Pipercross PX600 Airbox #3

Fitted the engine cover and found that the pipercross airbox stopped the cover from seating correctly and also it seems that the SBD 50mm throttle bodies are taller than the standard hayabusa items. Looked at various options and eventually decided to modify the air box slightly to fit. 

At the inlet end next to where the foam filter fits, I made cuts into the airbox with a grinder and then bent the top bown slightly and taped down. Next I tiger sealed the cuts and fixed the modified edge in to place.

Pipercross PX600 Airbox #2

Fitted the airbox and taped the 100mm ducting into place so that I could look at options of where to locate it. Did a search on the internet and found pictures of another MNR with the same airbox fitted, the duct is fitted in the nose cone and acts as a ram air inlet.

Made a template in MDF to block off the gap at the top of the radiator in the nose cone. Trial fitted and looks good, will need to cut a hole for the ducting and then make the final version from aluminium sheet. I will then fix in to place at the top of the nose cone.

Uprated Starter Motor & gear

The uprated starter and gear arrived, the version I ordered is a high torque and high output starter motor designed to overcome the Hayabusa starting issues. It also comes with a heavy duty gear to replace the stock item. The new gear is twice the thickness of the standard Suzuki version. 

As my original starter was from a 99-01 engine, I needed to fit a later starter cover and shaft to accommodate the new larger starter gear. On the later engines this was modified to fit a different gear that was made of 3 plates. The Brise unit is much more sturdy than either of the standard versions so should work well even when the engine is hot. 

Pipercross PX600 Airbox #1

Trial fitted the Pipercross PX600 air box, found the airbox to be quite a bit longer than the foam itg filter, but fits well under the body. Will need to shorten the braded pipe between the dry sump tank and the breather. Also need to remove the throttle bodies to fit and cut the holes in the PX600 base plate. 

Have a 100mm hose to fit to the air intake, plan to fix the inlet above the radiator under the nose cone. There will be plenty of cold air flowing through to the new airbox and should quieten down the induction noise.

Running In Rebuilt Engine

Have now completed three sets of 10 powerseat runs where I snap on the throttle in 6th gear at 3000rpm and hold it until 6000rpm. Really enjoyed driving the car so far, however I'm still getting used to the clutch when pulling off from standstill.

Found a few things that I need to look at:

When the engine is hot, the starter struggles to turn over the engine. When I let it cool it cranks fine. The issue is due to the high compression pistons now sealing a lot better. Have done some research and it seems to be a common problem. Fixes are either a different set of starter gears with different ratios, billet strengthened starter casings / gears and finally a choice of a more powerful starter motor or a 24v starter system. 

The brakes are getting a lot better and are quite progressive, need to check the balance adjuster settings.

I still think that there is an issue with the charging system. I found that when I went out the battery voltage was at 14.9v and when I came home later it was down to 12.5v, however did start the car a couple of times while the engine was warm. May be that the starter motor using a lot of current and draining the battery. 

The electrical system may also be loaded quite heavily, I have two fuel pumps, ecu, dash, can module, electric water pump, radiator fan etc etc. I will look at this and calculate if the standard 400watt stator is up to the job.

The induction noise from the foam filter is really fantastic and adds to the experience, only problem is it's too loud for track day use. Will look at getting a pipercross ducted airbox like the one fitted to Leon's car. This should quieten things down to a more acceptable level.  

Faulty Rectifier #2

Managed to get a second hand rectifier and part of the loom with the charging circuit off eBay. Fitted the rectifier and new cable. 

All works fine now. When first started the voltage slowly increases to 14.9 volts and stays there. The issues with the old setup was a faulty rectifier and also a pair of damaged connectors. 

Wheel Alignment Checks

Wanted to check the tracking on the car. Used some string and the axle stands to check. Positioned the 4 axle stands at each corner of the car and then pulled the string taught between the stands. 

Measured the distance between each side of the rim and the string. Adjusted the axle stands until the distance was equal on the rear wheels. Next measured the distance to the string at each edge of the rim on the front wheels. The toe setting on my car is around 1mm toe in. 

Obviously this is a quick way of checking but isn't really accurate but will identify large discrepancies. To check more accurately I will get a gunson trackrite from eBay.

Faulty Rectifier #1

Removed the rectifier and loom from the car. With my multimeter I used the diode test function to check out the rectifier. 

To check the rectifier I completed the following:

With the meter in diode test, first tested the +ve diodes. I put the black test lead on the black & red cable and then with the red test lead touched each of the black wires in turn. Next I swapped to the red test lead on to the black & red cable and then with the black test lead touched the black wires in turn.  In either of the two tests the results should be similar with 3 beeps in a row on one of the two tests. 

Next I completed the same test on the black & white cable and black wires. With mine I found that there were no beeps so all of the diodes are open circuit. 

I have ordered a second hand rectifier from eBay and will check with this method prior to install.

Brake Performance

Had some problems with poor brake performance and a spongy pedal. Bled all of the brakes and found a lot of air in the front brakes along with the rear.

On the rear I found that when I press the brake pedal and lift off bubbles pass back into the reservoir and sucks air into the system. Leon had a similar issue with his car and he sorted the problem by changing the master cylinder. As I had a spare 0.75 master cylinder that I didn't use for the clutch, I decided to swap it over. 

This worked a treat and the bubbles stopped. I then bled the rear brakes by removing the rear callipers and rotating them so that the bleed nipple faces upwards. Then re fitted the caliper.

For the fronts I bled each side to remove the air. Once complete the pedal felt a lot firmer.