Northstar rebuild: Will style (Page 74/119)
ericjon262 JAN 03, 10:28 PM

quote
Originally posted by Will:


It's in the middle of the engine, so the new wheel would have to pass over counterweights in order to be installed... The current wheel is close to the OD of the counterweights... I'd have to do some measuring to figure out if it's possible.

I @$$ume that most engine computers are flexible enough in crankshaft offset angle to allow pretty much any offset.



10-4 I haven't played with tuning much, I was just spit-balling ideas out there.
Will JAN 04, 10:52 AM
Yeah, the flexibility of the 58x PCM would be nice... mostly for throttle by wire. My 1992 (!) BMW 535i had throttle by wire and it completely transformed cruise control.

OTOH, I was thrashing a Caddy CTS rental through the hills and canyons of SoCal a couple of years ago and managed to get the TBW so confused it gave up and closed for a couple of seconds before responding again.
ericjon262 JAN 04, 10:00 PM
Me personally, I don't like DBW, it feels more disconnected than a cable throttle, but my understanding is that most of that feeling can be eliminated through tuning.

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Will JAN 07, 10:00 AM

quote
Originally posted by ericjon262:

Me personally, I don't like DBW, it feels more disconnected than a cable throttle, but my understanding is that most of that feeling can be eliminated through tuning.




I really don't know how modern OEM's screw up TBW so badly. I drove my friend's '06 Tacoma with TBW and manual transmission. I felt like I was 16 again and didn't know how to time clutch and throttle. I find it incomprehensible how a modern Toyota can be *THAT* bad at tracking my pedal inputs, when BMW/Bosch did it so well 20 years ago.

My '92 BMW's throttle was indistiguishable from a mechanical linkage until I broke traction. One thing that electronic throttle does allow you to do is ditch the separate cruise module. The other thing my BMW had was *PERFECT* cruise control: instantaneous pickup and +/- 1 mph speed control, made possible by the electronic throttle.

[This message has been edited by Will (edited 01-07-2013).]

ALLTRBO JAN 07, 12:19 PM
My old 2010 LLT (3.6 DI) Camaro and my current 2012 LS3 Camaro were and are indistinguishable from a cable throttle... except when I *try* to confuse the LS3's DBW. If I pulse the throttle from not to WOT multiple times, it will get more and more delayed, to the point that punching it takes around a 1/2 second to respond. That's ridiculous, but at least it only does it when I try. In all other conditions it's pretty much instant, as was the LLT's DBW. Traction control and cruise control are amazingly accurate.

The '09 Malibus I test drove when they were new had a painfully pathetic delay *all the time*. The 4 cylinder was worse than the V6, but both were bad. That's the primary reason we went with an '09 Civic instead (which, btw, is also DBW and doesn't have any delay).

I don't know what was wrong with GM, but hopefully they're all fixed now. If my Camaros had had that delay, I wouldn't have bought them either.

[This message has been edited by ALLTRBO (edited 01-07-2013).]

Will JAN 15, 02:57 PM
Did finally get the horrible RCC bump steer kit replaced with stock tie rods.



I bought the inners from the FieroStore. They came with the 12x1.75 set screw, but no mounting nut. I used a 12x1.75x25 bolt and a couple of thick washers instead of a nut with the set screw used as a stud.



The rear end is somewhat more stable, but I think I still have some looseness that I need to track down.

Finished the runs to the MAF and IAC... only have two A/C wires and clutch switch left to deal with.

[This message has been edited by Will (edited 01-21-2013).]

Will JAN 18, 10:46 AM
Figured out how to deal with the clutch switch wire...

It starts with getting the right switch
http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/126747.html
ericjon262 JAN 20, 02:47 PM
I was wondering if the RCC kit was worth anything performance wise. it's really hard to tell what works and what doesn't on this forum because of the pack mentality that goes on, if one person says something works, then by god it's the best thing since sliced bread!

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Will JAN 21, 11:27 AM
The engineering on the RCC kit is weird and the original rod-ends used at the inner pivots were $10 chinese junk. I replaced the rod-ends with decent parts, but the kit's still junk. I bought it used, so it wasn't a big loss.

The stancion that pushes the inner pivot out from the stock cradle mount is a fabricated aluminum piece. The "stud" at the end is really a bolt that is dropped into the aluminum fabrication before it's welded up. It's odd.
Pushing the inner pivot out from the stock mount like that gives the fore/aft and vertical forces acting on the inner pivot additional leverage against the stock mount tab. This makes the entire toe link "flexible" and doesn't do anything to help driver confidence.

I have no idea if it gets the geometry right--even in the "ideal" circumstance in which the previously noted shortcomings do not apply--or not... I highly doubt it.

[This message has been edited by Will (edited 01-21-2013).]

Will JAN 22, 01:18 PM
Old switch (left) vs. new:



The important difference between the '87 coolant pipe (left) and '86 coolant pipe:



'87 heater pipes (top) vs. '86 heater pipes:



And the real distinction between the two:



I installed the '86 right coolant pipe in the car. I fastened the '86 heater pipes with the two small screws to the two bosses in the fuel tank tunnel, but didn't get to the heavier clamps at the ends yet. The forward ends of the pipes are the same, of course. The '87 hoses are nicer than the '86 hoses (1 piece vs. 2), so I kept the '87 parts.
The '87 supply has a quick-connect fitting and an elbow that fits between the right forward cradle mount ears. I had run a hose from the Northstar heater supply connection at the left rear corner of the engine bay around the engine bay clockwise and connected to this elbow at that location. The '87 return T's into the side of the coolant pipe.
The engine compartment ends are just about perfect for the Northstar... They come up just to the left of the alternator and allow me to run the heater hoses along the "shelf" at the bottom of the firewall panel. Both heater hoses will run along the shelf and circle around the left end of the engine bay to mate to the previously mentioned heater supply and the heater circuit return on the thermostat housing at the left front corner of the engine.

Once the original coolant circulation is restored, I'll have heat more quickly on cold mornings. The engine may even warm up more quickly also.
I have drill this coming weekend, so I won't be able to work on the car again until the 2nd. At that time, I'll finish replumbing the heater circuit and will replace the damaged coolant hose from the thermostat to the cross-cradle pipe. Some time soon, I'll also replace the cross-cradle pipe with one of these: http://www.partman.com/cool...quot-x-1-2-quot.html or one of these: http://www.partman.com/cool...oil-16-1-2-quot.html

I also *FINALLY* have my anti-dive spacers machined, so I'll be able to install those soon.

I also drilled and tapped the splined ends of 3 CV joint cups and BOTH ends of my spare IMS with 10/32 holes for easy extraction of broken ends, when I break another axle. Those should go to Liberty this week along with the 3.94 FD and diff components.

[This message has been edited by Will (edited 01-26-2013).]