Duncan's V37.......race car?

[MBS206]

46 minutes ago, GTSBoy said:

So, 3 switches then?

Just 2, and inline. One switch temp related other switch driver controlled.

 

I'm nearly in my head back to Arduino land for it...

[GTSBoy]

1 hour ago, MBS206 said:

Just 2, and inline. One switch temp related other switch driver controlled.

Ah. I dunno why, but I skim read your earlier post and thought the manual switch was to force it on, not force it off.

I'd be tempted to have both. So, your two in series, and another in parallel with those. Or, a master arm switch, followed by the manual force on and the thermo in parallel. 6 and 2 3s.

 

[Duncan]

hahaha glad I can rely on you two to go on a spiral at the drop of a problem!

Some quick answers....the ducting is excellent top bottom and sides....everything that gets in goes through the coolers (noting the oil cooler redirects it out again, fair call if it is cooling 120o+) and the heat exchanger for the intercooler also has some scoops to pick up more than it's fair share too.

I can't see going down the water spray track....no bueno for formal racing and a big risk for long rally days if you run out (plus I'm not clear if it is allowed there either yet).  

Frankly, it must be possible to reliably put 400kw through a standard front end, the BMWs do it so I just need to work it out....I'm starting with reducing blockages in the way and adding some coolant capacity with a bigger header tank, flushing rad and making sure it was filled/bled properly (I didn't do the last coolant change); also taken measurements incase next step is a bigger/higher capacity custom radiator

[Duncan]

Small update for the day...

Turns out the intercooler and engine coolant hose kits are anything but complete....I probably should have counted better but it only really covers about half the coolant hoses in the car, it really just covers the visible stuff and pretends everything else doesn't exist (turbo water feed and returns and also heat exchanger lines through the 2 pumps and cooler)

.In any case, I'm happier to have half reliable hoses than none, but a bit of a disappointment.

Anyway...finger click (and 5 hours).....hoses in place, lots of spring clamps replaced with screw clamps, and engine coolant is on the pressure tester for the night.

 

Incidentally, upsized header tank is an Inifiniti factory option....not sure I'll ever do prod car racing in this but at least it is legal.

[MBS206]

I'm not 100% how the BMW racers do it, but I know from other brands like Merc, moving, and changing the coolers is one of the things. Like getting a transcooler out from infront of the radiator to out near a wheel arch. So some of the stuff you've got crammed in the middle front, spread it out and open up where you can in the bar to get more air in to the sides.

[Duncan]

Yeah now we are talking

I much prefer coolers in the front middle because it lessens the chance of a small bump to a corner stopping the whole event.

I was thinking the AT cooler can move out of the radiator, delete the AT/engine coolant interwarmer and mount a separate cooler with a thermoswitch somewhere further back as is common in racing, that would be one thing.

Beyond that, the engine oil cooler is an obvious one to move to the wheel arch, potentially one on each side, but unused space is an issue. I did have a earlier pic with the bumper off but it doesn't show how busy the corners are: DS is full of the auto driving sensors and PS is totally fully of windscreen washer fluid reservoir

But ultimately I was hoping to keep the AC, and the water/air heat exchanger is fundamental so it is not just the radiator that needs to be in front

BTW here's airflow to the rad as it ran at the track (one horn is gone now and I'll remove the lights next time):

[Duncan]

So, a bit of a side trip, but one that might be interesting for people with JDM cars and japanese head units.

I know @Pac previously posted about a carplay/android auto adapter he installed which used the AUX input, and @V35_Paul put in one of the Tesla style units that replace both screens.

The option I went with was a Lsait LLT-YF-VER5.87_2 (https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Lsailt-8GB-Android-Multimedia-Interface-for_1601187633672.html). Price was $1,150 for a single unit although they are much cheaper if you are willing to buy 2....$857ea. Make you you get the version 2 not version 1, it is faster and has a better UI - this is the manufacturer listing: http://www.lsailt.com/product/348.html.

BTW if you've never bought from Alibaba before, don't be concerned....these guys can't stay in business unless they are responsive, ship fast etc, they were excellent (probably faster shipping than most local places)

So, this was my task for a lazy Sat afternoon....looks complex but was all done in a few hours (it probably helps that I had some of it apart before so it was a bit familiar).

I also decided to add a HD USB drive recorded at the same time and the unit also supports an aftermarket reverse cam (if you don't want to retain factory) and also AV in and HDMI out

It looks much worse than it is, in fact in was genuinely all plug and play (no custom wiring at all).

This video was pretty good (skipped a few steps), unfortunately they are an Aussie seller but no longer sell this unit (I guess Carplay/AA adapters are easier to install and much cheaper)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5hJfYOB8Dg

[Duncan]

But first....while I was there, I also swapped across the centre console box for the other style where the AV inputs don't intrude into the (very limited !) space. 

Part# was 96926-4GA0A, 284H3-4GA0B, 284H3-4GA0A.

(I've already swapped the top 12v socket for a USB bulkhead in this pic, it fit the hole without modification:)

Comparison of the 2:

Basically to do the console you need to remove the DS and PS side console trim (they slide up and back, held in by clips only)

Then remove the back half of the console top trim with the cupholders, pops up, all clips again but be careful at the front as it is pretty flimsy.

Then slide the shifter boot down, remove the spring clip, loose it forever somewhere in the car the pull the shift knob off. Remove the tiny plastic piece on DS near "P" and use something thin and long (most screwdrivers won't fit) to push down the interlock and put the shifter down in D for space.

There is one screw at the front, then the shifter surround and ashtray lift up. There are 3 or 4 plugs underneath and it is off.

Next is the rear cover of the centre console; you need to open the console lid, pop off the trim covering the lid hinge and undo the 2rd screw from the driver's side (the rest all need to come out later so you can do them all now and remove the lid)

Then the rear cover unclips (6 clips), start at the top with a trim tool pulling backwards.

Once it is off there are 2 screws facing rearwards to remove (need a short phillips for these) and you are done with the rear of the console.

There are 4 plugs at the A/V box to unclip

Then there are 2 screws at the front of the console, and 2 clips (pull up and back) and the console will come out.

[Duncan]

Switching the console was tricky.

First there were 6 screws to remove, and also the little adapter loom and its screws had to come out. Also don't forget to remove the 2 screws holding the central locking receiver.

Then there are 4 clips on either side....these were very tight in this case and needed careful persuading with a long flat screw driver....some force required but not enough to break them...this was probably the fiddliest part of the whole job.

In my case I needed both the wiring loom and the central locking receiver module to swap across to the new one.

That was it for the console, so "assembly is the reverse of disassembly"

[Duncan]

Onto the android unit. You need to remove the top screen because there is a daughterboard to put inside the case.

Each side vent pops out from clips; start at the bottom and carefully remove upwards (use a trim remover tool to avoid breaking anything).

Then the lower screen and controls come out, 4 screws, a couple of clips (including 3 flimsy ones at the top) and 3 plugs on the rear.

Then the upper screen, 4 screws and a bunch of plugs and she is out.

From there, remove the mounting brackets (2 screws each), 4 screws on the rear, 2 screws top and bottom and 3 screws holding in the small plates on each side. When you remove the back cover (tight fit), watch out for the power cable for the fan, I removed it so I could put the back aside.

The mainboard is held in by 1 screw in the middle, 1 aerial at the top and 3 ribbon cables. If you've ever done any laptop stuff the ribbon cables are OK to work with, just pop up the retainer and they slide out. If you are not familiar just grab a 12 year old from an iphone factory, they will know how it works

The case should now look like this:

[Duncan]

Place the new daughterboard in the case and mount it using the 3 small black rivets provided, and reconnect the 3 factory ribbon cables to the new board

Then, use the 3 piggyback cables from the daughterboard into the factory board on top (there are stand offs in the case to keep them apart. and remember to reconnect the antenna and rear cover fan wires. 1 screw to hold the motherboard in place.

Before closing the case, make a hole in the sticker covering a hole in the case and run the cable for the android unit into the plug there. The video forgot this step, so did I, so will you probably.

Then redo the 4 screws on back, 2 each top and bottom, 3 each side and put the 2 brackets back on.....all ready to go and not that tricky really.

 

 

 

[Duncan]

From there, it is really just test and assemble.

Plug the adapter cables from the unit into the back of the screen, then the other side to the car harness. Don't forget all the other plugs too!

Run the cables behind the unit and screw it back into place (4 screws) and you should now have 3 cables to run from the top screen to the android unit. I ran them along the DS of the other AV units in the gap between their backets and the console, and used some corrugated tubing on the sharp edges of the bracket so the wires were safe.

Plug the centre console and lower screen in temporarily and turn the car to ACC, the AV should fire up as normal. Hold the back button for 3 sec and Android should appear on the top screen. You need to set the input to Aux for audio (more on that later).

I put the unit under the AC duct in the centre console, with the wifi antenna on top of the AC duct near the shifter, the bluetooth antenna on the AC duct under the centre console

The GPS unit on top of the DS to AC duct; they all seem to work OK there are are out of the way. Neat cable routing is a pain.

For the drive recorder I mounted it near the rear view mirror and run the cable in the headlining, across the a pillar and then down the inside of the a pillar seal to the DS lower dash. From there it goes across and to one USB input for the unit.

The second USB input is attached to the ECUtec OBD dongle and the 3rd goes to the USB bulkhead connected I added in the centre console.

This is how the centre console looks "tidied" up

Note I didn't install the provided speaker, didn't use the 2.5mm IPod in line or the piggyback loom for the Ipod or change any DIP switches; they seem to only be required if you need to use the Ipod input rather than the AUX input.

That's it, install done, I'll follow up with a separate post on how the unit works, but in summary it retains all factory functions and inputs (so I still use my phone to the car for calls), reverse still works like factory etc.

[Duncan]

So I prepped the car for another track day on Wednesday (will be interesting to see coolant temps post flushing out and the larger reservoir, with a forecast of 3-14 being 20o cooler than last time I took it out).

Couple of things to mention; since I am just driving the car and not taking a support vehicle, I took the rear seats out and just loaded the back up Team Trackday style.

Look at all that space!

To cover off removing the rear seat....it is weird (note the hybrid is probably different because it wouldn't have folding rear seats)

Basically, you remove the lower seat base, very similar to a r series but it is a clip that pulls forward to release the base rather than it being bolted down. Easy

Then, you need to remove the side section of the rear seat on each side. There is a 14mm head nut at the bottom of the side piece, the it slides upwards off a hook at the top to release; you also need to unhook the seatbelt from the loop at the top.

Then the centre piece is weird. You need to release/fold the seats forward with the tab in the boot on each side

From there, there are 2,x12mm headed bolts holding the rear of each seat to the folding bracket, under the trim between the rear seat and the boot (4x christmas tree clips there, they suck). The seat is out but you can see where the bolts attach to the bracket

[Duncan]

To follow up a question from earlier too since I had the front bar off again (fking!)

This is what is between the bumper and the drivers side wheel

And this is the navigator side, only one thing but its a biggy!

So basically....no putting coolers in the wheel arches without a lot of moving other stuff. Assuming I move to properly race prepping this car I'll take that job on and see how the computers respond to removing a whole bunch of ADAS modules

[MBS206]

1 hour ago, Duncan said:

To follow up a question from earlier too since I had the front bar off again (fking!)

This is what is between the bumper and the drivers side wheel

And this is the navigator side, only one thing but its a biggy!

So basically....no putting coolers in the wheel arches without a lot of moving other stuff. Assuming I move to properly race prepping this car I'll take that job on and see how the computers respond to removing a whole bunch of ADAS modules

Even more fun, leave all the ADAS stuff plugged in, but in different locations, hopefully avoid any codes!

 

And honestly, all these new cars with their weird electronics.

Pull all the electronics out Duncan, and just shove an aftermarket ECU and if needed a trans controller in, along with a PDM. Make it run basic but race car styled!

[PranK]

20 hours ago, Duncan said:

Is this a critter cage for rescues? 

[Duncan]

Yeah we keep on in the dailies, it is pretty poor how many animals get hit and the driver leaves without checking....have saved a couple of little ones over the years. Bit of a gruesome job though, pouches generally need to be cut open because they are so tight and often the joey doesn't realise mum is gone so they are still locked onto the teat.

I checked the modules in front of the DS wheel where an oil cooler should go....

There is the radar unit - that can go for race use)

One of the 2 HX water pumps, the silver cylinder. That needs to be kept but might be able to be relocated

But the bad news, the big computer mounted vertically in front of the wheel (blocking any potential air exit) is the electric steering computer. That is required until/unless i do a hydraulic steering conversion, and in CAD based modern car design it is not like I can just pop a big unit like that somewhere else (plus the loom would be too short anywhere else too).

So, the passenger side is OK to clear out (just use a smaller washer reservoir, potentially elsewhere), but the DS no beuno

[soviet_merlin]

Thanks for doing that Duncan! Makes you a good person in my books.

We don't get kangaroos or wombats here. But we have bats and it's similar. AFAIK it's often the mums with a baby attached that get hit because they drop lower when starting from a tree.

If you hit an animal, check on it.

https://www.ifaw.org/au/resources/wildlife-rescue-app

An app to get the closest wildlife rescue contact.