Today I spent another 6 hrs. on the dyno tuning the engine . I have been over heating the heads , trying to get way too much fuel economy out of it and it has been a bit unreliable until now . I have been learning a lot about the Motec and I have been targeting the same air/fuel ratio that I have been using for the last 15 years with the mechanical injection . I have now found that this is not possible with the sequential electronic injection and I have increased the mixtures by about 35 % and I am now starting to see some good exhaust temps . I have picked up about 70 HP just by adding the extra fuel and pulling all of the timing out of it . A big thanks to Owen for the technical input and assistance to get it to this stage . I will do the usual prep tomorrow and am hoping for a good run this weekend @ the VW showdown . If all goes well I am sure there is a sub 8.5 second run in it , ROD.
More boost + More fuel = More power
1968 Beetle fastest run 8.96 sec @ 161 mph 4th Nov. 2001
2010 New Beetle 8.12 sec on 8th march 2014 http://www.rodpenroseracing.com.au
RodPenrose wrote:Today I spent another 6 hrs. on the dyno tuning the engine . I have been over heating the heads , trying to get way too much fuel economy out of it and it has been a bit unreliable until now . I have been learning a lot about the Motec and I have been targeting the same air/fuel ratio that I have been using for the last 15 years with the mechanical injection . I have now found that this is not possible with the sequential electronic injection and I have increased the mixtures by about 35 % and I am now starting to see some good exhaust temps . I have picked up about 70 HP just by adding the extra fuel and pulling all of the timing out of it . A big thanks to Owen for the technical input and assistance to get it to this stage . I will do the usual prep tomorrow and am hoping for a good run this weekend @ the VW showdown . If all goes well I am sure there is a sub 8.5 second run in it , ROD.
Thanks for the update and sharing some of your info Rod.
I'm sure it will all go well for you.
Huge effort mate!!!
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Owen . thanks for the footage . The car looks to go a bit faster than it really does at this stage . I ran the car last week and have gathered some more data . The first run was just as it came off the dyno and I ran it to about 3/4 track to check the tune . All looked good with a 1.40 take off and a 5.51 @ 131.78 mph at 1/2 track before I shut it down and rolled through for an 8.96 @ 114 mph pass .
I checked all data , pulled the spark plugs and all was good for a full pass . On the 2nd run I went 1.36 in the 60 ft , 5.65 @ 127 mph at 1/2 track before the car shut itself down at about 2/3 track . I rolled through for a 9.34 @ 107 mph thinking that I had broken the differential or transmission . I downloaded the data to find that I lost all fuel pressure and the engine shut down . There is no damage to the engine so the fuel pressure regulator was removed and dismantled , all look good so it was re-installed to find very erratic fuel pressure . The decision was made to rest the car to find the cause of this problem . I have since removed the fuel pump , opened it up and found it to be still like new so it was re-fitted and the engine is now all good . I am at a bit of a loss as to why I am having issues , but I will now give it another run at a test day @ Sydney on the 3rd of August . The next test day I will be trying to use the launch control so things may get a little interesting as up until now I have only been driving off the start line , ROD.
More boost + More fuel = More power
1968 Beetle fastest run 8.96 sec @ 161 mph 4th Nov. 2001
2010 New Beetle 8.12 sec on 8th march 2014 http://www.rodpenroseracing.com.au
I had issues with a couple of solenoids on a bike once Rod.
Every time I got to a certain rev range, but only in top gear, it would fizzle out. I finally figured out the vibration from the motor through the frame was making the solenoids "hum" and restricting flow. I rubber-mounted them, then had full power all the way.
Maybe just something to consider while you're hunting it down?
I will get the car out of the trailer tomorrow and remove the engine and dismantle it for a complete inspection in preparation for Warwick . Last time out I enabled the launch control and found that my clutch settings were incorrect for what I was trying to do . The engine seems all good , but I will do a precautionary inspection on all components and post some pics of the parts . I am learning about the car all of the time and if all goes well I may be able to run it next weekend at round 7 of the track champs for a few more test runs . I have been studying some more data and here is what I have found ;
0-100 km/h takes 1.75 seconds
0-200 km/h takes 4.68 seconds
I am hoping to run a little faster that the 5.51 seconds @ Warwick if I can get the clutch settings correct for the launch control . The other thing that has got me a bit worried is trying to stop it @ over 130 mph , ROD.
More boost + More fuel = More power
1968 Beetle fastest run 8.96 sec @ 161 mph 4th Nov. 2001
2010 New Beetle 8.12 sec on 8th march 2014 http://www.rodpenroseracing.com.au
I'm hoping the new Stroud chute does it's job for you.Got mine fitted but haven't used it yet. Got to get my arse into gear and get to a track when you are running.
You can always run all the way down into the 'grassy knoll' if you want Rod.
Don't try and make the turn at speed, just wave at the people at the exit and go deep.
Dave , I have been down in the grass before and it isn't real nice down there . I will take it a bit easy on the first couple of runs until I get the knack at pulling up hard .
I have removed the engine and disassembled it to find everything inside all good . I will clean it up and re assemble it over the weekend and have it ready to go next week . I have found a few cracks in the exhaust header which I suspect may have been caused by the violent misfiring on the rev limiter that I need to repair . I am changing around a few oil breather lines to make it a bit easier and faster to turn the car around quicker between runs . Here are a few pic's of the engine as it was shut off @ full throttle on the last pass @ 150 mph . The first pic's show just how much clutch dust from just only 4 runs , ROD.
More boost + More fuel = More power
1968 Beetle fastest run 8.96 sec @ 161 mph 4th Nov. 2001
2010 New Beetle 8.12 sec on 8th march 2014 http://www.rodpenroseracing.com.au
More boost + More fuel = More power
1968 Beetle fastest run 8.96 sec @ 161 mph 4th Nov. 2001
2010 New Beetle 8.12 sec on 8th march 2014 http://www.rodpenroseracing.com.au
More boost + More fuel = More power
1968 Beetle fastest run 8.96 sec @ 161 mph 4th Nov. 2001
2010 New Beetle 8.12 sec on 8th march 2014 http://www.rodpenroseracing.com.au
More boost + More fuel = More power
1968 Beetle fastest run 8.96 sec @ 161 mph 4th Nov. 2001
2010 New Beetle 8.12 sec on 8th march 2014 http://www.rodpenroseracing.com.au
The engine components all look fine , but the tune is still not quite there yet . The top of # 4 piston is clean and # 3 piston is a little dirty . The piston rings are all over the place and I suspect that the clean cylinder is the better sealing one . The compression on the clean cylinder was a little better before I dismantled it . I still have a few things I want to try before I start on a new inlet manifold design , ROD.
More boost + More fuel = More power
1968 Beetle fastest run 8.96 sec @ 161 mph 4th Nov. 2001
2010 New Beetle 8.12 sec on 8th march 2014 http://www.rodpenroseracing.com.au
The heads have been vacuum tested and came back with a good report for the first time ever . The new custom titanium valves , Siamese seats and polished valve springs are all working well together , ROD.
More boost + More fuel = More power
1968 Beetle fastest run 8.96 sec @ 161 mph 4th Nov. 2001
2010 New Beetle 8.12 sec on 8th march 2014 http://www.rodpenroseracing.com.au
The engine is going back together ready for the Warwick weekend in 3 weeks time . In the first 2 pic's the block is turned up side down , the camshaft is installed and the roller lifters are installed pushed into place from the outside of the block . In the 3rd pic the main bearing caps are tapped into place , bolted down and then cross bolted , ROD.
More boost + More fuel = More power
1968 Beetle fastest run 8.96 sec @ 161 mph 4th Nov. 2001
2010 New Beetle 8.12 sec on 8th march 2014 http://www.rodpenroseracing.com.au
In these pic's you can see the completed bottom end . The pistons are installed into the modular cylinder and then attached to the conrods . In the last pic you can see the piston pin installed and the aluminium button that keeps the pin in place , ROD.
More boost + More fuel = More power
1968 Beetle fastest run 8.96 sec @ 161 mph 4th Nov. 2001
2010 New Beetle 8.12 sec on 8th march 2014 http://www.rodpenroseracing.com.au
This is what the engine looks like with the front cover installed . In the last 2 pic's , the copper head gasket is installed before the heads . The gaskets will seal in a groove machined in the top of the modular barrels as the heads have a steel o'ring inserted for positive sealing . So far this has been good and no sign of any leaks at the current boost levels . These head gaskets still look good even after being used 7-8 times , ROD.
More boost + More fuel = More power
1968 Beetle fastest run 8.96 sec @ 161 mph 4th Nov. 2001
2010 New Beetle 8.12 sec on 8th march 2014 http://www.rodpenroseracing.com.au
The .040 copper head gasket is clamped into place and the heads are tensioned . The finished engine that still needs a few accessories fitted . The rear of the aluminium mounting plate ready for the flywheel and clutch assembly tomorrow , ROD.
More boost + More fuel = More power
1968 Beetle fastest run 8.96 sec @ 161 mph 4th Nov. 2001
2010 New Beetle 8.12 sec on 8th march 2014 http://www.rodpenroseracing.com.au
Today I set the clutch up over 25% tighter that I have ever used before . I am still getting used to the adjustments and now have set it up as to reduce the slip . Last time out I found a small problem that was still causing the clutch to slip at about 4-5% as I crossed the finish line @ 150 mph . If I can get the clutch to start working harder I may be actually lift the front wheels . Up until now all 4 wheels have been on the ground all of the time and the wheelie bar has just been there for the ride . The engine will go back in tomorrow and should be in the trailer a weeks or so earlier than expected , ROD.
More boost + More fuel = More power
1968 Beetle fastest run 8.96 sec @ 161 mph 4th Nov. 2001
2010 New Beetle 8.12 sec on 8th march 2014 http://www.rodpenroseracing.com.au
Well , after a reasonably successful weekend @ Warwick I ended up with the runner up position in my first race event with the car . The first run on Saturday was a 6.4 and the fastest run on the weekend was a 5.6 . This was 1 1/2 tenths slower that I have previously been , however with 7 out of my 10 runs under 5.7 seconds the car was very consistent . I have noticed that the chassis was getting stressed due to the tyre shake so I completely stripped the car , turned the chassis upside down and added some more bracing to stiffen the rear end of the car . The 9" differential had to be replaced due to wear and a new inlet manifold was fabricated . ROD.
More boost + More fuel = More power
1968 Beetle fastest run 8.96 sec @ 161 mph 4th Nov. 2001
2010 New Beetle 8.12 sec on 8th march 2014 http://www.rodpenroseracing.com.au
More boost + More fuel = More power
1968 Beetle fastest run 8.96 sec @ 161 mph 4th Nov. 2001
2010 New Beetle 8.12 sec on 8th march 2014 http://www.rodpenroseracing.com.au
