Skoda Rally Blog

Well, after some fouled plugs, some hoo-ha with very stale petrol (that had turned the colour of marmalade), and a few other minor issues, it starts! It’s a bit hit-or-miss at the moment because I’ve done very little to it, and there’s no ‘fast idle’ facility yet (I’m not sure it’s going to work as it’s about 1/4 throttle the way I have it set up at the moment). But, it runs, and I’m waiting for my wideband O2 sensor to arrive, ‘cos then I’ll be able to tune the engine precisely, hopefully. However, I did manage to get it idling nicely when it was warm, with what looks and sounds to be a decent mixture. The new firmware for the Megasquirt (Megasquirt & Spark Extra) is a lot more involved than the original MS code I was running before – it has a lot more options, and as a result there’s a lot more to set. However, I think that it will work a lot more smoothly when it’s done this time – partly because it’s an untuned engine, partly because I’m using a single throttle body with a manifold that is a production item, and partly because I’ll have the wideband so I can get the mixture 100% correct.

However, the car is still kinda in bits – I’ve just picked up the other wishbone, so I can get that on…. except I’m going to Newquay for a long weekend, so that’s kinda put paid to 3 days of work. Fortunately I’m quite slack at the moment, so at least I can get on with it next week – I need to as Castle Combe is only 9 days away!