The Red Beast

[vristang]

I decided to start up a thread for this thing, and keep it separate from the Volvo Head Conversion.

Currently, it is fairly stock with an N/A 2.3 engine.
The factory engine blew up a few years back, and all I had on hand was a 2.3t shortblock...... so now the car has a 2.3t shortblock, complete with dished pistons (bad for the CR).

The car is still consistent with 27-28mpg over my 115 mile per day commute.

Currently I'm trying to restore some of the interior pieces, and get some comfortable seats that fit both me and the car.

The most extensive modification at this point is having converted to an LA3 ecu (from a '88 T-Bird turbo), and then converting that to MAF, as the tbird used a Vane Air Flow meter.
The conversion seemed pretty straight forward, but I am having major issues tracking down a wiring issue.  Pin 22, the fuel pump relay control keeps getting fried.  All my wiring changes/modifications have been checked by smarter people than me... so I'm pretty confident that I have a problem in the harness somewhere.

Carpet should be coming out this weekend, and I will have visibility of the wiring then.

A while ago, I installed an Air Dam from a Ranger.
I've attached some pics...
I was hoping for a slight MPG gain, but it didn't show in the data 

[vristang]

Here are the wiring changes I made to convert to LA3....

Pin	FB1	LA3	Action I Took
3	PSPS	VSS (+)	Added wire in
6	-	VSS (-)	Added wire in
24	ACD	Oct. Sw.	Jumped pin24 to pin 46
27	EVP	VAF	Converted to MAF-Ran to pin D on MAF meter
31	-	Boost	No BCS on my car-Removed pin
33	EGRV	EGR S/O	No EGR-Removed pin
34	-	3-4 Shift	No pin-Left it out
35	-	ACL	No pin-Left out
43	-	VAT	Ran to ACT-Originally pin 25
45	MAP	BP	Left wires intact/Disconnected Vac source
52	EGRC	HEDF	Removed Pin-Using External Fan Controller
55	-	EDF	No pin-Left out

Additionally, the following changes were made for MAF conversion...
MAF Pins __________ LA3 Pins
__ A _______________ 37
__ B _______________ 40
__ C _______________ 46
__ D _______________ 27


Note that the LA3_MAF Definition file that John developed has eliminated the code for the stock ACT, which is why I have moved the wire from pin 25 to pin 43.

I am using brown top injectors (35Lb), and the tune reflects this
I am using the stock 5.0 Mustang MAF meter, and the tune reflects this.

Attached is a schematic for the MAF swap, Wiring Diagram for the 88 tbird, and Wiring Diagram for the 87 Mustang.

[Fordota]

WTF is that supposed to mean? How the hell is Doug and I supposed to figure that out. Is that like a code or something 

[347HO]

Good god man...  it's a simple diagram with pinouts and their respective description.

[Gtcoupe]

I thought a pinout was when the wife lost the safety pin in her skirt.   

[Fordota]

No they are the tattoos that you get on your fore arm of the girls in the posters in your shop 

[vristang]

I spent the weekend working on wiring.

Done.....
1. Removed all traces of the EGR system
2. Removed all traces of the stock fan controller
3. Moved the Self-Test connectors into the glove box
4. Fixed the stereo wiring
5. Rerouted some of the wiring for placement
6. Replaced carpet (black)
7. Installed new front seat belts
8. New driver side door seal

The stock fan controller wiring was a known issue, but I didn't think is was nearly this bad.
The round connector in the pics never did separate, as the internals of the plug must have melted together.
The rectangular plug ran to the stock fan controller.
(the snake was found behind the passenger side rear quarter panel)

Still to do...
1. Fix the stock tach - must have removed 1 wire too many
2. Hide wiring in fenders
3. Hook up the VSS sensor
4. Get rid of the stock seats

If the current setup holds together for the rest of the week, then I will install a NEW ecu and the Moates QuarterHorse this weekend.
Right now, the car is running great.

I'll have to make my own Wiring Diagram for the car, as all of the factory ones are getting hard to read with crossed out sensors and removed wires 

[Fordota]

Good work Jason. I know how time consuming that is. I removed miles of wire from my rig and still didnt do as much as it looks like your doing. Thats really cool you know how to do that. Even the electricians I know wont touch automotive electrical. 

[jtmustang]

hey jason so i was gonna call u up as i hadn't heard from u in a while...

bu it looks to be that u have been busy with the "red beast"...


so any thing new on the 410 build?


and so are u still planning on taking the red car to the track...

[vristang]

so any thing new on the 410 build?

yep, coming soon....


I still want to get to the track, but want to flog the beast a little more to make sure it can take it.  I still have some 'loose ends' to finish up on the wiring as well...
This weekend is out, but possibly the next???

[vristang]

Figured I would update this, since selling the car didn't work...
The car has been out of commission for almost a year due to my purchase of an Outback as the daily driver.  In an attempt to get this car out of the way of the 408w work, I pulled the 2.3 and tried to sell the car.  The car didn't sell, so I'm piecing it back together as best I can.

The following is a break-down of what I tried to fix/achieve during this process.

• Charging - There was a charging issue when it was parked.  Bat and alt were new, so it was likely in the cables/grounding, but it was parked before I confirmed.
• 3G Alternator - Since I was running an electric fan, it seemed like a good idea...
• Pin 22 - I never did figure out why the fuel pump relay kept blowing up pin 22 on the ecu...  The plan is to install a diode on pin 22 wire, to prevent.  But a closer look at how I did the MAF wiring may reveal something I missed before.  The harness is out of the car now, so it should be easy to go over.

http://forum.turboford.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=053777 - This may help???

Ground the MAF signal return Negative and the battery negative  Together to the same chassis point somewhere near the MAF. This will help reduce noise and ground loops. The EEC injector current can try to return via the MAF signal return wire. THIS THE REASON FOR THE DIFFERENTIAL AMP MAF INPUT, it prevent ground loops and reduces noise.   But good grounding can get you real close....

Also, get an inline Radio noise suppressor from Pep Boys for the MAF positive supply. About 10$, it will reduce supply noise.

• Increase CR - Jason (jtmustang) had sold me a stock 2.3 short block from a 90+ Mustang, which had flat top pistons.  I am replacing the 2.3t short block (dished pistons), with this block.  Static CR will increase from ~8.2 to 9.4
• Cam Timing - I've switched over to a round tooth belt, which will allow me to run the adjustable cam pulley I have had sitting around for a while.
• Roller Cam - I have replaced the stock, and rather worn, slider cam with a roller cam from a later model 2.3.
• Exhaust - The stock exhaust manifold is being replaced by a ranger header.  Not sure if this is worth anything power wise.  Even if power is unaffected, it is lighter, allows complete deletion of EGR, and allows easy access for a WB O2 sensor.
• Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator & Gauge - While tearing down, I found that the nipple of the fuel pressure regulator was creating a vac leak... which would explain a couple things.  I found a spare regulator and gauge in the 'spares' box... so I've upgraded...
• EV6 Injectors - These are from newer Explorers and the harness plug does not need to be changed,  the body is slimmer, they are high impedance, and have 4 holes for a better spray pattern
• T4M0 Conversion - This is the ecu from the 5.0HO t5 Mustangs of 94-95.  This ecu supports DFSO, SEFI, Injector Timing, Fan Control, MAF, etc... This is a v8 ecu, so there is some work involved but most of it is in the tune parameters, not in the firmware like the LA3 required.
• Replace Hood - I picked this up from Jason (jtmustang) as well...

So, if you are asking 'why would someone put all this work into an n/a 4 cylinder?'... well basically, MPG's.
I will have only a couple hundred into this setup, and have been able to finance all of that from selling other junk I had laying around collecting dust.
The previous setup was getting 27-28, with an occasional spike of nearly 30mpg.
I'm hoping the work I'm doing now will allow the car to break 30mpg consistently.

[vristang]

Conversion of ecu's to T4M0 (94-95 Mustang, 5.0HO, t5)

Why?
The LA3 option was a 'hack'.
Some major changes had to be made not only to the tune/settings of the ecu, but also to the programming.  I was having some other fuel pump issues, but couldn't determine if that was due to the ecu or some weird wiring issue in the car.
The LA3 option still didn't provide individual injector firing (SEFI), control of injector timing, or Decel Fuel Shutoff.  All of these should make the car more drivable and tunable for MPG.


The T4M0 ecu has the following features...
# SEFI w/ control of Injector Timing
# 2-spd fan control
# MAF
# DFSO
# High Impedance Injectors

I considered the A9L/X3Z, but these both (arguably) lack fan control...
Also, a local was willing to sell his old T4M0 for less than it would have cost to buy another A9L/X3Z.


Below are some resources that were used during the decision process and conversion.
My questions regarding some wiring issues...
http://eectuning.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17706

The CBAZA ecu running a v6 supercoupe...
http://eectuning.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=17062

Some discussion on the merits of the CBAZA ecu...
http://eectuning.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17304

Discussion on some other n/a 2.3 MAF options...
http://eectuning.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15579

Discussion on the merits of the GUF* ecu...
http://eectuning.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16714

Injector Timing Discussion...
http://eectuning.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11334&sid=3dde4fffafb7b57aba035f6c2d636f0b

Discussion on Improving Wiring in our generation of cars...
http://forum.turboford.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=053966

[vristang]

I have been working this car a little, in order to get it (and it's fuel economy) back on the road.
I'm converting ecu's again, as the LA3 wasn't really ideal for a MAF setup.  Also, I found a T4M0 (95 GT v8 Mustang) at a great price from a local (Lyle - 410sn95).

There is a ton of wiring to sort out, then I will need to retune the ecu for the 4 cyl configuration.  The T4M0 has been converted by others to v6 applications, so I'm confident it will work.

The engine harness is getting close.  I have run injector wiring, and cleaned up the rest of the harness.  I should just need to move a few more pins, inspect, and install in the car.
I only get a couple hours a week to work on it though. 


I figured I would post this up... maybe it will keep me motivated... lol

[jtmustang]

...... ....

[vristang]

Well, the injector harness is done... as well as the vRef harness.  Next chunk to take on is the relays for the fuel pump, ecu, fan, etc...

I found a set of the 4 hole 19Lb injectors on an Exploder in the j/y, so those will be going on as well.