Kind of wish we were running back at Dwire Farm again. There, I might stand a chance with my lack of power. At Roos and especially at National Trails, even after getting the reliability issues squared away, the car is going to need more power, so a turbo may be in the works, just not over this winter.
eastsidemav wrote: Kind of wish we were running back at Dwire Farm again. There, I might stand a chance with my lack of power. At Roos and especially at National Trails, even after getting the reliability issues squared away, the car is going to need more throttle application, so a lead boot may be in the works, just not over this winter.
Fixed that for you 
Oh, I was standing on the throttle quite a bit for the few events I made it to. My wife is the one who could use the lead boot 
At low RPMs, it does pretty well, but just doesn't have near the power-to-weight ratio of a certain turbo Neon or supercharged Golf...
Sounds like it needs to lose a little weight.
cghstang wrote:eastsidemav wrote: the car is going to need more throttle application, ...Fixed that for you
Must be contagious, I have the same issue!
cghstang wrote: The joys of fwd axles are why my next 'race' car will be RWD.
Let me introduce you to the pile of wrecked driveshafts and bent and twisted rearend housings I've collected. My favorite is the one I split up the middle like a decent chef would crack an egg. Killed a front pinion bearing driving it home from Roos' with an ever-dwindling lube supply. (Never fixed that, either, which is why the pinion seal heaves oil all over the underside of the car including the nice hot exhaust pipes. Smells great when you drive it hard)
FWD axle breakage is usually because of bad motor mounts and/or applying power with the steering turned. VW Motorsport used to recommend installing 19mm stops inside the inner tie-rods on the Golf rally cars. Took steering travel down from about 5.5" to about 4". Yes, you can't steer as much as before, but you also dramatically reduce the possibility of shattering the outer CV joint.
Another new seal ,and a new axle this time. wae took it for a quick spin after the install, and it appears to not be leaking, at least not noticeably. We probably didn't get the old axle reseated properly during the last install. The Qaife differential seems to have quite a bit tighter tolerances than the stock one did.
I'll take it for a spin sometime in the next couple of days to double check on it. I want to make sure I don't need any garage space to work on it before I start back in on the scooter project.
Took it out for a drive. Doesn't seem to be leaking trans fluid anymore, but it is still heating up the trunk floor, so I need to drop the exhaust and see if I can fix wherever it's leaking.
Also, seems like its making more noises than it used to. Really hope I'm just hearing the exhaust leak and not transmission damage.
Took some work to remove what may have been the original muffler from the exhaust pipe. Had to cut the inlet of the muffler with a Dremel and peel it back like a banana. Didn't want to do much damage to the exhaust, so it would be easier for me to rig something up without breaking out the welder.
I went to the back corner of the garage to dig through my various salvaged exhaust parts, and had one of those extremely rare serendipitous moments. There was a stock DOHC Neon muffler in the pile. It wasn't perfect, but its in way better shape than the one that came off the car. Having never owned a Neon before this one, my best guess is this was the used muffler I pulled off a 1987 Integra that I used as a parts vehicle for our $2005 Challenge CRX. Being a hoarder paid off for once.
Once installed, I took the car out, and it appears to have helped a lot, as the trunk floor only got warm. Still smells like something is getting to hot, but I can't find the source of the smell. Just in case it's a matter of aerodynamics under the car, I trimmed a little over 1" off the front airdam in the hopes of getting more airflow under the car.
The final rallyx of the season is this coming Saturday. I've tempted fate and signed up for it. Just need to check fluid levels, and reinstall the skid plate.
Woo! I am incredibly impressed with your hoarding skills. How do you manage to keep something like that for that length of time and not throw it out the day before you realize you need it?
I'd like to point out, however, that a turbo makes a fantastic muffler for a Neon. ;)
I still think you need a turbo.
Bill has a very effective package.
eastsidemav wrote: Once installed, I took the car out, and it appears to have helped a lot, as the trunk floor only got warm. Still smells like something is getting to hot, but I can't find the source of the smell.
Have you checked the ignition timing with a light? The factory PCM I had in my racer only gave 20° of spark timing at WFO. This will cause your exhaust manifold/header to do a lava lamp imitation. I switched to a MegaSquirt and never looked back, I will never run a Neon on a factory PCM again.
Also the Neon engine harness has an issue in that the wire insulation melts at a lower temp than the tape that covers it. So the wires inside the normal appearing taped up harness are actually melted together....
EvanB wrote: I still think you need a turbo. Bill has a very effective package.
Let me know if you need 2.0 PS lines or a pump. I don't know if I have the lines, but I know I have a pump that should be good and I can take a look for the lines.
Final event was a little over a week ago. Car ran mostly well, but ended up puking a bunch of power steering fluid. One more thing to fix during the off season, I guess.
It was a bit messy. That, plus being in the second run group helped me take 4th in class, and 5th overall. 6 of 8 cars in MF were Neons.
In reply to bentwrench:
I'm running a Mopar PCM, so it should be advancing the timing a decent amount. I should probably still check and see where it is, though. I can't remember, but I think that may be something I can pull through the OBD-II reader I use for a coolant temp gauge.
Power steering is for Bob Costas!
In reply to N Sperlo:
wae runs an 18:1 steering rack without power steering. I run a 16:1 rack with power steering. Having driven both setups, I'll stick with mine...or go to a 14:1 with power steering.
I though Bill's car had power steering...it sure felt light.
Bill's definitely has manual steering.
Makes sense, it just felt much different than the Miata (surprise).
In reply to EvanB:
A Neon without power steering doesn't seem that bad, until you drive one with power steering. Competing in my car doesn't wear me down anywhere near as much as when I drive Bill's car. Part of that is the steering, the other part is trying to keep traction in his car...
If you aren't trying hard to keep traction you don't have enough power.
The Cadavalier isn't too hard to manage, but its stripped completely down. I consider no power steering more fun. More power to ya!
Time to resurrect this thread. After tomorrow, there will be a lull in scooter racing, so its finally time to get the rallycross machine back in fighting condition. Today, I checked out the fluids, threw a battery in it, and took it for a spin around the neighborhood. Took several tries to get it started, but once it was going, it settled into its typical idle. I had pretty much forgotten how to drive it though, the Fiat's clutch and gas pedal respond much more nicely than the Neon's.
Anyway, it'll either go in the garage Monday, or just be worked on in the driveway this coming week, then driving daily to make sure all the other systems are go. So, other than an oil change, here's what's happening:
Hoping this will cure both the PS leak, and the heat issues I've been having. While its all apart, I'm yanking most of the A/C system, too.
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