Diagnostic Equipment for 88 Turbo with Bosh FI

[AZ88Turbo]

Does anyone know if the above is available? I notice on my 88 Turbo there is a port to plug something in to and it says in the manual that this is what it is for. I know on the newer ECU's Freescan is available but I have never heard of anything for the Bosh.

Thanks,

Mark 88Turbo

[lotusguy]

AZ88Turbo said:

Does anyone know if the above is available? I notice on my 88 Turbo there is a port to plug something in to and it says in the manual that this is what it is for. I know on the newer ECU's Freescan is available but I have never heard of anything for the Bosh. Thanks, Mark 88Turbo

Mark,

Lotus described 15 separate tools for diagnosing, tuning the Bosche K-jetronic system. Several of these are simply fittings or couplings to connect to a pressure gauge, used to measure vacuum, fuel pressure, flow etc.. Several of them are graduated tubes to measure fuel flow. The most important are a continuity tester, several relay bridges (these you can make), a Duty Cycle Meter and an injector tester. All fairly complex and expensive. You can use a multi-meter to replace many of these.

So, get a good multi-tester w/ continuity and temp abilities, make a number of jumper wires and/or relay bridges (use old relays), a remote starter switch and a good pressure tester w/ integral shut-off valve and you should be good to go. I have never seen any of the 'Lotus' tools for sale anywhere, even on Ebay, but if you really want to make that kind of investment, try Kent-Moore Tools, they may have what you're looking for. Hope this helps. Happy Motoring! Jim'85TE

[LOTUSUSA1]

Is there an OBD connection for an '87TE?

[lotusguy]

LOTUSUSA1 said:

Is there an OBD connection for an '87TE?

Hi,

Nope! Bosche K-Jetronic is really an electro-mechanical system. It cannot monitor the system with anywhere near real-time dynamic of the ECU controlled cars, or effect changes to the ignition timing and the like. It was designed in the 60's, before the advent of microelectronics and served well in such marques as MB, Porsche, Ferrari, Volvo and Datsun Z cars to name a few. It has a fair number of components and so can be frustrating to tune properly if you don't have a good overall understanding, and what part each component plays in the total operation of the system.

It is simply a fuel montoring/delivery device which responds to a few parameters such as throttle position, vacuum, airflow, various temperatures and lamda (0²) signals fed to it by it's sensors. It then uses a small set of pre-programmed instructions to adjust the mixture by introducing more/less fuel to the A/F mixture. The 'k' in K-jetronic stands for the german equivalent of continuous, literally Konstant. This means that the fuel injectors provide a continuous flow, but not quantity, of fuel.

Rather than the ECU controlled or true EFI systems, which adjust and regulate both fuel quantity and flow as well as airflow, K-jetronic primarily just adjusts the fuel portion of the A/F ratio to seek the ideal mix, but only in certain pre-set amounts for a given set of conditions. Additionally, the K-jetronic system also regulates and assists with cold start-up with an additional injector (cold start injector) which is energized when the engine is cold to richen the mixture until the engine comes up to temperature at which point it is shut off.

The only real tuning available to the system is to check to see that all the various switches and valves operate at their specified temperatures and pressures. This is why a multimeter w/ temperature function and a good pressure gauge are so useful. The reasoning is that if all the system's components are operating within their design spec's, the overall system will perform optimally as well.

The 'brain' cannot be re-mapped, at least not easily as it is hard wired and not software driven, and the airflow sensor and fuel distributor are factory calibrated and pre-set, again not easily adjusted by the DIY'er. Hope this helps. Happy Motoring! Jim'85TE (previously owned a dozen cars using Bosche K-jetronic and know it all too well, but I am actually a fan)

[AZ88Turbo]

lotusguy said:

AZ88Turbo said: Does anyone know if the above is available? I notice on my 88 Turbo there is a port to plug something in to and it says in the manual that this is what it is for. I know on the newer ECU's Freescan is available but I have never heard of anything for the Bosh. Thanks, Mark 88Turbo Mark, Lotus described 15 separate tools for diagnosing, tuning the Bosche K-jetronic system. Several of these are simply fittings or couplings to connect to a pressure gauge, used to measure vacuum, fuel pressure, flow etc.. Several of them are graduated tubes to measure fuel flow. The most important are a continuity tester, several relay bridges (these you can make), a Duty Cycle Meter and an injector tester. All fairly complex and expensive. You can use a multi-meter to replace many of these. So, get a good multi-tester w/ continuity and temp abilities, make a number of jumper wires and/or relay bridges (use old relays), a remote starter switch and a good pressure tester w/ integral shut-off valve and you should be good to go. I have never seen any of the 'Lotus' tools for sale anywhere, even on Ebay, but if you really want to make that kind of investment, try Kent-Moore Tools, they may have what you're looking for. Hope this helps. Happy Motoring! Jim'85TE

Jim, thanks for the info. Can you suggest a make/model of multitester?

[lotusguy]

AZ88Turbo said:

lotusguy said: AZ88Turbo said: Does anyone know if the above is available? I notice on my 88 Turbo there is a port to plug something in to and it says in the manual that this is what it is for. I know on the newer ECU's Freescan is available but I have never heard of anything for the Bosh. Thanks, Mark 88Turbo Mark, Lotus described 15 separate tools for diagnosing, tuning the Bosche K-jetronic system. Several of these are simply fittings or couplings to connect to a pressure gauge, used to measure vacuum, fuel pressure, flow etc.. Several of them are graduated tubes to measure fuel flow. The most important are a continuity tester, several relay bridges (these you can make), a Duty Cycle Meter and an injector tester. All fairly complex and expensive. You can use a multi-meter to replace many of these. So, get a good multi-tester w/ continuity and temp abilities, make a number of jumper wires and/or relay bridges (use old relays), a remote starter switch and a good pressure tester w/ integral shut-off valve and you should be good to go. I have never seen any of the 'Lotus' tools for sale anywhere, even on Ebay, but if you really want to make that kind of investment, try Kent-Moore Tools, they may have what you're looking for. Hope this helps. Happy Motoring! Jim'85TE Jim, thanks for the info. Can you suggest a make/model of multitester?

Mark,

A good multi-tester has so many uses around the Home and Garage, it makes sense to spend a little money and get a quality, multi-function one. You will be amazed at it's usefulness once you own one and they last forever.

Fluke manufactures several models and is considered one of the better makes. The model you choose will depend on the size of your wallet as they range from $10 - $500. About $100-$125 will get you one which is rugged, includes a variety of test probes and includes continuity, temperature, voltage (AC & DC) measurements in a variety of graduations, Resistance functions and more. Some include features such as memory, high/low value etc.

I'm just a DIY guy, so perhaps some of our more distinguished Engineer types would care to share their comments as well. Happy Motoring! Jim'85TE

>> Edited by lotusguy on Saturday 20th September 17:21

[AZ88Turbo]

Thanks Jim, I'll go check out what it available.

Mark 88Turbo