EFI Update

[gdr]

Finally have a result with my Megasquirt EFI!!! Been a frustrating few weeks as work and domestic stuff only letting me get the occasional stint in garage. Initial attempts to get the car started were unsuccessful - I worked this out as lack of RPM signal due to some incorrect wiring on MS board. At least with laptop hooked up you can check that the sensor inputs are OK. Quick fix with the old soldering iron and bingo, immediate engine start! Have to say this was much more satisfying that the first carb engine start during the original build - my ECU has been built by me from a bag of resistors and assorted bits of electronics so seems fairly miraculous that it can actually control the fuel and speak to the laptop! It took several starts and some fiddling with fuel and warm up enrichment to get it to continue running, but within a few minutes I got the thing starting and idling as efficiently as the wife's Honda. The wide band gauge makes it much easier to work out what's going on.
I know this is early days and there is a lot of work still to do in tweaking the map beyond idle mode and getting the acceleration enrichment sorted, but so far so good. It certainly seems that the idle is much sweeter than it ever was with the Holley and dual plane manifold(manifold now a single plane).

[crafty]

Wooooh... building your own ECU. You must be over the moon to hear the car run... Well done!!!

[pb3]

Good stuff, I may be asking for your maps next. My first start is 2 weeks away with my MegaSquirt II once I get my trigger wheel on and the manifold in place...

[gdr]

I'm on the old MS which is controlling fuel only - spark control remains in Stone Age, I have a line off coil for RPM to ECU. However, once I get the fuel sorted, next step is a crank trigger and upgrade to MS-2.....

[pb3]

Yep that has to be the way to go. I'm using the EDIS-8 and have an MSD wet sump dizzy plug, so I can bin the mechanical bit all together.

[davefiddes]

Congrats on getting your engine up and running again George!

I started my MS project by locking down the dizzy advance and getting the computer to do it. Very simple to add to a working MS install too.

Wouldn't mind getting to the point where I've got rid of all the mechanical sparking bits. I'm holding out for the new MS-II router board so I can get Coil On Plug and fancy revlimiting which you can't do with EDIS.

Phil, how have you mounted your trigger wheel? I was under my car at the weekend and wondered about fitting a trigger wheel to the back end of the harmonic damper. It should only need some spacers and longer pulley mounting bolts. Interested to know how others are doing it...

[pb3]

Dave, yes it is behind the damper, I will post pics on my EFI site sortly. I have used a Ford trigger wheel, which is 165mm in diameter and just sits nicely against the 6.75" damper and allows the VR sensor to be mounted on the left of the engine (as you look at it, opposite side to the alternator). The only thing I had to do is shave a few mm's of each tooth to clear the timing cover. And the actual fixing method caused some debate and I will keep it to myself for the moment.

[eliot]

Good work. I remember that feeling of receiving a bag of resistors and wondering how it was all going to work. But work it did, pretty much on the first turn also.