Today was my reality check day. One of those days that's there to remind me that I am nothing special. No Artiste, No great fabricator, just some guy w/ dirty hands busting my nuts in the garage trying to work on a stupid car,....and sucking ass while doing it.
I started today researching, (or trying to research) the proper way to wire the menagerie that is my engine, and the little black boxes that were once a bunch of doo-dads in baggies, that are now supposed to control it.
Let me just say this about Megasquirt.
While building the thing (at the time) didn't seem to daunting a task, trying to make sure it was configured properly, and getting a decent wiring schematic to wire up the relay box proved too frustrating to mess with this morning. There is soo much information on that website, trying to find what should be a straight forward answer turned into two hours to find nothing.
I decided that that was gonna have to wait, besides, I had other things that needed done anyway.
So I shut off the computer, and went downstairs.
I said that I was gonna paint the trim ring on the HVAC panel black. For whatever reason, I decided to paint the whole face black. (kinda like Nick suggested). That faceplate is backlit, so I had to mask off the text and icons so as not to paint them. The text and icons were about 1/8' wide (notice I said about). I decided to trim a piece of 1/8" wide pinstripe tape to cover them up.
This is where Mr. Hack enters the picture.
You'd think that I've painted enough stuff to know that a piece of wonky tape placed over something, and then painted over will leave a tape line as big as hell.
For some reason, I chose to ignore that.
I paint the thing, and as soon as the paint is dry enough I pull the masking off.
It looks like ass.
So I get out the lacquer thinner and wipe off the paint, except that cover plate is plastic.
It melts. I get to looking at the HVAC control itself, and the rheostat that is the temp control is exposed.
Only now the rheostat is black.
Bottom line, I ruin the thing. 50.00 worth of garbage now all for the sake of making it more aesthetically pleasing, and more in harmony w/ the head unit.
I moved the coil off of the valve cover, but up until today hadn't actually
moved it. I needed to make a bracket to hold the thing, so I set out to try and redeem myself. The bracket goes together OK, and I get it all mocked up w/ no incident. After the paint is dry I go to mount the thing, and the drill slips off the shooter screw, and dorks up the paint on the inner frame rail. (I get out the black sharpie, reassuring myself that the dink is hidden under the charge tube.
I get out the special order spark plug wires that I bought from Taylor (6 wires w/ EDIS sockets on one end, and no sparkplug boot on the other. All 5' long)
Only problem is, I don't know what the order of the coil packs are w/ regard to which one fires what cylinder. I think I know, but I've seen conflicting info out there, and I'm not about to cut up a special order plug wire set until I know for sure which one goes where.
So I leave it.
While I'm studying the plug wires, I get to looking at my turbo drain. Hmmm,.....really close to the exhaust. Now I'm worried that that will just melt despite the fact that there is a whole fingers width distance from the tubes it passes. To get a reference as to whether or not that hose will melt, you hold your finger that close to a turbo manifold that just made 20lbs of boost an see how it feels after an hour of sitting there. MELLLTTT.
I guess I'm looking for some sort of insulating sleeve now.
I move on.
This engine uses a on/off idle valve during a cold start.
This little doo-dad gets 12v from the ECU during a cold start, and opens, which is basically and electrically actuated vacuum leak. The engine speeds up, when it reaches operating temp, the 12v signal is stopped, and lil dude closes, no more vacuum leak. Engine goes back to normal idle speed.
That was another thing that I mounted today.
I decided that I would make an EGR block off plate, and drill and tap it for two 1/8"NPT nipples, and attach one of the nipples to my idle valve. Problem is that idle valve cannot see positive pressure (aka boost). So off I go to Auto Zone. I head straight back to the PCV valve section, and proceed to start opening everyone of them that looks like it might work, and blowing in one end, and sucking on the other. Now I know that your thinking that that must've been something to see, this old guy tearing open all of these sealed boxes, and immediately sticking each one in his mouth. I can assure you it was Autozone after all,....nobody saw me, especially not one of the experts behind the counter. After I did the blow/ suck test about ten times, I settled on one. I bought some brass nipples, and headed back home. Once I get there I step up my blow/suck test by blowing regulated air from the compressor through the thing. I stopped testing at 40PSI, cause the thing would just blow off the hose at that point. I guess it'll work.
There are two holes in the plate. One in front of the throttle blade, and one behind. Obviously I plumbed the line into the one behind the blade. The other end of the idle valve has to go all the way across the engine compartment and is tapped into non-boosted intake air.
This brings me to my question for any turbo guys that are reading this.
The other hole is in front of the throttle blade. Is it OK to use that hole to signal the BOV that I just let off of the throttle? I'm pretty sure it is, but I just wanted to check.
So a whole day. And I mean a WHOLE day. All I managed to do was mount two things, and ruin another. I still have to figure out how to wire the coil packs, and build the plug wires. I've gotta plumb the other end of the idle valve, and if I can use it, run the other pipe nipple to the BOV.
So I trudge upstairs to do some more research.
That requires another item to make that process go a little smoother:
Best damn cookies EVER.