"Jaywatch" Lemons E30

[kronus]

I need this in my life.

You really do.

[kronus]

I'm waiting on one of my teammates to get the videos up on youtube. We have hours and hours of track video for analysis.

The basic outline was:

- get to Infineon on Thursday evening
- sign up for five test sessions (each 45 minutes) on Friday
- in second session, rusty thermostat disintegrates, blows shut, car stalls on track after overheating and fluids mingling. We don't notice, think it just died randomly, since it starts up some time later and seems fine.
- I go out for the third session, lose all power after 3 laps. Car towed back in, we fuck around with it a bunch, trying to get it to start. We have no oil pressure, foolishly think it could be the gauge or the sender. The driver-side of the engine bay is covered in oil, we don't realize why. Change the oil and water. Try to start the car again, no dice. Pull the plugs, notice that they're covered in fresh oil. Pull the AFM, oil is coming out of the intake. Cylinders are hydrolocked by coolant, cranking pressurizes the crankcase and blows oil out of the pan gasket. Head gasket is fucked, rings are probably fucked, head is probably warped. Any input here would be appreciated, this is guesswork, not a proper diagnosis.
- I walk around, meet Darrin (CorvallisBMW) and James Crivellone and the rest of their hilarious team, mid-gay-tank conversion. They have a spare eta motor. After some panicking and arm waving on our part, they agree that they would like to see four noobs (us) try to pull off a complete motor swap overnight in the pouring rain with hand tools, and sell the motor to us. We contemplate celebrating.
- (this is about 8 or 9 PM Friday night) We bring the replacement motor over, and start pulling the old one out.
- (2 AM) we have the old motor out
- (3 AM) we are attempting to attach the new motor to the old motor's trans
- (4 AM) after trying for an hour, we give up and go to sleep (it has been raining this entire time by the way)
- (8 AM Saturday) wake up, resume fucking with the torque converter
- (noon) by this time, we figured out how to get the motor and tranny mated, done so, and did everything we needed to with the motor out of the car. (attach coolant hoses, torque various crap)
- (~2 PM) putting the motor in
- (~3 PM) motor is in, filling fluids, reattaching exhaust manifolds, alt, PS pump, auto trans hoses
- (~5 PM) it fires! Much celebration! One of our guys suits up and manages to get it out on the track for four or so laps, taking it super easy because the engine was unknown. He comes in because we realize we have no idea how much gas is in the car, and should check fluid levels. Since we hadn't actually ever pitted before, we take like half an hour to figure out the fill cans, and the Saturday race is over before we have a chance to get back out on the track.

Saturday evening, we mess with it some more, clean up and check over the various swap bits. After the first pit, the engine had developed a very bad misfire, so we spend some time trying to diagnose it. Eventually, most of the team gets frustrated, grabs the pot of vodka gummi bears we had in the RV, and convinces the proprietor of the rolling chicane limo to let them drive it around the paddock handing out booze candy. I (along with several others) remain with the car, and eventually bitch and moan loud enough for Criv to come over and point out that our ECU temp sensor is not hooked up. The misfire disappears and I am a hero. Teammates swing by and give us some gummi bears.

Sunday, the car runs perfectly. Nothing interesting to report. I spend roughly five laps trying to pass the 80's truck, start to get a bit high on its exhaust fumes. We take the checker having done roughly 130 laps, pack up and go home.

[Justin B]

writeups!

[Farbin Kaiber]

I need this in my life.

[CorvallisBMW]

We barely made it with about 40 minutes left before the checkered. None of us had ever pulled a tranny open, let alone tried to fix one. Thank god for the Bentley!

[Justin B]

Hah! When I texted James, and he replied that you guys made it, I didn't think he meant it like that!

[KenC]

That was you guys? They Los Seis Amigos blew two trannies.

Yep, that was us. None of us had ever really worked on a transmission. It took us six hours to get it all put back together. A transmission was just about the only spare that we didn't bring...

[XvillainousX]

I think we finished like 127th... our car was on the track for a whopping 90min on Sunday. We did, however, win the Most Heroic Fix for making one semi-working Franken-tranny out of a broken i and a broken e transmission.

That was you guys? The Los Seis Amigos blew two trannies.

[kronus]

^ 144 for us, all but 4 laps were on sunday.

[KenC]

I think we finished like 127th... our car was on the track for a whopping 90min on Sunday. We did, however, win the Most Heroic Fix for making one semi-working Franken-tranny out of a broken i and a broken e transmission.

[KenC]

They are fiberglass knockoffs, along with the rest of the kit, which has been forcibly removed by various interactions with tire walls. KenC tried to buy the side pods for 40 bucks before I told him they were fake, the cheapskate opportunist :p

Ha! That was actually Alexei. I was the other skinny quiet guy in the green Oregon Ducks hat the whole weekend. Darin/Corvallis was the perpetually drunk guy lol

[XvillainousX]

^^ awesome, thanks. Looks like we would have been in 60ish place if we didn't have to do a motor swap for most of Saturday. (and everything else went right)

Also, we rented a transponder. Are we going to get detailed lap times from MyLaps?

Well, I am not sure if you have access to that since you rented it. What place did you come in? I think I can look it up for you and PM you that info.

[xwill112x]

They are fiberglass knockoffs, along with the rest of the kit, which has been forcibly removed by various interactions with tire walls. KenC tried to buy the side pods for 40 bucks before I told him they were fake, the cheapskate opportunist :p

15shipped?

[kronus]

wtf m tech 2 side door pods????

They are fiberglass knockoffs, along with the rest of the kit, which has been forcibly removed by various interactions with tire walls. KenC tried to buy the side pods for 40 bucks before I told him they were fake, the cheapskate opportunist :p

[kronus]

^^ awesome, thanks. Looks like we would have been in 60ish place if we didn't have to do a motor swap for most of Saturday. (and everything else went right)

Also, we rented a transponder. Are we going to get detailed lap times from MyLaps?