new best, fixed pump, and, strange problem

[Pablo]

I went to the track last night, but beforehand I decided to test my alky system as i was having as strange knock problem that was getting worse. I used a bike pump to simulate pressure to the MAP.

I brought up pressure and the pump kicked on and immediately started squirting alky from under the pressure switch. I took it apart and found no obvious damage but no matter what I did it would still leak. I ended up making a new gasket out of a bicycle inner tube and it works like a champ. I know the rubber and alky dont mix well but I figure it will be awhile before it leaks again and it only took me a minute or two to make the gasket.

Anyway, after I did this, it completely changed how the egts were looking and how the car was running. The egts dropped immensely which leads me to believe the pump had been leaking for quite some time. I was still having a problem with knock that Ill describe in a second..

I went to the track and my wb was showing a little rich, the EGT was real low too, in teh 1300s.. so i lowered FP some and got up around 1390 egt with a high 11 to 12 flat AFR. With this I got tiny amount of kr on launch (like 1.5deg) and then a clean KR free run which netted me a 7.5@91.8 on around 26 psi

now to my problem, the AFRs and everything else look good but I cannot street drive the car like this. It knocks bad, if i just gun it from a roll ill get crazy KR.. basically any time the boost is transitioning from 0 to what it settles at, it will knock. I think at the track I manage to prevent this because I stage and build some boost on the line. So alky is allready flowing. Seems like there is almost a delay in the introduction of alky or something, maybe not enough initially.

Even during the burn out when im not trying to floor it with the tires spinning ill get nasty KR, i think this goes along with what Ive observed because during the burnout my boost is fluctuating quite a bit since i work the throttle to hold around a particular rpm.

anyone have this problem? and if so, whats the fix? Would the pressure screw on the pump change any characteristics of that transition period?

 

[Pablo]

oh, and another thing, when i press the test button nothing at all happens. I thought it was my imagination but hte pump light and everything comes on.. the pump itself does not pump. Never did, I pulled the outlet hose off the pump to be sure and nothing comes out at all with the test button depressed.

 

[Pablo]

ok, update, i thought maybe I wasnt getting a good signal from the vacuum block to the map so i teed off the compressor vacuum port from the boost controller to the map sensor.

I started driving and noticed immediately that it was sensing boost far far earlier than before. Took it out and voila i had insane amounts of alky down low, no problem taking care of my transitional lack of alky. I drove around for awhile tweaking my settings and the car became an animal, and its hot outside. I must have left a hundred feet worth of rubber from a roll.

I decided to press the test button for some reason and all of the sudden the car stumbled... Did this somehow fix the test button I thought? I pressed it again, and sure enough, damn near made the car stall. Worked every time. Spent another hour cruising, tweaking and tuning. Then I didnt get on the boost at all for awhile.

Just to be sure it wasnt a fluke toward the end of my cruise i pressed the test button... Nothing happened. What the hell? I then wondered if there was something loose in the box or something so I got on the boost.. all of my lights came on but WHOA big time knock. Now im wondering what the hell is going on.. so i get back and i start jiggling the pump wires to the power box.. still nothing. I go to the front of the car and jiggle the wires on the pump which seem loose on the pressure switch. I go back and start the car, while im waiting a second or two for my WB to flip on and start reading I decide to go under the dash and wiggle my ground and that big capacitor. Everything down there seemed solid. Get back out from under the dash and press test

*stall*

it works again

now since I was a dumbass I cant be sure it was the somewhat loose wires on the pressure switch or the wires going in to the bottom of the pump (they seemed solid) or the wires to the capacitor and ground. I checked out the capacitor and the solder on there looks good so i taped it back up and my ground looks solid as can be. Im pretty sure and hoping its the wires on the pressure switch. They still dont feel like they are solidly on there, but the system is working.

To think this whole time I must have had it working intermittently. That would explain what seemed like a total lack of consistency with the way it was working.

Anyways, long story short, its running like a champion now. Plenty plenty plenty of alcohol.. more than I ever had before.

Double check your connections, especially to the pressure switch

 

[Razor]

Pablo,
Eliminate the pressure switch. The two red wires going to it, unplug and jump them together. If the screws to the switch somehow loosened up and alcohol leaked out, it is possible that alcohol could have gotten into the switch. If alcohol got into the switch.. then it is possible for the contacts to get damaged.

There is a plate I have that does away with the switch altogether. Drop me a call and i'll send it to you n/c. Also lets get the teflon disc and new seal on it. Bike rubber is not what I would want you to have on top of the pump.

All the pumps i've sold after Nov last year will feature the teflon seal on top of them to address this issue. Probably sometime this coming month I may decide to start "plate'ing" all the pumps. Anyone who's got my kit and want to run a plate..contact me.

 

[Pablo]

Well im back to square one. I went back out to secure the wires with zip ties and then pressed the test button. Nothing. Wiggled the wires every which way, nothing. Took off the wires from the pressure switch, pressed test, nothing.

Im gonna head out with my multimeter and figure out what the hell ive got going on.
BTW my pump had the teflon setup in there.. just leaked for some reason or another.

 

[Razor]

Well im back to square one. I went back out to secure the wires with zip ties and then pressed the test button. Nothing. Wiggled the wires every which way, nothing. Took off the wires from the pressure switch, pressed test, nothing.

Im gonna head out with my multimeter and figure out what the hell ive got going on.
BTW my pump had the teflon setup in there.. just leaked for some reason or another.

If it had the teflon seal(white gasket with three holes) underneath the switch, then it shouldnt of leaked... if it did/has.. I want to know about it.

When you get your meter out and start to play, drop me a call will ya. Hitting the test button you should see aprox 3 volts. Also look at the power injection bulb.. its brightness gives you a clue as to how much voltage is being put out.

Make sure the Initial inside the box hasnt been turned down by accident. If you turn down the initial, the pump may not spin when you hit the test button. Want a nice safe setting 12-1 o'clock. And when the car is not running vs the car running makes a difference on how much the pump spins.

Less than a few minutes on the phone.. you'll be great again..