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Re: Bert Vorgon's Spring Maintenance Project

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 12:59
by 510rob
Keith, colored brake fluid exists, but US FMVSS standards mandate clear or amber color so that the typical cheeseburger citizen won't put the wrong fluid into the wrong hole in their cavalier; ATE makes "Super Blue" and "Yellow" fluids specifically for the purpose you mentioned, but the US DOT banned Super Blue in 2013. (apparently the EU banned it too! Idiocracy!)

https://www.motorsport-tools.com/ate-su ... -280c.html

Also - ambient temp readings with a duff thermocouple indicate that the instrument's cold junction compensation is working properly (which is there to normalize readings against possible galvanic potentials generated at the junctions from the pcb to the external connector, which themselves are dissimilar and therefore act as unwanted thermocouples - ref. Seebeck Effect).

Re: Bert Vorgon's Spring Maintenance Project

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 13:36
by bertvorgon
Well that figures, stupid people.I will pour some wine then into the fresh bottle, and when the red comes out I know I am good to go.

Re: Bert Vorgon's Spring Maintenance Project

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 13:50
by 510rob
How brave are you?

Some Motorbike guy who used pen ink to color his fluid...
http://www.vtxoa.com/forums/5-general-m ... ion=thread

A general Google search on the subject...
https://www.google.ca/search?q=dying+brake+fluid

Re: Bert Vorgon's Spring Maintenance Project

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 15:29
by bertvorgon
NOT!!!!

That is one thing on my car that I never want to risk. I'm sure it is relatively benign, but I would not want to stain my master either. I know how much it takes to flush the system and I'm sure I do more than is required..but...I never have brake problems either.

I'm going to make my own thermocouple tester, as I have spare gauges that can be set to either Type K or Type J, which is what I and James use. I could not believe that they did not check it.......lots of fun driving back and forth to Tilbury.....

Re: Bert Vorgon's Spring Maintenance Project

Posted: 16 Mar 2017 01:16
by 510rob
Where's your sense of adventure?!?

Re: Bert Vorgon's Spring Maintenance Project

Posted: 16 Mar 2017 05:32
by bertvorgon
My sense of adventure is waiting for the snow to MAYBE be gone from the sub-alpine, so we can go and explore that old mine at Truax. I have found the underground map for it buried in the Government mine files. Just getting up there will be an adventure this summer, or, late summer.

My sense of adventure will be turning the boost UP this season, sprint mode shall we say.

My sense of adventure will be driving to KNOX for the 60th...and wondering if there will be another blizzard like last year on the Connector.

Penticton car show...

Canby......

Re: Bert Vorgon's Spring Maintenance Project

Posted: 16 Mar 2017 18:42
by gooned
Mmmm Truax sounds interesting, much of a hike in?

Re: Bert Vorgon's Spring Maintenance Project

Posted: 17 Mar 2017 07:07
by bertvorgon
Hey Jason,

It will ultimately depend on what time of year we go, or, how warm a spring we may have. The valley floor is at 6,000 feet. Should we get to the camp spot, then the hike is really not that bad, it is steep for the final bit, but there is no rush. Taking our time it would maybe be 1.5 hours to get to the mine entrance and that is including stopping and enjoying the view as we clear the tree line.

The mine is at the end of that valley, on the face of that mountain right in front of the picture. The other picture is the meadow where we usually stop, fresh water right there.

Re: Bert Vorgon's Spring Maintenance Project

Posted: 01 Apr 2017 10:46
by bertvorgon
I will be washing the blood off the radiator on Monday. Pardon me while I whine. I had one of those days we all run into on this site, you start one project and that leads to another and they become a major issue each unto themselves.

Yesterday, as part of my regular spring tune up was to check the spray on my methanol system and then my water spray. Getting the inter-cooler out is a bit of a pain as I truly built it to fit into that corner of the car and then the lower hose always gets stuck on the turbo compressor outlet, as it is impossible to get a screw driver between the rubber the the housing, to break the sticktion. As it finally let go the rad ate the back of my left hand along the knuckles. RED might be a good colour for a radiator!

Then, I have to hook up my air pump the pressurize the methanol tank, quickly looking into the car to the air gauge, to see that the pressure has NOT gotten too high, and at what pressure the solenoid is triggered, then run back and turn off the pump before I blow the gauge to smithereens. I have at this point disconnected the hoses from the spray nozzles to see the flow.....what flow...damn...one is stuck open and the other is closed and BOTH are NON functional..no clicking.

Ok, that figures and after thinking it was only a few years ago that I put them in I go and check my log book...2007 was when I did that...HOLY CRUDMUCKER...where have the years gone? I then have to pull the whole injection system out, where I then find that the compression fitting that got put on the methanol filter when I re did my radiator.....is NOT a compression fitting. How that happened I do not know, in the rush to finish I guess. The fitting looks correct but when you really examine it, you can see the it does not have the chamfer for the ferrule to seat down on. Crud, and I do not have one in stock. Off to Lordco and then another Auto parts place to get the right one.

Then I go and try to order the solenoids from the propane place I buy from, he of course has non in stock. I try phoning a few other places and they either do not have any nor carry my model, which are the nicest and smallest of the solenoids. Let alone my whole plumbing is set up for them, I find the company online...in Michigan of course. The propane place calls me back, he can have them in by Monday...I order four so I have two in inventory, suckers have gained in price since 10 years ago. Great, a trip to Burnaby but at least they are available!

I had to undo and lift the rad slightly, in situ, to get at the methanol line, so at this point half the front of the engine bay is apart, cripes, all I wanted to do was check flow...I never did check the water sprayers, that will be Monday. I am wracking my brains to see how I can re-plum the methanol feed line, to make it more accessible. I use the truck air brake line which is joint free from the methanol tank to the filter. It would be a major at this point to try to reline the thing, so that will be a winter project down the road.

I blew the bug and leave debris out of the top of the inter-cooler, where they pack into the top. They get sliced and diced when they go past the headlight screen.

On the positive I'm glad that I checked it as I suspect they have been dead for awhile. Our drives have not involved a lot of boost these days, with my LOW injector set to come on at 8 PSI and my HIGH injector at 12'ish. As part of my overall detonation control, they are a critical part of my wide open throttle survival. At least now everything will be new again. Methanol is just plain tough on these solenoids and then sitting for 6 months does not help.

Re: Bert Vorgon's Spring Maintenance Project

Posted: 01 Apr 2017 19:53
by gooned
Not that I've looked but must be methanol specific vavles available these days, since I parked Blue there is a bumch of spray kits on the market, have you considered changing to something like that?

Re: Bert Vorgon's Spring Maintenance Project

Posted: 06 Apr 2017 13:38
by Chickenman
I imagine there are. Places like Snow Performance, Cooling Mist, Nitrous Express and Devils Own. Snow has a new SS solenoid out. Don't know how this compares in price to what Keith gets. On the outside, looks a lot like what Keith uses.

https://www.snowperformance.net/Water-M ... /40060.htm

Re: Bert Vorgon's Spring Maintenance Project

Posted: 06 Apr 2017 17:36
by bertvorgon
I looked at that. The KEY would be if the INNER core, which is normally IRON, is either a good quality stainless steel, or....a plastic coat.

The OUTLET on that thing is BRASS and the unit is exactly like what I use. The brass is not an issue, it is the fact that the piston in there gets both corroded, and when they sit from NON use, like over a winter, the rubber seal dries out also from the methanol.

The price on theirs is more expensive than what I get mine for here. What I need to do, and I have know this for years, is at the end of the season I purge the methanol and just give that assembly a shot of WD40..period. I'm lazy as it is a bit of a major mine to get at that thing.

I did get my new assembly built this week, new rubber lines and got the proper compression fitting, although I have decided to use a special barb fitting from the methanol feed to the filter. I found one in my stock of STUFF. I will re-route the line just a bit down below the rad as I do want the methanol line to stay relatively cool.

I checked the water spray nozzles today and they were clean. I just need a few hours without interruption to re-assemble. I do need to deal with my weeping steering box before I button that corner up.

Re: Bert Vorgon's Spring Maintenance Project

Posted: 08 Apr 2017 10:42
by bertvorgon
How things sneak up on you....

Yesterday I made an attempt to stop the steering box from weeping up one of my socket head screws that I put in a few years ago. I put a bit of Teflon thread sealant around the threads, hoping a small amount will squish up near the head, thus sealing it. I also removed a bit of oil.

While doing this and with so much having been removed from that side of the motor, I looked at my heat shield. The two mounting brackets pop rivets had totally loosened up, thus there was another small rattle I had at idle. I brought it home with me, drilled out the rivets today and installed new ones, so I should be good for another few years.

Next week I should be able to re-assemble everything and be ready to fire it up.

Re: Bert Vorgon's Spring Maintenance Project

Posted: 13 Apr 2017 08:09
by bertvorgon
After having seen TWO engine bay fires caused by faulty fuel lines over the years, I always try to stay on top of replacing any rubber lines on a regular basis. Inside my air box are two sections of hose, so I changed those out this week. Never trust that those things will last forever, even if they look good on the outside. Hose is cheap compared to an engine fire or worse.

Heat shield re-installed, no more rattles from that. GENUINE asbestos on that baby!

With my race carb back on last year, it was running a bit rich, so while the air box was off I changed jet from 2.38 down to 2.10 on the secondary main fuel. A test drive will let me know where I am with that.

Just need to re-install inter cooler but will wait till brakes are bled, last thing to do.

Re: Bert Vorgon's Spring Maintenance Project

Posted: 13 Apr 2017 10:55
by Chickenman
What SAE spec of fuel hose are you using? Should be at least 30R9. There are new spec fuel injection hoses that have much greater resistance to ethanol and other additive than the old specs. 30R14 is much better. Gates Barricade line is one of the new formulations.

May be time to upgrade to some new PTFE lined Fuel Hose and lines in there, using AN bulkhead fittings and hose connections would also be safer than clamps. And the PTFE lined hoses are designed to handle Race Fuels. There are some really wicked chemicals in Race gas.

Earl's, Aeroquip and XRP all have PTFE lined fuel hose that is much better than even the 30R14 spec. Eral's Ultra Pro hose is what I'd use for the exotic stuff you use.

https://www.holley.com/brands/earls/pro ... /ultrapro/