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FPP Trail Turbo Apex build-up with MoTeC and other tricks

mbarryracing

TY 4 Stroke God
Joined
Aug 31, 2007
Messages
1,922
Age
51
Location
Springville NY
Country
USA
Snowmobile
2006 Yamaha Attak Turbo
2015 SR Viper RTX-DX
1996 Vmax 600XT
Well as promised, I am finally taking the time out to put together a TY thread documenting the trials and tribulations of the Motec M400 build-up I have done on my 2006 Full Power Performance Trail Turbo Apex over the last two seasons. I have had alot of requests for me to do one, and this is my favorite forum from which I've learned so much from other members who shared too.
Bare with me as it is gonna take some time and a few more posts with all the photos I have.

As most who frequent TY know, a few years ago I started out with a standard FPP stage-2 turbo kit, of which I had FPP build with a Garrett GT2860R right out of gate instead of the standard GT2560 knowing I wanted to build-in the ability to be able to run the occasionally wring it's neck with bigger boost.
Don't let this be misconstrued as the FPP turbo kit by iteself is poor or unimpressive, as that is far from the case, it's just after a few seasons of satisfactory running with the piggy back controller, and being the meticulous tinkerer that I am, I eventually ran out of things to be able to "tinker" with from a EFI tuneability and control standpoint. Also was investigating a separate data aquisition, more $$$. It's that addiction that needs to be fed more & more...
Hence I became real interested in the Motec package that Martin from Precision Sports was playing with.
Ah Ha, I had found the next level of tinkering that I was craving... and before the wife could say "HOLY $$$!" I pulled the trigger with Martin.
BTW, he is absolutely AWESOME to work with. Very knowledgable and takes the time to take your calls and explain or troubleshoot with you when needed. Hats off to Precision Sports...

Ok, so here is how the mbarryracing build progressed...

I had already decided to completely tear my Apex apart and start from the beginning. You don't build a good strong house without a good strong foundation, and this is NOT the time to skimp on the engine.
The stock engine had to go, seeing my goal was to run atleast 270 HP on pump gas without the added complexity or electric draw of water/meth injection.

I was fortunate enough to be able to horse-trade with Justin at Full Power Performance (FPP) for a completely built stage-4 turbo Apex engine he had done for himself for R&D purposes. I had inside knowledge of what he had worked his magic on with this one especially. He had blue printed the block and crank, used Falicon forged connecting rods with his custom massaged low compression turbo pistons (no head shim, no way), and the cylinder head had his porting and combustion chamber massaging to eliminate detonation inducing hot spots. Topped off with special valve springs for higher boost levels and a set of FPP solid aluminum motor mounts so I would never have belt life issues.
Game on, Justin did me a huge favor by doing this as I got a turn key engine that all I had to do was drop it in my chassis that saved me a ton of time from having to tear down my stock engine and build it up as a turbo specific. Not too many guys would offer something up like that...

After talking with Martin and discussing my application, he provided me with a base MoTeC calibration with more ignition timing that accounted for the lower compression.
 

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Mounting the MoTeC and Harness

After getting the engine installed and most of the sled back together, and after also converting the sled from a 121" Apex to a 136" Attak (BTW, I compiled an electronic Excel list of required parts for that conversion with yamaha p/n's I can share), now it was time to install the MoTeC ECU and Plug & Play harness from Martin.
I had him wire it out of the chute for a switch for the dual Calibration Map, a stutter / 2-step button, and a switch for data logging. Pretty much just unplug & remove the stock ECU and plug-in the adapter harness he supplies with the kit. I removed the factory ECU mounting bracket all together, but because you still have to run the stock baro sensor that mounts to that bracket, I just zip tied it off to one of old ECU bracket mounting holes.

I had already made the decision to mount the MoTeC ECU in the nose of the sled because of the un-used space. I dont have a whole lot of options behind or under the bulkhead where the stock ECU was since it's pretty cramped with the Weldon oil scavenge pump for the rear mount turbo setup, etc.
This made the routing of the adapter harness from the stock harness real easy with no tight bends or rubbing potential, running the harness thru the right side large port in the bulkhead.

The bulkhead made a good heat sink to mount the KTC and IGN4 modules to, and also made the CAN plug easily accessible to plug a USB cable into for downloading logs or making quick changes to tables, etc.
I fabricated a mounting plate that also served as a mounting point for a bigger fuel pump that was planned in the future. The ECU mounts on the underside using the insulated mounting brackets and hardware that was provided with the kit. This keeps it protected and out of harms way, as well.
I mounted the relay on the inside of the hoop in front of the battery, next to where I have my additional Bosch relays for my turbo oil scavenge pump and supplimental fuel pump. Also protected from the elements by the intercooler, as well.
 

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Installing the GM 3-BAR MAP Sensor

I purchased a common GM 3-Bar MAP sensor with the ECU kit. The base calibration program in the ECU was then setup for it by Martin.
It came with the wire terminals and plug to convert the stock harness over to a GM connector, cut off the factory connector and replace it with the GM.
I used the same MAP hose that went to the stock MAP sensor. The ECU needs to see the pressure (or vacuum) inside the engine so it knows the load and comp accordingly, not just read boost pressure in the airbox. Some other guys have gotten all side-ways with this and plumbed it into the intercooler like they do for a boost gage and chase why it doesn't run right.

I simply zip-tied it off to the coolant line from the idle air control valve.
 

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Mounting fans on bottom of the FPP Intercooler

One thing I noticed before with running the standard turbo kit is that the Apex intercoolers are prone to getting heat soaked after sitting when the engine is turned off at full operating temperature. The machine always ran richer after restarting and driving for a while until the air started moving and the intercooler had a chance to cool back down. The MoTeC will auto correct for high temps since the IAT gets reloaced into the intercooler, but still too warm to escape my attention.
Also due to the required orientation, they don't get a significant amount of air flowing thru the core. The solution that Justin @ FPP and I came up with was to mount two small 12v DC electric fans from small ATV radiators side -by-side on the backside (underside) of the intercooler and then draw cool air through the core when needed, operated by a toggle switch. They fit the FPP core width perfect!

It makes for tight quarters underneath with the larger RX1 battery I chose to run, but everything fit perfect like factory.
Some dispute that fans cant flow enough CFM to do any good, but I have data logged intake temps that show these fans DO make a difference when running at slow trail speeds, or on warm days, or if you are going to be really cranking on the boost. The intake air temps dont go as high and when they do spike then they will immediately fall when the fans are turned on.
 

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Relocating the crankcase breather way from belt side

One thing that really drove me crazy was having the crankcase breather vented right by the belt. Any boosted engine naturally has blow by and you will always get some level of oil misting and steaming from the vent filter. This oil mist and film is not something I want near my clutches or drive belt. Just my meticulous nature, I suppose, so before the intercooler went back on I re-routed the crankcase breather vent / filter to the opposite side of the sled, AWAY from the clutches and belt...
Just used some old salvaged RX1 breather hose put together to allow the length to reach the other side so my crankcase breather filter sticks up by the BOV port that is on the right side of the stage-2 FPP air-to-air intercooler. This intercooler accomodates two BOV's to handle the CFM it can flow. The next stage has 3, haven't gotten to that level yet. One step at a time.
 

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Intake Air Temperature Sensor mounting in intercooler

Typical of turbo or SC kits using a piggyback controller, the factory IAT sensor just gets hung in the ambient air. The MoTeC, like the factory ECU, uses the intake air temperature readings to adust fuel and ignition via compensation tables, which with boosted applications results in very fine control and more safe HP.

FPP Justin simply drilled a hole with a lead-in chamfer for the tip of the sensor to protrude into the airbox nearest the throttle bodies so it reads the air temp AFTER the intercooler that the engine is actually seeing. He threaded a M5 hole to fasten it and it is sealed in the chamfer by the o-ring it already has on it. All I had to do was lengthen the OEM harness in order to reach the new location, relative to where it normally is located in the stock plastic air box.

Interesting point, I actually re-configured the MoTeC dash output signal so that the factory BARO display at the bottom of the Speedo Gauge now reads out the intake air temp in Deg Celsius...
NOTE dont get fooled... the Baro display only goes down so far in low digits before it stops changing, like 3 deg C because it becomes out of range for a barometer reading. So what happens when its really cold out and you first start up, or your intake air temp is below that display threshold, the display appears to be frozen and not change misleading you to think your sensor is bad... or the signal is lost.
In reality there is no trouble code or warning light triggered so it just needs to get above that display threshold before it starts to display real time again...
 

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Cold Air Box for Rear Mounted Turbo

Another heat soak issue that drives me friggin' nuts is that the turbo intake tends to suck in it's own hot air for a while after sitting when hot. This causes another intermittent rich running condition from hot intake air temps until the sled is ran for a short distance and gets cool air flowing through everything.
To 98% of the riders out there it's not even noticeable, but I am always analyzing while riding and see the brief abnormally rich AFR's on my AFR gage during restarts or during slow driving speeds during warmer weather...

Hence my simple cold air box design that I had Justin @ FPP fab for me, which creates a barrier to the hot air under the rear shield / seat from the turbine side and muffler (all in tight quarters under there) so that the filter on the compressor side is exposed to cool air from outside through a widened port the side panel. Data that I logged shows this made a difference in lowering the intake air temps , too. I have some data logs from some runs I will post later...
The snow-filter clamps to a stainless tube that sticks out through the cold air box wall and isolated with a silicone coupler. An added benefit is that the rubber flange of the snow-filter no longer melts to the compressor flange and disintegrates apart because it's not clamped directly to the hot compressor housing flange. New addition for this year I am trying to have FPP build me a polished aluminum air horn to stick out from the side panel and draw even more cool air. :Rockon:

You might see the old rubber Turbo coolant lines in the photo, just ignore those... LOL! They were just temporary so I could run and debug the sled while I waited for Aeroquip stainless braided lines.
The guys at Ferry Hydraulics did a great job of custom making those Aeroquip lines for me. Darn I can't find the photos I had of the new lines. :o|

Also you will see in the photo that I use a Hallman Pro Rx manual boost controller. I set my boost at 13-14 psi and leave it there. I dont need two boost levels so no need for bleeders or air switches. This unit is simple with less things to fail, with my luck...

Yes, that is an FPP dual outlet Apex trail muffler too. I have grown to like this FPP muffler. It's louder then stock, no doubt, but tolerable and it doesn't make your ears bleed like the glasspack stubby single pipe that was originally on the Bender kits. And it's still quieter then some of those aftermarket performance mufflers for the NA machines. Everything is a trade-off, the straight pipe would produce more HP due to less backpressure, but again not very trail friendly.
 

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Toggle Switch mounting

I chose to mount the toggle switches for the data logging, the intercooler fans, and the dual calibration maps in a rather slick and protected location.
I just have to remember which is which, when fingering them... :drink:
Actually they dont interfere with your gloved hand when pulling the reverse lever as much as you'd think. They are far enough to the outside.
I used a good quality Philmore toggle switches with the additional rubber weather boots.

For the dual calibration map. I run one standard map that is tuned spot on to my liking for use with oxygenated premium pump gas. The other I have the fuel leaned out a little for use with the ethanol free premium pump fuel I get when trail riding in Old Forge and the Adirondacks in NY. It's worth almost 1.5 AFR points.
Now I can run the same AFR's no matter which fuel I am running.
 

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Stutter / 2-step button

So when it came to choosing what switch to use for the 2-step button and where to mount it, seeing this is a "Trail Sled" I wanted to keep it inconspicuous and didn't want some big honkin' button on the handlebar, or run it off the brake lever switch... The ideal location that is very reachable is in the left side thumb warmer / high beam switch module.
I tried the small cheap momentary push button switches from Radio Shack that have been referenced in several threads in this forum, but they are JUNK with inconsistent resistance or continuity when activated...
After installing the first one, getting it all wired up and then checked function with a multi-meter, found it had an intermittent connection. Sometimes it would make contact, the next it wouldn't.
I proceeded to waste more $$$ and buy several more from different stores, thinking maybe I had a bad one? Wrong, they ALL suck and some actually stop working all together after soldering the wires to them.
I need my 2-step ant-lag stutter to work EACH and EVERY time I press the button when I'm racing. I can't pray that it will work, it has to work. Again, my meticulous nature...

I found this good quality momentary push button switch that is well built and I have had zero issues with for over two seasons now. I recommend it, it's not expensive and readily available.
Philmore p/n 30-146.
However, its not technically spec'd as waterproof, but I have had NO issues on the trail in the elements... I also dont drive it thru a car wash either.
Philmore does offer some weather proof switches you can research.
 

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I am calling it a night, I will continue posting the rest tomorrow with wiring improvements and ID 1000cc injectors, etc
 
Tuning & riding in the first season

With everything installed and completed, it was time to start it up for the first time.
Of course, nothing goes as planned. I am convinced that Murphy was an optimist...
The sled ran super rich, blubbering like I had the choke on and wouldn't idle without throttle. I double checked everything and still couldn't determine what was going wrong.
I had remembered hearing about slewing the fuel trims (making it lean or rich) while watching the MoTeC Webinars that are available online on the MoTeC website. I took quite a large % of fuel away to get it closer so it would idle and rev up without huffing black smoke.

Now I was not totally familiar, nor comfortable, with the MoTeC programming yet, so I immediately thought there was something wrong with the MoTec or the initial start-up program. Martin spent the time on the phone with me, going thru troubleshooting and the process of elimination.
This is where emailing a log file, or logged data is worth a thousand words... After understanding what I had to do to get the sled leaned out and reviewing the files I emailed of the sled running, Martin determined that the programmed injector dead times in the ECU program were not adaquate for the older early production stock injectors that my early '06 evidently had. NOT ALL INJECTORS ARE CREATED EQUAL.
So a few keystrokes later I had a cal file back in my email that started and ran darn good.
I learned quite a bit about injector dead times in a short period.

Another take-way is it's well worth the time spent sitting down undisturbed and watching the Webinars to familiarize yourself with everything.
http://www.motec.com.au/webinars/webinararchive/

NOTE the 8 hours of free data logging that comes with the MoTeC purchase is really only for 8 hours of run time. I assumed it meant 8 hours of logging time (which now seems excessive) but in reality it's 8 hours of power-on. I burned up almost all my free data logging time sitting in the garage with the power on and not running, just tinkering with the ECU manager program on my laptop and experimenting to see what this did or what that did, what changes affected what, etc. along with fine tuning AFR's driving around the yard and field, trails, and the FPP test track.
I learned SO much, but then didn't have any data logging time remaining when I was tuning on the track dyno at Coopers Service and Sales. Duh :o|
I have since purchased and installed the unlimited data logging option. LOL!

Here is a screen shot of some of the data logging I did while doing initial trail riding and tuning.
 

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Great info
How much extra $ for the Unlimited Logging option?
Logging is a must have like you have stated.
 
I think the current retail on the data logging enable option is $245 CAN. That provides you with a code you enter into the ECU thru your computer interface...
It is worth every penny.
 


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