Ken's Engine Project... Part IV - 2004

[Ken]

Okay, dig this...

I'm at the body shop today, having the floors done, when I get a phone call from Mike, from the transmission shop (Torrance Transmissions) saying that Tilton is telling him that they're not going to refund any money to him for the (incorrect) collar assembly we sent back in exchange for the correct one. They are telling him that the assembly was an old assembly that they don't even make anymore, and haven't made in five or six years, and on top of that they are disputing the condition of the assembly! I mean, how much damage can be inflicted on a heavy piece of metal, especially when I was the only one to handle it and I know that it wasn't damaged in any way. There may have been a few marks on it from insertion into the bellhousing hole, but that is to be expected and considered normal I would imagine.

At any rate, being obsessive/compulsive comes in handy when you are talking receipts and other various paperwork, including the original packing. :L

I got on the phone with Casey this afternoon, and after a few minutes of conversation, I was able to give him the Customer PO # as well as the Sales Order # and before you know it, I was able to once again breathe a little easier, not having to spend another needless $150, or rather, an unfair expense on my part. I mean, jeez, if it wasn't for bad luck... :eyerole

I don't think there has been one thing throughout this project that has gone without a hitch of some sort. Wasted time and wasted money...

The bottom line is though, I would still have to give Tilton Racing some credit for being a company that seems to care about its customers. Once before I had to call Tilton technical support when I was installing the engine/trans the last time, and even though they were unable to answer the phone and I had to leave a message, they returned the call in a matter of an hour or so. Good people to do business with all-in-all. I wouldn't hesitate to do business with them again.

 

[SPANISHVETTS]

I don't think there has been one thing throughout this project that has gone without a hitch of some sort. Wasted time and wasted money...

Ken,

I know your misery. In Spain everything requires 3 tries. Never once have we bought any product or service that was correct the first time. I think every manufacture sends their rejects here.ad


I would not mind having to exchange a product if it weren’t for the time loss. At least 25% of my time is spent doing jobs over and over again because a new part was incorrect/bad or engineered wrong. The thing that amazes me is that the consumers here put up with low quality and bad service.

I am happy for you that there was someone at Tilton who cared enough to help out.

 

[Moonunit 451]

Ken, happy to see you were able to get it taken care of

SPANISHVETTS Forget Spain, Forget Parts

Doing the job three times is standard proceedure for a lot of us junkies. It's so much quicker the second and third time, don't ya know

 

[WhalePirot]

requires 3 tries <<rather like shopping at Fry's Electronics!!

Ken, TY for the Tilton poop. I am weighing going with their Super Duty starter in light of my heat soaking problem. This hi-torque, mini GM Nippon Denso just ain't cutting it any more.

Methinks the mark of an experienced mechanic is being able to do the job right the first time. As MoonUnit stated, we ARE bettter at it 2nd and 3rd time. My goal is to NOT redo; on any such fix. Kinda like the guy who needs to never ask for directions, I guess.

Heck, at least I READ the directions, now. Too bad they're written in ESL*!

*English as Second Language

 

[SPANISHVETTS]

*English as Second Language

My wife is an ESL teacher so I get free translations!!

 

[Ken]

The saga continues...

Today, being such a beautifully clear, albeit windy, day that it was, I decided to take the Vette to Carlos Vivas' shop (C&S Restorations) to deliver a club member roster to him, and show off the car in the process. I also wanted to stop by another gearhead shop and show it off there too, which I did, and I even did a pretty good burnout there in the driveway when I left too!

When I turned down the street to Carlos's shop in second gear, I nailed it to see if the clutch was slipping as bad as it does in the higher gears. I wanted to see if it'd break the tires loose or slip. I told y'all about that didn't I, that the clutch was slipping? :confused

Anyhow, I nailed it and it seemed to be holding okay and although it didn't spin the tires it didn't appear to be slipping all that bad, plus I wasn't smelling any burned clutch. When I hit around six grand (the shift light came on and that's where I've got it set - around 6200-6300 rpm) and went for third gear, it entered third, but the clutch never came back. The pedal does because it's got its own spring return, right.

Ain't this a *****! Now what?? :cry

My only guess so far, after a quick visual to determine that I had hydraulic fluid (which I did - it was full) and that the clutch master cylinder pushrod was functioning properly, is that somehow I either over-extended the hydraulic throwout bearing, or that some part of the Centerforce dual-friction clutch assembly broke.

Hi-Ho, hi-ho, it's back to the shop we go...

_ken

 

[Ken]

I just realized that I speak of hitting six grand as though it was always this way; I say it so casually in conversation anymore. :L

Hell, I can remember when 4800-4900 rpm was really exerting the old L-98. :eyerole

 

[bossvette]

if you have a diaphram type clutch and it is not adjusted correctly it will go over center and stick open at high rpms

I had mine out today also it feels good to run it up to 5500 and shift even with the little tires on

 

[Moonunit 451]

Oh Man,Ken, I hope it's nothing too serious

 

[IraPlayer]

I told y'all about that didn't I, that the clutch was slipping? :confused

I just had to have my Centerforce replaced after only 10000 miles of "aggresive street" use.

Still had plenty of pad, but it started slipping in higher gears, then the peddle got mushy.

I checked the fluid and it was low. Checked under the car and no sign of leak...oh oh...

Took it in and had it pulled apart. The slave unit failed and started leaking inside the housing. Pads saturated with fluid. Complete cleanup and new Clutch...ouch...

The Centerforce is more than I need now, but I like the hook-up it gives with a relatively light peddle.

Good luck with yours. I think in the future, I may replace the slave at clutch replacement. At about $150, it may be (relatively) cheap insurance...

 

[SPANISHVETTS]

Ken, did you get the fan speed problem sorted out or is it on the back burner until the you get the clutch replaced?

 

[Ken]

The blower fan...

It's definitely on the back burner until I get the rest of the car sorted out. I'm pretty sure that I have high speed to the blower fan, but I can't be sure because I can't hear the damn thing. :L

The Vette goes back into the transmission shop this afternoon. Mo' money, mo' money...

Take a lesson from this kids; when you build a hot rod the fun never ends, nor does spending money on it.

_ken

 

[Ken]

The capricious one is back, and as ornery as ever.

There was nothing wrong with the release bearing, nor was there anything wrong with the cutch pedal stop that I fabricated. There was nothing wrong with the clutch assembly (the pressure plate) either, although the disk was soaked - as we already knew it would be.

Remember I said that I checked the hydraulic fluid when this occurred; I'm not so stupid that I wouldn't check something like that first. Well, the feed line to the release bearing was rubbing on something and the rubbing wore a hole in it. The funny thing is that when I checked the reservoir the fluid level was good. The master cylinder must have just been moving hydraulic fluid back and forth in the line is all I can figure. It would push the air out with fluid, and when I engaged the clutch again, the master must have been pulling the fluid back, or at least keeping the level even.

At any rate, it is running again, sort of...

I stopped by Will's shop on the way home and shut it down. I was there for a while, and then when I went to leave, the frigging thing wouldn't start! It sounded like a dead battery.

I was watching the gauges on the way there too, and it was charging alright - right around 14 amps. What the hell??

I figured that they probably left the doors or hatch open for too long and it just ran the battery down. I dunno.

However, it still wouldn't start even after I had it on a charger for a half-hour or so. I continued to charge it for another half-hour, then it started, but when I got it home and tried it again, it cranked fine for a while, then when I tried it again it was dragging like it had a dead battery. Got me to wondering if I'm gonna have a heat-soak problem now with my starter.

I've got it on a charger now, and will bring it up to full charge and take it from there, but I may still be forced to use a heat blanket down there. Weird, it's a new high-torque mini-starter; I didn't think I'd be affected by header heat.

 

[bossvette]

try this

Summit part SUM G-1750

http://store.summitracing.com/default.asp?target=search.asp&type=bysummitpart&searchtype=both&part=sum+g1750&x=20&y=13

Also Voltage is very important with computer controlled cars, If you don't already have the biggest battery and alternator that fits get them

 

[Ken]

No matching parts were located in our inventory.

What is it? I can't tell from the image you show, Craig.

Oh! Now I see it. It's a remote solenoid. I'm thinking I'm probably gonna blanket it.

 

[bossvette]

that is easier, I just use the remote solenoid in any car I build up and don't usually have any hot start problems.

 

[Ken]

Ah geez, somebody up there hates me. Even with the best of 'em, I still seem to get screwed. :L

I went out and purchased a wrap (insulating shield) for the starter and installed it today. I figured that even if the starter wasn't the culprit, another forty bucks to ensure I won't have heat-sink problems in the future couldn't hurt.

After I wrapped the thing around the starter and put the positive cable back on, I noticed the ground cable, which appeared to be a little too close the the header for my comfort, so I tried to move it away from the tube. What's this?? Why is it so friggin' loose? :confused

I started pulling on it and lo and behold what do I find but that it was not re-attached to the block/bellhousing area where I last installed it. It is a second ground that I added when I moved the battery to the rear. They forgot to bolt it back on when they re-installed the bellhousing last week. The thing needs an extra ground with the set-up I have. :eyerole

I re-installed it to the block/bellhousing and everything seems to be good now. Now maybe we can finally start (or rather - finish) dialing it in.

Someday I'll get it running the way it should.

 

[bossvette]

its always the little details that get ya. glad it wasn't nothin major

 

[Ken]

Those friggin' details are gonna kill me Craig! :L

 

[Ken]

One of the reasons I want to get the mechanicals finally taken care of, is the fact that this thing is so very far from show-worthy at this point. Luckily though, I don't have to do much with the exterior; it's in pretty good shape, just needs a touch up here and there. :cool

I do have most of the interior back in place, but when you look close you can see where I didn't take enough time to cut the carpet around the roll bar; it's pretty sloppy.

I still have to get some speaker grilles for the rear speaker area to finish that properly (I chopped up the originals when I had the Pioneer speakers in there), and I have to figure out what to do with the right side (passenger side) of the dash now that the breadloaf is history as well. BTW, I have a perfectly good breadbox for sale.

Hell, I'm still not even sure that I'm going to leave the inserts for the gauges a natural finish or do something with those pieces too. I dunno.

I can see why the red Corvettes and black Corvettes (or any cars for that matter) make the magazines while the lighter cars don't. The new Vette magazine has a silver '86 coupe as a feature car, and it just doesn't show as well in a magazine, at least the way they shot it, it doesn't. :eyerole

I don't care, I like my silver with black stripes. :cool