Project OldTree: The 12 Days of Rotormas
10-26-12, 10:57 PM
#326
Thank you for the support. As of today, the car is safely tucked in for the winter at Lynn's shop, following myself and my mom moving to Columbus and not having immediate storage options available.
Kinda sucks because I had to leave a few useful parts like a bellhousing, flex plate & starter (compression test setup), but I have everything I need to sew up all the loose ends next spring. There isn't much left to do on the car that is necessary to drive it (odd fuel issue, probably fuel filter), just some odds & ends o be tidied up that I may ultimately outsource depending on time/money.
For the time being, I'll be working on some of the side projects to be installed in the spring. On the plus side, I should have enough saved up to get the car on a dyno by then too.
Kinda sucks because I had to leave a few useful parts like a bellhousing, flex plate & starter (compression test setup), but I have everything I need to sew up all the loose ends next spring. There isn't much left to do on the car that is necessary to drive it (odd fuel issue, probably fuel filter), just some odds & ends o be tidied up that I may ultimately outsource depending on time/money.
For the time being, I'll be working on some of the side projects to be installed in the spring. On the plus side, I should have enough saved up to get the car on a dyno by then too.
11-16-12, 10:31 PM
#328
Fabricating the battery box was a sidequest to alleviate wiring burnout that I was facing at the time, so adding a clever top retaining mechanism wasn't too critical in the grand scheme of things. Besides, the battery's axes of possible motion are well controlled as it would have to bend a steel bar, break some welds AND break off several bolts in their axis of greatest strength (Tensile Strength) to become any sort of projectile. I may revisit the box later to fabricate a clever strap, but I'm happy enough with needing no tools to pull the battery out.
Back at the ranch now:
I'm glad to say that I have settled in my new place and things are looking up. Now that I have a dedicated temperature-controlled workspace in my basement for all manners of automotive and fabrication projects, there shall be many bits of awesomeness to occur over the winter. The past few days have been spent cleaning up the basement, organizing and tenting off a corner for the aforementioned fab lab. Definitely is a plus to be able to weld something together at 2am with decent light, a room that stays at 60 degrees and record it LIVE unlike before. Sorry, no pictures at the moment as things are still being organized and set up, but I promise the next update will be worth the wait.
Right now, I just want to give a shoutout to my awesome girlfriend Trula for being so supportive and having a ton of faith in me through the last month of craziness. Thanks darling!
-AWC
Back at the ranch now:
I'm glad to say that I have settled in my new place and things are looking up. Now that I have a dedicated temperature-controlled workspace in my basement for all manners of automotive and fabrication projects, there shall be many bits of awesomeness to occur over the winter. The past few days have been spent cleaning up the basement, organizing and tenting off a corner for the aforementioned fab lab. Definitely is a plus to be able to weld something together at 2am with decent light, a room that stays at 60 degrees and record it LIVE unlike before. Sorry, no pictures at the moment as things are still being organized and set up, but I promise the next update will be worth the wait.
Right now, I just want to give a shoutout to my awesome girlfriend Trula for being so supportive and having a ton of faith in me through the last month of craziness. Thanks darling!
-AWC
Last edited by Akagis_white_comet; 11-16-12 at 10:38 PM. Reason: shoutout
02-22-13, 09:12 AM
#329
I apologize for the lack of updates over the past 3 months, it is rather difficult to get anything done without the car present. But I do have some news to share
Parts for First Upgrade
This is in addition to a complete S5 stereo trim, finally pieced together and ready for install.
In the meantime, I've been dabbling in electronics...
Something that always bugged me is that the stock gauges have a reputation for inaccuracy and are commonly superceded with redundant gauges, which leads to more headaches trying to place said gauges logically inside the car. While there is valid reason for such (S5 Temperature gauge anyone?), this is not the fault of the gauge. What makes the stock gauges behave the way they do is the SENDERS. Remember, the stock Coolant Temperature, Oil Pressure & Fuel Level gauges are essentially Impedance Meters with a gauge face tailored to their application.
So I cataloged the specifications on every sender & sensor that would rationally be used in a rotary car, along with the S4, S5 & FD's gauges. From that data, I built this:
This is a prototype of my Universal Signal Generator. Power is from a 2.0 Amp 12v Wall wart, or a customized ATX Power Supply for thirstier devices. While the internal 5v supply is sufficient for most purposes (750ma Max output), the 5v booster jack was added to be absolutely sure that it would stay at 5v no matter what device is connected. My ATX power supply puts out 10A on both 12v and 5v, more than enough for anything I could imagine. All connection are Banana Plugs for ease of use, with everything being stored inside the box too. Even the multimeter
Output for the Hz Range is displayed on the LCD screen, while all other ranges are viewed on a digital multimeter connected between the target banana jack and the central ground jack.
Constant 5v (Internal or External)
0-5v Adjustable, 3600 degrees of resolution
Constant 12v
0-30Mhz, 0.1 Hz resolution
Ground
0-500 Ohm Adjustable, 3600 Degrees of Resolution
0-20k Ohm Adjustable, 3600 Degrees of Resolution
0-100k Ohm Adjustable, 3600 Degrees of Resolution
(Daisychained for 0-120k ohms, 10800 degrees of resolution)
This is just Phase 1...Stay tuned for even more killer apps
Parts for First Upgrade
This is in addition to a complete S5 stereo trim, finally pieced together and ready for install.
In the meantime, I've been dabbling in electronics...
Something that always bugged me is that the stock gauges have a reputation for inaccuracy and are commonly superceded with redundant gauges, which leads to more headaches trying to place said gauges logically inside the car. While there is valid reason for such (S5 Temperature gauge anyone?), this is not the fault of the gauge. What makes the stock gauges behave the way they do is the SENDERS. Remember, the stock Coolant Temperature, Oil Pressure & Fuel Level gauges are essentially Impedance Meters with a gauge face tailored to their application.
So I cataloged the specifications on every sender & sensor that would rationally be used in a rotary car, along with the S4, S5 & FD's gauges. From that data, I built this:
This is a prototype of my Universal Signal Generator. Power is from a 2.0 Amp 12v Wall wart, or a customized ATX Power Supply for thirstier devices. While the internal 5v supply is sufficient for most purposes (750ma Max output), the 5v booster jack was added to be absolutely sure that it would stay at 5v no matter what device is connected. My ATX power supply puts out 10A on both 12v and 5v, more than enough for anything I could imagine. All connection are Banana Plugs for ease of use, with everything being stored inside the box too. Even the multimeter
Output for the Hz Range is displayed on the LCD screen, while all other ranges are viewed on a digital multimeter connected between the target banana jack and the central ground jack.
Constant 5v (Internal or External)
0-5v Adjustable, 3600 degrees of resolution
Constant 12v
0-30Mhz, 0.1 Hz resolution
Ground
0-500 Ohm Adjustable, 3600 Degrees of Resolution
0-20k Ohm Adjustable, 3600 Degrees of Resolution
0-100k Ohm Adjustable, 3600 Degrees of Resolution
(Daisychained for 0-120k ohms, 10800 degrees of resolution)
This is just Phase 1...Stay tuned for even more killer apps
02-22-13, 02:20 PM
#331
For example, let's use the stock FC fuel gauge. The sender is calibrated to 0-110 ohm, so you would feed the cluster power (12v), ground and hook up the fuel gauge wire to the 500 ohm jack. As soon as you hook them up, the gauge will read Full. Turn the 500 ohm potentiometer to the right and the needle inches down the scale until it hits Empty at 95 ohms.
The FC's Oil Pressure Sender is reasonably linear between 110psi (102.6 ohms) and 30psi (196.7 ohms), but shoots up to infinite resistance at 0 psi. This jump is not feasible to create with fine adjustment resolution for small needle movements. So I settled on 3 resistance ranges wired in series to get the needle as close to reading 0 psi as realistically possible while keeping the motion silky smooth. I'm pretty sure that the gauge wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 120k and Infinite ohms of resistance.
The LS2 Coolant Temperature Sensor behaves similarly, in that its range is also on a Parabolic curve from 47 ohms (150 degrees Celsius) to 100.7k ohms at -40 Celsius. Getting a nice, wide range of adjustment while having really fine adjustment is what made the 3 daisychained potentiometers necessary. You can literally see the resistance climb in hundredths of an ohm on the multimeter at 100k
Another use of this device is with the Tachometer. For this, we're going to make it read 4000rpm. Input 200 Hz on the keypad, hit the star key and the tach needle will jump to 4000rpm. If it is off, turn the adjustment potentiometer on the tach itself untill it reads 4000. You've just re-calibrated a tachometer to work on both FC & FD. Alternately, V8 guys would turn the tach's trimpot down so the needle reads 2000 rpm.
02-22-13, 02:41 PM
#332
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i think you'll find the gauges are reasonable, but really well damped.
i am interested in that tach simulator thing though, one of the "someday" projects is to hook up an ECU to the test bench, and get the map out of it, and one of the small hurdles is giving it an RPM signal.
i am interested in that tach simulator thing though, one of the "someday" projects is to hook up an ECU to the test bench, and get the map out of it, and one of the small hurdles is giving it an RPM signal.
02-22-13, 03:52 PM
#333
*dons Devil's Advocate costume (which is quite dashing, FYI...)*
Do any of the other gauges have an adjustment pot like the tach?
Seems like what your doing is checking the gauge to see if it reads properly compared to the FSM specs but only assuming that the sending units are within spec.
To use your fuel level example:
It's all well and good if the gauge reads right at the FSM designated ohms and let's even grant that the sending unit is operating within that exact same range, but is that really a good indication of how much fuel you have left that the pump can use?
I'm reminded of the incredible "Zero ***** Given" FB and his ohmmeter fuel gauge.
(If you haven't seen these articles, they are well worth the few minutes you'll spend here.) and his comment about how it works.
(slightly paraphrasing here...)
"It's supposed to be empty at 55ohms but starts cutting out in left turns at 70ohms".
This correlates well with my recent "calibration" of the fuel gauge.
I had a lot of old gas which I mostly drained out but left a few inches remaining (I was replacing the fuel pump also, so I was visually assessing from the bulkhead plate).
I then removed the needle from the gauge and ran the car till it sputtered, replacing the needle to indicate right on "E".
Then I went to drain what (supposedly) little of the old gas might remain.
Much to my surprise and dismay, there was still nearly two gallons left in the tank.
Point being, is having an accurate gauge as useful as having one that indicates how the car actually behaves?
With 2+ gallons left, your gauge would still be reading above the "E" while the fuel pump was nearly ready to run dry.
*removes Advocate rig and resumes normality*
02-22-13, 05:57 PM
#334
Very interesting, thanks for the explanation.
*dons Devil's Advocate costume (which is quite dashing, FYI...)*
Do any of the other gauges have an adjustment pot like the tach?
Seems like what your doing is checking the gauge to see if it reads properly compared to the FSM specs but only assuming that the sending units are within spec.
To use your fuel level example:
It's all well and good if the gauge reads right at the FSM designated ohms and let's even grant that the sending unit is operating within that exact same range, but is that really a good indication of how much fuel you have left that the pump can use?
I'm reminded of the incredible "Zero ***** Given" FB and his ohmmeter fuel gauge.
(If you haven't seen these articles, they are well worth the few minutes you'll spend here.) and his comment about how it works.
(slightly paraphrasing here...)
"It's supposed to be empty at 55ohms but starts cutting out in left turns at 70ohms".
This correlates well with my recent "calibration" of the fuel gauge.
I had a lot of old gas which I mostly drained out but left a few inches remaining (I was replacing the fuel pump also, so I was visually assessing from the bulkhead plate).
I then removed the needle from the gauge and ran the car till it sputtered, replacing the needle to indicate right on "E".
Then I went to drain what (supposedly) little of the old gas might remain.
Much to my surprise and dismay, there was still nearly two gallons left in the tank.
Point being, is having an accurate gauge as useful as having one that indicates how the car actually behaves?
With 2+ gallons left, your gauge would still be reading above the "E" while the fuel pump was nearly ready to run dry.
*removes Advocate rig and resumes normality*
*dons Devil's Advocate costume (which is quite dashing, FYI...)*
Do any of the other gauges have an adjustment pot like the tach?
Seems like what your doing is checking the gauge to see if it reads properly compared to the FSM specs but only assuming that the sending units are within spec.
To use your fuel level example:
It's all well and good if the gauge reads right at the FSM designated ohms and let's even grant that the sending unit is operating within that exact same range, but is that really a good indication of how much fuel you have left that the pump can use?
I'm reminded of the incredible "Zero ***** Given" FB and his ohmmeter fuel gauge.
(If you haven't seen these articles, they are well worth the few minutes you'll spend here.) and his comment about how it works.
(slightly paraphrasing here...)
"It's supposed to be empty at 55ohms but starts cutting out in left turns at 70ohms".
This correlates well with my recent "calibration" of the fuel gauge.
I had a lot of old gas which I mostly drained out but left a few inches remaining (I was replacing the fuel pump also, so I was visually assessing from the bulkhead plate).
I then removed the needle from the gauge and ran the car till it sputtered, replacing the needle to indicate right on "E".
Then I went to drain what (supposedly) little of the old gas might remain.
Much to my surprise and dismay, there was still nearly two gallons left in the tank.
Point being, is having an accurate gauge as useful as having one that indicates how the car actually behaves?
With 2+ gallons left, your gauge would still be reading above the "E" while the fuel pump was nearly ready to run dry.
*removes Advocate rig and resumes normality*
Engine cutting out in left turns is because of fuel sloshing away from the pickup tube and strainer sock. This is not due to the measurement system being faulty or lacking. It is because the pump is working against gravity, the entire reason Aaron Cake fabricated a new gravity-fed tank from scratch.
Anyone wanting to do a cluster swap would certainly find this device useful in interfacing the new cluster with the existing sensors/senders to obtain their desired results. The opposite can also be done too, ala linking a T-56 transmission with GM sender to a FC or FD's speedometer...
02-23-13, 07:11 AM
#335
Anyone wanting to do a cluster swap would certainly find this device useful in interfacing the new cluster with the existing sensors/senders to obtain their desired results. The opposite can also be done too, ala linking a T-56 transmission with GM sender to a FC or FD's speedometer...
Swappers have to replace the FC speedo entirely, an electronic speedo from an Acura is a popular option.
Your device seems very similar to a Digital Dakota device...they use dipswitches where you have pots but otherwise pretty much the same.
03-01-13, 07:47 PM
#336
Project Un-Paused Now
I wasn't aware of Dakota Digital making such a device till you mentioned it. Just found out it is for speedometer or tachometer correction only and is intended for permanent installation on a vehicle though. As for the T-56, that is part of a project for another day. I've come up with a way to make it work, but that project is a bit down the road right now.
More good news:
Car is home at my new place, all of my excess parts & tools are now in my basement automotive lab. New fuel filter, oil filter & fan thermoswitch are on the way from Rock Auto
EDIT:
Rock Auto sent me an incorrect fan thermoswitch. Not sure how it was done, but it was a M10x1.0 switch (could be a sensor, I'm not sure...) in the packaging for the one I ordered. They said to keep it and shipped out the correct one for free. You guys ROCK!
Found some generic mounts for the fuel filter on ebay for $9 shipped last week. USPS lost them, claiming a delivery attempt on 3/7 at 2:46PM along with a notice, but I found nothing. Called the Post Office and they can't find the package either. If they couldn't deliver the package, it would logically be at said post office and could have been found by any of the people whom I spoke with. Call me crazy, but this set off the BS Detector.
After 2 days of fighting with them about where my parts are, I finally got fed up with it, opened a case (but am not expecting anything from it) and ended up asking the seller to overnight another set via UPS.
This is the 3rd time that USPS has fucked up in this manner. First time was when they claimed US Customs has my potentiometers and Customs said that USPS had them (Customs was correct). Second time was when they just didn't deliver some binding posts & banana plugs (seller gave me a refund b/c of it). Mind you, this was within the last MONTH and each time they were given the benefit of the doubt. As of now, USPS will be getting ZERO of my business from now on.
Now I'm stuck here, idle untill monday afternoon at the very earliest...Guess I'll go organize my shop space and set up my new workbench, built for free entirely from salvaged wood
More good news:
Car is home at my new place, all of my excess parts & tools are now in my basement automotive lab. New fuel filter, oil filter & fan thermoswitch are on the way from Rock Auto
EDIT:
Rock Auto sent me an incorrect fan thermoswitch. Not sure how it was done, but it was a M10x1.0 switch (could be a sensor, I'm not sure...) in the packaging for the one I ordered. They said to keep it and shipped out the correct one for free. You guys ROCK!
Found some generic mounts for the fuel filter on ebay for $9 shipped last week. USPS lost them, claiming a delivery attempt on 3/7 at 2:46PM along with a notice, but I found nothing. Called the Post Office and they can't find the package either. If they couldn't deliver the package, it would logically be at said post office and could have been found by any of the people whom I spoke with. Call me crazy, but this set off the BS Detector.
After 2 days of fighting with them about where my parts are, I finally got fed up with it, opened a case (but am not expecting anything from it) and ended up asking the seller to overnight another set via UPS.
This is the 3rd time that USPS has fucked up in this manner. First time was when they claimed US Customs has my potentiometers and Customs said that USPS had them (Customs was correct). Second time was when they just didn't deliver some binding posts & banana plugs (seller gave me a refund b/c of it). Mind you, this was within the last MONTH and each time they were given the benefit of the doubt. As of now, USPS will be getting ZERO of my business from now on.
Now I'm stuck here, idle untill monday afternoon at the very earliest...Guess I'll go organize my shop space and set up my new workbench, built for free entirely from salvaged wood
Last edited by Akagis_white_comet; 03-09-13 at 11:59 AM. Reason: Constructive criticism update
03-09-13, 10:34 PM
#337
Weekend Update
Looks like this weekend was a bust on getting the fuel filter swapped, due to USPS completely dropping the ball on the mounts. Add puppy-sitting for my brother into the mix and zero car work has been accomplished at all. On the plus side, this is finally done
Welcome to my Shop:
Tools hung up to save space
25x60" workbench, made entirely from pallets & 3/4" plywood found in an alley. Thanks to my brother Dan for showing me a few woodworking tricks to get it together.
More hanging tools and enough light for any project:
Storage for parts & tools too large or heavy to hang, and the ever-important Fire Extinguisher:
Welcome to my Shop:
Tools hung up to save space
25x60" workbench, made entirely from pallets & 3/4" plywood found in an alley. Thanks to my brother Dan for showing me a few woodworking tricks to get it together.
More hanging tools and enough light for any project:
Storage for parts & tools too large or heavy to hang, and the ever-important Fire Extinguisher:
03-16-13, 12:02 AM
#338
How-To swap the fuel filter on a FC
Drained the fuel tank. Opening the drain plug was surprisingly anti-climatic. 2 gallons of nasty though. Swapped the fuel filter and siphoned out the lines as well, so the car is ready for fresh 93 octane. Now, here's a treat:
How to transfer the FC's fuel filter bracket to a new filter
New Wix and old Mazda fuel filters side by side, old filter on left. Note that the 'lip' faces DOWN when mounted on the car. Pic as viewed from the firewall
Detail shot of the rubber vibration isolation mounts, M6x1.0 thread pitch. I believe these are the original ones. The larger one on the left would be the upper mount.
Picture of bracket's clamp bolt. It is M6x1.0 thread and uses a 10mm socket, nothing fancy here. Bolt head faces the REAR of the car
Shot of bolt's length, as viewed from frame rail side. Upper mount shown for correct orientation.
OE Rubber Mount dimensions are:
36mm overall thickness
15mm thickness for rubber block
~11mm stud length
21mm diameter, measured point-to-point on 17mm wrench hex (18mm at round section)
What I replaced them with:
37.4mm overall thickness
12.7mm thickness for rubber block
12.3mm stud length
25.4mm diameter
Since my replacement mounts are entirely round and do not have a wrench hex, I just threaded a M6x1.0 nut onto the stud facing the body. By attempting to tighten this nut, it will wrench the mount right off should it shear off. These were found for $3 on ebay for a set of four. By mistake of USPS, I ended up with two sets. Now what could I use the remaining 6 for...
How to transfer the FC's fuel filter bracket to a new filter
New Wix and old Mazda fuel filters side by side, old filter on left. Note that the 'lip' faces DOWN when mounted on the car. Pic as viewed from the firewall
Detail shot of the rubber vibration isolation mounts, M6x1.0 thread pitch. I believe these are the original ones. The larger one on the left would be the upper mount.
Picture of bracket's clamp bolt. It is M6x1.0 thread and uses a 10mm socket, nothing fancy here. Bolt head faces the REAR of the car
Shot of bolt's length, as viewed from frame rail side. Upper mount shown for correct orientation.
OE Rubber Mount dimensions are:
36mm overall thickness
15mm thickness for rubber block
~11mm stud length
21mm diameter, measured point-to-point on 17mm wrench hex (18mm at round section)
What I replaced them with:
37.4mm overall thickness
12.7mm thickness for rubber block
12.3mm stud length
25.4mm diameter
Since my replacement mounts are entirely round and do not have a wrench hex, I just threaded a M6x1.0 nut onto the stud facing the body. By attempting to tighten this nut, it will wrench the mount right off should it shear off. These were found for $3 on ebay for a set of four. By mistake of USPS, I ended up with two sets. Now what could I use the remaining 6 for...
04-07-13, 03:16 PM
#339
Today got up past 65 degrees, perfect time to get some work done.
Upon bringing the car home, I discovered a coolant leak in the heater core return hose that I had previously ghetto-fabbed together using copper elbows. Also found my -10AN oil cooler line fittings had been leaking as I had not tightened them sufficiently before. For reference, -10AN hoses are to be tightened to 30 ft.lbs using a 1" wrench.
Another victim of the past year is the OMP nozzle vacuum lines as I cheaped out on them. Annoying to replace under the UIM, but silicone hose is cheap enough. Let this be a lesson to everyone: Don't use ghetto silicone hose, get the good stuff with thick walls.
After some discussion with Aaron Cake, I went to Lowes and got some 3/4" PEX brass elbow barbs for the heater return line. They're a flawless fit on 5/8" and 10AN push-lock hoses, hold securely and don't leak when paired with a hose clamp properly. Access to the clamps is a bit difficult due to the Wastegate/Turbo Control/Pre-Control actuators, but it works. Had to cut down the stock return hose into a 90 degree bend to clear the actuators, but everything is good now.
With 2 gallons of fresh 92 octane in the tank, I filled it up with coolant and oil, then gave it a crank...didn't start. Pulled both power and ground bus bars for some wire wheeling (covered in corrosion) and tried again. Still didn't start. Went through the relay panels and found 3 dead relays, all VW ones that felt quite flimsy compared to the solid-as-a-tank Ford ones. Replaced them and gave it another crank, still no start. Did continuity tests between ignition switched source, 12v, Ground, ECU, ignition coils, injectors & fuel pump, everything checks out so far. It's probably something dumb that I'm overlooking
Ended up draining the battery as it wasn't at full, so it's sitting on the charger right now. I didn't think of bringing out the laptop to hook it up and get a RPM reading on cranking, but it sounded peppy while cranking. Once the battery is back up to 100%, I'll give it another try with the laptop connected as well.
4/8 Update:
Got an early start today and brought out the laptop to see how things were. ECU Manager reported 40 rpm
After going through the CAS wiring, doublechecking continuity on each one from one end to the other, I found that all 4 of the terminals were loose in the subharness connector housing. In addition, I'm just going to come out and say it:
I reversed the home and trigger wires when reworking the harness last year.
Switched them and it reported 190rpm during cranking with the battery at about 50%.
So lesson learned, no harm done and the issue is corrected now. If your cranking RPM appears to be ridiculously low, in the neighborhood of 1/5 of what it should be, you have the Home and Trigger wires backwards. Thanks to Aaron Cake for illustrating this in Part 24 of the Cosmo Restoration.
Battery is back on the charger now and that mystery is resolved.
Upon bringing the car home, I discovered a coolant leak in the heater core return hose that I had previously ghetto-fabbed together using copper elbows. Also found my -10AN oil cooler line fittings had been leaking as I had not tightened them sufficiently before. For reference, -10AN hoses are to be tightened to 30 ft.lbs using a 1" wrench.
Another victim of the past year is the OMP nozzle vacuum lines as I cheaped out on them. Annoying to replace under the UIM, but silicone hose is cheap enough. Let this be a lesson to everyone: Don't use ghetto silicone hose, get the good stuff with thick walls.
After some discussion with Aaron Cake, I went to Lowes and got some 3/4" PEX brass elbow barbs for the heater return line. They're a flawless fit on 5/8" and 10AN push-lock hoses, hold securely and don't leak when paired with a hose clamp properly. Access to the clamps is a bit difficult due to the Wastegate/Turbo Control/Pre-Control actuators, but it works. Had to cut down the stock return hose into a 90 degree bend to clear the actuators, but everything is good now.
With 2 gallons of fresh 92 octane in the tank, I filled it up with coolant and oil, then gave it a crank...didn't start. Pulled both power and ground bus bars for some wire wheeling (covered in corrosion) and tried again. Still didn't start. Went through the relay panels and found 3 dead relays, all VW ones that felt quite flimsy compared to the solid-as-a-tank Ford ones. Replaced them and gave it another crank, still no start. Did continuity tests between ignition switched source, 12v, Ground, ECU, ignition coils, injectors & fuel pump, everything checks out so far. It's probably something dumb that I'm overlooking
Ended up draining the battery as it wasn't at full, so it's sitting on the charger right now. I didn't think of bringing out the laptop to hook it up and get a RPM reading on cranking, but it sounded peppy while cranking. Once the battery is back up to 100%, I'll give it another try with the laptop connected as well.
4/8 Update:
Got an early start today and brought out the laptop to see how things were. ECU Manager reported 40 rpm
After going through the CAS wiring, doublechecking continuity on each one from one end to the other, I found that all 4 of the terminals were loose in the subharness connector housing. In addition, I'm just going to come out and say it:
I reversed the home and trigger wires when reworking the harness last year.
Switched them and it reported 190rpm during cranking with the battery at about 50%.So lesson learned, no harm done and the issue is corrected now. If your cranking RPM appears to be ridiculously low, in the neighborhood of 1/5 of what it should be, you have the Home and Trigger wires backwards. Thanks to Aaron Cake for illustrating this in Part 24 of the Cosmo Restoration.
Battery is back on the charger now and that mystery is resolved.
Last edited by Akagis_white_comet; 04-08-13 at 10:40 AM. Reason: Update
04-08-13, 02:28 PM
#340
Today's fortune is AWESOME! IT LIVES!!!
Car was behaving like it wasn't firing the ignition coils, had a VW relay there . So I switched the ECU relay, a Ford one, with the coils' relay. Started up first try.
First impressions:
It idles around 1100-1300rpm, but wanted to dip lower and stumbled a bit on it, then would pick itself back up to 1100-1300rpm again. Light throttle response caused more stumbling due to rich AFRs. Feather-light throttle input resulted in smooth response. Narrowband sensor was reporting 0.5-0.7v constantly, so it's running crazy rich!
Engine warmed up nice and consistent though a tad quick (coolant bubbles most likely)
There is white smoke or steam coming up from the turbos, at approximately where the Y-pipe pieces join together. Since I can't identify it reliably, I decided to play it safe and shut the car down after a few minutes, just as it hit 200 degrees according to ECU Manager. ObliqueFD believes it is steam from moisture accumulation as the car had not been started since last year.
Injector duty cycle was around 6.7%, OMP at 15%. Exhaust was tinged blue with oil, nothing too crazy there. One bolt hole on the taurus fan was rubbing on the main pulley, but that's a 5 second fix with a hacksaw or dremel.
Comments? Ideas? Suggestions? Let's hear it!!!
. So I switched the ECU relay, a Ford one, with the coils' relay. Started up first try.First impressions:
It idles around 1100-1300rpm, but wanted to dip lower and stumbled a bit on it, then would pick itself back up to 1100-1300rpm again. Light throttle response caused more stumbling due to rich AFRs. Feather-light throttle input resulted in smooth response. Narrowband sensor was reporting 0.5-0.7v constantly, so it's running crazy rich!
Engine warmed up nice and consistent though a tad quick (coolant bubbles most likely)
There is white smoke or steam coming up from the turbos, at approximately where the Y-pipe pieces join together. Since I can't identify it reliably, I decided to play it safe and shut the car down after a few minutes, just as it hit 200 degrees according to ECU Manager. ObliqueFD believes it is steam from moisture accumulation as the car had not been started since last year.
Injector duty cycle was around 6.7%, OMP at 15%. Exhaust was tinged blue with oil, nothing too crazy there. One bolt hole on the taurus fan was rubbing on the main pulley, but that's a 5 second fix with a hacksaw or dremel.
Comments? Ideas? Suggestions? Let's hear it!!!
04-08-13, 06:07 PM
#343
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finally! 6.7% injector is a lot, you should be more like 3.5-4% with the thing fully warmed up, and running sequential injection.
04-12-13, 08:25 PM
#344
4/12 Update: Mom in ICU after a stroke
Okay everyone, here's the current situation. I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of it, so please excuse if I jumble things a bit.
My mom had a stroke around 10PM last night, was rushed into OSU's ER department and went into surgery promptly. This is the kind of stroke where a blood vessel bursts, and was fortunate enough to be near the cerebellum & brain stem (most resilient parts of the brain) according to Dr. Eric, the neurosurgeon whose last name I cannot recall.
She is in critical condition, in a coma with stable vitals at OSU's Intensive Care Unit. As of today, they've pulled back all sedation to see how things will go in the next 24 hours. An MRI is on the schedule and the doctors & nurses are hoping for a good recovery, but it is still wait and see. So far, everything has been looking good but it is still difficult for me, my brother and sister and our significant others.
Any and all prayers, positive thoughts and well wishes from far and wide are welcome and encouraged.
My mom had a stroke around 10PM last night, was rushed into OSU's ER department and went into surgery promptly. This is the kind of stroke where a blood vessel bursts, and was fortunate enough to be near the cerebellum & brain stem (most resilient parts of the brain) according to Dr. Eric, the neurosurgeon whose last name I cannot recall.
She is in critical condition, in a coma with stable vitals at OSU's Intensive Care Unit. As of today, they've pulled back all sedation to see how things will go in the next 24 hours. An MRI is on the schedule and the doctors & nurses are hoping for a good recovery, but it is still wait and see. So far, everything has been looking good but it is still difficult for me, my brother and sister and our significant others.
Any and all prayers, positive thoughts and well wishes from far and wide are welcome and encouraged.
04-14-13, 11:02 AM
#346
Went to see mom yesterday, she is doing okay. Vitals are stable, showing more reflexive movements including in her eyes and her fever is starting to come down. Docs say 7-10 days to be awake, prior to the MRI last night after the visit. Overall, things are looking good and we're hopeful she'll come around soon. Please keep those prayers and good vibes coming in.
All things considered, we're doing the best we can under the circumstances but it has forestalled my desire to pick up the wrench. The coolant leak was solved the day before mom was hospitalized. It was due to old re-used aluminum crush washers on the turbos coolant returns. The rear turbo uses 14mm (AKA 9/16") crush washers, one of the two not included in Harbor Freight's copper washer kit (other size is 18mm), while the front turbo uses 16mm (AKA 5/8"). What I did was dremel out a few 1/2" copper washers to fit the rear turbo. Was kind of a pain, but it works and was much quicker/cheaper than buying them somewhere.
All things considered, we're doing the best we can under the circumstances but it has forestalled my desire to pick up the wrench. The coolant leak was solved the day before mom was hospitalized. It was due to old re-used aluminum crush washers on the turbos coolant returns. The rear turbo uses 14mm (AKA 9/16") crush washers, one of the two not included in Harbor Freight's copper washer kit (other size is 18mm), while the front turbo uses 16mm (AKA 5/8"). What I did was dremel out a few 1/2" copper washers to fit the rear turbo. Was kind of a pain, but it works and was much quicker/cheaper than buying them somewhere.
04-19-13, 01:56 PM
#347
I wont say much because its not my right to go into the op's life but his moms situation is much worse please keep him and his family in your prayers. We love you Travis and Oldtree
04-19-13, 09:57 PM
#348
At 10pm our friend lost his mother. Lets all please show Travis some respect and let him know we are all here for him and we all care. RIP OldTree you will be missed. Our prayers are with you my friend
04-20-13, 09:20 AM
#350
Smiles and Tears; What mom wanted and a new title for the project
Thank you everyone for your warm thoughts and support.
Yesterday around 3PM, I got a message from my friend Donna, whom was with mom at the hospital, that things were going south. We rushed to the hospital and mom stabilized. It took awhile for everyone to get there.
We unplugged the ventilator at 7PM, surrounded by family and good friends, playing music of all kinds that mom enjoyed and telling lots of good stories. I went first with Smiles and Tears from the SNES game Earthbound, to set the theme that this isn't going to be entirely sad and that the good times and bad times are valued by the people you spend them with.
For the next three hours, mom got to enjoy our company, listen to good tunes like Time of Your Life by Green Day, Harvest Moon by Neil Young and more, and have one last get-together as she would have wanted. She passed away at 10 PM, happy that all of us were together, feeding off each other's good vibes and making her last Friday night in this life happy.
Janet Dee, OldTree:
10/29/1949 - 4/19/2013
Rest In Peace, Mom. I miss you!
Yesterday around 3PM, I got a message from my friend Donna, whom was with mom at the hospital, that things were going south. We rushed to the hospital and mom stabilized. It took awhile for everyone to get there.
We unplugged the ventilator at 7PM, surrounded by family and good friends, playing music of all kinds that mom enjoyed and telling lots of good stories. I went first with Smiles and Tears from the SNES game Earthbound, to set the theme that this isn't going to be entirely sad and that the good times and bad times are valued by the people you spend them with.
For the next three hours, mom got to enjoy our company, listen to good tunes like Time of Your Life by Green Day, Harvest Moon by Neil Young and more, and have one last get-together as she would have wanted. She passed away at 10 PM, happy that all of us were together, feeding off each other's good vibes and making her last Friday night in this life happy.
Janet Dee, OldTree:
10/29/1949 - 4/19/2013
Rest In Peace, Mom. I miss you!