Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

No succes here eighter. I finally got the new wheel bearing and like a true sport changed it first thing in the morning. No effect at all. Same play in the wheel.
I lifted the other side up and tried the wheel day before yesterday and everything felt ok so I was confident the bombproof Ford 9" bearing was shot. After the bearing change I lifted both rear wheels up and found theres the same play in both of them now. So at the end of the day it was the panhard rods spherical joint that had the play all along... Only could not feel it on the other side when I lifted the rear one side at a time. An afternoon well spent then! Luckily the bearing change in my axle is an easy enough job. Perfectly doable on the paddock too. And now I have two spares if I ever need'em.

As for the play, I have no spare rose joint for the panhard so I'll have to live with it.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Good news and bad news.

Good: the suspension mods were a step in the right direction. Redused body roll allows for earlier acceleration out of the corners. And the LSD slip was all gone now. The lap times were promising.

BAD: lost 3rd and 4th gear while downshifting. I still could up shift ok but had to come almost to a full stop while downshifting. The qualifying was the end of the line for me this weekend.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Just checked the lap times and I've set a new personal best by 0,5 sec. That was with old tyres and lots of understeer. Well I have chance to re write the record later this year.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Took the box out and dismantelled it to see what gives. A locking ring in the gear transfer shaft had slipped out of its groove. The ring held the spring of the shaft centering bit in place. SO now that the ring slipped the ball bearings from the centering device dropped off and scarred the gears
The locking ring and its groove are standard size, no stronger than in a oe box. Thats stupid in a dog box where gear changes are more violent. They've manufactured their own transfer shaft so why not use a bigger locking ring or even a deeper groove.
Also the gear transfer shafts oil seal had ripped a lip, this leaking oil in the tail section below the gear lever. This isn't a big issue but i'd rather keep the oil where its supposed to be.
Ther reverse gear transfer fork has so much play its no wonder the reverse gear does not engage propperly and disengages if the lever isn't held.
The gears on the spindle shaft has 3mm of play !!??? Much like it is missing some shims.
Then there was this issue with no locking in the spindle, it rotates in the the main case slowly grinding it self loose.
AND THIS WAS A FACTORY NEW GEARBOX

Its the little things like this makes the box a piece of shit in my book! Tha basics are in order. The shafts and gears are strong, as are the transfer forks and bearings but then the finishing touches and work quality seems to be unacceptable. For the price of this box you would expect to avoid bullshit like this.

If you have a choise steer clear of these boxes. I am utterly disapointed.

[exboyracer]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Oh dear, not good. I doubt you'd have much luck complaining now that they are owned by Quaife

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Yes, theres that and this was bought 2010 so way past any warranty not that there ever was any to begin with that I know of. I'll just have to improve the iffy things in this box and make it a Markus SL72 The premature scarrind and defects in the gears piss me off, but hey thats motorsport for ya. And the gears can be replaced induvidually(thanks to Quaife).
I really hope this is some kind of early version and that not all SL72 are similar. If not I even more so hope that Quaife will take the quality of craftmanship up a notch.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Took the spindle shaft off and there is absolutely no means to lock it in place. All I can think of is its supposed to be a press on fit but this one is just so loose it spins freely in the gear case.
I cant get my head around the hole in the spindle shaft leading straight in the oil reservoir. Why is it there...

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Yep, a nall bearing visited here.


Marks of the tooth fairy here too


Heres the stubborn spinfle shaft which spins in the casing. It needs to be solid and fixed. That RTV filled hole is for a locking pin to lokg the spindle to the flange. At least thats solid.


No means of locking the flange in the casing.


Nothing here eighter. Smooth like a babys but.


Heres the spindle in place


Tran -X techical advisor just told me to use a bigger locking pin. Where? Theres no place for A locking pin let alone for a bigger locking pin. I thought the manufacturer would surely know how to fix their own product but ,dare I say, they were clueless.
Very frustrating and infuriating, as this isn't like a cell phone you just bin and get another one. Or is it

Well now that I know how much meat is in the casing Ill make a burrow for a bigger locking pin. The play in the reverse selector fork is now sorted.

[qcadta]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Great thread mate. It may be crude but as a last resort could you peen the edges of the spindle shaft as well yo lock it in place? or do you think it wouldnt provide adequate strength to hold it?

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

I'm not sure what you meen by peen? I tried punching dimps in the flange edge but that did not lock it in place.

I used a tiny bit of a 2mm locking oin but as it seems there has still been some movement to the spindle. But now as the whole box is dismantelled it is quite easy ti mill a hole for a large enough locking pin to squeese the spindle solid.
With any luck the box should be machined and reassembled early this week.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Then theres the little untold tale of the brake hardship i experienced prior to gearbox failure.

We've changed the pad in the front before the last race. The brake pistons felt reluctant to be pushed back but I reckoned theyd loose up once get some movement there. How wrong was I. On the free practice session I had terrible brake judder and the steering pulled hard to the left. I still thought it would sort out with braking in the brakes. Soon after I lost the brakes completely.
At the pits we dismantelled the fron brakes to find the pads were very tight to the calipers. We simply could not get the brakes to retract. We even had trouble removing the outer pad alltogether. They held on and boiled the fluid. We changed back to the worn pads and it was sorted. I was certain the new Hawk pads were thicker than the Ferodos when new.
So after the race when ordering Ferodo pads I noticed the ferodo were identical to the Hawk pads both 0,8" thick
The brakes have always been the escorts strenght. They've always worked with no issues what so ever. Even with new pads.

I had used a tiny brake piston springs with the firs assembly. A tinu spring under the piston to alway keep the pad closer to the disk for a better pedal feel. The springs were fully open while tha pads were worn and the pistons were out. While not under compression the spings must have slipped to an angle and did not compres nice and flat but the coils lapped leaving them higher than intended. We have never been sure we even need these spring so we removed them. Now having reassembled the brkaes thay take the new Hawk pads easily so I'm confident the brake issues have been sorted. Now I hope these Hawks are any good.
Still need to treat the system with all new Endless fluids.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Well did not afford endless @ 80€ per 0,5litres. I gave the Motul 600 a chance to shine @ 14.90 € / 0,5 litres.

So the box is now all better, back together and installed. But I'll also be carrying a STD T9 with me from now on. The brakes are fixed, bled and treated with all new Motul fluids. The exhaust system was lifted up a bit as it has been hanging too low, and still is but its now a bit better. Also the ARB got new connection rods. Shorter ones so it dosent hang as low now either.

And to top that all up I flipped the tyres on the wheels the other way around to get all fresh outside shoulder.

In other words I am ready to race! Its our seasons main event. It has even lured an FIA Historic -65 Ford GT40 MK I to enter !! Hope it clears the scruteneering and passes the sound check. Could be hard to hit below 110db's with nothing but exhaust manifolds in the exhaust system

[exboyracer]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Good luck!

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Well, once again from the start boys...

I just cant't seem to get a brake with this Tran - X
Thist time the 5th gear selector block broke. For no obvious reason. Propably something wasn't quite lined after the previous reassembly and caused excess stress to the finger / block.
And for some odd reason I found the input shaft is bent. Again with no obvious reason, may have been from new I'll see if I can get it straightened or order a new one from Tran x







The bit that broke off hense no 5th gear.




THe car felt very composed and quick around the track. Up untill I up shifted to 5th and got neutral. Pulled to the paddock and removed the tail housing from the box. After finding the broken off selector finger I pretty much spent the rest of the weekend In the rental cottage in no presentable condition

[exboyracer]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car



Your luck has got to improve sometime! Though the weekend in the cottage sounds right up my street!