My Winter Project

[Prof]

Here is a pic and some vids of the device in action :cheers
 

 
This one was first thing - warming up:
 

 
and this one is taken at work - after a 25 minute run - intake temps had been below 40 the whole journey - but they start going up once the car is sat still.
 

 
 
The Intake Air temp has been as high as 60 after getting back in the car when it\'s been sat with the engine off for 20 minutes - this is all heat from the engine getting in and around the sensor. Time to lag the inlet pipe from the intercooler ?
 
Just for the record, the water temp goes up in 5 degree increments from 0 to 50, then increments normally after that.  The display will go red if the water temp goes over 91 degrees, or if the intake air goes over 90 (I might lower that alarm value)

[grinder]

now thats IMPRESSIVE dave

im liking that A LOT !!!!!!!!!!

shame you cant do a 2 line 2 colomn one that shows

Air      == xx               Oil = xx
Water == xx               Oil P = xx

now that would be very very very cool

[grinder]

dave ...

i have read you thread about 3 times now .. and im loving the gauge !

could you make the display act as a wide band ??

surely that works on a static range of values ??

or would the LCD not react quick enough

can you recommend any books to read to learn this stuff - or is it just down to the fact that you know what you are doing

[dthebuk]

Have you tried putting the air con on to blow hot air? Would be interesting to se how much of an effect it has

[Brett]

I\'ve got some books knocking around on basic PIC programing - maplin used to do ao good beginners range too.

[Prof]

now thats IMPRESSIVE dave
 
im liking that A LOT !!!!!!!!!!
 
shame you cant do a 2 line 2 colomn one that shows
 
Air == xx Oil = xx
Water == xx Oil P = xx
 
now that would be very very very cool

 
As the display part is just a serial display with a programmable backlight - that should be possible - the sensor reader only reads the 2 inputs, but the chip I used could handle 4 inputs - so as long as there are senders that feed the stock ECU, or alternatively adding your own, then it can be done.
 
As to displaying AFR\'s - the stock lambda sensor is a narrowband so it\'s not suitable for the job - and aftermarket wideband controller could be used - they usually have analogue outputs you can hook into - with the advantage they are linear so don\'t need big lookup tables.  I have another project on the boil for that one though - watch this space for an even cooler gauge...

[Prof]

I\'ve got some books knocking around on basic PIC programing - maplin used to do ao good beginners range too.

If anyone wants the code for either or both parts of the project I am happy to provide it - it\'s in PIC assembler - but the chips used are common and easily available.
 
I had to make the buffer device for the air and water signals as the eManage wasn\'t working well with the stock ECU - and since I had the signals there - it became another project to display them - it will actually help in setting up the eManage as well - so it was worth my while

[grinder]

could you not just add a wide band 02 sensor and use the native out put from that ( surely its just a voltage ) rather than having to use the controller ??

so you can have 4 out puts ... not sure what the 4 most important things are to check , and thats down to personal choice at the end of the day

i assume that you can monitor oil pressure as the incar gauge has that ?

[Prof]

The wideband O2 sensors are just a sensor element and heater - you\'d need to run the heater for starters - but that can be done, but the sensor element is very non linear - and not in a good way either.  Much like the narrow band lambda\'s, they have a large change in signal just around the stoich point - what the controllers do is linearize the output for you, along with controlling the heater, so that the validity of the reading can be given.  It\'s a shame as the sensors are much cheaper than a wideband controller - although the LC-1 can be had for £130 with a 4 wire bosch sensor.
 
The massive advantage with these is that you can program the analog outputs to any value within the 0-5 v range - which means you could set the output so that an AFR of 14.7 came out as 1.47 volts - very useful for displaying AFR\'s on a multimeter.

[pdtaylor18]

Dave, for my tank for the 2 stroke oil I am going to use a spare water overflow tank and put it at the front of the car with the other. Going to take out the plastic intake bit and out it there.  My cold air feed will come elsewhere. Its plenty high enough and will not even be noticed.  Its got no level sensor but i might use one from an old brake reservoir I have, going to tap into the squirter low water level system for the warning light. I will more than likey swop the tanks so that the water overflow is on the right hand side as you look from the front, this will keep the feed hose to a minimum and more direct.

[Prof]

Dave, for my tank for the 2 stroke oil I am going to use a spare water overflow tank and put it at the front of the car with the other. Going to take out the plastic intake bit and out it there. My cold air feed will come elsewhere. Its plenty high enough and will not even be noticed. Its got no level sensor but i might use one from an old brake reservoir I have, going to tap into the squirter low water level system for the warning light. I will more than likey swop the tanks so that the water overflow is on the right hand side as you look from the front, this will keep the feed hose to a minimum and more direct.

I\'m using a catch can with the clear plastic pipe on the side.  Going to drill and tap a 1/8 npt hole at the bottom so I can fit a hose barb, and that will then feed the adapter via a braided fuel/oil line.  It holds about 1/2 L, so I reckon that would last a good few fills of the petrol tank - so may not bother with a level sensor, although I\'m experimenting with capacitive liquid level monitoring - which I will use for the water injection tank - that\'s something that\'s likely to empty much quicker

[pdtaylor18]

I was going to go the catch can way but then thoght of the overfill bottle, that must hold a litre easily and then it will almost be un-noticeable, i\'m going to replace the charcoal cannister with a catch can. Trying to get the engine bay as uncluttered as I can.  Big delema is to keep air con or not.  The positives are plainly to see and especially more room for the intercooler pipework but something in my head says keep it.  But because its the old style gas it will cost £200 to get it converted to later spec unless anyone knows of a cheap DIY way of doing it. The above cost was a quote from a specialist.

[Brett]

Pete - there is an equivalent you can use - R34 iirc, used it in my old TII with no probs :wave

[BenLewisMav]

Hmm sounds a good setup for my WI...
A coolant overflow bottle rigged up with a brake fluid level sender, routed to an LED and buzzer on the dash, also going to the Microtech 12v in to retard the ign. timing and add more fuel when the WI runs out...

Have you considered a Windscreen/ pop up headlight washer Res. instead of the coolant overflow? (i dont actually have a spare coolant overflow res. hanging around). I guess the coolant overflow bottle actually has the right clips etc on it for mounting.

[pdtaylor18]

well i do have the pop up wash bottle but it will be mounted too low unless i get a pump on it.  Also its hard to tell the contents if its mounted in the original position. I will never need this so its yours if you want.  Think it comes with low level sensor built in. i will check.  The overflow is about the right height and will mount with no probs. it also stops the clutter within the bay to a minimum.
I think i only have one spare overflow bottle but i will check, think it will only hold 1-2 litres max.