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Posted by: fiid Jan 3 2004, 12:59 AM

This evening I bolted the dummy transmission to the subaru motor.

Please excuse the mess in my garage.

Here is an aft view.


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Posted by: fiid Jan 3 2004, 01:00 AM

Side view.


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Posted by: fiid Jan 3 2004, 01:01 AM

Count the Cam Shafts!!!

(note the smaller alien on top :-) )

Posted by: fiid Jan 3 2004, 01:01 AM

Doh!


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Posted by: fiid Jan 3 2004, 01:02 AM

Now here's the problem. The starter motor relay solenoid thingo interferes with one of the turbos.......

Posted by: fiid Jan 3 2004, 01:03 AM

Doh again.


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Posted by: ChrisReale Jan 3 2004, 01:03 AM

Cool.. When am I coming over so we can stand around it and gape like landed fish?

Posted by: fiid Jan 3 2004, 01:05 AM

Anyone have a suggestion on how to get around the starter motor problem??

Watts has suggested that I can get the intercooler in by flipping the baby alien (intake runner thingo) around and mounting it at the front of the engine, so I'm not so worried about that.

l8r all,

Fiid.

Posted by: fiid Jan 3 2004, 01:06 AM

Anytime you like!. Dude - where did you get that tach? Is it a 4 banger tach?

Fiid.

Posted by: ChrisReale Jan 3 2004, 01:07 AM

930 tach, going to be a 4 banger with fuel gauge....

Posted by: Brad Roberts Jan 3 2004, 01:15 AM

Gear reduction starter (189.00) will clear fine.

Next problem.

Man.. that looks AWESOME.


B

Posted by: fiid Jan 3 2004, 01:18 AM

Where do I get one?

Doesn't it look great? My main worry was weather the turbos were going to clear the driveshafts, but we are clear. It's like the engine was designed for it. Oh wait... it was.

Posted by: Brad Roberts Jan 3 2004, 01:20 AM

The exhaust is going to be really easy and a COMPLETE sleeper..LOL

Pick up a copy of HotVw's and look in there for a gear reduction starter.


B

Posted by: BIGKAT_83 Jan 3 2004, 01:21 AM

The IMI HI TORQ starters can be indexed to different posistions




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Posted by: Brad Roberts Jan 3 2004, 01:24 AM

I lied. 159.00 Specify BUS tranny when calling.

888-997-9894 Kustom 1 Warehouse in Orange Ca. On Collins ave.

And the pic above my post is the EXACT starter Kustom has listed and a pic of.

The owner of IMI knows me well...

B

Posted by: fiid Jan 3 2004, 01:29 AM

Hmmm... apparently there is a chevy part that will fit....

http://www.pors-chev.com/pipermail/pors-chev/2003-November/002033.html

IMI101? Sound familiar - might be able to get one at the gotelli speed shop in South San Fran.

Posted by: fiid Jan 3 2004, 01:30 AM

Sometimes - I should just shut up.

Posted by: fiid Jan 3 2004, 01:31 AM

> If any of you are looking for a small body gear reduction
> > starter for your SBC they are as close as your local AutoZone! Ask for a
> > 1996 Camero 5.7 starter. They retail for $119. Worked perfect for me!

Posted by: Brad Roberts Jan 3 2004, 01:32 AM

I agree

B

Posted by: BIGKAT_83 Jan 3 2004, 01:35 AM

Brad what is the difference for the Bus transmission starter? Does it have a longer shaft ?

Bob

Posted by: Andyrew Jan 3 2004, 01:37 AM

Kewl!

What have you done for it to bolt to the trani?

Andrew

Posted by: Andyrew Jan 3 2004, 01:38 AM

Oh the starter, could you flip the starter? Would that work?

Andrew

Posted by: Brad Roberts Jan 3 2004, 01:39 AM

I just know the tranny depth is correct and that the bus runs a type4 flywheel.

All buses came with the same Bosch SR17X starter that the 914 came with.

B

Posted by: fiid Jan 3 2004, 01:44 AM

Nah - can't flip it. Then it hits the gearbox.

The tranny is mounted using a Kennedy Engineering adaptor plate, and flywheel.

I can't find the starter on Kustom 1's website - do I need to call for it???

Posted by: Andyrew Jan 3 2004, 01:49 AM

How much was the adapter plate? Or could you do a list of all the things you bought and pricing? (if you want to tell me that is..)

Thanks

Andrew

Posted by: Brad Roberts Jan 3 2004, 01:52 AM

Just call them Fiid (which is why it I took the time to look it up for you)


B

Posted by: TimT Jan 3 2004, 08:30 AM

Do any of these hi torque starters fit a 911? I need one but am not looking forward to buying a tilton

Posted by: nebreitling Jan 3 2004, 10:15 AM

fiid, that is simply too cool.

i want one

Posted by: rick 918-S Jan 3 2004, 10:33 AM

I read the text on the link to the pors-chev. does the 1996 chevrolet starter rotate the correct way? I know the VW Bus starter will work. I was just curious about the chevy one mentioned. The guy that posted the message stated it worked for him, but he didn't say what he installed it in. If it works the price is great and it's gear reduction. (add core charge)

BTW it probably won't clear your turbo, you'll still need the one from Kustom 1.

Posted by: soloracer Jan 3 2004, 10:47 AM

With the starter so close to a potentially red hot turbo is there a concern that it will get heat damaged? If so what can be done to protect the starter? Heat sheild? Wrap it in heat resistant cloth?

Posted by: Andyrew Jan 3 2004, 10:58 AM

Header wrap the starter?

Posted by: BIGKAT_83 Jan 3 2004, 11:08 AM

Don't think you will find any chevy starter to work on a 901/915/930 gearbox. The guy that posted about the chevy starter in the thread has a 944 V8 conversion which does take a chevy starter and flywheel, bellhousing.

Posted by: Travis Neff Jan 3 2004, 01:59 PM

I agree with the possilbe heat soak issue with the LH turbo.

Could you flip the direction of the exhaust headers - so the turbos are on te front? probably would be a mess with snaking the exhaust back around, but mabye not??

Or even flipping the drivers side only and have the exhaust then snake around the front (or below) the engine and down the passenger side - to then do a 2-1 off the passenger turbo?

The Air to water IC is good! looks like an early 90's legacy/liberty JDM engine? The Air to water I/Cs were also on the 2.2 turbo legacy for the US market 91-93?

Posted by: John2kx Jan 3 2004, 02:21 PM

Fiid,

I'll attach a few pics of a IMI starter mounted to my 901. Might be of some use in determining clearance.

Bob,
Are you limited to flipping only 180 degrees?


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Posted by: John2kx Jan 3 2004, 02:21 PM

addf


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Posted by: John2kx Jan 3 2004, 02:47 PM

I remembered having to change my starter out last year and found this pic. Starter on left is a 101 and the markings are clear. The one on right was the replacement sent to me after supplier thought maybe my compression was a little too high or with such a new motor, I needed more power. Can't make the numbers out on this one and I don't have the paperwork (sorry). I'm sure Brad can identify these.

BTW, the original starter was tested and found to be bad. It worked fine for about 4 months and then ended up not turning my motor after it got hot.

John


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Posted by: John2kx Jan 3 2004, 02:49 PM

Forgot to add the purpose of last pic. The unit on left has a smaller motor attached as compared to replacement.

Posted by: Brad Roberts Jan 3 2004, 05:52 PM

The IMI on the right appears to have 4 different "clocking" positions. You can see the different bolt holes for the motor on the face plate.

It will need a heat shield.. but I wouldnt be too concerned about this.

B

Posted by: fiid Jan 3 2004, 06:48 PM

So I can dial it around until the two bodies are vertical?? I think that would be the only way.

I'll call and order it Monday, unless they are open tomorrow.

Fiid.

Posted by: Brad Roberts Jan 3 2004, 06:55 PM

That is what I am gathering from the pic.


B

Posted by: SirAndy Jan 3 2004, 07:58 PM

the high-torque starter i had (and brad sold ) was smaller and had a different shape.

lighter -> smaller -> better

get one!
Andy

Posted by: Brad Roberts Jan 3 2004, 08:22 PM

But the solenoid was in the same place as stock and you couldnt change the clocking.

Most of the places stopped selling that starter.


B

Posted by: Brad Roberts Jan 3 2004, 08:24 PM

Oh.. and I would imagine you would have to modify the trunk floor. I know when we rais the engine and trans in a race car.. the stock starter solenoid will hit the trunk floor. Rotate this one up and I would imagine the same thing happening.


B

Posted by: John2kx Jan 3 2004, 08:39 PM

I was thinking the same thing Brad......about having to take a chunk out of the trunk floor after seeing all the stuff on top of his engine.

Just looking at the side pic of your engine (without a ruler) I'd guess a 2' x 2' opening will have to be made where my distributor opening is.

John


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Posted by: John2kx Jan 3 2004, 08:41 PM

Fiid,

This might shine a little more light on the subject.


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Posted by: Brad Roberts Jan 3 2004, 08:43 PM

We can actaully move his engine forward several inches if need be. RH moves them back.. no reason we cant go forward (I had planned to do this with another friend doing a Scuby conversion).


B

Posted by: John2kx Jan 4 2004, 06:46 AM

I didn't think about that B. Since my drivetrain is moved back 1-3/4" (with v8), you will be able to move forward ~ 3" from my location.

John

Posted by: Brad Roberts Jan 4 2004, 11:53 AM

I try not to think.. but sometimes it gets in my way and I have to do it...LOL

Lots of people love your car John. It really paints a nice picture for those thinking of doing a V8 conversion. It is so rare to see one done NICE.. easy on the eyes and a pleasure to look at all the pics.

Sooner or later we will have the gallery software up and running. I have failed to make it run on my W2K machine, but it should work just fine on the Linux box. Hang in there.

B

Posted by: redshift Jan 4 2004, 11:54 AM

I see John's car, and I stop wondering why everyone moved the hell out of my way when I went home for Christmas..



M
-Augusta Boy-

Posted by: fiid Jan 4 2004, 05:22 PM

Mo Engine Pics. Lat night I pulled the intake manifold off. Getting this thing going is going to be a bastard. There are an ungodly amount of tubes, sensors, etc.

This is the (air to air) intercooler.


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Posted by: fiid Jan 4 2004, 05:25 PM

Side shot of engine with intake on backwards (just looking for fit).


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Posted by: fiid Jan 4 2004, 05:25 PM

Aft shot of engine with intake on backards.


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Posted by: fiid Jan 4 2004, 05:26 PM

Front view of engine with alternator resting approx where it will be, and intake manifold backwards.


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Posted by: fiid Jan 4 2004, 05:28 PM

Close up of Kennedy Adaptor plate. At the top you can see the ports that supply water to the heater element in a subaru. I will probably just put a hose from one to the other. This water circuit also goes through the intake manifold and throttle body - presumably to warm the charge in the cold.


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Posted by: fiid Jan 4 2004, 05:32 PM

This is the oil filler neck and intake runners (1 & 2 cylinders). To the right, there is some interference between some fuel rail stuffage and the turbo. The bracket behind the filler neck has to be modified to clear the neck, and this holds up the water expansion tank.


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Posted by: fiid Jan 4 2004, 05:33 PM

The engine and tranny with no intake manifold.


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Posted by: fiid Jan 4 2004, 05:35 PM

Closeup of right side stage 2 turbo. The large air-bellows here are the sensor or control (not sure which) that allows exhaust to flow in to this turbo. Next to it is the wastegate controller for this turbo.

I am worried about this lot interfering with the body, since this is right next to the transmission/engine border.


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Posted by: fiid Jan 4 2004, 05:37 PM

MMMMMMMMM. Intake valves.

The line shown here is the oil supply to the Stage 1 turbo.

You can see my modified bracket at the bottom of the picture.


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Posted by: fiid Jan 4 2004, 05:38 PM

And here is a 4 legged alien.


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Posted by: fiid Jan 4 2004, 05:39 PM

Another fun thing about this engine. There are brown and black FI and spark ports on the harness - the brown ones go forward, just like the type IV.

Posted by: ChrisReale Jan 4 2004, 05:43 PM

Fiid, whats the HP and torque figures of this engine? Also, when is the estimated time of installation for this?

Posted by: fiid Jan 4 2004, 05:47 PM

~ 275 HP
~ 275 foot pounds

I will get it installed as soon as I can. I need to:-

1. Resolve the starter situation
2. Get some FI and spark working
3. Get some boost/staging control working
4. Fit the radiator and plumbing to the car. Locate and install fans, and fan controls.
5. Get a motor mount of some description.
6. Get it in.

I will probably have to tackle a tranmission rebuild as well.

Posted by: fiid Jan 4 2004, 05:48 PM

Oh yeah - I may be able to get more hp and torque since I don't have to deal with emmissions compliance.

BTW. The engine weights roughly the same as a stock type 4 - much less than a 6 cyl.

Fiid.

Posted by: Andyrew Jan 4 2004, 06:21 PM

So whats the hp your thinking? stock considering a little engine wear?

I really think that this is the engine conversion I want to do. Not trying to be a copycat
But I want something reliable (the T4 is not doing that for me), something light, and something with some bragging rights (T4 aint doing that for me, but 280hp? oh heck ya...)

Hey, doesnt the intercooler go on top of the engine? and then you need a radiator on top of that? ah phoey.. Hmm lets see.. Front trunk, radiator, spare tire, 2 bass tubes, amp.. no room for anything else

Do you have conversion cost?

Thanks

Andrew

Posted by: John2kx Jan 4 2004, 06:51 PM

Is it me, or can anyone else see the last batch of pics Fiid attached? I have space where pics would go but screen is blank below text.

John

Posted by: fiid Jan 4 2004, 06:58 PM

It ought to be a reliable engine, and ought to put out the stock HP. The engine comes out of a Legacy Wagon, so this will be light duty for it.

The intercooler will sit above where the cooling fan is on a stock 914. It does require a radiator to be put in the front.

I don't have a cost estimate yet. I'm in denial about how much the car costs me, so I'm reluctant to work this out at this stage - I'm just working through it as I can afford bits. I'll add it up at the end - in ain't cheap though. Having said that - the actual engine conversion has not cost me all that much - most of my money to date has gone on suspension upgrades.

23mm Front Torsion Bars
Koni Sports all around
Weltmeister front Sway Bar
New 19mm Master Cylinder
Adjustable rear perches and 175 pound springs
Mueller's roller bearings all around.

I also need to go 5 lug and get some decent brakes on the thing - my brakes just don't bite. They will lock up the wheels, but they don't feel like modern brakes do. I plan to get either M or S calipers up front. Not sure about the rear - might stay stock or try and get something vented.

Posted by: Gint Jan 4 2004, 07:16 PM

Must be you. I can see 'em. They're .jpgs

Posted by: Andyrew Jan 4 2004, 07:23 PM

Cool already did all that

I agree with you on the brakes, the stock system just doesnt deliver.. My brakes seem to be squishy.. I think I need to rebleed them, and get new pads (atleast rear) but they do lock up the tires. I have 911 A calipers, with new pads, and stock rear calipers with vented rotors all the way around, once I get good pads on all corners they should be balanced, and I have the "T" thingy instead of a proportioning valve.

Ya, suspension is expensive.. Hmm dady's saying v6 twin turbo is bad for insurance... ah phoey... But its stock!

Andrew

Posted by: nebreitling Jan 4 2004, 07:23 PM

fiid,

will you marry me?






i want your car.

Posted by: fiid Jan 4 2004, 07:32 PM

Clearly you haven't seen it :-)


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Posted by: fiid Jan 4 2004, 07:33 PM

Errr - Insurance? My insurance company doesn't want to know what engine is in the car ??????????? I asked if they wanted to know, and they said they didn't.

Posted by: Andyrew Jan 4 2004, 07:39 PM

Well your not 17

Andrew

Posted by: ChrisReale Jan 4 2004, 07:48 PM

Fiid, how much boost are you looking for? Maybe you should try a 930 tach..??

also, rumor has it there is a vented rotor coming out that will allow us to use our 4 lug wheels with 911 brakes

Posted by: Brad Roberts Jan 5 2004, 02:12 AM

Ha ha Fiid.. learn to WAX the paint on the doors BEFORE you apply the NUMBERS..LOL LOL ROOKIE !!!!


B

Posted by: Brad Roberts Jan 5 2004, 02:15 AM

Cool. Coil on plug. Cool.. it looks identical to a Boxster engine minus two cylinders.


B

Posted by: fiid Jan 5 2004, 03:28 AM

Brad. I like you and all, but

I never said I wasn't a rookie.


Tell it to the PCA. Seriously though, thats cool. I've never seen a boxster engine out of it's vehicle - Are they also quad overhead cam?

I believe the motor runs with around 17 lbs of boost. It redlines at 7.

Posted by: Joe.D Jan 5 2004, 07:54 AM

At the risk of saying "Me Too, too!"

This is an engine swap I'd can see in my future too. But I'd probably do without the turbos. I have the engine already - its in my daily driver 99 legacy GT ... for now. The Sub 2.5 flat four is a nice engine, and seems like a natural choice to make a reliable daily driver teener with lots of HEAT (needed 'round heah to extend the roof-off driving season well into the early spring and late fall).

I know Kennedy makes the adaptor plate. Is there a ready-made motor mount bar available, or is custom fabrication the only way to do it right now?

Joe

Posted by: Dave Avery Jan 5 2004, 09:16 AM

Cool Project Fiid!

I was contemplating something like this as an upgrade from the TIV in my 550 spyder as well, though I'd use a cheaper JDM motor. If you find yourself out in your garage with a measuring tape in hand, could you measure from the trans bell housing to the farthest forward portion of the engine, as well as the centerline of the crank to the top of the four legged alien?

With a 550, there is limited space for this type of thing, but it has been done.

Thanks,
DMA

Posted by: RON S. Jan 5 2004, 09:34 AM

Fiid,
Your project is so cool.I surtainly share your frustrations.We take the problems one at a time,and solve them one at a time.
I appreciate the info from Brad on the starter source.Thats what makes this board great.
I just hope that same starter will work w/my 915 box on my project.
Keep us posted,great pics.
Ron

Posted by: fiid Jan 5 2004, 12:46 PM

Any of the the EJ20, 22 or 25 engines ought to work okay, and they are available in a number of different trims. The 230HP single turbo version of this engine costs about half what I paid, and ought to be a lot simpler to get going (remind me again why I didn't get that one??). The 2 litre atmo engine is also available and puts out good power. The 2.5 ought to put out about 180 or so without the cats etc, and the

My "sensible" car is an Impreza 2.5RS, and I have been very impressed with the 2.5 engine. Get a K&N on it and a big intake, and it's a blast!

There is currently no solution for the motor mount bar. I may try and design a bar and produce a few of them, if there is enough interest.

I will try and get those measurements out, once I get home and start working on it - might be tomorrow.

Thanks for all the enthusiasm and support - it means a lot.


Fiid.

Posted by: fiid Jan 5 2004, 01:16 PM

The numbers thing didn't bother me that much since I needed a paint job anyway (although it was kinda stupid.).


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Posted by: fiid Jan 5 2004, 01:17 PM

Here is my car at Laguna Seca with the dreaded numbers.


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Posted by: fiid Jan 5 2004, 02:06 PM

The IMI-101 is on it's way.

Brad saves the day AGAIN! Thanks dude. You get the trophy.




Heres a question for the group. Is there a difference between the 4 spring and the 6 spring clutch disk? Which do I want? Why?

Posted by: Mueller Jan 5 2004, 02:16 PM

Hey Fiid,

thanks for posting pics of your car........everytime I think I need a new paint job I'll look at your car and feel better...

For the motor mount: bulkhead style or something similar to the factory /4 unit?

Posted by: Tony Jan 5 2004, 02:52 PM

Hi

If you still having a problem the intercooler, there is a upgade for WRX's where you move the intercooler to front.
This may help you to move it to a different location to fit your needs.

Posted by: fiid Jan 5 2004, 04:07 PM

I was thinking about doing a mount bar. There isn't much to mount to at the front of the engine and the stock subary mounts are towards the back of the thing. Not sure how it's going to work out, given the exhaust situation. We'll see.... :-) I'd like to get this towards being a fairly easy conversion - it ought to make a wicked car.

There is no problem with the intercooler - that can be resolved by flipping the "alien" around so it hangs over the front instead of the back of the engine. The only downside of this is trying to get the alternator underneith it. I'll have a go at getting this stuff to fit later on, and let y'all know how it goes.

Posted by: Brad Roberts Jan 6 2004, 12:12 AM

The 6 spring disc is a early 911S based 901 disc. The 4 spring is the stock 914 901 disc.

I NEVER install the 4 spring. They are weak and have a sluggish engagment designed for a VW Bus.

People ask why the clutch prices are higher than others: "um.. because we have a clue and know that the 4 spring disc breaks pretty easy"...LOL


B

Posted by: Brad Roberts Jan 6 2004, 12:13 AM

I dont want the trophy Fiid.. just your business.


B

Posted by: Andyrew Jan 6 2004, 01:10 AM

Hey fiid, we talking flares on this car? or what? what size tires? Any plans on this? Just curious, cus if you run stock tires with 280hp.. well, lets just say that im thinkin 9" rear flares would do good... 315's sound very tempting! (hehehe) If I had the money..

Andrew

Posted by: fiid Jan 7 2004, 03:04 PM

Latest news.....(JON WATTS - you need to know this!)

I have been doing some work to try and figure out the best way of plumbing the engine in.

Turns out that we can't have a big exhaust on the primary turbo. The original application had a restrictive cat on the primary turbo downpipe, and taking that out causes that turbo to over-spin and destroy itself. I think we may need to put quite a small down-pipe on it to similate that.

I just joined the "legacyb4" yahoo group. I'll let y'all know what else I learn!

Posted by: echocanyons Jan 7 2004, 03:12 PM

does it not have a waste gate?

I thought that was the purpose of that?

maybe an aftermarket one?

Posted by: echocanyons Jan 7 2004, 03:23 PM

O maybe i am thinking of a blow off valve i think the waste gate is after the turbo on the manifold and blows off manifold pressure.

I dunno

Posted by: fiid Jan 7 2004, 03:43 PM

The primary turbo is VERY small and has an agressive impeller on it. Apparently it spools up almost immediately and provides a lot of power from very low in the rev range. The problem is further up, where it cannot maintain pressure for the engine and the secondary has not kicked in yet. AT this time, the wastegate will be closed, and the turbo won't be able to blow enough air through to keep the intake pressure up. Thisis where I think the danger zone is.

Also - at higher rpms, I think it is necessary to have restriction on the primary turbo to keep it running slower than the secondary - which has different impellers, and ought to be producing more air.

Fiid.

Posted by: soloracer Jan 7 2004, 06:16 PM

Fiid: Are you going to run the turbos in their stock sequential arrangement or go parallel? I know from my RX7 friends experience that running the stock twins on an RX7 in parallel results in more power. Because of the complexity of the switching mechanism (massive amounts of vacuum lines) people either ditch the stock twins and run a large single or disable the switching mechanism to run parallel. Then again I know that on the rotary the engine exhausts to one side only (single exhaust) so maybe this configuration more readily lends itself to a parallel system than a true dual exhaust would.

Posted by: fiid Jan 7 2004, 07:48 PM

I'm going to try and get it going in the stock-ish trim first.

I have heard of bi-turbo (they both kick in at the same time) and single turbo version of this engine (I think single turbo with equal length headers may be the way to go). I have done a lot of reading today and found out that people are able to get 400-450 HP out of this engine.

The first problem is the EFI and Spark control through. I have learned that the stock system uses a MAF sensor, which I don't have, so I'm thinking more about sticking a 36 tooth trigger wheel on it and running Megasquirt and MegaJoltLiteJr. Since I know how to wire this up (and what all the connections do :-) ) this seems like an easier path. The only downside is that I will have to tune the bastard, but I think I'm going to have to do that anyway.

l8r,

Fiid.

Posted by: fiid Jan 7 2004, 07:53 PM

The wastegate is often part of the turbo and bypasses the exhaust impeller if there is enough pressure being produced - this is what the boost controller uses to stop the turbo producing more and more boost.

A blow-off valve sits in the compressed air side of the turbo. Basically - if you are at high RPM, high load (and consequently high boost), the turbo is spooled up and pumping a lot of air. If you suddenly let go of the gas, the throttle body closes, and you get a big pressure spike. Suddenly, the turbo is fighting that pressure, and theres nowhere for the air to go, so the blow-off valve is supposed to open here and let that pressure off, so the turbo can spool down safely. Backfires can also cause problems for turbos.

There is a different config that is sometimes used, that feeds comressed air back into the suck side of the turbo, so that the turbo can remain spooled up, so that when you are in your next gear, and gunning for it again, you don't have to endure so much turbo lag.

Terbos is fun, my precioussssss

Posted by: jonwatts Jan 8 2004, 01:02 AM

Hmm, I hadn't considered "designed-in" backpressure.

I think getting this engine to run as it was designed from Subaru would be as hard as totally re-engineering the turbo setup.

Pick your poison.

Posted by: ! Jan 8 2004, 01:04 AM

That's where ya get that Chuf, chuf, chuf sound on decel.....fast and the furious sound effects....

Posted by: DNHunt Jan 8 2004, 08:21 AM

Fiid

MegaSquirt can certainly handle the fuel side of the engine. I'm not sure about the ignition side of it. The problem is driving all the coils. Currently, it is working with 1 coil driver and 1 coil with sparkplug wires or, with the Ford EDIS system which is wasted spark and uses coil packs and sparkplug wires. To run the coil on plug systems you will need 4 coil drivers and a cam sensor to determine which cylinder is to fire. Unless you can figure out how to tap the stock ignition system prior to the cam position sensor you will probably have to give up the coil on plug system. That's way more than I'm capable of.

I've been trying to figure a way to put COP on my car but I can"t get past the cam timing issue. I've got 8 Ford coils from a Crown Vic siting on my bench and they'll probably sit there for a while until someone with some intelligence figures out how to use Mega------- to run COP.

Dave

Posted by: eresener Jan 8 2004, 09:11 AM

I have been watching this thread for a while...and am interested in this motor...do all legacy wagons come w/this turbo motor?

Posted by: soloracer Jan 8 2004, 09:35 AM

I am considering a variation on this engine - probably from a single turbo WRX. I have a Haltech E6K which will have no problem running the engine - I have even downloaded a WRX base map for it. Talking with guys over at NASIOC forums they recommend either the 2.0 or 2.2 turbo engines.

Posted by: fiid Jan 8 2004, 02:43 PM

I am leaning more and more towards abandoning Coil-On-Plug and doing the EDIS thing. There is a clear path to getting that to actually work, which is very entising. I did wonder if you could put the two coil on plug coils in parallel and run them wasted spark - is that possible? Or unwise?

The Tomtek controller claims to do coil on plug, but it's not very developed yet. That is another possibility. If i get boards made - is there any other interest in messing with that?

EDIS is looking pretty nice right about now.

Fiid.

Posted by: jkeyzer Jan 8 2004, 02:58 PM

What not just get the MAF sensor you need and run it in stock configuration at least until you make sure everything works?

If it has coil on plug stock then it should have all the sensors it needs to make coil on plug work with aftermarket parts too. (?)

Posted by: fiid Jan 8 2004, 03:22 PM

Firstly, I don't know which MAF sensor. I could track one down, but this vehicle is rather obscure, so it may be easy or tricky. I have a feeling I need a specific type which may not be available in the US, since there have only been a few Subaru Turbos here to date, and Subaru switched from MAF to MAP before the new ones came out.

Next up, I have the ECU. I have the gred box with about 80 wires hanging out of it. Most of therm are different colors. They are different thicknesses. Some of them are bundled in groups of 3 or so. Others are not. I do actually have a wiring diagram now. It is 66 pages.

The wiring diagram makes this possible, instead of impossible. Having said that, wiring up a tomtek or a megasquirt is a breeze, plus you can dial it into a PC to figure out what the problems are. None of these things are possible with the stock system., Plus I will have different exhausts/intakes, etc, which might freak out the stock computer.

The Haltech is attractive, but not cheap by any means. Not sure if I want to go that way or not yet.

Fiid.

Posted by: dan10101 Jan 8 2004, 08:19 PM

Fid,
I would lean towards getting the stock configuration running as it came from the factory. Leave the cat in place to restrict flow to the turbo. Keep the stock computers for fuel and spark. You know it will work and get you the 275 you expect. Rengineering so many aspects at a time will be tough to tune. MAFs aren't all that special. Talk to your scooby friends and see what they suggest.

You're right about the wastegate and BOV BTW. But, you knew that...

Posted by: jkeyzer Jan 8 2004, 08:49 PM

Why is it so hard for people to remove wiring harnesses correctly? That sucks. I feel your pain. It is a shame because stock ECU would be pretty much plug and play.

A friend of mine bought a whole 93 Firebird because he wanted the LT1 AND the computer AND the wiring harness, and it was easier to take them off himself than deal with whoever chopped up the wiring on most of the used engines around.

Posted by: dan10101 Jan 8 2004, 09:15 PM

"I have the gred box with about 80 wires hanging out of it. Most of therm are different colors..."

Ooops I missed that part.
Nevermind... (in a high annoying voice.)

Dan

Posted by: fiid Jan 8 2004, 11:42 PM

I actually don't have the cats - or even the flanges for the turbos.

Here is the engine computer as I have it. The wiring harness for the engine looks about the same (i.e - chopped before the plug).


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Posted by: fiid Jan 9 2004, 03:58 PM

The IMI starter arrived today. It works nicely, and fits in the gap next to the turbo.

Good call Brad!

I am looking at an engine computer called "tomtek" that will handle coil on plug ignition and is also capable of driving stepper motor idle controls (like the subaru has). It will work in conjuction with the megasquirt. The megasquirt also has some auxialliary outputs (like the idle solenoid) that I will be able to use for boost control and turbo sequencing.


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Posted by: Brad Roberts Jan 15 2004, 05:29 PM

You might say I know my ass from a whole in the ground... just suck at shipping.



B

Posted by: d914 Jan 31 2004, 07:44 PM

For a nasty street car this is appealing with the single turbo 2.0 liter...
Has any one looked to see how hard using their transmission would be and or if it measures up. Just saw a sportsracer(sakermotorsports.com) using a wrx motor amidships.

Posted by: fiid Jan 31 2004, 08:25 PM

This will be a nastry street car too :-).

Today's winnings from Pic-N-Pull include 2 Ford EDIS Modules, a coilpack, and a harmonic balancer with a 36-1 trigger wheel :-).

This should take car of the ignition side of it.

I have ordered another megasquirt to go with it, so I will be doing the Megasquirt-n-Edis project shortly.

More details to follow.

Fiid.

Posted by: d914 Jan 31 2004, 08:59 PM

I'm sure it is but I was going for a "simpiler" conversion for the more handicaped fabricators among us, ME.

The single turbo with its wire harness and computer or aftermarket computers , the exhaust doesnt look too bad , water cooled been done, adapter plate been done,
torque doesnt look too bad for the 901, heating and air does'nt even look too bad and the engine and or entire drivetrain looks very reasonable.....Back to the original question, Has anyone looked at the subaru tranny as a fit??? Custom mounts and axles .??? I saw a midengine subaru race car and the layout is very simular to our cars. Advantages to a modern gear box. The whole thing can be purchased for $4k..

My goal is the daily driver with 225 plus with heat/air and could drive anywere...

Posted by: fiid May 29 2004, 07:34 PM

Pulled the 1.7 engine out today.....


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Posted by: fiid May 29 2004, 07:34 PM

foom


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Posted by: fiid May 29 2004, 07:35 PM

car ass


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Posted by: fiid May 29 2004, 07:36 PM

jackin off


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Posted by: fiid May 29 2004, 07:37 PM

wonder who "chris k" is?


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Posted by: fiid May 29 2004, 07:38 PM

engine removal is a surgical process....


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Posted by: fiid May 29 2004, 07:39 PM

it's a girl!


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Posted by: URY914 May 29 2004, 07:40 PM

I like the pallet on casters.
Good idea,

Paul

Posted by: fiid May 29 2004, 07:49 PM

So - uh- anyone want a 1.7? Make me an offer. Check the stats....

Euro P&Cs (pretty sure - compression is too high for the 72hp motor. Compression is down on one cylinder - not sure why.
Melling high volume oil pump
Lightened flywheel
Tunacan deep sump
High pressure oil piston thing-os installed.
Pertonix electronic ignition
Bosch blue coil.
Starter motor (no tranny - keeping that)
Optional Megasquirt FI. If you want the MS - supply me with a wiring harness and you can take the on on the engine - I need the relay board plugs for my project.
D-jet Brain (optional)
injectors, runners, potentiometer throttle sensor for smart FI (not D-jet)
heat exchangers aren't worth much.

All the fancy stuff is not more than 2 years old and has not done a lot of miles, although some of those miles have been track and AX time.

If you want to exchange stuff - I need:
5 lug conversion - (I want A-calipers for the front)
5 lug wheels (theres a set of 4 lug Mahles here for exchange or someone to buy).


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Posted by: fiid May 29 2004, 07:52 PM

I scored the pallets from work - they orignally had IBM AIX servers on them! lol.

They are very stable and will hold the car up if you want to punish them. I found that out by accident :-)

Posted by: URY914 May 29 2004, 07:53 PM

Would you sell the flywheel seperate???

Paul

Posted by: fiid May 29 2004, 07:58 PM

If you can hang on a couple of weeks - I would rather shift the whole blob in one go - but if theres no interest in that I will happily part it out.

Posted by: URY914 May 29 2004, 08:10 PM

No hurry on my part. I'm in the collecting parts phase of my rebuild.

Let me know.

Paul

Posted by: fiid May 30 2004, 01:30 PM

Two flat fours and a microphone.


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Posted by: fiid May 30 2004, 01:43 PM

I did a bunch more work on the wiring last night.

The Megasquirt now has inputs and control for:
* Spark
* Crank position (via EDIS) and Tach (consequently)
* Injectors
* Throttle position
* Coolant Temperature

This means it's seriously close to being runnable :-)

I have a workable strategy for building a pretty sophisticated boost controller - more on that later!

If anyone is interested in getting crankfire (EDIS) going with a T-IV motor - I have a set of plug wires that would probably work for it... I had to by two sets of Ford Escort plug wires so that I would have 4 long wires, so I have a set of shorter ones that would likely be more suited to a T-IV application.


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Posted by: Andyrew May 30 2004, 01:52 PM

Wowza! Getting some work done man!

Be glad to see some detailed info on how your doing all the time consuming work and electrical.

Keep it going!

Andrew

Posted by: fiid Jun 20 2004, 05:04 AM

I test drove a Subaru Legacy GT today (2.5 turbo) - which supposedly puts out slightly less than the engine going in my 914. That thing is a work of art. I managed to get to 80mph by mistake on quite a few backroads around South San Francisco. This thing is going to be a scream.

The latest update on the car is that I have just about finished cutting up the front trunk for the radiator addition.

More pics soon.

Posted by: rick 918-S Jun 20 2004, 08:59 AM

fiid, Nice meeting you at the WCC. Nice project. Keep posting progress pics. It will keep you going.

Posted by: Andyrew Jun 20 2004, 11:17 AM

Fiid, Post detailed pics of your radiator install, step by step.

but wait... Dont you need to get the car painted first??

Andrew

Posted by: fiid Sep 16 2004, 11:57 PM

I put the engine under the car today. Seems to fit like a glove - although I have kissed goodbye to the idea of getting very much stuff in my rear trunk.


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Posted by: fiid Sep 16 2004, 11:57 PM

From the top


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Posted by: fiid Sep 16 2004, 11:59 PM

Heres the front trunk. I am aiming to mount the radiator about where it is. The radiator is from a 1991 VW Golf (IIRC).


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Posted by: fiid Sep 17 2004, 12:00 AM

Yummy 911 front struts with 5 lug hubs and A calipers. In the background you can see my new toolchest (home despot special... they sold it to me for a discount because the keys were missing. I found the keys at the checkout, zip-tied to the handle with a security tag )


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Posted by: fiid Sep 17 2004, 12:03 AM

I am in the middle of rebuilding my transmission. This has gotten new synchros on 1, 2, and 3, and new dog teeth on 1 and 2. I think the sliders are okay. I don't really want to spend too much cash on this right now until I figure out weather I need a 915 (argh - wallet pain).


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Posted by: fiid Sep 17 2004, 12:04 AM

Anyone want the (s)lowly 1.7?? I also have a lightened flywheel and pressure plate for sale, as well as a set of 5 Mahles...?


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Posted by: Andyrew Sep 17 2004, 12:10 AM

Alright! Back on task!!!!

I really wanted you to drive yours before me...

Lot of that work looks familiar..

unfortunately....

lol

Posted by: fiid Sep 19 2004, 04:25 PM

Made the motor mount bar today.

There are issues with the plates that the bar bolts up to - they arenb't strong enough to hold this thing at the right angle - so the next job is to re-enforce those.


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Posted by: airsix Sep 19 2004, 05:43 PM

Hey Fiid, this is coming along! I'm really excited to see this on the road. Looking at your picture of rear trunk and engine compartment I got to thinking - have you considered moving the whole drivetrain forward a few inches? It looks like you've got lots of room in front of the engine. I know the SBC conversions typically move the engine/tranny BACK a few inches. You could use the same offset tranny-mount idea to move it all THE RIGHT DIRECTION. This is going to be SO sweet when you're done. Keep at it, you're getting closer all the time!

-Ben M.

Posted by: soloracer Oct 7 2004, 08:42 AM

Update??? How are things coming along?

Posted by: fiid Oct 7 2004, 09:36 AM

Hey! People bumped my thread!!!

Well- the Transmission is back together, and DOESN'T SEEM TO BE LEAKING!!!! I'm excited to be able to shift to 2nd and not grind gears.

I agree with moving the whole drivetrain forward. I might do that in a future upgrade - but for now - I'm trying to keep the stock tail transmission mounts.

There is a problem with the current motor mount setup. Basically - the mounts for the Subaru engine are at the back of the motor, which means that the weight of the engine has a mechanical advantage on the ends of the motor mount bar (and the bolts which hold it up.).

Posted by: fiid Oct 7 2004, 09:38 AM

See image


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Posted by: fiid Oct 7 2004, 09:42 AM

as a result - the engine will bounce in it's mountings. BAD!

So - since I needed to add some rear strut tower reinforcement anyway - I am adding a couple of droplinks from the doubled up strut reinforcement bar down to the motor mount bar - which should take care of this problem once and for all.

I fabricated everything this past weekend and hope to get it into the car this coming weekend. Pictures will be coming then.

My five lug suspension is also mounted up on the front now! Now all I need are some lug nuts :-)

I also spent a bunch of time cleaning up my workshop and trying to get rid of some stuff (BRAD- where are you?).

Posted by: andys Oct 7 2004, 10:13 AM

From a very loosely based observation , it would seem that a cradle would solve your problems.

Andy

Posted by: Root_Werks Oct 7 2004, 10:30 AM

Something similar to what the 356 uses. Heck, even grab the "U" hanger from one and start there? <_<

Posted by: fiid Oct 7 2004, 10:55 AM

Do you have a picture? I'm not unhappy with what I've fabricated to solve the problem - but it's always possible there's another angle I haven't thought of.

Fiid.

Posted by: fiid Jan 30 2005, 08:30 PM

Yay! Got a bit more work done on the car today.

* Cleaned the garage a bit
* Removed the engine & tranny
* Pulled off Brad's dummy tranny
* Put in the Sachs Stage II Pressure plate and clutch disk
* Bolted and torqued the freshened tranny to the engine

Next up I have to clean out the engine bay, clean up some welds and do some painting. I'm thinking that just for simplicity I may bruch paint in there just so I don't have to figure out the spray gun in a confined space.

Posted by: rick 918-S Jan 30 2005, 11:11 PM

Are you going for WCC "05"?

Posted by: scott thacher Jan 30 2005, 11:57 PM

fiid are we racing to see who gets their suby running first.

i am aiming for next week end about 2 weeks, the radiator will be in on tues ( i hope ) then its on to electric. i was wondering how you are dealing with the shift bar, mine i think is going to have to curve slightly around the oil pan, or i might put a long dent in the side of the oil pan. but either way it will work.

what did you do for the engine bar would you like a drawing with my numbers.


basicly what i have left is:

make the radiator support frame ( 1 hour ) weld it to the car ( 1 hour ) build the shouding for the radiator ( 1 hour ) come up with the scoop for underneith ( 1 hour thought 1 to 2 hours making ). then make the harness pretty and finish the harness hook ups ( 4 to 8 hours ). a little welding to mount the body engine mounts ( 1 hour but my gas rig wont do it its not big enough ). make the support for the one side of the alt. ( 1 to 2 hours ) fill tranny with fluid ( 1/2 hour ). drive car with no tail pipe to exhaust shop ( 3 hours not the drive total )

finally figure out all lose ends and trouble codes on the obd2 computer time unknown but should not be long

Posted by: fiid May 18 2005, 11:54 PM

I've been doing a little work to ready the engine to go in the car. Made this bracket for the coilpack.


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Posted by: fiid May 18 2005, 11:55 PM

Here it is - complete with EDIS coilpack.


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Posted by: fiid May 18 2005, 11:58 PM

Here is a shot of the front of the engine. Here you can see the belt required to run the alternator w/o the power steering pump. You can also see Muellers awesome EDIS wheel adaptor (super-THANKS!), and the bracked I made for the VR sensor (which needs a little adjustment). I also figured out I could fit a 914 oil pressure & idiot light sender (dangling to the left). The splice is where a TypeIVTurbo project almost happened.




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Posted by: fiid May 18 2005, 11:59 PM

Here is a new bracket I made for the throttle cable. I think a stock 914 throttle cable should work now :-)




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Posted by: fiid May 19 2005, 12:01 AM

I deduced a way of mounting the Megasquirt using the EDIS bracket :-). You can also see the nice new Walberg 255LPH fuel pump under the battery.






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Posted by: fiid May 19 2005, 12:03 AM

Here is a pic of my radiator install. I still need to make some more shrouds and get some fans.



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Posted by: fiid May 19 2005, 12:05 AM

Here are my water lines. For simplicity's sake I used 1.25 inch pipe in both directions, since that fits directly on the radiator.




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Posted by: fiid May 19 2005, 12:06 AM

I made a fiberglass shroud for underneith the radiator as an experiment. I may keep this or try and make it a little better. I used mesh to form the shape.




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Posted by: fiid May 19 2005, 12:09 AM

I bought these fantastic cookie cutters from SynthesisDV- they arrived today. I am very happy! Uh - interesting choice of packaging materials though


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Posted by: fiid May 19 2005, 12:10 AM

Mister Tire of very large Rack sent me 4 Kuhmo Ecstas today as well


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Posted by: fiid May 19 2005, 12:11 AM

There was some interest around engine mounts. You can see the two uprights in the following pic.


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Posted by: fiid May 19 2005, 12:12 AM

The two uprights bolt to the following bar in the trunk:



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Posted by: fiid May 19 2005, 12:14 AM

And I'm Spent.

The 914Club sticker fell off, btw - need to get some more since I gave all mine away to the $(*#&*$&( - uh - other 914 owners in my neighborhood who never showed up here.

Posted by: ChrisReale May 19 2005, 01:29 AM

Fiid, we still havent hooked up tp wrench. PM me or somthin'....I have a few extra stickers too

Posted by: 14Maschine May 19 2005, 07:29 PM

I just had to show my support. Looks like a sweet build. I want to do the same myself. I think I will start with the base EJ20. Do you know how much the mounting location varies from motor too motor, speceficly EJ22, 25, ER27 EA82?

Posted by: scott thacher May 19 2005, 07:42 PM

all of the newer motors have the same mounting points ie anything from 96 and up but the you get to deal with odb2. but it is not that bad to do obd2 you just want to fake a few signals with resistors. as for engine mounts stay away from any mount that uses the stock 914 mounting locations they are 14 inches forward of the motor's mounts.

Posted by: 14Maschine May 19 2005, 11:27 PM

I think Eric used stock mounting locations with his ER27

Posted by: scott thacher May 19 2005, 11:40 PM

the 2.7 liter uses the old locations they are a bit further forward

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?act=ST&f=2&t=24143&hl=engine+bar this thread has pics of my engine bar set up, many people at the wcc saw how solid it is

Posted by: fiid Oct 16 2005, 10:00 AM

This is a 3" (rice) stainless turbo downpipe from a WRX. It's a little too long for use on a 914 (no space for a muffler) but provides the right flanges and stuff. I will use it as a base to fab up my exhaust system. I need to get an appropriate muffler for this (I'm trying not to get that rice "farting in a large steel chamber" sound - I would like it to just be fairly quiet - except at WOT).



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Posted by: fiid Oct 16 2005, 10:01 AM

This is the other end of the downpipe. The "bellmouth" interface to the turbo seems to be fairly well constructed - I think it will create good "turbulent flow" in the pipe.


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Posted by: fiid Oct 16 2005, 10:04 AM

This is how you do turbo plumbing with DWV pipe from the despot. This is designed to get me to the point where the car is drivable, then I will get it replaced with proper silicone/silica/whatever pipes and get the intercooler setup working.

The new megasquirt firmware I have can also do boost control which I will probably get going as well.



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Posted by: fiid Oct 16 2005, 10:08 AM

BTW: I tested the DWV rubber fittings with compressed air. They are good to about 20lbs - and usually fail because they slip off the pipe they are clamped on to. You have to make sure the fittings are very tight.

This turbo has no wastegate control - so as soon as there is enough pressure to actuate the wastegate - the pressure will stop. It is estimated this will provide about 5-6 pounds of boost - which should be enough to be moderately exciting whilst not destroying anything (esp without the intercooler). I don't want to get too aggressive before I've done too much tuning either.

I got my nice new aluminum pedals installed, along with a new throttle cable. The standard 914 throttle cable can be made to fit a subaru engine with a little cutting and a correctly fabricated bracket.




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Posted by: fiid Oct 16 2005, 10:11 AM

NB - In the previous shot you can also see the scars from clutch tube surgery. Thanks to Brad's article, I was able to do the clutch tube correctly - my first attempt was not nearly as secure, and has the wrong cable length to it.

Check out the new Forza seat and the laptop - used for Megasquirt tuning.

I also stripped the interior of carpet. I started pulling the tar out - but it got to be too much like hard work and I can finish it after the car is drivable on a weekend sometime.




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Posted by: fiid Oct 16 2005, 10:15 AM

This is my cooling system setup.

It's a 91/92 Golf radiator with a set of "universal" fans I got from the "Gotelli Speed Shop" in South San Francisco. The air will be vented out the bottom of the trunk, and some sheet something will be added to retain some usable trunk space. The spare will live in the rear trunk. There are side baffles for the radiator, and a fiberglass under-baffle - I need to add something at the top.

Inspection of the radiator on the Turbo 2.5 engine in our legacy was interesting - it's about half an inch thick and not much larger than this one, so I think this might be adequate to cool the engine. The MS can do various things based on coolant temperature as well - so we can cut boost in overheat situations.




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Posted by: fiid Oct 16 2005, 10:16 AM

The brakes are bled and the front wheels are on the ground. This is a big step and is making the project feel like it might actually be complete one day. One learns to ignore the condition of the paint on the car.



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Posted by: fiid Oct 16 2005, 10:19 AM

This is the megasquirt. I am running the megasquirt-extra code. It has been modified to support spark timing (for edis) being controlled by the LED17 line, and for PWM idle modulation. I set the idle speed in the software (for cold and warm) and it adjusts the idle valve to suit. I am constantly amazed by the quality and ease of doing more things with the Megasquirt. It's also very enjoyable to know how everything on the engine works.




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Posted by: fiid Oct 16 2005, 10:23 AM

You'll notice the 914 oil pressure sender unit in the previous picture - this is hooked up to the subaru engine and will drive the VDO oil pressure guage.

I got hold of the Innovate Motorsports LC-1 Wideband Controller. This is an AWESOME product. Not only is it very clearly documented and comes with all the accessories you could possibly need - it also came with starch environmentally friendly packing peanuts which I dissolved in my sink. Very happy to have an excellent product and not to have to add to the 20 gallons of styrofoam I have in my basement.



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Posted by: fiid Oct 16 2005, 10:25 AM

This is the knock sensor input circuit for the megasquirt. I made it out of parts from radioshack. This will be mounted inside the megasquirt box and hooked up to the stock subaru sensor. should be very cool.



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Posted by: fiid Oct 16 2005, 10:27 AM

This is the worst bit of rust on the car these days. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to best tackle this??? I don't really know what to do about it. I'd really like to avoid taking the whole fender off.



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Posted by: fiid Oct 16 2005, 10:30 AM

The shift rod is hooked up. My engine is quite high, but the shift rod still had to be cut and rewelded to sit lower so that it would clear the sump and the exhaust manifold. I went with a rice header from "Megan" racing - it's not equal length, but it sits reasonably tight with the engine. I seem to be able to get all the gears - which is a good start.

I am concerned though since my reversing lights seem to stay on all the time. Hope I didn't f**k up the transmission.



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Posted by: fiid Oct 16 2005, 10:34 AM

Last shot. This one shows the new header setup. At some point I need to get all this metal out of the car and get it powedercoated or painted.

The header, turbo, and downpipe all came off ebay. All the tubing is stainless and the cost was very low since they are all far-eastern mass produced rice parts. Rice and Bochwurst.... tasty.



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Posted by: neo914-6 Oct 16 2005, 12:04 PM

Great progress Fiid! Thanks for sharing...

Posted by: TonyAKAVW Oct 16 2005, 12:10 PM

Last thing I recall was that this project was up for sale. Good to see tha you are going to finish it, and looks like you've made some excellent progress!!!


-Tony

Posted by: fiid Oct 16 2005, 12:17 PM

I got pretty disillusioned with it for a while there. It's hard to balance a job with a startup company, raising a child, and trying to do a project like this. It made things a lot easier doing what everyone suggested way back and going to a single-turbo setup.

Thanks to everyone for the continued support and help with various problems I've run into. Also thanks to everyone who didn't buy the car when it was for sale. I think it'll run soon

Posted by: fiid Oct 16 2005, 12:18 PM

Oh yeah... the engine does actually run now!! It idles nicely with the megasquirt idle control activated

Posted by: jsteele22 Oct 16 2005, 12:40 PM

QUOTE (fiid @ Oct 16 2005, 09:30 AM)

I am concerned though since my reversing lights seem to stay on all the time. Hope I didn't f**k up the transmission.

Sorry if this is too obvious, but just in case...

It looks like the two wires that control the reverse lights are hanging loose in this picture. Do the lights still come on with them disconnected ? If so, they are shorted together somewhere "upstream". If not, do the reverse lights come on when the two wires are touched to each other ? This is what they are supposed to do. Provided the transaxle actually does shift in and out of reverse (which we all hope is the case !) then the switch should make contact only in reverse. I haven't replaced this switch (just messed w/ connectors) but I'm sure it's straightforward if you can find the part. If you do, be careful 'cause there's a little pushrod that falls out when you remove the switch, and you'll need that for reassembly.


I'm also glad to see that your project is moving forward again. You've done all the really hard stuff already, you definitely deserve to enjoy the ride.

Posted by: fiid Oct 16 2005, 02:27 PM

QUOTE (jsteele22 @ Oct 16 2005, 10:40 AM)

QUOTE (fiid @ Oct 16 2005, 09:30 AM) I am concerned though since my reversing lights seem to stay on all the time.  Hope I didn't f**k up the transmission. Sorry if this is too obvious, but just in case... It looks like the two wires that control the reverse lights are hanging loose in this picture. Do the lights still come on with them disconnected ? If so, they are shorted together somewhere "upstream". If not, do the reverse lights come on when the two wires are touched to each other ? This is what they are supposed to do. Provided the transaxle actually does shift in and out of reverse (which we all hope is the case !) then the switch should make contact only in reverse. I haven't replaced this switch (just messed w/ connectors) but I'm sure it's straightforward if you can find the part. If you do, be careful 'cause there's a little pushrod that falls out when you remove the switch, and you'll need that for reassembly. I'm also glad to see that your project is moving forward again. You've done all the really hard stuff already, you definitely deserve to enjoy the ride.

I unplugged those wires so that the reversing lights don't come on for my test firings. The reversing lights are overpowered for the surroundings so they get really hot if they are on too long, and I think they can melt stuff.

Shifting feels reasonably good for 2-5. 1st and reverse seem to be a little less "positive" in their engagement. This might be because the clutch isn't adjusted yet, or it could be something more sinister.

The lights do come on correctly when the wires are touched together. Excellent catch though.


another question for the group.

My downpipe has about 3 inches of clearance around the inboard CV joint. Should I be worried about heat radiating into the joint or is this a non-issue?? I suppose plenty of people run headers right under there and they don't have problems.... so.... ???????????????

Thank again for the support, help and kind words.

Posted by: Andyrew Oct 16 2005, 02:37 PM

cv joint should be just fine that close. thats how far the factory one was.....

I bet your shifter just needs to be adjusted better...

I've found it takes 2 people...

One to hold it in perfect neutral with their hands, and one to place it in perfect neutral on the trani side and tighten down the bolt on the shifter linkage.. 5 mins and your done...

Looks like your making some progress!!!

cant wait to see it finished.

Posted by: Aaron Cox Oct 16 2005, 03:08 PM

or, undo the bolt at the shifter base that connects it to the tunnel rod...
put the tranny in secon manually from underneath...
then... put the shifter straight up (with no spring preloading) into second.
tighten down aforementioned screw... and drive.

might require a little tweaking.
AA

Posted by: airsix Oct 17 2005, 10:22 AM

fiid,
I'm really glad to hear you kept the project! Glad you are making some progress and feeling good about it.

-Ben M.

Posted by: fiid Oct 23 2005, 09:08 PM

For the first time in over a year - I drove my car around the block.

I got the fans installed, fabbed up some exhaust bits, got the LC1 hooked up, ran some wiring for some guages, and fired it up.

There are some pics - I'll post them later.

The engine is in an appalling state of tune - very much like the 1.7 was when i first got it squirted. It makes REALLY cool (and slightly eerie) noises as the turbo spools and dumps it's waste air... (I have a dump valve to put on it yet).

Feels good to get it rolling again!



I'm going to open a bottle of wine

Posted by: 914helo Oct 23 2005, 09:55 PM

Congratulations! Now you need a sound clip for us. It's always awesome to get a car running after a long project.

Posted by: rick 918-S Oct 23 2005, 10:09 PM

Glad to here it's moving!

Posted by: jkeyzer Oct 24 2005, 01:21 AM

WAY TO GO FIID!!!

I want to see it. Can I stop by next time I'm in the city?

Posted by: fiid Oct 25 2005, 09:48 AM

Jeff: Of course you can stop by - just call me on my cell and let me know in advance! Email me if you don't already have my cell number!


Progress:
I did some reading yesterday. I had not fully examined the LC-1 manual. By default - the first analog output acts like a narrowband sensor and not like a wideband. This probably caused some megasquirt confusion.

Also - if you don't have a MAT sensor - the line floats such that the MS thinks that the air temp is -40 degrees C - which has quite a radical effect on air density (like 1.5 times).

So I think it was running REALLY rich. I'm super psyched to do another test run with some logging and see how things go this time. I might get a small hint this time of how fast it's going to be .

Anyways - here's some pictures...

This is my RICE MUFFLER. Turns out it's quite loud. Ooops.




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Posted by: fiid Oct 25 2005, 09:50 AM

Vanilla Rice Rice Baby.



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Posted by: fiid Oct 25 2005, 09:53 AM

Lowering the car for the first time. I think the new engine is a little heavier than the stock engine; which means that my ride height was way low at the back - this was taken while adjusting it. I think the 175lb springs may not be sufficient with the heavier lump; but that should be reasonably easy to fix since I'm running Eibach coilovers at the back.
I might go to like 250s.




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Posted by: fiid Oct 25 2005, 09:55 AM

Reversing out for the first time in a REALLY long time.

I have no wing mirrors at the moment - so this was made harder than it needed to be .



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Posted by: fiid Oct 25 2005, 09:57 AM

Just about to take off up the street. Car is showing it's best side.


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Posted by: fiid Oct 25 2005, 10:00 AM

This is the center console guage cluster. I'm going to have to make a new panel for it.

Right now I have the trick VDO oil pressure setup (with warning light as well) from the 914.

Coolant temp (although it doesnt' seem to be reading like it did on the bench )

and Voltage.


I have a small fuel guage to go down there and a boost pressure guage as well.




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Posted by: fiid Oct 25 2005, 10:04 AM

This is the idle air control valve. It's a solenoid that can pull open and shut. The shut side has a resistor pack to ground, and the megasquirt controls the open side. The open and shut sides fight with each other to make a fully adjustable idle, and the MS will target a given RPM - so you enter that RPM with a laptop.



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Posted by: fiid Oct 25 2005, 10:06 AM

This is the MAT sensor. It's from a GM turbocharged car from the mid-80s. I didn't have the right connector, so I "did it right" and soldered the wires straight to the pins and filled the socket space with a glue gun to provide some strain relief


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Posted by: fiid Oct 25 2005, 10:09 AM

The Innovate LC-1. Awesome piece of kit.


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Posted by: fiid Oct 25 2005, 10:12 AM

This nest is Bowlsby's worst nightmare This is the megasquirt and the EDIS module and also the air filters. I used a small secondary filter for the idle air since it's tricky to route a 3/4" hose through a 1"radius turn for 90 degrees.




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Posted by: TonyAKAVW Oct 25 2005, 11:23 AM

LOOKING GOOD!!! Well, that wiring could use some attention, but otherwise, congrats on getting it out of the garage under its own power!

Are you planning on going back to the dual turbo setup with this car at some point, or just keeping the single turbo?


-Tony

Posted by: fiid Oct 25 2005, 11:45 AM

I think I'm going to stay single turbo. The aftermarket for the single turbo is ripe, and even people that have had very good experiences with the twin turbo setup have still gone back to the single turbo setup.

If I get to a point where I need more power I might go to a ball bearing turbo or something, but there's plenty of options and plenty of things to do before I need to go that far

Posted by: airsix Oct 25 2005, 02:30 PM

I'm just very relieved to see that I'm not the only (turbo) guy running intake parts that came from Home Depot.

Just kidding. Fiid, I'm very excited to see you making this progress. I was bumbed when I thought you had dumped the project. Keep posting - this is great stuff.

-Ben M.

Posted by: fiid Oct 25 2005, 02:37 PM

Thanks! I'm glad I stuck with it now - it's really keeping me awake at night thinking of driving it to work a couple of times a week.

LOL. ABS is cheap, and easy to put together, seals well, and you can screw anything into it. I pressure tested the fittings and got them to hold 30lbs (you have to do the clamps up REALLY tight), so they ought to be sufficient for 15lbs of turbo boost .

All the ports (i.e. where that temp sensor is screwed in) were done by drilling a hole, making it the right size and then just screwing the right npt thread into it.

I realise it's not going to work forever: What do you guys recommend for a replacement strategy?

Posted by: SpecialK Oct 25 2005, 03:23 PM

What are you expecting for inlet temps? I think that ABS starts to deform around 185F or something like that.

Posted by: fiid Oct 25 2005, 04:58 PM

QUOTE (Buzzard1 @ Oct 25 2005, 01:23 PM)

What are you expecting for inlet temps? I think that ABS starts to deform around 185F or something like that.

Good to know. I wouldn't expect the intake to get hotter than like 130-140 degrees, but I haven't done any math on that...

Posted by: airsix Oct 25 2005, 05:32 PM

QUOTE (fiid @ Oct 25 2005, 02:58 PM)

Good to know. I wouldn't expect the intake to get hotter than like 130-140 degrees, but I haven't done any math on that...

My datalog showed I hit 194 F for a few seconds one day last year. (No intercooler)
-Ben M.

Posted by: fiid Oct 25 2005, 05:36 PM

how much boostola are you running?

Posted by: airsix Oct 25 2005, 09:03 PM

QUOTE (fiid @ Oct 25 2005, 03:36 PM)

how much boostola are you running?

Well, I messed up the linkage on my wastegate around that time and it didn't have enough travel so the boost would creep if I stayed on it beyond 3rd gear. I hit 2.0 bar a couple of times before I figured out what was happening and fixed the wastegate linkage.

-Ben M.

Posted by: fiid Oct 26 2005, 12:59 AM

I logged 147 degrees this evening with only 6 lbs of boost. I see why air-to-air intercoolers work

I need to find a place that does turbo projects

Posted by: mongrel-gs Oct 27 2005, 12:22 PM

Thanks for posting the pic of the idle air control solenoid, it reminded me that I should probably have that hooked up. Idles much better now!

Glad to see you project is on the road!

Evan

Posted by: fiid Oct 31 2005, 02:41 PM

No pics this weekend - but lots of progress.

I have been fighting with the cooling system a little bit. It took me a long time to figure out why it would boil over every time. I was truly beginning to appreciate the simplicity of an aircooled engine when ..... I finally figured it out.



My coolant hose was within 1" of the header. The radiant heat from the header was boiling the coolant in the hose, before the engine was warmed up and the coolant was actually flowing to the radiator, so it would boil over before the fans kicked in or any radiator flow was happening at all.

This was cured by cable-tieing the hose back out of the way - which seems to work nicely.



Now on to the next problem - the engine seems to "miss" occasionally when I get up above 3k RPM. I'm thinking this could be caused by the EDIS wheel reading getting interference - or perhaps something more sinister.

I got some small taste of available power - and it was... NICE. I don't think I have more than half of what will be available post tuning and proper boost control, however.

Posted by: ClayPerrine Oct 31 2005, 02:44 PM

I hope the engine runs better than it looks, 'cause it looks like an electrician's scrap bin in there!!!!!

Posted by: fiid Oct 31 2005, 02:46 PM

Thanks! It's a bit of a mess, but I have made virtually no effort towards tidying it up. The circuits in play may change more so I'm just making sure there's sufficient room to move stuff around again if I need to.

Posted by: ClayPerrine Oct 31 2005, 02:52 PM

I hope you aren't offended by my comment.. I don't mean anything by it. I am a bit obsessive when it comes to wiring, in both my professional life and my hobbies. My tools get scattered over the garage, my parts are all over the place, but wiring... well, I can't STAND a rats nest of wires. I have to straighten them out and make them neat and tidy. I am just weird that way........

Posted by: fiid Oct 31 2005, 03:11 PM

No offense taken at all. The car is a complete trainwreck in terms of wiring. As soon as everything is running right I'll start worrying about that, welding the trunk back in (turns out I can have a more or less complete rear trunk and paint.

Need to get the GT flares on as well at some point. Many miles left to travel.

Posted by: fiid Nov 16 2005, 10:45 AM

Latest News:

I picked up an oscilloscope on craigslist about a week ago which has been really useful. Firstly - I found out that my idle air control was jammed at full open because I bolted a power transistor directly to the case of the megasquirt - grounding out a connection that wasn't supposed to be grounded. After a bit more work - the idle air is working perfectly - it will sit there at almost exactly 800RPM once it's warmed up. I still have a bit more tuning work to do to get the startup value correct, but it's looking pretty good at this point.

--

I discovered that I had the megasquirt configured incorrectly for the ignition module. This meant that my timing was stuck at 10o BTDC. I think this was the cause of the misfire - basically - the mixture was burning too late and spoiling all the fun.

--

All this came together last night when I spent some time to clean up some of my wiring (it's not perfect yet, but I removed about 5-10 feet of excess wire which was just sitting in a crowsnest, so it's looking a lot neater.

I fired it up, and took it for a spin and had a really nice experience - asides from being a little loud (perpetuated by the almost total lack of sound deadening material and no engine lid) the car ran really well and pulled strong once I got it up to like 2krpm and hard on the gas. I took it up to 5k and it was running nicely. My redline should be at 7k (I think I'm going to split an eardrum.

Me = Happy.

The 911 suspension on the front end is working really nicely too (thanks to Steve/ShogunEagle). Brakes are a lot stronger thanks to new rotors and pads front and rear, and removal of the stock prop valve. I have an
A-caliper front end on the car, and the rear is stock 5-lug.

I also cut a radiator hole in the front bumper and got some weldable expanded steel (almost matches the engine lid) to go in there.

I'll post some pics when I take some more.

Posted by: eric914 Nov 16 2005, 12:42 PM

I am proceeding on a similar route as you. I have a EJ20G single turbo motor that I intend to Squirt. Would you mind sharing your fuel and spark maps and how you chose to implement COP? Any insight would be helpful. I will be tackling this after the holiday season is over.

Posted by: fiid Nov 16 2005, 01:06 PM

QUOTE (eric914 @ Nov 16 2005, 10:42 AM)

I am proceeding on a similar route as you. I have a EJ20G single turbo motor that I intend to Squirt. Would you mind sharing your fuel and spark maps and how you chose to implement COP? Any insight would be helpful. I will be tackling this after the holiday season is over.

You're welcome to all the info I have, but my maps really aren't very developed yet. I'm currently running the car on 87 (bad decision - I'm changing to premium as soon as I use up the current tank), and really haven't spent all that much time tuning the thing.

I'm running a ford EDIS module for spark - seems to work really well - I am using the ford coilpack and plug wires. It's a wasted spark setup, instead of Coil on plug. I do have a set of coils for COP but they don't have ignitors, so it will take extra electronics to get that going.

Posted by: jsteele22 Nov 17 2005, 11:54 AM

Sounds fun ! I'm curious about what "redline" means. I always thought it was just a limit set by the strength of the engine components - go above redline and somethings gonna break. Do you mean the RPM where the engine is at max power ?

BTW, those power transistors with the heat sink connected to a non-ground terminal are a pain. If it is running hot, you can buy (from Digikey, fer example) a thin pad to electrically insulate the transistor from a grounded heat sink. Do a search for "heat sink pad", and (I assume) TO-220 size. Under a buck, and if it keeps the transistor from burning out once, probably worth it.

Posted by: fiid Nov 17 2005, 03:27 PM

I've read in a couple of places that the stock redline on this engine is 7k, but I've never seen a USDM subaru with a 7k redline, so I figured I might set the rev limiter a little lower (6500) just to keep the engine running a little longer. It's taken me so long to get this far I don't really want to break it .

Anyone know what the redline on the WRX is?

I need to mount the transistor properly at some point, but it doesn't get even warm right now. It's on a plastic stand-off post that is double sided stickytaped to the PCB. Now I talk about it - I instantly regret my decision to do that.

Posted by: jsteele22 Nov 17 2005, 04:12 PM

QUOTE (fiid @ Nov 17 2005, 02:27 PM)

I need to mount the transistor properly at some point, but it doesn't get even warm right now. It's on a plastic stand-off post that is double sided stickytaped to the PCB. Now I talk about it - I instantly regret my decision to do that.

Actually, I realized after I posted that if the transistor is only for driving the IAC, it probably wouldn't get that hot. But ya never know....

Posted by: fiid Nov 20 2005, 09:26 PM

Hey all,

Jeff Keyser came over today and we did some tweaking and fixed some little annoyances with the car...

1. We spent some time just tweaking the idle, and trying to get the mixture and Idle Air Control functioning properly.

2. We fiex the lsatch for the rear trunklid. My Latch has never worked right, but now it does actually hold the lid down, so it doesn't bang when I go over bumps anymore.

3. We mounted the front bumper with cutout and mesh welded in. It looks pretty nice... I'm quite happy.

We then went for a bit of a spin. Jeff was able to iron out a bunch of issues with the fuel map and we discovered that even though I am only running 6psi boost - it's still wickedly quick.

The next problem I have is that my 205s on 7s don't fit under the rear fenders and rub a little bit during cornering. Time to fit those GT flares

So.... fast.....

Posted by: fiid Nov 20 2005, 09:28 PM

Oh - I also realised it's a daft idea to run the car on 87 octane, so I put in some octane booster. I expect to be running it on premium from now on.

Posted by: banksyinoz Nov 21 2005, 01:55 AM

the sti conversion ive posted pics of has an 8k redline/limmiter stock its an 04 so the wrx would mostlikely be 6.5-7k

Posted by: jkeyzer Nov 21 2005, 11:11 PM

I had a great time at Fiid's yesterday. For anyone who has never seen it, Megasquirt is COOL. His engine purrs at idle and really moves on the throttle, and it's not anywhere close to being tuned yet, plus he has it dialed down to 6 psi max boost!!! His car makes me think dirty thoughts about putting my own car on the chopping block for a JDM Subie conversion with Megasquirt... The best part is, it still sounds vaugely like a 914, but without all clacking valves! I was really impressed with Fiid's mastery of the fuel injection on that car and his custom turbo plumbing and cooling system. Hopefully some of the local guys will get to see it at the next breakfast!

Posted by: fiid Nov 22 2005, 03:52 AM

Thanks Jeff!

It's awesome to have a little more experience with engines around. I don't really know crap about fuel mixtures or what the sounds, smells and look of spark plugs ought to be. I've spent most of my time futzing with cars trying to fix broken things and not on tuning.

I'm totally stoked to get my boost level up. The stock WRX runs at 13-15psi boost, so I've got a long ways to go; and theres going to be a lot of power once that gets lit up

I'm going to have scads of family around for thanksgiving but should be wrenching the weekend after - trying to get the car ready to head down to the Brunch at iHop.

Posted by: DNHunt Nov 22 2005, 08:27 AM

Fiid

That sounds great. When you get to tuning the AF mixture look into the new http://www.msefi.com/viewtopic.php?t=11314 feature in Megatune. I have't tried it yet but the comments sound encouraging. You're going to have a rocket.

Dave

Posted by: fiid Nov 22 2005, 11:02 AM

WHOA!!! That is TOO COOL. Definately going to give that a try!!!

Thanks for the link Dave!!

Posted by: jsteele22 Nov 22 2005, 11:19 AM

Hey fiid,

This is really exciting to watch. I'm (still....) waiting for my EJ25 to come, and I've been reading up on MegaSquirt. Sounds like you've got plenty of eyes over your shoulder, but I just wanted to mention something -- sorry if this is way too obvious. Be VERY careful about detonation (pinging). Although MegaSquirt has an input for a knock sensor, the latest code that I've looked at doesn't actually do anything with it. So if you raise boost and start pinging, MS won't do anything to stop it. Since this can easily destroy your engine, you might want to hold off on raising the boost until you gain more experience getting the lower pressure part of the map dialed in. Especially if you test out AutoTune (which does sound totally cool, BTW.)

Man, you've come a looong way on this build. Have an awesome ride.

(the other) Jeff

Posted by: fiid Nov 22 2005, 11:31 AM

I'm running the Megasquirt-N-Spark Extra codebase. The knock sensor setup is adjustable, and we (JeffK and I) think that we haven't actually had any detonation yet, despite the sensor picking it up. We're showing a logged 2 degree retard on the first knock followed by extra retard degrees for subsequent knocks; I'm reasonably sure it is working right since that's the described behaviour for the code.

Thanks for bringing this up though - I definately don't want to do any damage to this engine, and it's something I'm acutely aware (and scared of). I'm thinking some dyno time is going to be necessary to make sure the whole range of the map is running right and in the safe zone.

Posted by: jsteele22 Nov 22 2005, 11:51 AM

Cool. I won't worry any more. I was looking at MegaSquirt-II, and I gather it doesn't have as much built into it yet as the older code. You just had me a bit concerned when you said "I don't really know crap about fuel mixtures" follwed by "I'm totally stoked to get my boost level up."


BTW, how is that Suby in terms of turbo lag ? I drive a '97 Saab 900 SE turbo, and it's awesome on the highway (and two-lane country roads...) but I'm a little disappointed in my normal stoplight-to-stoplight driving. Do you get decent acceleration from a standstill to, say, 20 MPH ?

Posted by: fiid Nov 22 2005, 01:09 PM

QUOTE (jsteele22 @ Nov 22 2005, 09:51 AM)

QUOTE

Cool.  I won't worry any more.  I was looking at MegaSquirt-II, and I gather it doesn't have as much built into it yet as the older code.  You just had me a bit concerned when you said "I don't really know crap about fuel mixtures" follwed by "I'm totally stoked to get my boost level up."

Yeah - I get what you mean... that does sound dumb. What I meant was: I don't trust myself to smell mixture or hear pining since I think I could miss it easily - so I rely on my LC1 and on knock sensors and the like.

One of the Megasquirt people suggested overadvancing the ignition at idle to create pinging and using that to tune the knock sensor (and perhaps my ear ).

QUOTE

BTW, how is that Suby in terms of turbo lag ?  I drive a '97 Saab 900 SE turbo, and it's awesome on the highway (and two-lane country roads...) but I'm a little disappointed in my normal stoplight-to-stoplight driving.  Do you get decent acceleration from a standstill to, say, 20 MPH ?

It's not a rocket ship from pull off just yet. There are some things I can do to improve that I think - I have this enormous rice exhaust that has a 1.5"" insert in the muffler which is removable. If I take it out it horks my tuning since there isn't enough flow for the oxygen sensor - it gets too much fresh air at low revs. But I think the turbo spools more quickly without the backpressure.

I'm also kind of happy about this though since it means that I get the revs up a bit before the real power comes which is likely to be the saving grace for my 901 transmission. Once the boost does kick in, the thing just takes off.

Posted by: lapuwali Nov 22 2005, 01:33 PM

I certainly hope you drive this thing to the breakfast. I've been really looking forward to seeing it.

Posted by: jsteele22 Nov 22 2005, 02:29 PM

QUOTE (fiid @ Nov 22 2005, 12:09 PM)

[ I'm also kind of happy about this though since it means that I get the revs up a bit before the real power comes which is likely to be the saving grace for my 901 transmission. Once the boost does kick in, the thing just takes off.

Yeah, that part is pretty cool. Takes a little getting used to when you start from rest and accelerate around a wide corner. Wish I could make it to that breakfast...

Posted by: fiid Nov 22 2005, 06:08 PM

I've been talking with a guy (Big thanks if you're reading!) in the UK who used to have the twin turbo legacy that this engine came out of. He's provided a lot of great info on the stock ECU which I should be able to leverage in my tuning. He had the following to say about the engine:

QUOTE

If you ever make 21psi you should be 350 ftlbs ish.  At that boost a single detonation event could and probably will fracture a piston between the ring lands. I speak from experience. Looking at your piccies it looks like you have a 250 ps engine from a bg5a legacy - ie like my old one.  It should make for good performance!  If you tune it it will be, well, scary!

Posted by: jsteele22 Nov 23 2005, 12:40 PM

QUOTE (fiid @ Nov 22 2005, 05:08 PM)

If you ever make 21psi you should be 350 ftlbs ish. At that boost a single detonation event could and probably will fracture a piston between the ring lands. I speak from experience.

Cool. Then you wouldn't need to bother with the knock sensor....

Posted by: fiid Nov 23 2005, 04:32 PM

Yeah - no $#!+.

(Fiid sits at side of road waiting for a tow).... "Guess it knocked!".

Posted by: jkeyzer Nov 23 2005, 05:25 PM

Does the knock sensor board in the megasquirt interface with the stock Subaru knock sensor on the engine? Is the megasquirt board thought of as a reliable solution or is it experimental? I think the only safe way to avoid knock is to keep your advance and boost at sane levels, and err on the side of rich for the AFR. Maybe you could find the advance vs rpm and map curves for a stock engine?

Posted by: fiid Nov 23 2005, 05:32 PM

Yah. I think NOT running 21 pounds is a great idea - 350ftlbs from a 4 cyl will make short work of a 901, and besides. I'd settle for 250-280.

The knock solution I have is somewhat experimental.

I now have the stock AFR target table and advance tables, so I know what ballpark the engine is intended to run in although they aren't quite the same axis as the megasquirt (Load instead of MAP, etc).

I think by staying relatively conservative there's a lot of success and happiness to be had. Next up though is Muellers 2x4 & Sledge fender tuning.... :bfh:

Posted by: soloracer Nov 23 2005, 05:35 PM

Are you using a wide band O2 sensor to datalog your mixtures? If not I suggest getting an Innovate LM-1. It's a very good unit and will be invaluable during tuning.

Posted by: fiid Nov 23 2005, 05:36 PM

I have an LC-1 - I violently agree - they are awesome. I do my datalogging off the Megasquirt.

Posted by: fiid Dec 5 2005, 01:41 PM

On Saturday the esteemed Mr Keyzer came over again to help with the project. He did an awesome job of beating my fenders out so they clear my 205s. We spend a little time fixing some idle control problems and also rose the ride height up a little bit.

Today I pretty much dared myself to drive the car to work - which went off without incident. It's about 20 miles from my house to work - nearly all on the freeway. The car cruises really nicely. I forgot how smooth my suspension setup is once it gets up to speed - just irons the bumps out - definately smoother than the miata - and it just hangs on through all the corners. Exceptional.

I did experience a few problems with the idle control system on the megasuirt before the car had warmed up properly. Still some work to do there I think, but I have some ideas on what to do next.

Very exciting.... will report more when I know more!

Posted by: fiid Mar 10 2006, 08:35 PM

Minor update - did a bunch of work today to try and get the car ready for AX tomorrow. Good news is I think I can run it!!!

Did a bunch of driving and it looks like the cooling system is working fine. I think a lot of my problem might have been caused by various air bubbles in the cooling system.



I'll try and get an in-car video soon!

P.S. Experienced throttle steer for the first time today Woohoo.

Posted by: fiid Mar 10 2006, 08:35 PM

Oh - yeah - in other news - it's also running Megasquirt II now - which seems to be very smooth and running well!

Posted by: nsyr Mar 11 2006, 08:36 AM

Gotta love the MS2! I've got the same setup, originally twin converted to single turbo with MS2. Ironically I bought the same exhaust manifold. I do have to ask if you had the same smoking problem from the flex joint where the manifold is connected to the uppipe? I assume it is because it is new and it's just burnoff.

Posted by: boogerboy Apr 27 2006, 11:09 AM

just wanted to say thanks for all the help youve given me on aim, im hoping mine turns out as well as yours!

Posted by: neo914-6 Apr 27 2006, 01:36 PM

Another Suby conversion?

Posted by: Cap'n Krusty Apr 27 2006, 01:52 PM

I'm a bit late, but that's just not true. All busses to 1975 came with the SR 17x, and all automatic busses to 1979, as well as auto Vanagons to 1983. The Cap'n

Posted by: boogerboy May 22 2006, 05:06 AM

oh im not new lol. Yeah, i should have my motor ordered this summer. im gonna run retty much the same set up as fiid. ej20, ms2, and probally his engine mount. . Ill deff. keep everyone posted on it!