3.4 build part 2!

[cgarr]

Thats a slick set up Jeff! Will that unit piggy back with the stock 3.2 motronic do you know?

[Jeff Alton]

I am not sure if one could do that or not. I think there was a recent thread about making something similar work with the 3.2 DME.

Cheers

[87 clubsport]

Hi jeff excellent job keep in post I will follow your footprint about your engine
thanks Steve

[Jeff Alton]

Okay guys.....

Putting a temporay operating permit on the car in the morning for the weekend..... Sun and nice weather in the forcast!

Got the dual LC-1's installed, leaned out the cold start enrichment, now it is time to drive her in anger!!! Putting in the ear plugs and then off we go in the morning. Digital dash and laptop by my side!

Hoping fellow Pelican Jorian times his arrival right to pick up his tuned SC so he can go for a ride too........

Gotta sneak out as quiet as I can to not annoy the neighbors then should be putting the pedal in the carpet a few times while keeping a keen eye on the AFR's..... I am hoping to stop by Pelican "Poorsha's" place to see his new 911 he just imported (bought at TRE I believe).

Hoping to put a few hundred miles on it this weekend, then back to the dyno for final tuning.

My son (5 years old) can't wait for his ride in Daddy's "race car" when we head for our weeky family supper on sunday night at his Grandparent's house.

I have not driven this car more than 200 yards in the last 25 months. Excited? Not going to sleep well? you bet!!!!

Wish me luck!

Cheers

[NY65912]

Go Jeff Go!

[Jeff Alton]

Two drives in today (so far)!!

I am loving this thing! Even though the ECU has had only very minor tweaking it is running great. The motor always comes back to a rock solid idle, every time. Right now there are NO drivability issues and I was afraid of that based on the stories I have heard/read about programable EFI being very difficult to get right........

I have been taking it relatively easy (speed wise) as the car only has a roughed in alignment but it tracks nice and straight. I am putting a good load on it though in both accel and deccel.

Idle AFR is 13.8-14.0 right now, and on deccel I am seeing 15.0 and on accel it is between 12.2 and 13.5 or so depending on the rpm at the time. Both banks are measuring basically identically.

Gotta go out for more fun!!!!


Cheers

[jpnovak]

Thats great news! I know you will love the new ride.
btw, take your time and tune your base map before moving on to the other parameters. Your end result will be worth it.

[Jeff Alton]

Thanks Jamie,

As a full on rookie at programming an ECU, I am leaving that pretty much up to my tuner. I was able to set the basic cold start parameters (round of applause ) and the base timing map, but not much else........ I am really pleased with how well it is running right now so far. Oh, I have been able to change the max rpm and the triggers for the two stage rev limiter......

It is still a little rich overall I think, and the plugs seem to confirm that. Under load it looks good, but at part throttle it is rich.

As a side note, I took it to the hi-way scale today, and it was 2270lbs with a little under a half tank of gas...... Still have the Lexan window kit to put in too.....

I am going to take it to a different one tomorrow to see if it is the same. Might as well go there, I need somewhere to drive to right? For reference, the scale dropped by my own 170 when I got out of the car, and it does say my GTI with my me and 5 year old weighs 3400......

On a side note, what would be the minimum fuel pressure one would want to run and still atomize fuel properly?

Cheers

[Jeff Alton]

Well, on Saturday I drove it again and it is getting much stronger. I have about 300 miles on it now. I balanced the throttles (geeee that was fun ) and they are al with in about .1 in/hg on the gauge. I also verified by checking the AFR's, both banks are with in .1 at idle.

I also set added another 2 degrees to the timing and that helped wake it up a bit too.

Another 600-700 miles or so and off for some more tuning!

Cheers

[Shawn 357]

I am glad to hear it's running well Jeff!

[shbop]

It's been a long time in the making. Glad to hear it's going well.

[johndglynn]

Jeff, are you going to be able to keep driving this beauty during the winter or does it have to come off the road? Are you going to do any video for us?

[Jeff Alton]

The car only has a storage permit on it now, so when the sun comes out, and I have a day off with free time, I put a road permit on it and drive it. I want to get 1000 or so miles on it and then go back to the dyno for the final tuning.

I am really impressed with the EFI so far. Even at 6 degrees celsius, it fires right up and is ready to go.

As for video, I will put my camera in the car and record some road footage but the thing has completely useless microphone.

I do plan to fully document the final tunning with text and pics (and hopefully video from freinds camera) and then get together with Grady to help me explain exactly what we did to tune it. Then I will summarize the things that worked, the things that did not, where I screwed up and what I would do differently next time.

Cheers

[Jeff Alton]

Well, after much delay, off to the dyno we went today!

Motor has about 700 miles on it. I do not have the printout yet as the computor/printer interface was buggered and the tourque feature on the dyno was not working either, but.........


After about 1.5 more hours of tuning it put down between 282-286HP (@7000rpm) at the wheels. I am pretty pleased. I know it is a dynojet and I am not making any power claims, just saying what it did today on this dyno.

Out on the street is really comes on the cam around 5000 and pulls like mad, the car is very quick.

But..................

At the dyno every once in a while when it was decelerating from 7000+rpm it would blow a little blue out the exhaust.......... Nothing under load and it did not happen every time....

I took her home and did a compression and leak down test and here are the results....

#1 177lbs and 2% leak past rings
#2 180lbs and 2% leak past rings
#3 180lbs and 2% leak past rings
#4 182lbs and 2% leak past rings
#5 182lbs and 4% leak past rings
#6 181lbs and 2% leak past rings


Not sure what to think about the blue. The motor still only has about 700 miles on it. Compression and leak down look good.

The plugs were all dark tan/brown with no oil on them at all.

Any thoughts?

Cheers

[JeremyD]

Very nice Jeff - I bet that car is alot of fun! Congrats!

[Jeff Alton]

Thanks Jeremy, it was actually a little anti climatic.... Just needs to have the paint done, which I will not be doing, and then she is done....

Already dreaming about a 3.7........... or low boost 3.5 turbo.......

What do you think about the blue smoke?



Oh well, I do have the prototype Hargett throttles here now. Next up is to fit them to the motor. I have to do a little fab work to hook up the fuel lines and linkage and then back to the dyno to see how they do!

For the record, since the original build I have ditched the B&B's and went to 1 5/8 headers with a M@K sport muffler. So, for those wondering, the M&K seems to make good power.


There was one flat spot around 5000-5200 that could not be felt on the road but showed on the dyno, strange because the AFR stayed constand right through it.......

I think I will set the redline at around 7400 as it peaked at 7000 and then leveled through 7200 or so before falling.

It was intersting to see that the power did not change noticably with the max timing at 26,27 or 28 degrees.......


Cheers

[JeremyD]

I wouldn't worry about the blue smoke - not with an engine with 700 miles - keep an eye on it for sure - but with your leak down and compression numbers - I wouldn't worry.

I here you on the 3.5 or 3.7 I'd love a 3.5 turbo - nice 450 hp - woo woo -

Go drive that car now!

[boba]

Good show Jeff.

Look forward to seeing the comparison.

[DW SD]

congrats! Jeff, would be real curious to look at the dyno curve. Do you have it in a form you can post? How does it compare to a curve from a non-ITB 3.4L?

Doug

[jpnovak]

That is a healthy motor. You are teetering on the edge of 100HP/l at the crank. Love it!

I am interested to hear about the Hargett ITBs. They are nice to look at.