3900 swap into Fiero

[bszopi]

You want me to do the slideshow thing again for you?

Looking good though!

[Joseph Upson]

You want me to do the slideshow thing again for you?

Looking good though!

I'm so out of it I haven't tried it, I don't think I've even seen it yet, busy trying to determine whether I'm darker because of excessive sun exposure or dirt.

[bszopi]

From my experiences, I'd say a combination of both!

[ForcedFirebird]

You want me to do the slideshow thing again for you?

Looking good though!

I would! That worked quite nice.

[Joseph Upson]

Okay, finally figured out how to at least view the Gallery and then discovered that clicking on what use to be the folder with pictures automatically opens up as the Gallery. Thanks bszopi.

[bszopi]

Yeah, I did that since you had already provided a link for people to view the pictures.

[Joseph Upson]

Added some more pictures to the gallery. I'm getting closer, the wiring harness needs to be re-pinned and I'll get started on that tomorrow. I have one coolant hose to connect that's in a tight spot thanks to the A/C hose relocation caused by the turbo plumbing.

I also have to install the axles after I assemble them, connect the last leg of the fuel line to the rail which by the way is now a returnless system thanks to the regulator design found on the GM 8100 big block motor starting in 2001, it has a regulator adjustment screw on the top that I'm hoping will allow me to build at least 60 psi static fuel pressure on the Walbro high pressure pump capable of 100 psi.

The fuel tank is still a hold out because I removed the resistor from the sending unit to examine it due to a temperamental gauge not knowing that the retaining screws are also the adjusting screws and no I didn't count turns before removing it so I'll need to test the gauge function before reinstalling it in the tank because when it goes up I want it to stay up for a very long time.

Otherwise just a lot of odds and ends on the small side, the alternator has to go in and it will require notching of the decklid rail, I'm waiting for someone to tell me whether or not it is one of those variable output alternators like what's found in the cadillac and the ecotec, not sure how to make it put out full power if it is, I sure want the full benefit of the 125 amps it produces.

I really have to try hard to get this thing started by the end of Thursday because I have to be back in Atlanta for rotations Monday and I'll need at least a full day of test driving and tuning to see how it behaves.

The six speed tranny is rowing through all gears though I haven't connected the hydraulics since I have to figure out how to reduce the amount of travel the mastercylinder produces since the hydraulic throwout bearing doesn't require as much volume as the old slave cylinder.

http://josephupson.60degreev6.com/3900build

Technical difficulties, I have to add the pictures in a different manner since they are not showing up in the gallery with the rest.

[bszopi]

Technical difficulties, I have to add the pictures in a different manner since they are not showing up in the gallery with the rest.

Should be working now... Did you follow my instructions in the PM I sent you about adding pics to the gallery? Well, I did and the new pics still didn't show up. :P I ended up having to do an uncached refresh (CRTL+F5). It should work now for everything though.... We'll see.

Looking good, btw

[Joseph Upson]

Finally I have ignition, the first ignition module was bad so it was scary for a moment. It looks like the 7x ring is doing its job so far as I watched the sparks jump the post pairs starting with 1-4 and moving on down the line. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get it to run.

At the moment I'm using the 91 Lumina code to keep things simple, once I get engine fire I'll switch to the 8F code and 2 bar MAP. I have light so I'll start early in the morning because I want to hear the engine run to reward all of my hard work.

[IsaacHayes]

NIIICE!

[Joseph Upson]

It ran on two occassions although irratically, I had about three different holes open on the intake so I didn't expect it to be normal. I just wanted to confirm that it should at least fire even if it didn't run continuously.

I had to use starter fluid to get it started which suggests it's not getting enough cranking fuel. Don't use starter fluid even if you have to put gas in a cup and throw it in the intake because that stuff is dangerous, even with light spraying at the TB while the engine was being cranked I still got reversion which blew my arm back a little without injury however it was a good thing the brake booster, PVC fitting at the intake and IAC solenoid ports were open to help dissipate the explosion pressure in the manifold, I was also holding the throttle open a little also.

After that it started trying to catch and run without help while trying to start and then it quit showing any signs of wanting to run. I didn't find out until hours of frustration later that the crank sensor (used) had failed and I wasn't getting ignition spark. I confirmed it the next day with an Oscilloscope and that leads me to believe the sensor was intermittent because I had to remove the initial coil assembly I installed for failure to fire and had at least one incident where the spark looked weak during a spark plug test.

I'm using valve spring shims to properly space the sensor from the crank trigger wheel and it's set at about .040. I recall the range being about .030-.070. I had to notch the shims to make room for the retaining screw.

I will not be able to make another start attempt until next month when I go back home. Hopefully by then my Moates emulator will be connecting with the ecm so I can verify sensor inputs.

[IsaacHayes]

Ah that ol CPS. Don't get an autozone one! Yes they can become intermittent. Oh well you are a lot closer now. Time off from it will give you some fresh eyes when you go back to it.

[Joseph Upson]

Back at it.

I have finally successfully connected via ALDL. I installed the 90-91 Beretta chip and read another source of instructions and downloaded the XDF file and ads file for the A1 platform off a thread on the Z24 forum and it worked.

This revealed a crucial problem as well as affirmed the need to make an ALDL connection.

The TPS is working fine starting at 0 and increasing linearly to over 90Kpa.

The O2 signal is intact I confirmed it by grounding the wire altering voltage.

The MAP signal however is constantly maxed out and showed no change with vacuum applied to it and no change when it was unplugged so I don't know if it's bad considering I would have expected to see a Kpa fluctuation when I unplugged it (the number didn't budge) or I may somehow have it connected improperly although I back probed the harness.

I suspect that it could make it difficult for the engine to start and run if at all since vacuum is being created as the engine is cranked under normal conditions and the TPS/MAP mismatch may be causing trouble and is probably why it didn't respond to throttle change on the two brief episodes it did run.

I still have to get a CPS sensor, and since the dealers are closed I'll have to wait until Monday since I plan to do GM only on ignition parts.

I used an oscilloscope on the bad CPS sensor and it tested bad, the voltage wave signal on the scope registered very weak and the peaks were actually curves instead of points like those in the demonstration picture that I posted under the internal reluctor wheel thread.

If anyone thinks of some pointers that will help let me know.

[IsaacHayes]

Sounds like you are on the right track. You sure the MAP is wired right? You could run an old style MAP too to test out if the new style is bad but that would require cutting the pigtail again.

What MAP are you currently using? The 3900, the old box style, or a 2 bar in either box style or 3900 size?

[Joseph Upson]

I'm running TGP code so the 3900 MAP will not work for that. It's possible it's wired incorrectly but it shouldn't be. I plan to check the wiring again tomorrow. I'll also go ahead and connect up the Zeitronix unit also as the second data logging source and check the MAP reading against it.

Is it possible that since I didn't try to crank the car that the ECM posts a steady MAP reading until the engine is cranked over since at immediate start up the MAP reading is incorrect relative to the TPS sensor anyway and the TPS can cause a no start in clear flood mode indicating its priority over the MAP on start up?