85 GLH Turbo experimental testbed build

[rgl10]

These two videos bring me up to where I was currently am in this project here in Jan 2014. As soon as the weather permits I will start working on the control system. The first video show how the actuator moves the pulleys and the second video shows the engine running for the first time with the system installed but locked in the advanced position with a piece of rubber hose on the actuator. When I tilt the camera you can see the idler keeping the belt snug. The vibration of the actuator is from the belt being cold and stiff. It smooths out in about two minutes of running. I am working on a damper to put on it and there is another brace that goes to the actuator brace that I cannot put on till I get the compressor mounted back up.

[PunKid]

Use your Nitrous WOT switch to activate the circuit, then you could just use the increase of boost pressure to move the actuator.

This whole thread is insane, please say your building something for the GRM 2014 challenge.

[zin]

I'd consider a RPM switch since the cam phasing benefit is keyed to RPM more than anything else...

If you're going to run nitrous too, NOS sells a pretty sweet "mini controller" that triggers off the TPS voltage, has a delay feature, and a RPM window switch built in, for about $225-250.00

Oh, and it will run two stages, one of which you could use with the nitrous, the other with the phaser.

Mike

[rgl10]

Keep the ideas coming guys. I'm sure I will try a few different ways this spring to get the control working. I like the idea of wot activation, thats really the only time I need it and above a certain rpm of course. I think that I can get that by using the wastegate solenoid. The cal I have from ShelGame allows you to change the settings based on charge temp, rpm, vehicle speed, engine temp, time, during staging and from throttle opening.

[zin]

I seem to have left out that the mini controller can be set for a particular voltage (0-5v) or straight 12v.

Mike

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I seem to have left out that the mini controller can be set for a particular voltage (0-5v) or straight 12v.

Mike

[ShelGame]

These two videos bring me up to where I was currently am in this project here in Jan 2014. As soon as the weather permits I will start working on the control system. The first video show how the actuator moves the pulleys and the second video shows the engine running for the first time with the system installed but locked in the advanced position with a piece of rubber hose on the actuator. When I tilt the camera you can see the idler keeping the belt snug. The vibration of the actuator is from the belt being cold and stiff. It smooths out in about two minutes of running. I am working on a damper to put on it and there is another brace that goes to the actuator brace that I cannot put on till I get the compressor mounted back up.

If you can figure out a way to actuate it with a Daytona headlight motor, it can be controlled by the LM. Geoff Allan (guy who wrote CHeM), was using a relay tied to the purge solenoid output to drive 2 Daytona headlight motors to raise/lower a spoiler he made.

Don't see this as being any more difficult...

[cordes]

Now there's a great idea. When you think about it, that purge solenoid could be used for a lot of awesome stuff run off of a relay.

[rgl10]

That opens up all kinds of possibilities. Just today I was working on a K3500 4wd for a bad front axle actuator. I plugged a new one into the harness on the front axle and let it hang while a co-worker shifted the transfer case in and out of 4wd. The new actuator moved really fast. The old type units were thermally actuated and moved as slow as molasses in cold weather. The new updated ones are moved by a motor. They pull very little amperage and are fairly powerful since they actuate against a strong spring in the front axle. This might just be the way to go. I can spring load the vct to full advance and use the 4wd actuator to push it retarded. The spring would also dampen the vibration in the unit and act as a failsafe if the system had any problems. Also there is a built in sensor that can power a light to show when the unit is fully extended. Next week I might have time to mount one of these up and power it by a relay. Then I could program one of the solenoid circuits to actuate it like Rob said. This would be a much simpler and maintenance free setup I believe. Thanks guys for all the great ideas! Looks like I have some really viable choices now.

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[fishcleaner]

I think activating it at WOT is all you need, if you experience knocking you could lower the engagement point or set up something like a throttle cam to ramp the throw.

[OG_SRT4]

Would something like this work on an 84 with a stock computer? I have no idea if these cars stock calibration can forgive cam timing changes.

[Vigo]

I think having it based on rpm and not throttle percentage is a better idea because you dont want to have to try to tune around the engine having two different cam timings depending on TPS.. It will build boost regardless and what's 'safe' for both might not be ideal for either. So i would switch it at a completely fixed RPM point.

[rgl10]

Would something like this work on an 84 with a stock computer? I have no idea if these cars stock calibration can forgive cam timing changes.

I would think that if you are running stock boost you would be ok with 5 degrees cam advance and retard. But if you are running higher boost on a 84 with a stock computer you will probably run into trouble. The 84 is a very basic system compared to the 87. You might want to upgrade if you want to mod anything on that engine.

[rgl10]

I think activating it at WOT is all you need, if you experience knocking you could lower the engagement point or set up something like a throttle cam to ramp the throw.

I think having it based on rpm and not throttle percentage is a better idea because you dont want to have to try to tune around the engine having two different cam timings depending on TPS.. It will build boost regardless and what's 'safe' for both might not be ideal for either. So i would switch it at a completely fixed RPM point.

On the BoostButton cal I can adjust timing and I think fuel differently on the wide open throttle setting than what is set for idle and cruise based on tps position. I will have to look into that since it would make some difference. In the summer I drive the car nearly every day and data log each trip. After a month or two I should have a better idea about what is needed to fine tune the setup. You guys sure are giving me a lot of stuff to think about!

[A.J.]

Of all the completed mods done to my car the a/c cooled water to air intercooler setup is my favorite. It turned out much better than I had hoped. I've wanted to do a wta intercooler for a long time and considering how limited I was on space with the Omni it looked like the right time to try it. I used easy to get items that were cheap to build it with so anyone could do it if they wanted. I bought the intercooler, bov, clear hose and heat exchanger off ebay. The oxygen tank I bought from a local salvage yard for nearly nothing as they sell scrap aluminum by weight. The water pump runs about 80 to 100 dollars from ebay but I got one from a wrecked 02 or 03 Dodge Durango with a rear heater. On that vehicle the pump only runs at low engine rpms to help circulate the water through the rear heater.

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Could you elaborate a little more on your heat exchanger? I'd like to utilize my AC to cool my air to water intercooler in conjunction with my air to water heat exchanger mounted up front. I tried to search for an "AC cooled, air to water intercooler heat exchanger" but couldn't come up with anything. Kudos by the way on an excellent (budget) build.

[rgl10]

The heat exhanger I used is available from ebay. Just go to ebay and type in "plate heat exchanger". They come in all different sizes. To make mine simple I just cut the low pressure a/c hose and clamped it in there. You could do it in other ways also like getting the fittings for a rear air unit from a minivan and putting the exchanger in the lines that would normally go to the rear. If you do use one of these with your air to water exchanger just make sure the a/c exchanger is in the water line after the air to water one. The atw exchanger will cool the hot water from your intercooler down a little then the a/c exchanger will cool it off alot more. If you plumb it the other way around the atw exchanger will actually heat the a/c cooled water back up so you don't want to do that. These exhangers come with 4 fittings. Two of them go to half the plates inside, the other two fittings go to the other plates. They are sandwiched every other plate. When you run freon from your a/c through this every other plate gets very cold. Then you can just run your coolant for your intercooler through the other two fittings and the exchanger will absorb a huge amount of heat and transfer it to your a/c condenser.

[A.J.]

"Plate heat exchanger" that's it. Amazing what the right key words dig up. Yes, if I do utilize a plate heat exchanger it will be located in the low side AC line before my compressor and in between my up front air to water heat exchanger and intercooler. I don't want to tax my AC system anymore then necessary so I want as much heat removed from the intercooler water before it meets the plate heat exchanger as possible. Thanks.

[wheming]

If you use a double-walled or insulated expansion tank, that would be best to keep the larger volume of glycol mix cold. Then your intercooler will get the coldest supply temps until you saturate the system with heat.
But as the o.p. mentioned this wasn't a problem with his current high boost passes.

I like it. I may try this myself. I've wanted a refrigerant intercooler.

[rgl10]

I wondered if my iphone could capture a video of my vct while a timing light was flashing so a person could see the timing marks move. It did actually work somewhat. I should have unhooked the coolant temp sensor to hold the ignition timing still but even with it moving you can tell the system does move the cam timing while the engine is running. The car has been buried under two feet of snow for over a month and its finally melted down enough that I could get it into the shop this evening. I did some measurements for relocating the a/c condenser to the rear of the car. This will get rid of a lot of heat in the engine compartment and reduce the load on the radiator. If the weather permits I want to get the vct system ready for testing and the condenser moved by the end of April. I can't hardly wait!

[Vigo]

That's pretty cool. Using my internet eyeball protractor it looks like 7-9 degrees of retard at the cam.

[rgl10]

Very sharp eye there! That is about what its doing. I still have some more travel when it pulls in but the spring was binding. I need a slightly stiffer spring that has less coils so the cylinder can pull all the way in. Then I should be able to get my full 10 degrees.