J. Salmon RCR-40 Build

[J. Salmon]

OK, took a break just long enough to snap some photos.

Front is getting closer. Waiting on a crimper to finish the last 2 AC lines, but otherwise the plumbing is all finished. As for those pesky bulkhead fittings, I ended up making adapters with AC o-ring fittings welded to AN flare bungs. I also plumbed in a bleed line to the radiator. The more I work with the ISIS system, the more I love it. So clean, so easy, and incredibly adaptable.

I pressure tested the fuel system and after a few cycles of pressure, it seems to be holding air.

Bundling the F.A.S.T. ECU is a bit of a pain, but I am extremely pleased with the entire kit provided by Kinsler. And I still cannot say enough good things about Earl (at Kinsler) who has been patient with me for a good 2 years.

This is my first go at wiring and I am soooo happy I am doing it myself. Now I truly know where everything is, and it is alll being done just the way I like it. I have finished the gauge harness, which connects with 3 weatherpack plugs. This week I will do a test install and get the chassis wires hooked up. Everything is wired that is needed to run the engine, and my goal is to get a test fire in the next month or so.

 

[Alex]

Jeesus that 3rd picture makes me hope to hell a carb will fit.

I thought maybe EFI wouldn't be sooo bad if I was forced into it and that a fast XFI would be like an MSD 6-al2 (i.e., maybe 9 or 10 wires coming from it) ... but that! YIKES! That's more wires than my entire electical sysytem!

 

[J. Salmon]

Yep, that EFI looks like a big pot of spaghetti dumped behind the seat. And there is more in the pod back there, plus the wiring harness in the engine bay. But, it has a ton of flexibility. Of course, we will just have to see.... Fingers crossed it is worth it.

Up to 1 last night - again. Plumbing and dash wiring expected to be done by the end of the weekend, minus the switch panel. Waiting for that to be finished. More pictures in a few days.

 

[Alex]

Do you know if the fast XFI uses any more/less wiring than a donor harness?

I'm just looking at that shaking my head, lol (not at your job, but at the thought of being forced to efi if a carb doesn't fit nicely)

 

[Bill Musarra]

The FAST EFI system can be a daunting site. What you have to remember is that it is taking a lot of information from a whole host of sensors and putting it together to perform a multi-tasking function(running and controlling an engine).

There can be a very simple system of just a few sensors, up to one that incorporates up to 30 or more sensors/functions(traction control, fuel pumps, water pumps, etc.).
I guess you have to look at it as a sort of puzzle that when done correctly, comes out to be a smooth running engine that gives you the response you are looking for and capability to control all these functions seamlessly. Once you read through all their literature, which is condensed into simple follow the directions setups, then you get the idea of how it all comes together to do the job. They even offer classes in setting them up if desired.
I had the daunting job of shortening my harness, as it was setup as a front engined car, meaning the harness started out at the front of the engine , wound it way to the rear of the engine, crossed over the bellhousing and back to the front to hook into the second part of the ECU. I originally built a lot of deflectors to protect it from the heat, but finally gave into the idea of shortening it when I ran into problems with my alternator.
When you think of what it takes to run one of these engines, then you will see that it all comes together rather well. The FAST system allows you the flexibility to mix and match parts from other systems to get what you want in the end. For instance I am using the Chevy LS coils/harness on my setup. Its no problem for the system. Its also cheaper that way. You don't have to pay for a special harness for your particular engine. My build in particular shows this. My Windsor is distributorless, so I needed several sensors that would not ordinarily be needed. A cam position sensor that tell the computer where the cam is while running. Plus the coils themselves and how they should be wired. FAST makes it easily done. You just tell them what you want to run, and they build the harness for it. You might have to splice a few things, but again, they outline it so you can get it done. Just follow the directions.

Bill

 

[Randy V]

Nice and tidy Jay! I like the way the hoses all route in the front compartment... Good work!!! :thumbsup:

 

[Ken Wright]

Holley is now selling an EFI system that looks simple enough. Just bought it for the Ultima (Avenger HP with Stealth Ram intake).

Will post some updates when available.

 

[Alex]

But regardless of functionality, is that fast XFI more/less/same wiring as using a donor LS harness and computer?

 

[Bill Musarra]

I have never seen an LS harness, and I am betting there aren't many LS guys that have seen an XFI harness. I am curious. What is so important about the size? I would be more concerned with what kind of equipment I was adding and if the harness I wanted would handle it. I looked at the available sensors in the Fast dash setup. I counted about 32.You can data log and work with power adders, traction control and so many other things... Yes it will add to your harness when you start adding these sort of things. More sensors=more wires. You also have a company that will stand behind you and give you online and instantaneous help over the phone. Try that with GM.

Bill

 

[Alex]

My digidash does all the datalogging I need. I don't need something with all sorts of bells and whistles. Just something that can be easily tuned and setup and if I went that way. Added complexity = added headache

 

[J. Salmon]

The GM harness in Dad's SLC is certainly not trim. This does have more stuff, but as Bill said, the flexibility is important, and the service has been exceptional. For me, I wanted individual runners, and that meant aftermarket, no matter. There are other brands doing individual throttle bodies, but I would use Kinsler over and over again.

 

[J. Salmon]

Weekend of work: Plumbing is done, fuel coolant, oil systems all tight and compete (except fillers). It's a mess of tubes in front of the motor, but it's more planned and controlled than it looks. Fuel tank vents snuggle into little notches in the front corners of the engine bay, protected from debris. I know most use the vents at the front of the tanks, but I wanted them out of the passenger compartment. I also get a bit more height out of them here.

 

[J. Salmon]

With the plumbing, the bulk of the chassis wiring is done as far as power is concerned. I have not wired the switches, waiting on the switch panels which a friend it doing for me. But all the gauges are wired except oil temp, which will pick up in-line to the cooler. I also pulled in the shifter cables, which appear to have been measured and built correctly (whew!). It looks like a mess, but I don't want to bundle anything until I know all the wires are run, and it will all run through the center console.

 

[J. Salmon]

ISIS system

I am using the Isis wiring system. I have virtually no background with wiring, only some theory from college physics and a bit of work around the house. The system is intuitive to someone like me that is a clean slate, but is confusing to some of the old school folks who already know how things can and have been done.

So, Isis uses a central control unit (the "mastercell") which then controls two or more "powercells" which are solid state relays that actually distribute the power to the various systems. Because the mastercell is essentially a computer, it can be programmed to do most anything. It comes with one of several pre-loaded settings (front engine, rear engine) that include functions like self cancelling turn signals and soft-start on the headlights. You can modify the program in just about any way you want, and you can then download it from a laptop to the mastercell.

I am using the basic rear engine setup. I don't need a key, because there is a key fob that disables a security feature built in. I am powering everything except the front lift which uses a polarity switch to reverse directions of the motor.

So the system works like this: Each powered wire is tied to a specific color-coded wire on the mastercell. So lets say the orange wire on the front power cell is tied to the blue wire on the mastercell. The blue wire is a 22 gauge wire that carries a very small current as a signal. When the wire is grounded, that is the signal to tell the powercell to act. In the simplest case, the powercell simply applies 12V to the corresponding orange wire. So you ground the switch and the horn sounds. But it could also be programmed to do something more complex, like pulse 12V to the orange wire for ten seconds (turn signal).

As luck would have it, the FAST XFI system works the same way. It has several control functions, such as the fuel pumps and the radiator fans. These work by grounding a particular wire. So, if the front fans on my car were hooked to the orange power cell wire, I would hook the wire for fan control from the XFI directly to the blue mastercell wire; when the XFI grounds the wire, it is just like closing the switch on the dash.

The system gives a great deal of flexibility of the controls without additional relays and without any power running through the switches. My system will include these features:

ECU and the AC system will both control the pair of front fans as one unit.
Fuel pumps are controlled by the ECU
Self cancelling turn signals and hazards are solid state
In-tank fuel pumps and solenoid valve to swap between them are synchronized

I will probably have an after-run programmed into the circuit that controls the rear fans to have them stay on for 5 minutes or so after shutting down.

It doesn't have a vintage look, but with EFI the Isis system really makes the most of electronic control.

 

[Doc Kaler]

Nice work Jay! When the time comes, try to take some photos of your gearshift mounting as I've got the same shifter (in an SL-C). I'm also using the XFi ECU and will be using the ISIS so your log has been very informative.

 

[J. Salmon]

ISIS and multiple control inputs

I will use the front fans as an example. I want both to run when (1) the engine is hot (2) the AC compressor is running or (3) when I hit an override switch on the dash. With the Isis inputs, having multiple switches to independently turn something on (sorta "if this or this or this then this" logic) means putting the switches in parallel in the ground. That way, if any one of them is grounded the switch is turned "on".

The ECU for the engine has a lead that is grounded when it wants the fans to turn on. I put this wire direct to the Isis control wire for the circuit that the fans are on, so when the ECU grounds it the Isis controller will send 12V to the fans. So that's number 1. For number 3, the override switch, I run a pigtail off this Isis control wire and put it to a switch on the dash; independent of what the ECU does, when I ground that switch the fans come on.

#2 is a little trickier. I want the fans to run when the AC compressor is on. So I pigtail off the 12V line going to the compressor clutch. I run this through a relay. On the other side of the relay, I run a wire to the Isis input and a wire to ground. So, when power goes to the compressor, the relay is tripped, and again the control wire is grounded.

Now the fans will run when any of these things tells them to run. Perfect!

Side benefit: The XFI ECU has an idle control input that maintains steady idle when a load is put on the motor, in my case the AC compressor. The idle air control system can maintain idle anyhow, but if the computer knows a load is being added it can instantly increase the idle speed to compensate. To tell the ECU, there is a wire that needs to be grounded when the compressor turns on. I use the same relay above - now I put the wire from the ECU to that same relay, so when the AC compressor gets power the wire is grounded, the XFI knows the compressor is turning on, and the idle is OEM smooth.

 

[J. Salmon]

Oil cooler thermostat

Just ordered this part, Mocal thermostat adapter for LS motors (not too many of those here... ). It gives -10 lines for the cooler, has a port for the temp sensor, and the 180 degree thermostat is built in. Very slick!

Improved Racing - Making Race Cars Faster and More Reliable

 

[Will Campbell]

Neat. I'll have to get one of those puppies!

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

Nice find Jayman....

 

[J. Salmon]

Controlling other stuff with the Isis: front lift

The front end lift made me scratch my head a bit, because I wanted it to be switched by the Isis, but I couldn't figure out how to set it up. The motor has to have reversing polarity to run the fluid both directions (up and down on the rams). With the way the Isis works, you cannot use polarity at the switch to swap polarity at the power - it's on or off.

I got a changeover relay from my electrician buddy who is helping me with the wiring. The box is designed to control a winch motor for an ATV, which also uses reversing polarity. The wiring diagram is attached. The motor draws power straight from the battery, but the switch that activates the relay gets its power from a lead off the Isis which is always on with the main power switch. So, when the power is off, the lift will not work.

I used the battery and ground studs to attach leads for my battery charger. I may move this in the future, but it will work for now.

I had forgotten about dash indicator lights for high beams and turn signals, so I went back and spiced them in. With a standard system you could pull that power from the switch, but here I cannot. I pulled the power from the respective wires off the front powercell, one lead each for the headlights (amber light), the high beams (blue light) and the turn signals (one each, green). The dash lights come on with the running lights in the same way - the running lights and dash lights are pulled off the same output on the front power cell.

I also wired up the horn.