Day 2
Busy day 2 started bad, with some of those responsible for the sales presentation waking up later than planned, but they quickly got their showers and breakfasts, put on their game faces and completed their 8:30 AM event. Considering they had turned in at 3:00 AM, this shouldn't have been unexpected.
As the sales team were going about their business, the trackside team were pushing the car through its technical inspections. One of the "3 stickers" was on the car, and the team were on their way to get their second when a passerby noticed a leak from the car. The car was losing its freshly-added fuel, and would not pass the tilt test that would have given them that second sticker, since this test is exactly meant to check for leaks at severe angles.
With lots of JB Weld, epoxy and time, the problem was rectified, but now the team had to complete the noise and braking tests, to receive that third sticker. The engine had finally seemed to have gotten reliable starts, and the car clearly passed the noise test on its first try, but now the team faced the brake test, which has traditionally been a struggle for the UofM entries.
Between all this, the car was pushed towards the design and costing events, where the team competently endured the judge's grilling sessions. Scores should trickle in tomorrow.
The first brake test pass, all the judges seemed happy with the braking performance, but the test also requires that the car stay running after brake lock-up, to show that the car can be driven away after an emergency stop. The driver stalled, so close to getting all 3 stickers, and after being pushed out and restarted, the engine was no longer making the right noises.
After many hours of diagnosing, it was finally discovered that the engine control unit for the electronic fuel injection had gone bad, no longer sending spark to 2 cylinders. Diagnosing such an issue on a completely custom car is no small feat, and the correction will be to replace the ECU. As the diagnosis was confirmed at 2:00 AM, calling up the vendor was not an immediate option. The team will have to wait to the morning, where luckily a Performance Electronics representative is on site to cure their problem. And that is where they stand, knowing that they can get that third sticker, to be eligible for the dynamic, points-paying events, and complete the competition with a seemingly reliable package, all with a quick replacement of the ECU.
The day lived up to its hectic reputation. Tomorrow, acceleration and skidpad events in the morning, and autocross in the afternoon.
As the sales team were going about their business, the trackside team were pushing the car through its technical inspections. One of the "3 stickers" was on the car, and the team were on their way to get their second when a passerby noticed a leak from the car. The car was losing its freshly-added fuel, and would not pass the tilt test that would have given them that second sticker, since this test is exactly meant to check for leaks at severe angles.
With lots of JB Weld, epoxy and time, the problem was rectified, but now the team had to complete the noise and braking tests, to receive that third sticker. The engine had finally seemed to have gotten reliable starts, and the car clearly passed the noise test on its first try, but now the team faced the brake test, which has traditionally been a struggle for the UofM entries.
Between all this, the car was pushed towards the design and costing events, where the team competently endured the judge's grilling sessions. Scores should trickle in tomorrow.
The first brake test pass, all the judges seemed happy with the braking performance, but the test also requires that the car stay running after brake lock-up, to show that the car can be driven away after an emergency stop. The driver stalled, so close to getting all 3 stickers, and after being pushed out and restarted, the engine was no longer making the right noises.
After many hours of diagnosing, it was finally discovered that the engine control unit for the electronic fuel injection had gone bad, no longer sending spark to 2 cylinders. Diagnosing such an issue on a completely custom car is no small feat, and the correction will be to replace the ECU. As the diagnosis was confirmed at 2:00 AM, calling up the vendor was not an immediate option. The team will have to wait to the morning, where luckily a Performance Electronics representative is on site to cure their problem. And that is where they stand, knowing that they can get that third sticker, to be eligible for the dynamic, points-paying events, and complete the competition with a seemingly reliable package, all with a quick replacement of the ECU.
The day lived up to its hectic reputation. Tomorrow, acceleration and skidpad events in the morning, and autocross in the afternoon.
posted by Bob at 11:24 PM
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