LCR W.I.P Update K04 Hybrid- F23 Here, mini review page 50

[rsmith]

Yeah, i think the 57mm inlet/outlet is now a bottleneck at this stage, its fine for most of the RPM range but after 5.5k rpm it chokes, i have spent days reading up about intercooler technology and how pipework, core size, fin type, fin count etc... affects flow/pressure etc.... I would be expecting the bigger pipework and core to flow much better now, i guess we will see.

 

[rsmith]

Powerflex bushes install, part 1

Finally spring is here, yipeee and the weather actually lets me get out and do something to the car.

I have powerflex bushes in the garage for the past month or so aching to go on, the old wishbone bushes were shot, clonking and hitting speed bumps was a poor expierence.

Overall this job is easy, getting the wishbone off only takes 30minutes or so, however getting the front wishbone out can only be classed as and absolute ba$tard of a job, ideally i would recommend going to an engineering place with a hydralic ram press to push them out, this WILL save you a ton of time, blood, sweat and a few tears.

here are some pic of the install:

I must say these bushes have really tightened up the front end, it feels so much firmer, i was actually suprised the difference it made to the feel of the car, so i would thoroughly recommend uprating/replacing your wishbone bushes if they have some miles/age on them.



*****************************************************
3 Wishbone to ball joint bolts heavily saturated in WD40 and removed.

Next i jacked the wheel hub up to allow me to drop the wisbone and free it from the bracket.

YOu will need to remove some of the screws holding the sump guard on and the side pastric trim, this will give you access to the front wishbone, then just undo the bolt for the front wishbone.They might be pretty solid on there so i used an iron bar to gain leverage and make it easier to apply more pressure.

Do the same for the rear wishbone.

THe wishone should now feel a lot looser, i simply pressed it down and pulled it out, some wriggling is required.

Say hello to your new best friend for the next hour or 2.

next page.........

 

[rsmith]

Powerflex install part 2

You can see my bushes were getting bad.

The rear bush is easy to remove, i just hammered a screw driver through it around the center piece and simply prized it out.Once out you can saw through the alloy surround and then hammer it out.

THen clean it up and move on to the front bush.
I sawed through it, then hammered the lip off, then got it in the vice and forced it out, this took me an hour cause i did have the right tools with me, i would strongly advise going to someone with a press, it will save a lot of hassle.

 

[rsmith]

Once thats out, you can grease up the new bushes and push the front one in by hand and use a vise for the rear, rememeber to take the steel center out before fitting, the bushes go in alot easier.

Refit, 70nm + 90 turn for the front and rear bush and 20nm for the ball joint.
Be sure to observe these torque setting.

No go and get her tracked.

 

[t0m]

Robbie, awesome progress pics there, nice one.

Can I ask you what year and mileage your LCR has covered?

AmD noticed most of my bushes we're knackered about 6 months ago and I've not got round to doing them. The car has felt progressively worse on our roads, and it's been playing on my mind. Alot more 'loosely' feeling rather than nice and tight like it felt when I 1st bought it. I'm guessing the bushes are near dead now. My car has done 58k.

I'm thinking of going for the Full superpro bushing kit, absolutely everything to freshen it up. Would you say this is the best route to go? Currently I only have a Powerflex dogbone mount with the coilovers. I just don't like how harsh the car can feel and I'm sure it's not the coilovers as it didn't feel like this 5 months ago..

I should have got them done when AmD told me they we're shot I know..

 

[rsmith]

Robbie, awesome progress pics there, nice one.

Can I ask you what year and mileage your LCR has covered?

AmD noticed most of my bushes we're knackered about 6 months ago and I've not got round to doing them. The car has felt progressively worse on our roads, and it's been playing on my mind. Alot more 'loosely' feeling rather than nice and tight like it felt when I 1st bought it. I'm guessing the bushes are near dead now. My car has done 58k.

I'm thinking of going for the Full superpro bushing kit, absolutely everything to freshen it up. Would you say this is the best route to go? Currently I only have a Powerflex dogbone mount with the coilovers. I just don't like how harsh the car can feel and I'm sure it's not the coilovers as it didn't feel like this 5 months ago..

I should have got them done when AmD told me they we're shot I know..

Mine is an MY05 with 49k on the clock, my car did start to feel loose and clonky/crashy, i thought the top mounts or coilovers were toast, hitting bumps in the road felt awful, this really tightened it up.

I would defo recommend getting them done, superpro or powerflex is the way to go.

 

[EL]

Mine is an MY05 with 49k on the clock, my car did start to feel loose and clonky/crashy, i thought the top mounts or coilovers were toast, hitting bumps in the road felt awful, this really tightened it up.

I would defo recommend getting them done, superpro or powerflex is the way to go.

Was worried you would say such good things. Ok time to pull out the credit card as well

 

[t0m]

Mine is an MY05 with 49k on the clock, my car did start to feel loose and clonky/crashy, i thought the top mounts or coilovers were toast, hitting bumps in the road felt awful, this really tightened it up.

I would defo recommend getting them done, superpro or powerflex is the way to go.

I'm experiencing exactly those feelings through the car

Can't be my top mounts as they we're replaced with the coilovers 6 months ago. And I've inspected the AP's they seem fine and there's no loud clonking from them which I think would signal something has failed. It's just the feel of the car at the front end has become a bit horrible tbh, loose/worn/crashy over bumps/humps it never used to be.

I'm going to take your advice and uprate the lot soon as I can afford to. Will be going for the full Superpro kit.

Thanks for the info Robbie.

 

[t0m]

Was worried you would say such good things. Ok time to pull out the credit card as well

Lol, someone else's LCR got to the same stage mate?

Just want mine done before ARB's go on later in the year, and Robbie has really convinced me to get them done. They look the business.

 

[Willie]

That front bush is a pig to get out. My front bushes were approx 80,000 miles and 5 years old and TBH they weren't in too bad a state.

I'll be doing this next year, are you doing the full car or just the wish bones?

I followed the same torque ethos as you. When I was braking hard it sounded like something was about to fall off the car, there was always the HUGE CLUNK!!
It turned out to be the rear wishbone bolt wasn't tight enough, even though it was new bolts and followed the proper torquing technique.
Just one to watch out for.
Great car, hope you get the hybrid stuff sorted out soon too

 

[rsmith]

That front bush is a pig to get out. My front bushes were approx 80,000 miles and 5 years old and TBH they weren't in too bad a state.

I'll be doing this next year, are you doing the full car or just the wish bones?

I followed the same torque ethos as you. When I was braking hard it sounded like something was about to fall off the car, there was always the HUGE CLUNK!!
It turned out to be the rear wishbone bolt wasn't tight enough, even though it was new bolts and followed the proper torquing technique.
Just one to watch out for.
Great car, hope you get the hybrid stuff sorted out soon too

Hi Willie,

I already have the DBM, i might do the front ARB bushes, i need to decide.I am definetly doing the rear, sometimes when i overtake its sounds like there is something going on back there not so much of a clonk but a rattle, like i rolled over something.I need to inspect it further and also redo the bushes on my rear ARB.

The hybrid is static at the moment until my new forge big race fmic arrives, it was meant to be here this week but is now on back order this is a pain cause the car is going in to have the front resprayed and i wanted to wait until the cooler is in, just in case.

P.S thanks for the heads up on the torque, i will recheck mine in a few hundred miles.

 

[_chris_]

My bushes went after bout that mileage as well.
I pushed mine out like this

Found it quite easy.

Really hope you get your turbo upgrade sorted soon. Must be really annoying!

 

[J@mes]

sorry for the hijack... Iv been meaning to look at the bushes in my wishbones... under hard acceleration and hard braking i get a clonking noise sometimes, from the movement of the car rocking forward/backwards (and im lowered!)

does this clonking noise sound like the wishbone bushes to you guys? cheers!

 

[rsmith]

My bushes went after bout that mileage as well.
I pushed mine out like this

Found it quite easy.

Really hope you get your turbo upgrade sorted soon. Must be really annoying!

The hybrid is working ok at the moment, its only pulling about 310bhp though, we know there is alot more left in them, this is the most annoying thing, it will get there in the end though.

I had something similar from pushing the bush out, but my vice was not as large as yours so it limited the distance i could push it, i must invest in a new vice.

sorry for the hijack... Iv been meaning to look at the bushes in my wishbones... under hard acceleration and hard braking i get a clonking noise sometimes, from the movement of the car rocking forward/backwards (and im lowered!)

does this clonking noise sound like the wishbone bushes to you guys? cheers!

Yes, this is what i was expierencing, the wishbone bushes affect the forward/back movement too.I also notice at high speed, 80mph+ on sweeping bends the car felt unstable.

 

[Ronin225]

I did a quick guide whwn i did mine, in the sig below

 

[rsmith]

I did a quick guide whwn i did mine, in the sig below

I know, i read your guide,
But it was missing stuff, mine isn't really a guide, just a walkthrough start to finish.

Feel free to borrow my stuff and add it to your guide.

 

[Ronin225]

If you tell me what you think it was missing i will try and add it in

 

[JamJay]

My bushes went after about 35,000 miles, probably due to the car sitting a lot and not getting used. I looked under the car and at the wishbone rear bush and they were completely collapsed with the wishbone resting on the subframe, as well as the ball joints squeaking when I drove it, most embarrasing. As my Dad is in the trade, it worked out cheaper for me to replace the whole wishbone with an AUDI S3 one, fully bushed with their stronger rubber ones. The difference after this was absolutely amazing, completely new car and although things were tight, the ride comfort got better. I found acceleration, cornering and braking were all improved. I'n another 30,000 when these die, I'll polybush it but right now I love the setup.

 

[rsmith]

This is BS, i ordered a Forge big race intercooler 3 weeks ago now, and every week they say it will be shipping this week, the lastest excuse is they don't have a box to ship it in!!!

On another note, WMI killed my throttlebody, i was on the motorway yesterday and the 2 EML's came on, so i checked the codes on the liquid guage and it was a TB malfunction, i cleared them and did a TBA, i just about limped home :-(

Here is what i was greeted with when i opened up the TB, Water/Menthanol, i know because i tasted it.
This is something i would have never have thought of with WMI.From inspection the gasket for the electronic cover was fine, the water/meth looks to have travelled down the TB shaft and into the electronic's

I rang the dealer and they wanted €400 for a new one, they much be having such a laugh in that place.

The hunt continues now in breakers yards, no way am i paying that for a new one.

Here's a pic, i'll put it in the Mk1 section to give peeps running WMI a heads up to check there TB.

 

[DannyC87]

This is BS, i ordered a Forge big race intercooler 3 weeks ago now, and every week they say it will be shipping this week, the lastest excuse is they don't have a box to ship it in!!!

On another note, WMI killed my throttlebody, i was on the motorway yesterday and the 2 EML's came on, so i checked the codes on the liquid guage and it was a TB malfunction, i cleared them and did a TBA, i just about limped home :-(

Here is what i was greeted with when i opened up the TB, Water/Menthanol, i know because i tasted it.
This is something i would have never have thought of with WMI.From inspection the gasket for the electronic cover was fine, the water/meth looks to have travelled down the TB shaft and into the electronic's

I rang the dealer and they wanted €400 for a new one, they much be having such a laugh in that place.

The hunt continues now in breakers yards, no way am i paying that for a new one.

Here's a pic, i'll put it in the Mk1 section to give peeps running WMI a heads up to check there TB.

You must have not read my thread when I mentioned mine doing this! I have two throttle bodies now..! I found the use of a proper break valve stopped meth seeping under vacuum and then sitting in the throttle body, and a shed load of electrical cleaner on the rotating plate and pickups worked a treat!

My spare throttle body will be available in the next couple of months when I return from the US and sell the car!