What have you done today/recently to your 5?
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Re: What have you done today/recently to your 5?
3gress. It looks like a design problem, maybe or maybe not exacerbated by over-tightening. It does not look like there's enough of the locking nut pressing on the surface of the cam gear. That means the pressure from the nut is concentrated into a pretty small area ... and therefore prone to failure. I think it should have had a nut with a broader flange or else a fairly thick high tensile flat washer under the nut.
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Re: What have you done today/recently to your 5?
You're right mate, the cam gear nuts also have smaller diameter spring washers underneath that'd serve to concentrate the load into a small area.
MX5NBpsi, what mess? You know nothing of mess
MX5NBpsi, what mess? You know nothing of mess

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Re: What have you done today/recently to your 5?
3gress wrote:You're right mate, the cam gear nuts also have smaller diameter spring washers underneath that'd serve to concentrate the load into a small area.
MX5NBpsi, what mess? You know nothing of mess
Spring washers cannot be used when there's less than a full 360deg of seat.
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Re: What have you done today/recently to your 5?
They're still as per factory, never modified or ham fisted.
They have a flat washer, spring washer and then nut. The flat washer has room around it enough to be another 1mm in diameter.

Adjusted by using spanner on cam hex between lobes and torqued to recommended settings, never had anything wedged in them or such. Less than 5k km on them.

Anyway, all sorted, will look to a pair of Maruha gears in the future. On to bigger and badder things
They have a flat washer, spring washer and then nut. The flat washer has room around it enough to be another 1mm in diameter.

Adjusted by using spanner on cam hex between lobes and torqued to recommended settings, never had anything wedged in them or such. Less than 5k km on them.

Anyway, all sorted, will look to a pair of Maruha gears in the future. On to bigger and badder things

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Re: What have you done today/recently to your 5?
Oil pan seals replaced, new idler, tensioner, miscellaneous gaskets and seals, lash checked, fixed the cam gear issue.
Oil cooler lines rerouted to delete oil cooler as it is not really necessary with the efficent electric water pump keeping block temps in check.

Engine back in.

Booster delete/master mount plate test fitted.


Oil cooler lines rerouted to delete oil cooler as it is not really necessary with the efficent electric water pump keeping block temps in check.

Engine back in.

Booster delete/master mount plate test fitted.

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Re: What have you done today/recently to your 5?
I received a package today... They will be installed at the end of May 
One of these

And 2 of these


One of these

And 2 of these

- ManiacLachy
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Re: What have you done today/recently to your 5?
I have no idea what I'm looking at. Spell it out for the dumb kids at the back of the classroom please.
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Re: What have you done today/recently to your 5?
ManiacLachy wrote:I have no idea what I'm looking at. Spell it out for the dumb kids at the back of the classroom please.
It is a Racepak Smartwire (PDM)
Output Capacity: 125 Amps
Current Consumption: 180 mA typical operation (<1 mA in shutdown mode)
Min/Max Power Supply: 8-20 Volts
Operating Power Supply: 12-16.
Inputs: 12 hardwired direct (voltage triggered (>2.7V) or ground triggered (<2.5V)
Outputs: 30 (8 outputs @ 20 Amps, 22 outputs @ 10Amps)
Response: 3.0 milliseconds max.
It has 2 x keypads as well.
Plus they also sent over a bluetooth VNet module
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Re: What have you done today/recently to your 5?
Does it make your car go faster?
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Re: What have you done today/recently to your 5?
I would suggest larger outside diameter ( and ideally somewhat thicker) washers to spread the clamping load and to be careful with the torquing , ensure they are clear of the radius on the outside
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Re: What have you done today/recently to your 5?
Red_Bullet wrote:Does it make your car go faster?
Actually yes it will by removing bad electrical connections! You would be surprised how much power you loose with electrical problems.
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Re: What have you done today/recently to your 5?
Magpie wrote:Red_Bullet wrote:Does it make your car go faster?
Actually yes it will by removing bad electrical connections! You would be surprised how much power you loose with electrical problems.
Yep, voltage drop across connections in a real problem in low voltage systems. Of particular concern would be coil packs running at high duty cycles as the current is quite high. Good idea to run a nice fat 4mm^2 wire to the positive of coil packs to help overcome voltage drop. If they each have a peak current of around 4 amps, then in a 4 cylinder engine at high revs you have around 16 amps! 16 amps down a skinny little wire is not a good idea.
Injectors are less affected as they only pull about 1 amp each, BUT if they are supplied by any wiring that is shared with the coils then they will also suffer from the voltage drop in the shared conductor. Injectors are very non linear with variable voltages. Although the more drastic effects would be at low injector duty cycle where the injector latency period is a greater percentage of the whole pulse width.
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Re: What have you done today/recently to your 5?
Magpie,
Based on the still-shots of the linked videos, it looks like you'll also need a 14 year-old whizz-kid to get it installed and be able to use it
Based on the still-shots of the linked videos, it looks like you'll also need a 14 year-old whizz-kid to get it installed and be able to use it

Don't worry about dying, worry about not living!
Garage Thread: http://www.mx5cartalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=76716
Garage Thread: http://www.mx5cartalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=76716
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Re: What have you done today/recently to your 5?
I will be getting Whitey's Wiring to do the install. I'm not home often enough anymore and this is a big job.Lokiel wrote:a 14 year-old whizz-kid to get it installed
Plan is to eventually transfer the loom to the shell.
- madmort
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Re: What have you done today/recently to your 5?
Fitted the hardtop yesterday, spent 10 minutes playing with the latches. As quiet as it's ever been. No more squeaking!
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2002 NB Titanium, 2006 NC1, 2023 ND GT
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