M54. Let the foolishness begin.

[evil_twin]

must be nice lol

[hoveringuy]

Attached is the plot of two runs, the first without any electronic magic, no DISA, no variable anything. All motor. Kinda weak down low but it does fine for peak power.

The second plot has variable intake timing and DISA. Intake peaks at +20 degrees advance at 2000 rpm and then slowly tapers down to nothing by 5700 rpm. Torque continues to build to a peak at 3300 rpm where the DISA switches to the short runners and then drops and never really recovers. Max difference is an additional 40 ft-lbs and 25 hp at 3300 rpm!

I can be a little more aggressive on intake advance, probably holding it to max until 3500 before reducing it. DISA also works extremely well and I will hold that in resonance until 4000 rpm from now on. I'm amazed at how much it drops when it switches. I can't explain the difference in peak power between the two, because the cams and DISA are the same after around 5500 rpm,

Max wheel horsepower of 190 here equates pretty well to M54 rated power of 225-230hp at 5900 rpm. I'm working on a TRM chip, I'll physically advance my timing on both cams by around 5 degrees and upgrade the e36 muffler. Retarding the exhaust cam 12 degrees lost me around 16hp across the board, so those changes should come close to netting me 250.

[hoveringuy]

Nice, got a dyno sheet you can share?

I'm waiting for the files to be e-mailed.

After some thought on this, I've come to the realization that 1) advancing intake= more power 2) retarding exhaust= less power. Therefore 3) advancing intake AND exhaust must = much more power.

Therefore, I have this in my future:

[PiercedE30]

Nice, got a dyno sheet you can share?

[TwoJ's]

Nice work!

[hoveringuy]

another dyno day.

I made it to the dyno today. Interesting results, to say the least.

Overall, I'm DOWN on power from where I was 4 months ago! The car has had much better driveability and with the M3 exhaust over the e30 exhaust I expected gains of at least 15 hp on the top end. I was actually down 8 on the top end.

Strange...

I attribute this to different spark plugs and adding the power steering pump. The exhaust did help it run richer but hasn't made a difference in power.

The good news is that the controller has made the torque and power bands smoother. No more massive dip at 5300 rpm. Overall, I am better in the low to mid range where the controller has authority.

I also played extensively with the exhaust cam, I made runs with it not retarded at all and retarded 4, 8 and 12 degrees. I thought there would come a point where having it retarded would make more power at the top end but ANY AMOUNT OF RETARD LOST POWER throughout the entire power band! Who would have thunk it?

I did not expect that at all, because it feels like it has better throttle response and just revs better with some amount of retard.

Intake advance still rules supreme. The motor likes as much as it can get up until around 4,000 rpm. I'm still not sure what exhaust does, but it's not for peak power. I'll keep some at mid-range rpm's.

I'm also thinking that the e36 muffler is no better, and possibly worse, than the e30 muffler.

My next frontier is more fuel. The motor still isn't at it's full potential...

[bender]

just checking in here to see the latest progress - as usual, its very impressive. one of my favorite projects to follow at the moment.

[himizoli]

I could do that, I would like to keep stock fuel pressure for now. It's getting down to 13.7 which is much better than the 15 I was at previously. My target would be 13 or so.

I will schedule some dyno time soon to run 4 different VANOS profiles and once I get that data I will go from there. The best solution would be chip tuning, not fuel pressure.

How is your M54 coming along?

Ok I think also 13 is good solution.
The 4 different profile means do you want to make 4 dynorun figure?

We have a historic race next months and I prepare my other car for it.

So the M54 project is a bit late. :(
I filled all liqued in and it is holding. I also make an electrical test to all function is working.

[hoveringuy]

Its looks pretty lean to me. Did you tired to increased the fuel pressure?

I could do that, I would like to keep stock fuel pressure for now. It's getting down to 13.7 which is much better than the 15 I was at previously. My target would be 13 or so.

I will schedule some dyno time soon to run 4 different VANOS profiles and once I get that data I will go from there. The best solution would be chip tuning, not fuel pressure.

How is your M54 coming along?

[himizoli]

A/r

Things are looking up. I changed a few settings on the exaust profile just slightly and made some more pulls on my street dyno... the LM-2 is really paying for itself here.

I had a nice long hill and a tall gear to accelerate up. A/F ratios look better than yesterday. Maybe I found the secret sauce? It's time to schedule some dyno time!

Its looks pretty lean to me. Did you tired to increased the fuel pressure?

[hoveringuy]

i can haz sauce? :)

That's a different sauce. I keep that in the liquor cabinet with my gun (one stop shopping).

[evil_twin]

i can haz sauce? :)

[hoveringuy]

dyno time?

Things are looking up. I changed a few settings on the exaust profile just slightly and made some more pulls on my street dyno... the LM-2 is really paying for itself here.

I had a nice long hill and a tall gear to accelerate up. A/F ratios look better than yesterday. Maybe I found the secret sauce? It's time to schedule some dyno time!

[hoveringuy]

[/QUOTE]

Lol, so when are you going to make a compatible harness for us poor, ignorant peasants?

It's called an OBD1 harness... same as any other OBD1 conversion.

Also, I noticed the other day that Zionsville now has a new 100% mechanical thermostat for the M54 they sell for $199. If you already have an M54 thermostat the conversion kit is only $150! Of course, you can just keep the stock M54 thermostat if you like it set to 105 degrees.

From the Google machine:

The amount of overlap, or the area between the intake opening and the exhaust closing, is one of the most critical points in the engine cycle. If the intake valve opens too early, it will push the new charge into the intake manifold. If it occurs too late, it will lean out the cylinder and greatly hinder the performance of the engine. If the exhaust valve closes early it will trap some of the spent gas in the combustion chamber, if it closes late it will over-scavenge the chamber, taking out too much of the charge. Again, this creates an artificially lean condition. If the overlap phase occurs too early it will create an overly rich condition in the exhaust port which causes a severe dip in fuel economy. So as you can see, the overlap phase is very critical to engine performance.

My favorite Spiderman quote is "With power comes great responsibility". How do I best utilize my VANOS powers??

[Farbin Kaiber]

I love what's going on. I will be going back to read this thread from the begining.