[engine_work] 2.1 S16 Build Diary

[petert 549]

If closed loop is turned on it will change all over the place. I suggest leaving it turned off whilst tuning. It will do your head in. You need to see steady AFR values. Also, with bigger cams, you need to have a fixed pulse width at idle. If it's mapped via MAP sensor at idle it will hunt all over the place. For instance, is there a zero throttle map? So when the throttle is at 0%, it stops using the normal fuel table and goes to a fixed pulse? If not, make sure all the values are the same around where it should be idling.

[Doof 11]

Fantastic idea Peter! I've set it up to swap VE tables below 1% throttle. It'll be interesting to give this a try, i'll post back with results.

 

I think the EGO was off but will try and get another log with it definitely off.

 

Thanks again for the help!

[Doof 11]

Idle is definitely better with a different table with constant values around idle as you suggested Peter. Sandy has given me a better spark map and now it really does drive really well!! So well in fact that I drove around 150 miles in the last 2 days (with only one minor breakdown due to a crap oil seal) which is alot considering I daren't really go too far from home just yet in case something happens.

 

I'm just getting some miles under it's belt to run it in and then I'll be ready for a trip to Sandy for an RR session. It's already surprisingly close to what I imagine is "mapped", anything above 1600 rpm is just a pleasure to use. Transitions around idle can still be poor as can cold running but that can come with time.

 

Anyway, I've got a short video to prove it really runs, for my workmates who don't believe it even exists as much as anything! I'll post it up when I can get it off my phone.

 

For now, it's a battle to keep off the loud pedal...the engine note changes as you approach 4k rpm and just begs to go nuts but i've not done enough miles, or mapped it enough to run it much beyond that...can't wait til it's fully run in. I'll be sure to get another video of full chat as soon as I can.

 

For now, I think it's definitely time to say a massive thank you to everyone that's helped me out on this project. I just couldn't have come close to finishing it without you. At times I've felt rock bottom, i really have. This project has just beaten me sometimes what with the bent valves and scary moments with low compression readings but it's so nice to actually see it working, to see the thing that I've built, literally from the bottom up, rocketing along. Yea, there are things I've not done as well as I could, there are things I've rushed, but provided all major hiccups are over (touches wood!) then I'm really pleased I've stuck with it.

 

Special thanks to Mad Professor, Sandy, PeterT, Miles and probably others that I can't think of just now. The help you guys has given has really been great and I honestly appreciate it so much!

 

The sad thing about this is that having finally got it to a roadworthy condition, I'm moving to central London next week now! Hardly the place for a 200bhp (hopefully) 205 with a plate diff but hopefully it'll mean I can escape the busy city every once in a while for a good blast out somewhere nice.

 

Actually, If anyone else lives in central London and fancies a beer, let me know. I'm not sure who's down that way but it seems everyone I know down there just talks about pimms and starbucks coffee - some 205 chat would probably be quite welcome

 

I'll try and get another update with pics / videos of it in action before the weekend.

[GLPoomobile 958]

What part of London?

 

You can live with a 205 in London (although I've not experienced a 200BHP plate diffed example day to day), but personally speaking, it takes so much effort to actually get out of the city for a proper drive that it can beat you down. You basically have to set aside a whole morning or afternoon if you fancy a blat. But I'm sure that won't be an issue with 200bhp to encourage you

[Sandy 189]

Excellent news

[petert 549]

Yes, excellent work. Glad to hear it's all coming together. Keep the updates coming! Did you plug the hole in the cam? The other option is 1/8" BSP.

Edited October 8, 2010 by petert

[Doof 11]

After the car had spilled lots of oil the other night through the hole in the camshaft and the badly sealed end cap I went back down to the pub car park where it had broken down and applied a good amount of silicone sealer to the mating face of the black end cap that covers the end of the cam and left it overnight to set. I went back in the morning and started it up expecting it to leak, but not bad enough that I couldn't get home. Got home (it was only 3 miles away) and the thing hasn't leaked at all! I've since driven 130+ miles and not a drop has come out...I've just got a soaked engine bay and gearbox from before

 

I'm glad I didn't have to go and tap a thread in the end of the cam. I would have been worried about the swarf going into the bearings...

 

GLPoo, I've sorted a flat out between Aldgate and Wapping, think the area is called Poplar. Going to be working over Westminster way...might drive the plate diff'd 200bhp 205 to work

[GLPoomobile 958]

GLPoo, I've sorted a flat out between Aldgate and Wapping, think the area is called Poplar. Going to be working over Westminster way...might drive the plate diff'd 200bhp 205 to work

 

Congestion charge You really are central London!

 

Sorry for the off topic

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

There's a nice BT exchange there

But good to see it out and about after all these years

[petert 549]

You could fiit an XU9J4 exhaust seal.

[James_m 0]

Any update on this?

[Vili 17]

Is it mapped and rolling roaded yet? I´m waiting keenly for results as the spec is very close to my XU10J4 (when it is ready).

[Doof 11]

Sadly I've not had chance to get it RR'd yet. Since moving to London I'm now poor and don't have anywhere to work on it to fix the oil leaks it currently has. I also don't yet have the internet in my flat due to Sky being rubbish so i've not been on the here at all lately. Hopefully I'll be able to afford to get it RR'd in the coming months so I can see what power it's making and actually get the most out of it!

 

For what it's worth, it feels great. It pulls hard and is noticeably quicker than my parents MR2 (which you'd bloody well hope!). I think it's probably pushing out about 180bhp at the minute but until i get some cash together for a trip to the RR it's sadly sitting in the underground carpark of my flat!! Slightly gutting after all the hours I've put in over the last couple of years.

 

It's mapped reasonably well at the minute and certainly well enough to drive with ease. The autotune in TunerStudio is really easy to use and set up and is well worth using if you're using MegaSquirt. The spark map is something Sandy calculated and seems to be fairly close to what it'll finally take but obviously the final tweeking is where the gains will be made. The idle is the one thing I've not got fantastically tuned, a lot of the time it idles around 1400rpm which is way to high but it seems to be quite hard to get it to be consistent and stable. It'll do for now though.

 

I'll have to get some video of it up to show that at least it's running and driveable. It's nearly done 1000 miles now which I'm pretty proud of!

[Doof 11]

Well, it's about time I finished the project thread off and posted some results now the car is "finished".

 

I got to the point with megasquirt where it drove pretty well quite a while back and plucked up the courage last month to drive up to Scotland in it for a holiday last month. It covered the 700 miles or so without any issues so i thought it was probably time to get down to Sandy and have it finally mapped and finished off.

 

I went down to Sandy's the other week and got there on the Thursday and after a little while getting odds and ends tidied up we got the car on the rollers and started mapping. It didn't take long to realise it was going to be a long day. Sandy wasn't happy with the engine stalling (or megasquirt full stop!) when the revs dropped (something i'd just lived with by toeing and heeling) and we had some noise on the TPS which I knew about but didn't think mattered. To fix the noise issue I took the megasquirt ECU out and tried adjusting some pots as per the documentation. I plugged the MS back in and suddenly we couldn't connect to it!!! I just got a light flick on for a fraction of a second. Interestingly the engine started (I think I only actually tried firing it up after I'd decided MS was a bad idea) but we just couldn't connect!

 

At this point I was worrying. i'd come all the way to Cornwall from London and wasn't sure I could drive home. Sandy mentioned someone selling a DTA ECU and 205 loom for a good price nearby and weighing up the quality of map i'd get with Sandy tuning MS vs his tuning of the system he works with regularly made me bite the bullet. We went and grabbed the new DTA ecu and got back around 5.00pm to spend an hour or so ripping the old wiring out (which was functional but compared to Sandy's loom was actually a little embarrassing, his loom must weight half what mine did!

 

We cracked on again the next day after Sandy had dropped me off at the campsite I was staying at with all my gear...minus the tent poles which I left at the sodding garage! So sorry about that mate!

 

I think we started around 9.00. The engine was just about running by 11 and by 1.00pm it was running and idling reasonably well with minus an ICV! After a short lunch break Sandy hammered on with mapping on the RR like a man possessed and barely stopped to catch his breath. By 5.00 it was done and ready for a drive!! I can't get into words how impressive I think it is that "we" effectively stuck a new ECU in and mapped it in a day! I just didn't that that was possible, and certainly never expected to be doing it last week...Neither did my wallet!

 

Sandy told me the final result..."over 180bhp" which i was a little disappointed with..."at the wheels" - Now that's more like it I thought! Perfect!! Obviously roller results are changeable but that's a good 200bhp I'd think.

 

I think I'll finish this off by trying to urge anyone thinking of this sort of project to think hard again about the cost and if it's really what they want to do. It's cost me a lot of money and mistakes like buying Megasquirt have certainly drilled in the old saying of "you buy cheap, you buy twice". I could have trailered my car to Sandy and had this mapped months ago in a single day. Saying that, it's been an amazing experience building this engine....and my god the noise and power is amazing

 

Well done if you read this far. I'll honestly get a video up soon of it in action

 

Thank god this project is finished. Gotta be over 3 years faffing around!

[pip470 61]

Thats Great news, well done on completing. I'm sure you have learnt more doing it the hard way first though. Now time to enjoy fully.

[petert 549]

Epic. Well done.

[Sandy 189]

Good write up and I'm glad we got there ok in the end!!

[kyepan 291]

excellent!! now you can enjoy it.

[ash mi16 0]

nice build dude

[Doof 11]

Well that didn't last very long did it? I've just bought some Colin Satchell TB's ready to be fitted in a couple of months time. I'll be interested to see how this transforms car. I'm expecting a better idle, better part throttle driveability and of course a great noise at full chat.

 

Should be stretching to ~220bhp all being well, I can't wait! I'll post back with details once its fitted and mapped by Sandy again.

Edited January 27, 2012 by Doof