ive been itchin to get my car out to see what it would run all summer but i wanted to wait for the air to cool down and till i got some dr's. i picked up some MT ET street drag radials a couple weeks ago so then it was time to wait for a cooler night. so last night i decided would be a good night to head up there.
1st run- i backed into the water box, pulled up and began to try and do a 2nd gear burnout. i reved it up dropped the clutch and it went ok for a few seconds but then it just bogged out and the car stalled. i dont think i gave it enough rpms. so instead of backing into the box again i just did a quick little scrub off the tires. i stage, rev it to about 2800. my plan was to slip the clutch but i think i got to anxious and just dropped the clutch instead of slipping it out. it bogged a little and i spun through all of first and a little bit of second while the back end was kicking out. it was a shit run but it was my first ever run down the track in this car so i was ok with it
there was a little problem though as i was slowing down to make the u turn. the car died and lost all power. i figured a hose just blew off. i was able to make it around the turn and i popped the hood to find the IAT sensor that is supposed to be in the intake discharge pipe that comes off the s/c and leads into the intake manifold was just laying there. i have been having trouble keeping that in there cuz the RTV hasn't been sticking well to the plastic pipe.
so after canibalizing both of josh's show laces and barrowing some silicone sealant from a gentleman in an s/c'd cavalier we were off to make a second run.
2nd run- i decided to do a 1st gear burnout instead this time and it worked out alot better. i staged, brought it to about 3k and again i dumped it instead of slipping it so i bogged out again. i think i short shifted a little from 1st to 2nd but was still able to salvage a decent run. i hit all my gears quickly and succesfully. i made the u-turn and glanced down at my temp gauge..it was quickly climbing past 210. i got to the timeslip box and the gauge read 240. i quickly found the closest spot and shut her down and popped the hood. coolant spewed everywhere and i began to check to see where it was all coming from. it looked like it was coming right out of the resevoir cap. a couple weeks ago i got a low coolant light so i added some into the resevoir, i think i added a bit to much. i let the car cool down and looked down at the timeslip:
60ft: 2.02
330: 5.54
1/8: 8.351 @ 89.66
1000: 10.74
1/4: 12.74
mph: 115
i was pretty damn happy with that run and the time was about what i was expecting to see. i was told the drivers side tire wasnt spining much if at all during the burnout but i was more worried about the cooling system at this point.
i investigated the coolant and found what looked to be dirt in the resevoir. i pulled the sipstick out and saw no trace of anit-freeze in there. after the car cooled down i started it up and no white smoke came out of the tail pipes. i let it idle to see if it would overheat and it stayed steady at 180. i drove it around the pits to see if it would heat up but it stayed steady so i decided i would make another pass.
3rd run: i bogged again off the line revving it to about 3k. its hard to slip my clutch cuz it grabs all the way at the top and u dont have much room to slip it. it seemed to hook ok in first but i was still getting used to the way the tires feel down the track. i hit all my gears and made the u-turn and glanced down at the temp gauge. again, it began to climb. i got to the time box and did the same as before.
60ft: 2.0
1/4: 12.8
mph: 113
i just dont understand what is happening. i'd be doing the same thing on the street and this cooling issue never accured. why all the sudden would it show up at the track? i noticed it had been running a little hotter than usual lately but i figured it was just the summer heat. i think i need to have the whole system flushed and refilled as i have never done this yet.
other than all these issues, i was happy to bring the car home in one piece with a trans that was still intact and a driveshaft still connected! i know there is alot more in the car. next time i go i will dissconnect the sway bar and work on my launch.
1st run- i backed into the water box, pulled up and began to try and do a 2nd gear burnout. i reved it up dropped the clutch and it went ok for a few seconds but then it just bogged out and the car stalled. i dont think i gave it enough rpms. so instead of backing into the box again i just did a quick little scrub off the tires. i stage, rev it to about 2800. my plan was to slip the clutch but i think i got to anxious and just dropped the clutch instead of slipping it out. it bogged a little and i spun through all of first and a little bit of second while the back end was kicking out. it was a shit run but it was my first ever run down the track in this car so i was ok with it
there was a little problem though as i was slowing down to make the u turn. the car died and lost all power. i figured a hose just blew off. i was able to make it around the turn and i popped the hood to find the IAT sensor that is supposed to be in the intake discharge pipe that comes off the s/c and leads into the intake manifold was just laying there. i have been having trouble keeping that in there cuz the RTV hasn't been sticking well to the plastic pipe.
so after canibalizing both of josh's show laces and barrowing some silicone sealant from a gentleman in an s/c'd cavalier we were off to make a second run.
2nd run- i decided to do a 1st gear burnout instead this time and it worked out alot better. i staged, brought it to about 3k and again i dumped it instead of slipping it so i bogged out again. i think i short shifted a little from 1st to 2nd but was still able to salvage a decent run. i hit all my gears quickly and succesfully. i made the u-turn and glanced down at my temp gauge..it was quickly climbing past 210. i got to the timeslip box and the gauge read 240. i quickly found the closest spot and shut her down and popped the hood. coolant spewed everywhere and i began to check to see where it was all coming from. it looked like it was coming right out of the resevoir cap. a couple weeks ago i got a low coolant light so i added some into the resevoir, i think i added a bit to much. i let the car cool down and looked down at the timeslip:
60ft: 2.02
330: 5.54
1/8: 8.351 @ 89.66
1000: 10.74
1/4: 12.74
mph: 115
i was pretty damn happy with that run and the time was about what i was expecting to see. i was told the drivers side tire wasnt spining much if at all during the burnout but i was more worried about the cooling system at this point.
i investigated the coolant and found what looked to be dirt in the resevoir. i pulled the sipstick out and saw no trace of anit-freeze in there. after the car cooled down i started it up and no white smoke came out of the tail pipes. i let it idle to see if it would overheat and it stayed steady at 180. i drove it around the pits to see if it would heat up but it stayed steady so i decided i would make another pass.
3rd run: i bogged again off the line revving it to about 3k. its hard to slip my clutch cuz it grabs all the way at the top and u dont have much room to slip it. it seemed to hook ok in first but i was still getting used to the way the tires feel down the track. i hit all my gears and made the u-turn and glanced down at the temp gauge. again, it began to climb. i got to the time box and did the same as before.
60ft: 2.0
1/4: 12.8
mph: 113
i just dont understand what is happening. i'd be doing the same thing on the street and this cooling issue never accured. why all the sudden would it show up at the track? i noticed it had been running a little hotter than usual lately but i figured it was just the summer heat. i think i need to have the whole system flushed and refilled as i have never done this yet.
other than all these issues, i was happy to bring the car home in one piece with a trans that was still intact and a driveshaft still connected! i know there is alot more in the car. next time i go i will dissconnect the sway bar and work on my launch.
