Kit's Ph1 172

[imprezaworks]

Wasn't aware pms did one, not that I have looked. All you hear about is the whiteline one. Will look into the pms one
Thanks

 

[KitsonRis]

Wasn't aware pms did one, not that I have looked. All you hear about is the whiteline one. Will look into the pms one
Thanks

I think it is a better piece of kit, it looks a lot sturdier. Also doesn't hang as low underneath the car as Whiteline. From what I have driven the car it has made a big difference.

 

[imprezaworks]

Cheers.

 

[KitsonRis]

I was right, I have had a falling out with the car today.....it's decided to be a three cylinder :weary::rage: after checking all plugs, leads and injector wiring and resetting the EML it was running fine, I left it idling for ages. Then went to drive it, got less than a mile and EML came back on and a cylinder stopped working. I am hoping I didn't put it back together properly, but hope I haven't as that would be embarrassing! It was as if it idles fine but then when you put it under any load it stopped. Little bit stuck to what it is, might start replacing parts to see if that solves it. So somehow it went from working to not in a day!!

 

[KitsonRis]

I still need to figure out how to upload pictures direct from my phone! But here is one of the spark plugs, they all look the same

Oh and obligatory alignment print out when I got the new tyres fitted :tongueclosed: not sure how the right rear camber can go from OK to bad without it being touched! Unless it is some kind of live screen shot kind of thing and there is just some variations due to virbations and that in the garage.

I then got back home and my step dad says stop farting about with my car I have to align his Corsa's wheel! So this is how it was done:

Can't quite see the pieces of cotton thread from the wheels to th axel stands. It was measured several times to make sure. But it appears to have worked and got the toe set up how he wants. He did his old kit car in the same way and he never chanegd that once set up. Looking forward to getting the Clio out on track with this, should be evenly matched. The Clio is a better car (his words, not mine!) but he is a much better driver.

 

[KitsonRis]

Back to 4 cylinder!!! Injector 1 was faulty, so I replaced that.
Fuel rail out....eventually!

Ready for a bit of a clean

New injector ready to go in.

I know I should have chanegd all 4 I think, mainly as a precuation kind of thing. Glad it is working now.
About to purchase Castle Coombe Action day track time, first outing with all the winter work done. I know it is not the best type of track time to test it, but I just want to get out there! I think i am going to book Anglesey for April and spend the day there trying out new stuff.
And about to start the process of getting a new exhaust made and fitted. Hopefully that will add some more noise! But more noise in a better way and not some chavvy badger catcher on the back

 

[KitsonRis]

So.....4 cylinders are over rated, it's all about running 3. Yes, the car decided to be a 3 cylinder again today. I gave it a bit of a push joining the M5, got to about 6k and it hesitated and then decided to be a 3 cylinder. I thought it was the rev limiter, but I got confused as I was nowhere near the red line. The EML is flashing so I am assume injector fault again. Annoyingly I am about an hour from home to check anything. I have hardly used the car since fixing it, less than 50miles, so it's annoying.

But in other good news, currently sat at Infinity Exhausts getting a new system made up!!! Hopefully will sound a bit more race car like....when it's running properly again!!

 

[Jekyll]

Mate, you don't seem to be having much luck of late!

 

[KitsonRis]

Mate, you don't seem to be having much luck of late!

Tell me about it!! Hoping it's a simple fix, like a loose connection and not another new injector. I also have limited time to fix it as I am busy next two weekends and then it's track time at Combe! May have to take a day off work

 

[Jekyll]

When you mentioned about eml I though lambda, but unsure if a lambda would cause this issue?

I think a day off work would be wise as time is getting closer to the track day!

 

[KitsonRis]

It's the same symptoms as before so I am pretty certain injector, and isn't flashing EML injector? But the EML doesn't stay on like it did. It flashes for a while and then stops for a bit before flashing again. Before it flashed for a while and then went constant on, then back to flashing. Although when it went before I had no power, struggled to get above 30mph. But I have just driven down the motorway at 70 like it and it pulls, just badly. It is as if it needs a boot full to clear a blockage. But I am scared to do that! And yes I know driving in the state it was in is bad, but I was seriously hacked off with it and I lost my ability to care for a while.
I also want the car Easter weekend so I need to get it sorted before then, but so busy at work to squeeze a day off. But car >> work!!

 

[KitsonRis]

r****d moment.....injector wasn't actually connected. Not sure how it happened. Simple fix!!!
New exhaust is pretty damn fine. Custom made job. Centre silencer, decat and a single tip. Top notch! It's about 90dB at 4500rpm so will pass noise limits with ease. And the noise it makes is bang on. Really happy with it!!!

 

[KitsonRis]

Looks like the Clio is staying for another year, just renewed my membership.

 

[Jekyll]

Any pics of the exhaust?

 

[KitsonRis]

Any pics of the exhaust?

I have forgotten to take some!! I will have to do it tomorrow.

 

[Jekyll]

:up:

 

[KitsonRis]

EXHAUST PHOTO! I am in love with it. Any one want an exhaust, go get one from Infinity.

The guy who fitted it was very complimentory over the home made exhaust mount, said it was the best he had seen. This made my brother happy as he made it. Tiger Seal ftw
Also had a quick wash.

But washing it has made me want to re-orange the wheels and mirrors. They are looking tired. But if I do this I want to do something about the paint work. Roof needs doing, and will be done next month. But temtped to wrap the car, some kind of race livery/lairy colours, but would rather spend the money on actual performance parts.
But back to wheels.....I think the ones off the Mk 1 RSi would be pretty cool. And should be cheap as they are not Williams ones. But not sure if they fit or what size they are.

I would love one as a daily car. Mother used to have one and it was pretty cool. She didn't know how capable it was until my step dad drove it. He also "borrowed" it once and was confused why the back seats were taken out of it. He took it on a track day the following day without telling her, hero!

 

[KitsonRis]

After the track session today at Combe all of the work that has been done this winter makes perfect sense. The car is totally different to what it was and is so much better. It has highlighted some areas for improvement and I can't wait to get started on them!!

 

[Saamjohn]

After the track session today at Combe all of the work that has been done this winter makes perfect sense. The car is totally different to what it was and is so much better. It has highlighted some areas for improvement and I can't wait to get started on them!!

Was nice to meet you today mate! Hope you and Dave had a great time on track

 

[KitsonRis]

Was nice to meet you today mate! Hope you and Dave had a great time on track

We had such a good time thanks. I know I need to make an effort for these things. When's the next thing?

 

[Saamjohn]

We had such a good time thanks. I know I need to make an effort for these things. When's the next thing?

I loved them seats haha! , and not sure mate but once I sort myself out I need to get on track

 

[KitsonRis]

I loved them seats haha! , and not sure mate but once I sort myself out I need to get on track

What is it with those seats??!? They aren't anything special! I had quite a few comments about them yesterday. I was going to swap them out but I might not now.

 

[KitsonRis]

So a bit more about yesterday as I am on my computer now, I hate using my phone as the Google App doesnt work well for the forum.
Weather could not have been better, I definately caught the sun. So track time.....was amazing! I thought the 4pm slot would be quiet, no it wasn't. I got mugged by everything, apart from an MR2. A few more laps I would have had the Focus ST and Imprezza. Therefore I have decided I am lacking power......ITB's and cams time??
But the car handled really well, was let down by a few bad gear changes - a 5th to 2nd at 90mph going into Avon Rise. Yes I missed 4th. And then I struggled to get a few gears. I think this is the thing that I need to address, solid dog bone mount and a PMS shifter kit?? There was a bit of a moment coming out of the Essess, I was going too fast into it and attacked it too hard and the rear step out on the way out, nothing major but Dave, my mate who was in the passenger seat, cheered like I was a hero and wanted me to do it again! I think the suspension could have been firmer, but one session isn't really a good oportunity to have a peroper shake down. I will start playing with settings when I have a whole day at Llandow, but work and a stag do means I wont be able to get out on track until June.
I was lapping about 1min 33sec, which was 2 seconds quicker than my step dad in his Corsa. Thats the first time I was timed around Combe so not sure if it was quicker, but I felt a lot better. But my lap times were quicker than his due to the car and not my driving!!

 

[Jekyll]

Good stuff through mate

 

[KitsonRis]

Not much has happened recently, I have been busy since Combe. But this has turned up:

Hopefully this will help, and will put my arse into gear in getting the other bushes done. Will probably get a grage to do it as I do not have the patients to do all the bushes or really fair on my brother to take out several days to help. I would have fitted the dog bone mount, but I got a bit scared as the last time I took a gear box mount off (I was helping to swap an engine in an Sunbeam Alpine) the whole engine dropped trapping my finger between the sump and exhaust. I was VERY lucky to not break it or cut it off, was trapped for about 5mins. So yeah, will be getting help to do this....aka get my brother to change it lol.
Bought this sticker for me and my step dad seeing as we both have orange wheel'd silver cars!! Was a pig to get right as the can isn't a square shape and the writing is curved so nothing to line it up to. I am not 100% certain it is correct I may buy a second and have another go. Hopefully this will be the start of a race car kind of livery, nothign too mental, just a few graphics. But really the Tango sticker is a bit of fun.

Also had a play with mounting a camera in the car. I use it for mountain biking and thought it would be good in the car. But it is really hard to mount as I don't know how it will work once I get footage as the stills are slightly different to the video shot (must use a different settings for them both). But I put it at the top of the window like so:

But I am going to put a sun strip on (about to purchase one now) so this might be very obscured!! Sun strip to about the level of the dots behind the interior mirror. But the view of the driver is pretty cool.

The best place I have found is on top of the dash over the instrument pannel, but that blocks my view! I could put it above the clock but you see quite a lot of wipers. So I am going to fit the sun strip and then see what it looks like where I had it in these pictures.

 

[KitsonRis]

First bit of proper tinkering since Combe last month. So the bag of goodies I had to fit

Coil Pack, HT leads, injectors, sun strip and an Evol Engineering dog bone mount. Only changing the leads and pack as precaution, my brother thought there was a slight missfire and I can't find any paper work to say it has been done. However.....the leads were totally wrong. Fine, I will just do that another day. Then came to fit the coil pack.....different plug on it! Great, first two jobs started and the car had to be put back together without anything being changed! I wasn't given any option when buying these but when I tookt hem back for a refund there were two they could have offered. Doesn't matter as I will just replace the coil pack with a proper genuine one and might invest in some Magnecore leads from K-Tec, but not sure if they are worth it.

Tripod car

My brother was a bit confused if the manifold on the car is standard or unpraged. I haven't had it changed so i just assumed it was standard. He says it is the nicest standard manifold he has seen!

Changed the injectors as I was sometimes still getting a flashing EML despite it throwing no fault codes or running badly. I changed one back in March and I knew I should have changed all 4 at the time, so I just swapped the remaining three. Not sure if it is a placebo effect but the car feels a bit more immediate. However the old ones were full of crud.

Dog bone mount was a straight swap over, really impressed with it. Makes everything feel a lot tighter with the gear changes. But there are a lot more vibrations in the car, can feel and hear them. The car makes a different noise when starting up, but that has to be the body work shaking!

Undershot of the car showing the exhaust

Then the sunstrip was a massive fail. We followed the instructions - line it up, remove all of the backing, place approximately on the window then work from the middle out. But the strip just clung to the window and wouldn't come off without stretching. Managed to get it int he right place but there was so many bubbles and creases. It look so gash I took it off and didn't waste my time taking a picture of it, it was embarresing. Think the instructions were wrong for the material, brother thought it was a wrap like material as it was stretchy and not a vinyl and the instructions would have worked for a vinyl. Bit of a learning point, will just do it again. But I got one with "Renault Clio" in orange on. I was never sure about it and I thought the lettering was printed onto the strip, it wasn't so this was good as I would have not put it on as after I bought it "Renault Sport" would have been better. So I stuck the lettering on the inside of my door incase I forget what car I drive. Might have to get another to go on the other side.

So 2 out of 5 jobs I wanted to get done yesterday were completed!! Partially my fault as I should have bought the right parts but wasn't given an option on variants, only price, which I didn't get the cheapest as I know how bad they can be.

Gave the car a bit of clean love. Step mum's new Golf came with an Auto Glym cleaning pack and said help myself...so I did! I know the Detail Police might have something to say as it probably isn't the "in" products to use, but it's a track slag and not a show queen. Driving >> Cleaning.

Bit of a wax first after a nice wash

First time EVER I have used something on the tyres, they do look quite smart (just ignore the wheels as they need re-painting/powder coating).

Also did the glass with something, not sure what it was but it was in that cleaning pack.
Car actually looks really smart after that bit of a clean. It now made me a bit more motivated to when I have more time polish it and then re-wax it. The sun was too bright to get any good photos of the shine of it.

Gave the exhaust tip a quick polish

Then I notice this

The hanger mount has pulled the back silencer material away. Not happy about that. But I am about to drop Infinity an e-mail with picture to sort out getting it fixed. Has a life time warrenty so that is good, but I wouldn't pay for this repair anyway as it isn't that old and it hasn't been damaged. Just need to see what their customer service/after care is like, as they were really helpfull when I was enquiring and getting to sorted to start with.

Next month I am going to get the roof wrapped. I keep saying "next month" but I mean it this time! And then I have seen an idea of what to do with the rest of the paint work/graphics. Keep that idea to myself for now, but need to find somewhere that will print and apply graphics.....

Oh and track time....just about to book Llandow for next month. Love that little track. And my step dad has just started to pipe up about this year's the Nurburgring for September. I was unable to go last year.

 

[Jekyll]

That's the standard manifold BTW.

Also, shame about the exhaust, but as you say, it's a lifetime guarantee so all should be good.

 

[KitsonRis]

I was certain it was, not sure what he was expecting!
Yeah it is a bit annoying, but hopefully will get it sorted with ease.

 

[KitsonRis]

Exhaust = SORTED!! Took it down to Infinity first thing this morning, was in there less than 30mins and it was mended. Got them to fit a Powerflex exhaust mount to replace the one that broke. Good service again, I cannot fault.

But the car has now developed a whining noise which I think is coming from the gear box.....great! Might try and confirm what it is (somehow?!) and then maybe sort a replacement one out before this one goes so the car isn't off the road for too long. Hopefully Llando doesn't kill it next month!

If Llandow is sucessful I will book CSF if there are tickets and track time still avaialble. There are a few extra spendings this month and potentially next with moving house and that and a track day can wait.

 

[KitsonRis]

Did a track day at Llandow yesterday. Was pretty damn good. Arrived and there were loads of other Clios ther, this got me worried as I knew I was going to be shown up. However, this was not the case which really surprised me!!

Team Tango.

Car was faultless. I could really push it yesterday without worrying about it. I knew the track as I have driven there several times before, which probably gave me a bit of an advantage. Played about with the suspension adjustment, which is going to annoy my girlfriend as I told her it can go softer....turns out it was on the softest setting when I put the shocks on and I didn't touched the adjustment, whoops!!
Didn't notice the lack of power in it. I think it is down on power due to its age and the amount of abuse it has had over the years. But the tight sections were where the car shone.

The Ph1 Sunflower that was there. Nice looking car. My step dad is yet to send me a few of his photos, some of which are a good few shots of me and the Sunflower through the Bus Stop. I'll post them when I get them

Step dad drove it and was very impressed with it, said it handled better than his Corsa. He shall not be driving it again as the way he flew past me, as I was driving his, was insane. He used it how it should be! He also ruined my MPG. I was getting 17.4mpg and then he does this:

The day had to be cut a little early. The Corsa decided it didn't want a front hub nut. This caused the whole wheel to wobble and knock and there was no braking in it as the caliper moved. Hub nut didn't come off but came very loose. Damage to the disc but not sure what else or why this has happened. The Clio's only scars are I have no front brakes left. The front wheels are not as oranage as they were, and susbsequently ruined.

The heat has made the brake dust get into the paint and now it looks gash. The rears cleaned up well but the fronts need a refurb. ANNOYING!. Oh and a message to RTR George next month to purchase some new discs and pads as the N/S front is making an awful grinding noise unde braking, it is as if there is no pad. The outside pad is very thin but I havent taken the wheel off yet to see what the other pad is like. Apart from that the day was very sucessful! Need to get something sorted asap.

The car is booked in to get the roof wrapped black this Friday. So this will mke me do the wheels sooner as they will be the only thing letting the appearance down.

 

[KitsonRis]

Got the pictures from my Step Dad. Somehow not the best quality, they looked really good on his phone.

The Imprezza got the BTCC treatment....wasn't moving over for me so I turned on the lights. It worked. Probably bit of a dick move on my behalf but he was just getting in the way. I was a lot quicker than him into, through and out of the corners, the the extent I was coasting through them. But then just boosted down the straights. This is really annoying and not track etiquette.

 

[KitsonRis]

Not done much on the car last weekend. I did get the roof wrapped as I sort of ruined it - never use a heat gun on the inside of the roof if the outside is wet, I burnt water marks into the lacquer. I couldn't get a picture of it, but no one had seen anything like it. But now it is black. It does the job and looks smart. Also got a sun strip put on at the same time, it was getting really annoying not having any sun visors! Not sure if my camera will be blocked by the sun strip now, may have to make an extension for it.

It was quite hard to get a picture of the roof, the sun was in the totally wrong place and there was too much glare. Looks a lot better in the pictures.
It does make me want to get a V6 rep spoiler now....

Had a quick poke around under the car to try and diagnose the grinding brakes. I can confirm I have no pad left on the N/S front inside pad. The inside of the disc is pretty scored now, but they were due for a replace so not too fussed. Next month's job as I am busy the next few weekends and rather spend the money then, it has been expensive this month. Wanted a cage next month but the lack of brakes is stopping me driving it.

Then I noticed this - the N/S drive shaft appears to have rubbed on the chassis. @Mash. did you have somthing similar I remeber reading in your thread? How did you solve it?

Not sure how this has happened. But it is either from doing two 10min sessions at Llandow on the softest suspension setting by accident (didn't realise they were on the softest!) and seeing as it is a right hand circuit the it would appear the shocks hace compressed allowing rubbing.
OR...
when I first fitted the suspension I went around a really tight mini roundabout and some other tight corners, like in a car park, with a friend in the passenger seat and there was an awful rubbing noise, which i thought was the bumper on the ground. Didn't make this noise when alone in the car so thought it was just that my fat mate wasn't helping. But seeing this and no bumper scrape it could be this.
Going to put some insuluation tape around it and go for a drive to see if it rubs or marks. If it does then it needs addressing. If not then I am unsure what to do.

 

[Mash.]

New ASTs is the only fix

(stiffer spring rates)

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[KitsonRis]

That is not the response I wanted......haha.
not sure what my spring rates are, or even if I can get stiffer ones.

 

[Mash.]

raise the front then bud

 

[KitsonRis]

Did a but of work on the car this weekend...changed the front discs and pads. Wanted to remove the arch linings at the same time to clean the crud from behind, but ran out of time. Plus one of the lining bolts was about to round off and I didn't have a replacement.
Old stuff ready to come off:

No wonder I had an awful grinding noise when braking, I think there is meant to be a break pad here:

The other three had quite a bit of life left in them, this one - N/S on the inside of the caliper - there was nothing.
Bought Brembo HC discs DS2500 pads to go on, the HC discs do not look as cool as the Max ones I previously had, knew I should have bought them!

However I struggled like mad to get them to fit. Did the standard file the bit off the ends/tabs to get them the right length. Managed to get them to fit inside the caliper but they wouldn't slide. Nothing was working, so I got angry as I needed the car working so went up GSF and bought a set of cheap budget pads to get the car to at least work as the MoT test is next week and this was the only time I have at fixing it. Turns out the Ferodo pads are a slightly different shape to the Brembo ones that came off and the cheap ones I bought, The Brembo / cheap ones are flatter along the bottom, the Ferodo ones are rounded, like they have more material.

However.....the instructions I got from RTR George when I bought them says you can run them without the carrier shims. Told my step dad this later that day and he called me an idiot and why didn't I say this before as this would have worked! Messaged George to confirm, so will sort them out next weekend. The cheap ones were never going to stary, just to get the car working. I hope they fit my 1.4 Ph2 daily Clio as they can on there!!

I needed a second person to apply the brake to clamp the disc to undo the disc bolts and spacers, but I was home alone. But I had a box full of discs brakes! Worked very well.

Few more plans....need to source two wheels to get them painted up orange as mine need a refurb. I can't have the car standing on axle stands for long periods of time so I have to get two wheels and paint two at a time, swap the tyres over and then do the other two. Not an issue as I will have two spare wheels.
Also the savings fund for a rebuilt engine and ITBs is coming along nicely!!

But things may have to take a back seat as my step dad has just bought an E36 328i for our trip to the Nurburgring in September. That went through a flood and the engine stopped and has been stood for two years. So it needs a bit of tlc. Engine change and other jobs in 10 weeks should be easy....!! I don't have any pictures of it, but picking it up hopefully next weekend to start work. If this isn't ready the Clio is the back up car.

 

[Jekyll]

Shocks need raising bud if there doing that.

Good thing is, you can adjust the height with compromising the rebound on the springs. Cool design really.

However you may want to wind the springs up a tad to make it a bit stiffer.

 

[KitsonRis]

Shocks need raising bud if there doing that.

Good thing is, you can adjust the height with compromising the rebound on the springs. Cool design really.

However you may want to wind the springs up a tad to make it a bit stiffer.

Yeah I haven't touched ride height, but now I know it needs doing as I noticed the other drive shaft has done the same. Presume it is an eay job to do, like wheel off and move the right adjuster nut thing? Or do I need to remove the lower shock bolts? I have never changed ride height on any car!

 

[Jekyll]

Yep it's as easy as that! Use the 2 larger C-spanners to adjust the height. Anticlockwise to raise it.

It did that on mine but I never got round to altering it again as it looked good :O

 

[KitsonRis]

The spanners and adjusters are kept in the car so there really is no excuse! Fantastic, glad it is an easy job! The bottom adjusters things for height, top for spring rating/stiffness?