Fabia rally car build.NOW TDI POWER PAGE 4.

[waool1988]

Why did you change the original power steering?

[felicia16v]

Why did you change the original power steering?

Couple of reasons really, 1 it was already missing when I got the car (it was destined as a breaker at work) and 2, the placement of the origional pump is not a good place for rally use its too easily damaged where it sits and 3 , they are not the most reliable of units and we fit a lot of them due to water ingress causing pump faliure etc.

I may convert to using a psa steering pump in future off a saxo or 106 , etc these are just an electric pump with no ecu controlling it unlike the fabia one.

[waool1988]

Could you expand more about the reliability issues? My car is more than 10 years old and I am a bit worried of such failure. Moreover, I could not understand 3 that well.

About your last comment, is that the reason why the steering in the fabia lacks road/grip feel?

[felicia16v]

Ah well where you appear to live is a lot drier than the Uk where it mostly rains so you will be ok I would think with your pump, you can adjust the amount of feedback the pump gives with vagcom and make the steering heavier with more feel or lighter with less feel.

the water gets into the ecu on the pump thru the wiring connectors usually.

anyway I have found what I need now http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/01-04-NISSAN-NAVARA-D22-POWER-STEERING-COOLER-RADIATOR-/261158914146

that should sort my problems I think.

Just need to find a cheap lsd next

[waool1988]

Nice find ... Thanks for the info

About lsd ... I know some that fit 8v ... but according to what I remember your not running that gearbox

Anyways, I hope this helps

http://www.peterkrally.com/kalmar-performance-parts.htm

[felicia16v]

Yes I am using the 8v gearbox, but those people want 800euro for the lsd I'm trying to sort a cheaper unit or if I can get 2 other people that want one I will get gripper to make them again but they want to do a min of 3 units.

[waool1988]

You are really ahead of me in this game so I would keep my silence next time :p

Ask if anyone is interested on this form:

http://s3.zetaboards...odaforum/index/

Edited 30 January, 2013 by waool1988

[felicia16v]

small update,

we have spanner checked the car now and gone thru it all, apart from the steering which we already knew about the only part we found needing more attention was the engine mount I fabricated up in a rush. It has bent back slightly and started to crack the steel plate which attaches it to the shell (this part is the origional mount base).

so next up is to make a pair of mounts as the gearbox one is standard at the mo and causes a lot of movement under acceleration and then on to messing with gear ratios and trying to find an LSD. next event is likely to be at downampeney in april I think as we are doing a couple of endurance rounds in a std fabia soon too.

[waool1988]

Messing with the gear ratios .. Wouldn't that be too of a big job?

[felicia16v]

Guys, I am thinking of a change of direction with the rallying and considering building a good TDI motor to use on tarmac as the restrictor regs have altered a bit meaning I can still get the power and it will be nice to do something different too.

SOO I'm thinking of selling the engine+box complete and ready to fit in any fabia 1.4 8v car, thats the engine AVY 125BHP (at least) with the machined and lightened+balanced flywheel and paddle clutch, steel baffeled sump etc complete with engine loom and ecu to suit (with the correct immob box and key chip) gearbox std MPI all the coolant pipework needed etc, basically the whole lot from the front of my rally car you can even come and try it before I strip it out.

The exhaust can come with it of needed but the manifold will mate with a 1.4 16v exhaust too if you wanted to keep it quiet etc

after £750 ONO if anyone is interested.

[Taylor93]

I bet all that kit is worth more than £750!, GLWTS!

If i had the cash, and the car to put it in, i would have it!

[skodanorman]

Great build, great car!

[felicia16v]

just a small bit of progress.

so far I have got all the bits to relocate the battery into the rear so I can free up some engine bay space, I have worked out how the power steering pump flow control valve can be reset at a lower pressure so hopefully that along with a BMW steering oil cooler should sort that problem out, then I aim to get the rear stiffer to stop it heeling over in sharp turns and lifting a front wheel without feeling unstable (maybe have a play with octavia springs and rear roll bar).

Think I will keep the 16v in for now as there are changes to the rally rules looming (again) so I need to take a look inside the gearbox and see what can be done with the ratios I know there is a 4.8;1 available for the 8v fab box but think it may be a bit weak and wouldn't suit the ratios I have too well.

Hopefully a LSD is being sorted by a sponser of mine so that will be a help too.

apart from that no change really she is still sat in the corner covered in dust due to the last few months being busy with hospital appointments and lots of work etc.

[waool1988]

I hope your ok and the hospital appointments were not about anything serious.

I am happy that you still working on the car. If your looking into more power, there is a guy here who has a 16v which is making 140 horses. He has an ABT remap and that is it as far as I understood.

[felicia16v]

Yes mostly sorted with hospital stuff it was my partner who has ongoing back problems .

I am hoping for a few ecu tweaks to get better throttle response and maybe a few more rpms in the future but at the mo the engine can stay standard until I have the rest of the car how I want it, as it is no good having a fast car in a straight line if it won't turn corners .

[waool1988]

For sure! ... I sorted out the handling on my car before anything else

[felicia16v]

Small update on this,

I have fitted an electric power steering pump from a saxo now and we took the car to bruntingthorpe proving ground for a charity day with asda giving rally car rides around a short track which was perfect for a bit of free testing for the car which ran faultlessly all day untill the origional std engine mount I had fitted back on split open at 3pm, this was after wearing thru the the cords on 6 michelin slicks so she had some abuse and serious hard launches to test everything.

So after chatting to a local rally guy about events etc he said he was going to this event next http://regencystages.com/

so we have now put an entry in and will be spending a few hours re-prepping the car.

I was hoping to have a 4.8 cwp from skoda but have been told today it is no longer available so am still stuck with the crap gear ratio's for now :( but I will have fun anyway and get some more mileage under the car.

Still looking into the tdi malarky and have now got a gunie pig road car to see how it drives with the sort of power I am hoping for before committing fully..

I'll try and get some pics up soon.

[felicia16v]

Soo a busy couple of days, I have now fitted 300lb front springs on which has massively helped the front out and I have made some brackets to get the ARB attached to the struts as that should help a bit in the tighter corners hopefully, had a quick try up the (private)road on to clean the brakes up and it feels a different car now but maybe a bit too hard so I will play with the damping tomorrow.

I still have to remake a sump guard and fit the airfilter better and sort the engine breather system out as on slicks the car creates enough force to get oil up into the breather and into the manifold, then it is just a matter of wiring and fitting spotlamps for the night time stages and sorting tyres and rims out hopefully

[TeflonTom]

those engines are a bugger for oil surge too, there is a breather mod you can do that allows you to take off from a plastic fitting that sandwiches between the rocker cover and the oil cap instead of the black box of fail on the back of the engine block

[felicia16v]

Yea I have baffled the sump already, I have a rockercover breather ready to fit I just need a Y piece so I can run both into a catch can . All the small vw motors have a really poor breather design

[felicia16v]

few pics I have taken this eve.

new sumpguard has a handy lead at the front which should help in the forestry.

as low as I can sensibly go at the front due to the front damper inserts being too long really but with 300lb springs it doesn't roll in corners lol

lots of small changes here, I have extended the air filter closer to the cold air by the use of a plastic tube that the window film came in, recycling at it's best there.

Breather has been modded with the cam cover breather addition and a Tee piece into the original into a catch can behind the bumper drivers side, this should eliminate the oil being forced out the breather pipe on left handers as the gasses have another escape route.

steering pump fitted in place of battery (saxo pump) battery now in the boot in a fibreglass battery box.

Seat sport strut brace as I don't have time to fabricate one up for the rally this weekend and with the harder springs it is going to need all the help it can get.

few hours fabricating up the engine mount, the first attempt was not strong enough and cracked thru so I have beefed this one up and it is maybe overkill but I don't like failures happening twice, bit of agricultural engineering there and took every machine I have to finally get it all sorted lol

#

breather Tee and adapter from a 1.6 octavia.

the circle off hose around the os strut top is a fuel sample pipe that the MSA now require all fuel injected cars to have so a sample can be taken to check for folk running illegal fuel (that would be no use without a turbo really) a really great idea meaning we now need yet another join in the high pressure fuel system fitted with a valve that has a possibility of leaking fuel into a hot engine bay, brilliant!!.

Had a good shakedown run this evening and the change in springs on the front is amazing along with the dunlop slicks it really feels like it is a go cart.

maybe more pics tomorrow after I have cleaned her a bit..

[fabdavrav]

Just read all this....not bad!

 

Re the breather mod.

 

I built my own full CAI system and just connected the OEM pipe to the air intake between the air filter housing and the throttle valve (as per the OEM). Now I know that the engine sucks oil vapour like mad into the intake manifold but it has not caused any fouling of the spark plugs. So I think my engine set up might be ok.

 

But interested in the oil filler cap adaptor space plate mod. So you connect the oem air breather pipe (that originally fits into the air filter box) and then tee into the spacer plate then connect to a catch can? I though catch cans have a two pipe system (1 in & 1 out)??

 

PS. if money allows get a set of top race spec Magnegor ignition leads and fit the NGK Iridum tipped plugs, makes a difference!!

 

EDIT;

 

Just been having a think about this...........you say that the black plastic spacer plate is from a 1.6lt Octavia? In that OEM fitment does the pipe from the crankcase breather just go straight into the spacer plate, and does not go to the airbox/throttle plate?

 

I'm thinking of getting that plate (whats the part no? should be on the item itself) and just unplugging the crankcase breather from my airbox and plugging it straight into that plate,. Then blanking off the hole (fitting) in the airbox! That should just keep the original function of a breather which is to allow the pressure in the crankcase to breath out and balance. Also it would make the air being drawn into the combustion chamber more dry and ignite better as there would be no oil mist in it!

 

Or am I missing something??.Help appreciated as this looks a good mod!!

 

How high does that thing inc oil filler cap stand above the camshaft cover? Will have to measure the clearance as I have bonnet insulation.

Edited 16 October, 2013 by fabdavrav

[AdamJonezy]

Just read this from start to finish great thread really wish I had the spare space and transplant the engine into my Fabia would be perfect glwts I'd it osnt already sold

[felicia16v]

Dave, the oil wouldn't really effect the plugs but usually clogs the egr pipe and throttle body up etc, mine now vents to a catch can and the can has a vent in the top to allow the gas out but the oil stays in the can, you could then route it back to the inlet if you wanted a sealed system still. I will check on pt no's next time I have the bonnet open and yes you could do away with the block breather completely if you wanted to and just use the top one but I needed to make sure there was not going to be any back pressure in the block..

[felicia16v]

Ok update then guys

First of all I have been thinking of going tdi power for a while and now I have made the decision and spoken to the MSA who make the rules about it and they have said I do not need to have an inlet restrictor fitted to the turbo as long as the turbo is smaller than the 37mm that a diesel is restricted to which is good news as the usual suspects for turbo swaps are less anyway so we won't lose any power there.

Any way I was browsing for an engine and maybe a smashed car for the conversion of my car when I saw a vrs on here for breaking and bought the car off him minus the bits he wanted to keep.

 

so I was expecting the car itself to be rough and just a donor for the engine conversion kit but having got it back home it is actually a very straight example and newer than my current car so I will save the hassle of swapping from petrol to diesel with dvla etc and rebuild all the bits from the white car into it.

The vrs had stopped in a cloud of smoke and had a lot of diesel in the sump hence being broken for parts so I was suspecting to need an engine still.

 

I finally had chance to check why the donor doesn't run, she would crank and start and run for 2 seconds, but wouldn't rev or anything.

The sump had 4 litres of diesel in so I was suspecting engine damage anyway but wanted to get it running so I didn't have to push it in and out of the workshop.

there was a fault code relating to crank sensor implausible signal in the ecu so I tried another sensor first, still the same so removed the sump to check the reluctor ring on the crank and found 7 teeth damaged on it from something rubbing against it..

turns out the motor must have pushed enough diesel/oil thru the breather to hydraulic no 4 cylinder and bend the con rod thus making the piston come further down the bore and catch the ring....

the head has bad wear around the injectors which was making them leak diesel into the oil, which I have a fix for as I won a brand new pd head on ebay for £112 on friday.

so I am looking for a pd 130 bottom end now as I think the rod has caught on the bottom of the bore too and cracked it.