[AlwaysBroken]

Always good to have people putting more information out. I think video formats are the way to go. videos naturally provide more context in my opinion. I know I always omit some info that I didn’t think was necessary when writing stuff. Though it’s far easier to update and edit a text.

 

[Hodgdon Extreme]

Small update:

Haven't really done much for the most part, other than just drive and enjoy the car. Still only running open-loop boost control with a simple single-value duty cycle on the boost controller. The gate opens around 13-14psi but creeps up to about 15-16 by redline. I'm probably making about the same 450-475whp that I did before with the old ECU. Honestly, not too much need for more power.

I've swapped back/forth between E10 pump gas and E85 to reconcile the lambda differences I'm seeing with different fuels. I'm now within 2% regardless of what fuel is in the tank. I think that's about as good as its gonna get. This process takes some time, because even when the tank is "empty" of E10 and you refill with pump E85 - the overall ethanol content will only be about 55-60%. It takes several tanks of fuel to get it all the way up to 70-75%, which seems to be the maximum percentage in "E85" around here. Same thing goes switching back to gasoline - takes several tanks.

The only other thing I've messed with in the past few months is the cold start fueling. With the recent cold snap, we got some mornings that were 30-40º. Not that I intended on actually driving the car those days - but I did take the opportunity to test/tune cold starts on E85. It was obvious I needed more fuel. It'd fire and putt-putt for a second or two, then peter out. The weather warmed back up before I could truly feel confident I've got the cold start nailed - but the last time I tried, it was 28º and it lit right up and ran happily.

Over the winter, I'll need to work on this more - because the amount of extra fuel required gets crazy under about 30º.

In college, I worked on the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge... My team ran laboratory-grade E85. One of the "challenges" at competition was the cold start, which was conducted in mid-February, in the UP of Michigan, at 6:00 AM. Typical temp was about 0ºF. When we set out to calibrate the ECU, my advisor/prof explained that below 25-30º, you should ignore ALL the alcohol in the fuel....assume the ONLY actual fuel you're getting is the mass-fraction of gasoline.

From there, you can calculate what % increase in injector fueling you need to get enough gasoline into the engine to support combustion. It worked. But you see some fantastical enrichment numbers in your cold start table - and there's so much liquid going into the engine - you'll wet the plugs really fast if it doesn't start quick.

Reminds me - in the late 1990s, GM held a college competition where they'd give a Chevy pickup to any college that wanted to compete. The goal was to convert the truck to run on E85, and then partake in a competition for whose was the fastest, lowest-emissions, best fuel economy, etc. There was a cold-start test. The first year, most of the teams passed. The second year, GM conducted the test in their -40º climatic chamber - and only one team passed:

That team built/installed a little still for distilling the gasoline out of the E85 fuel. The still was heated via engine coolant. The raw gasoline produced was stored in a small tank. The engine was always started on gasoline - then switched over to E85 after 30-40 seconds. Pretty clever.

 

[_zaclemore]

Small update:

Haven't really done much for the most part, other than just drive and enjoy the car. Still only running open-loop boost control with a simple single-value duty cycle on the boost controller. The gate opens around 13-14psi but creeps up to about 15-16 by redline. I'm probably making about the same 450-475whp that I did before with the old ECU. Honestly, not too much need for more power.

I've swapped back/forth between E10 pump gas and E85 to reconcile the lambda differences I'm seeing with different fuels. I'm now within 2% regardless of what fuel is in the tank. I think that's about as good as its gonna get. This process takes some time, because even when the tank is "empty" of E10 and you refill with pump E85 - the overall ethanol content will only be about 55-60%. It takes several tanks of fuel to get it all the way up to 70-75%, which seems to be the maximum percentage in "E85" around here. Same thing goes switching back to gasoline - takes several tanks.

The only other thing I've messed with in the past few months is the cold start fueling. With the recent cold snap, we got some mornings that were 30-40º. Not that I intended on actually driving the car those days - but I did take the opportunity to test/tune cold starts on E85. It was obvious I needed more fuel. It'd fire and putt-putt for a second or two, then peter out. The weather warmed back up before I could truly feel confident I've got the cold start nailed - but the last time I tried, it was 28º and it lit right up and ran happily.

Over the winter, I'll need to work on this more - because the amount of extra fuel required gets crazy under about 30º.

In college, I worked on the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge... My team ran laboratory-grade E85. One of the "challenges" at competition was the cold start, which was conducted in mid-February, in the UP of Michigan, at 6:00 AM. Typical temp was about 0ºF. When we set out to calibrate the ECU, my advisor/prof explained that below 25-30º, you should ignore ALL the alcohol in the fuel....assume the ONLY actual fuel you're getting is the mass-fraction of gasoline.

From there, you can calculate what % increase in injector fueling you need to get enough gasoline into the engine to support combustion. It worked. But you see some fantastical enrichment numbers in your cold start table - and there's so much liquid going into the engine - you'll wet the plugs really fast if it doesn't start quick.

Reminds me - in the late 1990s, GM held a college competition where they'd give a Chevy pickup to any college that wanted to compete. The goal was to convert the truck to run on E85, and then partake in a competition for whose was the fastest, lowest-emissions, best fuel economy, etc. There was a cold-start test. The first year, most of the teams passed. The second year, GM conducted the test in their -40º climatic chamber - and only one team passed:

That team built/installed a little still for distilling the gasoline out of the E85 fuel. The still was heated via engine coolant. The raw gasoline produced was stored in a small tank. The engine was always started on gasoline - then switched over to E85 after 30-40 seconds. Pretty clever.

I'm kind of disappointed (but 0% surprised) that the e85 around me is also no more than 70%. I figured when I first tried it, maybe there was still too much e10 in the tank, but seems now that 70% is the limit. To be fair, the pumps all say minimum 70%, they're not lying.

I wonder how much of the colleges' methods were used in the flex-fuel equipped vehicles of the mid oughts? Minus the mini-distillery.

 

[Ki11bert]

Such a great thread! I am doing a lot of similar upgrades to my build. Thank you for sharing all of your hard work!

 

[Hodgdon Extreme]

Such a great thread! I am doing a lot of similar upgrades to my build. Thank you for sharing all of your hard work!

I'm glad you've found it at all helpful!

I like sharing ideas and approaches for others to either use straight-up; or for inspiration to conjure up new ideas. It also makes for a rather good diary/journal to reference in the future to remind yourself of what you were up to, what you were thinking about and why you approached things the way you did. Last, if you ever go to sell the car - you can point prospective buyers to the thread so they can see for themselves what all went into building it.

I've hardly touched the car this summer. I've driven it a few times but it's been hot as balls, the AC doesn't work and I've been too busy working on my other stuff to sort it out. Super bummer the AC worked awesome when I started the makeover, didn't leak at all during the makeover process, and now the compressor doesn't do jack schett... Means I need to do a whole overhaul of the system. Ugh...went through that on my nearly-stock IS300 and it's not a super fun job.

I do intend to get back after ECU stuff in the not-distant future. I still have a bunch of things on the docket - traction control, anti-lag, closed-loop boost and more. Also, lately I've had a hankering for another big upfit:

Either a top end build with ported head, GSC269 cams, etc - or a new turbo kit with manifold, turbo, downpipe, intercooler and piping.

 

[The-IS]

I'm glad you've found it at all helpful!

I like sharing ideas and approaches for others to either use straight-up; or for inspiration to conjure up new ideas. It also makes for a rather good diary/journal to reference in the future to remind yourself of what you were up to, what you were thinking about and why you approached things the way you did. Last, if you ever go to sell the car - you can point prospective buyers to the thread so they can see for themselves what all went into building it.

I've hardly touched the car this summer. I've driven it a few times but it's been hot as balls, the AC doesn't work and I've been too busy working on my other stuff to sort it out. Super bummer the AC worked awesome when I started the makeover, didn't leak at all during the makeover process, and now the compressor doesn't do jack schett... Means I need to do a whole overhaul of the system. Ugh...went through that on my nearly-stock IS300 and it's not a super fun job.

I do intend to get back after ECU stuff in the not-distant future. I still have a bunch of things on the docket - traction control, anti-lag, closed-loop boost and more. Also, lately I've had a hankering for another big upfit:

Either a top end build with ported head, GSC269 cams, etc - or a new turbo kit with manifold, turbo, downpipe, intercooler and piping.

Hey man love the build. This is my first time logging on in almost a decade. The day that you decide to part ways with Toyomoto log manifold, please let me know. I have been trying to hunt one down for my personal is300 for quite some time. I am Lance's son. Thanks

 

[Hodgdon Extreme]

Hey man love the build. This is my first time logging on in almost a decade. The day that you decide to part ways with Toyomoto log manifold, please let me know. I have been trying to hunt one down for my personal is300 for quite some time. I am Lance's son. Thanks

Neat! I wonder if your dad remembers this car and the story (if any) behind it?

Did you catch the bit about my turbo manifold being cracked? I repaired it with EZtig filler rod for cast iron... It's been holding up but welding cast iron is sketchy...

I've been scheming on upgrading my hot side with new manifold, turbo, downpipe.

Was my intent to sell the old stuff as a kit; I'll definitely let you know when the time comes!

 

[The-IS]

Neat! I wonder if your dad remembers this car and the story (if any) behind it?

Did you catch the bit about my turbo manifold being cracked? I repaired it with EZtig filler rod for cast iron... It's been holding up but welding cast iron is sketchy...

I've been scheming on upgrading my hot side with new manifold, turbo, downpipe.

Was my intent to sell the old stuff as a kit; I'll definitely let you know when the time comes!

I doubt he has any memory of it. He's tuned so many cars.

I saw that repair on the underside w the EZtig, but Im really not concerned with that as Im not looking for all out power here. As long as its suitable for the ~450whp Im looking for. I know there is a lot better stuff out there now in the modern day, but thats not what Im after with this build.

If your gonna sell everything as a kit, Im very interested. I would probably use everything minus the turbo and the Haltech.

 

[Hodgdon Extreme]

Here's a public service announcement for anybody running a Link G4x having issues with ECU to PC connectivity:

Make your own tuning cable using a Link CAN-F plug: Plug (CANF)

Buy a high quality USB extension cable of sufficient length, cut off the female USB receptacle end, and solder on the CAN-F connector.

Dunno if necessary, but I also added ferrite beads to each end of the cable.

Background info:

The Link tuning cable is not long enough to reach inside the cabin, considering the ECU box location just rearward of the left headlamp in IS300.

Thus, you'll need to use a USB extension cable.

I was battling connection issues. It'd always work when I ran engine with hood up and without the extension cable, but I obviously never drove it that way.

With extension cable, it'd always work at first, but always drop out and lose connection at some point. Sometimes after 20 or 30 minutes, but sometimes after only a few minutes.

Once it lost communication, it'd never reconnect until I waited a good while.

Link tech support had me chasing an electromagnetic interference (EMI) issue, likely caused by my ignition system.

I checked and re-checked my grounds, tried new grounding paths, tried at least 6 different USB extension cables - including "active" ones, adding ferrite beads, different plug wires... To no avail...

Meanwhile, it always "felt" like either a heat problem (the ECU gets quite hot in that box), or a cable problem.

I tried various schemes with the little hose that goes from radiator fan shroud to ECU box, but that didn't help.

Eventually I realized the Link CAN port connector is the same as the port for the tuning cable. So I bought the CAN-F plug and soldered it onto a high quality, well-shielded USB extension cable.

Problem solved.

 

[Hodgdon Extreme]

Here is the pinout situation for anyone that cares:

WITH MATING SIDE FACING AWAY FROM YOU AND LOOKING DIRECTLY AT THE SOLDER PINS ON REAR OF CONNECTOR:

• Pin 1: Ground
• Pin 2: Not Connected
• Pin 3: Data +
• Pin 4: Data -
• Pin 5: 5V Vcc
• Pin 6: Not Connected

LOOKING INTO THE MATING END OF MALE TYPE A USB CONNECTOR:

• Pin 1: 5V Vcc
• Pin 2: Data -
• Pin 3: Data +
• Pin 4: Ground
• Case: Not Connected

 

[AlwaysBroken]

Fabricated the patch-plates for the valve cover and welded them in:

Here it is mocked up:

And with the coils about where they'll be installed once my bracket is made:

I think I'm going to go ahead and weld the patch plates on the outside, too - and then grind/sand them down to hopefully make it look like one piece.

Sorry for digging up this old post but I find myself needing to do something similar to my valve cover due to some oversight on my project. How easy was it to weld the valve covers? The only information I could find about the valve covers was people on Supra forums saying they’re magnesium so welding was a no go. But they seem to weld fine. Any tips you could give me before I hack away at mine?

 

[Hodgdon Extreme]

But they seem to weld fine. Any tips you could give me before I hack away at mine?

They welded just fine. Follow best practice aluminum prep and it shouldn't be a problem.

Just be sure you clamp the covers to your weld bench as rigidly as possible to prevent/minimize warping.

I forgot to do that on my first one and it turned into a banana.

Some comments mentioned some JZ covers are magnesium. They said "MG" will be cast into them. Plus you should be able to feel they're lighter.

No issue, magnesium welds just like aluminum. Mix in 30-50% helium, use AC, use mg filler, and BE SURE TO HAVE ADEQUATE FIRE SUPPRESSION PLAN.

 

[AlwaysBroken]

Thanks for the advice. It’s good to hear that warping can be managed and it seems relatively straightforward. I had some awful warping with the intake manifold flange. Hopefully I can manage it better this time.

Somehow, I missed the post here that said the vvti covers are aluminum. (or rather I completely forgot about it. It seems like I’ve forgotten a little too much about the mechanical side of things relating to the car). Of course i found this out after running some tests on the valve covers. Vinegar doesn’t react to it and the shavings don’t light on fire with a blow torch. Definitely aluminum so that’ll make it easier to deal with.