hi
i've been looking into getting an SFMU
right now i have a star kit + starion i.c.
i am using the vortech FMU (switched to a diff. size disk- forgot the size) and am running 310cc's with it.
the motor has just been rebuilt (eagle+ge- 8.6) and has been properly broken in.
i'm starting to get worried because the car is dumping a lot of fuel at idle- it sits at 50psi. and i constantly have a system rich code coming from the computer.
i'm worried because the car is idling really rough.
sometimes it seems like it wants to die- and it almost does, and i can hear a lull in the hum of the fuel pump, and the exhaust sounds like it is spitting...and my heart skips a beat.

my questions are:
- will the SFMU solve this problem, and is it a real problem?
- will i have to buy a seperate disc to put in the unit like i had to for the FMU
- does it mount in the same place as the FMU (under the car, towards the rear)...i ask because i have seen that some people install it in the engine bay, and i was wondering why- a question of distance and response, but mine seems to engage quite nicely where it is.

oh yeah- another important question- the starter.
that seems to be the horrible thing about having a turbo- the starter gets fried
i was looking into heatshields/header tape etc.
i would very much like to wrap the downpipe, but i know that this will not fix the problem because the turbo itself is sitting directly ontop of the solenoid, but how do i go about wrapping the starter- do i just put a heat reflexive bag around it and tie it up with wire? any suggestions?

thanks

jean-pierre

Accually I was wondering the same thing! Answers please!!!

N/T Wiseman DSMTuners.com
N/T Guru Southeast DSM

Since you are running with slightly bigger fuel injectors than stock, and you probably have a higher pressure fuel pump, your idle problem might be caused from too much fuel (which you already know.) An S-FMU will help out with this because you can actually adjust the idle fuel pressure. Eventhough 50 psi @ idle is normal for a stock fuel system, with your current fuel system, your car will probably idle better with the idle fuel pressure set around 40-45 psi. This can be achieved with the S-FMU and some trial and error with different settings.

You will need the different disk kit for the S-FMU to play around with. And the S-FMU will have to be mounted somewhere in the engine bay because you'll have to run a return fuel line back to the fuel tank. Most guys mount theirs along the fire wall.

___________
Kon C

"Sometimes, a man has to do what a man has to do."

>my questions are:
>- will the SFMU solve this problem, and is it a real problem?


Yes, b/c w/ the sfmu, you can lower your idle fuel pressure to appropriate levels to run larger injectors and stillbe able to idle correctly


>- will i have to buy a seperate disc to put in the unit like i
>had to for the FMU


No, the sfmu comes w/ 3 dif size discs and 2 dif tension springs to get a good rising rate. You can also bleed off some pressure to fine tune ur fuel curve

>- does it mount in the same place as the FMU (under the car,
>towards the rear)...i ask because i have seen that some people
>install it in the engine bay, and i was wondering why- a
>question of distance and response, but mine seems to engage
>quite nicely where it is.



It will work way back there, just not ideal. thats a lot of vacuum line....your much better off placing it in the engine bay. also makes tuning easier since access is easier.


>
>oh yeah- another important question- the starter.
>that seems to be the horrible thing about having a turbo- the
>starter gets fried
>i was looking into heatshields/header tape etc.
>i would very much like to wrap the downpipe, but i know that
>this will not fix the problem because the turbo itself is
>sitting directly ontop of the solenoid, but how do i go about
>wrapping the starter- do i just put a heat reflexive bag
>around it and tie it up with wire? any suggestions?
>
>thanks
>
>jean-pierre


Im in south florida and have been boosted since novemeber '01. I have not wrapped the starter, and its still fine. Thermotec does sell a starter heat wrap kit, but it does exactly what you said, wraps the starter and keeps the wrap there w/ metal zip ties

95 Avenger
ATX->MTX Swap
Holset HX40 @ 26 psi

>my questions are:
>- will the SFMU solve this problem, and is it a real problem?


Absolutely! You stated your problem right away. 50psi at idle with 310cc's! That's WAY too high. When I datalogged Ryan's car with the same setup, we had to set idle to around 20-25 psi to bring the fuel trims to a reasonable level. The SFMU will allow you to turn your idle fuel pressure down to this level. An FMU would not. A datalogger would help you fuel tune as well. (www.obd-2.com)

>- will i have to buy a seperate disc to put in the unit like i
>had to for the FMU

If you buy a new SFMU, no you will not. It should come with all you need except for a bleeder valve. Do a search for that. Voretch sells em, but also some other places sell em for cheaper. Still will cost you around 25-30 for one. The bleeder valve is for fine tuning under boost. I recommend it!

>- does it mount in the same place as the FMU (under the car,
>towards the rear)...i ask because i have seen that some people
>install it in the engine bay, and i was wondering why- a
>question of distance and response, but mine seems to engage
>quite nicely where it is.

I'm not sure you would have room back to the rear of the car, but it should work if you choose to do so. But remember, your entire turbo fueling system is based upon jsut one thing...fuel pressure determined by your intake manifold pressure. Relying upon a vacuum line running to the rear of the vehicle seems a bit shaky to me. I recommend installing a fuel return line and placing the SFMU as close as possible to the intake manifold to shorten that reference vacuum line as much as possible. But that's just me.

>
>oh yeah- another important question- the starter.
>that seems to be the horrible thing about having a turbo- the
>starter gets fried
>i was looking into heatshields/header tape etc.
>i would very much like to wrap the downpipe, but i know that
>this will not fix the problem because the turbo itself is
>sitting directly ontop of the solenoid, but how do i go about
>wrapping the starter- do i just put a heat reflexive bag
>around it and tie it up with wire? any suggestions?

I know there's some of the reflective insulating material you can purchase. That woudl certainly do the trick. But take it from someone who's has their 420a turbo'ed for almost 40k miles. It'll be fine. The 4g63 starter is fairly clsoe to their turbo as well. No problems there.

_____________________________________
Jason ESi-T

04' BMW 325Ci
91' Nissan 240SX
98' Eagle Talon ESi (sold)

one more thing

i have recently noticed that my vac readings at idle have changed
i normally sit at around 19 or 20, and now i'm up around 9 or 10
is there any reason for this?
i checked my vacuum lines and everything seems to be on alright.

about this fuel return line- why do FMU's not have one?
are there instructions on laying a return line?
i've always been confused about the difference between the HRC fuel system and the STAR- something about a fuel pressure regulator...sorry i can not better articulate- can someone help?

i know that this shouldn't be asked here- it's a sortof double post, but i was wondering how i would go about checking and bleeding clutch fluid/ finding out if my master/slave cylider is faulty...am currently having tranny problems- posted in the Performance/Engine section.

...and about datalogging- i use a mac and am trying to avoid having to emulate a pc. are there any electronic tuning tools that are relatively cheap = under 300
was looking into pocketlogger, but i don't know
any advice?

thanks again

jean-pierre

>one more thing
>
>i have recently noticed that my vac readings at idle have
>changed
>i normally sit at around 19 or 20, and now i'm up around 9 or
>10
>is there any reason for this?

At that low, you either have a vacuum leak, or you have so over richened your car, your spark plugs are fouled and you are not firing cleanly. Most likely, you need to replace ALL your spark plugs anbd maybe even your O2 sensor. Does your O2 meter still cycle normally? i.e. up and down.



>about this fuel return line- why do FMU's not have one?

They can. It just all depends on the installation choice and instructions.

>are there instructions on laying a return line?

No instructions are needed. You merely, link up the out end of the fuel rail (the test port) to the FPR, then link that to the fuel return line and finally back to the fuel tank assembly (the spring clamped inlet on top of your fuel tank aseembly).

>i've always been confused about the difference between the HRC
>fuel system and the STAR- something about a fuel pressure
>regulator...sorry i can not better articulate- can someone
>help?

That's the only real difference (the usage of a fuel return line). The different FPR's (FMU versus Cartech FPR) and the inclusion of an HRC inline fuel pump on the inlet side are other small differences.

>
>i know that this shouldn't be asked here- it's a sortof double
>post, but i was wondering how i would go about checking and
>bleeding clutch fluid/ finding out if my master/slave cylider
>is faulty...am currently having tranny problems- posted in the
>Performance/Engine section.

Yo can check your master/slave cylinder by looking at them. First look at your clutch pedal. Do you see fluid leaking there? Do the same at your slave cylinder. You can pull back thgat rubber boost and look for fluid too.

To bleed, get a Chiltons or a FSM. But it's really easy. Just attach a nipple to a line at the bleeder screw on the Slave cylinder. Loosed the screw. pump the clutch pedal while having the line submerged into brake fluid so air doesnt get pumped back in. Repeat until all the fluid is new by examining the line and also making sure there anre't any bubbles within the line. It's easier with two people. Use DOT 3 or 4 brake fluid.



>
>...and about datalogging- i use a mac and am trying to avoid
>having to emulate a pc. are there any electronic tuning tools
>that are relatively cheap = under 300
>was looking into pocketlogger, but i don't know
>any advice?

Ask the makers of the various dataloggers abou the compatibility with a MAC. They would certainly know this. I bought my dataslogger from Alex Peper of obd-2.com for about $75 IIRC. Mention CLub DSM discount. The software is being used on a VERY cheap P100 laptop. That only cost me $40 or so, I'm guessing off of ebay.

_____________________________________
Jason ESi-T

04' BMW 325Ci
91' Nissan 240SX
98' Eagle Talon ESi (sold)