Aston Martin V8 Vantage

[Exidous]

That's a crazy number of fuses.

[kinger]

Question for the crew at large:  Sensors.  Am I forgetting anything I should be monitoring?   Here's what's planned so far:

Left/Right Bank Wideband (MoTeC LTCD, LSU 4.9)
Engine Coolant Temp (LowDoller)
Engine Coolant Pressure (LowDoller)
Oil Temp (Haltech/Universal)
Oil Pressure (OEM)
Supercharger Inlet Air Temp (OEM)
Supercharger Inlet Air Pressure (OEM)
Supercharger Outlet Air Temp (OEM)
Supercharger Outlet Pressure aka MAP (OEM)
Flex Alcohol %
Fuel Temp (Flex sensor)
Low Side (feed) Fuel Pressure (LowDoller)
High Side Fuel Pressure (OEM)
Pan Pressure (LowDoller)
Brake Switch (OEM)
Clutch Switch High and Low (OEM)
VSS (Transmission)
Wheel Speed (All 4, OEM via CAN)
Ambient Air Temp (Adding a second OEM TMAP)
Ambient Air Pressure (Adding a second OEM TMAP)
Transmission Oil Temp (OEM)
GPS (10 hz, MoTeC)
DBW/Pedal Position, Cam position, crank position (Obviously)

I -have- EGT inputs available on my MoTeC E888, but I really don't think that's super necessary and it's probably 900 dollars in sensors and a TON of wiring I don't want to deal with.  I don't see a huge need for brake or clutch pressure sensors for my usage, either.

I'm finalizing some parts orders and diagrams and want to make sure I'm not missing anything obvious that I should be monitoring, since adding it later is annoying. 

I ALMOST ordered up a MoTeC PDM15 to run the engine, but honestly, I'm not sure I see much benefit.  My current plan reuses the OEM fusebox with the OEM relays/fuses doing the same jobs they did stock.  Putting a PDM in means I don't have to deal with changing a fuse/relay I guess, but I'll still have that fusebox for all of the OEM jobs.  I am definitively not buying the 2x PDM30s I'd need to rebuild the entire chassis with PDM as that sounds like a terrible job and would cost me like 7k which is a lot for giggles.

Do you need anything with AC pressure?  I am also not using any EGTs on my ls7 build for the exhaust but I do plan to sprinkle a few EGT probes around the car since they are easy and very accurate, so I will use one in cabin and possibly use logic to kick on AC automatically, I will use one for under hood temps just to see how hot it is and if any thermal management, vented hood, etc. helps.

I wouldn't go PDM in fact I am reusing all the halfspec wiring he did on the power side as it works perfect and no need to go PDM.  I would only go PDM if I was starting with no wiring.  Just my opinion. 

I did request access under my piergenius@gmail email.  Thanks!

[digitalsolo]

Ah, I forgot, I do have an AC pressure sensor in the mix.  Too many things to remember off hand.  LOL

You should have access now.

[digitalsolo]

Starting on the (re)build process, finally.  Sent the 2JZ Camaro home with my friend, and so far it seems to be happy again with the new harness.

Progress on the Aston is good; I'm not killing myself on stuff just yet, since I don't have the M142 from John Reed yet.  As I've done all of this work MULTIPLE times now, I'm at least good at it...

Front suspension is fully removed.   Rear suspension is staying (mostly) on, since I need to drop the whole subframe to get the tank out.   

I drained the oil into a brand new "contained" drain setup that I pre-cleaned, as I plan to put that oil back in (I'll run it through a paint filter on the way back in to look for any crud, but it looked perfect and has... 1.5 miles... on it).   For coolant, I stared at the radiator for a bit, then said 'screw this' and bought a fluid extractor.  Wow, wish I had one of these 5 years ago.  Top 5 tools for <100 bucks, for sure.  Less than 5 minutes and the cooling system was empty and I don't have a mess on the floor, plus I can reload my brand new, not cheap, coolant.   Win.

I pulled most of the electrical out to allow that to drop and pulled the exhaust, then drained the supercharger coolant loop.   Finally I pulled the parking brake cables and dropped the trans/diff coolers.   Next up is disconnecting the radiator/power steering bits (will vacuum evacuate the P/S as well).   Then disconnect clutch line and oil cooler lines, and THEN I should be able to drop the drivetrain.

Planning to do that next weekend, and hopefully the Motec will be here the following week and I can get started on the harness.  If not I'll get started on the fuel system upgrades and knock that part out.

[cholmes]

Which fluid extractor did you buy for the coolant?

[digitalsolo]

This one:  https://www.harborfreight.com/23-gallon-manual-fluid-extractor-62643.html

[shainiac]

Nice progress. I'm really looking forward to your Motec experience. I'm super jealous of having the ability to do torque demand, especially with a DBW PD blower. You should be able to have infinite control of torque with throttle, unlike turbo stuff that'll push past a partially closed blade and keep making boost. Being able to command torque should make power management and traction control excellent.

Fluid extractors are so handy. I have a gross old one I use for bleeding brakes. It sometimes requires a wrap of teflon tape above the seat on the bleeder screw to keep air from getting drawn around the threads, but it works really well. I've bled every set of brakes and clutch on the car solo.

I think you can rig up a bucket with 2 bulkhead fittings, one to the vacuum source, and another to the thing you're trying to drain. That way it keeps the extractor from getting contaminated if you're doing oil, coolant, etc. I'm not sure how much pressure a bucket can tolerate, but I've seen people use them for dust collectors and they'll stack 2+ buckets inside each other for more strength.

Sounds dumb, but I used two different coolant types for the A2W intercooler (pink) and engine coolant (green). Now I know which one is leaking and where to go looking for loose clamps or fittings. 

[Cobranut]

Nice progress. I'm really looking forward to your Motec experience. I'm super jealous of having the ability to do torque demand, especially with a DBW PD blower. You should be able to have infinite control of torque with throttle, unlike turbo stuff that'll push past a partially closed blade and keep making boost. Being able to command torque should make power management and traction control excellent.

Fluid extractors are so handy. I have a gross old one I use for bleeding brakes. It sometimes requires a wrap of teflon tape above the seat on the bleeder screw to keep air from getting drawn around the threads, but it works really well. I've bled every set of brakes and clutch on the car solo.

I think you can rig up a bucket with 2 bulkhead fittings, one to the vacuum source, and another to the thing you're trying to drain. That way it keeps the extractor from getting contaminated if you're doing oil, coolant, etc. I'm not sure how much pressure a bucket can tolerate, but I've seen people use them for dust collectors and they'll stack 2+ buckets inside each other for more strength.

Sounds dumb, but I used two different coolant types for the A2W intercooler (pink) and engine coolant (green). Now I know which one is leaking and where to go looking for loose clamps or fittings.

That's a great idea about the bucket.
I'm going to pick up one of these transfer pumps, and I'll get some fittings to rig up some buckets for different materials.
https://www.harborfreight.com/multi-use-transfer-pump-63144.html?utm_source=go&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=cpnlink

Actually, I might rig a way to use my pneumatic vacuum brake bleeder to pull fluid into a bucket.
It pulls a pretty strong vacuum, without manual pumping.

[digitalsolo]

A few things:

1.  My firmware doesn't have torque demand tuning (the GPRP paddle shift/trans control firmwares do).
2.  I have a little pump that I use for various oils, and plan to keep the "big one" for coolant.
3.  That's a good all on the separate colors for ID.  I'm using the "one color so I can keep one coolant 'in stock'" theory.
4.  The pump model I have only took 3-4 pumps before it pulled most of the coolant out.  I was surprised, it didn't take much effort at all.

[digitalsolo]

Alright, mostly for my own edification, here's my plans for this weekend:

Vacuum drain P/S system
Disconnect P/S Lines
Remove radiator hoses
Disconnect heater hoses (yay, quick disconnects!)
Disconnect Clutch Line
Disconnect AC lines
Pull shifter surround
Pull 12V high amp leads (Alt/Starter)
Drop drivetrain

Start sorting out where I'm going to route the harness.  It's VERY tight at the firewall where it routes now, and it occurs to me that when redesigning things, I can... move them.

So now I'm looking at where I want the harness to run, and where I want the ECU to live.  Maybe in the OEM location, maybe not.  Probably not.  More to come...   My ECU and my CanChecked MFD28 are supposed to be here in the next week or two, so I'm hoping to get the harness going ASAP.   I need to get as much done as possible before April as I'm all over the place (Chicago, South Bend, Dallas, Portugal) in April for martial arts stuff.

[digitalsolo]

Drivetrain is out.  I... may have forgotten to move a coolant pipe out of the way when lifting up/down checking clearance.    In other news, I'm going to upgrade to new quick connects on the heater hoses.  Definitely not because one is smashed flat.  Totally unrelated...

Next up is dropping the fuel tank and doing the pump upgrades.  My MFD28 comes in today (excited to play with that) and the M142 should be here in the next couple of weeks.

[digitalsolo]

Almost forgot;  in my effort to sort out some slightly weird clutch hydraulics clearances, I ordered a C5 bellhousing to match my C5 torque tube which came with a C6 bellhousing, which I bought from a guy that took it all out of a C6...   weird.

Anyway, I found a good condition two piece C5 bell and I'll measure it up and see if it makes a difference.  If it doesn't, I'll still use it because I had to hog out a big spot to make the C5 hydraulics clear the C6 bell, and that annoys me.   Hopefully it's about 1/8" deeper, and I can get rid of the 1/8" spacer I had laser cut to sort out the "too long" stack height in the hydraulics/clutch.  If not, it's an artifact of a Gen V clutch with a Gen III torque tube/hydraulics.   Either way it's fine, but I'd like it to be... less weird.

[shainiac]

Clutch hydraulics are one of those things that's tough to nail, annoying when it's not right, and a pain in the ass to fix. Glad you're able to make some changes while everything's out.
Having a swapped car definitely makes you appreciate how much OE engineering when into the clutch system alone. There's a lot to screw up lol.

[kinger]

Good thing you pulled the engine to get to those heater hose connections so you could put in the disconnect haha 

[digitalsolo]

LOL, yeah, whoops.   I'm also changing the lower radiator hose since it was a royal PITA to mess with before.   Going to push lock and silicone hose instead of stainless braided hose.

I am about 65% done with the engine harness layup.  I have all of the engine wiring in place and the main run lay'd up and laced in.   I did a small section of heat shrink but won't be able to do the rest until the ECU is in place so that I can sort out exactly how the chassis integration wiring will lay out.

Next up is finishing up the lay up on the branches that run to the engine sensors.   Once those are done, I'll put the Raychem DR25 on them, then glue/epoxy seal the branch points, and finally I can put the connectors on.

Once the engine side of the harness is done I'm going to build a few aluminum brackets to hold it in place/support it on the engine so that it can't move out of where I want it.  When the M142 comes in I will put the chassis back down on the drivetrain, final measure length (it's a little long on purpose right now) and build the chassis branches and terminate/seal the ECU side.   I need to design a bracket for the ECU as well.  I'm planning to 3D print one in ABS with TPU for vibration damping.

Mostly I'm trying to procrastinate on dropping the tank and upgrading the fuel system because that's probably going to suck.