Quick update

I ported my turbine housing, see post 137. I've been driving it easy to break in a fresh rebuild. After roughly 400 miles, I figured I might as well give it a go. I did three 3rd gear pulls. I wasn't logging; just watching the gauge. I ran it up to redline. It never went above 18 psi. Considering it was creeping to 24 on a regular basis and peaking at 26 on cooler days, I am going to say the porting was very beneficial. Once I get a little more time on the motor I'll do some logs to see if it was hitting 18 right away or creeping up to it.

 

I am tuning my 8374 IWG 3.5" downpipe with 3" midpipe back. I am able to hold about 12PSI with the medium wastegate canister.


I do notice that with a richer tune the car wants to boost more than say a little leaner. car is making great power. I am also running water/meth.

 

I think I'm in business. 12psi. Spun it to 6500 in 4th, wasn't really creeping. It's 12 all the way to 7500 in lower gears

I'm going to put some preload back on it and then if that holds I'll try electronic boost control

 

OK, so at 3 turns of pre-load, I'm at the same peak boost (12 psi), but spool isn't much affected. I need to get the electronic boot control working now to see if it can be helped.

 

That sounds like good news. What did you end up doing to it?

 

See post #142... ported wategate, divider removed, and T4 divider removed in area of wategate. I'm actually using an undivided T4 gasket now.

It does seem to have hurt the spool a bit though, so hoping electronic boost control can help.

 

Right on!

Now you can try a 3.5" downpipe/midpipe to get the spool back and start all over again trying to take the boost creep out LOL. (Exhaust restriction is all a relative term...)

But seriously glad you seem to have licked the boost creep the way you wanted to do it (fixed it with no exhaust restriction besides the little 3" exhaust).

 

 

Well I guess I'm done till I get an external boost controller.

For whatever reason, the PFC boost control isn't doing anything, see here:
https://www.rx7club.com/single-turbo...-900599/page3/

I hooked up the Adaptronic, which Dave also tuned supposedly, but couldn't get it to idle cleanly (NBD for at least testing boost control), but despite having not touched anything in a couple months since I last used it, WARI no longer recognizes the ECU, so I can't tell what the **** is going on.

I downloaded Eugene, which opened right up, and recognized the ECU (didn't even need a basemap loaded), but I've no idea if it's running the map Dave tuned, or what. It doesn't look like the boost control is set up, and it certainly didn't seem to work on the quick test I ran, so who knows. Windows computers absolutely blow, I can't believe there aren't angry hoardes of people regularly forced to use them burning down microsoft headquarters.

It didn't really look exactly like the video shows, nor could I get the live gauges to work as directed.

Here's pic of the boost control screen (upside down of course):

 

Update:

I found one of the boost solonoid pigtail wires was cut so I resoldered the whole thing. I don't know what happened there. Shitty wire.

Put the PFC back in, and now boost is uncontrollable. Even set at .80 and the lowest duty (20%) it just keeps rolling past 15 psi.

Not sure what to say now.

 

These cars will drive you crazy sometimes no doubt. I've been sorting through running issues on my BB '95 lately so I know how you feel Pete......

 

When you download Eugene, the ecu will not recognize Wari any longer. Both need to be uninstalled and reinstall Wari. I don't know enough about Eugene to know which ecu file you were using once you updated but I didn't think it was safe to run on vehicles yet.

 

You guys are legit speaking Greek to this PFC dude

 

Yeah. Adaptronic really needs to state that on it's Web site MUCH more clearly. And maybe not offer it as the first choice above the software that actually works.

It says "shouldn't be used for tuning"... but if you can't RUN a car on it, why is it offered at all?! And why wouldn't you state that it'll hose up the program that WILL run a car. Now I've no idea what it's done, or whether or not the map on the ECU that Dave tuned is still there or overwritten (I don't have another copy of it, and who knows where Dave is). It still didn't run right because Dave couldn't get it to idle... and it starts too hard (almost like the old accelerated warm up system).

I watched the video on the new live gauges feature, and thought, "great, maybe this is finally usable". I took the Adaptronic off the car last fall amidst road tuning and decided to take the car to Speed1 and have the PFC tuned because my coolant cap sprung a leak and nearly overheated the car—without the PFC Commander, which I've always used for a water temp gauge, I didn't see it coming (the tiny little window on the laptop isn't really viewable while driving). LUCKILY I was trying out a vented hood so I saw the spray come out on the windshield. Otherwise, my motor would have been toast. I've since removed the hood. Bottom line, the thing needs a commander-like device for simple viewing of gauges and fiddling with basic settings without using a laptop or some expensive race dash and/or convoluted bluetooth/android/app setup. And they need to think a little harder about what they offer up for download.

I remember when I first got the Adaptronic and installed it and began running it—I downloaded the new firmware (14), and it had some new setting checked that just randomly disabled the car while i was driving and nearly stranded me in the middle of the highway. After that was fixed, I drove around with a box with the PFC and tools to swap it in sitting in the car, because I just didn't trust that it wasn't going to get weird again.

Nevermind the fact that, Eugene's live gauges setup doesn't actually look/work like the video yet, as the features have been disabled, so it was completely pointless in the first place. I'd intended to just sell the Adaptronic, but figured I'd try it as a test since I had it laying around. Every time I use it, and/or a Windows laptop (which it necessitates), I want to strangle small woodland animals.

Anyway, rant off, but that's ridiculous.

 

Talked with Fritz this AM, and he's going to send me a manual boost controller.

If that will spool the turbo up like the electronic does, and keep it at 15 psi, I'll be fine with that. I'll just screw it down a little bit at the track.

 

Curious, are you controlling boost off the PFC straight, or via the added boost controller kit?

 

All the "kit" is, AFAIK, is a solonoid, which the EFR already has, and it was wired to the "boost control" wiring supplied in the Rywire harness.

 

Hi Peter,

Based on reading about your troubles it just sounds like you need some better support. So When you have time this week I will be happy to teamviewer into your PC and and make sure the Adaptronic ECU is setup correctly for you. Give me a call when you are free. 763-753-9939.

Thanks,
Shawn Christenson

 

Thanks Shawn, I appreciate it!

If I decide to put the Adaptronic back in and reconfigure my laptop, I'll give you a buzz.

P

 

I know it's a different set up but when I went single I couldn't control boost with my greddy profec anymore, turns out I had to re plumb the solenoid since it differed between external and internal wastegates.

 

I can't imagine that's an issue, because the solonoid is made for (and comes with) the EFR, and I've reversed the wires.

I hooked it up like all of the pictures show, but it doesn't take long to reverse the hoses I guess.

Manual boost controller should tell all.

 

Except that a manual controller cannot vary VS RPM, just peak boost pressure.

So its not going to give you the same response as an electric unit.

 

shawnm565

Except that a manual controller cannot vary VS RPM, just peak boost pressure.

So its not going to give you the same response as an electric unit.


Well, I found you can get really good response out of a manual boost controller with some work.

With a checkball and bleed manual boost controller you can vary the bleed orifice size by slowly drilling it larger with wire gauge drill bits until the boost spike with boost onset is just gone.

This assumes the bleed orifice was non-existent or undersized to start with. You might have to buy a spare inlet nipple/fitting to start with no bleed hole on the outlet nipple.

With the check ball and bleed MBC the boost pressure has to unseat the ball and then overcome the pressure loss from the bleed orifice on the backside of the ball before it starts moving the wastegate diaphram.

If you go too far on the bleed orifice size you will again have an area of higher boost before you settle into nominal boost. Its not as spikey as the spike from not enough bleed and varies more with how you pedal into full boost.

You might actually like this as it gives good tip in torque feel, but it also takes away some pedal sensitivity as you will get more boost the slower you are on coming into the pedal.

Varying this MBC bleed size is the same as an electronic boost controller "gain" that controls the transition from staying open at low boost and then varying its duty cycle as you near peak boost.

You can get "fancy" and put a variable orifice on the MBC bleed, but I like the simplicity and bullet proof-ness of the fixed orifice and -AN lines with swivel fittings.

I did this with my Hallman Pro RX on my old 60-1 and got really flat boost.

Except that a manual controller cannot vary VS RPM, just peak boost pressure.

This is still true.
With a MBC you cannot choose to taper boost off in the higher RPM for instance if you find the higher exhaust manifold pressure from peak boost is killing power after peak torque.

Unless you did some clockwork/steam punk mechanical system that would surely be more complex than a simple EBC.

But this is a high boost/pushing the limits of the compressor kind of problem.

 

I fully intend to resolve the electronic boost control issue one way or another, but right now I need a car I can enjoy driving and take to the track.

Early testing says it could probably use more tuning as well on the lower end of the boost curve... I can see the needle wiggling, so that's an indicator that the A/F isn't ideal.

 

A quick fix so you can get to enjoying the car would be to get an extra intercooler pipe and have a Pop off pressure relief valve put in it that will release any positive pressure over 12 psi (or whatever pressure you set it to) that is in the manifold tract.
A quick replacement of one of the pipes or an additional Greddy elbow you plumb for the Pop off valve and switch out for track days and you are not going to ever show the motor more than the set pressure for the valve. Its also great insurance for your motor if the diaphragm in an external wastegate were to melt due to track EGT's or cold ambient temps end up causing extra boost pressures the value will ensure the pressure is bled off before the motor sees it.

They are used in CART so the racecars can't run more boost than the rules allow. They immediately bleed off any extra pressure to atmosphere that the turbo makes. I have been considering installing one just for safety but it could easily remedy your boost creep issue without screwing around with the actuator and exhaust restrictions.