1990 Eclipse GSX

[DSMPT]

I am working on my 1g to have better engine cooling since recently I am motivated to take the 1g out to the streets a bit more. The block is filled 2/3~3/4 and has a poor coolant flow to the head. It has no problem in cruising or short period of time. But where I live started to be too hot to use being like this, especially at low RPM. I am running a small auxiliary water pump directly to the cylinder head.

 

[DSMPT]

Where I live started to be really hot in this week. It's around 118~122 degrees F range yesterday. I took my 1g out to see if the auxiliary water pump and the fluid cooler for electric power steering pump would be able to handle this heat. Drove about one hour by mixing pulling hard, slow cruising, idling and turning the engine off. So far it seems they are working very well.

 

[We're on Boost]

Hiroshi, do you have anything in the thermostat housing? Is it no thermostat?
Do you regulate the flowrate through the head and auxiliary water pump in any way? Does it just run wide-open when ever it's on? Do you think the flowrate of water through the head with this system is more than what a stock engine would have with the thermostat wide open?

 

[DSMPT]

Hiroshi, do you have anything in the thermostat housing? Is it no thermostat?

No I don't have the thermostat in this 1g. I control it through the ECU. Making it synchronized with the radiator fan, and also I installed a toggle switch to allow me to manually turn on and off. That helps a lot after shutting off the engine. You can still make the coolant flow without the engine running to avoid to get heat spot in the cylinder head.

Do you regulate the flowrate through the head and auxiliary water pump in any way? Does it just run wide-open when ever it's on? Do you think the flowrate of water through the head with this system is more than what a stock engine would have with the thermostat wide open?

No I don't control flow rate on this tiny pump. This pump would be just On or OFF by following the radiator fan activation temp. But it can make more coolant flow to the head at idle with a mechanical pump.
Since the block is filled 2/3~3/4 and it's disturbing the coolant flow from the block to the head, I didn't plan to drive this 1g on street much when built this engine, but recently I am motivated to take it to the streets to have fun. So I tried to make a bit more coolant flow for that.

Do you think the flowrate of water through the head with this system is more than what a stock engine would have with the thermostat wide open?

I believe so, but with a stock mechanical pump. This pump is just a little support for the stock cooling system. If without the stock mechanical water pump like when the block is completely filled, it would require a much larger electric water pump. I now am wanting to do this on my 2g to see how it would work. Actually my 2g gets much hotter in this weather.

 

[DSMPT]

Facebook brought up some old videos. I know. I suck at driving hahah

 

[92Turbski]

Facebook brought up some old videos. I know. I suck at driving hahah

That's awesome! Cool vids, thanks for sharing.

 

[DSMPT]

Someone in local gave me this pic. It seems when I still had the stock SMIC or Supra SMIC.

 

[1cleangsx]

Is your car an original gsx? I only ask because of the “talon” 2 tone bumper/side skirts, either way it’s Beautiful

 

[DSMPT]

Is your car an original gsx? I only ask because of the “talon” 2 tone bumper/side skirts, either way it’s Beautiful

Thanks! If you mean the color, no not original. When I bought it it was in black. I chose the color/combination in a paint store and my friend painted for me. Not a super professional paint job but it was as gift, so I was happy about that. The paint is getting damaged by time but I am keeping it as is since the friend who painted passed away some years ago.

 

[DSMPT]

The weather is nice here. Took the 1g out for a spin.

 

[We're on Boost]

Man what do you have on that car for headlights? They look bright and white. Reminds me of the 2022 Camry rental car I had in Colorado last year. Or maybe it's just how video comes out at night, looking like that?

 

[DSMPT]

Man what do you have on that car for headlights? They look bright and white. Reminds me of the 2022 Camry rental car I had in Colorado last year. Or maybe it's just how video comes out at night, looking like that?

Yeah maybe because of the video during night. They are just cheap LED bulbs from eBay. They are kinda bright though.

 

[We're on Boost]

Yeah maybe because of the video during night. They are just cheap LED bulbs from eBay. They are kinda bright though.

Oh they are LED's! Maybe that's why. Are they sealed beam LEDs? Or did you put some kind of headlights in there that have replaceable bulbs? My car has sealed beams.

 

[DSMPT]

Are they sealed beam LEDs? Or did you put some kind of headlights in there that have replaceable bulbs?

No not sealed ones. They are just replaceable bulbs.

 

[DSMPT]

Another old video. It seems like it was vs. a Drag Beetle. Babying the transmission

 

[Justin DuBois]

Another old video. It seems like it was vs. a Drag Beetle. Babying the transmission

If I had a laptop like that in passengers seat of the car - I'd get sent back to the pits for a safety violation ;-)

 

[DSMPT]

If I had a laptop like that in passengers seat of the car - I'd get sent back to the pits for a safety violation ;-)

This was in an old mexican local track that is owned by a local person, they didn't care about that There is a new track and actually they do care.

 

[DSMPT]

Another video in the same day as post #45, the day I got clutch drag that didn't allow me to shift above 5000+ rpm. Found a virtual dyno screenshot from the day.

 

[DSMPT]

While I am replacing the fuel pump, I am thinking to install a flex fuel sensor and see how it would act with methanol (Not ethanol). I don't really need the sensor since I have blend myself and been switching the maps manually.
But in the internet, there are no many info about this and not so many people actually have experience, so just out of curiosity.

The 91 octane gasoline I can usually pump where I live in Mexico contain zero ethanol according to ethanol tester (I have checked it with 4 different companies), but the flex fuel sensor actually reads 4%~5% blend. So I imagine it contains methanol or something else instead of ethanol or the tester was not accurate.
So far below is how the flex fuel sensor acts in my case. I guess it would depend on the gasoline and methanol you use. I have tried a couple of times for each blend and they always read almost the same.
Aside from corrosion by methanol, it seems it can be used with methanol by adjusting the setup/calibration in ECU.

100% Gasoline / 0% Methanol - It reads as Ethanol Blend 4.4% 54.4Hz
90% Gasoline / 10% Methanol - It reads as Ethanol Blend 19.5% 69.5Hz
80% Gasoline / 20% Methanol - It reads as Ethanol Blend 27% 77Hz
70% Gasoline / 30% Methanol - It reads as Ethanol Blend 41% 91Hz
60% Gasoline / 40% Methanol - It reads as Ethanol Blend 50% 100Hz
50% Gasoline / 50% Methanol - It reads as Ethanol Blend 62% 112Hz
40% Gasoline / 60% Methanol - It reads as Ethanol Blend 71% 121Hz
30% Gasoline / 70% Methanol - It reads as Ethanol Blend 83% 133Hz
20% Gasoline / 80% Methanol - It reads as Ethanol Blend 92% 142Hz
15% Gasoline / 85% Methanol - It reads as Ethanol Blend 96% 146Hz
10% Gasoline / 90% Methanol - It reads as Ethanol Blend 100% 150Hz
0% Gasoline / 100% Methanol - It reads as Ethanol Blend 100% 150Hz

 

[We're on Boost]

So far below is how the flex fuel sensor acts in my case.

Awesome I'm glad you did this!
I thought about this for a while when about 10 years ago the E85 stations were disappearing around here or were already disappeared.
From something I found, it seemed to me that the ethanol sensor works off of the Dielectric Constant of the fuel.
Looking those numbers up I found:

Methyl Alcohol (methanol) : 33.1
Ethyl Alcohol (ethanol) : 25.3
Gasoline : 2
Water : 80

So it makes sense that methanol has higher effect on the reading than ethanol does, by some amount like you are seeing, since its dielectric constant is about 31% higher.

I still don't know for sure if it is the dielectric constant it is reading, but I'm glad to see that the idea of using a flex fuel sensor for reading methanol seems workable.
And water, it's so high, I've read that on the OEM setups, when the sensor reads high and off scale the ecu assumes that there is a lot of water in the gas and throws a code or something. So that makes sense too.

 

[DSMPT]

Finally installed the new fuel pump. And ran a coolant leak test with vacuum before firing up for the first time in 5 months since the fuel pump got failed. I hadn't done anything for 5 months to my 1g and it's collecting so much dust...

 

[We're on Boost]

for the first time in 5 months since the fuel pump got failed.

Do you have any ideas about why the fuel pump failed? It was a Prodigy wasn't it?

 

[DSMPT]

It was a Prodigy wasn't it?

Yes, it was a Fuelab Prodigy 42401 but was much older revision. Fuelab told me that the one I sent back to repair was built 11 yers ago. I bought it new back in 2017 or 2018, so maybe I got an old stock at that time. And Fuelab don't have replacement parts for this revision anymore. I was disappointed about that because I just wanted to repair. I didn't care if it was an old rev since the pump was working just fine in my setup with gasoline.
Anyways I had to buy a new one. I was thinking to order a newer revision 42401 through my wholesaler but Fuelab finally gave me a pretty good deal instead of warranty. Then in this time since I have been thinking to go more methanol blend %, I went a Prodigy 42402 which flows most in the Prodigy lineup before going a mechanical pump or a spur gear pump. The spec sheet I received says that's a Prodigy II.

Do you have any ideas about why the fuel pump failed?

According to a Fuelab tech rep, internally leaked and that made the controller wet. Also told me that the pump is now entirely different from the one I had and comes with a lifetime warranty.

I just did a quick pressure test by applying compressed air to fuel regulator. The old 42401 in my setup (10AN feed/8AN return. Regulator set at 55 psi) was building 115-120 psi max at 12.0v. This latest 42402 is building 125-130 psi max at 12.0v. But the flow is guaranteed at 100 psi though.

 

[We're on Boost]

According to a Fuelab tech rep, internally leaked and that made the controller wet. Also told me that the pump is now entirely different from the one I had and comes with a lifetime warranty.

I just did a quick pressure test by applying compressed air to fuel regulator. The old 42401 in my setup (10AN feed/8AN return. Regulator set at 55 psi) was building 115-120 psi max at 12.0v. This latest 42402 is building 125-130 psi max at 12.0v. But the flow is guaranteed at 100 psi though.

Well that's interesting. I didn't notice any bragging on their web site about the Prodigy being new, redesigned. But I downloaded the current tech data sheet (rev D of the same basic dwg number) and that is sure different than the one I downloaded in 2015.
For the 42402:
The new one shows about 180 GPH flow at 13.5 volts and 100 psi.
The old sheet shows about 120 GPH flow at 13.5 volts and 100 psi.

So according to that, the new one flows about twice as much as the Walbro F90000295 and more than twice as much as the Walbro Hellcat (F90000285).

Are you using any kind of speed control on it?

 

[DSMPT]

The new one shows about 180 GPH flow at 13.5 volts and 100 psi.
The old sheet shows about 120 GPH flow at 13.5 volts and 100 psi.

Their advertise numbers now is : (@13.5v)
42401 : 190GPH @ 45 psi, 170GPH @ 100 psi
42402 : 220GPH @ 45 psi, 190GPH @ 100 psi

Are you using any kind of speed control on it?

I don't use a variable speed controller. That's one of the reasons why I go with Fuelab pump. Their pumps have a simple builtin speed controller. So you won't need one externally if what you would need is simply switching between the max speed and the reduced speed (not variable speed control). Like I use the reduced speed for idling and streets by grounding one terminal on the pump, and switch to the max speed only before pulling hard in highway or before the line in the track. In this case, it doesn't require to buy an additional speed controller like the common large aftermarket fuel pumps that run only in max speed and require a speed controller for streets or long time idling.