Tristar Syncro, 2WD to 4WD, more BHP!!

The 27 horse loss is calculated flywheel HP! the real reading is much, much less...

Tee3 wrote: put a diesel in it. Actually, dont, theyre shit.

I don't think I can bring myself to stick one of those 'orrible noisey, smelly lumps in. Mind you the one I have now isn't that much different

MG

Ghia wrote:  As a result I'll either be tearing down my spare 2.1 DJ engine and rebuilding it or looking for something else to put in. Onwards!! now then, Audi Turbo 5 Cyl... 1.8 20V Turbo... TDi... hmmm   MG

Guess who just so happens to have a Audi 2.2 Turbo 5 cylinder engine.

Hehehehe, right now it doesn't seem like a silly idea.

I think if I was going to do that then it'd have to be a turbo engine. With the amount of cash it takes to do an engine conversion, I don't think it's worth messing with anything under 200bhp.

Hmmmmm.

MG

Update on tuning the stock 2.1 DJ engine.

I've been fairly unimpressed with the engine ever since I bought this van. It was clear that there were plently of things wrong with it externally but all gas anylising results and compression tests showed that it wasn't worn, in fact the opposite, it had very low HCs and the compressions were well within spec for a new engine.

My first major trip in the van over to Wales and back (mostly motorway miles @ satnav 65mph @ 3,200rpm) returned 18mpg. Not great! Ok so the only thing I hadn't replaced which was a serviable item was the injectors so I took the spare set I had and had them cleaned by Sewells in Leeds. At £15 each plus v.a.t, I think that's fairly cheap to say that replacements are a minimum £70 each plus v.a.t.

The injectors weren't too bad but 2 of them failed the Leak test and all were down on flow rate. An improvement to say the least.

I've been keeping an eye on emissions etc as the engine has only been in a few weeks and adjusting it accordingley.

I had a call from a friend of mine the other day who has started up his own tuning business called RS Tuning. Paul said that he had just bought and installed a rolling road dyno and invited me to bring a vehicle along. Cool, just the thing to find out why this engine doesn't seem to want to go.

Even with everything I had replaced (without injectors) the first run produced just 77.7bhp . Not good. I was hoping for atleast 85bhp with improvement from there. Hmmmm.

The fuelling wasn't far out but Paul felt that the timing could be advanced so I checked it and he was right, it was running about 3o @ idle (should be 10o). How in the world it had lost 7o in 3 weeks I've no idea. However I reset the timing, swapped over the injectors and checked the mixture at tickover and went for another power run.

84bhp. Ok a definate improvement but still a long way short of the 112bhp which these engines are supposed to have. Paul suggested adjusting the timing while under load to see if anymore power/torque was to be had so while he held the engine @ 3,000rpm, I moved the dizzy to advance and retard the ignition and watched the figures as I did. It turned out that it was already at it's optimum timing and anything either way dropped off power.

Ho-hum. I was so unhappy about the lack of hp that as soon as I got home I whipped a plug out and measured the stroke of the crank. 76mm. Hmmm well it's a 2.1 alright. I think I'll just have to put it down the fact that it's a Volkspares recon with solid followers and I've no idea what camshaft they use when they rebuild them. As a result I'll either be tearing down my spare 2.1 DJ engine and rebuilding it or looking for something else to put in.

Onwards!! now then, Audi Turbo 5 Cyl... 1.8 20V Turbo... TDi... hmmm

MG

Ghia wrote: What do you think?

Machine polish em?

It's nice and clean again and back on street wheels.

I managed to get hold of the factory Cyclone air intake system for it. Aidan supplied the Cyclone and obsolete rubber tube from it to the air filter housind the rest came from VW so now I can go wading or driving through water fast without wondering if it's going to suck a load of water in

Only things remaining to do are fit the protection bars (waiting for brackets from CJ), fit a new O/S/F CV boot (old one has split), get the wheels from Germany (January) and get the aluminium dropsides on.

The dropsides are needing a bit of tlc. They are in generally good condition but the design of the brackets which hold them onto the van isn't fantastic and as a result they get broken. My set have one original which I will have copied (billet aluimium) and the rest have been make out of steel. They bolt on so it's an easy thing to fix. Then I need some factory handles/levers as some of mine have been homemade and the factory ones from steel dropsides are correct. I haven't decided yet whether to have them painted the same colour as the van (as they are in the Brochure) or just leave them as they are.

What do you think?

MG

OK I got the bug for offroading after having seen everyone going off for the weekends drive from Brickwerks.. I think I'll be joining in with the Tristar until the 16 is running.

Best get out and get it running.

MG