harvs ek 327 wagon

[D-MAN]

Great stuff Harv!

[Harv]

It has not been a good year for distributors at my house.

Have tootled the wagon around Sydney, done some runs up and down the M4, and flogged the old girl half a dozen times at Eastern Creek. Other than the rear spring shackles getting creaky and a somewhat iffy fuel gauge the wagon has behaved itself.

Got ready for it's first highway adventure up to Port Macquarie for Easter. Got as far as Mount White and it died (coincidently, not far from where Grace would break down later in the week). Plenty of fuel, but no spark at the plugs. Tested the spark out of the coil and found out the hard way that a CDI ignition puts out one hell of a boot. Number 3 Daughter, who was operating the key switch for the test, damn near wet herself laughing while I did the Scintilla Shuffle. So lots of spark out ofn the coil, nothing out of the dizzy. Came home on a tilt tray. Really getting my value out of NRMA coverage this month. Neighbours are starting to wonder if I'm running a wrecking yard.

Pulled the dizzy cap, and sure enough it has burnt out the rotor again. Kudos to the 13 year old daughter who pointed out that the MSD rotor is not the same as a grey motor one. Went hunting for the cause, and all I can find wrong was that number 1 plug lead had no continuity (numbers 2 through 8 were OK on the ohmmeter). Last time it burnt the rotor, there was corrosion on number 1 dizzy cap terminal. I had cleaned it off, but it was back again (along with the dead lead). My working theory is that when I made the cut-to-length plug leads, I was too rough with number 1. It was the first one I made, and I struggled to get the boots on (...before I remembered the dielectric grease). Perhaps I damaged the cable, perhaps some water got into the lead when the engine was rebuilt. Either way I figure number 1 lead was partially crook, and that instead of firing from the rotor to number 1 it fired from the rotor to the dizzy shaft. You'd think it would miss worse than it did (there was an occasional miss, but nothing heavy).

So replaced the burnt rotor, replaced the cap (no more corrosion), and replaced number 1 plug lead (I should have shares in Rocket). Car fired right up and runs beautifully. Put a spare rotor into the glovebox. Next time one of the kids can hold the plug lead while we test for spark.

Plan is to run it and see how it goes. The only other thing I can find from some Googling is that the MSD dizzies sometimes have trouble with rotor phasing. When this occurs, the rotor is not pointing exactly at the cap terminal when the magnetic trigger fires. The spark can arc about, burning stuff out. Rotor phasing is supposed to be a drama with some EFI setups, and I wonder of the CDI box is not helping here (i.e. that there is some kind of lag from the magnetic trigger through the CDI box to the coil). It must be a fairly regular issue, as MSD offer an adjustable rotor (so you can tune the rotor phasing). I've bought the fancy adjustable rotor, and if it fries another one (i.e. if my crook number 1 lead theory is wrong) then I will give it a go. Bit of stuffing around to adjust it though as you have to sacrifice a dizzy cap and cut a window in it to examine rotor position with a timing light.

Never a dull moment at my house. Number 2 daughter's Mini also crapped out, after a long illness (intermittant miss in number 1 cylinder that even BMW could not find... slowly got worse until it "failed to proceed"). New engine for that one.

Cheers,
Harv

[62ekute]

Hi Harv, using Loctite on rotors isn't unusual. Just a bit more effort to remove (if necessary). I had to destroy one on a golf one day to replace it. Patrick

Edit. Oops that was your other thread

[Errol62]

Lucky you got a couple extra cylinders harv. Never have i had such problems. I speculate you have somehow offended the great dizzy God in the sky. What about sacrificing a few virgin spark plugs?

FB ute driver, EK van project

[Harv]

Don't make me pull the plugs again. That engine bay was never supposed to have a V8 in it. The front ones are easy enough, but #6 and #8 get tangled in the steering/brakes. Skinned knuckles, bent spanners, and cursing.

Cheers,
Harv

[Harv]

Got home from work, and had had enough of fixing stuff. Queensland job had ended, and the HR had come back to Sydney. Figured it was time to take the HR to the drags and (gently) see what it would do. Number 1 Son has been itching to drive the EK wagon, but can't for another year - P plate drivers in NSW can't drive engineered cars. So decided I'd race the HR, he could race the EK, and then swap for the drive home. If we busted one, tow it with the other.

Went easy on the HR, and managed a 19.4@64mph. Number 1 Son pulled a 13.7@95mph in the wagon. That's a lot better than the 14.3@94mph that I had done previous. Maybe the old dizzy was the problem, though the young one was crowing that it was his superior driving skills that had dropped the EK into the 13s.

Lined them up for another run, and the EK went bang on the line. Looks like it has done an axle. HR was fine, and towed the EK home. Yep, the EK will do 13's... but only once. That's the second BW that he has managed to bust - one in his VL, and now one in the EK. The child is hard on the gear. No idea where he gets that from

Diff is a BW78 from a VP Conformadore, with the factory cone LSD centre. I pulled it from the wreckers 15 years ago, had Pat Gardner narrow it and then slapped it together with new seals and bearings. For a 30 year old diff I guess a failure is not unexpected. Pulled the diff, and it's having a holiday at Craft Differentials. 31 spline axles, and a Harrrop true-trac centre should make it bulletproof.

Cheers,
Harv

[Blacky]

so did it do an axle or bust the centre mate ? What stall are you running ?

[Harv]

Looks like an axle. LSD centre seems fine, no lumps, glitter or rubber in the pumpkin, oil looked OK. It's running a Dominator convertor, 3,000rpm from memory.

Cheers,
Harv

[Harv]

Dug out the specs. It's a 2500rpm convertor. The rolling road shows that the torque peak is at 2700rpm, so it's not too far from wrong.

Double checked the timeslip too... had made an error by subtracting the reaction time from the ET. The young one had really managed 14.2s... not 13s. Made me feel a little better

Cheers,
Harv

[Errol62]

You hoon.


FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie

[Errol62]

You be pretty chuffed
Give that HR more stick


FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie

[Blacky]

you have to be happy with a low 14 - quicker than an XY GT

[Harv]

you have to be happy with a low 14 - quicker than an XY GT

Yep

I love the fact that it's docile enough for the kids to drive around on their L-plates too. Always hungry for more speed, but the balance feels about right for now.

The internals were set up for giggle-gas (forged slugs, blue flashing warning light in the idiot light cluster etc), but figure I've got a few more projects (and kids cars) to finish before doing that. The local laws don't allow ANY part of a nitrous setup to remain in place on the road (the old days of just removing the bottle are long gone) so it will need to be thought through to meet that requirement without being onerous to remove/refit.

Cheers,
Harv

[BILLY BLACKARROW]

Don't worry, that lower grille brace is loose, not holding the guards together. And no laughing at my pink fluffy rags... they came from Dave's house.




Harv
Did you loosen the gauge bolts to allow it to move / slip i am trying to do mine like you i don't want to have to fix up any paint any other tips would help

[Harv]

The guard bolts can stay tight, as the guards (red bit) flex out with the subframe skirt (the black bit). Lots of rags and masking tape, take your time. Only spread the guards enough to get it to fit… tighten spreader, check, repeat.

Cheers,
Harv