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99% of what you're speaking about is going right over my head :D but I'm loving the fact you're running on cooking oil B) What % are you using? I used to run a Pajero on 50/50 and reckon it ran smoother/quieter and had a nice smell with it as well ;)

Fair enough - iv run it for a few years now and once i got the hang of it ive had no problems, in the winter i run 100% diesel and i have found if i run slightly more than 50% diesel/ veg oil mix (taking into account that modern diesel has 5- 7% bio in it) i can run at reasonably low (atmospheric) temps - if the weather gets warm enough i can run 100% veg oil

So its all temprature - dependant, if i have added a lot of veg oil because of warm weather and it suddenly turns cold, the fuel could "wax" or solidify - making the car difficult to start - as long as i take this into account (even for the mornings/ coldest time of day) and have not too much veg oil ive been ok

i only use new, clean veg oil (Tescos is doing a 10-litre tub for £11.50) the filters seem to stay clean (i could use used stuff but once i factor in the cost of filters etc) - its not a massive saving but it adds up, over the course of a year, and SVO (straight vegatable oil) is a renuable energe source - it gets its power ultimately from the sun, it cannot "run out" (as long as the sun shines) and is sustainable (unlike petrol/ diesel, gas and other "fossil fuels") the plants it is made from release oxegen in daylight and the process of making the veg oil has less impact on the enviroment

Effectively, running the car on veg oil makes it "solar powered" (inderictly)

Im using it without a second tank or (tank) heaters etc, with these i could run it all year round (i feel the "diesel only" in the winter helps to clean out the system)

There was a lot of talk on other forums about people running diesels and adding two-stroke oil (designed for two-stroke petrol engines) some of these people did not even know the 3 basic types of 2-stroke oil (castor-based, semi-synthetec and fully synthetic) and that some of these types cannot be mixed (the 2-stroke engine would require a strip-down/ clean out and rebuilt using the new oil you intended to use)

Also, as modern diesel contains 5-7% bio- diesel, how well does the 2- sroke oil (designed for mixing with petrol in a 2-stroke petrol engine) mix with the diiesel/ bio-diesel / veg oil (in my case) in a diesel engine?

So i have never added 2-stroke to my diesel, mostly ive filled up with the cheapest/ most convenient diesel i could find, with a bias against supermarkets towards small, independant filling stations for political reasons (i don't want to see the (more of the) independant filling stations go out of business - allowing the supermarkets carte blanche to potentially fix the prices etc )

After never using "snake oil" / additives etc for years (many of which contain solvents like kerosine that can eat through seals etc) and only using the cheapest diesel (ocasionally with pure veg oil) i ran half a tank of injector cleaner, brimmed my tank with BP ultimate diesel (wow, its expensive!) and added some redex cetane booster/ injector cleaner for good measure (making it the most expensive tank full ever, in the lifetime of the car!) - for my trip to/ and the dyno run - it ran a bit smoother / i would have been interesting to see if it actually increased the power/ torque figures and by how much (but i did not have time to try different fuels so put the best stuff i could get, just in case and tried different boost pressures instead)

Ive got 10 litres of veg oil to stick in today

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V power diesel is much better than BP Ultimate. Refined to a higher standard and is a higher calorific value

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you do realise that the power figure in a diesel is a useless number dontya?? Power = How fast you hit the wall = top end grunt when flat stick, Torque = how far you take the wall with you = Acceleration/pulling power.

If you want a fast accelerating car you need oodles of torque, if you want a fast top speed car you want bags of power. Your mentioning drag racing here aswell. Your also at the realms where a LSD would help get the power down to get off the line. I assume youve got the MTX75 box, so thats plenty strong enough

As to the cams if you talk to the company doing then they will give you a custom profile to give the characteristics that you want. Vernier pulleys aswell to make the timing absolutely spot on to where it needs to be (its a few degrees out from factory) will also give big gains.

I just dont think your gonna get much more from bolt on bits unless you start playing with the internals. Call me old school, but id rather have the power mechanically and control it electronically than try to tease out every last bhp with bolt ons. If your engine is re-designed to run in a certain power range, its gonna be more efficient, cooler, easier to drive, and have a wider power band

Tottally agree with the LSD, i use a MTX75 - 5 speed box, and have no form of traction control, - An RS (Focus) mk1 uses the same 'box, and has an ATB (automatic torque biasing) diff from quaife - its expesive to buy, could be expensive to fit, and may be hard to track one down secondhand (i would imagine they are quite rare) but one will fit straight on an MTX75 box, i don't think they need electronic gubbins/ ecus ect to work, and are self contained / fully mechanical (as far as i am aware) (you can get them for the MMT6 too) - i think ive already written about this in the "trans" part of this (build) thread - it could put more stress on the g-box/ clutch etc, especially with the amount of torque and the de-restricted lower gears - if it was purely a drag strip car (not for the road) i would just get the diff welded up (a kind of "diff lock")

Vernier pullys and performance cams are not available and the stock cams would have to be modified, the pullys, custom made (expensive). The problem with changing the cam profile (more lift and or more duration) is i may lose bottom- end power and the strong but heavy crank/ rods pistons etc nessesary for the high compression of a diesel engine prevents high revs, and there is a limit to how fast the diesel combustion process can take, these things (and the torque peaking at relatively low revs/ dropping off at gigher revs) mean the diesel can never rev as high as a petrol engine

So without losing any bottom end power, there is probably not much potential from the cams, as far as the intake is concerned, the turbo can compensate a lot for deficiencies in the inlet cam timing/ duration and restrictions in the intake and too much lift/ duration on the exhaust (overlap) can destroy the bottom end power

so on balance, if someone came to me with the idea of re-profiling the cams or fitting vernier pullies on a turbo - diesel - i would advise against it - if it was an NA petrol - that would be different

If i had said to you 25years ago i could boost the power on a diesel Ford from 113Hp to 147Hp with no phisical modifications, and without opening the bonnet, just by plugging a Bluefin handset in to a socket under the dash - you would not have believed it and thought it was a joke, i was mad or B-S ing - now, the remap has the biggest gain than everything else put together

thats the way it is now

I agree i need a bit more revs- but without compromising the bottom end power - who could do the cams?

have you read right through my build thread?

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V power diesel is much better than BP Ultimate. Refined to a higher standard and is a higher calorific value

I don't know if i can even get V power around here, i had to drive a 200 mile round trip to get the car dyno-ed (im in the "sticks") another reason i chose the Bluefin (no remappers for miles)

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not read it all mate, but ive got the general gist of if.

But my opinion is defo that cams and porting to suit the type of power band you require has headway, but like you say its £££££ from then on in.

Im pretty confident that with a bit of research and tinkering I could machine some cams and alter the intake, the portings and Valves, and the exhaust I could spread the torque curve out.

Take for example the Le-Mans diesel cars, they are peak torque from 1200 rpm right up to 5000 redline, obviously they do have a peak, but massive usable torque all the way through, so it can be done. Its just tickling out the info from the raceteams so you know where to head with it. I think for what your asking of the engine the bolt ons and remap is the best course of action. But if your wanting much more we really should be looking at machining parts, standalone ecu's etc

Do you have a straight through exhaust?? or is it just a de-cat that you have?

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Oh and as to the LSD, youd be best just buying a Quaife unit for your box than mess with the RS box. Ive seen a few RS box's implode when theyre subject to big torque numbers. And it wont be geared right for your engine either. The RS is a lot higher revving than a diesel.

Burton motorsport is the best place for Quaife, or Severn Valley motorsports. If your fairly tech savvy an LSD can be fitted in a weekend. Dont forget to do the clutch while your in there!! Youll kick yourself if the clutch goes 4 weeks after fitting the diff! Cos theyre not the easiest box to get off on the mk 3's

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not read it all mate, but ive got the general gist of if.

But my opinion is defo that cams and porting to suit the type of power band you require has headway, but like you say its £££££ from then on in.

Im pretty confident that with a bit of research and tinkering I could machine some cams and alter the intake, the portings and Valves, and the exhaust I could spread the torque curve out.

Take for example the Le-Mans diesel cars, they are peak torque from 1200 rpm right up to 5000 redline, obviously they do have a peak, but massive usable torque all the way through, so it can be done. Its just tickling out the info from the raceteams so you know where to head with it. I think for what your asking of the engine the bolt ons and remap is the best course of action. But if your wanting much more we really should be looking at machining parts, standalone ecu's etc

Do you have a straight through exhaust?? or is it just a de-cat that you have?

Youve really got to read through it here is the "exhaust" spec (taken from the very 1st post) -

Exhaust -

2-1/2" SS heatwrapped decat -

gas flowed heatwrapped downpipe

Back- box delete

Straight - through 2-1/4" system with centre silencer

EGR delete on manifold

9.5kgs lighter - balanced for traction/ handling

To do - ceramic coat/ heatwrap the manifold which still has the stock heatshield

Basically its a 57mm/ 2-1/4" straight through system from the decat, there is a ("straight through")silencer in the middle the downpipe had a ring of weld removed and was radioused where it comes out of the 2-1/2" decat, the decat has a (nessesary) bend in it but on this particular design of decat - it "turns down"/ pinches slightly, (not mandrel bent ) but this is not critical on the 63mm decat/ 57mm system, but i plan to get a better decat, 2-1/2" mandrel bent or bigger, and a 2-1/2" or 3" system the centre silencer is probably quite heavy (estimated 10kgs) - i like the car to be fairly quiet (to go with the "sleeper" designation)

I know the larger diameter exhaust will help the turbo spool up quicker but is it liable to increase the top-end power/ revs as well?

I have dyno printouts with the power & torque curves - the peak power is just over 3600, if i could extend that to 4K / 4100,(without reducing the bottom end power) that would make a big difference

tickover is at 900rpm and it can take full-throttle from 1000rpm (approx 30mph) in top, it accelerates from 30 to 100mph in under 27 seconds (safely off road!) in top gear, (or it did, its probably quicker than that now) and the 50-70mph in top has been timed at 5.5secs - there is not many cars on the road that can do that - i don't want to loose that ""never get cought out" flexibility + the car is much quicker "cross country" than its "on paper" figures suggest

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Oh and as to the LSD, youd be best just buying a Quaife unit for your box than mess with the RS box. Ive seen a few RS box's implode when theyre subject to big torque numbers. And it wont be geared right for your engine either. The RS is a lot higher revving than a diesel.

Burton motorsport is the best place for Quaife, or Severn Valley motorsports. If your fairly tech savvy an LSD can be fitted in a weekend. Dont forget to do the clutch while your in there!! Youll kick yourself if the clutch goes 4 weeks after fitting the diff! Cos theyre not the easiest box to get off on the mk 3's

The (Focus mk1) RS box is an MTX75, same as mine, my gearing is ridiculusly undergeared for the power + torque i have now, 1st is miles too low, its a Quaife ATB that is fitted to the RS box anyway ive a fair bit more torque than an RS so i might be better on slicks for drag racing and stick with the stock diff (to protect the gearbox)

Ive fitted a carbon fiber/ kevlar clutch with solid flywheel - (some tima ago, but the car has not done a big milage sinse then) -

From my 1st post - (on this thread) -

"Trans -

Mtx75 5-speed 'box

Solid flywheel conversion, dynamically balanced SMF to replace DMF

Carbon fiber and kevlar clutch - Heavy duty - 33% stronger - sprung plate

Short shifter (stock gearstick shortened and travel reduced by repositioning the cables)

Torque restrictor defeat switch (beside gearchange)

No form of traction control / ESP protects trans from torque (de-ristricted in all gears/ at all revs)

i think you have to read through the build thread when you get time :lol:

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Ok so exhaust is fine, I wouldnt have thought like you say a wider bore would give anymore top end. Your pretty much sorted there. You do come accross pretty well clued up tbf.

Wasnt aware the RS was an MTX box (never really delved into them that much to find out tho). Would I be right in assuming the RS is 6 speed too?? Im just trying to think of ways we could increase the gearing of yours at a lower cost. Certainly buying an RS box could be cheaper, but then your gonna be really undergeared especially if the diesel geared box is undergeared now.

Just out of interest is the st220 box an MTX75?? Cos im thinking the lsd and final drive from that coupled to your gearing would lengthen the gearing a bit to bring your gears to a more useful quantity??

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Yes, all the mk3 Mondeos were MTX75 5-speed boxes from 2000 to about 2004(ish) including the petrol 4 cylinder models and the v6s (including the st220) the MMT6 was available from about 2004, and was fitted to most of the mk3s, (petrols and diesels) it is reconed to be softer than the MTX75

The MMT6 was never fitted to the Mondeo MK3 TDDI (2.0 115PS), because it predates it (2000-2002) as far as i am aware, the RS Focus mk1 was never fitted with a 6-speed box, and only ever fitted with the MTX75 5-speed box (the RS mk1 predated the MMT6 box too)

The Focus ST170 had a 6-speed box, but it was not a Ford one, but from Getrag the one with the dog-leg 1st

The ST220 has a 150mph top speed, but has a much higher redline than my diesel, the lower 130(ish) top speed (safely off road, of course) but lower revving diesel might mean the ratio in top is very similar

The gears may be stacked differently with the diesels closer on the bottom ratios and the petrols' closer near the top,

the gears are (roughly) 25, 40, 60(65),90(95) 130 to do my quarter mile, i could launch in 2nd, and let it rev out in 4th so i would only have 2 gear changes (although peak power is at 3600(for now) i could let it rev past this in 4th if im near the line) - its unlikely that i will get upto above 110 in the 1/4 mile and i don't need a higher ratio for the road, (though motorway cruising would be more relaxed, and economical - though the car hates motorways, and so do i ) so im happy its "restricted" to 130 ,(safely off road, of course)

The dyno run was done in 4th - 3rd appears to have a similar powerband, but it revs higher is 2nd, and pulls til 4500, this could be just the lighter load in 2nd, or the effectively lighter flywheel (AC pulley and waterpump removed + the lighter car) meaning it revs through the band very fast and the turbo cannot produce boost fast enough giving it a rising poer characteristrict all the way to the redline, in 2nd - i found out it wanted to rev (and continued to pull) when i was practising launches/ timing my 0-60 - i got the 0-60 down to 7.1 (i know it sounds very slow, but an ST220 is not much quicker)

I can use different redlines in each gear, to maximise acceleration

I read that someone was preparing a GTR for drag racing, and had to leave the stock glass in the sides/ rear, to stay in a "street" class and if he fitted perspex, he had to run in an "open" "unlimited" class (against much quicker cars is there ant truth in this?)

I plan to run at a "run what you brung" it has different classes, FI (forced induction, can use nitrus etc) upto / above 2.0L NA upto / above 2.0L FWD / RWD/ awd / Unlimited, if you run nitrus on a NA it counts as FI, the cars don't have to be taxed / MOTd (as long as they pass scrutineering) you dont need to wear a helmet under 100mph, (if you need to it has to have the sticker RAC / FIA/ PMT? or whatever ) its very "clubby", the rules are fairly relaxed, you can run slicks, no problem, (or that "tyre melt" stuff, banned in some forms of racing)

Because of the relatively small no. of classes, i would be up against 300+ Hp <1000kg cars, (no chance of winning, even if it rains because mine is rubish in the rain too(mabee not if i had an LSD)) ironically, though the rules are stricter, there are more classes at "proper" drag racing at santa pod, i could even run in an "alternative (renuable/ eco) fuels" class with the veg oil, - Who knows - may even come back with some tinware for the mantlepiece :lol: - just kidding, i would be surprised if it did not come last, i just want to get a (some) 1/4 mile time(s) :)

PS - High speeds/ top end speed/ power is obviously not a priority

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The gears may be stacked differently with the diesels closer on the bottom ratios and the petrols' closer near the top,

I think this is the way forwards, without researching I couldnt tell ya, but it holds weight with me. Sounds very feasable. As to drag racing regs, I have no idea, my knowledge is rally and circuit racing.

But getting the power down a bit better could shorten that 0-60 a fair bit.

You sound like your doing a grand job and im very interested in your results, and I dont believe for one sec youll come last. Give it a whirl you may be surprised!!

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Thanks for that!

If i stick with the stock diff, it will save a lot of money/ hassle, i could fit tit-x 18s on the fronts (lighter than the ST ones) on the front and spacesavers on the back (saw it on a US car show) - only for drag racing though- The strips are very flat and grippy compared to the road so i might bo ok with the tyre softener etc - at least the trans is less liable to explode on the line without the ATB diff

I took the rear door skins off to weigh them, 2kgs each! and the Speakers in the doors 0.7kg - i put them back on, - i worked out i can save 20kgs by changing all the glass from the drivers/ passengers door back for perspex, apart from the weigh saving a lot of the weight saving is behind the rear wheels (helping traction) and high up (better handling) i can get smoked perspex, so they would be tinted (to a pro standard) without the expense of tinting

Ive checked and have been told it can pass a UK MOT with the perspex but as mentioned before, may put it in a quicker "unlimited" class in drag racing

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  • 2 weeks later...

MarkyR (on another thread on this site) said -

"" I was just reading some of your project thread FOCA, got to say I was a bit lost in it all haha. So what power in bhp does your car have at the mo then and what is it's 0 to 60 time? I'm guessing 6 to 7 seconds? And is it an estate or a hatchback? I couldn't see these facts in all the info you've posted so sorry if you have stated it all already. I was just curious as it looks like you've done tons to boost the performance whilst keeping your MPG "".

Thanks - most of the facts are there if you read it - It was measured at 160BHP in road trim running on diesel, at an initial 22psi and continuous 20psi, its interesting that a "180hp" ST-TDCI measured 135Hp at the wheels and my "160Hp" 2.0 produces 141Hp at the wheels (the power that actually reaches the wheels is the one that matters, everything else is BS, really, because the 141 wheel Hp would be 190+ if measured the way the ST-TDCI was)

About the 0-60mph -

With all that torque going through the front wheels and no form of traction control, wheelspin is a problem, 1st is far too low, and i have 2 gearchanges to 60, even if the conditions are perfect i get a different 0-60mph time each time, depending on the amount of clutch slip/ wheelspin - im working on improving the traction - its quicker than a (stock) ST-TDCI 0-60, my next target is getting it quicker than an ST220 (0-60mph and 1/4 mile)

i set up the adjustable tuning box and boost controller by timing the acceleration, then i discovered about an indicated 65 was actually 60mph, so none of my figures were accurate, but to compare the old figures to new (to know how much its improving) i had to carry on using the same (inaccurate) methods of timing - if/ when i go to a drag strip, the timings will be accurate

So I just put the 0-60 as a conservative "under 8 seconds"

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  • 1 month later...


huey45 , on another thread, said -  


Hi I read your article on your extensively modified Mondeo
and being honest I was totally baffled in some items you
described you must be very knowledgeable or clever
also what you have done must have cost a small fortune

I have heard that a free flow
air filter will help with a little HP gain
and possible water injection into intake manifold downstream of
air filter
to make incoming air a lot more dense..my focus goes like stink
on a very wet day, but I chicken out on lack the of road grip.....LOL

FOCA's reply -

Thank you - a lot of the stuff was taken from various forms of motorsport, or things that are popular on modified cars in other countries, or on petrol turbo cars etc and were not my idea (a couple were my idea though)

It was not as expensive as it seems, when something needed replaced (eg the exhaust or the DMF) it was replaced with a better one often for about the same/ just a bit more than a stock one

Yes, traction in the wet can be a problem on a front-wheel-drive car

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  • 1 month later...

When you did the AC delete and used a shortened belt, which belt did you use? :-)

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When you did the AC delete and used a shortened belt, which belt did you use? :-)

I did the AC delete a couple of years ago, i bought loads of different belts before i found one that fitted, i forgot which one it was.

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Finally fitted the electronic controller for the electric waterpump, had to make a special adaptor for the sender

still switch the controller on manually 'till i see how i get on with it - seems much better tha having to keep switching the manual switch off/on as the temp goes up/down (thats with the thermostat in)

Plan to fit a lightweight radiator fan - the pump controller

Also rewired the water temp/ voltage modules so i can switch them off and they start on volts/ temp without having to "fiddle" with them

Used the switch that used to be used for the torque restrictor defeat for operating the boost controller (its beside the gearshift and im going to see if i get quicker launches with low boost ) - only use the torque restrictor defeat for ice/ snow anyway

Got lots of little things to do and plan to get as much done as possible while the weather is good & i have time

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Awesome thread with awesome mods! Very informative too, gives me a few ideas ;) .

Wish Ford had fitted a TDDI in my Fusion so i could also run veg. oil, used to run it in my Benz and liked the smell of it :) .

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  • 1 month later...

Update -

I MOTd the car recently - i always had trouble with the rear brakes /handbrake and last year i gave it to a mechanic to fix,(i hate working on brakes (or gearboxes!)) he replaced one rear caliper and brake caple and it got it through the last MOT but did not work well and kept sticking on - so i just parked the car "in gear"

So before the MOT i replaced the rear caliper on the other side and both handbrake cables (they tend to get stretched and its best to replace them as a pair)

So with 2 new handbrake cables, and a new rear caliper, and a year-old one (its incredible how rough it looks after just one year!) i reconed i could get the handbrake working nicely

1st i fitted the new caliper,- i clamped the flexi cable and fitted it on, then bled the system - and the (foot) brakes worked well with this

When i was under the car i noticed the rust underneath - i kurust and hammerite under the car every couple of years and the hammerite paint was flaking off because it was rusting under that (the rust was not that bad- it dir not require welding etc)

To cut a long story short i knocked all the old loose paint off the underside of the car (and suspension and wheel wells ) with a small hammer, wire-brushed it, de-greased it (with detergent) by hand with a scrubbing brush rinsed it and kurust-ed the lot - so now there is no visible/ surface rust on the underside of the car, at all/ it looks black - and next time it should be a lot easier

I fitted the handbrake cables, the levers on the calipers go back to the stops (apparently if they don't it can damage the helix inside the calipers and the handbrake auto-adjust does not work(the caliper pistons have to be unwound a certain way too)) i got them all nicely adjusted and then tied the cables up nicely using cable ties (so they did not hang down like they used to) andv i re-routed the cable(s) slightly to keep it away from the heat of the exhaust (this had meler the plastic on the old cable)

So the underside was completely rustproofed and the handbrake worked perfectly for the 1st time in years

I had also refurbed all wy wheels (got loads) including de-greasing, preparing and rustproofing and painting (outside and in) all my steelies - i through out some old, worn tyres and replaced them with some i had bought on eBay last year - some turned out to be "lemons" and could not be used, and one if my rims had a split on it - so i have less spares than expected - still plenty though, and it will be a while (probably a couple of years) before i have to buy new tyres

I had bought new front discs/ pads as as set (stock genuine Ford) and rear discs/pads in previous years, so they were good, - i considered upgrading them (EG- Focus st225 are bigger front discs) but this would add weight and MK3s all have the same brakes (including the 150mph ST220) and with the car bieing lightened 150kgs the brakes work well (and i dont have a "heavy braking driving style - i like to keep the momentum up- that and the lightness is probably why the brakes seem to last)

I had spent weeks under the car, rustproofing it etc, so i decided to stick the car in for the MOT, to see what it needed, -to my surprise, it passed 1st time with just a couple of minor advisories (the tester was probably distracted to see a 10+ year old car with an immaculate underside :lol: )

I bought and fitted the electronic temp controller (for the electric waterpump) the engine warms up quicker now, and seems to be faster too (and probably has a better MPG)

Now its MOTd i can get on with the serious modifications!

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Just goes to show you if you want a job done right, do it yourself lol

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  • 2 weeks later...

When i was getting the the car MOT'd i discussed changes to the exhaust and the implications on passing the MOT, and it seems i can have the exhaust made shorter, withn less twists and turns

This makes it lighter, and easier/lighter to heatwrap the entire exhaust

the less twists/ turns and reduced length will reduce drag/ back pressure on the gas-flow, helping the turbine spool up quicker

Ive already removed part (about 2-feet/ 3kgs) of the rear section, and the engine picks up a bit quicker from low revs, ive got some quicker 4th-gear acceleration times from this but some of my data is old and there have been improvements to the car since some of these accelerations were timed - im happy the car is getting quicker and quicker

The 3kgs is at the back, behind the rear wheels, its not a big amount but i can feel a (slight) difference in traction, especially in the wet - the 3kgs section ive removed is temporary, and there will be another 2 to 3 kgs section removed (so 5 to 6kgs in total)

The exhaust will then also be much straighter (less bends in it)

i will need to cut off part of the old exhaust to do this, and make new hangers with rubber mounts and metal ties

the middle silencer will still be in place, but the exhaust is already louder with a "rip" to it that is not very "diesel-like"

Once this "new" exhaust configiration is done i will be re-connecting the tuning box,it will need to be re-adjusted for the new exhaust setup and the remap, but initial tests reveal the engine should (at least) pick up quicker and pull stronger from low revs than with just the remap nce the shorter/ straighter exhaust is ready

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UPDATE -

ive shortened the exhaust, sound-wise its a little bit deeper on tickover and a bit louder on "full-chat" but utherwise much the same

power-wise there is less power really low down, then there is more of a "step" in the powerband and the power comes in with a "rush"/ "bang" (when "booting" it) the power delivery reminds me of a two-stroke motorcycle, like a Yamaha 350LC

the exhaust is now another 5kgs lighter (not includinmg the 3.3kgs) - taking it to (approx) - 155kgs

A large-diameter exhaust will be simpler/ cheaper/ easier to make now (copying to new route) and work better

So the exhaust must be helping the turbine spin up quicker - unfortunately its a bit too quick - and the boost peaks too high for the boost controller to catch it, i had a pipe blow off, and ive reset the boost controller and shortened the small pipes going onto the (stand- alone electronic) boost controller solenoid (to give it a faster response) - and ive adjusted the controller down to (a continuous) 20psi

What is happening is when i floor the throttle, the turbine spins up (very fast/ faster than before) this spins the compressor up, pressurising the boost hoses, through the intercooler and onto the inlet manifold, the pick-up-point for the boost controller (+ boost gauge) is on the manifold, with how quickly the boost pressure rises, by the time the pressure signal reaches the boost controller/ sensor, the boost is "off the scale" or more than desired/ enough to upset the ECU (especially in the lower gears)

i will need to re-route the pressure signal pick-up-point for the boost controller/ sensor closer to the compressor, if i fit it onto the same lines as the (boost controller) solenoid/ wastegate, it migh interfere with the solenoid/ wastegate (eg - boost pumping/ etc) but if i used a chamber/ volume in the line to the controller it may fix this.

i would need a second line through the bulkhead to the controller (one for the boost gauge, one for the boost controller) - adding to the compexity (more to go wrong) i couold have 2 boost gauges (ive got a 2nd one) one for the manifold, and one for the controller (pre intercooler) the boost controllers would measure the intercooler pressure-drop in real time then

i may have to experiment with the controller/ sensor pick-up-point, to avoid boost pumping/ compressor stall, etc, and so i get just a little overboost, i will leave the boost gauge pick-up and my presently fitted boost gauge pick-up in the same place, to make comparisons, to how it was - ive never fitted 2 boost gauges to a car before so it will be interesting to see how that turns out/ how much of a pressure drop i get across the intercooler - i can even compare different intercoolers!

Untill i get the overboost/ boost spiking sorted out - i can't set up/ (re)fit the tuning box and the exhaust also needs a few finishing touches too - im hoping the tuning box will give the engine a bit more grunt at the bottom end (it did before) & ive been timing the 30mph -up in 4th up a very steep hill (safely off, course) so i can measure any improvements i make / set the car/ boost/ tuning box up just right

It will be interesting to see how it turns out

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  • 4 months later...

UPDATE - ive been running with the boost controller disconnected, and the remap un-installed and the tuning box set at the standard setting it came with - still fairly quick compared to most cars but not quite its full potential

I thought i had to re-position the pick-up point of the controller, but it turns out the (small diameter hose) pipe to the controller was porus/ leaking, so i was both loosing boost and it was giving the controller a false reading, so it tried to increase the boost untill it was too high - with a new silicone hose the boost controller works again

After test-driving the car I set the boost on the 2nd stage to 20PSI (it runs about 16 stock) i then dis-connected the tuning box and re-installed the Bluefin remap, i took it for another spin and its really "flying" again, it feels even quicker than ever, this is the 1st time i have had it all working right and with the short exhaust pipe, i get a pit of boost pumping, and overboost (i set it at 20PSI and it bosts to over 22) the boost comes in very strong/ quickly, its hard to keep up with the boost gauge, the power drlivery is very strong, almost "explosive" in the lower gears,

Looks like i will need to get it on the dyno again and re-time all the performance times as the old ones will be out of date, i might wait till i get some of the new parts fitted 1st

Im resetting the ECU for the latest setup

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  • 3 weeks later...

How have you shortened the boost hoses? And have you completely removed the egr system from

Your car?

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How have you shortened the boost hoses? And have you completely removed the egr system from

Your car?

Yes, the boost hoses are shorter, and a better shape, with less turns, for better gas flow (more power), as well as turbo stays hot and inlet stays cool, like it should, also for better power/ efficiency

After you have fitted a solid EGR blanking plate, the next step is removing all the EGR components, as they are effectively disabled when the plate is fitted, on the TDDI, with the EGR at the back, the boost hoses are a "bad" shape and have a long travel as they wind their way around the engine, ditching the EGR and shortening the hoses probably makes a big difference on this car/ engine, it may be less so on other engines

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