May Track Night in the 944

Testing the new Mass Air Flow sensor at AMP

Track Night in the Porsche

Just getting to Track Night was an adventure this time.  I decided to try out my new to me Ford F250 tow vehicle.  I first took the trailer to work with me before heading down to Atlanta Motorsports Park.

When I arrived at work I saw one of the wheels had come loose and the lugs holes were oval shaped.  Since they from upon doing work in the parking lot, I tried to tighten the lugs a bit and get off the company property.

The wheel seemed to be working ok, so I tried to make it to Tractor Supply going the back roads, so I could drive slowly.  I did not make it.

 I had to stop and swap on the spare wheel. Since the lug nuts were damaged I had to steal some from the other wheels.  I tried running on just three wheels, but unlike my smaller trailer, this was not an option on the larger trailer.

I finally made it to Tractor supply and bought another spare wheel and tire and some more lug nuts.  I also picked up a new set of studs to replace the damaged ones.  I was ready in case the damaged ones broke on the way to the track.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, and the new truck performed well going over the mountain from Chatsworth to Jasper.  I really like Ford’s Tow/Haul mode on the transmission.

I made it to the track in plenty of time to unload the car and get registered before the driver’s meeting.   I grabbed a BBQ sandwich from the food vendor.

Tom met me at the track and helped me with checking the air pressure and the oil level. Seems we still have an oil leak that I can’t quite figure out.  Maybe from the oil air separator

During my first session, I found the Rouge Mass Air Flow sensor really allows the engine to breath much better.  The engine revs much more easily in the upper band.  I found myself hitting the rev limiter much more than when I race on this same track back in October.

I also had some throttle oversteer that I was not used to. I assume this was because the car was making more power as the suspension settings are unchanged.

I felt like I was keeping up with the fast cars in my group much better than last fall. This was hard to judge since there was different mix of cars and drivers at this event.  However, I could count on one hand the number of times I got passed. Last time, I lost count and I had a hard time getting a full lap without needing to point someone by.

The trip home was uneventful. I was much relieved to have the trailer safely parked in front of the shop. I will begin repairs to the hub right away. 

I noticed a few items that need to be address before the next track event.  There was a vibration in the right front wheel when it was heavily loaded.  I am guessing that is a wheel bearing issue.  Since I have to replace the brake rotors any way, I will swap out the wheel bearing at the same time.

I also noticed an odd whirring noise when idling on the grid with transmission in neutral. I suspect this is due to failing torque tube bearings. I have been shopping for the right parts to rebuild.  I will probably address this when I change flywheels.

Also, one-time on the grid the alternator belt was squealing. The noise went away with just a little RPM increase.   Since the brake ducts have to come off to tighten he belt, I did not address this at the track.  I will have to see what cause the belt to get loose.

Update:

The oil leak does seem to be coming form the oil air separator. I will try changing the O rings.

The whirring sound was indeed a bad torque tube bearing.  I have removed the bearings and ordered more.

Actual lap times were a second or so slower than in October. Probably due to worn tires or track temperature.