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posted on January 23rd, 2006 at 11:09 AM
Quote:
Originally
posted by Doug Sweetman
Its there on the early stuff too - all the 808 series ECU's have it (or at least with Kalmaker they do). Ratty mentioned this on his first EFI
thread.
Yep. It should be noted that the Kalmaker modified 808 that I am using is slightly different to the stock units in the Camiras/Commodores/etc. This
is one of those changes....
I might clarify that by explaining that there are two maps that the ECU can 'automatically' update on the Kalmaker modified ECU. The stock unit can
only update one of these maps.
The Modified ECU and the stock ECU have a VE correction map (or Block Learn) that is updated very slowly over a long period of time. This was
included in the factory ECU to allow a correction 'value' to be applied to the VE map. This is done over the life of the engine to make allowances
for slight changes in engine performance/quality/etc as the engine gets older. I believe that this Block Learn map is cleared when the power is
removed from the vehicle...
The Kalmaker modified ECU also has a VE update function, which is basically a self tune function. It looks at the oxygen sensor voltage and then
(providing you are meeting a number of other criteria) updates the main VE map so that the Air/Fuel ratio is correct.
When tuning a new car/engine with the Kalmaker system, the idea is to turn the Block Learn feature off, then turn the VE update function on. Then
drive the car for a couple of weeks, trying to use all areas of the VE map for as long as possible (ie: low revs/low engine load, low revs/high engine
load, high revs/low engine load, and every other possibility) This will allow the VE update function to see the output from, and correct as many VE
maps points as possible. Once this is done and the maps are as correct as possible, the VE update function should be turned off, and the Block Learn
should be turned back on. Then, assuming that you don't make any major changes to the engine and you got your VE maps fairly close (ie: you hit and
autotuned almost every point in the VE map) you shouldn't have to touch the tuning again.
I still haven't had a chance to look/play with Daves EFI system since the last update as we have both been very busy with other projects...I hope to
get a quick look at his car later this week if everything goes to plan....
R
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posted on January 23rd, 2006 at 02:06 PM
With the VSS does the ecu want an eath signal or a power signal on rotation ? The VDO 412.009 unit works well on the Subie conversion we do, it
provides an earth signal.
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posted on January 23rd, 2006 at 04:47 PM
Quote:
Originally
posted by Doug Sweetman
Its there on the early stuff too - all the 808 series ECU's have it (or at least with Kalmaker they do). Ratty mentioned this on his first EFI
thread.
sweet! Not bad for 1987, huh...
Pay your debts, CxxT
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posted on January 24th, 2006 at 10:44 AM
Yep, very capable ECU with the kalmaker software behind it. I've heard of it such a diverse range of vehicles - from a stroker Harley Davidson to the
V12 JAg previously mentioned !
ratty 63
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posted on January 25th, 2006 at 10:58 AM
Quote:
Originally
posted by Doug Sweetman
Yep, very capable ECU with the kalmaker software behind it. I've heard of it such a diverse range of vehicles - from a stroker Harley Davidson to the
V12 JAg previously mentioned !
...and it will even work on VW's! :P
I am hoping to spend a couple of hours on it on the public holiday Thursday (tomorrow). My intention is to get the little issues sorted and then let
it self tune for a couple of weeks - I now need the time to work on my own Baja as my Shell finally came back from the bead blasters
yesterday (its been away for 11 weeks - not bad considering I was told that I would have it back by then end of the first week! :bounce )
I'll let you know how it goes!
Brad, the wiring diagrams are delightfully vague about the voltage output from the VSS, but upon reading the 'testing the VSS' section of the Camira
repair manual, it would appear that the stock Camira VSS outputs a positive signal (between 2 and 10 when wheel is rotating), so it looks like the one
you have will not work....although with a little signal inverting circuit....?
R
[ Edited on 25-1-2006 by ratty 63 ]
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posted on January 28th, 2006 at 01:59 PM
Update
Hi all!
I spent Aust. Day cruising around Jacobs Well (northern Gold Coast farming/fishing community) sitting in the passenger seat of Daves Baja with my
Laptop on my lap (really? :duh).
I was spending most of my time watching the Auto VE update function do its thing - it's so simple and so quick to update the maps! All Dave had to
do was try to hold the engine as close as possible to each load point in the VE table (fuel map) for as long as possible and the ECU would do the
rest.
The VE Update function has been turned on and working 100% since Tuesday and already most of the VE maps in the 'normal driving' range have been
changed. The maps in the upper rev range and WOT areas have not been changed as the VE update only works in the areas where you have the AFR set to
14.7:1 - WOT is set to run richer than that so no auto tune....
I did smooth out the spark advance at lower revs (it was set to achieve 32 deg at any engine load at anything above 1200 RPM - whilst Daves engine was
quite happy to run under these conditions, it was almost impossible to smoothly accellerate from an idle (not that Dave ever drives his cars smoothly
from an idle... ). I reduced the advance only a couple of degrees at
lower revs and the difference was very noticable!
Since the VE update has been turned on, the 'afterburner effect' that caused so much amusement to those of us in the car (and scared the crap out of
anyone who was too close to the back of the car!) has stopped happening
.... oh well, at least we are not wasting as much fuel now!
During our tuning time on Thursday I tried everything I could think of in relation to fuel in an effort to improve the high rev acceleration at WOT,
but nothing appeared to work. I then had a close look at the spark map and noticed that the area of the spark map that would be used at WOT was a
couple of degrees down on the 'normal run' area of the map (a leftover from the Camira spark map that we used as a base). I increased all the
points on the spark map at 3000+RPM to 32 deg and there was a slight improvement. I would like to try to push the spark advance up another couple of
degrees at WOT to see what effect it will have on both the power that the engine makes, and the CHT, but for now I have left it at 32 deg so that the
auto VE update can do its thing. Dave also told me that when he built the engine he installed the cam advanced...he was wondering if it wasn't too
advanced and once the engine reaches 3500 RPM it was 'going off the top' of the cam.... has anyone had any experience with this sort of thing? His
last engine, which was similar in size but didn't have the go-fast crank and big cam would create more power than his current set-up at 3500+ RPM (at
32 deg advance).
As we were returning home, we took a bush track over a rather steep hill just behind where we live. The engine makes an incredible amount of torque
at idle. We were climbing up hills at an idle and having trouble with traction at the same time (ever seen a Baja spin both back wheels at the same
time whilst climbing a hill ...at an idle?!? :thumb )
I will try to get a download of the VE maps next weekend (after our trip to the Toowoomba Swap) as see what changes have been made...I might even see
if I can figure out how to create a 3D graph of the changes and post it here.....
R
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posted on February 15th, 2006 at 06:32 PM
Ross, I really love this whole topic, must be something in my personality. Thanks again for sharing this .
Do you think that you will produce some starter kits or
something like that to help those "not so technical" people.?
Regards,Glenn>
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posted on February 18th, 2006 at 11:48 AM
Hi Glenn,
Thanks for the encouragement (although those I live with will tell you its not needed! )
I had considered pricing some of the parts that I have used for sale to anyone who was planning to do the same conversion - things like the manifolds
and wiring looms - but I wanted to experiment with a number of vehicles/engines so that I understood the finer details of EFI. This way I can design
and offer a product that will better suit particular applications... does that make sense?
I am still working on my Baja (which will be powered by a Type 1 based 1835), as you know, I have been working on my Brothers 2.1 litre Type IV in his
Baja, and Mud Bashing is also working on another 'big' Type IV that we plan to inject. Once we have done this I feel that we will have gained
enough knowledge to confidently design and offer a product (or products) that work. It's still a little way off, but in the meantime I would be
happy to share what I already know. Just ask the question!
Just as a matter of interest, what would you expect to recieve in a starter kit?
Update
Dave has been driving his Baja for the last couple of weeks with the ECU in auto tune mode (auto VE update is the technical name used by Kalmaker).
It was obvious to us within a very short period of time that the ECU was reducing all the settings in the VE table (ie: leaning out all the load
points), which in this case is a good thing as the engine was getting about the same fuel economy as it was when it was fitted with twin Webbers
(read: disgusting). After just a few hours the VE table looked very different to how it started out. I haven't downloaded the latest VE table for
some time now as Dave and I have been very busy over the last few weeks (trips to the Toowoomba swap, preparing for the Dubs by the Pub event, etc),
but I expect that when I do it will be almost unrecognisable when compared to the original (Camira) VE table.
As I think I mentioned before, the Delco/Kalmaker system will only self tune the areas of the VE table that have the AFR set to 14.7:1, so the other
areas (WOT and closed throttle) are not being changed. I believe that this could be causing a problem with a stumble that Dave has reported. It
happens just as you crack the throttle open - i believe that the engine will be recieving dramatically different amounts of fuel as it changes from
closed throttle to open throttle. Smoothing out the VE map around this area should fix this issue, but I won't be sure of that until I have some
more time with the car in a week or so.
It is also possible that I have stuffed up one or more of the idle settings, which could also be related. The reason that I say this is that the car
is now occasionally hunting at idle - something that it has not done in the past. The last time I had the laptop connected to the ECU, I made some
big changes to the idle variables in an effort to stop it stalling when slowing the vehicle to a stop. I thought that it didn't have a lot of effect
(some variables don't) so I left them where they were... it looks like I may have been wrong Oh well, this is how you learn.
On the bright side, Dave was telling me that his Baja was using around half a tank of fuel between his place and the south side of Brisbane and back
again - a trip that he does regularly, a distance of about 120-140 km all up. When we went to Toowoomba for the swap a couple of weeks ago (with a
couple of weeks of auto tune time on the car) it used about a third of a tank on the trip from home to Toowoomba - a distance of about 200km (220km
would probably be a closer estimate) and this included the climb up the Toowoomba range - so as you can see, the ECU, with no help from me, it making
some major improvements to the fuel economy. This is all with the lean cruise option turned off, so we should be able to make some even bigger
improvements in the future!
The other issue that we have been dealing with is the lack of top end grunt. The engine will spin freely to about 3500RPM then just seams to hit a
wall - it will eventually hit the 5500RPM rev limit but it takes forever to get there. A bit of back to basics thinking presented what we believe to
be a rather obvious answer: Dave is using big valves in the heads on this engine and the ID of the intake manifold is considerably smaller than the
intake valve size (sorry, I can't remember the sizes that Dave mentioned) - we feel that we may have a problem with the engine being unable to draw
enough air through the manifold to happily operate at above 3500 RPM. Dave mentioned that the EFI Kombis also tend to become a little breathless at
about this point too - perhaps a self limiting thing, done on purpose by VW to help save the engines? Anyone have any thoughts on this? Our plan in
to custom make a manifold with much larger diameter pipes (and a re-designed plenum chamber so that the TB is in a more accessable location) and see
what difference this makes.
Thats all for now, I'll keep you all informend as/when I have another chance to look at the car.
R
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posted on February 19th, 2006 at 05:53 PM
yes , experience on a number of different set ups,
would be very valuable - especially to come to grips with all the variables / options on the system.
-
The Complete Delco EFI - VW package.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Info from Ross / Glenn / Others......
other contributions much appreciated
1.Use the EFI wiring loom from the JE Camira - it is seperate from the vehicle wiring loom and is easily removed and modified to fit a VW. Sensors
would be best sourced from the same vehicle, but all vehicles that use the Delco 808 ECU use the same sensors, so you could use sensors from a
VP/VN/VQ Commodore or even a Daewoo Lanos...
Use the ECU from the Camira (that you removed the wiring loom from) as an exchange unit and buy the complete Real Time ECU from Injection
Connection.-Ratty63.
2.Kalmaker software.
3.Laptop computer.
4.The Commodores (VP/VN/VQ and later) use an in tank high pressure fuel pump - unless you plan on fitting this pump into your tank (possible, but not
the easiest way to do it) you would be better off purchasing an external pump from a VL Commodore. Use a new filter - they are not expensive. -
Ratty63.
5.for simplicity would use the standard distributor with the points removed.
6.Vehicle Movement Sensor.(cheap version to be advised)
7. Surge tank.If you don't run a surge tank you are likely to have issues with air entering the fuel lines whilst cornering or accelerating/braking
hard, when the main fuel tank is close to empty. I have heard a number of people say that they are not necessary on road cars, but one of those people
always tells me that they cannot let their fuel tank go below quater full otherwise the engine surges when he is cornering...er....hmmmm! (according
to him, apparently it is a problem with something else, and not air in the fuel lines - same person has also had a number of EFI pumps fail 'for no
apparent reason' - EFI pumps will fail if they get too hot from being run dry).
If you run a surge tank, you will need a low pressure electric fuel pump (and filter) to fill the surge tank and expel any air that finds its way into
the tank.-Ratty63.
8. Run minimum 1x 8mm fuel line through car - preferably
through tunnel & use standard fuel line as return line.
Or run two new lines 8mm or bigger.
9. fit o2 sensor in exhaust.
10. fit injectors into manifold.
Yes you can use the Camira ones - but have a think about what sort of fuel rail connection you want to use - the Camira injectors are clipped into the
fuel rail. Another alternative is to use injectors from a VL commodore (or Kombi) which use fuel hose to connect them to the fuel rail.
I removed the plastic from the back of the Camira injectors (where the clip usually goes) and attached fuel line - this also works.- Ratty63.
11. Don't forget that you still require a return line to be plumbed into the bottom of the fuel tank (regardless of whether you use a surge tank or
not) - this will require the tank to be modified by someone with the necessary equipment to evacuate the gasses from the tank - an EFI specialist can
usually help with this.- Ratty63.
[ Edited on 21-2-2006 by OvalGlen ]
Regards,Glenn>
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posted on February 21st, 2006 at 10:11 AM
...to answer a couple of your questions:
From point 1:
Use the EFI wiring loom from the JE Camira - it is seperate from the vehicle wiring loom and is easily removed and modified to fit a VW. Sensors
would be best sourced from the same vehicle, but all vehicles that use the Delco 808 ECU use the same sensors, so you could use sensors from a
VP/VN/VQ Commodore or even a Daewoo Lanos...
Use the ECU from the Camira (that you removed the wiring loom from) as an exchange unit and buy the complete Real Time ECU from Injection
Connection.
From point 4:
The Commodores (VP/VN/VQ and later) use an in tank high pressure fuel pump - unless you plan on fitting this pump into your tank (possible, but not
the easiest way to do it) you would be better off purchasing an external pump from a VL Commodore. Use a new filter - they are not expensive
From point 5: As far as I know, there would be very little/no loss of efficiency using a dissy rather than a coil pack system. The dissy just looks
messy and has moving parts which will eventually were out. Using a dissy is the easiest way to do the conversion.
From point 6: If you don't run a surge tank you are likely to have issues with air entering the fuel lines whilst cornering or accelerating/braking
hard, when the main fuel tank is close to empty. I have heard a number of people say that they are not necessary on road cars, but one of those
people always tells me that they cannot let their fuel tank go below quater full otherwise the engine surges when he is cornering...er....hmmmm!
(according to him, apparently it is a problem with something else, and not air in the fuel lines - same person has also had a number of EFI pumps fail
'for no apparent reason' - EFI pumps will fail if they get too hot from being run dry).
If you run a surge tank, you will need a low pressure electric fuel pump (and filter) to fill the surge tank and expel any air that finds its way into
the tank.
From point 10: Yes you can use the Camira ones - but have a think about what sort of fuel rail connection you want to use - the Camira injectors are
clipped into the fuel rail. Another alternative is to use injectors from a VL commodore (or Kombi) which use fuel hose to connect them to the fuel
rail.
I removed the plastic from the back of the Camira injectors (where the clip usually goes) and attached fuel line - this also works.
Don't forget that you still require a return line to be plumbed into the bottom of the fuel tank (regardless of whether you use a surge tank or not)
- this will require the tank to be modified by someone with the necessary equipment to evacuate the gasses from the tank - an EFI specialist can
usually help with this.
You also need to find some way of attaching the TB to the manifold.
I think that you almost have everything listed there...
R
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posted on February 21st, 2006 at 06:50 PM
Hope you dont mind me using all your answers in the post above.
I know there are a million ways to do things, but can the return fuel line be plumbed into the top of the tank if desired.?
I know this debate has been done before but if the in tank pump is used would it be mounted solidly and thus suffer from the fuel starvation as
without surge??
Regards,Glenn>
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posted on February 23rd, 2006 at 01:17 PM
Quote:
Originally
posted by OvalGlen
Hope you dont mind me using all your answers in the post above.
thats fine - the more info we can get in one place, the easier it is for those who are interested.
Quote:
I know there are a million ways to do things, but can the return fuel line be plumbed into the top of the tank if desired.?
Physically - Yes. However, fuel evaproation as the hot returning fuel drops into the bottom of the tank could cause some problems. Everyone I spoke
to about fitting return lines to fuel tanks recommended that the fitting be located in the bottom of the tank. There could also be a problem with the
noise of the fuel dropping into a partly empty tank if the return is at the top....
Quote:
I know this debate
has been done before but if the in tank pump is used would it be mounted solidly and thus suffer from the fuel starvation as without surge??
From my understanding, in-tank pumps usually sit in a 'swirl pot', which is like an in tank surge tank (uses a series of baffles to keep the pump
submurged), therefore eliminating the need for a surge tank. If you were to just fit an in-tank pump, without a swirl pot (or some sort of anti
surging device) then it is likely that it would suffer from exactly the same problems as running an external EFI pump without a surge tank.
Update ... well sort of
I spoke to Dave again today (still no 'hands-on' with the car yet), and he tells me that he has discovered a down side to EFI in an off road
car....
....When the car was fitted with Carbies, then engine would loose power/stall when the vehicle was asked to go up very steep slopes, therefore
limiting the vehicles ability to climb stupidly steep embankments - EFI does not suffer from this problem. During the week he pointed his Baja at a
very steep embankment and opened the throttle - as he made his way up the embankment the front wheels lifted away from the face of the embankment and
the rear wheels attempted to overtake the front of the vehicle! With his new high ground clearance rear cage now on the vehicle there was nothing to
stop the overtaking manouver that was made by the rear wheels except Daves quick reaction (off the throttle and on the clutch). This was all that
stopped the vehcile from rolling over backwards...during all this the engine never missed a beat. Dave considers this 'run at any angle' ability to
be the only down side to EFI that he has discovered so far!
There was no damage done to the car in this incident, however I'm not so sure that the same can be said for Daves undergarments
R
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posted on March 21st, 2006 at 02:11 PM
Update
Hi all,
Well, its been a few weeks now since I switched the 'Auto tune' function on and I finally organised to catch-up with Dave to see what has been
happening. He told me that there were a few issues that needed attention, but generally the car has been running great. The fuel consumption has
been improving continually (it was set up to run rich initially, avoiding issues with overheating/pre-ignition). He now thinks (by his calculations)
that it would be good enough to get to Sydney (from the Gold Coast) on two tanks of fuel - not too bad considering he used 2 tanks of fuel to get to
Nambucca last time! (and that was when it was still carbied).
The issues that we addressed on Sunday were:
- Stalling when returning to idle (still/again)
- Surging at low revs and low throttle settings
- Knocking (sounds like piston slap) when cold - goes away when warm.
- Far more grunt when cold than when warm (same time as point above).
- Still firing flame balls out the exhaust when throttle is snapped closed at revs (he, he, he )
- Noticable extra vibration when engine is under high load at low revs
This is how we have attempted to sort out the problems:
- Stalling when returning to idle:
As we are not yet running a Vehicle Speed sensor, which would almost certainly fix this problem, it was suggested that we should adjust the throttle
stop so that the engine idles with the Idle Air Controller almost closed (at about 10 steps - it was initially set to around 42-45 steps at idle).
The stalling is being caused by the ECU trying to make the engine return to 850RPM (requested idle speed) whilst decelerating. The ECU slowly winds
the IAC in until it reached 0 steps. If you push the clutch in whilst the IAC is at 0 steps the engine doesn't have enough air to keep it running,
and therefore stalls before the ECU can react and open the IAC again.
We re-set the throttle position until the IAC was at 10-12 steps (it fluctuates continually) at idle. This appears to have worked as now, when the
IAC is at 0 steps the engine will still run (slowly - down to around 650 -725 RPM, but at least it won't stall!)
- Surging at low revs and low throttle settings:
Upon looking at the new 'auto tuned' VE (Fuel) map it was obvious what was causing this. The 'Auto Tune' function only works where the AFR map is
set to 14.7:1 (ie: everywhere except at very low throttle and at WOT). The 'Auto tune' had made a big reduction to the amount of fuel at 30Kpa
(manifold vac), but as the 20Kpa range was set to 14.5:1 it was not 'auto tuned' - in other words, as the throttle was opened the amount of fuel
delivered between these two points in the VE map varied enormously, causing the engine to accelerate - this sudden acceleration surge would then cause
the manifold vac to change back again, causing the engine to decelerate, and around we go again.
Rather than mod the VE map by hand, we opted to set the AFR map to 14:7 right the way across all the ranges (both Kpa and RPM) - so that the ECU can
'Auto Tune' the entire VE map and flatten out the 'lumps' at both ends
This also appears to have stopped the 'flame balls' too.
- Engine vibration at low revs/high throttle settings & knocking when cold.
The Delco system allows you to remove ignition advance when the coolant temp is too high to help to reduce pinging. It can also be used to increase
the ignition advance when the coolant temp is low (is the glass half full or half empty?). I noticed that when we started the engine cold, the
advance gauge was showing between 15.7 and 19.2 deg advance at idle and the knock was quite audable. This was despite the fact that I have the idle
advance set to 15.0 deg! A quick look at the advance correction (in relation to coolant temp) showed that at about 35 deg, there was an extra
increase of up to 4 deg. As the engine temp increases the extra advance is removed until it reaches operating temp where it remains at 0 deg (until
the coolant gets to over 105 deg).
I flattened out this map, so that it doesn't have any effect on the ignition advance until the coolant temp is too hot and instantly the knock went
away as did a lot of the vibration.
I also took the oportunity to remove some of the advance from the low rev ranges too as we felt that this would make accelerating gently a little
easier. This change in ignition advance when cold will also reduce the 'goes harder when cold' effect too.
So, after all this, I strapped myself into the passenger seat and we went out for a quick run. The car now no longer stalled when returning to idle -
regardless of what we did, it still wouldn't stall. Cool! :thumb
The surging a low throttle was still evident initially, however it had dissapeared within only a couple of minuites (the 'auto tune' function took
care of that!).
The extra vibration at low revs/high throttle was also gone and the car accelerated smoothly and was noticably quieter right throughout the rev range
- it even reved out further on the highway (I bet the bloke in the fully-sick Honda didn't expect to have a Baja overtake him on the freeway entry at
Helensvale - especially when he was making so much effort/noise!:bounce)
The ECU will be left in 'auto tune' mode for another couple of weeks and I will again check for issues before I flatten out any bumps in the VE map
and switch the 'auto tune' function off (and the auto correct function on). At this point I will consider that the engine is tuned and will only be
reconnected to the laptop if an issue shows up that requires resolving or Dave builds his bigger manifold.... we're almost done!
R
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posted on March 22nd, 2006 at 08:51 AM
well done mate!
well written too.
Out of interest what is the software worth?
This disclaimer does not reflect the thoughts or opinions of either myself, my company, my friends, or my dog: don't quote me on that; don't
quote me on anything; this disclaimer is subject to change without notice; text is slightly enlarged to show detail; resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, is unintentional and coincidental; dry clean only; do not bend, fold, or mutilate; anchovies or jalapenos added to this disclaimer
upon request; your mileage may vary; no substitutions are allowed; for a limited time only while supplies last; offer void where prohibited; this
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posted on March 22nd, 2006 at 01:40 PM
Quote:
Originally
posted by koolkarmakombi
well done mate!
well written too.
Thanks! I'm glad that you can understand what I have written - I have tried to post as much info here as possible, written in such a way that most
people can read it and have some idea what is going on!
Quote:
Originally
posted by koolkarmakombi
Out of interest what is the software worth?
For all the latest prices and info take a look at the Kalmaker website: www.kalmaker.com.au
The forum/message board is also a great help for those interested in EFI.
R
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posted on May 26th, 2006 at 01:37 PM
You never stop learning!
Hi all,
Firstly, I haven't forgotten about the pics - I am hoping to get a couple of pics in the next couple of days of Daves engine bay without the spare
tyre mounted over the top so that you can see everything easily. I feel that this would help to make everything clearer than a half dozen close-up
pics of different components. I'll post them as soon as I have them.
Update
OK, Its amazing what hindsight allows you to see isn't it?
I have always felt that there was something amiss with Daves EFI system - the engine never ran as smooth as my test engine did, but we just put that
down to it being a different engine... how wrong were we?!
Dave had called me on Thursday and mentioned that his engine now had a fairly large flatspot just as you accelerated from idle. I had put this down
to the fact that he had run the engine without the exhaust connected and that this had probably caused the ECU to make changes to the fuel map to
correct the strange reading it was seeing. I was fairly confident that it would fix itself with a bit more run time (with the exhaust on this time!).
As both Dave and I were planning on attending Klubfest in Brisbane, I offered to take my laptop and have a closer look whilst we were there (as well
as take the opportunity to show a couple of interested people what it could do).
At Klubfest on Sunday I connected the laptop to the ECU and questioned Dave as to exactly what it was doing. He commented that it was running "like
crap" - a lot worse than it was on Thursday. It now felt like it had a stumble every couple of seconds, regardless of engine speed and load, and it
almost would not idle. This didn't sound good!
First thing I checked was the VE (fuel) map to see what the ECU had done to it... it was almost unrecognisable with sharp peaks and holes everywhere.
Some points on the map were almost maxed out (around 98%) whilst others, right beside them, were set to single figures (around 4%) - No wonder it was
running like crap...but why?
I decided that this fuel map was way to 'mucked-up' to bother trying to fix, so I recalled and reloaded an old map with a nice smooth VE map. The
car had run OK in the past on this map so as far as I was concerned, this was the best and fastest way to return the engine back to a driveable
state.
We then started the engine and let it idle - it was still rough and the O2 sensor graph indicated that it was running at around 14.7:1 - which is too
lean for an engine to idle (but is what you are aiming for when not idleing). Now the fact that it was too lean on a known-to-be-good VE map was
still worrying me, but I couldn't see anything else wrong... this was very strange.
As a temporary fix, I increased the VE at the points in the map that the engine idles at and everything smoothed out (as it should). The idle was now
smooth and the engine would now accellerate through the rev range (with no load) just fine. But there was still a slight stumble if the revs were
held constant, regardless of the revs....hmmmm.
We decided that this was the best we could do without pulling things apart and double checking everything (and this was not something that we wanted
to do in the middle of the show!), so at this point I shut down the laptop and suggested to Dave that he sees how it goes and to let me know.
A couple of hours later I recieved a phone call from Dave - he had just arrived home (he had stayed in Brisbane for a few hours to catch up with
friends) and the car was now running so badly it was almost undrivable ... WTF? :bounce I suggested that we connect the laptop again and have a
closer look and (as expected) he agreed. A few minuites later Dave was parked on my front lawn and the laptop was connected.
Once again, we found that the VE map was all over the place, however the car was running better now than it had on the way back from Brisbane... I
decided that it had to be a loose connection of one of the sensors failing, so we started to check everything. Whilst I checked the electrical items
Dave checked the fuel supply ... strangely, everything appeared OK. The only thing we hadn't checked was the injectors - perhaps one (or more) was
not firing properly. I grabbed my Camira service manual (remember this is based on a Camira EFI system) and my multimeter and began to test the
resistance of each injector. The manual says they should be 16 Ohms, but every one of Daves measured 1.2 Ohms ... Bingo! It would appear that the
standard Kombi injectors are low resistance injectors whereas standard GM injectors (like most production cars) are high resistance injectors. So
this was definatly part of the problem, but why had it suddenly become worse? Dave decided to go and have a chat to his local EFI bloke and have both
his Kombi injectors checked and also have a spare set of Camira injectors cleaned and checked. The plan was to install the Camira injectors in place
of the Kombi units and sell the old Kombi ones.
The next day Dave dropped into the EFI bloke and told him the strange tale. The EFI bloke mentioned that he didn't think using low resistance
injectors with an ECU made for high resistance injectors would cause a problem (although I have books stating that it will), but when he tested the
Kombi injectors they were, in his words "completely knackered". Then when presented with the Camira injectors and told what they were out of, he
handed them back immediatly and told Dave "they are too old to be used, just replace them"... er... really? He then quoted Dave a good price on a
set of second hand late model Ford Falcon injectors that have the same flow rate as the Camira ones. Dave gave him the go-ahead and a couple of hours
later he had a set ready to be installed (cleaned and the tip changed to the same shape as the Kombi injectors).
Dave installed the injectors that arvo, and when he started the car the difference was obvious. It now ran MUCH smoother (than it ever had in the
past) and upon driving it, it now has much smoother acceleration and a heap more grunt from low revs. High revs are also smoother, but the amount of
grunt is still down slightly (probably due to me mucking around with the ignition advance at high revs - oops!). The engine also sounds different -
far smoother than ever before.
Is Dave happy with it now - you bet!
So there you go, I never felt that this engine ran as smooth as my test engine, or responded to changes as well, and it would appear that I was
correct. It will be interesting to see what sort of mileage Dave can get out of it once the VE map had sorted itself out over the next couple of
weeks. I'll let you know how it progresses (and whether we can get any more grunt out of it at high revs)
R
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posted on May 26th, 2006 at 04:51 PM
purely out of interest what were the new injectors worth?
I have a camira around the corner that I keep looking to see life to offer the usual case of crownies for. I dont have a beetle yet but am collecting
the bits...........
love your work ratty
kkk
This disclaimer does not reflect the thoughts or opinions of either myself, my company, my friends, or my dog: don't quote me on that; don't
quote me on anything; this disclaimer is subject to change without notice; text is slightly enlarged to show detail; resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, is unintentional and coincidental; dry clean only; do not bend, fold, or mutilate; anchovies or jalapenos added to this disclaimer
upon request; your mileage may vary; no substitutions are allowed; for a limited time only while supplies last; offer void where prohibited; this
disclaimer is provided "as is" without any warranties expressed or implied
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posted on May 31st, 2006 at 11:48 PM
Quote:
Originally
posted by koolkarmakombi
purely out of interest what were the new injectors worth?
Dave did tell me, but I can't remember :duh I'll ask him again and let you know....
Quote:
Originally
posted by koolkarmakombi
I have a camira around the corner that I keep looking to see life to offer the usual case of crownies for. I dont have a beetle yet but am collecting
the bits...........
Well worth the expence - a number of people have told me that it is a waste of money, but when you see what a difference EFI has made to Daves car,
both on and off road, in terms of both drivability and fuel economy, there is just no comparison!
Quote:
Originally
posted by koolkarmakombi
love your work ratty
awww, shucks
R
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posted on June 2nd, 2006 at 01:16 PM
Injector cost
Quote:
Originally
posted by koolkarmakombi
purely out of interest what were the new injectors worth?
OK, spoke to Dave last night - the injectors were 2nd hand, out of a late model Ford Falcon - cost him $96 for the set (of 4). I believe that this
included cleaning and the tip being changed from the Falcon style tip to the Kombi tip.
Dave tells me that the car has used much less fuel this week (having had a week to self-tune with the new injectors). The flat spot, just off idle
has almost disappeared and the engine will now rev out further through the rev range before running out of breath than it used to with the old
injectors. (Still won't easily reach the rev-limiter though )
The only thing that hasn't improved is the hunting at idle, which is entirely my fault as I increased the points on the VE table where the engine
idles when the old injectors were still in the car, to try to smooth things out. I haven't changed them back again since the new injectors were
installed. I hope to have a quick look at this issue on Saturday.... I'll keep you posted.
R
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posted on June 18th, 2006 at 05:29 PM
The down side to auto tuning (if you could call it a down side)
Hi all,
Time for another installment in the EFI saga!
After Dave installed the new injectors everything ran well for a week or so, then midway through last week I recieved a phone call from him at 11pm.
It went something like:
Dave: "...Dude, its running like crap and is slowly getting worst - is there some way I can re-set the ECU so that I can drive it home. It's
almost undrivable in this condition..."
Me: "Whats it doing .... and where the hell are you at this time of night?!?"
Dave: "I'm in Brisbane - its surging and its also backfiring through both the air filter and the exhaust at any rev range except if I have my foot
flat to the floor or right off..."
Me: "Sounds like a vac leak in the manifold.... have you checked for this yet?"
Dave: "Nope - why would there be a vac leak....?" sounds of walking towards the back of the running car and things being poked, pulled and pushed,
"Oh fugger, the number 1 injector is loose - it's almost fallen right out...how the #%&* did that happen..."
...it turns out that the seal on the injector had compressed down after it had been installed, causing the nut that holds the injector to loosen off
and the injector to rattle loose. However, as Dave had continued to drive the car with the injector loose (and a fairly large vac leak) the ECU had
attempted to re-tune the engine to suit. This had caused some strange results (to say the least) in the fuel map with some points of the map almost
set to 100% whilst the point beside it was set to single figures - hence the surging that Dave had complained about. The only problem now that the
injector was beck in and tightened was that the fuel map was so badly stuffed up that the ECU was going to struggle to set it back to normal again.
Dave decided to drive the car home from Brisbane using only full and zero throttle () and leave it for me to manually adjust as soon as I had a chance.
On Saturday I wandered over to Daves place and downloaded the VE (fuel) map from the ECU - after we stopped laughing I uploaded another map that we
created as a "runs but not perfect" or starting point and I left it to start self tuning (again). We went for a short run to make certain that it
was going to be OK - this short run should be a post on its own .... ever driven a really high Baja on wet roads with Mud Terrain tyres on it ...
tear-off undies should be standard equipment! And I won't mention what happens when you forget to lock the bonnet down properly....
Dave did two long runs to Coolangatta for the Wintersun Hotrod Festival on Saturday and Sunday and reported on Sunday that it was MUCH better - even
better than when he had just installed the new injectors - but it was beginning to hunt at idle.
As Monday was a public holiday, I decided to have a quick look at the fuel map again to see if I could sort out the hunting at idle. I downloaded the
map in the ECU and noted that it had made a few minor changes, but it basically looked the same as when I had uploaded it on Saturday. The most
notable thing was that the 800 RPM part of the map had been leaned out. I started the engine and was surprised to see a couple of things happen.
1. The ignition advance was 18.7 deg - despite the fact that the main ignition map was set to 12.0 deg. I was certain that I had removed the spark
correction when cold, but I checked it again anyway and found it to be set back up to Camira specs again (+6.7 deg at 40 deg C coolant temp). Then I
realised... I had turned off the spark correction and not saved this change to my laptop, so when I uploaded our 'starting point' map .... you get
the idea :doh
2. The O2 sensor was showing a lean mixture, but as the engine came up to temp, the mixture improved (as did the smoothness of the idle).
3. The ECU appeared to be having trouble staying in idle mode (where the IAC controls the engine speed) - as it switched into idle mode the engine
would drop in revs, the mixture would lean out, and the IAC would try to fix the problem by increasing the revs. The revs would rise so fast that it
would go out of the rev range that the IAC controls and the idle mode would switch off. Then engine would then begin loosing speed again and ..... go
back to the start!
I decided that the engine needed more fuel at idle so I pushed up those points in the 800 RPM section of the fuel map - all of a sudden the engine was
idling smoothly - no hunting and with the IAC controlling the idle speed - Simple!
I decided that, in order to stop the ECU from autotuning the fuel at idle that I should change the AFR's in the 800RPM range from 14.7 to 14.6 (the
ECU will only tune the parts of the fuel map that are set to 14.7). I also made a couple of adjustments to the warm-up fuel AFR's (to make it richer
when cold) then I saved the map (this time I remember doing it!) and suggested to Dave he lets me know how it goes.
When I saw Dave on Thursday, he told me that it was still idling perfectly and the engine is getting smoother and smoother - it has also only used
less than a quater of a tank of fuel all week - which he tells me is absolutely amazing!
I have decided that I will give it another week to self tune, then we will take the time to smooth out any obvious problem areas in the fuel map
before turning the self tune function off and the auto correct function on. This will mean that if it should ever 'stuff-up' the fuel map whilst
Dave is out and about, he can just remove the fuse from the ECU, wait 10 seconds and replace it and the correction map will be erased - reverting back
to the 'normal' fuel map.
Dave also wants to have a fiddle with the ignition mapping again now that we have the new injectors in it as he feels that it is still a little
lacking below 2000 revs due to a change I made to the ignition map to try to correct the problems caused by the old injectors..... We will see what
happens!
R
PS: I'm still trying to get those pics - it just seems that the harder I try the less time I have to take the pics! I will get them .....
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posted on July 3rd, 2006 at 09:26 PM
Hi Volks,
Had a chance to have a quick look at Daves Baja on Sunday. Dave agreed to let me 'plug in and have a look' as long as I "didn't bugger anything
up" He followed this up with: " It's been running the best it ever has so lets not make any major changes".... I couldn't agree more!
I downloaded the latest info from the ECU and had a close look at the VE map - its still self tuning and appears to have modified/self tuned about
half the map so far - I had expected it to have done more by now, but the car has only done short "home to work" runs (where it would be lucky to
get to operating temp), and long, constant high speed freeway runs, so I s'pose thats why.... (I've posted a screenshot of the current VE and spark
maps at the end of this post).
Dave mentioned that the engine would hesitate when you open the throttle from an idle - only a short hesitation, more like a cough, but it's much
worse when the engine is cold. I realised earlier in the week that the AFR when the ECU was in idle mode and the AFR when the ECU was in run mode
were very different at the 800RPM band (Idle: 13.0:1 Run: 14.6:1 with the engine at normal operating temp) - this would (to my way of thinking) cause
the engine to lean out suddenly when the throttle was opened (which causes the ECU to switch from Idle mode to Run mode) - so I made the AFR in run
mode (at 800RPM) 13.0:1 - suddenly the cough dissapeared - but the engine was warm, so the big test was going to happen the next morning (today).
We then went for our usual test thrash to see what else we could find - Dave pointed out that the amount of power that the engine has is improving
slowly, but it still feels like it needs a little more spark advance down low... and at full throttle. I was hesitant to change the 'down low'
advance until we had seen if the cough I mentioned above had gone, but he convinced me to add a couple of degrees to the entire top end of the spark
map (from 1800 RPM upward and from about 50 KPA upward). I did this whilst we were moving, and Dave gave it a thorough testing, but we both feel that
there was little change ... Dave wanted to add another couple of degrees, but I rememinded him of the "don't bugger it up" clause that I was
working under - so he agreed to leave it at that for now... until next time
I recieved a message from Dave this morning, telling me that the cough is not gone yet (with the engine cold), but is much better than it had been. I
spent a couple of minuites scanning through the hundreds of variables that I can play with and I have found a variable that adjusts AFR dependant on
engine temp ... and its currently set to a much leaner AFR all the way through the temp range than what I have had to set the idle AFR too, so this
will need changing next time I see the car.
Despite this large post, things are looking brighter than ever before
The car is now getting better fuel economy than it ever has in the past and is really smooth - smooth in relation to both throttle response and
vibration. Of course there are still a few more little issues we have to tackle, but we have learnt our lesson about making massive changes all at
once, so sorting out these problems will be done slowly and the results recorded for future reference.
I'll keep you up to date!
...and no, I haven't forgotten about the engine pics - I'm still trying to convince Dave to remove the spare tyre rack off the back so that I can
get a couple of good, clear shots... perhaps soon!
R
The following pics are:
1. The current 3D VE map - still a few bumps and lumps that need to be smoothed out, but looking good!
2. The current 3D spark map - this is the map after changing the max spark advance from 32 to 34 deg. You will notice that there is a bump back down
to 32 deg at about 6000 RPM as I haven't bothered with this part of the map - the engine is rev limited to 5500RPM and rarely even gets there.
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posted on July 3rd, 2006 at 09:38 PM
more map pics - what not to do!
....I thought that, just for interests sake, I would show you what happens when you have your ECU set to auto-tune and you have an injector come
loose... and you have no alternative but to drive the car home before you can fix it.:puke
These pics are screenshots - taken with a digital camera from my LCD monitor ... I know, not the best way to get a good clear pic, but as Kalmaker is
DOS based I don't believe that I have any other alternative) - I have tried to keep them as large as possible so that they are still readable
R
The following pics are:
1. The 3D VE map after the trip home with a loose injector - compare it with the map in the post above :puke What you can't see is the MASSIVE hole
at 90KPA between 2800 and 3200 RPM
2. The 2800 RPM range - Note the 90KPA setting (self tuned). KPA reading are across the bottom and the VE percentage is up the side of the graph
3. The 3200 RPM range - Again note the 90 KPA VE setting. No wonder it ran like a pig!
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posted on November 16th, 2006 at 10:32 AM
Driving Thoughts
Hi all,
I thought that I should update this thread for those of you who are wondering how this project is going, now that it’s almost 1 year since it began.
I also had the opportunity to drive Daves Baja a couple of weekends ago (the weekend of our club show) – this is the first time that I have been
able to drive it any distance by myself (I’ve moved it around the carpark at Daves work before, but that was all), so I thought I would share my
thoughts about the vehicle in general…
I’ll discuss my thoughts about the set-up of the chassis at the end of this post, as I was more interested in how the engine and EFI system behaved
– after all, that was the topic of this post in the first place!
I have to say that I am impressed with the engine and EFI system operation – and not just because I set it up either! It felt very smooth and
predictable once I got the hang of the way Dave has the rest of the car set-up – you’ll understand what I mean when you read the end of this post.
The Type IV has a truckload of torque, making it possible to drive around town in 3rd gear, taking corners and roundabouts at idle, then just
squishing the go pedal and smoothly accelerating away to well over the legal speed limit on the highway! Asking the engine for power from an idle,
even in 3rd and 4th gear gave a very smooth response, with no sign of the ‘shudder’ that indicates that you really should have shifted back a
cog.
I did a short blast up the freeway and found that there was also plenty of power for overtaking manoeuvres, although it did feel like the snappy
throttle response that is present in the lower rev ranges was missing – this is something that my brother has commented on in the past - he feels
that the stock Type IV manifold may be restricting the flow of air to the engine at higher revs. Personally, I agree in part – but I also think
that we still need to have a closer look at the ignition advance at higher revs. We have peaked the advance at 34 deg, but having recently done some
research on stock dissys I feel that we could add around another 10 deg in some areas of the advance map without doing any harm to the engine, but
potentially giving it a good, hard kick in the ass where it is currently lacking.
Cold and warm/hot starting is instant and simple – just turn the key and it goes. It would appear that we have finally managed to get the cold
enrichment set-up correctly, as the engine behaves the same regardless of the temperature. The requested idle speed is set to 850 RPM (when warm) and
that’s exactly where it sits, indicating that we have the VE and AFR correct in this area too – that took a little fiddling (mainly due to a few
incorrect assumptions on my part – I should read the instructions more carefully!)
So, generally, I’m very happy with the way that the engine is running now – I feel that there are still a few areas which we could further refine,
however as the car is in constant use and Dave is also in the process of building a bigger diameter manifold to replace the stock Type IV unit, I’m
not going to spend any more time on tuning until Dave can make the time for us to sit down and go through everything step-by-step. I should point out
that the last time I had the laptop connected to the ECU was months ago, so not a lot has been done recently! I would also like to set-up the lean
cruise function so that it will become more economical on long steady runs, but this requires the rest of the tuning to be completed first so….
Now, to the chassis – as many of you will know, this is a Baja. It is based on a Semi-auto floor (IRS rear and ball joint front) with a heavily
modified king/link front end bolted on to it. There is also a large number of mods to strengthen almost everything and to give better ground
clearance. It runs a 1600 Kombi gearbox, 4 stud Beetle front disk brakes, and VP/VN Commodore rear disk brakes. There is also a body lift kit
between the floor and the pan to strengthen the body, and give greater guard to tyre clearance.
I can sum-up the way that the chassis behaves in one word – disgusting :puke. It bump steers horribly, the steering wheel twitches constantly when
driving along a smooth section of road, and it YELLS at you if the road/track should be bumpy. It also pulls from side to side when you apply the
brakes, which side and how hard it pulls depends on how hard you apply the brakes and how far the front suspension compresses.
Then there is the issue of the accelerator pedal – because of the location of the Throttle Body (almost against the firewall, low down on the RHS of
the engine bay) the throttle cable has to do a sharp turn once it has entered the engine bay, this is causing the cable to bind. To ensure that the
throttle closes as soon as you step of the pedal, Dave has fitted a monster of a return spring to the TB. All this means that the amount of pressure
that is required on the accelerator pedal to open the throttle is between excessive and ridiculous! Making fine adjustments to your speed requires a
fair bit of concentration, and leaving the lights without looking like you are completely unco is almost impossible unless you are willing to spin the
back wheels! (ie: just stomp it and dump the clutch – a great way to brake CV’s when you do this with off-road tyres!). I also found the clutch
take-up to be unpredictable too, however this may have been because Dave had been out playing in the mud during the previous day and everything was
inches thick, including the clutch cable. This didn’t help me look any more co-ordinated when leaving the lights either!
So, there you go – If this engine was in a car which didn’t have a mind of it’s own I feel that it would be fantastic to drive – smooth,
powerful, reliable and predictable – everything that you could want!
I’ll attempt to keep you up-to-date with the manufacturing of the new manifold and my ideas on ignition advance – it will be interesting to see
which has the biggest effect.
Hey, how about that – this is my 1000th post! I finally made it!
R
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posted on November 16th, 2006 at 02:33 PM
Thanks for the post mate it is a great read.
I am dead keen to do the same FI in a year or so. I have a 2yo and one due any day now so I am being realistic. I am hoarding bits though..... Plan
is to rebuild the T1 1600 standard to get it all working then prob big bore once its working and I can retune using selftune. By then I will have
ironed the bugs out of me and the new FI and will be able to retune easily- I may be dreaming...
As a guestimate what is the kalmaker chip/handset etc worth. I know they have a site but a guess is fine.
Im glad you described the chassis. Ppl often forget how much effect the rest of a car has on driveability.
I wonder aloud about the selftune. How early in the tweaking can you set this and let it set itself up? As I understand it this sort of feature
separates the higher end cpu's from the kit types microsquirt etc.
Could you post a pic of the engine? I am keen to put a pic with all those fine words.
Great read :thumb
kkk
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posted on January 10th, 2007 at 05:34 PM
It's upgrade time!
After months of throwing ideas about, we’ve finally done it! “Done what?” I hear you ask… We have changed the manifold from a re-shaped
version of the factory EFI manifold to a much larger, completely custom-made unit.
Ever since installing EFI on Daves Baja we have felt that something was lacking at high revs. The engine just didn’t have the grunt that it used to
have when it was fed by Carbies – it still ran OK, but it just felt a bit flat. This was made obvious by the fact that it was not possible to hit
the 5500 RPM rev-limiter with the vehicle in gear (something that this engine should be able to do easily – it would get to about 3700 RPM and just
stop climbing.
We noticed very early on that the vac reading from the MAP sensor would go out to 100% almost as soon as the throttle was opened with the engine
revving at anything over about 2500 RPM, which we felt indicated that the engine was being starved of air (ie: we were reaching the maximum flow rate
of the manifold).
After a couple of months of planning and a few weeks of collecting parts and organising to have a spare weekend to spend doing the manifold changeover
Dave finally got around to doing the swap over the Xmas/ New Year break.
He had already created a new plenum chamber from a couple of pieces of steel pipe and a couple of flat ‘end caps’. He had also had a local
exhaust shop bend up a couple of new, larger diameter manifold runners (from the plenum to the injector mounting/casting on the head), so all he had
to do was fit it all together and then fit it to the engine.
The only part of the factory system that was re-used was the casting with the injector mounts in it, but the inside was opened up as much as possible
using a die grinder. Dave also spent some time matching the casting to the intake port of the head to ensure that there was the best possible air
flow being delivered to the combustion chamber.
The rest of the parts were simply cut to size (the runners were created to be too long on purpose so that they could be ground down to make them fit
perfectly), and welded together.
Dave also took this opportunity to change the location and operation of both the TB and the throttle cable, in order to address the problems with the
accelerator pedal that I mentioned in my previous post. This means that instead of the TB being against the firewall, low down on the RH side of the
engine bay, it is now located at the other end of the plenum chamber (above the cooling fan). This allows the accelerator cable to run in a straight
line. He also fitted a secondary ‘swivel’ which, he tells me, will help to improve the feel of the throttle. The MAT sensor was relocated to the
bottom of the manifold (previously mounted on the top of the stock plenum chamber, where the factory cold start injector once was).
Once welded, the whole thing was painted in a crackle finish paint (not my choice, but anyway…) and allowed to dry. During the paint drying period,
Dave removed the engine to replace the flywheel seal and clutch, which had been giving him grief for a while. He also took the opportunity to remove
a set of cheapo brake pads from the rear discs and replace them with better quality pads in the hope that it would stop once again! He then fitted
the manifold to the engine and replaced the engine in the car. (Note: it was not actually necessary to remove the engine to change the manifold, but
as it was already out he took advantage of the easier access).
Thankfully, the minor changes in location of the TB and MAT sensor did not require modification of the wiring loom, and all the other electrical items
were still located in the same position as before.
Dave had planned to use an intake duct and filter housing (and filter) from a VL Commodore in order to ensure that the only restriction in the intake
system was the throttle plate. However having fitted the engine back into the car, it became obvious that for the ducting and filter to fit the spare
tyre rack (mounted over the engine) would have to be modified to allow more clearance, so Dave decided that (for now) he would fit a Pod style filter
directly to the TB and would consider redesigning the intake and filter system at a later stage.
Upon starting the car, the first thing that was noticeable was that the induction noise was reduced (even with only a Pod filter mounted on the TB)!
The engine also sounded smoother at idle, but it also idled faster too. After double checking everything for tightness and for fuel and oil leaks
Dave headed out onto the roads for a test drive.
At first he felt that the car was running very lean as it simply didn’t have any power at all, however after about half an hour it began to feel
better as the Auto VE update began to remap the fuel to suit the new ‘easier breathing’ manifold. Feeling that it was looking good, he parked the
car for the night and let me know (via SMS) of his success.
During the next week the car was mainly driven to and from work, and towards the end of the week Dave tells me that it was feeling much better than
before – he had even given it a couple of runs at full throttle and he tells me that it easily spins to 4500RPM and is still climbing when he shifts
gears, however he doesn’t want to go too much further just yet as it still feels lean at the top end.
He tells me that the small flat spot just off idle is back again, but I suspect that this is due to the fact that the fuel map for idle will be
slightly incorrect now that the vacuum has changed in the manifold (and the auto VE update has been told not to make changes to the fuel maps in the
idle range). I hope to be able to plug in my laptop and fix this small problem in the next couple of days.
It will be interesting to see just how much power we can get from this engine with the new manifold once everything is tuned correctly. It certainly
sounds like it will return some (if not all) of the lost power. I’ll keep you up to date as it progresses….
I have included a couple of photos of the old system (just before the manifold was removed) and of the new manifold in the building stage. I
haven’t yet been able to take a pic of the new manifold fitted on the engine in the car, but I will endeavour to do so ASAP.
I have included a couple of pics (over the next couple of posts of the old manifold, then the new manifold....
Pic 1: this is how the engine looked just before it was removed to perform the above operation - this pic shows the position of the air filter, which
you can follow down to the TB in the lower RH side....
Pic 2: ... then if we remove the air filter you can see the electircal board that houses all the relays, fuses, MAP sensor and ignition coil...
Pic 3: ... as you can see, getting to the fuses with the air filter in place was not an easy job - thankfully, removing the air filter was very easy.
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40hp, 6V and ...er... slowly making improvements
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posted on January 10th, 2007 at 05:43 PM
...more pics....
Pic 1: the Camira distributor, as fitted to the Type IV engine - it's a tight fit, but it works fine!
Pic 2: Here is the Plenum with a spare TB attached and the MAT sensor screwed into the back. All custom made from pieces of pipe by Dave.
Pic 3: With the runners removed from the injector mounting/end casting Dave was able to remove some of the material from the inside of the casting to
allow more air flow. Here the RHS has been ported and the left is next in line. In all these shots the new manifold is fitted to Daves dummy engine
(just a case, barrels and heads, no other internals)
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40hp, 6V and ...er... slowly making improvements
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posted on January 10th, 2007 at 05:54 PM
...and still more pics!
Pic 1: The Runners and Plenum, before the runners were welded to the injector castings - the plenum chamber is attached to the runners by rubber
tubes (same as the factory system only bigger)
Pic 2: The Runners and Plenum after welding and painting (once again, mounted on the Dummy engine). This shot taken looking from the pulley
end...
Pic 3: ... and finally, the top of the plenum chamber, now with the throttle cable control (pivot) from the Camira welded in place.
R
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40hp, 6V and ...er... slowly making improvements
It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!
.... oh well, at least we are not wasting as much fuel now!
posted on May 26th, 2006 at 01:37 PM
posted on June 18th, 2006 at 05:29 PM
posted on July 3rd, 2006 at 09:38 PM
posted on January 10th, 2007 at 05:34 PM