Throttle Bodies

The throttle bodies arrived, and they are incredible. Brand new, out of the box and shiny! From what I've read, I was thinking there was going to be more work than what I can see on these.

So, some basic facts: I bought a set of 1998 Suzuki GSXR 750 throttle bodies. So anyone reading this, that is looking for information on how to do this, keep that in mind.

I think most of the write ups that I have read state that there is a second set of butterfly valves that need removed. And then you have to patch the holes left over. And polish the mess that you left. Not the case in '98. Only one set of butterflies.
All of the examples I have seen have had two sets of arms that need custom spacers made. In 1998, there was one thread rod holding the set together, and one stainless (from what I can tell) steel bracket. So, some custom spacers, and a custom milled aluminum bracket to hold the other side together.
Since they are brand new, they have all the vacuum lines, and injectors. It is going to need very little work on this front.

Unfortunately, and you knew there was going to be one, I am seeing why getting the injectors to fit onto the intake manifold is such a big deal. The ZX2 intake manifold is soooo narrow, that I don't know if there is any chance that I will get the new throttle bodies on there. I am really considering the Raceline intake runners.

I am also thinking that I am going to abandon the IACV. The throttle bodies have a idle air bypass, that is adjustable. So with a little bit of work (HA!) I should be able to tune it at idle, without help from the MegaSquirt system.

More parts, more things to do.

I almost have the valve covers stripped of the black paint. I started with a palm sander, and just worked at it. It really didn't take much time. But now that I have all of the large, flat surfaces cleaned off, I am down to the little nooks and crannies. So, now that I have most of it done, I decided to try paint stripper. Why I waited until now to try it, I don't know. I started spraying it on the little corners down one side of the valve cover, and then spun it around to the other side. By the time I had finished the second side, the first side was already bubbled up, and starting to come off. Jeez. This would have been a little bit easier...

Now I just need to get it finished, and decide whether I want to paint it, or polish it.

I got the problem with PayPal resolved. I setup the transaction to use the wrong bank account, and I was afraid that the transaction would fail, and the seller would see all of this. Good thing is, PayPal fronted me the cash until the transaction goes through, and then my account goes negative. No big deal, then I go in and add money to my account from the right bank account. PayPal is actually a good company to work with! And the person I talked to on the phone, actually spoke pretty good English.

I should get the throttle bodies this coming Monday. I can't wait to have them in my hands, and start working on getting them on the engine.

Next step is the MegaSquirt. It still needs a ton of research, but I am starting to get a handle on it.

The manual walks you through all of the assembly, but that isn't going to be my main problem. I am concerned that once I get it all together, I won't be able to get the engine running properly. If I can't get the engine running properly, I don't know what to do yet. With a carbureted engine, at least I could start somewhere. Rich, lean, etc. With Megasquirt, I don't know how to check all of this yet, or to verify that the system is working correctly.

I sold some parts on Ebay! This was a first, since up until now I've only ever bought things on Ebay. So the price on the engine drops a little more.

I also bought some Suzuki throttle bodies from a 750 GSXR motorcycle as well. I am having a couple issues with Paypal, but I am sure this should be cleared up quickly. Now, I just need to figure out how to get the throttle bodies to fit to the intake manifold. I would still love to use the stock ZX2 injectors, mounted right next to the flange. I don't know if this is going to be possible, because of the flatness of the runners on the manifold.

Everything I've seen where people have done a similar modification shows a much rounder intake runner. I think these flanges are either off of a Focus, or an SVT model. They are almost completely round, versus my runners which are almost flat. I don't know if there is going to be enough plastic there to make a nice transition.

We'll see once I have the injectors in hand. Maybe I will need to get the Raceline adapter.