akakubi

The Duratec is very tall indeed, but if you look at it from below, you will see that the sump is dangerously close to the ground already. It bulges down from the chassis quite a bit on my car, so lowering it further is risky. You will then end up raising the suspension to avoid cats eyes, etc. I'd rather have the bonnet slightly raised instead. Edited by - akakubi on 1 Jul 2008 14:44:12

I use Draper that seemed to work fine with the rivets. It comes with three interchangeable heads for different size rivets. The heads were narrow enough to fit the dot bases.

coyoteracer11: R400 radiators are just like in the picture above - all aluminium, no plastic. There are two drainage bolts (top and bottom) and two hose inlets. Looks very stirdy and fits quite nicely on the rubber bobbins. Be careful when bleeding the system though, as air does get trapped inside, so you should top up via the top drainage bolt to get as much of it out.

Thanks, fellas! I have a noise meter at home, but my car's at the CC for SVA/DVLA at the moment, so I cannot test it just yet. 😬 I think I will chance it and just sign up. Cheers!

Well, see, mine is a Duratec R400, so my concern is even greater. What I am not sure about is how "tight" the engine is to allow the synthetic use in the first place.

Same here, 5W-30 and relaxed run-in. I don't like it though, as I trust the old school thinking a bit more. I will stick to the run-in guidelines and then flush it after 500 miles. I also like Mobil 1 oil and Castrol Syntheic (BMW's current choice) as they always performed well for me (no leaks here). But will these work on the Ford's unit just as well?

Hi guys! I am planning to do an Abingdon airfield day in August (first one for me on the R400 so would like a bit of a run off area just in case 😬). The track limit is 100db. Will my stock (cat + silencer) Duratec sneak under it? They measure at 4500 RPM 0.5m away. I know, it has been discussed in detail before, but primarily about the cars without a cat. Cheers

Mine are not very detailed, unfortunately. One of the members here has a very detailed website on his Duratec install. Do a search in the archives to get there. Sorry I could not be of more help.

Thanks, guys! Looking great, Andy!

Mark! I am not "there" yet. 😬 😬 😬 CageyH: Looks nice!

I see your concern. The thing is, when I don't have the doors in place (or have half-doors), I still want to use the mirrors. I now need to figure out how to address the passenger entry issue. Maybe jam the mirror in a preferred position once setup...

Yup, that's the setup I am looking for. And the mirrors swivel as I can see, which is even better. Door opening isn't an issue for me either. Thanks, now I know how it works. 😬

Thanks, Graham! Will have to check that out.

I am considering CF side mirrors (either CC or non-OEM), but was wondering what the fittings were on these. Do they bolt only to the CF wind deflector or would they also fit to the regular windscreen, in the same spot as the standard SVA requirement? Has anyone done this? I like having side mirrors as a permanent fixture (so not on the doors), but the stock plastic ones are a bit too large and square for my likes. thx!

.. http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/8026/dsc01632jr4.th.jpg

Ditto with Steve. The chassis would not allow for a full travel in the clsest hole unfortunately. But you can also play a bit with the pedal stop bolt (in the firewall). If you reduce it almost to min, you will have a bit more travel that way as well.

The throttle is exactly the way the manual says. You can adjust the cable length at the throttle body (the bolt that houses the cable itself. You may need to pop it out from the retaining socket (square bush) to thread quickly. If you do need to bend the pedal (I did), it's best to take it out completely and then place it in a vise to hold it firmly. Then put a screwdriver inside and just bend as much as you think you need. You will have to remove the throttle cable prior to extracting the pedal from the footwell (flathead will do: just spread the seam and get the cable out).

I am going to install the jackets over the primaries and attach padding to the outside of the footwels. I totally agree with you - insulation must be there. I have an oil expansion hose going right above the exhaust manifold. Now how long will that last before cracking? I also have a metal cover (Ford part), but I am too lazy to remove the steering column now to ft it in. I'll see how it goes with the jackets first.

Second that! 😬 The thing is hefty and always wants to escape from your grip. If you want to keep it quieter, don't forget to add the LSD additive to the diff fluid.

It lives!!! 😬 I found the problem. The MFU was fine and the wiring and the immobilizer too. It was the third cable going along the MFU leads - the one that ends with a diod. Naturally, mine had nothing in it. It has two positive leads instead of one earth and positive, so I suspected it broke the circuitry for something. After connecting the two contacts, it started up like a charm. Now I need to get more oil and coolant, as they only sent me one can of each and the oil does not even reach the dipstick. A happy camper anyway though. 😬 Edited by - akakubi on 3 Jun 2008 09:16:32

I may be missing a few bits, but the main benefit of an LSD is having traction on both wheels at the same time. For instance, when you corner, the inside wheel will tend to lift off the ground. In an open diff, the power goes to the wheel with least resistance. So in effect, when you press the throttle, all the power goes to the unloaded wheel and get wasted in a cloud of smoke. At that time, you do not have throttle control. With an LSD, you will have some power (this varies with design and model) transfered to the loaded wheel and give you control - and allow to play naughty. 😬 Fitting one is exactly the same as fitting a regular diff. It will require "some" rear suspension disassembly to get the driveshafts out. But then, you simply undo the retaining bolts and dropped it off. It's a winter job, I would say.

A bit of an update. *smile*The MFU unit may be faulty. If that's the case, the fix is easy (a new one is on the way). Fingers crossed...

Okay, thanks! I will need to have a closer look there. Although I do not seem to remember any loose ring terminals... it's just the headlights/markers and the horn cables I also have two pairs of wires that do not go anywhere: both pairs have female connectors, one in white protective caps is black/yellow black, and the other is white/brown black. No clue where these go.

Man, how annoyed I am now! I've done everything like the manual said, filled everything with fluids, checked and re-checked the wiring and all the fuses/relays. Electricity is there - the dash lights up, immobilizer works (although, they forgot to put a fuse in it to make it work in the first place), even the washer works. But the fuel pump would not make a buzz. The engine cranked for oil pressure like a charm (sounds beastly by the way 😬). The inertia switch is okay as well. But nothing at the back. Power goes there, I checked (the fuel gauge is on the same connector, reading lower level than actual for some reason...). Then I was thinking, the ground must be bad somewhere. All the ground connections I could find, I sanded to the bare metal or relocated. Even took apart the immobilizer, but was afraid to bypass it (not very smart at electricals). Same for the ignition switch. But again, everything works, except the damn pump... Now, the pump may be defective, but it is brand new, so I suspect there is another ground somewhere, that I cannot find yet. Calling all R400 Duratec guys. My chassis harness never had an earth lead to the chassis (a big fat black cable described in the manual I presume). It is simply not in the harness (at least not showing through). Maybe this is the cause of the fuel pump not priming. If it is there somewhere, where can I try to look for it? Sorry for the rant, fellas. And thanks for any help!

My bad, I meant it was one lead with two wires combined into one round terminal(yellow/black and black). Yup, I am right behind you on the build. This makes it even more exciting to share the immediate experience as we "go", so to say. I am yet to do the interior (although, mine being an SL, so I only have seats/harnesses to install) and the exterior bits, but I have already flushed the brakes and clutch. With the uprated brake master cylinder, the pedal effort is quite high... Will take some getting used to. 😬 Have a great weekend as well! Hope all parts fit as intended. 😬