WonkoTheSane

iTrader: (2)

Ello all. I just wanted to post up a thread to bring everyone who tried to help me before up to speed (Wayne, Karak, and others).

Problem before: Last november, my car started this annoying habit of when it was cranking, the engine would turn over, but it would die within 1 second. It would rev up, sometimes up to 3 grand, then die. Repeatedly. I went through every concievable thing to fix it that I could come up with.

Finally got pissed off at replacing parts with no avail and built a Megasquirt, and tore out all of the factory wiring controlling the engine. Actually, I ripped out all the wiring, as it was impossible to separate just the stuff going into the bay.

Now the car is running under the megasquirt, and i'm going through and only using what parts of th factory harness I need.

While I was turning my squirt, I was able to replicate the problem that I was having before it went in. The way I replicated it (initially on accident) was by firing all 4 injectors from the beginning instead of staging it like it should be (all 4 injectors were on at 1000 rpm).

This caused the EXACT same response from my car. I could turn it over, it run would turn over, and rev for about half a second, just about long enough to get up to 3k RPM, then flood out.

I still don't know what was happening before, but I definatly think it was something like this. I don't know if they were shorting out and fireing all 4 (or just keeping two on all the time).. but It runs dependably now with the squirt.

now I just have to learn how to tune cars

WAYNE88N/A

Damn, that's the first time I've ever heard of that happening...

Now you'll be a pro tuner, though

WonkoTheSane

iTrader: (2)

Of course that's the first time you've ever heard of that... it's me

I'm hoping to be a pro tuner... or at least an average tuner.. well, I'll settle the title of tuner for a bit.. It is idling and sounding a lot better than I could get it before the ECU, though


edit: I just thought I'd point out how bloody easy our electrical system is to reverse engineer. Its nice, all of the guages in the gauge pod are mechanical, and there's no ECU between them and the device they're monitoring.. SHWEET

I also like how everything has its own module to control it.. the power steering has a power steering module, the turn signals and such have their own modules..

I picked a good car to learn how to wire things up.

Syonyk

Interesting.

You'll need to get some dyno charts once you get it dialed in. Are you planning to tune it with a wideband, or what?

Also, are you using the Megasquirt II with ignition control, or just the 1st gen version for fuel only?

-=Russ=-

WonkoTheSane

iTrader: (2)

I defianatly want to get to the dyno to tune it. Right now I'm just using a stock Bosche Narrowband. I will be putting in a wide band before I go supercharged (Assuming I can find a good job some time this summer) Until I get that, i plan on just a lot of seat-of-the-pants tuning.

I just went with the Megasquirt I. I put in a 1st gen dizzy+coils that I got for 40 bucks on the forum. . I was about to try the II, but Its still in beta, and I've never worked with ANY form of fuel management system before, so i didn't want to get in too deep. I plan on upgrading when its finalized.

Overall, it seems like a rather good system. Obviously I can't compare it to anything, but I'm not having too much trouble getting things set up, at least for idle/noload situations. I haven't gotten it out on the road yet, as It has no gauges/light switches/etc.. it should get that tomorrow.

staticguitar313

iTrader: (2)

sweet deal that car is hot, i hope oyu get everything all sorted out soon

RETed

Problems sounds exactly like a customer car I'm trying to fix right now.
I have it isolated down to the AFM.
If you stab at the throttle to try and get the idle to stay, it still dies.
I popped off the air filter and propped the AFM flapper door (this was an '88 Turbo II), and it idled fine when I pushed the door in slightly.
When revved, it worked fine.
When I let go, it idled like crap if anything - most of the time it died.
This simulates a bad AFM or a moderate intake leak.


-Ted

Tofuball

Congrats on megasquirting your car!

As for ignition, there is a lot of power to be gained tuning it! Dont settle for just a dizzy. Right now me and Ken have got my 'vert running with the stock leading coils (Controlled by the megasquirt). The trailing code doesnt work yet tho :O

I highly reccomend using a wideband, its so useful its scarey. If not just for fine tuning and fuel economy, then for monitoring I've also got a dual EGT I'm installing soon to help me tune the ignition better then by guessing.

WonkoTheSane

iTrader: (2)

That's really strange.. I'm already assuming you went through and checked all the connections on the AFM according the FSm, so i'm not even going to ask..

I will say that mine did the same thing whether I held the door open or not, as well as whether I had the fuel pump jumpered or not.. I even tried removing the AFM and jumpering the fuel pump. Still did the same thing.

With mine, it would either run fine (for 20 minutes or more), or it would die instantly. There was no running poorly or anything of the sort.. and the engine wasn't even on long enough to gain control of the throttle, it would rev up to where you had your foot (or 3000 RPM, whichever was lower), and die.. all within about a half of a second.

Thanks man I think it's well on the road to recovery.. its so nice to hear it again.. there's nothing quite like the sound of a rotary with an exhaust

I want to hack together electronic ignition later.. I just didn't trust myself to do it initially.. I didn't want the hassle of trying to figure out how to wire up my first fuel controller AND get an experimental ignition system rigged up.. sounds like a good project for later

I definatly will get ahold of a wide band, it's just that they're expensive, and i'm sorta unemployed since I graudated last saturday... so once i get a real job, then I can get a wideband 02.. . I really do want one I figure if i go to a dyno to dial it in, they should have one I can use..

MRX_Rotary

We should have a MegaSquirt sub-forum under the Engine Management Forum. I'm interested in putting a Megasquirt in my car sometime in the future.

rotarygod

iTrader: (1)

I've got Megasquirt controlling my streetported 1st gen GSL-SE. I love it. Simple to build and easy to tune. I still have the dizzy but it is running MSD direct fire. They are working on leading/trailing control for the rotary. It won't be too long until it is available.

MSII has already sold out the first batch. There were something like only 30 kits initially released. the next run will not be until July/August. Just remove the stock chip and install the daughterboard in it's place. Simple. You can still keep your same tuning as well. It will no longer need the acceleration enrichment feature though as it will just base it off of your map load points. Even easier.

I agree that we need a subforum for MS. There's alot of peopel using it now and many are rotary people.

SonicRaT

iTrader: (6)

I knew I should've ket my damn megasquirt around!

WonkoTheSane

iTrader: (2)

SonicRat - Yes you should have... they're neat contraptions

RotaryGod - Looks like I'm jumping on the Megasquirt bandwagon a bit late. The more I research it, the more and more that I find running them on their rotaries. This is awesome And you they're doing something right when a complete n00b like myself can get it up and running.

MRX_Rotary - I'd recommend one. It seems like a good system, and they're really cheap. I have about as much invested in mine as I would a sAFC, and it allowed me to ditch ALL of the stock junk, as opposed to splicing into it.

Works well

I give it the Wonko's Stamp of Approval!