@Gordon Nichols posted:Chris has the exhaust megaphone that came with my Berg extractor system. I bet he might part with it if you're looking for something expressive. Just like the one Bruce Stumpp had with a 3-bolt flange. Ear plugs not included.....
P.S.: watch your shins......
Exactly. That bugger can be pretty sharp!
@DannyP posted:I hear that!
I bought a 3" mild steel exhaust extension from Jeg's, and made a one bolt clamp on it. Inside, I welded a Vortex cone insert. Zero back pressure increase, but takes the edge off the exhaust while idling, but especially during cruise. Plus keeps the soot off the car!
My goal was twofold: dampen the note a bit, and de-soot.
Although not period correct, I wanted to go with the 911R exhaust look. I bought the "cookie cutter" inserts from GT Racing and a 2"-4" megaphone from Speedway, and a length of perforated pipe for a baffle from eBay.
I dug deep into my memory and did some math for the right lengths. From memory, to make the megaphone fit in my pipe, I cut 3" off the small end and 1" off the big end, just where the cookie cutter ended up. (A huge stroke of luck: the angle on the CC blades matched the angle of the megaphone almost exactly. I had to do minimal grinding to get a perfect fit.)
Then I had a welder friend put it all together.
Since it hit my license plate when I raise my clamshell, it had to be removable, so I had the welder weld some half-washers to the pipe and cookie cutter and I use springs to hold it in, like a motorcycle slip on.
Finally, I had it ceramic coated to match the exhaust. In the end, I also cut off 1.5"-2" of the tail pipe to get the proper length.
Prior to getting coated:
Polished up the hood latch doohickies today. Here's the first one done before I put it back, as compared to the other.
@DannyP posted:Here's what I did. This was last September after I did the top end rebuild:
I contemplated doing something similar. Even went as far as buying a nice 6" long oval tip from Auto Zone. It would have been cool, because the oval looked more like an original exhaust, but there was no way I could figure to add some baffling.
BTW, Danny, how do you check your oil? Has anyone ever come up with an extension and a longer dipstick? As is, I'm pretty much limited to checking my oil when the engine is cold. Otherwise I burn myself.
We're better known for our prehensile thumbs, but we're also the only species that will expend considerable energy making already shiny things more shiny.
@dlearl476 posted:BTW, Danny, how do you check your oil? Has anyone ever come up with an extension and a longer dipstick? As is, I'm pretty much limited to checking my oil when the engine is cold. Otherwise I burn myself.
PM sent.
So had a lot of fun this weekend! We noticed a bit of an oil weep from the fitting under the Accusump so I pulled it and made a new hose, a process that required removal of the oil filter, oil cooler lines and breather.
Fellas, have I told you how much I love installing AN fittings? Such a fun job! Pure enjoyment.
Anyway I got that done and decided after dinner last night to button it all back up and test. To my surprise, I got it all back together pretty easy. The fittings went on. The oil filter went on, as it does, with me reaching in with one hand and spinning it by feel until it catches the threads. The other fittings, for the cooler, no probs. So I went ahead and fired her up...
And in 5.4 seconds dumped yet another quart of PennGrade all over.
Turned out the oil filter gasket had somehow dislodged itself as I was reaching the filter in.
Oil on the underpan. Oil on the floor. I mean, what could be better?
So I pulled the front half of the pan this am (with oil raining down on me, as is customary). Gunked it all up with degreasers a couple times. Ran the hose in there. Shop-vacced it out. Blew air.
It took most of the day, which was awesome!
Got it all back together by about 4 pm. This time, looks like, no leaks.
So now it's down to sweeping up all the cat litter, putting down more cat litter, etc.
Until next time, boyos! Livin' the dream.
I understand. You have just described my experiences every time I have to muck with the oil system. Usually I'm underneath for at least part of the fun. Glad you've got it back together and it's not leaking!
Ed, don't you understand? The oil lets you slide in and out of the Spyder easier LOL!
Anyway, oil-coated parts can't rust(or corrode, in the case of aluminium).
Internal oil cooler ruptures are even more fun ! Especially when it happens twice ! Don't you just love how wonderful that Penn feels on you and everything around you ? It's just pure luxury ! The lasting smell of it in your garage and on your tee shirts after they've been washed ! Ya just can't have a better experience !............Bruce
"The lasting smell of it in your garage and on your tee shirts after they've been washed ! Ya just can't have a better experience !"
Yeah.... And especially with Hypoid 90 wt. gear oil. It's the smelliest!
Right up there with newborn poop.
@Gordon Nichols, I've toyed with the idea of releasing a new fragrance for manly men called Hypoid. Someone said that it makes your skin soft and supple, so there's that...
Forget to screw in an oil pressure switch and fire that puppy up.....amazing how fast the oil spits out. Then flip over two garage throw rugs sacrificing then to limit the flow~
“Garage Throw Rugs?”
What kinda Yuppie garage you runnin’ there?
Next, you’ll be showin’ us the Persian rug under your Bimmer!
Maybe this poignant anecdote will improve your mood, or ease those pangs of self-doubt.
Maybe not.
It was 1968. My first new car. Brand new BMW 1600. Knew nothing about wrenching. Took car to dealer for first oil change.
They screwed it up. Mucked up installing the oil filter gasket. It held for about 50 miles. Then let go right in the middle of evening rush hour traffic in downtown Philadelphia. In the winter. When rush hour happens after dark. And often in the rain. Very cold rain.
I was pissed. Really pissed.
I reasoned I could do at least as good a job as that. For less money.
The BMW owner's manual (not the shop manual, the owner's manual) had all these descriptions about how to do cool maintenance stuff. Set the timing. Gap the plugs. Adjust valve clearance. Change brake pads. Tune the carb. And there were all these pictures showing how to do everything.
They even showed the right way to put a gasket on an oil filter.
I could do this.
I went to Sears (it was "and Roebuck" at the time). I bought my first real tools. And a real toolbox for them. I still have them. I've never had to use the lifetime warranty for anything.
It helps to know that my dad was a dentist who grew up in the city during the Depression and never owned a car until he was 45. We owned exactly two screw drivers (we referred to them as the big screw driver, and the little one). We kept them in the top drawer in the kitchen. Just in case.
With my new tools, I changed the oil and the oil filter. Nothing leaked. I was on my way.
It all started with a mucked up oil filter gasket.
If you look hard enough, there's an up side to everything.
Yes, and free dental care 
@Sacto Mitch posted:
Maybe this poignant anecdote will improve your mood, or ease those pangs of self-doubt.
Maybe not.
It was 1968. My first new car. Brand new BMW 1600. Knew nothing about wrenching. Took car to dealer for first oil change.
They screwed it up. Mucked up installing the oil filter gasket. It held for about 50 miles. Then let go right in the middle of evening rush hour traffic in downtown Philadelphia. In the winter. When rush hour happens after dark. And often in the rain. Very cold rain.
I was pissed. Really pissed.
I reasoned I could do at least as good a job as that. For less money.
The BMW owner's manual (not the shop manual, the owner's manual) had all these descriptions about how to do cool maintenance stuff. Set the timing. Gap the plugs. Adjust valve clearance. Change brake pads. Tune the carb. And there were all these pictures showing how to do everything.
They even showed the right way to put a gasket on an oil filter.
I could do this.
I went to Sears (it was "and Roebuck" at the time). I bought my first real tools. And a real toolbox for them. I still have them. I've never had to use the lifetime warranty for anything.
It helps to know that my dad was a dentist who grew up in the city during the Depression and never owned a car until he was 45. We owned exactly two screw drivers (we referred to them as the big screw driver, and the little one). We kept them in the top drawer in the kitchen. Just in case.
With my new tools, I changed the oil and the oil filter. Nothing leaked. I was on my way.
It all started with a mucked up oil filter gasket.
If you look hard enough, there's an up side to everything.
I still have my (well used) BMW 2002 factory service manual. I've considered putting it on eBay for a while, but I just can't part with it. Like you, it has a lot of sentimental value. It marks my transition from a piker to a serious shade tree mechanic. 
@Sacto Mitch at least you had the sense to see the little red oil light come on and think, “Hmmmm.... A red light. That looks bad. Maybe I should pull over and stop.” Thereby saving the engine for another drive.
That is in contrast to my brother in law, who saw the same light come on in his car while crossing the Connecticut River Bridge during morning rush hour in Hartford, CT, many years ago, and he thought, “Hmmmmmm..... A red light. Wonder what that’s for?” and kept on driving to work in Hartford. Only, he never got there that day because the crankshaft welded itself to the case several blocks from his office, thereby creating a terrific boat anchor for one of the smaller Connecticut River Cruise boats.
Having to buy a new car to replace his seized mass of metal didn’t cause him to become an instant mechanic (or buy any tools, even to this day) and since he had never had an oil change done on his first car before the meltdown (Duh...), he has relied on his wife to remind him every three months to get it checked. Seems to work for him........ Hasn’t had another meltdown in over 40 years.
Gordon.......Yup, 90 wt gear lube is the worst ! The smelliest of the 90wt was the one required for Fords with positraction in the 60's. This one had a fishtoil based additive. If you didn't use it you couldn't even drive the car off the rack. Anyway, It really did smell like rotten fish. So that added to the already stinky smell of regular 90wt was just too much. At lunch time one day I heard a coworker look at another and say "Workin on a Ford huh ?"...We all laughed !...............Bruce
Fiats used really SMELLY gear lube as well(it MUST be fish-based!).
Also the Posi-traction additive for my Chevy Vega was smelly too LOL!
My uncle had some really smelly oil he used in the gearboxes of very large construction equipment. It was pretty gross. He aptly called it "Panther Pi$$".
Hey! I might resemble that remark.
Spyder visited Hoopty Haus yesterday: 50 miles each way on the tollways without disaster.
Mr. Drake was also kind enough to drive a lap of the Herald Harbor Hoopty Proving Grounds and critique my handiwork. This was a great honor to me, and moreso that the machine passed the audition:
Brakes: excellent. Handling/tires: excellent. Shifter: tight, but good after warmup. Throttle response: fair. He rightly notes a too-long ramp-up on the pedal, which I know I can adjust. Fit/finish: very good. Being Cory, he immediately noticed that all three gauges are just slightly off plumb/level. He gave me a pocket level to remedy this.
On a wooded 2-lane straight, he wound it up to 5000 rpm in 3rd (i.e. 83 mph) and I got skeert.
With him and me both in the car I noticed some front tire rubbing again. So I will lift the nose up just a little bit more.
Now to the mishaps:
*Hood latch release pull failed. Needs tightening at the clamp end of the cable.
*My spare coil fell out at some point. Out of it's too-loose holder and out of the car. Gone; tumbling along the roadway somewhere probably at 50+ MPH. This is damn embarrassing.
*Headlight low beam relay failed again. Second time for that; I replaced the first one some weeks ago and have used the headlights most of the time ever since. That it would blow again so soon makes me think I've got a weird intermittent short somewhere—or a straight wiring fault that somehow heats them up and slowly cooks them. The high beams work but they're almost never on. Advice from wiring aces welcomed.
*Accusump is leaking. It's not my fittings, it's something in the unit itself. We had a couple tablespoons of oil pooled in the body cavity just outside the frame tube when I got to Cory's place. Apparently these things are trickier to operate than I realized. I will read all the instructions and notes associated with it and see if I can troubleshoot. If not, it's coming out for good.
Meanwhile, I received new sump hardware, valve covers and bails, and jet doctors from CB Performance.
@dlearl476 posted:Imagine the consternation of a following driver who saw your coil fall out, yet you proceeded.
Shades of Smokey Yunick driving back to the pits after NASCAR scrutineers removed the car's fuel tank.
I arrived home from buying a rear axle/differential assembly for a chevy truck to find that I lost a brake drum someplace along the 100 mile expressway trip. It terrified me to think of a 10lb brake drum flying off the back of my trailer at 70MPH. I hope it didn't harm someone's vehicle. I hadn't considered that the brake drums were just sitting on the studs with nothing holding them on.
I was driving on a two lane very busy highway, going to cottage country, I was following a boat in my roadster, I get a thought that I should move over.
A few miles up the road I see a boat chair, very big one, had flown and was on the side of the road, as well as a foam cooler.
Personally all vehicles with open boxes, trailers etc, I just stay away from, you never know when the spirit of stupid, in this case forgetfulness also, has hit the driver and something will fly out. Unintentional for sure but stuff happens.
@Jimmy V. posted:I arrived home from buying a rear axle/differential assembly for a chevy truck to find that I lost a brake drum someplace along the 100 mile expressway trip. It terrified me to think of a 10lb brake drum flying off the back of my trailer at 70MPH. I hope it didn't harm someone's vehicle. I hadn't considered that the brake drums were just sitting on the studs with nothing holding them on.
I got you beat. After I bought a three tier tire rack for the storage unit where I keep my 968, I decided to take all the Alfa wheels and the OEM 16" 968 wheels out of the place I keep my Spyder and use as a shop. Somewhere in the five miles between the units, my shoddy tie down job let one of the Porsche alloys fall off!
I retraced my route 3 times and no sign of it anywhere. I nervously awaited the "we got your fingerprints off the wheel that totaled my car and we need your insurance information" phone call for about a week.
More likely someone saw it fall off and grabbed it and put it on eBay.
@edsnova posted:*Headlight low beam relay failed again. Second time for that; I replaced the first one some weeks ago and have used the headlights most of the time ever since. That it would blow again so soon makes me think I've got a weird intermittent short somewhere—or a straight wiring fault that somehow heats them up and slowly cooks them. The high beams work but they're almost never on. Advice from wiring aces welcomed.
Ed,
You didn't mention how the low beam relay failed. Typically, either the contacts burn out or the coil opens up. The former can be corrected by ensuring the power supply to the relay is properly fused. 15 amps is the correct size for a pair of 55-watt lamps at 12 volts nominal. Proper fusing protects the wire and relay in the event of a fault downstream.
For best service life, the relay itself should be rated for 30 amps continuous duty, and be of reputable manufacture, such as Bosch, Delphi, etc. Steer clear of CCC (Cheap Chinese Crap) whenever possible. Coil life is also influenced by quality of manufacture. And make sure the relay is rated for 12V automotive use. Automotive coils are wound to withstand higher voltage when the alternator is running, whereas industrial relays are wound for the specified nominal voltage. The alternator increases voltage by roughly 20%, causing the coil to run hotter. Too hot, and insulation breakdown occurs, shorting the windings and further raising the temperature. In the end, the coil burns open and the relay quits working.
Eric
Wondering the same stuff as Eric.
Another way to say it is did the primary circuit (the 'trigger' circuit) of the relay fail or the secondary circuit (the 'load' circuit).
That will tell you where the problem is.
In other words, if you remove the 'dead' relay from the circuit and apply 12V to the trigger circuit, does it still 'click'? If not, the relay coil probably saw too much voltage. You could check the car's wires that are connected to the relay's trigger circuit, with the engine running at maybe 3000 rpm, and see what voltage is there. If it's much over 14V, not so good.
If the relay still clicks but doesn't close the load circuit when it does click, the attached load may have shorted to ground at some point and burned out the relay contacts.
I have used a lot of the 'CCC' relays with no failures yet.
No idea how the relay failed. All I know is the highs work, the fuse is fine, and, last time, replacing the low beam (30-amp Bosch) relay with one like it out of the spares box made it all work. Until some time yesterday afternoon between 2 and 4:30 pm.
How do you test a relay to learn why it went bad?
@edsnova posted:Spyder visited Hoopty Haus yesterday: 50 miles each way on the tollways without disaster.
Mr. Drake was also kind enough to drive a lap of the Herald Harbor Hoopty Proving Grounds and critique my handiwork. This was a great honor to me, and moreso that the machine passed the audition:
Brakes: excellent. Handling/tires: excellent. Shifter: tight, but good after warmup. Throttle response: fair. He rightly notes a too-long ramp-up on the pedal, which I know I can adjust. Fit/finish: very good. Being Cory, he immediately noticed that all three gauges are just slightly off plumb/level. He gave me a pocket level to remedy this.
On a wooded 2-lane straight, he wound it up to 5000 rpm in 3rd (i.e. 83 mph) and I got skeert.
It's not easy to sit in the passenger seat of any Spyder at full song.
Personally, I'd like my throttle to be a little less sensitive. This may be a good thing.
"It's not easy to sit in the passenger seat of any Spyder at full song". - @DannyP
WOW! That was what, 2006-7 or so Jim??
“How do you test a relay to learn why it went bad?“
First, if you have an ohmmeter and a spare, working, similar relay, measure the resistance across the coil contacts. There should be a diagram of the internals of the relay on the case somewhere that will show you which contacts to test. If the resistance is the same as the spare relay, the coil is probably OK. If the ohmmeter shows infinity on the dead one and some measurable resistance on the spare, then somehow you have overloaded the coil and you need to look at reasons for that, like a short on the switch side, but that would seem rare to me. Usually a relay coil only succumbs to over-voltage or if it is a short duty cycle design that is constantly on.
If the coil tests out OK (same as the spare) then remove the case from the relay and look at the make-and-break contacts at the end of the long metal wiper. If I’m right, they will either be (A. ) welded together, (B.) burnt and pitted (making lots of resistance and no longer working) or (C.) totally gone since they were burnt into oblivion.
I would go with B above. That means that whatever current they were switching on that side of the relay (it could be a double throw, switching between two circuits/lights) is drawing more current than the relay contacts can handle. That could happen if the headlight circuit shorted to ground between the headliht and the relay.
If they shorted, they might also weld the contacts together and that would indicate a short to ground somewhere on the light side of the relay, overcoming the rating of the contacts.
Regardless, the power side of the relay should have a fuse between the relay and the power source to protect both the relay and the headlights, so battery to fuse to relay to headlight, NOT battery to relay to fuse to headlight. Got it?
Happy hunting.
