Chazza

So what evidence do you have to support these statements? I am not saying that you are wrong, but I like to work with facts. Vizard is an engine research and development engineer, who has done extensive testing of paper and oiled-cotton filters. To counter your second statement, he explains that engine-induced pulsating air, causes the strands of oiled-cotton to sweep the air, which tends to collect the dirt on the strands rather than in the voids. On a paper element, the particles which are too big get caught in the voids, whilst the smaller particles will fit through the voids - your statement holds true with two filters made of the same material, but it does not when comparing two different filters, which use a different method of filtering. In response to your last statement, I think it best to quote Vizard when talking about the genuine K&N oiled-cotton filter - he does warn the reader about cheap and nasty fakes which don't work! "This mode of function leaves us with an element that can hold huge quantities of dirt before flow starts to degrade by any real amount. This is why most off-road race vehicles use K&N (or functional copies of K&N) elements and not paper ones, which degrade from the moment of start-up." So what is the "nasty stuff" that has been let into engines you know about? Were they genuine K&N filters? Incidentally, if anyone feels that this is becoming a thread hijack; I suggest not, as clean air in large volume is absolutely essential for tuning an engine to get the most out of it, Cheers Charlie

Why do you say this Nigel? "How to build horsepower" by David Vizard gives a very detailed chapter on air cleaners, including flow-testing; filtration and longevity. I am talking about the K&N oiled-cotton filters; when they are blocked they still flow more air than a new paper filter and they can be washed and re-oiled and re-used forever! Cheers Charlie

What I plan to do, is set a hand-held radio off-channel and hold it near various components when the engine is running, to see how noisy they are; then plan the route to take. From what I have read noisy components are: high-tension leads; alternator; coil. The sensor wire should be shielded, with the shielding earthed at one end only, so that it doesn't become a conductor itself, Cheers Charlie

So if I understand this correctly - you started the engine that ran on 4 cylinders. Had you just rebuilt the engine? Your engine re-conditioner is correct; the lifters need to be run at 2500rpm for a few minutes to fill them with oil. If you fitted a new camshaft and lifters, you need to run it at 2500rpm for at least 20minutes to work-harden the new cam lobes, or else the camshaft will wear out very quickly. How is the valve timing? Cheers Charlie

I agree with the other chaps on this one - I am just about to fit MJ to my Sunbeam Alpine. The thought of never having to bend into an engine bay to adjust points ever again, is rather appealing; or for that matter rotor arms which don't work, or carp condensers which fail after a short time and knowing that the timing will be spot on forever! Cheers Charlie

Whether to or not, depends on how much EMF noise is close to the sensor wires and the easiest way to find noise, is to put an off-tune transistor radio next to suspect items such as the alternator, so that it can be heard. Separating the sensor wires from the source of the EMF, significantly reduces the chance that the EMF will interfere with the voltage signals in the item you are trying to protect. If the wires can't be moved far enough away, shield them. Remember that very low voltages can give false signals, Cheers Charlie

Irritating question - Is the camshaft timed properly?

20 seconds should be OK, as long as you can get the oil being thrown up from the crank as soon as you can, Cheers Charlie

Sounds like a recipe for a nasty explosion to me! What about a mirror on a stick and repeat your bubble-blowing exercise? Cheers Charlie

Well done Mike; the pressure test is a very good idea! Pardon me mentioning it, but with so many air leaks, I wonder about your attention to detail when you assembled it. 1. Inspect closely every face for burrs, or lumps, which can usually be lightly draw-filed with a 6" smooth file to get them flat again; or a longer file for larger surfaces. 2. Make sure every piece of old gasket is removed completely. I use an old power-hacksaw blade to gently scrape the stubborn ones off. 3. Clean all mating surfaces with Prepsol, or something similar, before assembly. 4. If you use a liquid gasket use it sparingly and make sure before putting it on, that it is suitable for the task. For paper gaskets Loctite 515 is a suitable dressing - if required - for most applications. 5. Do not re-use old gaskets; seals and O-rings if you can avoid it. 6. A thin film of Loctite 515 inside the ends of hoses, not only leak-proofs them, but on cooling systems, seems to stop the metal from corroding. 7. Cleanliness, cleanliness; cleanliness! Cheers Charlie

Yes it would, but ask the person who does them if you can view their equipment and get them to fully explain their reconditioning process. A friend of mine used to do them and the process is basically this; 1. Visual inspection for damage - dodgy mechanics can often break the injector end! 2. Stripping and ultrasound cleaning. 3. Spray pattern and flow test - four injectors at a time are tested together into four graduated cylinders. Poor pattern, or flow-rate outside the tolerance, earns the injector another ultrasound. 4. New seals etc. injector passed fit for service, or tagged u/s and given back to the customer. The injectors should be as good as new, or they are scrapped, at a fraction of the price of a new one, Cheers Charlie

Land Rover use an injector-cleaner that apparently comes in a cannister and is fitted in place of the fuel filter. They used it on my car once and the improvement was astonishing! Does anyone know what the part number is for the cleaner? Cheers Charlie

From my reading on this subject and using my limited knowledge, the radio cable may be noisy and affecting the sensor current. In fact any sensor wire must not be placed near a noisy source and must be physically separated from them. An alternative is to shield the sensor wire with a metal sheath to protect it from emf. If you tune a transistor radio off-channel and put it near a suspect source, you will hear the noise on the radio speaker; this should enable you to plan where to put all sensor cables where they can't be affected, Cheers Charlie

A HUGE thank you to all you for the recommendations about the BLOS - I think I will buy one! Cheers Charlie

I agree LPG, if the cost of the conversion and the distance you drive makes it financially worthwhile, but you will need another fuel/ignition map. What sort of petrol do you use? I can get an extra 4mpg using 98 octane fuel, compared to the 91 octane carp sold in Oz. Use Iridium spark plugs and Magnecore leads for the best possible spark, if you don't already. Divesting the car of extra weight and cruising as you suggest at 65mph, will save heaps as well, Cheers Charlie

Interesting story and thank you for telling us! I have just been reading Phil Ringwood's opinion on the subject of earths, and he recommends putting all earths to the same point on the engine block, including the ECU - or at least all earths to where the ECU earth is. Dirty connections don't help either, as this increases resistance, Cheers Charlie

You chaps are depressing me, as I bought an MS with DCD about 3 weeks ago - I wish now I had gone for EDIS. Anyway; on the installation CD is some useful information about avoiding noise, including using capacitors on the coils as Ford do. This is a very steep learning curve for me (electronics) but hopefully it will work out OK. I do enjoy reading everyone's posts; it is a seriously good forum! Cheers Charlie

Top thread Mr Noisy! You have inspired me to buy Megasquirt and put it in my Disco 1 On the subject of going swimming, a couple of things spring to mind: 1. If it is fresh water and you go deep enough, the instruments will get filled with muck; so have a good think about the dashboard and what is under it. The radiator matrix; aircon; oil cooler will suffer. The alternator will need disconnecting and flushing with a hose, to save it from internal abrasion. 2. For salt water; all of the above, plus the corrosion aspect on all of the car My advice is not to do it, Cheers Charlie