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It has been a slow going, as failure is not an option. Crossed the Ts and dotted the Is. Here is a preview of the fruit of the labour. I've gotten very good as crawling in and out under the car as a part time grease monkey.
wow! missing a digit after the decimal point; no worry, it is an artifact of digital photography with digital display
With a lot of dead braincells and months of thoughts and preparation it is the D-day to get all these integrated. They are serially interdependent and for a long time there is very little to show for. These are the CoolerWorx shifter, my custom dual gauge console mount pod, the provisioning for the Bytetronik R53 Full Access Miniport, and the Innovate Motorsports MTX-L Plus A/F gauge which provides Lambda data to the Miniport. I carefully think through the interdependencies so to minimize the wear and tear on the plastic console pieces, as well as putting the Mini on jack stands, and the number of removal of the exhaust header, center pipe, and heat shields.
I found this 18mm 1.5 fitting that I have that is for a oil pressure sensor kit which can be used as an O2 sensor extension; that is why I cannot throw anything away
I debated should I take the safest route and add this extension to prevent thermal OD of the WB O2 sensor
I decided that it is better to establish a baseline reading of the A/F gauge even if it mean risking killing a WB sensor. If the WB sensor does not survive I will add the additional extension to keep the sensor cooler.
I took this photo for posterity; this is the first bolt that I use to attach the header and the SS gasket to the cylinder as you have to do the alignment by hands
here is the WB sensor on the heatsink extension bung; I am pleased with the clearance that I planned to achieve and achieve I did
this is a foto of the factory pre-cat sensor and my WB sensor opposite of each other
Once I am happy with the installation of the WB sensor I can begin the cable routing. The pig tail of the WB is quite long and I didn't want a coil of excess cable lingering around to invite trouble. I was planning to use the excellent Nishiki foil tape to secure the WB O2 cable to the exhaust tunnel. It turned out that was not necessary as the run from the A/F gauge through the CoolerWorx transmission cable cassette only need a very short stub from the cover plate.
this is the pigtail of the WB O2 sensor which has a generous reach right up to the CoolerWorx cable cassette
I bought out just a short stub of the Innovate MTX-L Plus' O2 sensor cable to meet it and not a few mm too much; I secured the interconnect to one of the shifter cable as it is plenty stout and stiff
next I made the cable entry at the cassette cover that I pre-frabricated
the run of the cable is protected from the red hot exhaust pipe behind the heat shield and this cable tie is the only place you can tell there is something not from the factory
Next is to take up the excess O2 cable harness in the cockpit at the shifter console; I deferred re-installing the center down tubes until now because of this
the red arrow is where the WB O2 harness enters the cabin via the CoolerWorx shifter cable cassette - the cleanest execution that I came up with and yet very serviceable
this leaves a good length of the WB O2 cable harness which I can easily tidy up by tucking it behind the JCW center gauge pod
yes; all my **** are fused
The next step is to power up the Innovate MTX-L Plus A/F gauge to test, and most important - calibrate it with the virgin WB sensor.
by powering it up without a WB sensor it initiate the calibration; E2 is the error code for no WB sensor connected
the next step is to power down the gauge and connect the WB sensor
again powering up the gauge, this time with the sensor connected the gauge proceeded to pre-heat the sensor
then the gauge display "cal" signifies it is performing the calibration with the WB sensor
as the calibration is done with in free air, when completed the gauge peaks out at 22.4 A/F as it should
I then started the engine and it reads this during cold idle enrichment
here is the λ gauge mounted and functional ; I also checked out the power from the "cigarette lighter" too
For now it is connected to audio HU's switched power. I will rewire it to the ignition on switched power once the ATO fuse taps arrive from China via slow boat.
I am pleased with how all the interdependent sequence of steps all finally came together. No unforeseen accidents like "why didn't I thought of that" moments. I am well aware there is the possibility with what I done, the WB sensor may still exposed to temperature too high, but short of wiring up a thermal couple data logger I have to wait to find out. I budgeted for the cost of one WB O2 sensor as potential waste.
The next phase of the project is to take care of the cosmetics. That is to pretty up the console trim rings for the CoolerWorx shifter to make everything shipshape.
It is another thing in the Mini to amuse. Driving the Mini cracks me up as it is so eccentric and gushed with personality. The addition of the bung extension seems to work quite well as far as the exhaust gas circulating to the WB λ sensor goes, as can be seen in this short video. the gauge responds to the throttle actions quite well. I made this take in the driveway. My neighbours must think I lost my mind.
I can say that I am glad I chose this out of sight line location as it would be very distracting while driving, especially at night.
The no-nonsense form-follows-function look of the custom $1.50 JCW gauge pad is growing on me. All I did was to use a 20 year old Mikita sander to give some texture on the bare aluminium surface. I entertained painting it black but decided for now it's not worth the trouble.
Mini hog squeals like a hog - with the Wilwood BP-30 racing pad that I put on to test out. These are unmistakeably racing pads. They are better at cold than the Hawk HT-14 that I used last season and drove on the road a bit. Once they get a bit of heat they bite hard like race pads. They also squeal like race pads that I have driven and ridden in. A bit annoying to drive on the street so the BP-10 are going back in until the next track event.
these BP-10 street pads got very hot in last HPDE and threatened to immolate Mini with fire
While the BP-10s are not suitable to any serious driving on track they modulate very nicely on the street. Smooth and quiet with excellent feel.
interesting about the outer ridge as they hang over the chamfer of the rotor; I am going to adjust the caliper WRT the rotor a bit
I feel a bit of shortchanged that I have to spend another $9 for these bleeder cover when none comes with a $1000 BBK
I rechecked these X-lite winter wheel hoping they won't rip out the caliper using a 5mm spacer; they are too close for comfort
I took Mini out to test the BP-30 racing pads, and the whole shebang of new stuff that I installed including that stack of stuff on the header that can rip themselves off. Hangry for a bite of pork burrito. Just as I ready to press the shutter this teen got out of the car. Too late. Only when I post-process the photo that I notice the T-shirt. I struggle to read what it says. "Wake. Vape. Hustle. Repeat.".
I went grocery shopping in the squealing Mini hog. To be energy efficient I took the opportunity to log the drivetrain parameters with the Bytetronik Miniport that now is fed with the WB oxygen sensor data. Returning home I downloaded the Excel CSV files and try to make sense of them. First is to determine that ones with the WB installed. That wasn't too difficult as there is only one that has the WB Lambda column filled in.
How I hate Excel 2007 and its incoherent dumbed down Ribbon UI crap I have yet to decide what analyzing software to use.
I think I am going to take care of a few mechanical things to be more productive.
...for myself I prefer the old fashioned briar pipe along with heavily processed tobacco done in the UK tradition, but sadly the industry is dead and nothing more comes from Ireland, Scotland, or England where they used those glorious steam-jacketed presses, along with exotic casing flavours, to produce wonderfully intense terbacky.
Now all of that is gone to the ghostworld, never to return except in name as it's mostly watered-down nowadays as made in Denmark.
The old British briar pipes have a strong following though, and unlike the UK tobacco, people still deeply care about them --- collectors pay rather large sums to acquire rare specimens and there is much lore associated suchwise...
...Dunhill has always been the top dog, for example, and the indefatigable John C. Loring did much valuable research into those waters:
Today's forecast is thunderstorm and showers, and we swing from August back to April. There is unfinished business and things to try with Mini's new brakes. I wanted to maximize the contact area of the brake pads as it is riding a little bit off the chamfer edges of the rotors. The question is how many shims should I take off without risking the calipers coming into contact with the rotor rims.
I kept three 0.016" shims when I did the installation. That is 0.048" or just a hair shy of 0.05" that I can pull the brake pads towards the center of the rotors. Doesn't seem a whole lot, but with all three shims removed, there leaves just a hair of clearance between the rotor rims and the calipers.
I use a metal file to smooth out the ridge of the BP-10 street pads so I can put them back on until the next track event. It is so much more civilize to drive with these pads. The whole process too about 45 minutes risking the wrath of Donna.
here you can see the BP-10 pads were hanging a bit too far out WRT the rotors and resulted in a ridge at the outside edge
this is the distances that I set out to minimize in order to utilize all the area of the friction surface of the pad and rotor
I decided that it is safe to remove all three 0.016" shims - netting me 0.048" of gain in radius
the friction material has no match against the metal file; very interesting perspective of how soft the friction material is and yet they can stop an obese Mini hog
I went grocery shopping in the squealing Mini hog. To be energy efficient I took the opportunity to log the drivetrain parameters with the Bytetronik Miniport that now is fed with the WB oxygen sensor data. Returning home I downloaded the Excel CSV files and try to make sense of them. First is to determine that ones with the WB installed. That wasn't too difficult as there is only one that has the WB Lambda column filled in.
How I hate Excel 2007 and its incoherent dumbed down Ribbon UI crap I have yet to decide what analyzing software to use.
I think I am going to take care of a few mechanical things to be more productive.
We do offer the DataViewer program to view CSV logs. Cost is $75 for FA53 customers.
I have been wanting to get a second floor jack to replace my K-Mart toy jacks which takes like 35 pumps to reach max height of the jack range. I have inspected every aluminium floor jacks that Harborfreight has to offer. There are 4 model ranges from $59 to $179. I selected the 1.5 ton one as it has the least design flaws when all are considered. This PM I went and picked one up.
It takes just 3 and 1/2 pumps to get from the bottom to the top. It has a longer arm than my red toy jack so it should be an hands down winner, right?
I understand the desire to have the brake pad flush with the top of the rotors but it is more important to have about 0.060 inch clearance between the OD of the rotor and the underside of the caliper. I measure this with a 1/16” drill bit. This is needed to account for radial thermal growth when the the rotors get hot on the track. If you don’t have this clearance the rotor may expand into the caliper and cause damage and/or jam up the rotor in the caliper, stopping the wheel from rotating.
I understand the desire to have the brake pad flush with the top of the rotors but it is more important to have about 0.060 inch clearance between the OD of the rotor and the underside of the caliper. I measure this with a 1/16” drill bit. This is needed to account for radial thermal growth when the the rotors get hot on the track. If you don’t have this clearance the rotor may expand into the caliper and cause damage and/or jam up the rotor in the caliper, stopping the wheel from rotating.
I appreciate you mention this. I should have taken a bit more time to check the clearance. There is not much there, and likely no more than 0.060". What trouble me is the diameters of the four lug holes on the rotor hat are slightly bigger than that on the OE rotor, so the rotor can ride off center a bit, and affect the balance of the wheel. I am going to look closer at all this tomorrow. It's been a long day.
I have been wanting to get a second floor jack to replace my K-Mart toy jacks which takes like 35 pumps to reach max height of the jack range. I have inspected every aluminium floor jacks that Harborfreight has to offer. There are 4 model ranges from $59 to $179. I selected the 1.5 ton one as it has the least design flaws when all are considered. This PM I went and picked one up.
It takes just 3 and 1/2 pumps to get from the bottom to the top. It has a longer arm than my red toy jack so it should be an hands down winner, right?
a nice looking jack it is and the price is right
I wrote this post to be coy, and had planned for this follow up. Before choosing this 1.5 ton I inspected all their offerings carefully. The most expensive and the nicest AL jack is the $179 3 ton which I infer is very popular with the well heeled like BMW and Porsche owners. The problem is, and not a small one, the wheels are aluminium instead of steel. They would be fine if you only work indoors in smooth concrete floor. Dragging it around on weathered outdoor concrete will kill those shinny aluminium wheels in short order.
I already have a 3 1/2 ton steel jack and I just want a small jack with a bit more height than my K-Mart toy jack. I thought this HF 1.5 ton will, and it has steel wheels.
I put the new jack to the test lifting the Mini with a length of 2x4. The first try the 2x4 slipped with a bang. It slip out by more than an inch on one side so suddenly that is plain scary. I thought it was me that failed to butt the 2x4 tightly by the vertical drop of the side skirt. On second try again bang. The 2x4 edge split lengthwise and again one side slipped out very suddenly with the jack still have 1/4 way to go. What gives? This never happen with my K-Mart special. It is plain dangerous to use.
I actually pre-align the two tiny casters on the second try so the jack will move out as the lift arm traces the small arc. The problem is the roller wheel diameter at the lift end. It is only 1 1/2 inch. Because of it the jack does not adjust the horizontal as the arm goes up. This overcomes the friction between the 2x4 and the Mini side skirt. These wheels are simply too small for used on rough outdoor surfaces.
When you jack up your car on one side, there are two geometries at play. The rising side of the car follows an arc the radius is the track. The jack describes a much smaller arc with the radius the length of the jack arm. These two arcs pull in opposite direction and the wheels of the jack are there to accommodate the movement of the jack.
On the contrary, the wheels on my K-Mart special is 3 inches, twice that of this new and "improved" fancy looking jack. Spec wise the new jack suggests an inch or so more range than my K-Mart special. That too fell short as the HF 1.5 ton arm stops to rise at about 50 degrees, while the H-Mart goes to about 80, despite it has a shorter arm.
It is going back to HF.
the 2x4 actually slipped back in as I lowered the jack but you can see it is crooked
again the 2x4 slipped out, but slipped back in as I quickly lower the jack in alarm
this 1.5" diameter roller simply does not roll in outdoor pavement and my pavement is not bad
the K-Mart special has generous 3" wheels on the business end
I found a photo of the $179 HF top of the line "racing" jack. It sure looks nice. Most people don't realize, AL jacks has a lot of steel components and typically the weight saving is only around 1/3.
I think the wheels on the business end are 2.25" dia.
The reason I want a second jack is dragging my 3.5 ton steel jack from one side of the Mini to the other side causes a lot of commotion in my otherwise peaceful neighbourhood. I am that guy that always working on his cars in the driveway. I am the only guy in my neighbourhood that has an pneumatic impact wrench, and an air ratchet to boot.
Oh, I entertained getting a pair of these $40 light weight AL jack stands too to double up (that means 6 jack stands in all) as I am paranoid Mini might attempt to kill me for the abuse I cause on track, when I am under. As I check the range to the $17 steel counterpart I realize the major shortcoming with the pricier AL ones. The range is the same, but the increments are wider apart. This alone is reason enough to stay with the cheap $17 one.
also I use a thin sheet of plywood if I'm on asphalt or gravel, so the jack wont dig it and will move freely when jacking, most tracks require this as the jacks will hurt the asphalt when hot
Not really sure why you are such a jerk, when I bought it they only sold one, here it is
Your posts are typical useless that waste others time and your post history is the testament.
Do a search on Norhtern tool jack and you will see. You fail to comprehend my point of how the manner of the jack is used except to again show you made a superior purchase.
Even you lifted your finger because of my jerk post to add a photo, it is equally useless as it only show the incomplete whole of it. It looks nearly identical to the one from HF. Plywood don't do too well for concentrated 1500 lb of a roller that is 1.5" diameter. I am glad it work for you. Yes. Putting the jack at the corner jack point will lesser the problem, but that is not my long post is all about.
you can clearly see which jack I bought, big red 1 1/2 ton they sell it all over, home depot, tractor supply, it was the only small jack at northern tool when I bought it. It works quite a bit better than the little HF jack I just bought for the garage, I thought they would work the same, they dont the HF jack needs the handle fully brought up to fill the piston, in cramped space it's a pain
all of these jacks need to move when you jack, use a jack pad, you will need one if you continue to HPDE as most tracks REQUIRE them, and if you are jacking in a sand or gravel parking lot, it's dangerous without one
I really only post on here to help people, sorry you dont feel value in it. that's your problem not mine, why are you searching my posts? That's kinda creepy stalker like
Yesterday's shopping trip wasn't all loss. I broke down and went to HD to get a 1/4" box wrench just for used on the Wilwood bleeder's cute tiny nipples (no censor please).
a shot of my Mini parked out of the way of HD shopping cart dings
I have looked at these ever increasing offering of battery powered 1/4" impact gun a thousand times. You get stiffed if you only buy the gun kit with the battery and charger as opposed to the drill and impact gun bundle. The main price adder is the A Hr of the battery or batteries. I looked at the HF offering and the Hercules is quite good but I don't think I am ready to trust HF on tools like this. I like the idea of the Rigid for their line with brushless motors but they charge you for it.
Last time when I had a need I invested in $3.50 of hex to square adapter bits to use with my Panasonic cordless drill and that got the job done. Oh, I like how they all give torque in in-lb instead of ft-lb. It is like the car dealer tell the customers the low monthly payment, and obscure the recurring total number.
I use Chrome as most other browsers sux. Here is what is served to me while reading Washington Post.
at least it know where my mind is at and priorities are, except the entities that pay for the ads Google wins, but their clueless corporate customers failed
I finally found my set of feeler gauge. I have this like forever. Much better than guessing with the uncalibrated eyeballs.
I hate driving the racing pads on street so in goes the BP-10 street pads.
I have this since school days; the rust stains are the testament of being caught in thunderstorms a few times working as a shade tree mechanic
I have not appreciate how good this little jack is until trying out the HF aluminium 1.5 jack which put the Mini at risk
Now paying attention to the danger issue, I can see the wheels turn and inch forward with each stroke raising the jack. This would be the thing to watch from now on for safety. I have developed the habit to reseat the jack stands on the toy jack side when putting the Mini up on 4 jack stands. Tipped over jack stand can make a bad day of car wrenching fun.
while it takes like 35 pumps from fully lowered to max height it is much batter to have a secure jack you can trust
I would keep the HF 1.5 ton if I work inside the garage's smooth floor. I already have a very good 3.5 ton steel jack and just don't need another jack to add storage challenge. When I picked up the HF 1.5 ton jack, I had the intention of giving my neighbour my old trusty steel toy jack. Little did I expect the outcome. I should also mention, the HF 1.5 ton AL jack did not seem any lighter than my toy steel jack. I long lost the label of mine but I seem to remember it is actually a 2 or 2.5 tonner, despite of its diminutive size.
BTW, my 3.5 ton has 3.5" wheels on the business end. What some people don't realize. These trolly jacks that offered by the most prestigious brands down to you get-no-respect HF, like your LCD TVs, most are made in the same factory (ODMs) in Asian countries like China or Vietnam. The factory will cater to different color, cosmetics embellishments the corporate customers' need. I see the same HF jacks sold under countless number of brands all over the internet. Many priced at 2x to 3x higher.
Goodyear
lowly HF
Big Red
I am very glad Eddie pointed out the rotor to caliper gap should heel the thermal expansion on track driving; ; I was overzealous in closing the gap
And Eddie is right that the rotor hat is hub-centric. It is just not as tightly fit like the stock cast iron rotor.
04-26-2018, 12:06 PM
I've gotten very good as crawling in and out under the car as a part time grease monkey. 
; I also checked out the power from the "cigarette lighter" too 
I have yet to decide what analyzing software to use.
