Banjo

Thanks for the pics of your LS1 coils proposed mounting. Glad to see I'm not the only one you puts old mats on the garage floor to work on. Makes it much more comfortable, when you are down on your knees. (Also stops nuts & washers etc. rolling too far, when you drop them) I'm actually going to use my above CAS multi-tooth triggering system to test my E6K on the bench, this week, before installing in the car, as the E6K supports multi-tooth wheels. Mine happens to be 24 teeth, with 1 synchronising tooth. After reading your 5KTE KE55 build, I remember how hard it was to get the 4K Bosch dizzy shaft to join/line up to the adaptor for the CAS wheel, and have them exactly concentric. However, I will be using the Hall Effect sensors for crankshaft sensing when I put it in the KE30. The first time I ever used crankshaft triggering, I was amazed how steady the strobe light was on the timing markings. It didn't take me long to work out that there is a lot of "slop" between crankshaft & dizzy trigger point. Two (2) sprockets & chain at the front of the engine, & then the camshaft to dizzy shaft gearing. With crankshaft triggering all that is eliminated. Even if you do sequential direct firing of the spark plugs, & need a sych or a homing signal, which must be taken from the camshaft drive somewhere; there is no issue, as the synch or home pulse is not used to trigger. It just tells the ECU that the next trigger pulse must be directed to no: 1 cylinder, and can accommodate any slop without effecting the trigger angle at all. I have built a system that requires no home or synch pulse & is rock steady. It uses two rare earth magnets in the flywheel, the same as I described earlier in this thread, except one has the North pole facing the Hall Effect Sensor, & the other has the South pole facing the sensor. The Hall Effect sensor I use, has the ability to sense north & south poles & tell the difference. I get two independent triggers from the one sensor, which fire two GMH Commodore ignition coils, set up in a waste spark configuration. However, as good as this is, none of the commercial programmable ECUs accommodate this type of triggering set up, so hence, I move on to direct fire sequential using the COPs. I'll keep you posted, once my COPs arrive, & I fit them to the 5K with suitable supporting bracket. Cheers Banjo

Love the toast rack way of mounting the LS1s. I'd love to see a pic of whats under that spun aluminium pot lid on the dizzy ! I did something similar a couple of years ago. I think I used a coffee jar lid for the CAS cover. Is that the large Bosch dizzy case you are using, or maybe even the dizzy from a 7K, which is really big. I remember I had trouble trying to cram everything into the Bosch one. Cheers Banjo

Hi Jake, What voltage did you get with a multimeter across the battery terminals, with the engine running at say 2000 rpm ? Cheers Banjo

Have done a little more research & have come up with the Toyota CoP P/N 90919-02240, which was fitted to the Toyota 1NZFE & 2NZFE engines on the Echo & Yaris cars. I chose these CoPs, as they have built in ignitors, which are both dumb & smart at the same time. The dwell will continue, just as long as the trigger signal is present from the ECU, but will also produce a minimum dwell, irrespective of how short the trigger signal is. These CoPs have a single bolt hole which normally bolts up flush with the Echo / Yaris camshaft cover. My daughter has an 2004 Echo with a 1NZFE engine, so I "borrowed" a CoP from her car this morning, and set it up on a 4K head on the bench. There are several spare 10mm threaded bolt holes on the rocker cover, on the spark plug side, which could anchor a simple, solid, single, mounting plate, to hold all four CoPs. It would require just one bend in the mounting plate. I'll fashion a mounting plate from a piece of then thinner aluminium, & dummy it all up on the bench, to make sure it all works & fits fine. One of the advantages of this arrangement, besides doing away with spark plug leads, distributor cap, and existing coil, is that propped up in the air like that, they will not overheat, as there will plenty of air flow over them. Apparently, from my reading on the net, overheating CoPs, tucked under plastic covers, (which often restricts air flow), can result in damaged or failed CoP coils & ignitors. Although CoPs can be expensive, the 90919-02240 ones are relatively cheap. I've even seen them new on ebay for less than $ 30.00 ea. I'll post a picture here, once I dummy it all up. Cheers Banjo As explained in the section above all of the four will fire for as long as the duration of the activation ofal from the ECU. However they will also fire to minimum dwell time regardless of how short the signal is triggered, this minimum duration is hard wired and can't be altered.

Hi Jake, I always love stories with a good ending. Well done ! Cheers Banjo

Hi Jake, Oppphs ! You just broke the golden rule. When pulling something to bits, keep all the little bits together. After putting it back together, if there are any bits left, then make sure they are not essential. The rubber or nylon washer on the alternator battery terminal bolt is crucial. The bolt is at +ve (12V) battery potential. The case of the alternator is at -ve (GND/Chassis) potiental. The little nylon sleeve you can see in the picture above insulates the two from each other. However, if you connected the heavy battery lead, without the rubber washer, the terminal on the lead would short the bolt to the alternator frame; hence the smoking cable. You effectively placed a short across the battery terminals. This connection point is critical. Place the rubber washer first, then a flat washer, no bigger in dia. than the washer; then a nut which should only be tightened just enough to squeeze the rubber down a little. Then place another washer; the battery cable lug, another flat washer, a spring washer; and finally the second nut. Your little mishap should have not damaged anything electrical, other than the smoking cable. If you look carefully at the replacement alternator, you can clearly see the black rubber or nylon washer at its battery post connection. Let us know, when it is all back together & going well. Cheers Banjo

The alternator should be earthed or grounded by the fact that it is mechanically & electrically bolted to the engine block. Usually, there is no need or reason to run an earth strap from the alternator to the chassis or engine block.

Hi Jake, I'll need more info, or a sketch as to how you hooked it all up. I didn't realise the replacement RE55 regulator you have purchased was not made by the Chinese company that produces the alternator. The RE55 is a solid state Bosch regulator, designed for replacing faulty mechanic relay type external regulators. RE55 Solid State Regulator It should work well, with your original Bosch alternator, to which I gather you have fitted new bearings & brushes. There is probably a sketch on the internet showing how the RE55 is wired up. I gather it has an aluminium case, which is earthed & into which the solid state regulator is "potted". I believe as well as the case earth /ground/chassis connection, it just has 2 off spade terminals. Cheers Banjo

Hi Marius, Spot on ! When the ignition barrel switch is in the start position, the resistor is effectively shorted out, & power is temporarily connected to the +ve terminal of the coil, whilst the ignition key is in the "START" position.. A quick test would be to short the resistor out, which is adjacent to the coil, & see if the engine runs. If it does, then the resistor has gone open circuit & should be replaced. If it still doesn't start, then go looking for why power isn't getting to the end of the resistor that is NOT connected to the coil. Could be a fuse or wiring or ignition barrel issue. Let us know what you find. P.S. There is no danger in shorting the resistor out for short periods. Coil may get a little bit warmer, if run for long periods, but doubt that would be an issue in Norway, despite it currently being Summer there. Cheers Banjo

I just answered my own question, when I searched on RollaClub. It was Brodie in S.A. who used Honda CBR bike COPs on his K series engine. Yes most of the COPs, are long for spark plugs that are right down deep inside the tubes. The K series plugs just pop their heads out of the tubes, so to speak. The triggering is all worked out. I have two rare earth magnets 10mm dia. x 25mm long mounted in the flywheel, using two manufacturing jig holes that exist exactly 180 deg apart. I just bored the jig holes out to the appropriate diameter. The north poles face the back of the flywheel, & the Hall Effect pickup sensor is mounted in the plate between block & bell housing, right down at the bottom RHS of the engine, directly below the oil filter. The Home trigger, which only tells the ECU that the next pulse from the flywheel sensor is for No: 1 S.P. is mounted through the timing chain cover, with the magnet mounted into a hole drilled though the camshaft sprocket cast spoke. Have had that bit installed for some time, currently just driving the tacho, & all works well & is very reliable. Magnets are so strong, you can get away with a good size gap between magnet & sensor. Just need to get these COPs sorted & then I can take it for a good long run to Leyburn for the Sprints in a couple of weeks. http://www.leyburnmotorsprints.com.au/ Cheers Banjo

Got myself an olde Haltech E6K ECU which I'm going to hook up to the 5K engine I have on the engine test frame at present. I am just going to use the E6K for ignition control only. It has enough outputs to do direct sequential firing of the four spark plugs, so though I might put some COPs (coil over plug) on the 5K, doing away with the dizzy altogether. What brand of COP has anyone found suitable to use directly as is, or adapt to be useful on a K Series motor. It's all about mounting them. I think someone on RollaClub used a Honda one once successfully, but I can't remember who it was, or what model COP they used. Maybe a motor bike one ? Any suggestions appreciated. Cheers Banjo

Hi Jake, RHS directly behind the headlight is where mine was also. If you are going to mount the replacement one in the same position, (good idea), then hopefully the cable supplied with the new external regulator will be long enough to go down under the radiator, zip tied to the existing cable, to the alternator. We'll await you advice & photos, once you have the new regulator. What was the output "Amps" rating of the replacement Chinese alternator you have purchased ? Cheers Banjo

Hi Jake, Hopefully, the new regulator will come complete with a lead & 3 pin plug, to connect to the socket on the rear of your replacement alternator. The existing lead with the 2 pin can be done away with, including your old external regulator. It will depend on where your current external regulator is mounted in the engine bay, & whether the lead they supply with the new external regulator is long enough to reach the same mounting point of the existing regulator. I did this conversion a year or so ago, when I put a HiLux 85A alternator with internal regulator, to replace the original 3K 35-40A Denso alternator with external regulator, so will be able to guide you through this. Once you get your new regulator, post a picture of it, along with a picture of your existing regulator, & where it is mounted. We can then nut it out fairly easily, as any wiring changes will all be at the regulator only. Cheers Banjo

Hi Jake, Appears both your original & replacement alternator are both external regulator types. The terminology is slightly different with terminal markings, from the Bosch to the Chinese replacement one. Somewhere in your engine bay, is the original regulator, which should be best replaced with a new one, to suit the replacement alternator you have purchased. The common problems with these old alternators is that the brushes wear out, and reach the limits of the springs, pressing them against the slip rings. Check out the typical alternator terminal identification listings at this website. http://jasoceania.co.nz/sites/default/files/default_images/alternator Terminal identification guide.pdf D+ on your old alternator is the dash charging warning light. E on the replacement alternator is also the warning light. F or DF is the field winding, which goes to the regulator. B+ is the battery, which is the big terminal on your replacement alternator. Just make sure the new alternator will mount & line up, before committing to buying the regulator. The new matching regulator should have a lead on it that just plugs straight into the 3 terminal socket on the replacement alternator. Let us know how you go. Cheers Banjo

Early Corollas had alternators with an external voltage regulator, with the regulator box on the engine bay wall. Later Corollas had alternators, with the regulator built into the alternator itself. It sounds like your existing alternator may have an internal regulator, & the replacement one, you've bought has an external regulator. If you can take a picture of the terminal ends of the two alternators, we can probably work out what has happened. The early voltage regulators used a cycling relay, whereas the internal alternator regulators are solid state. Put some pics up, & we'll go from there. Cheers Banjo

How long ago did the EFI conversion get done ? Did you do it, or was it done by others ? Did this "power issue" occur directly after the EFI conversion, or was there a long period where it ran perfectly with EFI, without this "power" issue, & then it just appeared out of the blue. What fuel delivery system was there before you fitted the Walbro electric in-tank pump ? Why was there a need to change to the Walbro ? Did this "power issue" only occur straight after you did the Walbro in tank pump conversion ? Sometimes the back ground to these problems, can point you in the right direction, to what is the cause, & where to look. Cheers Banjo

180 deg is correct. To fire all four (4) cylinders, the crankshaft has to rotate twice. 1 complete rotation is 360 deg. 2 rotations = 720 deg. The rotation distance between each top dead centre (TDC is 720/4 which is 180 deg. Remember, we are turning the crankshaft here over by hand; not the distributor, which does only turn at half the crankshaft revolutions. So yes, there is 90 deg between the dizzy rotor positions for TDC at each firing, but that is doubled to turn the crankshaft. Cheers Banjo

Spot on ! I've always used a simple way make sure you get the tappet settings right first time, even after a few beers. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mark the top edge of your distributor body with four (4) little "Whiteout" marks, that line up with the spark plug cap towers, where the leads come out. Take note of which one is spark plug no: 1, (which is usually the one nearest No: 2 spark plug) Whip off the distributor cap, so you can see the dizzy rotor clearly. Remove spark plugs if you want to make it easy to rotate engine, but not mandatory. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Rotate engine crankshaft to TDC No: 1 cylinder, by lining up the dizzy rotor with No: 1 Spark Plug "Whiteout" mark on dizzy. Both No: 1 cylinder valve tappets should be loose/ slack ; with gaps. Adjust both No: 1 valves settings. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rotate engine crankshaft clockwise, 180 deg until dizzy rotor lines up with next "Whiteout" mark on dizzy body which is cylinder No: 3 (Firing order 1, 3, 4, 2) Both No: 3 cylinder valve tappets should be loose/ slack ; with gaps, which is very close to TDC. Adjust both both No: 3 valves settings. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rotate engine crankshaft clockwise, 180 deg until dizzy rotor lines up with next "Whiteout" mark on dizzy body which is cylinder No: 4 Both No: 4 cylinder valve tappets should be loose/ slack ; with gaps. Adjust both both No: 4 valves settings. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rotate engine crankshaft clockwise, 180 deg until dizzy rotor lines up with last of the four (4) "Whiteout" marks on dizzy body, which is cylinder No: 2 Both No: 2 cylinder valve tappets should be loose/ slack ; with gaps. Adjust both both No: 2 valves settings. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Done ! Cheers Banjo

Hi Graeme, Sooting up is pretty par for the course in older cars, as the rings wear, & a little more oil gets past the rings, onto the cylinder walls, & then gets burnt in the combustion process. Unless it was heavy, I wouldn't worry too much. Having cut up a few old exhaust systems, you will find the soot always cogregates in the muffler at the back end of the exhaust system. Up closer to the engine, where the exhaust pipe is much hotter, you will rarely find soot on the inside of the pipe. As you get to the back end of the system, where it is a mite cooler, the soot gets cooler & slows up & gets trapped in the muffler. Hence; blocked mufflers ! Cheers Banjo

Hi Marius, I think you are onto it. I'm still betting it is the HT leads. Let us know how you go, once you've replaced them. Better still, if you can get the correct new dizzy cap, that would be better. Tracking on the inside of the cap, is not uncommon, & really the only way to fix that permanently, is to fit a new cap. Cheers Banjo

Hi Ken, Welcome aboard. Sad to hear of your misfortune. Floods are always devastating, but when items go under that are irreplaceable, it's even more distressing. I applaud your efforts to get your 2 door KE30 back on the road. I have an affinity with you, as I also have a 2 door KE30, and know how I'd feel if something like what you have experienced, happened to mine. We'll do anything we can to assist you with your efforts. Bear in mind that you are not confined to just the 3K engine, as a replacement. The 4K would probably be a better option, or even a 5K, which are fairly rare these days. Tell us a bit more about your car. Manual or Auto ? Was it fully submerged, & for how long ? Have all the electrics been under water. How did the gearbox & diff fare under water ? I fear you are probably going to need a few more bits than just the engine. At what stage are you at with the rebuild at present ? Sorry about all the questions, but I'm sure there are a few Rollaclub members in Brissy & surrounds, that would love to assist if we can. Cheers Banjo

Hi Marius, OK, so this happened as soon as you changed the points, & you didn't touch or adjust anything else ? Did you remove the dizzy to fit the points, or did you change the points with the dizzy still in the engine ? Are the new points exactly the same as the one you took out ? Did you clean the protective coating off the points faces themselves, which some manufactures apply ? The points gap setting can change the timing slightly, if it is out, but you advised you set it correctly, & the timing light indicated advance OK. Are you by any chance living at altitude ? Corolla 3K engines are very sensitive to timing changes at altitude. I'm going to take a guess here. When you removed the dizzy cap to fit the new points, did you lay the dizzy cap with leads still attached to one side, of back over the rocker cover? If so, it is possible, that you have a cracked or broken an HT cable to one plug. Have a look under the bonnet at night in the dark, with the engine running, & see if you can see any "corona light shows". Another possibility is the small carbon spring mounted connector for the HT in the inside centre top of the dizzy cap. It didn't happen to fall out, did it ?. The little springs have also been known to break. Let us know what you find. Cheers Banjo

Hi Graeme, I forgot to mention in my reply to your post, that the reason there is water or moisture in the exhaust system in the first place, is that water is a natural byproduct of the combustion process, that goes on inside the engine. Cheers Banjo

Hi Graeme, Nothing unusual about that in old cars in cold weather, like we are experiencing her in S.E. Qld. at present. I gather you are Buccan, near Chamber Fat etc. (I live at Greenbank) The last two mornings have been the coldest two mornings in the past 2 years. What happens I think, is that as the hot moist air inside the "exhaust system" cools overnight, after a run; that moisture condenses to water, & mixes & dissolves with the carbon in the exhaust system. Start it up on a cold morning; give it a couple of short burst of revs to clear the cobwebs, and instead of cobwebs, you get a black sootie water vapour. This is there all the time, but not in the initial volume you cop, when you first start your car, and blow it out. With the car warm after a run, let it idle, and briefly hold a clean white rag over the end of the exhaust pipe & you'll see what I mean. Sounds like you better get your girl to open the Rolladoor, before starting it up these mornings. Look on the good side; your girl could have backed the car into the garage, then you'd have a Gyprock wall speckled with black soot, which is not as easy to clean as a rolladoor ! P.S. Glad to see I'm not the only one to lay old carpet on the garage floor. Cheers Banjo.