Ahhh, the joys of engine development. After
fiddling with getting the timing set (thanks to y'all for this info) I
was able to start my new engine. I ran it for a few minutes while
checking for leaks etc. I was thrilled it started
again.....however........
I found one leak coming from the top of the
engine where I had a heater hose inlet sealed off. It was tapped out
earlier but only clamped closed so I installed a bolt with some sealant on
it and recovered it with a end hose piece and clamped it shut. This
proved a better choice.
The larger concerns are this. When the
engine started the Engine Monitor was on, and I kept a diligent eye on it.
After a couple of glances at it in the cabin while looking at the engine I
realized that the monitor was not "monitoring". I grabbed
my handheld laser temp monitor and pointed it at the engine and
temp was still ok. At first I just noticed the RPM was not
regersting (my first thought was I was gonna get the NOP signal), then that
the temp was not moving. After shut down, I turned the monitor
off and back on and instantly the monitor started working again.
Hmmmmmm. The monitor was mistakenly left on overnight and I am
guessing it "froze up" during this time, but I would have not thought
leaving it on would have done this. It also worked on my three
subsequent short starts. Of course my hope is that this was
an anomaly, but will stay aware that it did happen.
However the biggest problems follows. When the
engine started it was running a little fast, but did not seem too bad and I
throttled back and it slowed a bit. When I noticed that the monitor was
not processing data I grabbed the mixture knob and turned it to slow
the engine and to see if it made any difference. Damn, the mixture
knob was not doing ANYTHING. NOTHING. Turning it from left to
right made no difference. Damnit. I cut the fuel
at this point, too many issues. BTW, the prime function, cold start
switch and A/B inputs all seemed to work and would make a difference
when operated. But not the mixture knob.
After letting the engine cool a while
(the temps did rise pretty fast per my hand held laser temp gage
and I was pushing 220 after several minutes on a hot/humid Houston summer
day) I restarted to see if the engine monitor was working. It was.
However, the mixture know was not. I re-checked the other
inputs and they all worked. The engine was running
pretty rough......gee, the mixture actually makes a difference
<g>.
After shut down I disconnected the
batteries (I have installed master battery cut-offs) and then
the control module and ECU and checked the wires between the two.
This was just a quick continuity check and the wire was good. I then
took a meter and in my non electrician mode attempted to check the
actual knob. I place leads on the two prongs that seem to be
soldered to the control board and turned the knob. The numbers changed
up and down as expected when I turned the know....so it seems that the knob
itself is not the culprit, and the wire seems ok. What else should I
check and/or try? I kinda need the mixture control to work.
Is there a way to test to to test to determine
if this knob is actually doing anything when the engine is not
running??????
Of course my timing sucks as Tracy is about to
hit Colorado.. So any solutions y'all may be able to provide should
prove especially useful.
I anxiously await y'alls response.
Maybe I should just go ride my loud motorcycle
to think thinks through. <g>
Thanks again.
All the best,
Chris Barber
Houston