$2008 GRM Challenge – Turbo AWD Mercury Tracer LTS
- Thread starter kcbhiw
- Start date
You bet!
To give everyone a heads up, this build has been formatted and made into an article.
http://mechdb.com/index.php/Kevin's_91_AWD_BG_Tracer_build
Thanks Kevin.
http://mechdb.com/index.php/Kevin's_91_AWD_BG_Tracer_build
Thanks Kevin.
Back at it!
It's been a while but fate has it that I must revisit the Tracer and sort out the issues that resulted in diminished performance at the $2009 Challenge. On top of it all, I neglected to add antifreeze to the coolant system before winter thusly freezing the engine solid. It never ran right since. Below is a quick run down of the issues that need attention:
-lame #4 cylinder with 25% leak down
-leaking charge pipes
-binding transfer carrier lock
-leak between the two transmission case halves
Back in February, a friend was on her way to my house with her Miata (the same burgundy Miata seen in pictures earlier in this thread) for a clutch swap. Unfortunately while en rout, a leak developed in a coolant line, unbeknown to her, and the engine thusly overheated. She sourced a replacement engine that we installed leaving me with the Miata's former mill. Fortunately, this left me with a short block that was in good shape that could be used in the Tracer.
Last Friday (4/9), I began to tear into the Tracer and removed the front drive line. Saturday, I sourced a MBSP from a 1st gen Protege at the local junker and added that into the mix. Setting the details aside as there really is nothing special to mention, the engine is nearly assembled. I also dealved into the gearbox to replace the wonky shift fork for the differential lock. In true hoarder fashion, I had nearly all parts on hand.
My goal is to be finished with the drive line this weekend. I will then move on to correcting the excessive caster issue that was a result of moving the front axle forward to accommodate the transmission. In my mind, this shouldn't be too complicated, but who knows what awaits me. Furthermore, I hope to have the car road worthy, insured, and registered (which means passing emissions) in just a couple of weeks.
In the end, the overall goal is to have these tasks completed by the first of May. I hope to be able to drive the car to Road Atlanta for the Walter Mitty festival and maybe even take it through a few hot laps. Wish me luck!
Salvaged short block from an overheated Miata with ARP head studs in place:
Carbon deposits mostly removed from the pistons. Just a quick scour, nothing more:
A first gen Protege MBSP was installed. The Ford models equipped with the BP engine weren't supplied with this piece. A standard windage tray was installed in its place. The same goes for the 94-00 Miatas.
The MBSP is a throwback from the old 323 GTX and GTR rally cars powered by the BPT. It was later seen again on the 01+ Miata BP.
A successful attempt at an input shaft locking tool. This allowed me to lock the shaft to apply enough torque to remove the nuts from the two gear stacks.
The steel bar rests against the transmission housing when torque is applied. The clutch disk serves only as a means to interface to the input shaft. The two are joined by a steel bushing removed from a Honda transmission.
It's been a while but fate has it that I must revisit the Tracer and sort out the issues that resulted in diminished performance at the $2009 Challenge. On top of it all, I neglected to add antifreeze to the coolant system before winter thusly freezing the engine solid. It never ran right since. Below is a quick run down of the issues that need attention:
-lame #4 cylinder with 25% leak down
-leaking charge pipes
-binding transfer carrier lock
-leak between the two transmission case halves
Back in February, a friend was on her way to my house with her Miata (the same burgundy Miata seen in pictures earlier in this thread) for a clutch swap. Unfortunately while en rout, a leak developed in a coolant line, unbeknown to her, and the engine thusly overheated. She sourced a replacement engine that we installed leaving me with the Miata's former mill. Fortunately, this left me with a short block that was in good shape that could be used in the Tracer.
Last Friday (4/9), I began to tear into the Tracer and removed the front drive line. Saturday, I sourced a MBSP from a 1st gen Protege at the local junker and added that into the mix. Setting the details aside as there really is nothing special to mention, the engine is nearly assembled. I also dealved into the gearbox to replace the wonky shift fork for the differential lock. In true hoarder fashion, I had nearly all parts on hand.
My goal is to be finished with the drive line this weekend. I will then move on to correcting the excessive caster issue that was a result of moving the front axle forward to accommodate the transmission. In my mind, this shouldn't be too complicated, but who knows what awaits me. Furthermore, I hope to have the car road worthy, insured, and registered (which means passing emissions) in just a couple of weeks.
In the end, the overall goal is to have these tasks completed by the first of May. I hope to be able to drive the car to Road Atlanta for the Walter Mitty festival and maybe even take it through a few hot laps. Wish me luck!
Salvaged short block from an overheated Miata with ARP head studs in place:
Carbon deposits mostly removed from the pistons. Just a quick scour, nothing more:
A first gen Protege MBSP was installed. The Ford models equipped with the BP engine weren't supplied with this piece. A standard windage tray was installed in its place. The same goes for the 94-00 Miatas.
The MBSP is a throwback from the old 323 GTX and GTR rally cars powered by the BPT. It was later seen again on the 01+ Miata BP.
A successful attempt at an input shaft locking tool. This allowed me to lock the shaft to apply enough torque to remove the nuts from the two gear stacks.
The steel bar rests against the transmission housing when torque is applied. The clutch disk serves only as a means to interface to the input shaft. The two are joined by a steel bushing removed from a Honda transmission.
Last edited:
You know better than that.
The bore spacing is different between the B6 and BP. This bolts to the mains caps. It could be modified through cutting and welding. You should give it a poke.The driveline has been reassembled to the car and all seems well so far. The engine seems to run strong, but I have yet to drive the car.
The next order of operation was to pressure test the induction system. I was dismally surprised at the number of leaks that popped up. There were 5 leaks in the intercooler alone where the PO had haphazardly screwed mounting brackets to it, puncturing one of the charge tubes. The BOV flange was also leaking significantly. Lastly, the inexpensive eBay T-bolt pipe coupler clamps were also a serious problem. I solved a portion of that problem by building a bead press and beading the charge pipes (which should have been done anyway). However, the eBay (JDM, y0') clamps don't provide full clamping force around the perimeter of the pipe and leak where the two ends of the band come together. Avoid using these things. Just when I was able to get it to snug down and the leak nearly sealed, the non-strengthened bolt would strip.
Using a soapy water mixture, I was able to track down a number of other small leaks just about everywhere including vacuum line fittings. Those were corrected with a small zip tie. In all, for anyone that builds their own turbocharger system, pressure test it. I'd always neglected to. In my case, there's no wonder I had trouble building boost. At the beginning of the test, the induction system couldn't sustain anymore than a single PSI of pressure. Now, a "nearly" static 15 PSI is held. I used a rig that I built back in the days of the turbo Miata to apply a measured amount of pressure from my air compressor to the induction system. In short, the system is nearly sealed, small leaks from the aforementioned clamps aside.
Assembled driveline:
Bead press. Insert pipe into the rig..insert the rig into a vice. Presto. Repeat around the perimeter of the pipe :
Made from materials lying around:
Bead:
Pressure tester. ~$20 in parts from lowes:
The next order of operation was to pressure test the induction system. I was dismally surprised at the number of leaks that popped up. There were 5 leaks in the intercooler alone where the PO had haphazardly screwed mounting brackets to it, puncturing one of the charge tubes. The BOV flange was also leaking significantly. Lastly, the inexpensive eBay T-bolt pipe coupler clamps were also a serious problem. I solved a portion of that problem by building a bead press and beading the charge pipes (which should have been done anyway). However, the eBay (JDM, y0') clamps don't provide full clamping force around the perimeter of the pipe and leak where the two ends of the band come together. Avoid using these things. Just when I was able to get it to snug down and the leak nearly sealed, the non-strengthened bolt would strip.
Using a soapy water mixture, I was able to track down a number of other small leaks just about everywhere including vacuum line fittings. Those were corrected with a small zip tie. In all, for anyone that builds their own turbocharger system, pressure test it. I'd always neglected to. In my case, there's no wonder I had trouble building boost. At the beginning of the test, the induction system couldn't sustain anymore than a single PSI of pressure. Now, a "nearly" static 15 PSI is held. I used a rig that I built back in the days of the turbo Miata to apply a measured amount of pressure from my air compressor to the induction system. In short, the system is nearly sealed, small leaks from the aforementioned clamps aside.
Assembled driveline:
Bead press. Insert pipe into the rig..insert the rig into a vice. Presto. Repeat around the perimeter of the pipe :
Made from materials lying around:
Bead:
Pressure tester. ~$20 in parts from lowes:
Lol my pressure tester looks almost the same only to avoid the huge air hose setup i have a tire valve stem on the end and just use my tire pressure gauge to air it up
And just to add to it you should pressure test any turbo system that you have put on any car or any factory turbo system of age. My stock turbo system on my talon cropped up 3 boost leaks when i tested it.
And just to add to it you should pressure test any turbo system that you have put on any car or any factory turbo system of age. My stock turbo system on my talon cropped up 3 boost leaks when i tested it.
I had a great time at the Walter Mitty festival at Road Atlanta this weekend and am in recovery mode. I dragged the Tracer in since GRM was hosting the event. I had it out there last year and thought that I might do the same this year...just because.
About 1 o'clock Sunday afternoon, I walked up to the Tracer to find Peter Brock of BRE fame poking around under the hood. We spoke for a while about the car and he commended me on the creativity and was very impressed with the engineering I had put into it. He stated "Don't go anywhere, I have something for you." and disappeared for about 10 minutes. When he returned, I was presented with his "Grand Marshall Award". There's no better complement and I'm still beside myself. He certainly made this guy's weekend.
About 1 o'clock Sunday afternoon, I walked up to the Tracer to find Peter Brock of BRE fame poking around under the hood. We spoke for a while about the car and he commended me on the creativity and was very impressed with the engineering I had put into it. He stated "Don't go anywhere, I have something for you." and disappeared for about 10 minutes. When he returned, I was presented with his "Grand Marshall Award". There's no better complement and I'm still beside myself. He certainly made this guy's weekend.
Peter Brock had a big hand in the Shelby Daytona Coupe as well
- :
- '13 CWP MS3 & '16 Mazda6 GT
didnt he design it? I'd say thats a pretty significant part lol
he designed the aerodynamic body work for it yes...i believe i may have had a hand in some of the other parts but that was his main contribution
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