Went to work on post race inspections:
- For the rear suspension checked all the bolts holding the knuckle to the adapter, and the adapter to the hub. To do this had to remove the hub to access the bolts for the adapter to knuckle. To make future inspections easier I reinstalled those with Loc-Tite blue. They were not loose so it seem likely that with Loc-Tite they will not be coming out on their own.
- Front suspension had a bad stud for the Heim joint on the passenger side. It was damaged in contact with another car in the race. I had spares
- RF halfshaft had more free play than I was comfortable with- so it got replaced. Warranty item.
Also addressed:
- Replaced the oil filter - inspection of old filter found more than average amount of tiny metal chips, but not enough to make me think we wrecked the bearings. At temp engine still sports 20 PSI oil pressure so will for now assume its OK, but keep an eye on the pressure.
- Radiator has a small leak where top hose comes in. Well the side can is plastic and there was a decent lip there from the casting. This has been a slow nagging problem for a while now. Also replaced the hose. Test drive uncovered it still leaking, so I snugged the clamp a bit more. I think a spring loaded clamp is going to be the answer here ultimately.
- Replaced the shifter cables. Both of them had kinks in the inside cable, and had noticeable drag in the shifting. I think we did this when removing the engine and the cables getting bound up. It shifts so much nicer now. We had a nice used set in stock.
- Low coolant light is now working properly. Turns out the INJ fuse does more than injectors.
- I've made several attempts to remove the oil from the car. Each time it gets better but there is still oil in a lot of places. I'm done with this for now we can get serious about cleaning up the rest next time the engine comes out.
- On first attempt to test drive, the car would not idle without my help holding the throttle open. Grr. This was resolved by installing an old idle air controller (IAC). The one Dave installed the pin was loose and engine vibrations were allowing it to change its starting location. (see pic)
- Made a preliminary test drive with the MS3. Overall it behaved well. I only stood on it once and it felt really good in 1st gear. I'll try it again in higher gears when I can take it on the freeway. I did notice some part throttle hesitation. I need to re-learn the functional equivalent of the accelerator pump in Megasuirt land and make some changes.
Still a ways to go to really be ready, though it could do a track day right now if that was needed.
I ordered some metal to redo the seat mounting - hope to have that addressed before the next track day. Also the front and rear toe in need to be addressed, as does installing the passenger seat, as well as some touch up and removal of lots of rubber marks - we get a lot of little bits of rubber flying up and leaving residue on the paint.
Not washed yet, but back from a test drive!
