golf Gearbox, and removed outer housing.  Removed Input Shaft.  Removed 4^th gear from Output Shaft.

Sunday 22-6-2014.  Removed Input Shaft.  Removed 3^rd gear from output shaft.  Removed all gear linkages.    Installed Input Shaft with new thrust bearing, synchros for gears, and installed 4^th gear on shaft.  Made 13 mm long spacer for selector shaft to stop selector falling all the way off synchros.  Installed chain sprocket on Output Shaft, and 4^th gear onto shaft.  Tried to install ½” chain of 24 links, but it fell short by one link.  Checked that the sprockets were the correct number of teeth (12 & 15), and of ½”size.  Chain does not sit on 15 tooth sprocket correctly.  It seems to sit proud of the teeth.  It sits on 12 tooth sprocket correctly.

Monday 23-6-2014.  Took Input Shaft out to check on chain wrap.  The chain does not sit correctly into sprocket.  Took it back to Mergard Engineering, because 12t was ½” BS sprocket, and 15t was ASA sprocket.  ASA chain does work on BS sprockets, but BS chain does not work on ASA sprockets.  They cannot re-machine the ASA sprocket to be a BS form, so suggested using an ASA chain on the both sprockets.  Found some old ½” ASA chain (used), tried it out over the sprockets, and it fits.  Fitted a BS chain link to it, and re-assembled everything.

Wednesday 25-6-2014.  Painted F/R Gearbox with silver Hammertone.

Thursday 26-6-2014.  Weighed F/R Gearbox without oil.  Winched gearbox into chassis, and bolted it in.  Installed right angle drive gearbox, and driveshaft.   Installed cover plate. Installed half shafts, and bolted up inner CV joints.  Installed toe link rods.  Installed rear damper unit mounting to gearbox and chassis.  Installed rear suspension units.  Installed F/R air cylinder, and connected it to gear lever. Installed lower cross brace into roll bar.

Friday 27-6-2014.  Replaced air filter element and cover.  Riveted air reservoir bracket onto chassis, and fitted air reservoir cylinder into it.  Connected air lines up.  Installed second muffler.  Installed fuel tank bracket and fuel tank.  Installed fuel pump and lines.  Installed rear cover plate. Spray painted overflow bottle bracket, and installed it.

Thursday 31-7-2014.  Plumbed brake lines to foot brakes on 4 wheels, and from turning brakes to lever area.

Wednesday 13-8-2014.  Winched  car onto concrete, and sat it on some tube to get the exact centre of gravity.  Measured it at 886 mm from outside of rear bulkhead.

Thursday 14-8-2014.  Fabricated lifting lug cross frame and lug.  Welded it into chassis.  Painted it.  Calculated 35% on Front Wheels, 65% on Rear Wheels, empty.

Friday 15-8-2014.  Winched car up with central lifting lug, and placed it on tables.  Made 3 mm thick alloy plate for Turning Brake Mechanism.  Drilled chassis tubes and inserted RIVNUTS.  Bolted it to chassis, and bolted turning brake mechanism to it.

Thursday 21-8-2014.  Started wiring up Reversing switch from warning light, & to solenoid.

Friday 22-8-2014.  Finalised wiring to reversing solenoid.    Works properly manually.

Friday 5-9-2014.  Mounted fuel pump  lower in chassis, then lowered fuel tank the same amount.  Now fuel return hose does not touch spring/damper unit.  Ran hose from oil breather to overflow bottle.

Tuesday 9-9-2014.  Wired up fuel pump.  Fitted front footwell side “Lexan” panels.

Sunday 14-9-2014.  Trimmed “Lexan” front side panels, and fitted tie bars to them.

Tuesday 16-9-2014.  Fitted throttle cable to system, and put heavier spring on return cable.

Sunday 21-9-2014.  M12 Rod ends in top front uprights.  Checked fluid in clutch master cylinder.  Brake fluid into turning brakes master cylinders.  Brake fluid into foot brakes.

Tuesday 23-9-2014.  Replaced kill switch with Narva 60094BL push/push on/off 16A 12V red LED from Bursons.

Wednesday 3-12-2014.  Cut steering shaft shorter.

Thursday 4-12-2014.  Lowered car onto wheels, out into sunshine, and photographed it.

Sunday 7-12-2014.  Painted front suspension arms.

Saturday 20-12-2014. Used vacuum device to drag fluid through lines to rear brakes, but it left air pockets at callipers and at the steel fittings at master cylinders.  Swapped fittings on turning brake master cylinders to be on inside of car to clear the brake lever.

Tuesday 30-12-2014.  Fitted M6 Nutserts for Fire Extinguisher, and bolted the bracket on.  Installed extinguisher.

2015.

Thursday 1-1-2015.  Sprayed steel mount for clutch master cylinder.  Sprayed mount for turning brake lever and master cylinders.

Wednesday 7-1-2015.  Bought new seal kits for VW Golf Mk 1 Girling brake callipers, and fitted them to car.  Bled system.

Friday 9-1-2015.  Coolant into radiator, gearbox oil into VW Golf box.

Saturday 10-1-2015.  Oil into motor.

Monday 16-2-2015.  Made another new 20 dia steel brake fitting for LR brake.  Ran air injection breather hose into overflow bottle.

Tuesday 10-3-2015.  Hoisted car down onto its wheels, and did wheel alignment.  Almost no movement vertically with 100 kg applied to chassis, so maybe the rockers need to be re-engineered.  Put it in gear and pushed it along to unlock motor, and it turned over OK.  Right angle gearbox seems to make a lot of noise.

Thursday 12-3-2015.  Connected battery, and turned on ignition.  Tested forward/reverse light and it works.  Fan does not turn.  Took fan off and tested it, and it works.  Deducted there is a wiring problem to the fan.  Hit starter without plugs fitted, and motor turns over well.  Soaked up ‘Redex’ from cylinders with rag, and fitted plugs.

Thursday 19-3-2015.  Removed throttle bodies complete, and cleaned them with WD40.  Suddenly they work, so must have been stuck with dried fuel etc.  Reassembled throttle bodies, and then ram tubes and air filter.  Connected accelerator pedal, and it now works the throttle.

Saturday 21-3-2015.  Rewired fan and ignition through new fuse box, and now fan works.

Tuesday 24-3-2015.  Tested power at coils and leads, and it is OK.  Could not find the trigger sensor that Yamaha had told me about.  Built towing eye, painted it, and installed it.  Charged battery.

Wednesday 25-3-2015.  Onto trailer and taken to Team Moto Yamaha.  They checked wiring, and asked if I had power at the coils.  We checked all that, but there is no sparks.  They then asked me to take out the trigger sensor, while they stole one off a police bike, and we swapped them over.  Still no spark.  They tested circuits, and found some were earthed correctly, and some not.  They could not work out why.  So we made a common earth for lots of circuits, and tried the starter, and we got spark.  Connected them better, and tried to start.  They advised that my fuel pump is only 4psi, and I need 40 psi for fuel injection, and so it would not run properly with only that much fuel.  So they got some aerostart, and sprayed it into the intakes, and the car fired up and ran.  Even revved up a little.  Took an hour and a half to find the problem.  We then swapped over my trigger for the police unit, and mine works perfectly; so it was the earthing problem causing it all.  They also advised that I do not need such a long set of ram tubes, and they work quite well with pod filters on the short tubes.  The air temp sensor does not need to go inside the tubes, just hanging about in the area of the intake.

Tuesday 31-3-2015.  Bought new fuel pump, 12 mm to/ 8 mm hose tail, ½” hose and clamps.  Made bracket for new fuel pump.

Friday 3-4-2015.  Made recessed aluminium mount for 40 psi fuel pump, and fitted it.  Fitted new fuel pump.

Saturday 4-4-2015.  Wired up new fuel pump.

Monday 13-4-2015.  Made new right angle drive gearbox with welded on bearing holders.

Sunday 3-5-2015.  Iron Man Motorkhana.  DEBUT OF CAR.