Astra H VXR Sprint

To monitor both engine oil and gearbox oil temperatures a suitable gauge is required. Rather than two cheaper gauges, meaning extra work on installing them and finding a suitable location in the car, I tracked down this SPA Digital Dual Oil Temperature Gauge. Relatively expensive at around £190 but worth the cost due to the features it offers and:

Spa Dual Digital Oil Temperature Gauge

It comes with twin wiring looms and two oil temperature sender units which means the only wiring that is needed is a switch feed (with a 250 mA fuse) and an earth, so pretty simple on that front:

Spa Dual Digital Oil Temperature Gauge

Fitting for the Engine Oil Temperature Sender, which is located into the back of the oil pump. This blank plug is fitted into the factory oil pump. It has been drilled and tapped to accept one of the supplied temperature senders. It will be refitted with a new sealing washer:

Engine Oil Temperature Fitting

Fitting for the Gearbox Oil Temperature Sender, which is a Speedflow fitting (M18x1.5 to ⅛th NPT) sourced from Australia. This is located into the front of the gearbox where the level check plug would otherwise be, and will be fitted with a new sealing washer supplied with the fitting:

M18x1.5 to ⅛th NPT Adapter

Sender Units installed into fittings (engine oil – left, gearbox oil – right):

Senders Installed into Fittings

Gearbox Oil Temperature Sender:

Gearbox Oil Temperature Sender

Engine Oil Temperature Sender:

Engine Oil Temperature Sender

Next was the issue of where to mount the gauge. So a dual gauge facia (front for a vent pod) was bought from ebay for the SPA Gauge and the Boost Gauge which is designed to sit in the right hand air vent.

I then set about modifying the right hand air vent housing to accept the facia. Several hours of cutting and shaping with a multi tool later and the facia was bonded to the housing. The supplied facia is gloss black:

Dual Gauge Pod

And from the rear with two OE plastic captive nuts to allow the complete assembly to be held into the car securely:

Dual Gauge Pod – Rear

Not happy with the gloss black finish the facia was prepped and sprayed in Matt Black:

Dual Gauge Pod – Satin Black

And with both gauges fitted ready to go into the car. The comprehensive wiring supplied with the SPA gauge means that the only connection into the gauge is a 12 pin multi plug, that simply plugs in, and the boost gauge has a vacuum/boost line run to it from the engine (fuel pressure regulator vacuum pipework) and an illumination feed for when the headlights are on to illumine the gauge. This feed was run into the car from the feed to the side light from the right hand headlight loom as a 12v feed is needed (the bulb in the gauge is 12v):

Gauges Installed

Gauges Installed

Picture from under the dash showing the retaining screws (just visible centre and top left) secured through the original air vent plastic pipework and into the captive nuts in the gauge pod, which all one up when the gauge pod is pushed fully home:

Retaining Screws

Gauges installed and functioning. Boost Gauge (Left) and Dual Oil Temperature Gauge showing the Engine Oil Temperture (Top) and Gearbox Oil Temperature (Bottom. The functions and settings for the SPA gauge are controlled by the red push button mounted on the steering cowl, visible bottom left of picture:

Gauges Installed

With the increase in power over the winter period, another area that can be looked at is the fuel pump.

Whilst the factory fuel pump is capable of providing enough fuel for up to round 340bhp or so as they get older there is a possibility that their capability will drop off. For road use the factory pump is more than capable, and it will in most cases be fine for track use, however since there is a good uprated alternative available it makes sense to opt for it.

The Aeromotive in tank fuel pump is capable of providing fuel for for engines producing 450bhp or so, which means it is the ideal choice for track work at the sort of power the car is producing.

Aeromotive Stealth In Tank Fuel Pump. It is slightly ‘fatter’ than the factory fuel pump:

Aeromotive Stealth In Tank Fuel Pump

In Tank Fuel Pump Housing In-Situ, with wiring loom plug and fuel pipes connected (Return – Left :: Feed – Right). Access under the plastic bung under the seat base:

Fuel Pump Housing

Fuel Pump Housing Locking Ring Removal Tool. Requires a little care and a ½” breaker bar. Disconnect the wiring loom plug and both fuel lines first, taking car to soak up any split fuel with rag (note: make sure the battery has also been disconnected):

Securing Ring Removal Tool

Which once unclipped from the in-tank cage allows the

OE Fuel Pump Housing

The clips that hold the fuel pump housing into the in-tank cage are arrowed. These must be unclipped to allow the complete housing to be lifted clear of the fuel tank. The hardest one to reach is the one under the fuel sender float (bottom right of the picture). When removing the housing carefully tip any fuel in the housing back into the tank, and use rag to soak up any excess as the housing is lifted clear:

Fuel Pump Housing Securing Clips

In-Tank cage which corresponds with the clips on the fuel pump housing. Again the hardest one to access when the housing is in the tank is the one shown at the top of the picture:

Fuel Pump Housing Retaining Cage

To remove the factory fuel pump, first gently heat the plastic fuel pipe to allow it to be removed. Take care not to melt or break it, however replacement convoluted fuel pipe is available. Unclip the 2 pin wiring connector (which will fit the new pump) and then unclip the plastic cover that holds the OE fuel pump into the tank (there are a couple of clips each side) and the pump can be lifted clear. Now is a good opportunity to give the housing a good wash out.

The aeromotive pump can be dropped into the in-tank housing, and the upper plastic cover which holds the pump in the housing needs to be gently opened out to slide over the new pump, which is slightly fatter. Where the plastic upper cap, which retains the pump into its housing, has to be modified they can become brittle with age and the inner retaining lip comes away. The OE fuel pump is slightly narrower at the top, hence why the retaining cap has to be modified to allow the new pump to fit into it. To ensure a secure fit and to prevent the fuel pump from lifting, some additional sleeving (supplied with the fuel pump) has been used with a cable tie and some securing screws. The pump now sits very securely in the housing with no movement.

Pump Fitted to Housing

The original fuel pipe is then gently warmed and slipped back over the fuel pump outlet and an additional hose clip added for additional security:

Pump Fitted to Housing

Carefully return the complete housing back into the tank and make sure it is clipped back in place. Then refit the upper cover and seal. The seal underneath is a bit awkward to get to seat in the recess of the tank as it needs to be stretched slightly to fit but then doesn’t stay in the recess. Several small blobs of RTV neatly applied in about 6-8 locations around the recess hold the seal in place long enough to get the cover fitted. If the seal isn’t seated correctly, the cover will not sit flush to the seal and the tank will leak.

Then refit the metal retaining ring and reconnect the wiring plug and both fuel lines. The plastic access bung can then be refitted.

Fuel Pump Housing

So the addition of this high flow inlet manifold will help to give more mid range and top end power, complimenting the K06 turbo and the steel rods.

High Flow and OE Manifold Inlet Manifolds

OE Manifold and High Flow Inlet Manifolds

OE Manifold and High Flow Inlet Manifolds

4mm Thick Thermal Inlet Manifold Gasket to help reduce heatsoak from the head into the new inlet manifold:

4mm Thick Thermal Inlet Manifold Gasket

Longer studs are fitted when used with a thermal inlet manifold gasket:

Replacement Studs

Inlet Manifold Fitted:

Inlet Manifold Fitted

Inlet Manifold Fitted

Both Alternator brackets require the holes opening up slightly so as not to pull the alternator out of alignment when used with the new inlet manifold:

Alternator Mounting Brackets

The brackets refitted:

Alternator Bracket Fitted

Steady Bracket Fitted

Alternator to Inlet Manifold Bracket

To aid fitment of this bracket (shown fitted above) a slight bend to the right hand end will align the bracket to sit flush with the inlet manifold, and carefully removing a short section of the lower return lip of the bracket will give additional clearance against the manifold.

Alternator to Inlet Manifold Bracket

And the factory servo vacuum pipe needs to be heated and shaped slightly to fit onto the new inlet manifold:

Servo Pipe Modified to fit new Manifold

Servo Pipe Modified to fit new Manifold

And this is the OE location of the servo vacuum pipe:

OE Manifold Servo Pipe Location

The thermostat housing water return pipe (which runs across the face of the head) was starting to show its age with some slight surface corrosion and the odd spot of rust on the mounting brackets so I decided to prep it and paint it Matt Black, with the same Wurth Heat Proof paint as before, to compliment the Matt Black Exhaust/Turbo Heat Shield (see Exhaust Heatshield in Build 2012):

Water Return Pipe in Matt Black

The ends of the water pipe were masked off and not painted as this is where the rubber water pipes are pushed on and secured with hose clips.

This is what a factory engine bay looks like with the original heat shield and water return pipe:

Original Heat Shield and Water Return Pipe

And this is what the two painted parts look like fitted. Finishes off the engine bay much better:

Water Return Pipe and Exhaust Heat Shield in Matt Black

Due to the changes to the car for 2014, the addition of a gearbox oil cooler means that one of the breather pipes into the gearbox breather tank needs to be removed, because it is now being used as the oil return to the gearbox from the oil cooler matrix.

So a slight change to the breather pipes was made converting one breather outlet from the gearbox to a twin outlet for the pipework back up to the breather tank. The single outlet from the gearbox is the factory breather point.

Gearbox Breather Modified Outlet

It all fits pretty neatly and clears the gearshift assembly on top tot the gearbox (just to the right of where the breather hose is hose clipped to the gearbox breather tube):

Gearbox Breather Modified Outlet