Dude that is the best video i have ever seen. Not because it's a good video - it's not. It's the fact that you recorded it (presumably to reinforce the idea that it was leaking and w/o having a second person this worked) then decided to upload it.
That right there - that's why we love you.
Anglin's Road Car Projects and History
-
Ray
- Level 7
- Posts: 4338
- Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 10:40 am
- Location: CT, USA
-Ray
1985 Ford F150 - Tow Missile
1985 Merkur XR4Ti -#141 CP "Miss Daisy"
2005 Subaru LGT
http://www.cartct.com
1985 Ford F150 - Tow Missile
1985 Merkur XR4Ti -#141 CP "Miss Daisy"
2005 Subaru LGT
http://www.cartct.com
-
Colin
- Level 7
- Posts: 3396
- Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 1:35 am
- Location: Minnesota
Jerry called me to discuss the I-70 convoy. At one point during the conversation, it became evident that he had influenced your decision to use a cheater bar.anglin wrote:I replaced all four brake rotors in Connie's WRX. You'd think that job would take a couple hours but the very last bolt I had to loosen decided it wanted to break. That was no small feat, considering the bolt was an M12.
Instagram @colinrdoyle
89 Scorpio 2300-16V // 07 F-650 Cummins // 00 Beetle TDI
File to fit, paint to match.
89 Scorpio 2300-16V // 07 F-650 Cummins // 00 Beetle TDI
File to fit, paint to match.
-
anglin
- Level 7
- Posts: 2456
- Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2004 3:20 pm
- Location: Hartford, CT
Ray, I've got more great video just like it too! Actually, the next video I have you'll actually want to see. It's not much more exciting than the leaking power steering hose but it does have racing applications to alignment control. The steering leak video was just my warm up. I would have tried to get better video of the leak but I was spraying power steering fluid all over my just-cleaned lower crossmember and new steering rack. I was already annoyed that I had just assembled it and it was sprying fluid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=911a7Tv9zj4
It just took hand pressure on the brake rotor to do that. Scary dynamic alignment change, eh?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=911a7Tv9zj4
It just took hand pressure on the brake rotor to do that. Scary dynamic alignment change, eh?
It was his cheater bar!Colin wrote:Jerry called me to discuss the I-70 convoy. At one point during the conversation, it became evident that he had influenced your decision to use a cheater bar.
Anglin email: - anglin at mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
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anglin
- Level 7
- Posts: 2456
- Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2004 3:20 pm
- Location: Hartford, CT
My FTP program is acting up tonight (pretty sure it's on the host end) so I can't upload pictures right now. Instead, I'll just recap the work I completed over the weekend on my road car. I parked the car in the driveway so I could do the power steering rack but ended up doing several tasks while I was at it. I've already covered most of the high points in my previous post. There are several details worth mentioning.
While I had the belt train torn down, I decided to replace the timing belt and timing belt tensioner. I'm glad I did. The cover hid the dry-rotted timing belt from view. I replaced the tensioner with an Esslinger 2-piece unit. The engine was rebuilt many years ago, somewhere in the 60,000 to 80,000 mile range. I figured it's good insurance to replace the tensioner with the belt, since it was probably new with the rebuilt engine. The timing belt had likely been replaced after the engine rebuild. It was identical to the AutoZone belt I put on there - definitely not a Ford part.
There are some more details about the Esslinger tensioner which I will share when I can upload pictures.
After I discovered the hose was leaking I took the down time while waiting on the hose to arrive to accomplish mundane tasks like an oil change and degreasing the front wheels. Yes, I said degreasing. The driver side wheel was disGUSTing from the fluid that was all over it. Then I thought to myself, "if there is this much power steering fluid on the wheel, how much is on the brake rotor?" It was filthy. I could write my name in the film with my finger.
No wonder the car pulled to the right under really hard braking and the pedal effort went WAY up when it was raining. Now it all makes sense. I thought it was related the dynamic alignment change due to the failing steering rack (see the YouTube video I posted).
I bedded in the brakes again to kill the remaining grease film on the rotor and hopefully anything which absorbed into the brake pad lining. Got them smoking well enough, so that should hopefully get things working.
The high pressure hose replacement went very easy. Since I effectively did that task separately because the car was fully assembled prior to replacing the hose, I can do a quick write up on that task. I'm still annoyed that the one single part I didn't replace or test was the part that was broken. (I pressure tested the low pressure line because it looked a little bit too rusted in some areas but didn't think to check the high pressure line.)
Replacing the high pressure power steering hose on the Merkur XR4Ti
The hose was from AutoZone labeled with PN 70438. Advance Auto as the same PN and the same price for the hose. It cost about $45 plus tax and had to be ordered. You have to install the o-rings yourself (the o-rings are included). The big one goes on the pump end and the little one goes on the rack end.
On the pump end of the hose, the nut you should put the wrench on to loosen the hose should be fairly straight forward. The steel portion of the hose is brazed or otherwise attached to the outermost hex. Turn the nut which is just inboard outer nut to loosen the assembly. If you turn the one that is attached to the pump, you'll be disassembling the pump pressure regulator. You want the narrow one, not the wide ones on either side.
The bolt holding the high pressure line to the rack has a 10 mm hex and is very difficult to access if you don't unbolt the rack from the car. You can leave the tie rods connected to the spindles. You do have to separate the steering column lower shaft (the one with the rubber donut and the u-joint in it,) from the steering column intermediate shaft (triangular shape). That's a single 10 mm bolt. Just be sure to lock the steering wheel in the car first, so you don't get the steering wheel 120° out of phase from the steering rack. It'll be obvious if you do, but you'll be annoyed. You don't have to remove the bolt, just loosen it so the yoke slips off the triangular shaft.
Don't try to remove the bolt and nut that keeps the splined section of the lower steering column attached to the steering rack. Those two aren't easy to separate while attached to the car and the block splines make it difficult to reassemble.
Next, undo the four 10 mm-headed bolts that hold that undertray, crossmember flappy thingy holder to the bottom of the engine/suspension crossmember. (Excuse the not-so-precise language; I'm on 4 hours of sleep and its getting late, so the language in the previous sentence seems just fine to me right now.) Once you remove the four bolts, just slide the bracket toward the front of the car and the three tabs which hold it to the crossmember will be clear. Removing the crossmember flap bracket, or whatever you want to call it, will allow the steering rack to slide forward without the cooling loops hanging up on it.
Finally, undo the two 17 mm-headed bolts that hold the steering rack to the crossmember. They are best accessed from the transmission side of the crossmember, not the radiator side, so slide way under the car. The clutch cable may interfere if you have the correct transmission (ie. not an automatic) in the car, but you can move it out of the way toward the engine easily. Wrench choice is a little bit difficult because the bolts are mostly blind to you. I used a swivel head socket wrench with no extensions but the floppy swivel head isn't the greatest to break bolts loose with, so a box end wrench with a small offset broke the bolts loose just fine.
Now, slide the rack forward out of the crossmember. It will rest on the steering shaft and be supported by the tie rods. You can now remove the 10 mm-headed bolt that holds the high pressure line to the rack. There is also a small screw that holds a plastic clamp around the high and low pressure lines. It takes a #2 phillips (I don't think it is a Posidrive) which I used a stubby screwdriver to access since it is very near the lower radiator hose.
As an aside... This screw has come out of its hole consistently for me (it's threaded into steel) but the one on the other end of the rack which holds the low pressure primary cooling loop has broken every time I have tried to remove one (it's threaded into alumimum giving you a nice case of galvanic corrosion in addition to the fact that it is a tri-roll self-locking screw). The good news is that the only one you have to remove is the one that comes out pretty easily at the driver side end of the rack.
Once the screw holding the plastic clamp on the lines is loose, you can wiggle the high pressure line out of the hole it is pushed into. It's just an o-ring with a friction fit. Some galvanic corrosion may make this a bit challenging for you, but it's possible.
The rack will start to leak fluid out of the hole that the hose used to be in once you remove the hose so it's time to move quickly. It would be easiest to feed the high pressure hose up from underneath and have a helper grab it from the top.
Installation is the opposite of removal.
To recap:
4x 10 mm-headed bolts on the crossmember bracket to the crossmember
2x 17 mm-headed bolts holding the steering rack to the crossmember
1x 10 mm-headed bolt holding the lower steering shaft to the intermediate steering shaft (triangular section)
1x 10 mm-headed bolt holding the high pressure line plate to the steering rack
1x nut holding the high pressure line fitting to the power steering pump
1x #2 phillips screw holding the plastic clamp holding the high and low pressure lines to the steering rack
Removing air from and reducing whine of the power steering pump system
If you want to get the air out of your power steering system in a hurry, using a vacuum hand pump with a very small rubber nipple to apply a vacuum to the vent port on the power steering reservoir cap.
Apply a vacuum with the engine running and have someone turn the steering wheel back and forth to work the fluid and trapped air around in the system. This should reduce the power steering whine (my fluid started out milky-colored because of all the bubbles but it was clear fluid by the time I was done). Heck, you may even want to try it on your car even if you haven't opened the power steering system up. It might quiet a noisy pump.
So, how does the car drive? It's very much improved and I haven't gotten it perfectly aligned yet. I took some before measurements and replicated them when I installed the new rack. That did a darn good job, but an aligment is still necessary.
The car used to be a slave to the grooves in the road. It is not a slave anymore. You can notice the grooves but the car no longer requires feedback to point the car in the right direction. Yay! The work accomplished what I set out to achieve. Who can ask for more?!
- remanufactured steering rack (includes boots and inner tie rods), Jorgen, www.jorgenauto.com
- nylon steering rack bushings, mc²racing, www.mc2racing.com
- remanufactured power steering pump, AutoZone, www.autozone.com
- new high pressure line, AutoZone
- outer tie rod ends, BAT, www.batinc.net
It's a rebuilt steering system. The original system lasted 174,000 miles and only succumbed to failure from that stupid secondary cooling loop rusting through and leaking out all of the fluid while I was on the highway and didn't notice. Not too shabby.
I realize that is a lot of reading a most of you got bored after the first couple sentences, but pictures are coming soon.
Edit: typos corrected and content clarified
While I had the belt train torn down, I decided to replace the timing belt and timing belt tensioner. I'm glad I did. The cover hid the dry-rotted timing belt from view. I replaced the tensioner with an Esslinger 2-piece unit. The engine was rebuilt many years ago, somewhere in the 60,000 to 80,000 mile range. I figured it's good insurance to replace the tensioner with the belt, since it was probably new with the rebuilt engine. The timing belt had likely been replaced after the engine rebuild. It was identical to the AutoZone belt I put on there - definitely not a Ford part.
There are some more details about the Esslinger tensioner which I will share when I can upload pictures.
After I discovered the hose was leaking I took the down time while waiting on the hose to arrive to accomplish mundane tasks like an oil change and degreasing the front wheels. Yes, I said degreasing. The driver side wheel was disGUSTing from the fluid that was all over it. Then I thought to myself, "if there is this much power steering fluid on the wheel, how much is on the brake rotor?" It was filthy. I could write my name in the film with my finger.
No wonder the car pulled to the right under really hard braking and the pedal effort went WAY up when it was raining. Now it all makes sense. I thought it was related the dynamic alignment change due to the failing steering rack (see the YouTube video I posted).
I bedded in the brakes again to kill the remaining grease film on the rotor and hopefully anything which absorbed into the brake pad lining. Got them smoking well enough, so that should hopefully get things working.
The high pressure hose replacement went very easy. Since I effectively did that task separately because the car was fully assembled prior to replacing the hose, I can do a quick write up on that task. I'm still annoyed that the one single part I didn't replace or test was the part that was broken. (I pressure tested the low pressure line because it looked a little bit too rusted in some areas but didn't think to check the high pressure line.)
Replacing the high pressure power steering hose on the Merkur XR4Ti
The hose was from AutoZone labeled with PN 70438. Advance Auto as the same PN and the same price for the hose. It cost about $45 plus tax and had to be ordered. You have to install the o-rings yourself (the o-rings are included). The big one goes on the pump end and the little one goes on the rack end.
On the pump end of the hose, the nut you should put the wrench on to loosen the hose should be fairly straight forward. The steel portion of the hose is brazed or otherwise attached to the outermost hex. Turn the nut which is just inboard outer nut to loosen the assembly. If you turn the one that is attached to the pump, you'll be disassembling the pump pressure regulator. You want the narrow one, not the wide ones on either side.
The bolt holding the high pressure line to the rack has a 10 mm hex and is very difficult to access if you don't unbolt the rack from the car. You can leave the tie rods connected to the spindles. You do have to separate the steering column lower shaft (the one with the rubber donut and the u-joint in it,) from the steering column intermediate shaft (triangular shape). That's a single 10 mm bolt. Just be sure to lock the steering wheel in the car first, so you don't get the steering wheel 120° out of phase from the steering rack. It'll be obvious if you do, but you'll be annoyed. You don't have to remove the bolt, just loosen it so the yoke slips off the triangular shaft.
Don't try to remove the bolt and nut that keeps the splined section of the lower steering column attached to the steering rack. Those two aren't easy to separate while attached to the car and the block splines make it difficult to reassemble.
Next, undo the four 10 mm-headed bolts that hold that undertray, crossmember flappy thingy holder to the bottom of the engine/suspension crossmember. (Excuse the not-so-precise language; I'm on 4 hours of sleep and its getting late, so the language in the previous sentence seems just fine to me right now.) Once you remove the four bolts, just slide the bracket toward the front of the car and the three tabs which hold it to the crossmember will be clear. Removing the crossmember flap bracket, or whatever you want to call it, will allow the steering rack to slide forward without the cooling loops hanging up on it.
Finally, undo the two 17 mm-headed bolts that hold the steering rack to the crossmember. They are best accessed from the transmission side of the crossmember, not the radiator side, so slide way under the car. The clutch cable may interfere if you have the correct transmission (ie. not an automatic) in the car, but you can move it out of the way toward the engine easily. Wrench choice is a little bit difficult because the bolts are mostly blind to you. I used a swivel head socket wrench with no extensions but the floppy swivel head isn't the greatest to break bolts loose with, so a box end wrench with a small offset broke the bolts loose just fine.
Now, slide the rack forward out of the crossmember. It will rest on the steering shaft and be supported by the tie rods. You can now remove the 10 mm-headed bolt that holds the high pressure line to the rack. There is also a small screw that holds a plastic clamp around the high and low pressure lines. It takes a #2 phillips (I don't think it is a Posidrive) which I used a stubby screwdriver to access since it is very near the lower radiator hose.
As an aside... This screw has come out of its hole consistently for me (it's threaded into steel) but the one on the other end of the rack which holds the low pressure primary cooling loop has broken every time I have tried to remove one (it's threaded into alumimum giving you a nice case of galvanic corrosion in addition to the fact that it is a tri-roll self-locking screw). The good news is that the only one you have to remove is the one that comes out pretty easily at the driver side end of the rack.
Once the screw holding the plastic clamp on the lines is loose, you can wiggle the high pressure line out of the hole it is pushed into. It's just an o-ring with a friction fit. Some galvanic corrosion may make this a bit challenging for you, but it's possible.
The rack will start to leak fluid out of the hole that the hose used to be in once you remove the hose so it's time to move quickly. It would be easiest to feed the high pressure hose up from underneath and have a helper grab it from the top.
Installation is the opposite of removal.
To recap:
4x 10 mm-headed bolts on the crossmember bracket to the crossmember
2x 17 mm-headed bolts holding the steering rack to the crossmember
1x 10 mm-headed bolt holding the lower steering shaft to the intermediate steering shaft (triangular section)
1x 10 mm-headed bolt holding the high pressure line plate to the steering rack
1x nut holding the high pressure line fitting to the power steering pump
1x #2 phillips screw holding the plastic clamp holding the high and low pressure lines to the steering rack
Removing air from and reducing whine of the power steering pump system
If you want to get the air out of your power steering system in a hurry, using a vacuum hand pump with a very small rubber nipple to apply a vacuum to the vent port on the power steering reservoir cap.
Apply a vacuum with the engine running and have someone turn the steering wheel back and forth to work the fluid and trapped air around in the system. This should reduce the power steering whine (my fluid started out milky-colored because of all the bubbles but it was clear fluid by the time I was done). Heck, you may even want to try it on your car even if you haven't opened the power steering system up. It might quiet a noisy pump.
So, how does the car drive? It's very much improved and I haven't gotten it perfectly aligned yet. I took some before measurements and replicated them when I installed the new rack. That did a darn good job, but an aligment is still necessary.
The car used to be a slave to the grooves in the road. It is not a slave anymore. You can notice the grooves but the car no longer requires feedback to point the car in the right direction. Yay! The work accomplished what I set out to achieve. Who can ask for more?!
- remanufactured steering rack (includes boots and inner tie rods), Jorgen, www.jorgenauto.com
- nylon steering rack bushings, mc²racing, www.mc2racing.com
- remanufactured power steering pump, AutoZone, www.autozone.com
- new high pressure line, AutoZone
- outer tie rod ends, BAT, www.batinc.net
It's a rebuilt steering system. The original system lasted 174,000 miles and only succumbed to failure from that stupid secondary cooling loop rusting through and leaking out all of the fluid while I was on the highway and didn't notice. Not too shabby.
I realize that is a lot of reading a most of you got bored after the first couple sentences, but pictures are coming soon.
Edit: typos corrected and content clarified
Last edited by anglin on Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Anglin email: - anglin at mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
-
Ray
- Level 7
- Posts: 4338
- Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 10:40 am
- Location: CT, USA
so when replacing the rack itself, you still have to deal with that splined junction on the steering column, correct?
how soaked were the brakes? you might want to replace the pads completely. but it's prolly okay for now.
o rings - what were they made out of? power steering fluid kills rubber o rings in a hurry. dont ask how i know.
how soaked were the brakes? you might want to replace the pads completely. but it's prolly okay for now.
o rings - what were they made out of? power steering fluid kills rubber o rings in a hurry. dont ask how i know.
-Ray
1985 Ford F150 - Tow Missile
1985 Merkur XR4Ti -#141 CP "Miss Daisy"
2005 Subaru LGT
http://www.cartct.com
1985 Ford F150 - Tow Missile
1985 Merkur XR4Ti -#141 CP "Miss Daisy"
2005 Subaru LGT
http://www.cartct.com
-
anglin
- Level 7
- Posts: 2456
- Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2004 3:20 pm
- Location: Hartford, CT
The steering column lower section that has the u-joint, the rubber donut and the splined section has to come off the old rack and be installed on the new. I think it's a 13 mm bolt and nut. It only installs in one orientation on the splined shaft on the steering rack (thank goodness) because of the block splines on the rack. That bolt has to be removed completely out of the column because it rides in a groove in the splined shaft.demonfire wrote:so when replacing the rack itself, you still have to deal with that splined junction on the steering column, correct?
how soaked were the brakes? you might want to replace the pads completely. but it's prolly okay for now.
o rings - what were they made out of? power steering fluid kills rubber o rings in a hurry. dont ask how i know.
The brakes weren't dripping with fluid or anything, but clearly they weren't healthy. I'm going to do another bed-in of the pads just to be sure I've killed as much fluid as I can. I'm not terribly worried about the condition of the pads since the car stopped okay before and it stops much better now and I've got $600 worth of OEM-type brake components in the garage waiting for me to conduct back-to-back tests to compare real braking performance of them and post the data. Shhhh, don't tell anybody.
The o-rings were supplied with the power steering line and no material specs were provided. I wish I knew the material since that is an important thing to know (as you found out).
Anglin email: - anglin at mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
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anglin
- Level 7
- Posts: 2456
- Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2004 3:20 pm
- Location: Hartford, CT
Ray, I figured out the confusion regarding the o-rings. The o-rings came with the hose, I just wasn't clear about that fact in the original version of my write up. I just edited the write up for typos and clarity and this is one of the things I fixed. Lack of sleep had me pretty F'ed up last night.
Anglin email: - anglin at mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
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anglin
- Level 7
- Posts: 2456
- Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2004 3:20 pm
- Location: Hartford, CT
My FTP is functional again, so I can upload pictures about these projects now. Just so Jason knows I was taking his advice, here's a picture of my hand with no ring (or watch).
First I'll cover the timing belt change. Even after removing the cover, the timing belt looked mostly okay (which is the opposite of "mostly dead").
Clearly the belt was not okay.
The old belt was a replacement identical to the one that I put on the car.
The timing belt tensioner was replaced with an Esslinger two-piece unit.
One thing I noticed about the tensioner was the difference in pulley size. The Esslinger tensioner is slightly larger in diameter (0.100 inch) which would cause it to turn slower than stock, effectively increasing its service life.
The size difference would result in a 10% reduction in revolutions per minute. Over the life of a tensioner, that's a lot of revolutions saved.
Of course, cleaning is always a part of any process on any car that I work on. The timing belt cover wasn't the worst I've seen but it wasn't exactly clean.
And here's a picture of the reassembled engine before the cover is installed. Exciting, I know...
First I'll cover the timing belt change. Even after removing the cover, the timing belt looked mostly okay (which is the opposite of "mostly dead").
Clearly the belt was not okay.
The old belt was a replacement identical to the one that I put on the car.
The timing belt tensioner was replaced with an Esslinger two-piece unit.
One thing I noticed about the tensioner was the difference in pulley size. The Esslinger tensioner is slightly larger in diameter (0.100 inch) which would cause it to turn slower than stock, effectively increasing its service life.
The size difference would result in a 10% reduction in revolutions per minute. Over the life of a tensioner, that's a lot of revolutions saved.
Of course, cleaning is always a part of any process on any car that I work on. The timing belt cover wasn't the worst I've seen but it wasn't exactly clean.
And here's a picture of the reassembled engine before the cover is installed. Exciting, I know...
Anglin email: - anglin at mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
-
anglin
- Level 7
- Posts: 2456
- Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2004 3:20 pm
- Location: Hartford, CT
And now I'll cover the power steering work.
The car made pretty rainbows, but they weren't the most environmentally friendly rainbows.
The rack and crossmember were covered in fluid. This was the cleaner side.
Here's the replacement hose (note the PN on the box and the hose material specification printed on the hose itself).
New hose and new rack installed.
The car made pretty rainbows, but they weren't the most environmentally friendly rainbows.
The rack and crossmember were covered in fluid. This was the cleaner side.
Here's the replacement hose (note the PN on the box and the hose material specification printed on the hose itself).
New hose and new rack installed.
Anglin email: - anglin at mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
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GeneticRehab
- Level 5
- Posts: 688
- Joined: Fri Oct 01, 2004 7:02 pm
- Location: Some were in the USA
Safety first
I must seem like some old codger of safety
About safety. I'm waiting to get knee surgery for a large posterior horn tear of the medial meniscus. Its bad. It has pretty much limited my life at this point. Good to see you want to keep your fingers.
Jason Liss
1989 XR Still in pieces
1986 XR Sold!
1989 XR Still in pieces
1986 XR Sold!
-
anglin
- Level 7
- Posts: 2456
- Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2004 3:20 pm
- Location: Hartford, CT
Alrighty. Now that some of the more mundane and maintenance-oriented projects are out of the way, I can make some performance-oriented improvements to the car. I've had a brand new Gillis valve laying around and decided to put it on the car finally. The car already had the Boost Control Solenoid (BCS) bypassed but the two ports where the BCS normally connects to were just connected to each other. This setup allowed the car to have too much boost (about 16 psi, non-intercooled). The car also had a boost spike (more than likely related to the condition of the vacuum hoses; more on that later) to about 18 psi. During that moment when the boost pressure was up near 18 psi, a little bit of detonation was audible.
http://www.boostvalve.com/
I've always just purchased the valve by itself and sourced the other bits locally because I never install it exactly how Ric suggests you install it. The kits he has available are top notch, though. I've got three turbocharged cars and now all thee of them have Gillis valves (WRX and two XRs).
Now for the project pictures:
I fiddled around a little bit before I grabbed the camera. In the following picture I already had a couple vacuum hoses disconnected. You can see the vacuum hose loop; it's still connected to the pressure side but it's off the nipple on the vacuum side of the turbo. The wastegate hose is disconnected.
The T-fitting is removed and this small plug is put in its place.
The brass plug is visible in the compressor outlet
I mounted the Gillis valve to the valve cover with a rubber-insulated clamp. Here's the completed installation. I put a T-fitting in the fuel pressure regulator vacuum line to connect the Gillis valve. Ric recommends plumbing the valve into the vacuum tree mounted to the false firewall but I didn't feel like snapping one of the nipples off and having to replace the whole vacuum tree.
I insulated the vacuum hose with some fiberglass-reinforced aluminum tape. We'll see if the vacuum hose actually lasts any longer than normal because of this.
I mentioned earlier that the car displayed a boost spike to about 18 psi before settling to 16 psi. I believe that to be at least partially related to the condition of the vacuum hose that connected to the wastegate actuator. I would say this vacuum line may live in the very worst environment a vacuum line lives in under the hood of an XR4Ti. You may want to check the condition of yours, whether or not your car has a boost spike. Look at the cracks.
It was in poor enough shape that just tapping it on this paper towel made it spit out all those bits of hardened rubber. Yummy.
http://www.boostvalve.com/
I've always just purchased the valve by itself and sourced the other bits locally because I never install it exactly how Ric suggests you install it. The kits he has available are top notch, though. I've got three turbocharged cars and now all thee of them have Gillis valves (WRX and two XRs).
Now for the project pictures:
I fiddled around a little bit before I grabbed the camera. In the following picture I already had a couple vacuum hoses disconnected. You can see the vacuum hose loop; it's still connected to the pressure side but it's off the nipple on the vacuum side of the turbo. The wastegate hose is disconnected.
The T-fitting is removed and this small plug is put in its place.
The brass plug is visible in the compressor outlet
I mounted the Gillis valve to the valve cover with a rubber-insulated clamp. Here's the completed installation. I put a T-fitting in the fuel pressure regulator vacuum line to connect the Gillis valve. Ric recommends plumbing the valve into the vacuum tree mounted to the false firewall but I didn't feel like snapping one of the nipples off and having to replace the whole vacuum tree.
I insulated the vacuum hose with some fiberglass-reinforced aluminum tape. We'll see if the vacuum hose actually lasts any longer than normal because of this.
I mentioned earlier that the car displayed a boost spike to about 18 psi before settling to 16 psi. I believe that to be at least partially related to the condition of the vacuum hose that connected to the wastegate actuator. I would say this vacuum line may live in the very worst environment a vacuum line lives in under the hood of an XR4Ti. You may want to check the condition of yours, whether or not your car has a boost spike. Look at the cracks.
It was in poor enough shape that just tapping it on this paper towel made it spit out all those bits of hardened rubber. Yummy.
Anglin email: - anglin at mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
-
Ray
- Level 7
- Posts: 4338
- Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 10:40 am
- Location: CT, USA
I have reservations of the location of the gillis valve there. You think it'll be okay with the heat?
Okay, the units okay. Now, how about when you go to adjust it after you just ran the car, or the car is still running?
Just a thought.
Okay, the units okay. Now, how about when you go to adjust it after you just ran the car, or the car is still running?
Just a thought.
-Ray
1985 Ford F150 - Tow Missile
1985 Merkur XR4Ti -#141 CP "Miss Daisy"
2005 Subaru LGT
http://www.cartct.com
1985 Ford F150 - Tow Missile
1985 Merkur XR4Ti -#141 CP "Miss Daisy"
2005 Subaru LGT
http://www.cartct.com
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anglin
- Level 7
- Posts: 2456
- Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2004 3:20 pm
- Location: Hartford, CT
The clamp it's sitting in is lined with high temperature neoprene, so that should be okay. I don't think we've ever discussed how the function of the Gillis valve may change with it gets hot and clearances change slightly. As far as adjustment is concerned, I'm not expecting to adjust it now that it's set. Which reminds me... I never did mention what I set it to. If/when I intercool the car, I'll raise the boost pressure then. I did adjust it last night while I was test driving the car and it was warm but not a problem. Good point though. I might be irritated with myself in the future.demonfire wrote:I have reservations of the location of the gillis valve there. You think it'll be okay with the heat?
Okay, the units okay. Now, how about when you go to adjust it after you just ran the car, or the car is still running?
I set the boost pressure so it makes about 14 psi. It might make it to 15 psi before it settles out in the lower gears.
Anglin email: - anglin at mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
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anglin
- Level 7
- Posts: 2456
- Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2004 3:20 pm
- Location: Hartford, CT
Had some more time to fiddle around with the car again today. Since changing the power steering system (pump particularly), I've noticed a small increase in gas mileage (I was getting about 19 and now I'm seeing about 20 mpg), so I felt motivated to try out the J3 adapted chip I've had sitting on my desk since 2006 when I ordered it.
The chip is a stock PF3 with the cruising rpm transition from closed loop to open loop raised from about 3000 rpm to 4000 rpm. Since I spend a good chunk of my daily commute on the highway, I might see some mileage gains. We'll see if it actually makes a measurable difference. Here are the pictures from the work today...
For those of you who aren't completely familiar with the layout of the XR4Ti, the computer (PCM/ECA/whatever) is behind the glove box.
Once you remove the black felt trim you'll see the computer. The tabs on the right hand side need to be bent back to allow the computer to be pulled free. Then there is a 10 mm bolt that has to be loosened to separate the wiring harness from the computer.
The J3 port on the back was covered by a sticker. I've also seen some covered by a metal plate that has a T8 torx head screw holding it in place.
Here's the J3 adapter chip with the PF3 burn. You can just see the fuel economy.
After removing the 8 bolts with the little tiny 4 mm hex heads, the shell slides off the main case. You don't have to remove this but it allows the J3 port to be cleaned more easily before the adapted chip is installed.
Here's the J3 port with the anti-corrosion goo spread on it.
Here's the J3 port after cleaning.
After installation, the J3 adapter chip is attached to the outside of the back of the computer case.
The mounting bracket will have to be modified slightly to allow it to fit. I simply bent the metal away from this area. It's not the cleanest work I've ever done but it is effective and allowed me to go from "strolling out into the garage with J3 adapted chip in hand" to "test drive" in about 50 minutes.
Finally, the black felt trim panel was put back into place.
I drove to the gas station and filled the tank. We'll see if the combination of the Gillis valve and the J3 adapter chip does anything to improve gas mileage. If not and gas mileage doesn't improve, I have a PE chip, big VAM and an intercooler waiting to go into the car.
The chip is a stock PF3 with the cruising rpm transition from closed loop to open loop raised from about 3000 rpm to 4000 rpm. Since I spend a good chunk of my daily commute on the highway, I might see some mileage gains. We'll see if it actually makes a measurable difference. Here are the pictures from the work today...
For those of you who aren't completely familiar with the layout of the XR4Ti, the computer (PCM/ECA/whatever) is behind the glove box.
Once you remove the black felt trim you'll see the computer. The tabs on the right hand side need to be bent back to allow the computer to be pulled free. Then there is a 10 mm bolt that has to be loosened to separate the wiring harness from the computer.
The J3 port on the back was covered by a sticker. I've also seen some covered by a metal plate that has a T8 torx head screw holding it in place.
Here's the J3 adapter chip with the PF3 burn. You can just see the fuel economy.
After removing the 8 bolts with the little tiny 4 mm hex heads, the shell slides off the main case. You don't have to remove this but it allows the J3 port to be cleaned more easily before the adapted chip is installed.
Here's the J3 port with the anti-corrosion goo spread on it.
Here's the J3 port after cleaning.
After installation, the J3 adapter chip is attached to the outside of the back of the computer case.
The mounting bracket will have to be modified slightly to allow it to fit. I simply bent the metal away from this area. It's not the cleanest work I've ever done but it is effective and allowed me to go from "strolling out into the garage with J3 adapted chip in hand" to "test drive" in about 50 minutes.
Finally, the black felt trim panel was put back into place.
I drove to the gas station and filled the tank. We'll see if the combination of the Gillis valve and the J3 adapter chip does anything to improve gas mileage. If not and gas mileage doesn't improve, I have a PE chip, big VAM and an intercooler waiting to go into the car.
Anglin email: - anglin at mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
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bw_krupp
- Level 4
- Posts: 410
- Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2004 1:51 am
- Location: Moses Hole, WA
The only thing I would add about the gillis is isn't it supposed to stand straight up? Its a ball and a spring, the ball sits on the spring. If you have it laying flat, then when you brake and accelerate you'll have momentary increase or decrease in spring pressure whereas if its up and down you'd have to hit some serious jumps for it to do the same thing. Of course this could be internet rumour too, as I've always had mine straight up and never had issues with boost spikes.