Custom Hot Rod Wiring | Dyno Tuning Melbourne

Custom Hot Rod Wiring.

If you take an older vehicle with wiring that is old, maybe 30 plus years old.  The wiring will have deteriorated and people may have cut into it many times.

Some of the things you may want to look for when deciding if you want to rewire it, are things like wiring that has been cut into and joined numerous numbers of times, it is very likely to fail in the future.

You are putting a lot of effort into your

Hot Rod

project, and a lot of expense into your project, you don't want to be broken down on the side of the road because of broken wires.

When you are about to start rewiring any part of your car, is to draw up a list on what you want to do. You may be doing only one section of the car like the engine bay, or you may be doing everything from the front to the rear bumper.

Determine what it is you want to achieve and wire down all of the parts you are expecting to replace.

If, for example, you are going to rewire the engine bay, the next thing to do, would be to remove all of the wiring from the engine bay.

Unplug everything on the engine and its accessories.  Some engine bay harnesses will have a firewall plug, but if yours doesn't, you will need to  cut the harness in half.  When you do this, don't cut it off flush with the firewall.  Allow at least 6 inches of wire to enable you to unwrap and trace the wires back to other areas of the car if you need to.

Depending on the size of the original hole in the firewall, you may need to drill an additional hole to get the extra wiring through.

If you are going to hide your wiring, you should lay it out without hiding it, so you can work out the various lengths, and how it is going to run through the engine bay.

Whether or not you have the battery in the boot, or the battery in the engine bay, make sure you use the correct gauge wire so that it has enough current capacity to ensure correct operation of things like you engines start motor.

Make sure you use a body grommet through any holes in the firewall.  The wire is then protected from any damage from the rough edge of the hole.  The body grommet also stops water and other liquids from passing from the engine bay to the passenger compartment.

Using correct sheathing, like a nylon braid will stop wires from chafing on any sharp edged items in the engine bay, and keep the wiring in great shape.

Moving on to the interior of the car, we remove the dash panel or instrument cluster.  This may take around an hour in most cars, but it will save you hours of frustration trying to work behind it.  Plus, it will make your job look even more professional.  This allows for easy access behind the dashboard, and you can see all of the original wiring and mounting points.

This also makes it far easier to remove the original wiring, and work on putting the new wiring in place.

TIP1: Place application tape around any areas where you will be cutting, or where wires or sharp objects might be moving around, so that you don't scratch any of the dashboard area.

TIPS2: If you are going to all of this trouble to rewire your engine bay, it's highly recommended that you replace the original fuse box ore boxes.  The old fuse holders have been through thousands of heat cycles, and will most probably have lost their tension.  This can lead to loss of contact between the fuse and the fuse contacts, which can lead to all sorts of electrical problems.

Toyota Celica GT4 ST185 ST205 Tune Melbourne | Dyno Tuning

Today we are talking about the

Toyota Celica GT4 ST185 or ST205

and installing the Wolf V500 Plugin Engine Management System.

Just a few of the benefits of installing the Plugin Kit onto the GT4 are that we have full control over Boost, Fuel, Ignition, and a huge range of other systems and parameters.

On of the things with the GT4's, is that if you start increasing the boost and the amount of power produced, you will start to run out of fuel delivery.  You will need to increase the injector sizing.  Many larger injectors are low impedance, which in the case of the V500, is not a problem, as the V500 can control injectors down to 0.8 Ohms.

Another great advantage when removing the original ECU, and replacing it with performance aftermarket ECU, is that you can completely remove the original flap style Air Flow Meter, and put a tube in its place.  This allows more flow to the turbo, and can help with increased boost levels and turbo / engine efficiency.

The original ECU in the GT4 is on top of the transmission tunnel, under the radio.  When removing the original ECU out of the

Toyota Celica GT4

,  there are bolts on both sides of the ECU that must be removed.  The ECU can then be removed by pulling it out into the passenger footwell.

You then unclip the 3 connectors by pressing down the clips on top of each of the connectors.  Now the loom is easy to access and ready for you to plug in the V500.

To fit up the V500 Plugin Kit, is as simple as pluging in the 3 plugs in the original loom into the 3 bays that match these plugs in the Wolf Plugin Harness.  There are 3 different sized plugs so it is not possible to connect these plugs incorrectly.

Now, we plug the V500 into the other end of the Plugin Harness.

We have run a vacuum line from the engine intake manifold to the ECU.  This vacuum source must be showing full vacuum / boost.  Do not use a vacuum port where the vacuum or boost can be different from the boost or vacuum in the manifold.  This can occur where boost is bled off for wastegate control, or a transition port in the throttle body.  Both of these ports may show different boost or vacuum compared to the actual manifold boost or vacuum.

Plug this vacuum line into the V500.

Once you have the V500 connected to the GT4, it's time to check that we have power, and that the car starts with the base tune that is supplied with the ECU.

When you turn on the key, you will see a green light on the end of the V500, showing that ECU is powered up.

When you crank the engine, the light will turn yellow, and once the ECU has enough information to synchronise to the engine, the light will turn blue and the engine will start.

So, once you have installed the V500, it starts and runs, the next step is to check the ignition timing and get it ready for the dyno.

When we say, "Get it ready for the dyno", what we mean by that is that you must check hose clamps, check for water leaks, make sure all of your intercooler piping is tight.  There is nothing worse than getting onto a dyno and having problems.

Toyota Supra JZA80 Tune Melbourne | Dyno Tuning Melbourne

Today we are talking about the

Toyota Supra JZA80

and the Wolf V500 Plugin Engine Management System.

The Plugin Kit gives you the ability to control ignition timing, fuel delivery, boost control, and whole host of other control systems on the JZA80.

The standard JZA80 had twin turbos, with three different boost control valves on it, the V500 can control that standard system.  If you want to change to a huge single turbo, the V500 can control that as well.

In standard configuration, the V500 can use up to 30PSI boost pressure with the on-board MAP Sensor, or you can request an upgrade to a 45PSI boost pressure MAP Sensor.  You can, of course, use an external MAP Sensor for even higher boost levels.

To remove the original Toyota ECU from the

JZA80 Supra

, you'll find it underneath the passenger side footwell carpet.  Pull the carpet back, and remove the plastic panel that covers the ECU by removing the 3 10mm nuts.  The original ECU is mounted on the floor.  You undo the 10mm nuts to take the ECU out, and undo the 10mm bolt in the middle of the main connector and remove the plugs from the ECU.

Once the original ECU has been removed, it's time to plug in the adapter harness.  First plug together the main connector with the bolt.  Press the connectors firmly together and do up the bolt making sure it is properly seated.  Once the bolt is bottomed out, it's time to connect the small connector.  Just listen for the 'click' to ensure it is properly seated.

Now we fit the V500 Plugin Harnesses Earth Strap (large eyelet) to one of the mounting bolts in the floor of the JZA80.  Finally, we plug the Wolf V500 ECU into the Wolf plugs on the Plugin Harness.

The V500 senses engine vacuum and boost pressure using a vacuum line that is run from the manifold to the V500.  Make sure the vacuum line you are using has full manifold vacuum.  Don't, for example, use a vacuum source that is connected to any device that may bleed off vacuum or boost.

One tip would be to run the communications cable out to a point (inside the glovebox for example) so that it is easy to get to for tuning.

Turn on the ignition key, the green light on the ECU will come on.  On cranking, the light will turn yellow.  When the engine runs, the light will turn blue, indication that all triggering systems (camshaft and crankshaft) are operating normally.

The ECU and harness can then be mounted and the plastic cover and carpet replaced.

The engine should start and run using the base tune that is supplied in the ECU.  Now it is time to check the ignition timing with a timing light, and check around the engine bay to make sure there are no leaks or loose hoses or fittings before the car is taken to the dyno.

Fuel Injection Systems Melbourne | Dyno Tuning Melbourne

Dyno Tuning Melbourne

- What's more important - Power or Torque?

We call it area under the graph.  Now, what that means is, if you have a power line going up to 200KW or 300KW, and a torque line that's, lets say, 500NM of torque, if you can increase the area under that torque graph, then generally, you will have increased in power.

Now, what that means is.  If I can bring that torque line up from 500NM to 600NM, and not necessarily have an increase in power, that car is going to feel like a different car on the road, as it will have more pulling power at lower RPM, even though the actual peak power number is no greater than it was before the torque in the lower RPMs was increased.

So, in my eyes, I believe torque is more important than power.

There are people who like to see a high power number.  They like to see the big figures.  That's great, but, to drive them at that top-end, at maximum RPM, at wide open throttle, the car is never going to get there on the road.

So, torque is more applicable to 99% of people on the road.

On a racetrack, torque is very important too, because when you are going into a corner and out of a corner, torque is the thing that actually gives you the pull.  So torque is going to pull you out of the corner faster.

If you ask me what's more important, power or torque.  I would say to you, torque would be more important than power.

Having said that, you can't have a power figure without a torque figure, so, if you increase the torque an engine is producing, you will have an increase in power in those same RPM areas.

Fuel Injection Systems Melbourne | Dyno Tuning Melbourne

Dyno Tuning Melbourne - Pre Dyno Tuning Checks

Things that you should check before bringing your car to a dyno tuning session

are things like:

Oil.  Please consider the condition of the oil, and the level of the oil.  If you've just had the oil changed, that's good.  If the oil is due for a change, you should do it just before the dyno tuning session.  It's going to help in terms of power figures.  Firstly, clean oil is going to make your engine  more efficient, due to less friction, so it can help you get a better power number off the dyno tune. 

Things like tire condition.  As a dyno operator, we are putting the car under extreme  strain.  We don't want to have tires that are down to canvas, or balding, or with pieces of rubber hanging off them.

Also, coolant leaks.  If there is any sign of coolant leaks, get them fixed before coming to a dyno tune.  The engine doesn't really get any hotter, but the ambient temperature around the engine will.

So, things like coolant leaks may be more prevalent on a chassis dyno.

Fuel Injection Systems Melbourne | Dyno Tuning Melbourne

Dyno Tuning Melbourne - Turbo Myths

There are some really big misconceptions when it comes to fitting turbos up to engines.
You can have two identical cars, two different turbos, both running 10 PSI of boost, and both producing radically different amounts of power.

If you're running too small a turbo, to get 10 pounds of boost out of, lets say, a 4 litre Ford, for example.  If you have a relatively small turbo, and that turbo was running so hard and so fast, that it was way outside of its efficiency curve, it's working too had to compress the air, and it is running very inefficiently.  That 10 pounds of boost pressure is really not going to be effective.

The air is going to be hotter than a turbo running within its efficiency curve.  You are going to have restrictions with compressor housings, and with ports being too small on the exhaust side.  Yet, it's going to spool up q

uickly and be nice off the line, but you are going to lose boost at the very top.
If you put a bigger turbo on, you've got very little exhaust restriction, and the air is not being worked as hard, so you now have cooler air going into an intercooler or straight into the engine, which is more efficient air, which gives you more power at 10 pound of boost.

Now, finding the fine line, or the sweet spot.  Is it too small, or is it too big?  Because too large a turbo may not come on boost until 3,000 RPM, whereas a smaller turbo may come on boost at 1,200 RPM.

As a dyno operator, this is where we start to go, "OK, we have a look at what engine package you have, what exhaust system you've got, what manifolds you've got, and try on match the right turbo with that car.

So, it's not a matter of just saying, "I'm going to put a 700 roller on, or  I'm going to put a 1,000 roller on, and I'm going to make a million horse power".
It doesn't happen like that.  You need to match that turbo to suit that car.

You can watch videos on Dyno Tuning in Melbourne.

Fuel Injection Systems Melbourne | Dyno Tuning Melbourne

Dyno Tuning Melbourne - Superchargers

The difference between centrifugal and positive displacement blowers, is that basically a centrifugal is similar to a turbo charger.  It doesn't rely on exhaust to push it around, but it relies on the engine RPM to spin it up.

The more you spin it up, the more boost you get.

Generally you find a centrifugal supercharger mounted off the side of an engine.  They're generally made to be mounted on the side of engines, away from the top of the manifold.  One of the advantages to a centrifugal blower (over a positive displacement blower), is that you can mount an intercooler fairly easily, so you can get more performance out of it.

The other advantage is that generally they are a lot quieter than a positive displacement blower.  And, placement of them is fairly easy.  You can place them above, below, in front, behind.  So, there are many places they can go, so long as they line up with whatever is driving them.

Positive displacement superchargers generally have to go on top of the motor, or at least on top of the intake manifold.  So, fitting an intercooler can still be done, but it is often more difficult than when fitting an intercooler to a centrifugal supercharger.  There is a lot more engineering and pipework needed to fit up an intercooler to this type of supercharger.

The main positive for a positive displacement supercharger is that the minute you crack the throttle you have boost, where with a centrifugal one, often you have to build up the revs before you start seeing boost, and you often won't see boost straight away.

There are two main types of positive displacement superchargers.  There is the roots type, and the screw type.  Generally you find the roots superchargers to be more noisy, and less efficient unless you put some type of intercooler on it.

The screw type, positive displacement, they are very good, but they are generally a long unit, so room has to be allocated for it.

If you see a boost curve when doing a chassis dyno tune, you will quickly see the difference between a centrifugal and a positive displacement supercharger.