It STARTED!!!

I am so excited right now. The engine turned over. It made an attempt to get started, and then kept going after I let go of the key. It started. It ran. W00T!

Now, it requires a TON of tuning, but it does run. One thing that was preventing it from running was my misunderstanding of some of the variables in Megasquirt. In one starting related window, the numbers are in mS. In another window, the numbers are in percentages of fuel. In MSExtra, there are 5 fuel maps (depending on how you count them):

1. Cranking

2. Post-crank enrichment

3. Warm-up

4. Main Fuel Map (this is where you spend most of your time)

5. Second Main Fuel Map (if you have it set up)

Here's how I understand them to work now:

1. The amount of fuel to inject into the engine while the speed is under a given number of RPMs.

2. Once the engine gets up above the given speed from above, provide this amount of enrichment (above normal) until the time given is elapsed. This time can be given in either seconds, or revolutions.

3. Another enrichment above normal that takes over once the post-crank enrichment expires. The time that the engine spends in this mode is dependent on how fast it warms to the given temperatures.

4. Where the engine spends most of its time.

5. A secondary fuel map. This can be triggered by a switch, etc. This could be for different set-ups such as track exhaust, economy mode, etc.

What was happening with my daft setup was as soon as it would make the jump from cranking to post-crank enrichment it would run so rich as to stall the engine. I was setting the post-crank enrichment in mS, not a percentage above normal! Once I realized this, and set things to a more reasonable level, it started.

Like I said, it needs a ton of tuning. As soon as it does start, it continues to increase in speed. I don't know why, but it could've been due to the vast amounts of gasoline sitting in the throttle bodies. It's pretty cool out (40-50F) so I am trying to overcome that as a tuning factor too. There is no coolant in the engine, so I can't let it run for very long anyway.

Once it warms up, and I have a coolant system, and an exhaust on the car, I'll give it a much longer attempt at tuning the car. Until then, I have a few other things that I can take care of.

It's sooooo close!

Yesterday the new starter went in. I didn't rewire everything, I just used the external solenoid I installed as a junction point. I do intend to remove the solenoid, and wire everything directly to the starter, but I needed new wires, and I was too excited to stop everything and run out for new parts.

I looked down the bellhousing once it was installed, and verified that the starter gear was properly aligned with the flywheel, and everything looked perfect.

So, it was time to make an attempt at starting the engine. I turned the key, and really hoped to hear a triumphant roar. No such luck. The engine turned over, and attempted to start though! After several attempts, the engine trying to start each time, the battery was starting to die and the starter was getting hot, so I gave it a rest. Right before I left the car, I turned up the fuel pressure. I was thinking that the injectors may be higher pressure than previously expected, so I thought I might give it a shot.

After a few hours of letting the battery charge, I gave it a shot. This time the engine tried really hard to start, but wouldn't idle. It sounded like the engine was not getting enough fuel. I continued to increase the amount of fuel, but every time it tried to start, it would either immediately stall, or it wouldn't quite start.

Cody took a look at it, and believes it may be a vacuum leak. I know there are vacuum leaks, so if all it takes is plugging them up, I would be very pleased.

So, off to the auto parts store today. I need to get a new battery cable anyway to remove the solenoid.

Starter Plate is done!

Today, I finished working on the starter plate I've been working on. Every night this week, I've been staying late for about an hour or two, and milling this plate out. I've been getting fairly proficient on the Bridgeport. I wouldn't trust myself on anything I would have too much money into, but on scrap materials that I can get for free, I am a milling wizard. (This feeling will probably fade over the next few days, but I just finished this plate, so I am riding high.)

The plate almost fit perfectly on the first try. Unfortunately, the one bolt hole on the top of the bellhousing sits very closely to the engine. In fact, there is a little wing on the engine that bolts to the bellhousing that juts out right there. This was all of a hair too close to the bracket as designed. A quick Dremel-ing and it fits like a dream.

Tomorrow, I plan on actually installing everything, and trying to start the engine again. I need to do a little rewiring, since I just installed an external solenoid which resulted in cut wires. I really think this should solve some of my trouble.

The starter saga continues

So at the beginning of the Summer I planned on replacing the original Lucas M35J starter with the Ford starter recovered from the Zetec engine. This was going to require a custom made mount to bolt to the transmission and the engine. It also required hacking up the bellhousing to make everything fit. I opted to have the Lucas starter modified with a new starter drive instead. This should have been the most straight forward fix. I was wrong.

First the engine wouldn't fire, after all the stuff I've already covered. I assumed that this may have been from the starter being no good. I tore the Lucas starer apart, and cleaned out all of the 30 year old gunk. The first thing I found was that the brushes on the rear of the motor were so gummed up with old grease and grime that they were not floating on the springs like they should be. Some degreaser took care of this. I also found that one of the wires integral to the solenoid was broken from the quick disconnect terminal. This could have been causing the problem as well. So, resoldered the connections, and reinstalled the starter.

A quick check of the install, and I found that the starter was pulling about 10 amps without being turned on. Something is seriously wrong now. This was the last straw with fighting with this starter. It was time to purchase a new one, and make it work with the transmission.

So, I found this starter by Summit Racing (Part Number SUM-820055). I is supposed to be for a V8 Ford. It has the wrong number of teeth (11 instead of 10). However, the key part of this starter is that is has a removable plate on the front. This plate is designed so that you can rotate the starter in relation to your engine so that you can clear anything else that may interfere.

So using Google Sketchup, I mocked up a replacement plate. I used the bolt holes from the starter itself, and the bolt holes from the Lucas starter that match the bellhousing. I then printed it out at 1:1 scale, and matched all the holes up to their respective real-life mate. Everything lines up.

Next, to the Bridgeport!