LS1/LQ9 first setup

[blink977]

Hi all! I'm new to link engine management, and currently we are finishing up my friend's LS build, swapped in E36 M3 body.

I need a little help with first startup setting, triggers, etc. Just need car to start, and run 1000-1500km safely for engine break-in, until car goes to tuner.

So, here's the setup:

Engine: LS bored to 6 liters, freshly built, with all new internals. Upgrades are: speedmasters intake, 440lb green injectors, Comp XR275HR12 cam, Comp upgraded valve springs, aftermarket headers.

As for engine sensors, our tuner asked for: water temp sensor, air temp sensor, MAP sensor, crank sensor, cam sensor, throttle position sensor, and idle air control valve. Do we need anything else?

Our Link is G4+, I found installation manual and it says that ecu has only +5v for sensors feeding. I have stock cam and crank sensors from LS1, anyone knows they are 5v or 12v?

But main problem is first startup settings, I'm not familiar with ecu tuning, I'm doing wiring only, but we have to start car for engine break in, our tuner is 400km far from us, so I need help with trigger parameters.

Also, questions on wiring looms: my link came with mini A loom, where's pin configurations, and wire colors are different from G4 pinout in installation manual. So, Atom G4 and G4+ shares different pinout?

Thanks

Edited September 11, 2016 by blink977

[blaine@carmenaperformance]

Hi Blink,

        Your sensor loadout will be fine for running the engine. Fuel Pressure and fuel tempreature could be added to improve fueling stability however you have the met the standard requirements. The stock LS cam and crank use 12v for high reference. There is a trigger preset in the Link software for an LS1 engine. This is in the triggers tab and under trigger setup and finally trigger mode. You can scroll through the trigger list to find LS1. All of your trigger parameters will be automatically set for a startup.  If you open the help file in the software there is very good information on what else you will need to set p in the software to get the engine running.  Early G4 Atoms did use a different connector than the later G4-G4+ atoms. The new Atoms use the same A" connector as the other G4+ ecus and with the exception of the CAN bus pins and less inputs/outputs the pinout is the same. I will be away for the rest of the day but the Link guys should be up and running soon as they live in the future and its Monday there.

Blaine Carmena

Carmena Performance

Edited September 11, 2016 by blaine@carmenaperformance

[blink977]

thank you for information

if crank and cam sensors are 12v, I can't get regulated 12v for them, right? what should I do? I have an idea building some simple 12v positive regulator, and feed sensors from it.

another question is: will be default master fuel map settings safe for engine? mixture can be to lean, right?

[Scott]

Which G4+ ECU do you have? Currently all the ECUs except the Atom have a +8V output. This could be worth trying.

Scott

[blink977]

We have G4+ Atom, but pinout is similar to RX

Edited September 12, 2016 by blink977

[Scott]

Yeah the Atom doesn't have the '+8V out'. I don't know if the LS trigger sensors can operate from an ignition switched 10 ~ 14V supply. Given that the LS engine is pretty common hopefully a tuner will chime in and share their experience on this.

Scott.

[blink977]

of course they cannot operate, trigger sensor looks for regulated voltage, and clean digital ground. link installation manual says that in case of 12v sensor, it has to be powered from other supply

[blaine@carmenaperformance]

Blink, It is a hall effect sensor and really only needs the 12v for power. Some are sensitive to voltages above 12v. I have had 12v sensors burn out from seeing charging voltage. I would recommend trying a 5 volt input instead and see if the trigger works off of that. There is usually a pretty large input voltage range they will work off of which is why 8v works to power them as well. 

[neil brown]

Why not a regulated supply of 8v from an additional controller only active when the ecu is active 

[blink977]

This is what I mean, most likely I'm gonna build power source, on fixed 12v regulator IC.

I was reading installation manual, and can't figure ignition coil setup. It defenitely will be wasted spark, with two coils wired in parallel. LS firing order is 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3. This means that I have to wire coils 1and 8 to ign1, coils 7 and 2 to ign2 and so on. Right? But, LS ignition coils are 4 pin, and as I found they are 5v activated, does that mean that I need igniter?

Edited September 12, 2016 by blink977

[Stevieturbo]

The OEM sensors work fine from an unregulated 12v supply, they'd probably work fine off 5v too.

They're just a hall sensor there is no need for a regulated supply. 

LS coils have built in ignitors. 5v/hi to charge, 0v/low to fire the coil.

If firing wasted spark, 1+6, 8+5, 7+4 and 2+3 as pairs

[blink977]

The OEM sensors work fine from an unregulated 12v supply, they'd probably work fine off 5v too.

They're just a hall sensor there is no need for a regulated supply. 

LS coils have built in ignitors. 5v/hi to charge, 0v/low to fire the coil.

If firing wasted spark, 1+6, 8+5, 7+4 and 2+3 as pairs

what about connection of ignition coil and ecu?

[Simon]

From the dark old G1 days I can confirm the sensors are fine on a battery feed non regulated. (might not be the case on say a 16V system)

The coils trigger wire is able to be wired direct to the ECUs ignition outputs.

 

 

 

[Brad Burnett]

Cam and crank are fine on unregulated 12-14v, as already stated a couple times.

You can pair the coils up and have the ignition drives run 2 coils since they are internally regulated.

As stevieturbo already said, If firing wasted spark, 1+6, 8+5, 7+4 and 2+3 as pairs

I have base calibrations for LQ9 in Na, SC, and turbo.  Only issue is that you will need to change the ignition to waste spark and reconfigure some outputs such as drive by wire and the what not.

Other than that, you would only need to change the injector scaling as all my calibrations are set up for modelled fuel equation.

 

[blink977]

Cam and crank are fine on unregulated 12-14v, as already stated a couple times.

You can pair the coils up and have the ignition drives run 2 coils since they are internally regulated.

As stevieturbo already said, If firing wasted spark, 1+6, 8+5, 7+4 and 2+3 as pairs

I have base calibrations for LQ9 in Na, SC, and turbo.  Only issue is that you will need to change the ignition to waste spark and reconfigure some outputs such as drive by wire and the what not.

Other than that, you would only need to change the injector scaling as all my calibrations are set up for modelled fuel equation.

thank you, will be very appreciated for calibration of NA

but if I have to change ignition to wasted spark, what type of ignition are you using in your calibration? is there better choice than wasted spark for LS?

we don't have electric throttle, it is cable drive

[Simon]

The best is direct fire ignition but as you have the Atom you do not have the available ignition drives to allow this, So you have to run wasted spark and pair up the wiring of the coils.

 

[blink977]

so here is LS1 ignition coil

pins A and B are grounds to engine, pin D is +12 from ignition relay, right? pin C is 5V driven, but link has negative output to ignition, so, how to deal with it?

[Scott]

Yes, I would expect pin D to come from a relay controlled by an ignition switched power supply. Pin C goes to the ignition output of the ECU. The ignition output pulses of the Link ECU are +5V.

Scott.

[blink977]

should I use capasitors, like on schematics?

[Scott]

Yes, we do recommend this. Although we recommend a different value.

Scott.

[blink977]

I have an aftermarket 102mm throttle body, cable driven, with TPS and idle control valve on it. idle valve is 4 pin, this means that it is stepper motor, so I have to do "ecu hold power wiring" anyway?

[Scott]

The stepper motor needs to reset to it's home position. This can either be done when the ECU shuts down (using ECU hold power) or when the ECU first powers up (ECU hold power not required). The problem with doing it when the ECU powers up is that it takes some time, and so if you turn the key to on, and then start cranking quickly the stepper will likely be too far open and the engine will rev up. For this reason most people do ECU hold power wiring.

However, you are going to have a problem, as the Atom can not do stepper motor control.

Scott.

[blink977]

Yeap, I have just found it, Atom cannot control stepper motors. I'm gonna wire BMW 3 wire one instead.

One more question: can I use MAP sensor from some other car? or it has to be aftermarket?

[Simon]

Any MAP with a 0-5V output can be used. You will just need to know the calibration to be able to enter it into the ECU.

[blink977]

for injection, group fire staged, right?