Vanbcguy's M-TDI Build

[vanbcguy]

So after lots of reading it sounds like my head pressure measurements are pretty typical for an AHU.  Seems the 1.9 engines definitely do read low at the head generally speaking.  Lots of folks on TDIClub reporting similar head numbers, so I'm probably ok. 

[vanbcguy]

Oh yeah, I figured at some point someone would ask what the firewall clearance is like with this turbo / manifold combo:



It's definitely tight but it fits!  The heat shield on the firewall is padded so the actual firewall is a fair bit back from there.

[theman53]

my holset is a tick closer than that. Had to move the brake line so the compressor housing doesn't hit it from the engine mounts giving a little bit.

[vanbcguy]

Got the wiring in to a more permanent state for my gauges... I actually have my lift pump and IC pump hooked up now too.  Haven't driven it with the lift pump hooked up but I'm not expecting any great difference, especially at this point.  

I went out to the local pick'n'pull and grabbed a bunch of factory VW connectors so I could plug everything in to the fusebox proper-style.  The AAZ fusebox in my car is a bit odd to say the least - since there is no ECU lots of stuff that would have gone through the ECU is connected through jumpers and things in the fusebox.  There's a number of 4-slot "bridges" for lack of a better term attached above the relay panel that simply connect 2 wires together  from the factory - found one of them was connected to the dash warning light circuit, perfect place to tap in for my gauges.

Found another one that is on the backup light fuse - I don't have working backup lights right now plus I have a set of LED replacement bulbs ready to install once I sort out what's up there so that circuit has plenty of capacity.  Put my IC and lift pumps on there.

Wiring wise all I have left is the turbo computer.  I have all the bits now, I just need some time and work space (HA!) to finish that off.

Also got more of my IC water lines done - only the return from the IC rad to the IC itself left.  Once that is in I can fill up the IC, though I do still need to make a support bracket for it.

I seem to have injured my wrist somewhere in all of this - trying to contort my hand to reach fasteners and things has become excruciatingly painful so I'm trying to take it easy.  All the under dash stuff sucks big time right now.

[vanbcguy]

No work done today - my hand is hurting way too much.  Just sitting here with an ice pack which seems to be helping...

I did load up all my exhaust parts for my appointment with the fabricator tomorrow.  Also took her out for a spin this evening, did my best to keep out of the go pedal. Haha...

Filled up today too as I was nearly empty.  Looking back through my records, my last fill up was July 29, 2013.  Some new fresh fuel is a good idea eh??

The governor on the Land Rover pump seems to be alive and well right around 4K according to my factory tach.  Again I really haven't been taking the engine up that high as it is nowhere near broken in yet plus I don't really enjoy getting a soot bath.  I haven't adjusted the accelerator stop on the pump or anything whatsoever yet, not much point till the turbo computer is in. 

Overall I'm actually pretty soot free unless I floor it from a stop, and even then I think it's more that my turbo isn't producing much boost since the vanes are wide open. I think it is putting out just enough to open up the LDA - I don't have a boost gauge hooked up yet as that will be run by the turbo computer.  I REALLY REALLY REALLY have to get on finishing that.

[vanbcguy]

Downpipe installed, I have an exhaust system! I've got a small bit of contact with the steering rack when I get on it, going to need to give it a little whack with a hammer.

Also had the shop strengthen my accelerator cable bracket plus weld part of the AHU pump head bracket to my Rover bracket so the end of my pump is secure.

We had a slight miscommunication around a heat shield in the tunnel, I wanted him to cut the exhaust behind the shield, he thought I wanted the shield cut. Crap. Gotta get another one of those, there are some in the yard I was at on Tuesday so not the end of the world. That shield was fairly torn up anyhow.

I also need to sort out my crankcase vent. Right now I just have a tube hanging down but it is dripping oil in my carport. I think I might go for one of those ProVent separators a day then plumb a line back to the airbox.

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[vanbcguy]

Knocked my timing back a bit - I think partly I'm not used to a DI versus an IDI and partly I've got frigging large injectors.  The 1.40 setting I started with was LOUD, plus the Rover pump definitely seems to have quite a bit of dynamic advance, especially under load.  I have reduced back to 1.30 for now, which is measuring 8º with my pulse adapter.  The idle is a lot more tolerable down here, but it still has plenty of clatter.  Here's how it sounds now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYbbsr9Yh9U

My theory is that the 0.275 Warp 8 injectors I've got are probably completing their entire injection event in about half the time of a stock sized injector.  We shall see...

Oh yeah, assuming my factory tach is at all accurate, this thing REALLY REALLY likes to rev.  Under part pedal it seems like the governor hits around 3800 RPM but if you push it down past 3/4 it will quite happily take off for 5200 RPM under load in an instant, even with the shimmed spring my old 1.6 wouldn't get anywhere close to that. 

[vanbcguy]

Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnsssssssssssssssssss....

[vanbcguy]

I've got about 300km on my build now.  Dumped my initial breakin oil yesterday and filled up with some Rotella T 15W-40.  That brought my oil pressure up to more sensible numbers too, I think the 10W-30 I was using for initial startup was a bit too thin.  Managed to drop my half-full oil filter on my driveway after an otherwise perfectly tidy oil change.    

Still haven't put the turbo controller in though I have finished up pretty much all the circuit board work.  I need to fit it in to its case, attach a plug and wire it in to the car still.  Oh and I realized I forgot to put an input for my IAT on the board, so I gotta solder a wire in for that.

I ended up installing the CCV factory style in to the intake pipe.  I was thinking about getting a ProVent but honestly having another filter to change (which costs $50!) and something to drain plus another $140 to buy the thing... All to keep oil out of the intake, which VW didn't see as a problem.  I don't have EGR so buildup won't be an issue, I don't have a low mounted SMIC to collect oil either.  What I ended up doing was drilling a hole in to my intake pipe, shaping it to fit the factory CCV heater and then using some high-temp epoxy to permanently attach the CCV heater to my intake pipe.  No more stinky stinky white smoke when I'm stopped at a light.

I've got a fairly significant oil leak from my valve cover.  I gotta say I'm not a fan of the '3 bolt' design, I guess it was probably fine when everything was new.  There was quite a bit of RTV all over my valve cover when I pulled it from the engine pre-rebuild so I think it had been leaking before too.  From what I've read it is pretty easy to bend up these covers by bolting them down with the rubber seals missing or damaged, after which it is very difficult to get them to seal again.  I've also seen a tip that you can hammer the covers out a bit around the bolt holes from the inside which results in more clamping force, I think that's what I'm going to try first.

[vanbcguy]

Just tested the crank position sensor circuit that I had to add to my VNT controller - I was kind of worried about it as I had no way to test it.  Well it works!! I get an RPM display that matches my factory tach.  Which helps validate that too...   Now I gotta get this thing finished!!

[theman53]

sweet

[vanbcguy]

Haven't put the controller in its box yet nor have I mounted its LCD beyond twist ties to my phone holder but I have driven my car and had the vanes close in response to the accelerator pedal. Swweeeet. I have done virtually nothing with the mapping yet.

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[vanbcguy]

What's that? A VNT data log from an M-TDI?  How did that happen???



Obviously nowhere close to correct behavior from the controller yet, it is oscillating wildly trying to get the boost where it is supposed to be.  The units are just fractions of 256.  I have a 250 kPa MAP sensor so the MAP line roughly approximates kPa

Closeup of one bit:



Need to do some tuning so it doesn't see-saw so much. 

[rbremiller]

Just tested the crank position sensor circuit that I had to add to my VNT controller - I was kind of worried about it as I had no way to test it.  Well it works!! I get an RPM display that matches my factory tach.  Which helps validate that too...   Now I gotta get this thing finished!!

I am really interested in your conversion circuit. I have yet to hook up my tach to the G28 sensor and i need something like this. Do you have any details or is it proprietary in some way? This is a great thread BTW with all the details; cool build "outside the box".
Rich

[vanbcguy]

The conversion circuit I used I found on a Megasquirt forum.  It outputs a pulsed +5V signal.

This is the page I found:

http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/megasquirt/buildingandmodding.asp

Look for the section titled "2nd VR Conditioner Circuit" - it uses a chip designed for exactly this purpose.  I was able to get everything from Digikey for about $12.