TWiR 1986 S3 TWR

[ian65]

I've always been able to get an oil pressure reading in a first gen at cranking speed..... disconnect the fuel pump supply and pull a leading plug out of each chamber and it should fly over and build pressure.

[KiwiDave]

Ahhh I see. So cranking speed should increase massively after removing the two plugs. Will try that tomorrow Ian. Thnx.

[Lucky]

You do have the oil pressure sender connected up properly?

[myatt1972]

You do have oil in it
On a serious note I hope she fires up for you today Dave

[KiwiDave]

Oil pressure sender ... Check. It's the one that came off the old motor
Oil ... Check. Castrol's finest GTX blend. Slight weeps still from the sump so incremental tightening in progress (oh so tiny increments).
On family duties today so launch rescheduled to tomorrow AM

[DKWW2000]

Dave, I have just read this post from the start & what a interesting post it is
I have a question about one of your posts regarding the front tyre size, did you drop down to 195s & if so what difference did it make?

Also a suggestion regarding the rust on the chassis, now that it has been welded I would spray some old diesel engine oil through the various holes as the heat will have burnt off any coating inside out of sight & it will start rusting again once it gets wet The oil will stop this from happening & stop any already fro getting worse.

I am sure all will go well tomorrow

regards Pete

[ian65]

it's a year ago tomorrow that this engine blew up..... what a long time to be off the road..... I bet you can hardly wait now Dave.... so close.

[KiwiDave]

Closer than you know mate ....

Moving right along then, Ian suggested removing the leading plugs for a faster crank speed. Interestingly, there is no reading from the gauge until the key is released from the start position ... unlike a mechanical gauge.

So, Oil Pressure Test https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptoFXeVIAtk
Warning ... amateur video skills

Before the BIG STARTUP, I checked for fuel thru to the carb and into the bowls. A clean carb is useful for this as seen in this pic. The shadow above the sightglass is fuel! Dirt hides leaks!


Upon checking this out, the four screws were finger tight only That would be why there was always a fuel smell around the engine bay then

Pulled out the plugs to check. Leading pair on the left. Tool had a different setup anyway with an IDA.


Thought it would be rude not to give the motor the best chance of starting so it got an old school birthday gift. Check out these bad boys


The Startup https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq8T_mdI1mE

That was the genuine first take too! I got so carried away being a very amateur videographer that it took me a while to take a proper look in the engine bay and notice that nice fresh GTX was drip dripping from the hard oil line. Cue to grab the 23mm enforcer and tighten the beehive banjo a little more than I really wanted to.

So I left it running at 2000 rpm to get up to temp so the thermostat would open. If you were in any doubt on how hot a rotary engine exhaust gets ... this is after 15 mins at 2000 rpm, no load, just fast idle Remember what I said about fuel leaks before? Scary


Fast idle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UI-T4XpM-k

And after around 30 mins or so, I reset the idle mix, speed and ignition timing (thnx to James for lending his timing light) and this is what it does now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d56OHgTt_8M

The header needs to come off again and be sealed a little better but that's about it. MOT next up ... what could possibly go wrong It will get a lap or three around the carpark tomorrow to get the crap off the brake discs but I won't risk venturing onto the road until the MOT roadtrip as we are still on SORN.
I am quite a happy bunny

[TOOL]

Double check the dizzy position. The headers start glowing when the fuel is burning down the exhaust.

Leads round the right way?

[spirit r]

Double check the dizzy position. The headers start glowing when the fuel is burning down the exhaust.

Leads round the right way?

Important point Tool, good Advice.

You can see last side picture 21.May 2015 00:24

spark plugs show lean mixture too