AlanG

lol. I look like i'm freezin' in that pic wi Andy. Far from it. Came back lookin' like a tomato heid! Great results and a joy to watch going up the strip again and again and again... For a first time out it was well sorted and consistant on the strip. Well done to all involved in the car. You must be well chuffed with what it did and what it can do in the future and was good to meet the boys for the first time. Roll on the next event.

Those figures are an a***

Ta. Was just thinkin' that torque seemed awfy high if it was a 2.0 at the bhp level.

Is yours a 2.5 John?

In all instances of gearbox failures i've had John, none of them were under load, always with little or no load when they failed and no indication beforehand that anything was untoward. I had failures when at your level with the UK spec 5 speed, but this was due to flatshifting and a paddle clutch which when changing gear like this can increase the torque load on the gear up to twice the rated output of the engine. The Sti box, having lower gear ratios than the long legged UK ratios also helps in terms of "lastability". Bear in mind as well that when i used the Sti box with the 2.5, i had it rebuilt with new bearings etc, so it was "as new" and as best it could be, so was pleased enough that it lasted as long as it did before failing, though the plan was always to uprate the gearbox as that was the weakest link. With the 2.5 easily making its' initial 500 target and feeling of it could take a good bit more, curiosity (and greed) got in the way before sorting out a box which could handle it.

Remembering bits as i go along cause it seems that long ago now, but i remember changing the gearbox oil in the Sti box 3 times in three weeks after it first went in, cause of an input shaft seal failure... Was my stupidity for not seeing a bearing missing in the flywheel.... Got quite adept at takin' the fecker out...

Soz, should have explained better. I ran Redline in the Sti box but went on to Millers when i went to PPG. Initially 75/90, then 90/140 when i had slight crunch issues. I never changed gearbox oil in the time i had the gearboxes, though you could change it as per your service schedule if it says to do it, i can't remember. Thinking about the Sti 'box, i can't remember if it gave up on the 525/560 spec or 630/540 spec. I think it was the latter cause i remember it cost ****loads to up the spec, then i ran out of money, so a 'box failure was the last thing i needed at the time, but you know how these things go, you've spent all your fun money and you've got a car sittin' no use to you, so you have to find the funds from somewhere.

And i ran a 5 speed STi box at 525/560 for about 9 months before it gave up a gear. Think i had Redline in the box at that time for a while, before going on to Millers gear oil.

About bloody time... Only kiddin. Have fun!

I'm not that clued up on the 6 speed boxes John and i don't know what diff ratio you run on your car. As far as i'm aware and others will be able to fill you in better, I think there's basically the UK 6speed, Sti 6speed (UK and Sti might be the same ratios though?) and the Forrester 6 speed to choose from, but as i said i'm not that familiar. Others will clarify the options hopefully. Personally i'd be looking for the Forrester box for its' ratios and then get the corresponding parts to suit the install. Cost wise, haven't a clue, though I think you should still be able to source all parts needed for less than the PPG.

Every time i go down to the Pod, there's two guys there with pristine Mk1's. They run consistant 10 second quarters and are a joy to watch as they launch off the line with one front wheel cocked in the air. Beautiful workmanship, is a true labour of love with the effort they've put into them.

I had the PPG straight cut synchro box in mine John and was very happy with it, safe in the knowledge that it could take the power i was putting out. Yes it was noisy and maybe in hindsight, because it was predominently a road car i should have gone for the helical synchro kit for quietness, but after driving the car under the hands of the new owner with the 6 speed Forrester gearbox, that's the route i should have went down. That box has the right ratios, is quiet as a standard box and did gawd knows how many 1/4 miles last year with no issues. The new owner broke the selector rods on the PPG on his first ever 1/4 mile at Scoobyshootout last year, so with that amount of brutality, it's a credit to the strength of the 6 speed. If you've got a 5 speed box John, you'll need the box, propshaft, gearlinkage, gearknob and possibly a rear diff but depends what 6 speed flavour you go for.

Been up and busy since the crack of dawn, so feels like i've been on the go all day!

Sounds like a wiring problem than an item problem. Have you checked you'rre getting a feed to the ISCV and speed sensor? Checked the connections are secure?

I'll have a look here to see what i've got and would use Colin, got a better idea of what the problem is now. I'll give you a bell when i've done.

would a dowty seal be of help in this instance?

what type of washers did you use Johnny?

Thought the banjo was done yonks ago?? You still got issues?, or is it the paranoia case of not trusting it?

I wouldn't at that temp, personally.

Ambient temps are higher.

It's normal. After any change there's bound to be feelings of doubt and it does take a while to be confident in the car even if you're totally confident in your ability to build it. Back in 2003 when i had the 2 litre at 400+, i was never 100% at ease with the car, always looking at gauges at all the time even though they always displayed the same thing. It was ruining the enjoyment of driving the car. When i specced the 2.5 build in that year i vowed to minimilise the number of gauges and have the car built so that i could drive it and forget what was going on. Even the mappers were told what i wanted and how i would be driving it, so they knew it wasn't taken to the Nth degree. Once you've put a few miles on it and you build up confidence, you and the car will be fine unless you start changing bits again and the scenario starts all over again. The good thing about your build is you've taken the experience of others having been there, so you've tried to cover all bases before you've even used the car in anger, so all you need to concenr yourself about is your ability in the build of it. If there's anything niggling in your mind wondering if it's going to be alright, then either sort it properly or check what is done is satisfactory cause 9 times out of 10 it'll come back to bite you! and your confidence takes a nose dive.

Oh.. and i should say it does sound terminal for that engine, but it's good to know what caused the demise. You said it ran fine on the Wednesday night and you drove it 5 miles home after golfing, but rattled it's nuts off next day. It sounds like bearings than piston, so maybe an oil level/oil pressure check is in order?

Very easy to do a compression check Derek, see if you can borrow one, though they're not expensive to buy. Not dissin Geo's diagnosis on it being a piston, it's just that you wrote *think* it's a piston, you might as well confirm it with a compression check to see if a cylinder is down and then repair the car as appropriate. To do a check, take all the sparkplugs out, screw compression tester into one cylinder, press both clutch and accelerator pedals to the floor and turn the engine over for around half a dozen revolutions. Check the reading on the scale, press the release button on the gauge, remove and fit to next cylinder.

Bfore you do anything, run a compression check to confirm it's a cylinder or possibly bearing issues.

Shot in the dark here cause you say you had exhaust damage. Get an old rag and cover the tailpipe to create back pressure in the system and see if you've got any hissing from a gasket in one of the joints. I'm suspecting the turbo to downpipe gasket here, but it's quick and easy to do. If the system is air tight, you'll get a lot of pressure out the exhaust when you release the rag, whereas if you've got a leak, you'll hear the system hissing.