LocostUSA.com

Applied externally or taken internal?

Kristian- Did we get some pictures through to Pat? If you need more or different or whatever, lemme know. Maybe email me directly, GonzoRacer@yahoo.com.

Last but not least, Chuck (rx7locost) is a great guy! Via Facebook (since the f**king server for this forum won't let me in most of the time) Chuck and I discussed alternator wiring, switches and fuses and diodes -OH MY!- and he actually 'splained it so that even Bubba can understand. I'm a couple of wire splices and a spare lightbulb away from having the alternator wired up and ready to test. THANK YOU, CHUCK!

Stay tuned, we may have a video of the test-startup of the new and improved Slotus with power steering and alternator. Or we may have a video of a massive fire in my back yard. Either way, come back soon!


Peace, Love and 80 Amp Fuses-
JDK

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

Your welcome JD. But the thanks may be premature. Maye you should wait until things actually are working before thanking me.

With all this added modern features, next you'll be adding A/C and power windows. but first you'll need to add Windows! I can reccomend 8.1 or 10. Stay away from Vista.





And while we are on the subject of 80Amp fuses, Here's on oldie but goodie:

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

That 350-Amp and the 130-Amp fuses are heavy favorites here in the Ozarks!

_________________
Mike - Read my story at http://twinlakesseven.blogspot.com/

And, this morning, the forum allows me back in... Again... For a day or two... Maybe...So, what we have here is a mounting br@cket (EEEEK!) cut out of a piece of heavy plastic originally intended to be side skirts or an air dam. Sitting on that, near the back of the picture, is an inline 30-amp fuseholder and fuse for the "signal" wire from the alternator to the battery. In front is an 80 amp fusible link inline with the main "charge" wire from alternator to battery. Both of those are as per the Me-Otter wiring diagram. Since I took that picture there is now a blue wire from the "light" terminal on the alternator to (wait for it...) a light on the dash which then goes to a fused circuit on the original switch panel/fusebox on the dash.

And when I turn on the ignition, the light lights up. And when I start the motor the light goes out. Yay! I get about 14.5 volts when the motor is running and back to 12 and change (Harbor Freight voltmeter) when it's off. Bubba says "Sounds like we is alternatorizing to me." Yay again! (HamDip says "Yay" in her text messages when something good happens. I'm just being cool, hip and trendy and copying her... )

The power steering seems to be power steering-izing too, but I haven't actually made a test run with it yet. Lemme splain why...

Having run the motor for a few 5 or maybe 10 minute test sessions whilst I was checking out the alternator and power steering stuff, I noticed that the catch can on the radiator overflow was about 3/4 full of antifreeze/water. Weird, I thought... So I drained it and poured the stuff back into the radiator cap. I started the motor with the cap still off, so I could check that things were flowing as they should. I've done that before, with the old electric drive I had on the water pump. Now, however, with the belt driven pump, it overflowed and splashed antifreeze every-damn-where. I turned it off, put the cap on it and re-started while watching that catch can. In no time there was in inch or so of antifreeze in the can (Plastic jug, actually.) It continued to flow into the catch can as long as the motor ran. And this was from a cold start! (In other words, it ain't overheating!)

Bad radiator cap? Bad something else? Pulley too small on the water pump and over-driving it? (I'm making that one up...) Anybody? I'm gonna try a new cap later today. In the meantime, assuming I can keep access to the forum, y'all chime in with ideas, smart-a$$ comments, or actual suggestions. I'll be around...

Right now, my coffee has gotten cold while I was typing this stuff, so I'm going to the kitchen for a warm-up. See ya later!


Peace, Love and Ethylene Glycol-
JDK

_________________
JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

First smart a$$ reply!
If you do not have an expansion tank, the water has to go somewhere.
Did you bleed the air out of the system at the highest point while filling it?
I have to go through the bleed and topping off procees, then running, 3 or 4 times since my rad is lower then the engine to get all the air out of the system.
You may want to add a small plug or cap at the high point in the system to make life easier. Dave W

Sounds like you are alternatorizing to me, too.

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

Sorry to disappoint ya, Dave, but that ain't nowhere near as smart a$$ as it might be. It's actually a good suggestion.

How-some-ever, The cooling system on the Slotus in its most recent form has the fill port and radiator cap at the very highest point on the system, thusly: It has always been at that height, although it was turned 90* from where you see it now before I added the alternatizer and power steer. (On the Slotus, that's more like "power bull"!!!)

Earl has suggested we might add a thermostat to reduce the flow rate out of the pump and hopefully reduce the pressure. Failing that, there's always the old trick of cutting off every other impeller blade...

Earl also brought home his test rig for the cap and to measure the pressure on the system. We'll be playing with that a little later today. Stay tuned!

_________________
JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

You probably should have an under drive water pump pulley. Stock pumps aren't really used to working at red line RPMs, they ensure good enough flow for traffic jams with air-cnditioning on and towing trailers etc. The angle of the blades is wrong to run at really high speed so even removing half of them doesn't really address the problem, it can cavitate - that is form vacuum bubbles on the back of the blades.

You should have a thermostat, that also helps with cavitation since it's harder to form the vacuum bubbles when there is more pressure in the pump, which is provided by the restriction of the thermostat. If you don't like the thermostat, you should have the correct size steel washer to simulate an open thermostat.

If you were road racing you would see these problems right away, I think your lucky because you are not running for more than a few minutes of time.

You should get a HAZMAT suit and then put in the air conditioning and install a hose from that to your suit! That will be cool because you will look like an astronaut and because it will be cool ( in your suit ).

The water needs to go somewhere when it expands, don't fight that because something will break or the hoses will just swell up if your lucky.

Good luck!

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Marcus Barrow - Car9 an open design community supported sports car for home builders!
SketchUp collection for LocostUSA: "Dream it, Build it, Drive it!"
Car9 Roadster information - models, drawings, resources etc.

Yo! Anybody out there??? So, after days of "blackout" conditions, I'm once again able to get into the forum and (I HOPE!) post something...

Since we last met, I've re-built the alternator mount to line it up better and get rid of a squealy belt problem. It almost worked... I guess version #3 will be up shortly.

I also tried testing the pressure on the cooling system with Earl's test rig. With it attached to the filler cap location, I started the engine and let it get good and warm. It read about 12 psi, which is about right, and most tellingly, it did not bypass any water into the overflow tank. Hmmmm... Only thing different is the test rig -vs- a radiator cap.

So, off to Carquest I go. After returning with a new radiator cap and a 180* thermostat, I set to work. First, I re-did the alternatizer mount and got it damn near straight, best I can tell. I put the new cap on the filler neck and cranked things up. Belt noise was gone. (Yay!) Then I let things warm up and all seemed well. No water in the tank, temp gauge is up to about 180. I let the engine run a while, revved it up a few times, turned the fan off for a few minutes to let things get good and hot and it never pumped any water into the tank. Hmmmm.... I think I found the problem.

And then the other problem... Now the motor and the coolant and the thermostat housing are all about 190*... Guess I'll install that new thermostat after it cools down a bit. Then, test drive time! I'd better tell the neighbors to lock up the chickens...

Stay tuned for that episode, coming soon to a car-builder's forum near you!


Peace, Love and Scaldin' Hot Prestone-
JDK

_________________
JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

I got nothin JD, just thought I'd bump you to the top

_________________
Perry

'If man built it, man can fix it'
"No one ever told me I couldn't do it."
"If you can't build it safe, don't build it."

Perry's Locost Super Che7enette Build
Perry's TBird Based 5.0L Super 7 L.S.O
Perry's S10 Super 7 The 3rd
Perry's 4th Build The Topolino 500 (Little Mouse) Altered
Perry's 5th Build the Super Slant 6 Super 7
Perry's Final Build the 1929 Mercedes Gazelle

Good, cause JD likes to be on top!

_________________
mobilito ergo sum
I drive therefore I am

I can explain it to you,
but I can't understand it for you.

And just like that, I can post again... It comes and goes...

So does my luck with building a damn car. I got the thermostat installed and tested. Things seemed to be working and I was moving stuff out of the way to go for a test drive. The engine sputtered a time or two and shut down. Wouldn't re-start. I fiddled with it a bit, no luck. Next day, it started and ran rough for a minute, spit back through the intake, shut down. Wouldn't re-start. This when on for days. In the meantime, I have checked everything I know...

It's got spark. It's got fuel. I discovered the new alternator blocks the view of the timing marks, but it appears to be "on time" best I can tell. I tried a different coil. Tried with and without the "test point connector" that links the PCM to the distributor. Tried a different module on the distributor itself. I took apart the wiring harness to the distributor and to the coil and checked all the connections. Finally, I bought an entire new (rebuilt) distributor and installed that. Nothing. SOB turns over, sputters once in a while, won't fire.

I'm thinking about buying a used Oldsmobile station wagon and calling it quits.


JDK

_________________
JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

You have to tell Bubba not to touch the engine when you have the distributor out.
Off a tooth or possible 180* out on the new distributor?
Dave W

JD, lets wallow in our misery. Rarely (but it does happen), the Duratec will run very roughly. Like it's on three cylinders. Downshift to 4th, rev up, it immediately smooths out. Upshift back to 5th, and it remains smooth.

WTF?

But in the meantime, are you sure about your fuel delivery? Pretend its got a carb and pour some gasoline into the intake.

Bill

Yes, that's the next step. Can you put a timing light on #1 and prove it's timed correctly? Then put the light on the rest of the wires just to prove they're sparking. If they are, you have oxygen, you have spark, you may have a fuel issue. I've poured a little gas down the intake, on some hard to reach intakes I've given it a whiff of starting fluid once I took the air filter out. If it fires then you need to troubleshoot the fuel system.

_________________
Perry

'If man built it, man can fix it'
"No one ever told me I couldn't do it."
"If you can't build it safe, don't build it."

Perry's Locost Super Che7enette Build
Perry's TBird Based 5.0L Super 7 L.S.O
Perry's S10 Super 7 The 3rd
Perry's 4th Build The Topolino 500 (Little Mouse) Altered
Perry's 5th Build the Super Slant 6 Super 7
Perry's Final Build the 1929 Mercedes Gazelle