Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

[team_zi]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

3rd in class at 3 Sisters today, beating a 6R4 rep and an Elise.
New tyres took a few laps to start working.
Rained during 2nd practice and 8 year's since my last visit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUiEStvXaSw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[essy]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Had a good look around your car on Sunday, your preparation is to a very high standard, and that engine! ticks over very quietly but has a lovely growl (bit like my Mrs) when you get the revs up. Keep up the good work.

[team_zi]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Here's the 2nd timed run with a bit of picture in picture.
Features my 'catch of the day' save. Proves I need to get a quick rack for it.

[Roadsport]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Why the clutch pedaling?

[team_zi]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Not wired it in for the flat shifts yet.

[jonboy]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Car looks and sounds great in the video, can't you just have a small lift off the throttle rather than use the clutch on changes ?

[Roadsport]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

If it is like a convensional dog box withi it propably does not like the easy going gear change using the clutch. For my Tran - X they said its the worst thing you can do to dog gears.
And the best thing is to do like jonboy said. Apply pressure to the lever and quickly flick the throttle. It should upshift like on its own allowing rapid engagement of the dog gears thus reducing the wear. So I've been told.

[david_white]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Quick rack looks like it could be useful, and like roadsport says clutchless shifts will help the box. Car looks like its really going great in that vid though, very rapid!

[GavinR]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Good save

I've always done brief lift off the throttle and bang it in on the way up, and clutch on the way down

[team_zi]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

I discovered on Sunday evening that the C bracket I'd made for the gearbox torque limiter had worked loose, and has bent itself out of shape. My fault that it worked loose. I'd used two of the rear crossmember mounting points for the bracket [these are the holes that are underneath the steering rack, in the centre of the bulkhead]. Stupidly I hadn't used the original reinforced holes that had the steel tube inside. When I first fitted the zetec I'd relocated the crossmember towards the drivers side, and made two new mounting holes. One of these never had a steel tube inside. That was one of the holes I'd used to locate the C bracket with. Over a very short space of time, the hole has gone oval, the bolts had worked loose, and the constant push pull on the bracket from the gearbox, not only made the hole worse, but bent the bracket. I'd made it from 3mm steel. I'm cutting out the same shape bracket tonigth from 4mm steel. And after I've welded it all back together, I'll make sure that I use the original mounting holes (with the tubes inside) and that I torque the bolts up properly to prevent it from moving again.What I'd also like to do also is extend the drop link on the rear of the box, forwards to the front cross member, and that'll well and truly hold the box in place and prevent it from squirming around under load.

At least I've now found the explanation for why there was so much backlash when changing gear, as the gearbox was effectively swinging around between changes/lifting off/on.

The wheel speed sensors were to be fitted in the next couple of weeks before Harewood, and I'll be hard pushed to get everything done now I'm fixing this problem.

[trig]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Good save

I've always done brief lift off the throttle and bang it in on the way up, and clutch on the way down

Same

[team_zi]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

I've got the dual channel hall effect gear posn sensor from Geartronics.co.uk and I'll wire it in this week. The sensor allows full throttle gear shifts via the ecu monitoring the barrel movement as the lever is pulled. Neil reckons it may work, and time will tell.

I have made the replacement 4mm torque limiter bracket, just needs fitting on the car and the zorst refitting.

I'm at Harewood on Sunday 26th and I'll be using it as development testing for the box and the rear wing will be altered to find more rear grip.

[team_zi]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Alas the gearbox sensor is duff, and it needs to be replaced. Its been programmed as a TPS by P&G and not as a 359 degree gearbox sensor, so it wouldn't have worked. I'm so glad I didn't find out the hard way. Luckily Neil at GT told me as soon as he found out, and the batch of sensors will all be returned to his supplier for reprogramming.


The wheel speed sensor, fitted on a length of M6 threaded rod. I'll try and fit the connector tonight so I can plug it in to the wiring loom. Need to repeat the process on the near side rear also. I'm using Ford Focus rear hubs, attached to the modified Fiesta rear axle, with Ford Puma Racing alloy spacers to push the wheels outwards. The HiSpec caliper is underslung and mounted on an alloy bracket. The sensor is perpendicular to the rear disk, its just the slightly wide angle lens on the camera makes it look skewiff. The holes in the disk will be opened out to 7mm diam to give the sensor a better chance to read the movement.


The torque limiter bracket (grey primer) fitted to the chassis, and the gearbox attached using the drop link.

[team_zi]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

4th in class at Harewood, clutchless gear changes almost perfected, sliced 1.1s off off my pb set last year, and just a shame it rained before the T2 runs as I reckon there was at least another 2nd or two in the talent bag.

Next time

[exboyracer]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Nice one!