The big experiment - amateur 3B shenanigans

[newsh]

Coolio! Well done mate! Now to get it running proper.

[Flat on my back]

And i name this ship...

Oh yeh x10, stunning job.

[Nj]

it's aliiiiiiiiiiiiiive!
I cleaned up the starter contacts, the cable contacts, washers and everything I could reach.. Put all back on nice and tight and woohoo! It turned over. A few fluttery gasps and maybe a dozen attempts and the car started. it runs like sh1ite though. But the main thing is it started at all. I'm a happy bunny indeed.

can someone confirm the order the cylinders should fire in so I can double check the leads on the dizzy cap?

One thing I did notice was a wee puff of smoke in behind the wastegate. Dunno if it came from the join to the downpipe or lower. I didn't keep it running too long but when I tried to give it a wee bit of throttle it gasped and died. I don't want to **** about with it in case it's not firing in the right order.

And.. seatbelts... I need to replace the driver's seatbelt because the one in the car was cut. Paul Nugent sent me a workshop pdf for seatbelts but it mustn't apply to 3Bs. The manual shows a tube where the procon ten cable joins just under the plastic door sill thing. no such luck on the 3B. To take the old one out I had to unhook the end of the cable above where the gearbox should sit and thread it back through the bulkhead into the cabin. I don't know if it's possible to open the seatbelt unit instead but the manual scared me with warnings of pyrotechnic charges in the seatbelt units. I don't know if this applies to the earlier 3Bs too. Don't fancy losing a hand finding out though.

Cheers for all the help so far guys. It's looking promising that a total amateur can do something this silly after all (albeit with a fair amount of help from friends with a bit of wit and more s2 knowledge than me)

[Knight Rider S4]

Did have a go at hammering the starter but was pretty dark so would recommend trying again in the light of day

Alternator looks right then..................full steam ahead captain!!!!

Right i am away to go to A2 forum and live out my dreams .....anyone got one of those calculater watches from the 80's need that to speak to the car

[Flat on my back]

I do love the informed technical advice given in this forum...but you did forget to state the size of 'ammer?

A big one...

Well done.

[topsparky]

[QUOTE= Vorsprung Durch Takethatyafukkibassrd!![/QUOTE]


hope you get it sorted mate

[Nj]

hehehe. neons. only if I had a Pontiac firebird and a smoke machine. I'd sit in a carpark with dry ice smoke oozing out from underneath, a white neon and some kind of power ballads blasting out.

So anyway.. the majority of intelligent minds here suggesting knocking the **** out of the starter with a hammer (possibly while turning the key) cos the solenoid may be sticking. Vorsprung Durch Takethatyafukkibassrd!!

[Acidburn]

Speak to the A2 owners about led's and neon's.

Glad your nearly there with the car, look forward to more updates

[Nj]

cheers Az, that'd be great.
Steve - you need to look out for an LED grill now for the S2. Then fit a camp satnav for that authentic Kit feel.

[Azman]

think i have 3 wires will confirm tomorow for you.... good work lads... nearly there

[Knight Rider S4]

Busted !!!! just went and bought the leather jacket as well

[Nj]

I need a haircut

not at all mate. thought you were going for this look no? wrong knight rider? hehe


so anyway.. 4 wires? hmm. I need someone with a 3B...

[Knight Rider S4]

I need a haircut

Went and had a look at the alternator looks like i have 4 wires? pretty dark out so will confirm tomorrow

[Nj]

One thing that came to light was that there must have been a boost gauge at some point and the previous owner of the old car took it off because there was a little t connector with nothing connected on the 3rd side. So the car must have been running pretty badly compared with how it should be.

I also managed to lose the air filter somewhere between taking the airbox out of the old car and putting it in the new one. How does that happen I wonder?

Apparently the IC does have the Mark H mod. I wouldn't have known what it was if Steve hadn't pointed it out.

......all irrelevant though if I can't get the starter working and the car running.

[Nj]

Alrighty - Steve is officially my new hero. He strode out of the mist on Saturday morning (ok, drove out of the rain) and fuelled by bacon rolls and tea he got to work.
The gist of the work between us was....
changed oil filter and fuel filter (I was a bit giddy after being under the car with petrol dripping all over the place)
All the wiring went in and hoses went on. If only it took the same time to do it as type it. Despite me taking photos of "everything" as I took it apart I still didn't take enough and the battery on my laptop died pretty quickly so it was irrelevant when we couldn't see the pics. Thankfully I remembered bits and Steve is well acquainted with S2s.
radiator in
oil cooler on
airbox in
xmember on
aux radiator in
intercooler on
Dizzy cap and ht leads in (pain in the plums on a 3B)

Unfortunately the battery is most definitely knackered because when we tried to start the car it almost turned over but did that sad sound of a flat battery.. 'woup, wooup, wooooooeeeuuup..'.. nothing.
So we pulled Steve's car over to give it a jump and in the approaching darkness had a brief spark when the pos and neg were almost connected back to front. First thing I can confirm is that the alarm on the s2 works. With the battery connected the right way we tried again but although the dash lit up ok the starter motor just makes a hollow click sound. I don't know if the rod/piston/rack bit that shoots out of the starter is stuck somehow or if the starter is knackered.
Any suggestions?
One thing to ask - Do both pos red cables connect to the same terminal of the alternator? And could this cause any issue with starting the car if connected incorrectly?

Couple of bits I need if anyone can help me out...
The support bar than runs from the slam panel to the main radiator
The small bar/bit that goes from the slam panel panel down to the aux radiator
I could probably do with a decent main radiator some time too. The one I have is OK but might need replacing in a while.

But the main thing is.. the car looks car-like from the front! woohoo! I didn't get a pic of it as we were wrapping up but I got a couple as we were working.
Steve in action.....