25 March 2022
I have been very tied up lately, and have had very little time to work with the car. In the background, I have been collecting up parts for the upcoming HAG215 differential swap. I keep learning, and this swap is looking to be a bit more straightforward all of the time. I had been looking at a major modification of the rear subframe to account for the 'dogleg' mounting style of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 differential that was acquired. This same type of mounting was used on the majority of the MB cars, also, but recently, I stumbled onto a blog with pics, and lo and behold, an E55 uses the 215mm differential, but with the 'narrow' mounting of the rear cover, just like the Crossfire uses. Excellent! So, while on a road trip next week, I have plans to stop by a particular junk yard to pick up a complete E55 rear end. The second problem with the 215mm differential is the axle situation. My previous plan had been to build a hybrid axle with Challenger inner joints, and Crossfire shafts and outer joints. With some parts bin engineering, I did exactly that, and have the hybrid axles built. However, there is some anxiety over lengths, as the 210 & 215 differentials are about 1" wider than the stock HAG190.
While perusing MBWorld, I read a thread about a particular W211 E55 enthusiast who wanted the bolt up type axles in his car, and had made new stub shafts for the 215mm differential, but with the correctly spaced/sized flanges for bolting up axles. I sent him a message, and he told me that he had them made, but didn't plan to have any more made. Bummer. Then he said that he has since moved up to something bigger, and that the stubs were sitting on the shelf. Would I like to buy them? Um, yes, please! These arrived from Australia a few weeks back. Soooo, if the correct differential rear cover can be procured, everything else should be in place.
By now you are probably asking yourself, why bother with all of this? Just get a Wavetrac for the stock differential. Well, two things. One, finding a Wavetrac for a HAG190 is a challenge on the best of days. Second, this car is making a lot of power. I have been amazed that the stock differential has lasted this long. Oh, and third (didn't know there was a third, did you?), I have a brand new Wavetrac for a 215mm sitting on the shelf. Most of this belongs in the Differential Swap thread, but that one will get updated, once a final, workable solution is implemented.
There are plans to swap a SRT6 driveline into
@QuadPrism 's 04 coupe somewhere down the line. For that car, we will probably try to track down a Quaife for a HAG210, which is also sitting in the shop. Odds are, the progress on that project will be much more applicable to most Crossfire owners, than this 215 swap. In either case, I like the idea of the bolt in axles, albeit they are a bit harder to come by new, than the Crossfire axles are. Weird that it would be that way.
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Next up is a small pile of drivability problems the car has been having. They seem to be fuel related, particularly very high long term fuel trims (LTFT) or in Chrysler parlance, fuel adaptives. This combined with odd lean spots and stumbles off idle means that attention has been mainly put on the tune. However, it turns out that the tune is NOT the only issue. Recall that earlier, Bosch 630cc injectors were swapped in. These are modern injectors, and they use the standard EV6 type connector, whereas the Crossfire and the M113K use the original Bosch EV1 connector. No problem, you can buy adapter harnesses that will change the plugs for you, making installing the Bosch 630's a plug and play swap.
Turns out, that these are not the highest quality item on the face of the earth. The car started throwing CELs for Injector #1 driver issues. After acquiring decent EV6 style connector pigtails, and on the advice of someone who has encountered something similar, the original EV1 connectors were all cut off this week, and the higher quality EV6 connectors soldered in.
Finally drove the car about 30 miles this morning, and no more CEL! What's more is that the LTFTs all dropped to reasonable numbers! Still have some drivability issues, but the mid range power is up quite a bit, and is much smoother. Total cost on the connectors as $14 shipped for all 8. Took just over an hour to install them with shrink wrap. I'll call this one a win.
There are still drivability issues that need to be addressed, and the tuner is not thinking the tune is part of the problem. He thinks there is a flow issue with at least one injector in Bank 1, based on a LTFT disparity that is consistent between the two banks of cylinders on the engine. I went ahead and purchased another set of these same Bosch injectors from a different source, and they should arrive tomorrow. I'll swap those in, and then report on the findings. The first set will be sent out to be flow tested, and if all are good, will be used in another, future project.
Lastly, there is a very annoying rattling sound that shows up, particularly at cold idle. It sounds like an exhaust rattle, but despite crawling under the running car several times, a source of what it might be hitting or rubbing on has been elusive. Last night, I thought it was possible that the torque converter bolts were backing off, so after getting the car in the air, and inspecting those, that was ruled out. At this point, it seems that rather than a metallic rattle, it may actually just be an exhaust leak at the joint between the right side exhaust manifold and the downpipe. The downpipe is stainless steel, and stainless, while wonderful, will often prove to be hard to seal at joints. I will pull the downpipe off this weekend, and inspect.