Exhaust Silencer.....supposedly.

I was going to leave the exhaust silencer off for as long as possible due to it sticking out and the chance of kicking it when I'm working around the car, but I decided it was time to put it on and get it out of the way storage wise.

The manifold needs to be trimmed back by around half in my experience (the end part where the silencer will attach over). I also split the silencer end by cutting two slots down the shaft to allow it to slide on and clamp down. Turned out the fit is pretty snug so some lubrication is advised. I settled on Vaseline (due to being used at work when building engines etc), so a healthy dollop of lube and a bit of man-handling, it was forced to fit....if you read that and chuckled, you are just filthy minded!

With the silencer forced on, it actually likes to sit very close to the side panel. Hence the bracket, bolted on to fit around the exit of the exhaust, it holds it in place, away from the bodywork and stops it sliding off the manifold.

Just got to add some exhaust wrapping to tidy it up a bit and cover sharp edges. The IVA can be quite strict on the retaining spring on the exhaust bracket so I've heard...


Now that the exhaust "silencer" is on, it was getting late and I wanted to put the car back in the garage before bed. I'm still waiting to hear what the sound is like on this machine but waiting for the coolant to be plumbed in before giving it a try.....well, that quickly went out the window. With the night coming in and wanting the car back in the garage, I just thought, well sod it lets go for it! Can't be bothered pushing it anymore.
Battery connected up, everything set, still got a bit of fuel left from checking the fuel pumps and system for leaks. Go for it!

A bit of cranking then BBRRRUUUUUUUMMMMMM! off it went...then clunk. Tried again, same happened. It would start up then cut out at idle, however it's fine if the revs are kept up. Initial thoughts were a fuelling issue, maybe there isn't enough but surely a few litres shouldn't cause that. Lack of pressure? Air bubbles in the system? Either way, the engine works and the noise pedal was quite sensitive with my big old work trainers on. Revs kept high, clutch up to reverse....found the biting point as I shot backwards...brakes work too. Got the car into the garage and let it cut out again.

Wow. What a noise. I have the lambda plug out so didn't help keep it quiet, maybe affected the engine cutting out. Anyway, it moves under its own power albeit temporarily. A bit of investigation the next day and I've found there is no power to either fuel pump. Looks like something has come loose. They worked when directly connected to the battery so time to find the wiring fault....thought I'd finished with this! Anyway, nearly there now!