JeffersonRaley

@Ferrino - Yes, the Aux2 controls the EWP. I could probably have run both the fan and EWP off of it, but I really want the EWP to come on much earlier. Right now I'm not running a thermostat, with the theory that the EWP will basically act as a thermostat by coming on as the engine heats up. I actually don't even have a thermostat housing at the moment because of the water rail and blanking plates I'm using. Yes, the Cartek works with the park function. Basically there are 3 + wires coming out of the wiper motor. One gets power all of the time, and that it what enables parking. The other two are for low and hi speed. So I just have a latching button for low and another for high. The only slightly weird thing is that you can have low and high on at the same time. That actually works fine, but then you have to turn both off to stop the wipers. New Raceline dry sump is here! So this weekend I'll install it. With the right luck, the car might run again this weekend. More likely I'll need some fittings or something.

I think in a Seven you could get away with just cutting a completely flat piece of carbon. My carbon dash is totally flat except for the lower edge where it bends around the metal frame tubing.

@Ferrino - I only added 2 relays. One for the fan and a second that powers a fuse box when the ignition is on. Things like the AIM dash, ECU, sensors, wipers, etc all come off of that. I almost certainly could have skipped that one and just powered the fuse panel straight from the M-Unit. The final wiring diagram matches what I posted. It all worked out as expected. There are a few things that aren't on the diagram, like power to various sensors. I'm still deciding whether to add lights to the dash that show ECU codes, ignition on, fan on, EWP on and things like that.

@Brightonuk The NRG wheel controls look good. Definitely a nice price! Share pictures when you get it in. Cartek is very similar to Raptor. To me the advantage of Cartek is that they build a lot of racecar electronics, so they are used to making things last in harsh environments. I wasn't as confident in the Raptor longevity.

Everything is wired up and working. I have one steering wheel button open, which I'll probably use to start the video camera at track days.

For once I'm ahead of schedule. I started the car this weekend and it is running great. Still lots of small stuff left to do before I take it for a drive. The M-Unit is working great. One silly-but-fun feature is Keyless Go. When my phone approaches the car the lights blink slowly. Then I can hit the started button once to power the ignition. Hit it again to start. Double-tap to kill the engine. Another double-tap (or walk away) to kill the ignition. One cool thing that I've learned is that Autometer publishes the calibration of their senders. Very convenient when you need to tell your ECU how to convert Ohm or volts to temp or pressure. I went ahead and ordered a wireless steering wheel controls from Cartek. I tried to use a cable, but it just won't work smoothly in the space we have. The Cartek controls are very slick and will let me keep my dash super simple. That will probably lead to me reworking the entire electrical panel layout since I need to fit in one more black box. The bad news is that my AT Power dry sump pump is leaking. This thing has been a nightmare for years. There really isn't enough space for the external pump so you can't get the fittings tight. I may have to replace it with the Raceline dry sump with an internal pump. Really don't want to have to take it apart again, so hopefully I can get the leak stopped.

Quick update for everyone. I think I'm about 2 car work weekends (so 1.5 calendar months) from firing the car. The M-Unit is wired in and controls everything as I intended. The new Performance Electronics ECU is wired up and the sensors are calibrated. The AIM MSX Strada dash is in and talking to the PE ECU. Just a little more wiring, and calibration of things like the fuel level sender (right now the AIM just tells me how many Ohms of fuel I have....). A lot of what I'm waiting on is the silly stuff like trial fitting alternator belts until I find one that fits and adding diodes so that the AIM dash can show turn signal lights. Oh, and I think I'm going to add Cartek steering wheel controls because I want to keep my dash completely clean. And I need to install pico injectors so that my fuel rail fits under my hood. And fab a mount for my MAP sensor and fuel pressure regulator. and... and... and. Maybe more than 2 weekends....

Glen, We should get together so that I can show you some of the things I'm doing with my Birkin rebuild. I think you have my email address, but let me know if not.

I've spent ~40k on engines for my Seven in the past 5 years. The first 2 lasted Still my favorite car.

Thanks!

I'm putting a 2.5L in Birkin and the oil filter cap is just a little too tall. I thought about getting the Raceline cover, but it isn't designed for coil on plug ignition. Does anyone know if Raceline cover can be used with coil on plug, or another alternative?

Yes, it has sold. Was mounted under the cowl on the passenger side. Ignition module on the water outlet. That is whet my ECU is as well.

I had to give up on Jalopnik and go back to traditional car magazines. Patrick George was ruining them. Maybe it'll improve now that he has stepped down.

I was using this on my old Duratec 2.0 and upgraded to a new ECU with integrated ignitors. It also has an aluminum mount that is perfect under your dash shroud. These are about $1400 new + whatever the ignitors cost. I'll sell for $600. More info here.

I have a set of these that I was using on my 2.0. I went with bigger throttle bodies when I bumped up to a 2.5, so these are for sale. Here is the link to the current equivalent from AT Power. New they are around $1700. I'd be happy to sell them for $600. Just send me an IM. Thanks, Jefferson

That has to be a challenging change for a lot of people. But quite possibly a great thing for expansion of the Birkin brand in the US. Very glad that Tom is here to keep things going!

Yep, the MXS Strada is in. Unfortunately I'm still waiting on my engine (see post above) and so I haven't been able to test the integration between ECU and MXS. It looks really pretty when I power it up to the boot screen though.

I'm going to try running the starter straight off the M Unit. I have a small/light starter, and the M Unit is designed to run a motorcycle starter directly. If it doesn't work the M Unit circuit breaker should protect everything. I attached a PDF that should give you better resolution. I've also updated it with new plans to improve the steering wheel controls. I couldn't get a wired solution to move smoothly and still have a removable wheel. Unfortunately I've been waiting on my engine builder for over 18 months (and am now taking them to court), so I haven't really tested beyond what I can do without the car running. Everything works, but I don't know if it'll get temperamental when all of the circuits are hot and under load. Wiring Diagram M-Unit.pdf

The M-Unit is working great. I have not needed to use a relay to power the fan because my fan is well within the specs for the M-Unit. I was a little worried that the circuit would trip from the power surge when fan starts, but no issues so far.

Thanks John. I agree - as long as I'm replacing the engine I might as well go big. The Cosworth that Ferdl linked to is interesting too. Nominally a little less power, but I'd detune the Raceline anyway. 300bhp is roughly equivalent to 900bhp in a normal car. My car had enough trouble putting 210 to the ground.

Definitely something to consider. The Cosworth name alone is worth something.

Dave - I've driven Ultralights with the S2000 motor and agree they work extremely well. Really a great engine. But I am pretty sure that you're right on fitment. All of the S2k cars have tall hoods to clear that giant V-Tech head. I rebuilt the head on my S2k this year and it is a tall motor.

Papak - I talked with Raceline this morning and the confirmed that they can get the power levels I want without VVT. That means I can run the lower cam cover and engine height is pretty close to what a 2.0 is. So I think I'll be completely fine running the wet sump at current engine height.

It looks like my latest attempt to replace the engine in my Birkin is coming to a bad end (after a year of waiting). So I'm back to looking at options, and will probably go with a 2.5L from either Omex or Raceline. I'm curious as to whether anyone on this forum has installed the taller 2.3/2.5 engine in a Birkin S3, and did it require lowering the engine. Dropping the engine wouldn't be too hard, but then I'd need a dry sump, small flywheel/clutch and bellhousing. So really I'm just trying to figure how much pain I'm setting myself up for. Good thing I bought a highly modified S2000 for a track car a year ago. Otherwise the continuing delays on the Birkin would have me climbing the walls. But it should be amazing when finished.

I don't recommend buying from TMW. I've had pretty terrible experiences with them.