1UZ into E36
- Thread starter Patrick Bateman
- Start date
The 1UZFE EGR Delete Kit is available for sale here.
Oh, the joys of an engine conversion.
Its the hundreds of tiny jobs (that nobody sees) that need to be done otherwise the whole thing falls apart in a screaming mess.
Like today... all of it.
When the shifter was installed months ago, it encroached on the area where the climate control ECU lives. It was decided that it would be moved to behind the glovebox, but I've been putting it off for way too long.
Its satisfying to trim that final zip tie, but nobody else really cares - all they want to see is the engine and turbo.
Its the hundreds of tiny jobs (that nobody sees) that need to be done otherwise the whole thing falls apart in a screaming mess.
Like today... all of it.
When the shifter was installed months ago, it encroached on the area where the climate control ECU lives. It was decided that it would be moved to behind the glovebox, but I've been putting it off for way too long.
- 60 x pieces of wire to be cut.
- 120 x pieces of heat shrink to be cut.
- Put 2 pieces of heat shrink on each wire.
- Barrel crimp each end of the wire
- Cut each harness wire (staggered) and crimp each end. (that's 240 crimps in total)
- Heat shrink each end.
- Tape it all up.
- Zip tie the Climate Control ECU into its new home.
- Fasten the harness
Its satisfying to trim that final zip tie, but nobody else really cares - all they want to see is the engine and turbo.
Amongst many other small (but necessary) jobs, the rocker covers came off in prep for the breather system mods. The baffle plate "rivets" are removed easily with a drill and die grinder. Had the covers and baffles soaking in an alkaline degreaser for a few hours and all the oil residue came off easily. The alloy and baffles are stained but they are very clean.
Using Speedflow M20 x AN10 adapters for the breather pipes seemed to be the easiest route. I could not be arsed getting fittings welded on. If they break, i might, but they shouldn't. The breather pipe and PCV holes are around 18mm in diameter so it only took a small amount of massaging with the dremel to start the M20 tap. Both have aluminium washers and thread sealant.
Drilling out the rocker covers to allow the baffles to be bolted back on was interesting... the RH cover has a flat top so it sits nicely on the drill bench - the LH cover not so much due to the PCV and oil cap castings. I needed to put blocks under it and hold it down firm to stop it moving around.
New holes (x23) tapped for the baffle plates then reassembled with new m5 allens. Loctite is an absolute must for these bolts. You don't want them coming loose!
Using Speedflow M20 x AN10 adapters for the breather pipes seemed to be the easiest route. I could not be arsed getting fittings welded on. If they break, i might, but they shouldn't. The breather pipe and PCV holes are around 18mm in diameter so it only took a small amount of massaging with the dremel to start the M20 tap. Both have aluminium washers and thread sealant.
Drilling out the rocker covers to allow the baffles to be bolted back on was interesting... the RH cover has a flat top so it sits nicely on the drill bench - the LH cover not so much due to the PCV and oil cap castings. I needed to put blocks under it and hold it down firm to stop it moving around.
New holes (x23) tapped for the baffle plates then reassembled with new m5 allens. Loctite is an absolute must for these bolts. You don't want them coming loose!
I forgot to note, aluminium thickness next to the spark plug tubes is only about 8-10mm and I don't have bottoming taps - so I drilled right through, and the bolts have ultra-grey sealant on them to ensure nothing leaks out + the bolt stays put. All the other bolts have Toyota thread locker.
@JHZ I used aluminium crush washers under the AN fittings, plus I used an anaerobic PTFE sealant (Aeroflow) on the threads. Its oil/fuel/waterproof and is rated to much higher temps than the engine will reach. I'm sure it wont leak!
@JHZ I used aluminium crush washers under the AN fittings, plus I used an anaerobic PTFE sealant (Aeroflow) on the threads. Its oil/fuel/waterproof and is rated to much higher temps than the engine will reach. I'm sure it wont leak!
Long time, no 1UZ.
Work, home, holidays and a new dog all mean it's been months since I've touched the car... plus it's been freezing cold in the garage.
There has been progress in the last two weeks though:
Bearing in mind the roads were wet when I left home, the car is frightening on 6 psi.
Not sure about 4th, but the first 3 gears can only take about 25% throttle before the tyres give up.
Hopefuly I will have it dyno-ready in a week or two...
Work, home, holidays and a new dog all mean it's been months since I've touched the car... plus it's been freezing cold in the garage.
There has been progress in the last two weeks though:
- Purchased a full OE system for a 328i (twin 2"), a y-pipe and some mandrel bends
- Cut, welded and merged the dump pipe into the new system
- It's very quiet now (a little deeper than a standard Soarer) and will hopefully pass emission testing
Bearing in mind the roads were wet when I left home, the car is frightening on 6 psi.
Not sure about 4th, but the first 3 gears can only take about 25% throttle before the tyres give up.
Hopefuly I will have it dyno-ready in a week or two...
Roads are dry today and the sun is shining
I changed the wastegate to the 14psi spring today and took it for some self-tuning.
Mixtures are fat and the long-term trim is progressively bringing them down.
Throttle response is improving, timing is very safe, and zero knocks detected.
So, how does it feel?
1st gear absolutely annihilates the tyres.
2nd gear absolutely annihilates the tyres
3rd gear... I don't know because the road wasn't long enough
The highlighted section below shows 60-100kph in less than a second - but that's roll-on wheelspin.
The wheelspin continues for half a second before the car hooks up, then I backed off.
I changed the wastegate to the 14psi spring today and took it for some self-tuning.
Mixtures are fat and the long-term trim is progressively bringing them down.
Throttle response is improving, timing is very safe, and zero knocks detected.
So, how does it feel?
1st gear absolutely annihilates the tyres.
2nd gear absolutely annihilates the tyres
3rd gear... I don't know because the road wasn't long enough
The highlighted section below shows 60-100kph in less than a second - but that's roll-on wheelspin.
The wheelspin continues for half a second before the car hooks up, then I backed off.
After waiting months for a Transgo shift kit (US) and A343 valve body gaskets (Ukraine), the transmission is now back together, and it should be driving over the next few days. I've drilled out the centre plate ports to the "hot rod" spec size so shifts would be tight. Will be interesting to see how long the transmission lasts once the tune is finalised though... I have been pricing up a ZF 8HP75 swap and its comparable to a fully built A340. The ratios look nice though - the RPM drop between gears on an A340 make turbo response crucial, but is almost irrelevant with an 8 speed
ivan129
BlownZX
Hi Patrick, An 8 speed trans would be cool. Your turning that engine pretty hard shifting over 6K.
I restirct mine to 5500.
I've also thought about fitting another transmission with more gears.
Looked at the ZF range of boxes but then turned away cos of the prices being asked for them.
I've been looking at the GM 6 speeds for sometime now. There are a number of different 6 speed models used by GM, with some having a removable bellhousing which would make the conversion easier.
There are also some performance parts available and they are relatively cheap to pick up.
The other thing for me, is that I'm almost out of IO so extra solenoids and sensors would mean another IO expander.
If you have done much work on your 340 map, I'd be keen to have look at your shift mapping, how you manage line pressure, shift time & TC Lup.
I never plumbed in a line pressure sensor, so I'm using engine demand (load) over gear for line pressure control and rely on a combination of shift times and LP % duty cycle to soften or firm up shifts. I also do not PWM Lockup. My view is its either on or off.
I restirct mine to 5500.
I've also thought about fitting another transmission with more gears.
Looked at the ZF range of boxes but then turned away cos of the prices being asked for them.
I've been looking at the GM 6 speeds for sometime now. There are a number of different 6 speed models used by GM, with some having a removable bellhousing which would make the conversion easier.
There are also some performance parts available and they are relatively cheap to pick up.
The other thing for me, is that I'm almost out of IO so extra solenoids and sensors would mean another IO expander.
If you have done much work on your 340 map, I'd be keen to have look at your shift mapping, how you manage line pressure, shift time & TC Lup.
I never plumbed in a line pressure sensor, so I'm using engine demand (load) over gear for line pressure control and rely on a combination of shift times and LP % duty cycle to soften or firm up shifts. I also do not PWM Lockup. My view is its either on or off.
Hi Ivan,
The current exhaust system (legal & quiet) is choking the engine over 5000rpm so, once I have had the engine tuned for engineering, I will look are remapping the shift points to suit. This means I will also have to remap it when I've finished building the bigger exhaust system (legality questionable).
As for strength, I like to think that the flat shifting setup reduces the load on the clutches and brakes during the shifts - so they should last for a while. I'm under no illusions though... this gearbox will eventually expire with the engine/turbo setup pushing through it.
The ZF box has an internal ECU that runs via CAN and it is Haltech compatible. Given this transmission swap is becoming popular, I would expect Haltech will support it in the future - without the need for any additional I/O connections.
I have been massaging the transmission control settings over the past few months though...
SHIFT POINTS
I've set it up to operate like a normal auto 4-speed when the Overdrive (keypad) input is on - but when this input is off, it behaves like a manual shift 3-speed using the valve body mechanics and the gear position switch. It will shift down from higher gears almost immediately, will not kick down, and is inhibited from shifting up.
PRESSURE CONTROL
I'm using the same strategy as you currently with most of the settings duplicated from Haltech's A340 support page and it seems to run just fine with this configuration. As soon as its at 40% throttle, the solenoid is at 0% PWM. Lets face it, if you're givein it more than 40% throttle, you want firm shifts. I do have a line pressure sensor fitted, but not wired. Once this is setup, I will look are running a closed loop strategy against boost.
TORQUE CONVERTER
This has been a problem - the factory Soarer A340 TC solenoid is linear (PWM) but the A343 valve body I'm using is not (ON/OFF). The Haltech software expects to see a PWM solenoid and freaks out when I changed it to ON/OFF. It seems to work OK but always has an error.
FLAT SHIFT
Again, I copied all the settings shown on the Haltech website (which were setup for a shift-kitted valve body) and it feels great. No pops and bangs that i can hear through the quiet exhaust... but that may change once the full system is built.
The current exhaust system (legal & quiet) is choking the engine over 5000rpm so, once I have had the engine tuned for engineering, I will look are remapping the shift points to suit. This means I will also have to remap it when I've finished building the bigger exhaust system (legality questionable).
As for strength, I like to think that the flat shifting setup reduces the load on the clutches and brakes during the shifts - so they should last for a while. I'm under no illusions though... this gearbox will eventually expire with the engine/turbo setup pushing through it.
The ZF box has an internal ECU that runs via CAN and it is Haltech compatible. Given this transmission swap is becoming popular, I would expect Haltech will support it in the future - without the need for any additional I/O connections.
I have been massaging the transmission control settings over the past few months though...
SHIFT POINTS
I've set it up to operate like a normal auto 4-speed when the Overdrive (keypad) input is on - but when this input is off, it behaves like a manual shift 3-speed using the valve body mechanics and the gear position switch. It will shift down from higher gears almost immediately, will not kick down, and is inhibited from shifting up.
PRESSURE CONTROL
I'm using the same strategy as you currently with most of the settings duplicated from Haltech's A340 support page and it seems to run just fine with this configuration. As soon as its at 40% throttle, the solenoid is at 0% PWM. Lets face it, if you're givein it more than 40% throttle, you want firm shifts. I do have a line pressure sensor fitted, but not wired. Once this is setup, I will look are running a closed loop strategy against boost.
TORQUE CONVERTER
This has been a problem - the factory Soarer A340 TC solenoid is linear (PWM) but the A343 valve body I'm using is not (ON/OFF). The Haltech software expects to see a PWM solenoid and freaks out when I changed it to ON/OFF. It seems to work OK but always has an error.
FLAT SHIFT
Again, I copied all the settings shown on the Haltech website (which were setup for a shift-kitted valve body) and it feels great. No pops and bangs that i can hear through the quiet exhaust... but that may change once the full system is built.
ivan129
BlownZX
Hi Patrick,
Thanks for the info.
I didn’t realize those ZF boxes could be controlled via CAN. That would save IO.
Haltech are always developing (that’s good), however they are sometimes introducing unplanned events too.
Glad we're sharing some of this. Transmission control seems to take a bit of ongoing tweaking.
I use my transmission as a true 4 speed, allowing shifts into overdrive (4th gear).
Drive position, No sport
I use the overdrive push button on the transmission shifter as a sport button allowing an extended shift pattern that holds gears longer. And break out into manual mode via paddles if I want that extra control over when and what to shift
Drive position, Sport Mode active
I was interested to see just how much duty cycle you bleed off for line pressure control. While my in gear and shift table looks the same as yours with figures above 40% set to zero, at my lower end, I hadn’t gone above 60%.
Using lower values (create less slippage in the box) explains why my car seems to lite up the back end when I take off using a bit of throttle.
I will give your figures a go to see what affect it has on launch and shift quality at litter throttle.
As for TC LUP you can get around the Haltech error when using PWM by using 0% for off and 100% for on giving the same behavior as switched however I’m sure you would have looked at that.
For TC LUP table, I use a separate gear / load table for enabling lockup and for unlock. I also used alarms on the dash just to make sure I have the logic and behavior working correctly, then disable them.
I haven’t played with flat shifts yet so can’t comment on its behavior.
My biggest problem at the moment with my rig, is getting IAT's down to a managable level.
Blowers are always more difficult in that area than turbo's.
Thanks again.
Thanks for the info.
I didn’t realize those ZF boxes could be controlled via CAN. That would save IO.
Haltech are always developing (that’s good), however they are sometimes introducing unplanned events too.
Glad we're sharing some of this. Transmission control seems to take a bit of ongoing tweaking.
I use my transmission as a true 4 speed, allowing shifts into overdrive (4th gear).
Drive position, No sport
I use the overdrive push button on the transmission shifter as a sport button allowing an extended shift pattern that holds gears longer. And break out into manual mode via paddles if I want that extra control over when and what to shift
Drive position, Sport Mode active
I was interested to see just how much duty cycle you bleed off for line pressure control. While my in gear and shift table looks the same as yours with figures above 40% set to zero, at my lower end, I hadn’t gone above 60%.
Using lower values (create less slippage in the box) explains why my car seems to lite up the back end when I take off using a bit of throttle.
I will give your figures a go to see what affect it has on launch and shift quality at litter throttle.
As for TC LUP you can get around the Haltech error when using PWM by using 0% for off and 100% for on giving the same behavior as switched however I’m sure you would have looked at that.
For TC LUP table, I use a separate gear / load table for enabling lockup and for unlock. I also used alarms on the dash just to make sure I have the logic and behavior working correctly, then disable them.
I haven’t played with flat shifts yet so can’t comment on its behavior.
My biggest problem at the moment with my rig, is getting IAT's down to a managable level.
Blowers are always more difficult in that area than turbo's.
Thanks again.
Good info there Ivan.
For TC Lockup, I have it disabled for anything over 30% throttle. Modern torque converters have a multiplate lockup clutch which will hold full engine power... but old ones like ours are a single plate and they're not very strong.
Another thing to consider is the F1 2nd Gear Sprag (one-way clutch). As you know these are a weak point and through discussion with MV Autos, I was told never to nail it in 2nd gear when the shifter is in DRIVE. Mike told me only to give it the beans when the shifter is in 2nd.
Looking at the shift table and the gearset:
I've also been told never to let the transmission kick down under full power - the shift should be made manually with the gear selector
For TC Lockup, I have it disabled for anything over 30% throttle. Modern torque converters have a multiplate lockup clutch which will hold full engine power... but old ones like ours are a single plate and they're not very strong.
Another thing to consider is the F1 2nd Gear Sprag (one-way clutch). As you know these are a weak point and through discussion with MV Autos, I was told never to nail it in 2nd gear when the shifter is in DRIVE. Mike told me only to give it the beans when the shifter is in 2nd.
Looking at the shift table and the gearset:
- When in DRIVE / 2nd, the only thing stopping the Front Rear Sun Gear from turning is the F1 one-way clutch (held on by B2 brake). The one-way clutch allows the engine to coast on decel. This is why they break.
- When in 2 / 2nd, the B1 brake is also engaged - you now have a B1 and F1 supporting the Front Rear Sun Gear and preventing the engine from coasting on decel - it now provides engine braking and can hold a lot more power without torching the F1 sprag
I've also been told never to let the transmission kick down under full power - the shift should be made manually with the gear selector
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ivan129
BlownZX
Thanks Patrick.
I haven't broken mine.... yet (fingers crossed), however I have a fully rebuilt A341E as a spare sitting under the bench.
Its got all the goodies in it, but will use cable line pressure.
There are a number of great training videos on the net that take you through an A340 rebuild.
The Auto Trans Factory (in the States) also go through their range of performance upgrades, do's and don'ts.
Keeping the fluid in good health, fluid temp down (mine never goes above 85C) and line pressure in the correct range for the load helps as long as the launch and shift loads can be kept under the breakage threshold.
I do tend to drive with the shift in Drive only using 2nd or Low on rare ocassions but most of the time use the paddles to hold lowers gears.
Think I'll be a bit more careful in future.
I haven't broken mine.... yet (fingers crossed), however I have a fully rebuilt A341E as a spare sitting under the bench.
Its got all the goodies in it, but will use cable line pressure.
There are a number of great training videos on the net that take you through an A340 rebuild.
The Auto Trans Factory (in the States) also go through their range of performance upgrades, do's and don'ts.
Keeping the fluid in good health, fluid temp down (mine never goes above 85C) and line pressure in the correct range for the load helps as long as the launch and shift loads can be kept under the breakage threshold.
I do tend to drive with the shift in Drive only using 2nd or Low on rare ocassions but most of the time use the paddles to hold lowers gears.
Think I'll be a bit more careful in future.
Intake is now finished - I promised myself I wouldn't cut any of the body for this conversion and its still 100% intact.
It was impossible to squeeze a 4" pipe behind the headlight and down into the bumper cavity, so I have to get creative. Yes, I know it's not a full flow pipe, but the actual turbo inlet (not including the compressor surge port) is only 2.5" so it's hardly a restriction.
The Catch Can vent pipe now connects to a 19mm elbow welded into the pipe underneath. Glad that's sorted. Air filter tucks in nicely under the plate. I wanted to keep it as high as possible to keep it away from water - and it's above the air stream coming thru the front bumper into the cavity to its protected and it gets a good supply of fresh cold air.
All buttoned up - just missing an eye.
It was impossible to squeeze a 4" pipe behind the headlight and down into the bumper cavity, so I have to get creative. Yes, I know it's not a full flow pipe, but the actual turbo inlet (not including the compressor surge port) is only 2.5" so it's hardly a restriction.
The Catch Can vent pipe now connects to a 19mm elbow welded into the pipe underneath. Glad that's sorted. Air filter tucks in nicely under the plate. I wanted to keep it as high as possible to keep it away from water - and it's above the air stream coming thru the front bumper into the cavity to its protected and it gets a good supply of fresh cold air.
All buttoned up - just missing an eye.
