Continental drift
New member
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2020
Hello! Here's my 945:
IMG_20201005_165809
My dad bought it new in 1998 and drove it for five years, then my mom got it and drove it for 10 years (and nearly into the ground, she could NEVER find any time in her calendar to have it serviced) and when it finally passed to me it was almost ready for the wrecker. The fuel consumption was through the roof, there was a boost leak, brakes were shot, and there were enough minor defects to drive the resale value to nothingness. Even after obtaining the car it felt like fixing one thing made two more break down. However, the engine was still healthy (despite ECU problems) and the chassis was remarkably sound. Brake issues got fixed with a full overhaul (new rotors, calipers, and new e-brake parts all around), engine problems rooted from rotten hoses and bad sensors. A lesson learned, always test if the sensor is OK before installing. I had a bucketload of problems with a dud ECT sensor.
Limits and scope of the modifications
Obviously, the priority is to make everything work properly before venturing into any great modification projects. The to-do list is however getting short and issues on it superficial, so it should be good time to start thinking about upgrades. My goal is to achieve a premium OEM -like feel to the car. Power goal is not crazy high, 300hp would be plenty for a touring car. B230FT with air conditioning and M90 transmission should provide a nice starting point for modifications and upgrades, but there are few legal barriers in modding a car of this age, limiting the options quite a bit:
-Engine swaps involve dealing with MOT approvals and expensive emission tests on a rolling road.
-Head swaps count as engine swaps if the valve train changes, so no DOHC 16 valve heads for this car
-Swapping the turbo counts too, but an inconspicuous change would go unnoticed so TD04HL-20T (with a -13C data plate transplant for good measure) is worth a try, a Holset or a Garrett not so much.
Also, since the car is my daily, no mod should take more than one weekend to install.
Fuel & ignition Chip, intake, turbo and exhaust
I installed a flexfuel kit earlier, RE85 is pretty cheap around here and having 110 octane fuel is a welcome boon for a turbo. Fuel consumption after having the ECU problems fixed on ethanol is decent, around 12.4-13l/100km (19-18 MPG), which isn't bad considering. However with a T+ chip stock injectors already run at alarmingly high duty cycle, so I've planned on getting Viking chips, and modify a 3" MAF into 3.4" to accommodate 600cc injectors for E85 overhead. I purchased a cheap 012-clone from AliExpress, and boy was there a horror show waiting inside the electronics box.
IMG_20200929_195238
The wires are hanging on for dear life, the solder joints are unspeakable blobs and the pcb was only held in place with a bit of silicone RTV. Proper multistrand wire, tender care with a soldering iron, heat shrink sleeves, and thermal adhesive should give the thing a bit more life. If it refuses to behave, I will modify the stock MAF. Improving fuel delivery is the first thing on my priority list with the engine.
Turbo will probably be the last step on the engine upgrade path, as I want to see everything working correctly before adding boost. At the moment, a TD04HL-19T or -20T looks like it. Going from stock TD04H-13C to -20T isn't a crazy high step, so I don't feel like staging that transition. Exhaust is probably 3" downpipe and 2.5" catback. I'm fond of idea using several straight-through mufflers, ending with a transverse dual output muffler and dual exhausts, if it can be made to look like factory installation. We'll see.
E85 makes the car more stubborn to start on colder days, so any improvement is welcome. Right now I've only installed iridium plugs, but I'm building a wasted spark setup to eliminate the distributor and improve the spark energy. My car doesn't have an EGR system (to my utter surprise), so I may use the existing connector pins for cleaner installation. Ignition system modifications are much less regulated than fuel/air induction systems, so it's more of an aesthetic thing. This is one I hope is in immediate future.
Head & Cam
I managed to source a 531 head, and also bought an IPD Turbo cam for it. By some accounts they give plenty of top end, but the injector size really is a big concern at the moment. I'm, not going to install those before the new injectors are in.
Drivetrain, brakes, and suspension
M90 should do fine with the goals I had in mind. It occasionally tends to jump out of third gear so that's something I should look into. The diff is G80 locker, which works alright now. Upgrading it with a Dana 30 ATB diff might be an option in the future. I might go for a lowering kit with 20-30mm of ride height reduction, but that too is not an immediate concern. Strut rod bushings are original and *very* crumbly looking. I've ordered a poly bushing set from IPD, I've head great things about it and it would be high time to replace those bushings anyway.
So, that's about it. I'm not rushing into modifying the car, so this won't be a rapidly progressing thread. Hope you found it interesting.
IMG_20201005_165809
My dad bought it new in 1998 and drove it for five years, then my mom got it and drove it for 10 years (and nearly into the ground, she could NEVER find any time in her calendar to have it serviced) and when it finally passed to me it was almost ready for the wrecker. The fuel consumption was through the roof, there was a boost leak, brakes were shot, and there were enough minor defects to drive the resale value to nothingness. Even after obtaining the car it felt like fixing one thing made two more break down. However, the engine was still healthy (despite ECU problems) and the chassis was remarkably sound. Brake issues got fixed with a full overhaul (new rotors, calipers, and new e-brake parts all around), engine problems rooted from rotten hoses and bad sensors. A lesson learned, always test if the sensor is OK before installing. I had a bucketload of problems with a dud ECT sensor.
Limits and scope of the modifications
Obviously, the priority is to make everything work properly before venturing into any great modification projects. The to-do list is however getting short and issues on it superficial, so it should be good time to start thinking about upgrades. My goal is to achieve a premium OEM -like feel to the car. Power goal is not crazy high, 300hp would be plenty for a touring car. B230FT with air conditioning and M90 transmission should provide a nice starting point for modifications and upgrades, but there are few legal barriers in modding a car of this age, limiting the options quite a bit:
-Engine swaps involve dealing with MOT approvals and expensive emission tests on a rolling road.
-Head swaps count as engine swaps if the valve train changes, so no DOHC 16 valve heads for this car
-Swapping the turbo counts too, but an inconspicuous change would go unnoticed so TD04HL-20T (with a -13C data plate transplant for good measure) is worth a try, a Holset or a Garrett not so much.
Also, since the car is my daily, no mod should take more than one weekend to install.
Fuel & ignition Chip, intake, turbo and exhaust
I installed a flexfuel kit earlier, RE85 is pretty cheap around here and having 110 octane fuel is a welcome boon for a turbo. Fuel consumption after having the ECU problems fixed on ethanol is decent, around 12.4-13l/100km (19-18 MPG), which isn't bad considering. However with a T+ chip stock injectors already run at alarmingly high duty cycle, so I've planned on getting Viking chips, and modify a 3" MAF into 3.4" to accommodate 600cc injectors for E85 overhead. I purchased a cheap 012-clone from AliExpress, and boy was there a horror show waiting inside the electronics box.
IMG_20200929_195238
The wires are hanging on for dear life, the solder joints are unspeakable blobs and the pcb was only held in place with a bit of silicone RTV. Proper multistrand wire, tender care with a soldering iron, heat shrink sleeves, and thermal adhesive should give the thing a bit more life. If it refuses to behave, I will modify the stock MAF. Improving fuel delivery is the first thing on my priority list with the engine.
Turbo will probably be the last step on the engine upgrade path, as I want to see everything working correctly before adding boost. At the moment, a TD04HL-19T or -20T looks like it. Going from stock TD04H-13C to -20T isn't a crazy high step, so I don't feel like staging that transition. Exhaust is probably 3" downpipe and 2.5" catback. I'm fond of idea using several straight-through mufflers, ending with a transverse dual output muffler and dual exhausts, if it can be made to look like factory installation. We'll see.
E85 makes the car more stubborn to start on colder days, so any improvement is welcome. Right now I've only installed iridium plugs, but I'm building a wasted spark setup to eliminate the distributor and improve the spark energy. My car doesn't have an EGR system (to my utter surprise), so I may use the existing connector pins for cleaner installation. Ignition system modifications are much less regulated than fuel/air induction systems, so it's more of an aesthetic thing. This is one I hope is in immediate future.
Head & Cam
I managed to source a 531 head, and also bought an IPD Turbo cam for it. By some accounts they give plenty of top end, but the injector size really is a big concern at the moment. I'm, not going to install those before the new injectors are in.
Drivetrain, brakes, and suspension
M90 should do fine with the goals I had in mind. It occasionally tends to jump out of third gear so that's something I should look into. The diff is G80 locker, which works alright now. Upgrading it with a Dana 30 ATB diff might be an option in the future. I might go for a lowering kit with 20-30mm of ride height reduction, but that too is not an immediate concern. Strut rod bushings are original and *very* crumbly looking. I've ordered a poly bushing set from IPD, I've head great things about it and it would be high time to replace those bushings anyway.
So, that's about it. I'm not rushing into modifying the car, so this won't be a rapidly progressing thread. Hope you found it interesting.