Started by replacing the clamps on the coolant discharge line from the thermostat housing. I didn't like the mismatched clamps....prefer the look of standard hose clamps.
Connected a long hose to the heater core supply. This is a 3/4" ID line, that has to connect to a 1/2" OD line. I used a 3/4" line (should have used a 1" line ), connecting to brass reducer that I machined. This connects to a 1/2" line which then slips onto to the 1/2" pipe.
While I was lying under the car, I took a pic of the underneath....wanted to show that a 25 year old Canadian car doesn't have to be a rust bucket....
..EDIT....forgot to mention....fixed the pool pump today
[This message has been edited by Neils88 (edited 06-07-2014).]
Installed a VATS bypass. I'll be programming it out of the ECM, but plan to get the car started before I start getting into the tuning.
Also decided to take the tach out so I could do the modification....I figured it would just be a few screws to take it out. Feels like you are disassembling half the car to get it out!
There used to be an off the shelf 1/2" hose that had one end enlarged so it just slid over the heater hose outlet housing.
Thanks Fieroguru, I'll have to look for that one. This is one piece that I do plan on changing. I think it detracts from the appearance, so at some point I'll have to come up with a better solution.
Got some parts in today: starter motor, distributor cap and rotor. I'm using the starter motor off a 92 Allante. Just need to figure out what bolts it takes....
I also re-installed the gas tank with a new fuel pump. Now that the gas tank is in, I can also install the heat shield . Have to modify it slightly because of the location of the O2 sensor.
...also received my new EEPROM programmer. Starting to learn how to do the tuning.
Finally got around to installing the flywheel dirt shield. Had to do a little modification to make it fit...
While I was making the dirt shield I finally got the battery charged.
Big moment!!!!!
Cranked over the engine, but no luck in getting it started. I was hoping to be lucky enough that it would start first time, but no such luck.
Managed to get a bit of troubleshooting done:
-Cranks at a good speed -Great spark (ouch) -I confirmed my spark plugs were in the correct sequence. I am also confident that the timing is correct since no adjustments were made to the distributor since it was running. -Fuel pump comes on with key and excellent fuel pressure to fuel rail -12V to both injector banks
...sounds like it wanted to start a few times, but no luck. I'll have to do some more in depth troubleshooting to see where the problem is. For some reason, I don't think the injectors are firing. Have to figure out why they wouldn't be, since everything else seems in order.
Ok....10:30 at night....went out to the garage on a hunch that my VATS was running on the wrong frequency. For some reason I had it set at 30hz.....adjusted it to 50hz and.....wahoooooooo!!!!!! We have life!!!!!! Purrrrrrrrrrs like a kitten ok....a V8 kitten on steroids.....
(I'll check the frequency tomorrow....I may be backwards on which frequency I'm running on now....)
I'll record and post a video tomorrow.
Edit: Correct frequency is 50Hz
[This message has been edited by Neils88 (edited 06-21-2014).]
Here are videos of the first few starts. It starts a little rough, but starts to smooth out quite quickly. Still have a slight hesitation when I give it some gas. This was recorded on my phone, so the sound quality isn't the best, plus there is a noisy street behind me. There is a slight "parasitic" wind noise (whistle). Revving the engine brought some neighbours out
Didn't get a chance to drive the car on the street, but did notice that the transmission shifts into all the gears a lot smoother than it used to. I also did accelerate a little faster than expected up my short driveway ooops.
The engine seems to have cleared up it's hesitation issues. Still haven't added any injector cleaner, but I will just to be sure. Swapped the oil pressure switch to the proper 4 pin oil pressure sender. Gauge no longer pegged hard over, but now reads good oil pressure (it was actually reading around 275 kPa at idle...about 40 psi, and didn't seem to move too much at higher rpm). I also added a breather on the forward valve cover, just under the lid hinge. Added a tie wrap just in case the breather decides to take a walk into the belt below it.
Followed the procedure for modifying the speedometer outlined in Mickey_Moose's wiring thread ( https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/098096.html ). I'm using the 4000ppm signal from the ECM, which gets adjusted before the signal connects to the gauge. It's just a simple circuit using a couple of resistors and a capacitor. These can basically be put in line with some heat shrink over, so no board is required. I've finished the mod, but haven't had a chance to get it on the road to test it yet.
Next mod was the tachometer. As seen in the picture below, one trace is cut and a variable resistor is added. I followed directions from this thread: http://www.fieros.de/en/articles/tach.html According to this thread, since I had a 4cyl '88 with DIS, I needed a resistor value of 840K. I dialed it in and tested it. The tach immediately jumped up to 4000rpm at idle....hmmm perhaps a bit high I'd read another thread by someone who had done this exact mod, and they had used a value of 240K...when I dialed that in to try it, it showed an idle rpm of 900rpm. Sounds a little closer. Since it was annoying to remove the tach every time I wanted to tweak the resistor, I finally added a length of wire to the variable resistor which allowed me to position it behind the trunk release switch. This will allow me to do final adjustments later once I have a cable to the ECM data stream allowing me to read parameters in real time.
Now this leads me to the first big issue. The tach seems to work great....mostly. It has smooth operation up to around 2750 rpm...but at that speed it starts to bounce a bit and then rapidly drops as the engine revs up, dropping quickly to zero. It will jump back up and act normal again when the engine rpm drops below 2750 rpm. ...I'll have to think that one through. Any ideas?
I have also removed the memcal and put a socket on it. (I'll be switching to a ZIF shortly). I have checked each pin to ensure that it is correctly soldered, and there is no short between pins. Everything looks good. I then copied the code from the BWYN chip (this is the NS1 program, despite the AZXF code - NS3 program - being on the outside of the ECM). I then proceeded to burn this to a new 27ST512 chip. I did a verification of the code and it says it is correct. When I put the original BWYN chip into the socket, the car idles perfectly (600 rpm?). However, when I put the new chip into the socket, the car idles very roughly at what sounds like around 250-300 rpm (?). I don't have a cable yet, so I can't hook up and read any data as it runs. (I'll get one (or make one) sooner or later.) Not sure if I made a mistake in reading/burning the new chip? Corrupt code?
One last issue...the annoying car beeping sound (like the lights are on after ignition shut off, etc) stays on no matter what...should I just pull the little speaker out.
Regarding the tach... Since the 88 Duke is DIS, each plug fires twice per revolution. ("Wasted spark".) When I swapped a V6 tach into my 88 coupe, I expected it would read incorrectly, but it bounced around and did all sorts of "funny" things. I just ended up swapping the tach board.
Regarding the tach... Since the 88 Duke is DIS, each plug fires twice per revolution. ("Wasted spark".) When I swapped a V6 tach into my 88 coupe, I expected it would read incorrectly, but it bounced around and did all sorts of "funny" things. I just ended up swapping the tach board.
It fires once per revolution vs. once for every 2 revolutions.
I have a V6 tach on an 88 4cly and it works, but does read lower than it should (car came this way and I haven't changed it).
It fires once per revolution vs. once for every 2 revolutions.
I have a V6 tach on an 88 4cly and it works, but does read lower than it should (car came this way and I haven't changed it).
Thanks. It's been a while. I didn't really think through the math. Just remembered it was different from what one might expect..
But, based upon what you are seeing, I would think the 88 4 cyl tach would be very close to "correct" for the V8. Obviously there is something else going on, however...
Thanks. It's been a while. I didn't really think through the math. Just remembered it was different from what one might expect..
But, based upon what you are seeing, I would think the 88 4 cyl tach would be very close to "correct" for the V8. Obviously there is something else going on, however...
I made a mistake on my math...misread the thread. I'll need to go back and remove the variable resistor and jump the trace I cut. I need to know the exact original resistance. According to the thread, the variable resistor should be 1/4 the measured value since I'm going from an L4 with DIS to a V8. Still not sure about the bouncing above 2750 rpm.
On a bright note...the beeping seems to have resolved itself. Handbrake sensor issue.
I made a mistake on my math...misread the thread. I'll need to go back and remove the variable resistor and jump the trace I cut. I need to know the exact original resistance. According to the thread, the variable resistor should be 1/4 the measured value since I'm going from an L4 with DIS to a V8. Still not sure about the bouncing above 2750 rpm.
I've now got the tach tuned at idle, but it still drops to zero as I rev up the engine. Turns out that it drops off around 1800 rpm. I'm running the stock HEI coil. I cleaned all the connectors (including under the coil cap) and made sure everything was properly coated with dielectric grease. No change. My thoughts are that there is either still a bad ground somewhere, or, more likely, I need a low pass filter.
Today was the big day...finally got to drive the car. My son came with me for the test drive. His words when I hit second gear and floored it say it best "aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
As I left my driveway, I planned on taking it easy up the street (we were just heading to the gas station to put a little gas in it and do an initial check). I was barely out of first gear when someone came screaming up behind me...just a few feet off my bumper. Good judgment momentarily left me and I gunned it. Looking in the rearview mirror, it was like the other car had thrown it into reverse and was backing away while I accelerated I definitely approve of the acceleration
Ok...tried to cool it a bit during the rest of the test run. (mostly... )
Back to reality.
Temperature and pressure look good. Fan comes on at a good temp, and no overheating (so far). Still need to install a full intake system.
However, a number of issues presented themselves during the initial test run:
1. Tachometer still only works up to around 1800 rpm, then drops to zero 2. Speedometer doesn't work (not even a twitch) 3. Clutch pedal starting to feel spongy (probably time for new slave and master cylinders) 4. Car stalled at every light. If the car was still rolling, it would always start just by popping the clutch, then back to a normal idle.
Relatively minor issues to correct....I hope...
[This message has been edited by Neils88 (edited 06-29-2014).]
Followed the procedure for modifying the speedometer outlined in Mickey_Moose's wiring thread ( https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/098096.html ). I'm using the 4000ppm signal from the ECM, which gets adjusted before the signal connects to the gauge. It's just a simple circuit using a couple of resistors and a capacitor. These can basically be put in line with some heat shrink over, so no board is required. I've finished the mod, but haven't had a chance to get it on the road to test it yet.
I made a mistake here...since I'm running the Isuzu transmission, I don't need a conversion circuit. However, I did need to swap the inputs at B9 and B10 from the VSS (yellow VSS wire goes to the purple ECM wire and the purple VSS wire goes to the yellow ECM wire). The speedometer (yellow and purple wires on the C203) connects to the normal yellow and purple VSS sensor wires. Just tested the car and the speedometer works perfectly now. (Thanks Phonedawgz for the suggestion!)
You will probably find that it's cured the stalling problem too.
Good show!
That's what I am hoping for. .. but it'll be a while before I know. ... clutch hydraulics are leaking air into the system and I can't drive it right now. Have to order some new parts. Unfortunately nothing available locally. .. May take a week or so to get what I need. The bad part is that I can't find a leak. I may just change both the master and slave cylinders.
Use Rodney's master and slave for no issues results. Archie's website has the best bleeding procedure I have seen.
Pull your carpet back under the steering column and inspect for discoloration and/or wetness. A leaky master will show up there.....
You were right. I had checked there before and never saw anything. Once I started playing with the rubber boot, the fluid started to leak out. It's just a small leak...not enough to get to the carpet yet, but enough to introduce air into the system.
So my thoughts on the tach would be that the buffer circuit doesn't round the square wave enough. I would try a larger value of resistor between the tach output of the dist and a larger cap. If that makes things worse it might be that the cap is so big that it is shunting off the signal. If it does get worse then go the the other way with the values.
So my thoughts on the tach would be that the buffer circuit doesn't round the square wave enough. I would try a larger value of resistor between the tach output of the dist and a larger cap. If that makes things worse it might be that the cap is so big that it is shunting off the signal. If it does get worse then go the the other way with the values.
Slave and master cylinder are out now...so lots of time to work on the tach. I thought I didn't have a leak in the slave cylinder, but when I took it out, fluid poured out of the rubber boot. I took it apart, and sure enough, there was a small chunk of rubber missing from the piston seal. I'll be changing both the slave and master cylinders, just to be sure.
I've done some research on the tach issue. It seems like a common problem on HEI distributors. The solution was always a filter...but as you mention, the exact combination may be a little bit of trial and error. I've got lots of parts and, since I'm waiting for clutch parts, lots of time.
Just today I was sorting some other gremlins on my ghetto Series 1 3800SC swap. Similar ECM and similar socket on memcal mod. A weak ago it was in limp in mode. Reseated the SST27c256 and got all gears on the 4T60e including TCC lock up . But every now and then it would lope at idle right after I stopped rolling and sometimes stall. Found a very small crack in one of the solders. (I hate unleaded solder). The OE memcal socket from 1993 is not Rohs compliant(unleaded). Had to find some of my old solder and reflow. Idles sweet now. Still don't have the cruise, evap, and speedo stuff done yet. And I have a sticky no.2 solenoid in the EGR. So I get the pesky QDMA error and 54. Drove it about 36 miles, city/highway, used about 1 and 1/4 gallon . It didn't feel like it launched as well as I expected, until the wife(watching the scanner) said "you know you are doing 78". Felt like it took off like a 1993 Park Avenue Ultra, but with 30% more speed in the end. When I first were screwing with it you could really here the charger, but I piped it back into the stock air cleaner and unless you are listening for it you don'i hear it over the exhaust. I also combated the coolant bleed problem by using an Saturn Ecotec puke bottle and connected the air return where the bleeder is on the stock 3800 thermostat housing and "T"ed the bottom bottle hose to the rear heater hose. Fill radiator, close hood, fill bottle, start, fill bottle, close trunk. Temps 182-198. Hey after all of the 3800 pics I've seen here, pics would be redundent and boring.
[This message has been edited by cmechmann (edited 06-29-2014).]
There is a slight "parasitic" wind noise (whistle).
Mine had the same problem. And kinda still does. Did the valve cover breather fix the whistling? I had this constant noise at first when the engine heated up and turned out to be the engine pcv valve creating a negative pressure in the crankcase with out the breather on the other valve cover... which fixed the problem. But I still get an occasional high pitch short whistle when accelerating from time to time... kinda like a subaru turbo blowout valve pressure thingy noise.
Oh yeah... Sounds Amazing! Great work!
[This message has been edited by Reallybig (edited 07-02-2014).]
Mine had the same problem. And kinda still does. Did the valve cover breather fix the whistling? I had this constant noise at first when the engine heated up and turned out to be the engine pcv valve creating a negative pressure in the crankcase with out the breather on the other valve cover... which fixed the problem. But I still get an occasional high pitch short whistle when accelerating from time to time... kinda like a subaru turbo blowout valve pressure thingy noise.
Oh yeah... Sounds Amazing! Great work!
...actually I was referring to the noise of air going by the microphone on the camera. I don't recall any specific engine noise that stood out. Since my valve cover was open until I put the breather on (which I did asap), I wouldn't have had any negative pressure issues. I haven't heard any other high pitched noises, but I'll keep an eye out for them once I can get the car back on the road.
While waiting for the new clutch components, I cut an new stainless steel rod for the slave cylinder. The extra length makes up for the small "extension" piece that I was using. I rounded the ends off on my lathe as well.
I wanted the tach filter to look a little better. After building a prototype, I decided to build a small circuit board and then encased it in epoxy. The final product wasn't as smooth as I would have liked, but good enough.
I decided to move the MAP sensor from the stock location. The stock location is actually on the other side of the engine, but if you swap the valve covers, the sensor can be moved to the other side using the original bracket and valve cover mounting holes. It does fit well there, but given my planned intake system and overall vision for the final engine appearance, I wanted to move it down low where it is not so visible.
Original MAP sensor location (after valve covers are swapped):
I cut the top portion of the original MAP mounting bracket and welded it to the throttle cable support bracket. I was careful to ensure that the MAP sensor wouldn't interfere with the cruise control cable should I wish to install cruise later (I have everything I need, just haven't bothered yet). The wiring connector reached the new location easily without any modification. The vacuum line had to be cut, but it was already lined up so it was an easy modification.
), connecting to brass reducer that I machined. This connects to a 1/2" line which then slips onto to the 1/2" pipe.
Feels like you are disassembling half the car to get it out! 
ooops. 
(it was actually reading around 275 kPa at idle...about 40 psi, and didn't seem to move too much at higher rpm). I also added a breather on the forward valve cover, just under the lid hinge. Added a tie wrap just in case the breather decides to take a walk into the belt below it. 
)
