Electronic Fuel Systems Class Update

One classmate brought in his Jeep and we swapped wheels. They're BIG!

December is going to be the end of my last automotive class at York Technical College, and this last class is all about Electronic Fuel Systems. We've learned about how the fuel system works, focused on diagnosing problems, learned about using a scan tool to track Oxygen sensors, Short Term Fuel Trim, Long Term Fuel Trim, and plenty of other related engine topics such as turbos and superchargers. We're also spending time in the shop working on various automobiles, so here's a look at some recent activity. 

A peek inside a rear differential

This class is titled Electronic Fuel Systems, so that includes the system from the intake, turbos, superchargers, the engine, and all the way through the exhaust, catalytic converters, mufflers, and tailpipe. 

A big blue spacer on those big Jeep wheels. 

Trying to find the source of an oil leak? Give this a try. 

Inside of a supercharger.

Inside of a turbo.

Cutaway inside of a muffler. 

Catalytic converter that needs to be replaced. 

Looking up to where the exhaust comes down to the catalytic converter, and you can see the upstream oxygen sensor up there. 

Another student's car, he's putting a turbo in his Miata. Next photo is the turbo initial install. 

Nothing to see here, but we've spent several days on this 1998 Buick LeSabre tracking down an issue that affects cruise control, brake lights, and the transmission. The brake pedal light switch is related to all of those systems, so we've been using a multimeter to test all the wires involved. Another easier to solve issue was a trouble code on the evap cannister, we found two hoses that had disintegrated and come loose, so we fixed that part easily. 

Four cylinder exhaust manifold into a catalytic converter. What I think is funny is the big arrow on the silver part, so that you know which way the exhaust flows through the cat. Maybe someone installed one backwards!

AmeriCARna Car Show Report

This Rat-Rod was awesome! Tractor front end? 4 wheels on the rear axle? Front and rear radiators? YEP!

Since moving to SC I've discovered the annual AmeriCARna show, and managed to head up the road and check it out again this year. An interesting setting at the corporate HQ of Trane Technologies (they do air conditioning "stuff," with "stuff" being a very technical description of their many businesses.) The Charlotte area is probably better known for being the home of NASCAR, the NFL Panthers (multiple wins this year already!) Lowe's, and of course Lance snack crackers, but Trane is a big company too. Let's look at some cool cars! There were a LOT MORE cars too, so look for part 2 in the near future. 

Classic Datsun

Hot rod 1932 Ford

Here's a great way to sell your car!

This sign describes the next photo. 

1932 Chevrolet Boat Tail Speedster!

This car show was in Davidson NC, just a bit north of Charlotte, so you can count on seeing some NASCAR  history. 

There I was just enjoying a beautiful fall day at a car show and then a Rolls Royce drove by!

Two Cobra replicas, commonly seen in blue. 

Porsche Cayman GT4 RS. This is a mid-engine Cayman that is the first time they've built a Cayman with the 911 GT3 engine. 

Volvo 1800

The white Ford Thunderbird with the Volvo 1800 made a great pair!

 

Charlotte Auto Show

Friday night at the Auto Show? Sure!

There is a city in North Carolina named Charlotte. 

Charlotte has an Auto Show. 

There were new cars, and not so new cars on display. 

Here's the scoop!

New car wise, I didn't take a lot of photos, I guess mostly because I got interested in looking at the window stickers and being amazed at prices. $91,000 for a new F-150 of some kind or another. There was a big Ford Expedition Max for $94,000. 

RTR Ford Bronco, only $108,000. 

Lancia Stratos Stradale, one of the most epic Rally cars of all time. 

There were several police cars on display from various years, so here's a 1967 Ford Galaxie 500 from the Mecklenburg County County Police.

Old cars? They had some!

You might want to keep this one on the drag strip!

Off road camping in your Porsche? Sure. 

Lamborghini racecar? Yes please. 

Any NASCAR stuff in Charlotte NC? Yep!

Anybody famous drive this racecar? 

Yes! Jimmie Johnson, Simon Pagenaud, Kamui Kobayashi, and Mike Rockenfeller.
2022 IMSA Cadillac DPi

Ferrari SUV

New Ferrari

Final year of the Jaguar F-Type. I like the British Racing Green, but could do without the stripe. 

Fun stuff for kids? Yep!

For the 2nd year in a row, the WIENER MOBILE!

Vegas Baby! Formula 1 Three Races to Go!

The two McLaren drivers are currently 1st and 2nd with only three races to go. Who will win? NMS rooting for McLaren at the 2023 Miami race. 

The Formula 1 season has only three races to go, and they are back-to-back-to-back starting this Saturday night in Las Vegas. While every other race of the season is held on a Sunday, I guess the allure of the night time lights of the Las Vegas strip was the entertainment factor they were looking for with a night race in Nevada. After this weekend, the cars, drivers, and crews head for the final races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. With the race on Saturday instead of Sunday, that means that practice in Vegas starts on Thursday night (in the USA) so you can check your ESPN and ESPN+ listings for times if you don't have the F1 TV app. 

Four time defending champ Max Verstappen is in 3rd place. 
Can he make it five in a row?

Sure, there have been a few other triple-headers like this, but what makes these last races more dramatic is that we still don't know who will win the drivers championship. There are three drivers still in the hunt, so it will come down to one of these three:

The starting grid on race day at Miami in 2023. Man, I don't know how they race those cars with so many people on the track!

1: Lando Norris is currently leading, and has been on a good run lately, so the easiest betting money is that he'll be able to continue and win the whole thing, and make 2025 his first World Championship. Lando drives for McLaren, and the team has already wiped out the other teams and taken the Constructors title. He's ahead of the 2nd place driver by only 24 points. Since a Grand Prix victory is worth 25 points, it isn't over yet. 

2:  Oscar Piastri has led most of the season, and drives for McLaren just like Lando Norris. This has made the title race even more dramatic, with two teammates in the same car fighting the other for points at every race. Oscar had a few races that didn't go so well, but he's well within range of taking his first F1 title as well. Waiting to see these last races and how they race against each other should be a great fight. 

3: Max Verstappen is a bit further behind in 3rd, but as the four time defending champion, I'm not ruling him out of anything until it's mathematically impossible. Max drives for the Red Bull team, and has had some great victories this year, but overall has been out performed by the McLaren team. If anyone can come from behind and rack up the points in three races with the pressure on, it's Max. He's 48 points out of first, so he probably needs some wins combined with McLaren not finishing to win his fifth title this year. Since one of the final three races adds a sprint race, there are 83 drivers points still up for grabs, so it could happen. 

November Autocross Report #2

The Autocross Battle of Speed at Hickory Motor Speedway!

In the final autocross event of the year for the Porsche Club, we headed up to Hickory Motor Speedway for the first time, and had a blast running a course laid out on the short oval AND the paved infield area. This was the club's first event at this location, and since the Carolinas Region covers the central chunk of NC and northern SC, if I had to bet I'd say we'll be back here again in 2026. OK, well, if I really had to bet, I guess I'd go to Las Vegas and catch a show along the way, but that's not important right now. 

If you're not familiar with Hickory Motor Speedway, you can find a lot of old NASCAR videos on YouTube, because even though it's under a half mile, it used to host NASCAR races. I saw one clip from the 1960s back when this track was just dirt! Here's a quick history lesson on the "World's Most Famous Short Track." 

HICKORY MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Darren and I lined up next to an Aston Martin SUV!

This event was sponsored by Foreign Cars Europa, so thanks to them for their support, because we had our largest field of drivers of the season. Cars ranged from Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Porsche, Camaros, Mustangs, Miatas and etc. to pick-up trucks! Oh hey, there was even a mini-van, and a fast Jeep Cherokee that placed in the top 10! That's one big advantage of autocross events, pretty much any car can run, and you don't have to have much more safety gear than a helmet and a seat belt. Throw in the chance to drive on a historic NASCAR track, and away you go! When the dust settled on Saturday, 70 different drivers had competed!

Competitors parking and vehicles on display from Foreign Cars Europa.

For NMS, this event also brought out the most competitors in our class of the year, with a total of five drivers. That may not sound like much, but before this event the largest turnout had been only two. NMS managed to take the win and make it 6 wins in 6 events this year, so that was pretty fun to be honest. Surely some NASCAR/INDY/F1 team needs an old guy to drive one of their racecars next year for a gazillion dollars!  Heck, I'll drive for HALF a gazillion!

Also in my class, my fellow student from York Tech Darren Connell co-drove and took a great 3rd in class, and 44th out of 70 in his first autocross event. The NMS squad is happy to name Darren the NMS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR and we hope to see him doing some more driving soon. He dropped a lot of time during his four runs on track and finished ahead of a lot of people. 

Not my car, but another Ruby Red Metallic Porsche Cayman in my run group!

In the big picture, the official results also see the NMS #4 Cayman as the 2nd fastest Porsche out of 25 drivers on the day, and 8th fastest out of all 70 drivers. My goal is always to get in the top 10 of the Porsche cars, so 2nd was very nice to see, and my best place of 2025. 

Awards presentations

I think the local sponsors, the Porsche Club, and all the participants had a great time, and hope to return to Hickory Motor Speedway next year too. The challenge of driving around the cones on a BANKED oval, as well as the flat infield was a different challenge than the normal autocross on a big flat parking lot. It was also fun to be connected to a historic track and to see our largest turnout of the year. 

1st in class trophy! 

Here's my fastest run, a 44.904: Bob #4

Darren's fastest run, a 49.702:  Darren #47