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Hey guys, a long time since my last report as my E9 has been a garage queen since October. Don's ace wrench and flying doctor, Chris Pederson, just left a few days ago after getting several things done early this week on my car (most of which were related to my weird and intermittent cutting out characteristics). I can't say enough good things about Don's continued support of my E9 (his first engine install, btw) and Chris' complete knowledge of our cars and how to fix them - he reminds me a lof of a young Chris Macha.
Anyway, first to the movie. I don't think the filming had anything to do with my electronic mishaps, in hindsight, although it was tempting to come to that conclusion as the car was running flawlessly beforehand. I'll ask the producer when I can talk about it but it's a multi-part series coming out this year on Apple TV. That's all I can say for now
It's also weird to think that I was so close to selling my car to the lead actor for $200K and buying Chris Macha's car before it went on to BAT.
Chris' repairs included swapping out the block receptacle for both ECU and fuel pump relays above the glove compartment (he thinks one or more spades receivers was shorting or not working right). He then installed a brand new high capacity fuel pump in the tank (my old fuel pump was circa 2011 and spec'd for a 318Ti) that was not securely anchored in the tank and, with movement under acceleration/braking, etc., perhaps some shorting was going on. The new pump is a thing of beauty, higher capacity and quite stout with a welded support rod to keep it from moving. It's a Walbro unit designed for a Mustang GT.
Next, Chris swapped out my original 18 pound starter for a new Bosch SR444x unit that makes super cool sounds at startup and is practically instant on with my Megasquirt. BTW, my Megasquirt box is all new too as of May 2022 - a PNP2 unit replacing the original hand soldered unit from 2011. Chris installed it last year before a dyno tuning session in Maryland that showed 198 hp and 214 lb ft at the wheels - not bad for a largely stock engine.
Finally, I had a new ignition switch for Chris to install (that was also an early hunch about what might be causing my problem) but we couldn't complete that repair as the switch was bad.
After those repairs, the car started right up and we took a 30 minute drive with not a single stalling event! Huzzah! I need a few more longer drives to fell completely secure with situation, but the culprit was likely the relay wiring receptical for the ECU/fuel pump relays.
On my bucket list for quite some time was my lack of heat and AC. Chris then removed my old non-functional heater core, AC evaporator and expansion valves to replace with brand new rebuilt units Don had shipped out. (All other AC things had been replaced before except the evap and expansion valve.) It's amazing how quickly Chris removed everything and installed the new pieces. And along the way he connected the rear defroster (explains why it never worked after my last restoration), fixed some wiring under the dash to help my temp indicator from shorting out on occasion (bouncing needle when cold) and my hazard relay from firing the dash lamp. The heater will be operational by Spring when Chris comes back for Jahan's engine replacement at which point he'll install new heater hoses under dash which he didn't have on this trip (they were sealed off by mechanic last year after discovering coolant was leaking into my cabin). At that time, he will also install a new ignition switch to avoid future problems I'm hearing that other CS owners are experiencing now. Then we will fill up with R134 and have a fully functioning heating and AC system. Both systems should work really well as Chris tells me he also installed a higher performance expansion valve as well as a larger capacity blower fan too provide a lot more air throughput with the fan on.
A huge thanks to Don and Chris for getting my car back in commission. I'll be back at the shows this year starting with Sharkfast in late April, I think! Who's coming?
Wayne
p.s. just attached photo of rebuilt heater core and the attachments - isn't she pretty?
Anyway, first to the movie. I don't think the filming had anything to do with my electronic mishaps, in hindsight, although it was tempting to come to that conclusion as the car was running flawlessly beforehand. I'll ask the producer when I can talk about it but it's a multi-part series coming out this year on Apple TV. That's all I can say for now
It's also weird to think that I was so close to selling my car to the lead actor for $200K and buying Chris Macha's car before it went on to BAT.
Chris' repairs included swapping out the block receptacle for both ECU and fuel pump relays above the glove compartment (he thinks one or more spades receivers was shorting or not working right). He then installed a brand new high capacity fuel pump in the tank (my old fuel pump was circa 2011 and spec'd for a 318Ti) that was not securely anchored in the tank and, with movement under acceleration/braking, etc., perhaps some shorting was going on. The new pump is a thing of beauty, higher capacity and quite stout with a welded support rod to keep it from moving. It's a Walbro unit designed for a Mustang GT.
Next, Chris swapped out my original 18 pound starter for a new Bosch SR444x unit that makes super cool sounds at startup and is practically instant on with my Megasquirt. BTW, my Megasquirt box is all new too as of May 2022 - a PNP2 unit replacing the original hand soldered unit from 2011. Chris installed it last year before a dyno tuning session in Maryland that showed 198 hp and 214 lb ft at the wheels - not bad for a largely stock engine.
Finally, I had a new ignition switch for Chris to install (that was also an early hunch about what might be causing my problem) but we couldn't complete that repair as the switch was bad.
After those repairs, the car started right up and we took a 30 minute drive with not a single stalling event! Huzzah! I need a few more longer drives to fell completely secure with situation, but the culprit was likely the relay wiring receptical for the ECU/fuel pump relays.
On my bucket list for quite some time was my lack of heat and AC. Chris then removed my old non-functional heater core, AC evaporator and expansion valves to replace with brand new rebuilt units Don had shipped out. (All other AC things had been replaced before except the evap and expansion valve.) It's amazing how quickly Chris removed everything and installed the new pieces. And along the way he connected the rear defroster (explains why it never worked after my last restoration), fixed some wiring under the dash to help my temp indicator from shorting out on occasion (bouncing needle when cold) and my hazard relay from firing the dash lamp. The heater will be operational by Spring when Chris comes back for Jahan's engine replacement at which point he'll install new heater hoses under dash which he didn't have on this trip (they were sealed off by mechanic last year after discovering coolant was leaking into my cabin). At that time, he will also install a new ignition switch to avoid future problems I'm hearing that other CS owners are experiencing now. Then we will fill up with R134 and have a fully functioning heating and AC system. Both systems should work really well as Chris tells me he also installed a higher performance expansion valve as well as a larger capacity blower fan too provide a lot more air throughput with the fan on.
A huge thanks to Don and Chris for getting my car back in commission. I'll be back at the shows this year starting with Sharkfast in late April, I think! Who's coming?
Wayne
p.s. just attached photo of rebuilt heater core and the attachments - isn't she pretty?
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