LOL! I didn't hang up on you guys. But you all where busting my balls pretty good for not being there.
I know, just messing with ya! Still going through all the chip code we read yesterday, I'll give you a call later today.
Holy Crap WHAT A DAY! Mrs. V and I are wiped out but it was all worth it. Barbara went way overboard on preparations - the woman cannot do things half way. This event actually looked like a real planned party instead of the usual Stooge lets bring beer and wrenches thing. FBB got the number pretty close. He neglected to mention that 1 of those fried birds was solely consumed by his fatness. Not to mention a bowl full of wings - I did taste a few morsels in between his glutonous grabs, however. The theme was generally chips, beer and brakes. Chips were of the EPROM variety and we learned a crap load of stuff from our chip gathering party. I am now a 3 minute expert in disassembling a Motronic box and pulling the chips then reassembling. I think I did it 8 times, or 4 pairs. Got a freshly burned set from Eric - thanks so much for this service of refreshing our chips with higher speed versions. Really a great 348 Brother thing to do! Beer well that was quite a thing. I have about a case plus of misc. brands. Rob, your Bavarian import Hef was truly one of the greatest I have ever had. I need more! I got Pilsner Urquel - Peter you are always welcome at my house forever now. Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, Stella Artois, etc. Wow, I am going to be pretty whacked for a few weeks. Anyone need some brew? Wine, thank you all for the donations to the cellar. Very nice and completely unnecessary. Thank you all for your kindness all the same. Food, wow, what an assortment of stuff. Here are more pictures from the event, but the previous post pretty much captured it. 1. Turkey fryer on overtime. 3 turkeys, 1 chicken and 10 lbs of taters. 2. View from the pool deck. Alex's 355 after gothspeed install - centerpiece and fantastic addition. We took rides later. You cannot imagine how this car has changed since our dyno day last year. 3. Driveway with 348s and 355s in a row. 4. Tim and Bruce resting alongside Bruce's newly resurrected 348 Challenge. 5. Street side up hill. 6. Hey Bushwacker, that's the guy who bought your car! LOL. BTW, the window now works perfectly so copterjohn its all good. It was a motor mount bolt that backed out into the path of the regulator. All fixed now at Stoogefest. 7. Jeff I-don't-have-a-Maserati-anymore-so stop-looking-at me-that-way and Peter, the new title holder of the Ketel award. 8. Henry from Hemet on his way to the backing my driveway down experience in his gorgeous 1995 355 GTB. 9. Tim checking out Alex's 355 and Ketel's 355 Spider behind. Hey we're down to 1 code now. Maybe by next year it will be 0! 10. Armen supervising a driveway approach beyond the gates. A great day. Thank you all for coming and making it the best Stoogefest ever. Kudos to Bruce for driveway, parking and mechanic coordination (and Sunday clean-up); FBB for grillwork and kitchen help (really couldn't have done it without you).; Barbara for everything; Eric for the computer lessons - really we do understand you . Ketel for the long distance award. Vas and Henry for making the long trips from SD and Hemet. Next event at Alex's! Or Peter's. We'll see. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here's a few things we learned: 1. There are numerous versions of chip maps despite the 2 part numbers on record. We have not yet ferreted out their coding. Er, I mean Eric hasn't, but he will. Similarly, there are several part numbers for the Motronic boxes and there are observable differences between them. Again not sure what this means. 2. We have a bunch of different mappings for these cars including a few sets of aftermarket chips. It will be interesting to see what they do. I have dynoed a few and have my own observations, but lets see what the chipmaster finds. 3. For those of you who have not, please change your brake fluid completely every other year. Don't leave that old crap in your system. You cannot believe the sheit we pulled out of a couple of cars yesterday. It's amazing they still stopped. 4. You 355 guys, be aware that you have additional bleeder nipples under your front bonnet covers so bleeding brakes doesn't just mean the 8 nipples on your calipers. If you are having trouble getting a firm pedal, go "under the mat".
Sorry I'm a bit late to respond, but I echo everything that was said about yesterday's get together. First and foremost, Vince and Barb, you are truly great hosts. Thanks again for inviting us all into your beautiful home. Even though I was meeting most of the guys for the first time (outside of corresponding through FCHAT), it felt like we were old friends. My right leg is considerably larger today thanks to pumping brake pedals during the multiple brake system bleed-offs conducted throughout the afternoon. Tim rightfully sized-up my questionable mechanical skills and assigned me to the passenger compartment where I could do the least harm. The food was wonderful, as were the varied conversations taking place by the pool, in the garage and all up and down the driveway. I too have to say that Alex's Gothspeed set-up was absolutely awesome. The workmanship is incredible. Thanks for taking the time to remove the Group-M intake system so we could fully appreciate the new exhaust. I'm looking forward to the next event and have volunteered my place in Hemet for a future Stoogefest, but trying to get these guys to drive east of Riverside will take some doing. On the other hand, if we incorporate a morning drive through the twisties near Idyllwild and lunch up on the mountain before heading to my house for afternoon thrashing, I may be able to attract a few takers. Anyway, thanks again to everyone for making yesterday an incredible experience. Henry
Thanks Vince and Barbara! What a fine ownership experience! I've never been part of a club that provides so much value, and this isn't even a club....just a brotherhood. Did anybody find a small zipper bag marked Anti-Gravity batteries with some white wires in it?
Holy s! I got it. Goth closed my engine compartment-but It was apparently on top of the intakes. Made it all the way home to OC @ 105mph without a scratch. I owe you a visit as we spoke about Bruce..ASAP. I'll bring it (& pick up the unit on my way from whoever has it. I presume Oz??). Sorry man, I had no idea
No problem. I'm sure I left it there. No great urgency. See you soon. Man, I wish! No, it's a tiny battery jumpbox. Fits in the glovebox. They also make a 7lb. starter battery I use.
Here are Ketel's pictures from the previous page. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Vince. Where are these other three bleeders? I did mine last year and had no issues but am going to do them again soon.
Bob: Mine was the problem car. The other bleeders are on the actual master cylinder which is located next to the brake fluid reservoir in the front. To access you have to pull back the carpet in the front compartment.
JD: Somehow my system got some air in it and we were chasing it down and were not able to clear until we bleed those. If you have good pressure you may be ok.
There is much confusion about bleeding/flushing/changing brake fluid. An air bleed for a hard pedal can be done just from, each outer caliper bleed screw. A complete fluid flush can be done from the outer caliper bleed screw. When significant air enters the system either by mistake or rebuilding calipers you should bleed from both inner and outer caliper bleed screw. If air entered from the master cylinder from say allowing the fluid to drop down too far during a simple bleed then you must purge/bleed the master cylinder then bleed each wheel. On 348/55 you also have to note the clutch fluid inlet line is higher on the reservoir. If someone mistakes the pedals you blast air in the clutch then have to deal with that. Brake and clutch should be bleed at the same venue since they share the same fluid and they age accordingly. Many problems can be avoided just by Annual brake fluid flushing like every other oil change assuming semi annual oil changes based on time not mileage for these lightly driven cars. I like manual 2 man methods because you can get a harder pedal using hydraulics and control the way fluid comes out of bleeders and know when you fail to control the situation like forgetting to fill the reservoir. There are several 1 man methods that do work but can introduce problems like simply running out of fluid and being automated the user does not check. Personally, I only use one man when I'm by myself. I would rather wait for another person to show up for more control. An example of 2 man advantages can be attested by Plugzit last month when we had to fire through fluid by foot to fully bleed a troublesome 348 clutch.
Too easy LOL When abs came out "official factory fix" was to soak the entire abs unit in a bucket overnight. Everything was bench bleed before installation, lines, master, calipers I am that old
Unfortunately, I'm that old too. I am fighting a particularly troublesome corvette clutch which has been kicking my rear. So am doing the old school partial submersion trick "old school." Young computer people don't realize there was a time that the most important tool in the box was a hammer! The nastier the hammer the more experienced the mechanic.
