Engine Running Happily!

During the build, you will set yourself some major milestones. The popular few are:

• Donor Stripped Fully
• Kit Collection
• Rolling Chassis
• Engine In
• Engine Working
• Movement
• Completion

Based on my last post and this post's title, it would be safe to guess that I have my engine working....maybe even the movement part sorted too....well you'd be correct. I had plumbed in the coolant pipes whilst trying to figure the problem out. Nothing spectacular but it does the job.

What I thought was a fuelling issue, followed by a fuel pump issue, turned out to be wrong. I have found that the fuel pumps operate via the circuit opening relay. Originally I thought this was knackered which at £80 for a new one was a bit steep for a potential replacement considering they're meant to last forever, so I decided on finding a way to bypass this. Turns out this can be done through the diagnostics plug by jumping the F/P and GND ports with a wire. Did this, fuel pumps worked. Fantastic! However probably not the best idea for a permanent replacement...unfortunately this didn't solve the problem. Update from 04/09/13 - Turns out my fuel pump and gauge are actually working as they should now...so the problem went away from that point of view....might be a little bit dodgy, sticking relay maybe, on its way out? I'll just put this knowledge safely away for the time it stops working.
I tried to fiddle with the Idle Control Valve too, thinking it was somehow too low....still no success.

Staring at the intake manifold and engine I noticed a pipe at the back which obviously used to be connected to something, however I have no idea what. I could hold an unsteady idle (1500-2000) turning the throttle pulley, trying to figure out if I could do that somehow. Then something happened...I don't know why or how it did but it just did, I must have been possessed by the kit car God, looking over my build....I put my finger over the pipe, blocking it off....

I let go of the throttle and sat there as my finger slowly got sucked into the pipe...smoooooth idle! I let go and it died. Simple problem really. The intake wasn't getting a proper vacuum, hence the chaotic revs and cutting out.

I found a bit of rubber off-cut from the IVA covers for the steering arms, held on tight with a jubilee clip to prevent it being sucked in (shouldn't but better safe than sorry) and voila!

Engine was ticking over by itself!

Well you know what this means! In tribute to Tony Stark after building the Iron Man suit "Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk" I hoped in and had a little test up and down the driveway. It's only about 20-30 metres but it was enough to get the car driving under it's own power!

All the hard work and troubles I've had just melted away to be replaced by my HUUUGE grin! Just from crawling in first gear, I can already tell this is going to be a quick car. I just can't wait to get a chance to properly get it going.