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HELP!!!! What the hell have I done?!


nelmo

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Sorry to be panicky but I'm supposed to be going to Wales at the weekend for 5 days and I've just ruined my car!!

All I did was re-jig the throttle cable at the body end (if you saw my other post) and now it won't run properly. I haven't changed the length of the cable or anything else, just found a way to stop it dropping out the slot. I did also clean out the HP fuel filter - it's clear so I can see fuel going through it.

I started up and car wouldn't run without a decent amount of throttle. I had the Emerald software up and it showed nothing in the map! (I have had a trickle charger on but would that wipe the map from the ECU?).

I loaded up the map but hardly any improvement. Eventually, when up to temperature, the wideband Lambda kicked in but even that only just about allowed the car to idle but at 2000 rpm, not the normal 950. When I blipped the throttle, the revs rose higher and returned but at a slightly higher level.

WTF!!!????

I have re-mapped the TPS (did it twice, to be sure), so not that.  The Emerald software correctly showed 0% throttle when not touching the pedal, so it's not like it thinks I have my foot on the pedal.

Any ideas?

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Nightmare, when you reset the TPS it changes the throttle pot values for min and max.  There’s a setting and tick box to enable idle control and configure when it kicks in, have you tried to disable idle control and/or checked the throttle pot value it’s enabled at?

I don’t think that’s the problem though as it wouldn’t have cleared the map like you describe and would only affect idle.

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Just in case - when you connect the laptop to the ECU, you don't get it downloaded automatically from the ECU straight away... you have to "pull" it from the ECU in the first instance, before you'll see it in the software. You then make your changes and push it back up. You'll see live adjustments without pulling, that's fine, but values in tables you won't see until you do a pull.

Edited by brumster
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Ahh, thats a very good point. I know I have to do that but I don't use the software that often and I was in a bit of a panic, trying to keep the engine running and fiddling with the laptop at the same time - maybe that's all that was (which is a good thing - ECUs aren't cheap). Would also explain why it made no difference when I did load it...

I've ordered a new HP fuel pump anyway because I have been having some hot-starting problems, which is why I cleaned out the fuel filter but it may be the pump at fault? Worth a shot...

My battery is also a little low on charge but would that be a problem once the engine is running? Voltmeter tells me the alternator is charging the battery (although a little low at 13.6v)?

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Nah, don't think so. Matt's suggestion was the most obvious/likely one, that you'd effectively opened up the throttle at the default position and affected the idle, plus put the TPS out of kilter, but you say you've done that... so... the only thing that could have changed from what you describe is the throttle position. All I can suggest is reverse what you did in terms of the throttle cable, or disconnect the throttle cable temporarily and just play with the throttle body directly - maybe some tension in the cable (either now, or before) that has changed, has altered the position of the throttle at idle... opened it up sligthly I am guessing.

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I disconnected the cable at the pedal end (just easier to get to) and used the throttle body. I've also effectively removed the fuel filter (took the plastic bit out the middle) and car will idle, just. Initially, just at 700 rpm, eventually, as it warms up, up to almost normal 950 (why the increase as it warms up?).

But, if I apply light throttle, the revs drop and the car will stall. Bigger throttle inputs and it revs ok, although hesitantly initially but will settle down at 3k rpm.

If I turn it off for a couple of minutes, it takes ages to start (my previous hot-start issue).

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Quote

I disconnected the cable at the pedal end (just easier to get to) and used the throttle body. I've also effectively removed the fuel filter (took the plastic bit out the middle) and car will idle, just.

Not sure I'd remove the fuel filter. You said you cleaned out the fuel filter, what did you do? Was this after the problem - ie. did the problem start purely on the basis of disconnecting the throttle body/cable, so the fuel filter is a red herring, or did the problem start after you cleaned the fuel filter? When did you remove it entirely? Are any of those things relevant, is what I'm getting at... did messing with the fuel filter (cleaning it and/or remove it) make things change in any way, either for the better or worse?

Sounds like a fuelling issue to me, but if the problem is entirely present only after fiddling with the throttle cable connection, then it makes no sense whatsoever.

If however it came about as a result of fiddling with the fuel filter, then it could be a wealth of things - crap in the injectors/rail/pressure regulator maybe? Poor fuel pressure, knackered fuel pump (get a fuel pressure guage)?

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I did 2 jobs; throttle cable and cleaned out fuel filter - after that, my problems started.

The fuel filter is one of those glass ones with a plastic insert. First time, I took it apart (it is designed to be washable) and replaced the plastic bit with a new plastic piece from a second new filter I have. After my problems, I wondered if that plastic insert was different in some way and causing a problem, so I took it out, so there is no actual filter in the body of the filter, if that makes sense. I THINK I was very careful to make sure no crud got in it - it still looks very clear now.

There was a slight improvement after I did this, in that the car will idle by itself at a normal-ish level, which it wasn't doing last night.

I haven't got a pressure gauge but I've just spoken to someone local who has one and hopefully, he will come round later and we'll check that out (I've ordered a new HP pump which should come tomorrow).

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FFS - ok, panic over, all sorted.

It seems that the ECU wasn't saving the TPS settings or I was somehow doing it wrong. After the last engine run, I noticed that it showed only 30% travel (in the Emerald software) when I was almost at full throttle. So I did one last reset and I had to come in to do some work.

Went back out after work and started straight up, idling as normal. 🤔

I dunno - might go again, probably at 4am when I need to leave for Wales 😏

Thank you all for your suggestions 👍

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lol :) yeah, remember with Emerald, nothing you change (except on the live adjustments page) keeps after you turn it off unless you push it back up. Download, Save to Disk, Change, Upload, Change, Upload, Change, Upload... etc

edit: on live adjustments, only when you press Enter to store it

Edited by brumster
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