Amazon Cars LTD

• Did I mention that we had a Swiss P1800S in for a cam change?
  In brief summary, it was a fresh engine, built to similar spec as our own motors, with our twinspring cylinder head. The owner was disappointed with the 12.5s 0-100kmh time with his K cam, and wanted an improvement.
  • Since that is firmly in the expectation for a good K cam motor, we happily set to and fitted our favourite high lift 300cam from Iskey Cams (USA).
  • Resulting in two power runs of 10.6s: 15% improvement on acceleration is pretty good value for less than a week's work really - I was rather pleased!
• Then, as a treat after a tough week juggling the P18 on a tight deadline and the P2P shipments out to Russia, I put Sophie's 245 on the ramps in an effort to resolve the lumpy idle: the whole car was rocking from side to side.
  The EGR is my usual first port of call when improving the B230 motor, and so it proved this week.
  • I started by plugging the valve from the airfilter to the exhaust bleed pipes, noting that it was full of water.
  • Then off with the carburettor pipe and valve that dumps air into the twin part of the exhaust manifold, and off with the manifold itself.
  • Then remove the EGR bleed tubes into 1&4 and 2&3: these were completely rotten, and the ends of both could be removed by simply bending back and crumbling the pipes
  • I plugged each with weld, then cut the pipe off about 15mm proud of the cylinder head before clamping the four individual (plugged) pipes back into the head.
  • I plugged that inlet in the back of the manifold with weld, and refitted.
  • Eureka: a rock steady idle!
    Incidentally, possibly the single most significant failure of the system as installed was that the carb pipe was loose at the valve, ie air was bleeding into the carburettor manifold flange and therefore making it lean - this would be particularly obvious at idle.
• I brought our little Anderson 22' in from its Orwell mooring at midnight on Saturday, under a very bright full'ish moon, to tie up on the drying posts. 0530 and low water saw me scrubbing and pressure washing the slime off the hull, and scotchpad on the rudder pintle that had an impressive growth of foot long algae.
  • Emma and I are taking advantage of the hoped for fine weekend, and heading south to Dovercourt and Walton Backwaters this afternoon...

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