Eunos Chump

Changing the seals in the rear caliper was straightfoward, but for the little circlip that holds the adjustment screw in place.  It's deep down inside the caliper and I couldn't get my circlip pliers in there, nor any long-nose pliers.  I couldn't find anything suitable in Halfords either, then had an idea about using scissors.  As luck would have it, I found an old pair of medical scissors in my tool box, and once I'd filed down the ends and bent them, they worked fairly well. There's some useful photos of the caliper insides here .  Bleeding the brakes was the worst part of the job.  It was a nice sunny morning so I got the car out of the garage, got it on stands and removed the wheels... then it rained.  Then it rained even harder.  And then it snowed.  Demotivated, I went inside and ordered the big TV and associated gubbins.  I give up, I'm just going to stay inside from now on.

The near-side rear brake caliper is leaking fluid quite badly, seems to be the seal around the handbrake pin.  I've got a repair kit coming, not bad at ~£17.  Dreadful weather prevents any use anyway. Did some retuning of the fuelling at the weekend.  I'd been using the Tuning Studio VE Live function and it was zeroing in on a fuel map that was leaving the engine dangerously lean when the throttle was wide open (AFR around 13.5).  I had to check the AEM UEGO documentation to look up the voltages, and sure enough my AFR target map was way too lean.  That's something to watch out for if you go from LC-1 to AEM, don't assume it'll be right just because they use an identical Bosch 02 sensor.

This was skimmed and cleaned at a place in Winchester , then I reunited it with the rest of the engine: It has become ROUTINE, but this time with the novelty of new head bolts.  Anyway, it worked.  Took it out for a spin, only for the dump valve to abandon it's post at 50mph, on a pitch dark country road late at night.  I search, then a police car turns up and joins the search (after I'd explained why I was wandering about the middle of an unlit road at 11pm).  Eventually we discover it jammed between the radiator and anti-roll bar. It's had a run-in with the crank pulley, but survives.  If only the constant wind and rain would stop I might be able to TEST IT. RUBBISH.  I'm fed up with it again now, I'm going to buy a big TV instead of doing the Nurburgring/Spa, and stay in all summer watching trash in high definition with 5.1 sound.

Brands Hatch again (thanks to PhoenixPhotos ), this time emerging from Paddock Hill bend.

Thanks to whoever took this.. must be early in the day, there's no white smoke. I made a start on fixing it this evening, it's all forgiven because we were having excellent fun yesterday before THE INCIDENT and we're now big chums again (assuming the cost/bother of getting the head skimmed doesn't upset me too badly).

Brands Hatch... There was some speed, followed by a mechanical failure, then some more speed... Then there was another more serious mechanical failure, leading to ABORT MISSION shortly after lunch... Yes, it's the traditional Brands Hatch head gasket failure.  Perhaps I should have bought new head bolts.  Anyway, it still managed to get me the 80 miles home and with only 1 coolant refill.  Up to that point the car had been excellent, the new brakes were completely untroubled and the straight-line speed is better than ever.  Locke-alike kindly gave me a passenger ride in his supercharged car.  His Federal RSR tyres are in a different league to the Toyo T1R, they're my new favourite tyre and I want some. I had the pit crew with me on this occasion, it was very welcome as it was extremely cold.  Mrs B attended the driver's briefing, and now she's considering doing Bedford Autodrome.  I wonder if she wants to learn how to fix blown head gaskets?

I've ripped out the dead LC-1 and replaced it with the AEM version.  It comes with a pretty AFR gauge, that handily fills a hole next to the boost gauge, and it was easy to install; there are just 4 leads to connect (live, earth, serial (not used) and the 0-5v linear output for the Megasquirt).  There's none of that pesky free-air calibration nonsense you get with the LC-1 either.  I had a spot of bother at first because the gauge was showing a different value to the Megasquirt output.  Eventually I discovered the fix; in TunerStudio , go to Project Properties and select the WB02 sensor as a AEM 3-400 gauge (not AEM UEGO ).   Brakes have been a damn nuisance.  I 'd noticing I was losing a little fluid, and suspected the NSF caliper so rebuilt it with new seals.  During bleeding I noticed fluid dripping from the underside of the car, turned out the front/rear pipe was leaking at the master cylinder!  I nipped it up a bit tighter and it's OK now....