Motor Rebuild – (hot-to-trot)

[Ekapol]

I posted on your "for sale" thread but heh.. seems a mellow yellow is coming your way. Congrats on your new house Al.

I'm sure a yellow one will fill up your new drive way quite nicely.

[dapinky]

Have any of yous' in the UK thought about whether that is currently economically viable?

Yep!

converting to RHD is a bit of a 'non starter' idea with the glut of 'cheap' cars over here to start with, but the idea of having one in the garage in Orlando is VERY appealing, or even using a Fed car over here (or would that amount to sacrelidge?)

[Fubar1764]

I would like to say that I will have another Elan someday since it is truly the best car I have every had the pleasure to drive but I am not sure I could take Fubar ripping me a new one for getting my third Elan ( LOL)

**SIGH**:roll: Just get your ass back here. QUICKLY!

[nitroman]

That is really a beautiful home Doc. Gotta say the best things (in terms of happiness returned) I ever spent money on were homes. It's great that with your business you can locate and remain anywhere you wish. Most of us, in terms of our casa, are slaves to the whims of our jobs.

Put in automotive terms, it's like being told you can only buy one located within 30-miles, and that you must sell it occasionally.

Freedom (in everything) equals happiness, don't you agree?

======================================
Having a strong feeling you'd pick up another Elan, I trust you kept all your spares? It took me 4 or 5 years to sell-off my Triumph TR-8 spares, and I did so on EBAY as a TR8 "grab-bag" in a single sale... as it's just not worth it dealing with many different buyers. The sale brought in over a grand, as several of the parts were NLA.

======================================
Good luck on your "yellow" deal, that's a nice color on an Elan. I didn't think I'd like it until I saw one. It places the Elan in the "exotic car" category moreso than any other factory color. I suppose that's the same reason so many Ferraris are yellow. black/yellow/green/silver/blue are my favorite Elan colors; although I'd have to see the actual cars together to rank them.

[Doc Fizzix]

Thanks boys

I will be back, I love the Elan to much to be without one for that long. I need to wait for the house deal to close first and then I will be back on the hunt. I just got an email that the yellow one I sent an offer on was sold three weeks back I had been talking with the seller for several weeks earlier in the summer and did not think it would sell this soon but he told me today that it is gone to someone in South Carolina. It was the yellow Elan at Octagon auto that needed some body work, I had sourced out all the parts earlier in the summer and have lots of experience with this type of repair so I know I could have brought her back.

[Doc Fizzix]

Ok, car is now back with me and there are many unfinished projects that I will need to start-up again. The next project is the US version of the "stiffy" that I had started but never finished and then a complete 2.5 inch exhaust system.

Back in the saddle again thread here: viewtopic.php?f=21&t=13553

[Monty]

Al, Nice to hear you`ve got the old girl back

[ailwyn]

Al,

Good to see your back.

and then a complete 2.5 inch exhaust system.

PiperRS in the UK are developing a 2.5" M100 exhaust (Peco style from the triangle flange back) with or without sportscat/silencer. Have a look in the Group Buys section.

Again, welcome home

Ailwyn

[Doc Fizzix]

Ok, it has been some time since I have been on this thread.

UPDATE: I had a small vibration in the motor that I could feel in my seat but only at an idle. I found that my right side motor mount was bad and after replacing thing are much better BUT there is still the smallest vibration that I can feel.

Possible cause: In discussion with my tech and with Dave Bean we are guessing that the lighter flywheel may be the culprit. Because the flywheel does not have a large amount of rotation inertia the power stroke of the motor is more prevalent and amplified at lower RPMs. Once the RPMs are bouught up the motor is as smooth as can be with no vibration at all.

As discussed some time back, the car feels great, very smooth and very nice acceleration but at an idle there is the smallest of vibrations that bugs me (I am a perfectionist). I am taking the aluminum flywheel out and putting the stock flywheel back in. I am not sure how much acceleration I can contribute to the aluminum flywheel but I will do some 1/4 mile run with the aluminum flywheel and without. I do not think the difference makes the aluminum flywheel an option for a daily driver, it is more for the drag strip and that is not my driving style.

[tigerdog]

I do not think the difference makes the aluminum flywheel an option for a daily driver, it is more for the drag strip and that is not my driving style.

A lighter flywheel and stiff clutch make for more "interesting" daily driving, since the lower rotational inertia seems to make the car easier to stall when trying to take off at a sedate pace. Does rev (and lose revs when shifting) more quickly, though.

[Doc Fizzix]

A lighter flywheel and stiff clutch make for more "interesting" daily driving, since the lower rotational inertia seems to make the car easier to stall when trying to take off at a sedate pace. Does rev (and lose revs when shifting) more quickly, though.

No problems stalling, the clutch engages real nice but there is that small vibration at idle only that I do not like, other than that it is the smoothest running motor you will experience

If I had not just driven the yellow Elan in San Diego I am sure I could not appreciate just how smooth my motor really is

[Specky]

Does the fly wheel come balanced...

or is there away to balance it in situ...

TTFN

[Doc Fizzix]

Does the fly wheel come balanced...

or is there away to balance it in situ...

TTFN

I think it comes balanced from the factory but I will have to look into that again. I know that we had mine balanced without the pressure plate and then again with the pressure plate to make sure it was set-up as close to balanced as possible.

[Specky]

Does the fly wheel come balanced...

or is there away to balance it in situ...

TTFN

I think it comes balanced from the factory but I will have to look into that again. I know that we had mine balanced without the pressure plate and then again with the pressure plate to make sure it was set-up as close to balanced as possible.

I wonder if it's worth clocking the fly wheel when you remove it... or is it keyed...

TTFN

[Doc Fizzix]

I wonder if it's worth clocking the fly wheel when you remove it... or is it keyed...

TTFN

What do you mean by "clocking"?

The flywheel is not keyed.

[Specky]

I wonder if it's worth clocking the fly wheel when you remove it... or is it keyed...

TTFN

What do you mean by "clocking"?

The flywheel is not keyed.

if you imagine it's at the twelve o'clock position now...

When you remove it.. put it back on 120 degrees further round..(about the 5 o'clock)

The Vibration should change... (better or worse)...

If it's clocked one more time you will then you will Know the best position for least vibration...

It's a method normally used in conjunction with accelerometers...

I’d guess there will be heavy spots all the way through the engine components and just depends how they sit...

TTFN

I

[Doc Fizzix]

We had everything balanced individually, the flywheel, the pressure plate, and the crank then they were all checked and balanced together. All marks were double checked before assembly.

The vibration I am getting at an idle is not from the engine's balance but from the motor not having enough inertia at low RPM because of the lighter weight flywheel, this causes the motor tends to "fight" harder to keep the correct idle and this causes the motor to more-or-less oscillate. I guess I need to be careful in how I use the term "vibration", what I am dealing with is not a out of balance motor but a motor that oscillates at low RPM in order to maintain the correct idle speed. It is a very slight oscillation but it bugs me, I am to much of a perfectionist

[GeoffSmith]

It sounds like the lower inertia of the flywheel has made the control loop (engine speed signal -> ECU -> fuel injectors) go sufficiently underdamped that the engine now hunts. It would be interesting to see an Elanscan run.

[Doc Fizzix]

It sounds like the lower inertia of the flywheel has made the control loop (engine speed signal -> ECU -> fuel injectors) go sufficiently underdamped that the engine now hunts. It would be interesting to see an Elanscan run.

DAM! Now I need a PC to hook up the connection.

Does anyone have plans for a USB connection to the ECU? Then I could us my Mac in Winders mode.

But yes, I am sure I have a small control loop happening and it would be interesting to see the scan

[GeoffSmith]

Does anyone have plans for a USB connection to the ECU? Then I could us my Mac in Winders mode.

Yep. I've made over a hundred of the little buggers - wherever have you been for the last year? Or you can use a USB to serial converter with your serial cable.