R8 upgrade project

brettr · Oct 19, 2020

Actually think this was the oil maybe? - i was trying Castrol 80w/90 EPX - have had the box tilted down again and the end casing off (because i love it so much) but couldnt find any particular issue.

Because it wasn't coming off normal as i had popped the reverse circlip the 5th gear clutch pieces all fell out etc so i used a spare 5th gear synchro / hub etc i had from Mr Swan and reassembled.

Going to now run the Penrite 80w/90 - it has EP additives so hopefully all good..

One thing i did do in the name of progress was install a wheel speed sensor.

Came from a Nissan Navara D40 - in an intricate operation with tweezers etc i managed to mount a stainless stud off the hole already in the caliper bracket and then setup the sensor to read off the wheel bolts - 12 per rev gives me 6630 pulses per 1000m. Air gap 1.5mm - reads well and leaves a little room for wheel flex.

Bowie · Oct 24, 2020

What are you you going to program with wheel speed sensors?

Steve K · Oct 25, 2020

Amazed you have standard calipers?
So you don't use brakes very hard and don't need heat shields for sensor?
I know similar sensors are used on Clio rears reading off hub ring.
Maybe fairly heat resistant.

brettr · Oct 28, 2020

Originally in the vehicle plan i had it set for wheel speed sensors front and back and to set the traction control up in the ecu - but then i realised that Renault built in their own traction control back then - as the power level exceeds traction the complete drivetrain fails and traction is returned to the wheels - so ahead of their time.

The main reason i wanted to put the sensor in is the ecu currently is using an Autometer gps module to receive a signal and then it controls the speedo etc.

That's ok in theory but the ecu controls the cruise control - that uses a speed input and when you go under an overpass or through a tunnel the signal drops so cruise either bursts forward then cuts or just cuts.

Do you know how many little overpasses etc are on the m2/m7 - ALOT!

Plus for alot of the Link motorsport features an accurate speed signal is required as it calculates the gear your in etc - and the gps signal is just delayed compared to a driven signal (i spose why manufacturers all still use sensor speeds rather than a gps signal).

Although if someone has a RED RENAULT 16 SPEEDO drive plug for the gearbox i would be very happy to purchase - anyone - help?

The calipers are the mecaparts bigger bore ones and their "special" discs & pads (special obviously refers to spending a crap load of Euros) - i think the sensor is radiantly shielded enough where it is - if it fails ill put another on - they're $21 each.

I suppose if i had to gross up the r8 to the modern clio bloated pig standard and put almost 400kg of weight into it then definitely i would need massive brakes and heat shielding on the sensors - in the meantime ill let the rust process help my r8 keep shedding the kg's.

brettr · Feb 10, 2021

Have been doing stuff progressively - just been busy during covid.

Finally got around to fixing my front disc issue.
Pulsed the peddle a bit - drivers side running out 0.04mm - thats ok, passengers side was 0.09mm and was creating a problem. 0.04 is ok.

So take it apart, clean every mating surface with a wire brush & rotate 120 degrees - then put in some nice new 10.9 bolts and washers & torque evenly. Problem solved.

Did another job on the fuel tank - its so high there is no where for a breather to go up - so ran a breather line into the cabin up the A pillar, with a dual roll over / float valve, along the inner roof gutter and then back down through the C pillar into the wheel well and finally to a rear mounted suzuki sierra charcoal cannister which is plumbed into the boost / vacuum line system - so now i have a completely sealed fuel system like a modern car with no fuel smell at anytime.

Had to feed the R8 a couple of new uni joints for the drive shafts - they're from an alfa spider tail shaft.

The rubber spacers that Steve swan supplied had disintegrated so i had to make some new ones from an old exhaust hanger...

brettr · Feb 10, 2021

Then decided more power is required - so i had a spare Mercedes supercharger just laying around and rebuild kit etc so took it apart and fully rebuilt it. So supercharger off - it comes off with one half of the engine mount bracket.

Strip and rebuild. Rotors look great.

I had already got a new pulley from Moscow Supercharge (yes in Moscow) - he said its the smallest you can go to (in some foreign language). Press the old one off - this was 72mm, new is 60mm - that will goose it!

So on the trial fit (which isnt easy because its pretty much a heavy press fit) it fouled the super charger body.

What to do but start linishing the supercharger snout to within a mm of its life.

This is the clearance after a final fit (sfa).

Ready to go back on.

And back on - you can see as well i've made a new inlet pipe out of aluminium instead of the silicone one which holds a much nicer free flowing profile.

So on a quick tune run without really trying its pushing 1 bar of boost now - it used to push 11 something - so probably a full rpm run and with some meth / water helping seal the rotor tips and probably some cooler weather it will easily push over 15 pounds.

I can tell you it makes the R8 sound and go very angry.

It might not be the highest hp 807 ever built but the torque is unreal - ive got the ethrottle restricted heavily until it starts to crest 2000 rpm as i was worried about not having enough oil pressure for the torque being made.

You could push the peddle flat at 1500 rpm and it instantly made 14 pounds of boost - It just makes it a great car to drive and that 807 loves the recipe - almost 13k kays now through peak hour traffic etc, i've driven it to work and back on those 47 degree days, and the engine feels as good as day 1 still.

JohnW · Feb 10, 2021

Nice work. Moscow eh??? You wouldn't read about it.

Bustamif · Feb 10, 2021

Are you ready to run it at Eastern Creek Thursday 18 Feb, next week ? Evening track event so the air will be nice and cool for a supercharged motor.

brettr · Feb 11, 2021

Hey BM, got your message sorry been busy at work. Would love to but think timing will preclude me from attending.

I also should really do some logging and check the afr at the new boost level before i place an inspection hole in a piston.

brettr · May 26, 2021

Had an occassional missing that i couldnt put a finger on exactly - seemed like an injector playing up possibly - so i had a set of brand new flow matched low impedance 800cc densos laying around - anyone in the know would say redciulous size for a 1565cc engine if you want an acceptable idle.

So i put them in.

And then i had to completely retune every aspect of the ecu pretty much - i couldnt find dead time info on them so making that latency scale over voltage was quite tricky but eventually got there and it will idle nicely at 750rpm.

Also rewrapped the exhaust with some lava wrap which i have used and stays same colour and doesnt degrade - the stuff i used originally just fell to pieces.

But it didnt solve my off and on miss - and once again as it always works out, "When you are sure it is a spark problem it is a fuel problem, and when you are certain it is a fuel problem it is a spark problem."

So threw away the Accel big dollar coils (from a yaris) and put in a set of ebay ones at $80 for 4 coils and now it runs perfect.

Runs beautiful now.

autonoob · May 26, 2021

You did a great job cleaning the engine bay of this car. I am excited to see more updates about this build.

Shoji · May 26, 2021

autonoob said:
You did a great job cleaning the engine bay of this car. I am excited to see more updates about this build.

heh? cleaned the engine bay? far from his mind. LOL
What are the brand ebay coils Brett? Link?

JohnW · May 30, 2021

brettr said:
Originally in the vehicle plan i had it set for wheel speed sensors front and back and to set the traction control up in the ecu - but then i realised that Renault built in their own traction control back then - as the power level exceeds traction the complete drivetrain fails and traction is returned to the wheels - so ahead of their time.

The main reason i wanted to put the sensor in is the ecu currently is using an Autometer gps module to receive a signal and then it controls the speedo etc.

That's ok in theory but the ecu controls the cruise control - that uses a speed input and when you go under an overpass or through a tunnel the signal drops so cruise either bursts forward then cuts or just cuts.

Do you know how many little overpasses etc are on the m2/m7 - ALOT!

Plus for alot of the Link motorsport features an accurate speed signal is required as it calculates the gear your in etc - and the gps signal is just delayed compared to a driven signal (i spose why manufacturers all still use sensor speeds rather than a gps signal).

Although if someone has a RED RENAULT 16 SPEEDO drive plug for the gearbox i would be very happy to purchase - anyone - help?

The calipers are the mecaparts bigger bore ones and their "special" discs & pads (special obviously refers to spending a crap load of Euros) - i think the sensor is radiantly shielded enough where it is - if it fails ill put another on - they're $21 each.

I suppose if i had to gross up the r8 to the modern clio bloated pig standard and put almost 400kg of weight into it then definitely i would need massive brakes and heat shielding on the sensors - in the meantime ill let the rust process help my r8 keep shedding the kg's.

Your rust plan only works if the rust falls off.

schlitzaugen · May 30, 2021

brettr said:
Had an occassional missing that i couldnt put a finger on exactly - seemed like an injector playing up possibly - so i had a set of brand new flow matched low impedance 800cc densos laying around - anyone in the know would say redciulous size for a 1565cc engine if you want an acceptable idle.

So i put them in.
View attachment 133309

View attachment 133310

And then i had to completely retune every aspect of the ecu pretty much - i couldnt find dead time info on them so making that latency scale over voltage was quite tricky but eventually got there and it will idle nicely at 750rpm.

Also rewrapped the exhaust with some lava wrap which i have used and stays same colour and doesnt degrade - the stuff i used originally just fell to pieces.

View attachment 133311

But it didnt solve my off and on miss - and once again as it always works out, "When you are sure it is a spark problem it is a fuel problem, and when you are certain it is a fuel problem it is a spark problem."

So threw away the Accel big dollar coils (from a yaris) and put in a set of ebay ones at $80 for 4 coils and now it runs perfect.

View attachment 133312

Runs beautiful now.

Would be interesting to see why the Yaris coils didn't do the job, I suppose it may be to do with the pulse they throw out. Any chance you can put them on a scope side by side with the new ones?

brettr · May 31, 2021

They were Accel branded coils for a Yaris, that was the yellow ones, about $500 a set.

The new grey ones are the chinese copies straight off ebay - just think the Accel ones were not made that well, i spose like any coil that breaks down and doesnt have the energy to fire the spark - i even tried increasing the dwell and it made no diff to the on and off again problem.

brettr · May 31, 2021

The R8 crests 15,000ks - probably more than all the clubs R8's combined for the last 10 years!

I always liked the look of the 1967 kyalami 9hr picture of the R8 racing with the GT40 so i bought her another stable mate as a present - its quite an impractical bit of gear really.