JoeT
03-23-2004, 11:56 PM
You saw the equipment list, now let's see how we got there. The reason that this phase was called Realization is because it was a real eye opener. It's not easy to do this from scratch, and there were lots of surprises and pitfalls.
Thanks to the patience of all involved, we got though it and 40000 Km later the engine is working fantastic, still and looks like there's still lots of life yet to go.
Injectors, purchased from NASIOC for 80 bucks USD
WRX Intercooler Purchased from NASIOC for 200 Bucks USD
Turbocharger purchased from someone visiting Yoshio from the US for 200 bucks USD
ECU Bought New from Yoshio for close to 3000 bucks CDN
Headers bought new from Yoshio for 2200 bucks CDN
Injector Adapters - Free prototype (guess who thought of them)
Front Cross Member WRX Japan Auto Parts 150 bucks
Blitz SBC-ID bought from Yoshio 900 bucks
Blitz BOV (I forgot how much)
Aeromotive RRFPR with fuel pressure guage (forgot the price)
Getting all the parts was easy, the assembly was the difficult part. WRX cross member needed spacers welded to the control arm mounting points so the Legacy control arm would fit.
Oil pan needed to be drilled for the oil return.
Oil pickup from the rear gallery plug needed to be custom made.
Water hose for turbo cooling needed to be tapped from the heater core in and out lines.
Tons of AN fittings and custom stainless steel braided tubing.
Tons of T fittings needed to tap into the manifold for MAP, RRFPR, Boost Controller pickups.
Custom fabrication for MR2 intercooler, because the WRX intercooler could not be modified to fit the Legacy.
We first ordered the RC engineering injectors because of all the support from Nasioc, only to find out that they didn't fit the manifold, and they required a resistor kit to make things work properly. I wanted reliability more than peak power so I opted to go with OEM equipment where possible.
You can't beat OEM quality when it comes to longevity and resistance to failure. Things I wanted OEM Were:
Crank Trigger Sensor
Cam Trigger Sensor
Ignition Coils
Injectors
Connectors
If any of these failed, I could go to any subaru dealer or junkyard to pull out the necessary components.
When we went ahead with this project, I assumed (bad idea) that the 2000 MT Legacy GT engine was the same as the 2.5RS. This was when reality hit, only the block is the same as the 2.5RS.
Things that were different were:
Idle Air Control Valve
Crank Trigger
Cam Trigger
Map Sensor
TPS
These subtle differences made it difficult to move forward with the proper engine management because the software had not been developed. Luckily I dealt with the Canadian distributor of Autronic and he was able to convince Autronic to let me use a Beta Test version of the latest software and firmware. They custom programmed the trigger information into the Version 2.0 of the SMC / SMD chip.
What this meant that there was absolutely no support in existance for the NA2.5 Legacy engine with this type of trigger, and we were entering into unknown territory.
Anyways.. Next step was to wire in the Autronic ECU and that was my job.
I created a harness adapter that mimicked the stock connections and bridged only the necessary connections from the OEM ecu to the Autronic ECU. All engine functions were managed by the Autronic ECU with it's multitude of 3D maps, and the accessories were managed by the OEM ECU with the exception of the AC and IAC. I left the IAC with the stock ECU because it managed the following:
Idle up for low batt voltage
Idle up for Power Steering load
Idle up for AC
Idle up for coast down
Plus the stock ECU also managed the Speedometer and the tachometer.
Items rerouted to the Autronic ECU:
Ignitors and Coil signal for the coil packs
Fuel Injectors
Separate Water Temperature Sensor
Separate intake charge temperature
Separate MAP Sensor
Items Bridged between Autronic ECU and OEM ECU:
TPS Switch
Crank Position Sensor
Cam Position Sensor
Main Power
Backup Power
It all seems easy now, since the car has been apart for more than a few occasions. The wiring harness was routed from the bridged connections under the carpeting to a position under the passenger seat where the Autronic ECU sat. This presented an accessible location for the Computer linkup and provided good protection from the elements.
A few more surprises manifested themselves, when we tried to bolt up the maxim works headers to the 2.5L engine. The bolts all lined up, but the up pipe hit the back of the head and needed to be cut and welded in position. This was kinda scary because we were cutting a piece of jewelry so we could mount the turbo in place. UGH!!!
So now a little recap:
ECU Wired up
Headers Bolted on
Oil and Water lines installed
All sensors in place
Intercooler in place
Oil pan drain in place
Injectors installed and wired up
O2 Sensor in place and wired up
Now lets get the car started...
UGH.. No go, no start.. No startup file, no ECU configurations for the NA2.5L engine with the Funky trigger information.
What to do now.... Stay tuned for Phase 3 - Religion
Thanks to the patience of all involved, we got though it and 40000 Km later the engine is working fantastic, still and looks like there's still lots of life yet to go.
Injectors, purchased from NASIOC for 80 bucks USD
WRX Intercooler Purchased from NASIOC for 200 Bucks USD
Turbocharger purchased from someone visiting Yoshio from the US for 200 bucks USD
ECU Bought New from Yoshio for close to 3000 bucks CDN
Headers bought new from Yoshio for 2200 bucks CDN
Injector Adapters - Free prototype (guess who thought of them)
Front Cross Member WRX Japan Auto Parts 150 bucks
Blitz SBC-ID bought from Yoshio 900 bucks
Blitz BOV (I forgot how much)
Aeromotive RRFPR with fuel pressure guage (forgot the price)
Getting all the parts was easy, the assembly was the difficult part. WRX cross member needed spacers welded to the control arm mounting points so the Legacy control arm would fit.
Oil pan needed to be drilled for the oil return.
Oil pickup from the rear gallery plug needed to be custom made.
Water hose for turbo cooling needed to be tapped from the heater core in and out lines.
Tons of AN fittings and custom stainless steel braided tubing.
Tons of T fittings needed to tap into the manifold for MAP, RRFPR, Boost Controller pickups.
Custom fabrication for MR2 intercooler, because the WRX intercooler could not be modified to fit the Legacy.
We first ordered the RC engineering injectors because of all the support from Nasioc, only to find out that they didn't fit the manifold, and they required a resistor kit to make things work properly. I wanted reliability more than peak power so I opted to go with OEM equipment where possible.
You can't beat OEM quality when it comes to longevity and resistance to failure. Things I wanted OEM Were:
Crank Trigger Sensor
Cam Trigger Sensor
Ignition Coils
Injectors
Connectors
If any of these failed, I could go to any subaru dealer or junkyard to pull out the necessary components.
When we went ahead with this project, I assumed (bad idea) that the 2000 MT Legacy GT engine was the same as the 2.5RS. This was when reality hit, only the block is the same as the 2.5RS.
Things that were different were:
Idle Air Control Valve
Crank Trigger
Cam Trigger
Map Sensor
TPS
These subtle differences made it difficult to move forward with the proper engine management because the software had not been developed. Luckily I dealt with the Canadian distributor of Autronic and he was able to convince Autronic to let me use a Beta Test version of the latest software and firmware. They custom programmed the trigger information into the Version 2.0 of the SMC / SMD chip.
What this meant that there was absolutely no support in existance for the NA2.5 Legacy engine with this type of trigger, and we were entering into unknown territory.
Anyways.. Next step was to wire in the Autronic ECU and that was my job.
I created a harness adapter that mimicked the stock connections and bridged only the necessary connections from the OEM ecu to the Autronic ECU. All engine functions were managed by the Autronic ECU with it's multitude of 3D maps, and the accessories were managed by the OEM ECU with the exception of the AC and IAC. I left the IAC with the stock ECU because it managed the following:
Idle up for low batt voltage
Idle up for Power Steering load
Idle up for AC
Idle up for coast down
Plus the stock ECU also managed the Speedometer and the tachometer.
Items rerouted to the Autronic ECU:
Ignitors and Coil signal for the coil packs
Fuel Injectors
Separate Water Temperature Sensor
Separate intake charge temperature
Separate MAP Sensor
Items Bridged between Autronic ECU and OEM ECU:
TPS Switch
Crank Position Sensor
Cam Position Sensor
Main Power
Backup Power
It all seems easy now, since the car has been apart for more than a few occasions. The wiring harness was routed from the bridged connections under the carpeting to a position under the passenger seat where the Autronic ECU sat. This presented an accessible location for the Computer linkup and provided good protection from the elements.
A few more surprises manifested themselves, when we tried to bolt up the maxim works headers to the 2.5L engine. The bolts all lined up, but the up pipe hit the back of the head and needed to be cut and welded in position. This was kinda scary because we were cutting a piece of jewelry so we could mount the turbo in place. UGH!!!
So now a little recap:
ECU Wired up
Headers Bolted on
Oil and Water lines installed
All sensors in place
Intercooler in place
Oil pan drain in place
Injectors installed and wired up
O2 Sensor in place and wired up
Now lets get the car started...
UGH.. No go, no start.. No startup file, no ECU configurations for the NA2.5L engine with the Funky trigger information.
What to do now.... Stay tuned for Phase 3 - Religion