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OMEX starting problems
omega0684 - 23/3/11 at 10:05 PM

Evening all,

right i have being trying to start my car for 2 days now & im not having much luck, first i had the starter not turning the flywheel, thats now sorted but now the injectors won't fire.

my dad and i went over all the wiring tonight and we are 100% sure its all correct, there is 12v on all 4 injectors during cranking and i have sparks on all 4 cylinders. both fuel pumps are working fine, the HP pump primes as it should, for 2 seconds. when cranking the fuel pump comes on so i know the crank signal is getting back to the ECU.

the only thing i can think of is that the ecu is not signalling the injectors to open so the fuel can be injected? any ideas? i have pressurised the rail and then put 12v on the injector from a separate battery and i can pysically see the fuel being squirted in so i know the injectors are ok.

And other ideas?

i have been through both the OMEX hardware and software manual and can't see anything obvious that i could have missed, i rang OMEX today and they gave me a few pointers but none of them have worked. i will ring them back in the morning but wanted to see if there were any solutions that people might think of on here as well

Thanks again

Alex


mark chandler - 23/3/11 at 10:17 PM

On my cars the ECU has switched an earth to trigger the injectors as they are always live, when cranking you should see switched earth maybe?

So facing the ECU use an old school multimeter, one with a face and watch the needle wagging.


mark chandler - 23/3/11 at 10:23 PM

Just had a google, ECU triggers an earth to fire so the injectors should always be live when you switch on.


omega0684 - 23/3/11 at 10:24 PM

we think that the ecu is not grounding the injectors and hence why they're not firing. i have checked the earths from the plug to the chassis and they are both sound.


matt_gsxr - 23/3/11 at 10:34 PM

Has this ever run?

If not then is the ignition switch wired correctly? I had mine set up so that when cranking there was no power to the ECU.

Schoolboy error.


omega0684 - 23/3/11 at 10:41 PM

yes the engine has been run,

to reiterate, there is 12v to the injectors during cranking, which is also wired into the ecu


garyo - 23/3/11 at 10:41 PM

I had a similar problem on an old Westfield. It turned out that the battery was a bit weak and when cranking the fuel pump would slow down and therefore there wasn't enough fuel pressure. Exacerbated by lack of a non return valve in the fuel line.

Does your exhaust smell of unburned fuel?

If you short the injectors to ground to force them to inject fuel while cranking does it splutter to life then die?

Gary


britishtrident - 23/3/11 at 10:42 PM

The simplest test for injector signals is a "Noid Light" just a LED fitted with an injector plug, you can buy a proper set that covers all the different types of injector plug very cheaply but usually all you need is the Bosch type which you can buy on its own ----
see Ebay Item number: 230595053250 ---- single Bosch
or ebat Item number: 180380143817 ---- Draper set of 6 different tyoes.


omega0684 - 23/3/11 at 10:54 PM

quote:
Originally posted by garyo

Does your exhaust smell of unburned fuel?

If you short the injectors to ground to force them to inject fuel while cranking does it splutter to life then die?

Gary


no smell of unburnt fuel as there is no fuel being injected in the first place!


PeteS2k - 23/3/11 at 10:58 PM

Different ECU (DTA) and engine (Honda S2000), but when I had a similar problem with a starting problem with mine, it turned out to be duff wiring on the cam sensor. I'd been scratching my head, thinking it was injectors or ignition, but they worked ine on diagnostics, like yours. The DTA software provides a diagnostic engine 'oscilloscope' to check crank and cam signal pulses. I don't pretend to understand the detail of how it uses the cam signal, but I spotted a duff (non-existent) cam signal, re-wired it, and everything worked again.


omega0684 - 23/3/11 at 11:06 PM

does the omex 600 have a similar "oscilloscope type" recognition system to monitor crank signal?


ashg - 24/3/11 at 12:06 AM

it should do. I know where it is on ms but have never used the omex software. its usually under the logging section on most ecu's . are you using the omex for spark? if you are are you getting spark? if your getting spark you should have a signal from the crank.


omega0684 - 24/3/11 at 07:50 AM

right guys i've had a crack again this morning and i seem to be getting a voltage drop on the ignition relay during cranking?

could this be a contributing factor?


flak monkey - 24/3/11 at 07:57 AM

As long as it doesnt drop below 10v it will be fine.

My guess would be no crank trigger. Are you sure your crank sensor is wired up and set up correctly along with the tooth pattern table in the ECU? This side of it is more complicated than MS.

What map are you using? You can't create one yourself for an omex as they have a lot of background settings you cant access.

Did you buy the ECU new? If so just give Andrew Cornock at Omex a bell and he will sort you out over the phone.


scudderfish - 24/3/11 at 08:11 AM

Just read your first post again and realised that what I posted was already answered

[Edited on 24/3/11 by scudderfish]


omega0684 - 24/3/11 at 08:57 AM

DAVE: The ECU is reading a a cranking speed of 150 rpm (ish) during cranking. Im using a base map that Andy gave me after my speaking to him a few weeks ago. I have been through the Hardware manual (as instructed by Andy) and calibrated the TPS and water temp sensor/air temp sensor etc

i have just tested that the ignition relay grounds the circuit during cranking and it does. the ignition relay is wired in parallel to the HPFP relay, (THE HPFP WORKS DURING CRANKING - hence why i think the crank signal is sound) this is leading me to believe that there is something amiss in the ECU itsself. its as if the ECU is not telling the injectors to fire?

I'll give Andy another call this morning to see what he says, keep the advice coming though.

Alex


omega0684 - 24/3/11 at 11:16 AM

well, phone omex at 9am this morning, left message for Andy to call me back, Now 11:10am and i still haven't had a phone call, not impressed!

i have been over all the woring again, definately getting 12v supply to the injectors and coil pack and a small voltage drop during cranking on the ignition relay but nothin substantial. definately getting a crank signal as dial on the laptop is reading cranking rpm of 150

the only thing i can now think of is that there is something not right in the software in the ECU? the ECU isn't grounding the injector circuit enabling them to open. i have checked that the trigger wheel settings are correct and it is (36-1).

i really am at a dead end now, don't know what to do apart from wait for a call from Andy, if he doesn't call me by 1pm, i'll ring them again.


g60_edge - 24/3/11 at 11:32 AM

Have you tried just increasing the simple fuel scaling value (in start up screen) to try and get more fuel in. Mine woudln't start on it's standard setting, so doubled it (88) and it started. I was able to reduce this to around 60 odd I think in the end.


omega0684 - 24/3/11 at 01:33 PM

quote:
Originally posted by g60_edge
Have you tried just increasing the simple fuel scaling value (in start up screen) to try and get more fuel in. Mine woudln't start on it's standard setting, so doubled it (88) and it started. I was able to reduce this to around 60 odd I think in the end.


i dont see how this could solve the problem i have? if the injectors arn't opening then it doesn't matter what figure i put the fuel at its still not going to be injected into the cylinders


flak monkey - 24/3/11 at 02:10 PM

Have some patience! Andy is busy enough! He'll get back to you within a day normally.

Are you absolutely certain your injectors arent firing? You can hear them click if they are. What impedance injectors are you using (high or low)?

Are you getting a priming pulse? You should be able to see the injectors spray if you open the butterflies, or be able to smell petrol.

If you are getting a cranking signal then thats a start

The ECU basically just switches each injector to ground every time they fire, exactly the same as MS.


omega0684 - 24/3/11 at 02:47 PM

Just had a chat with Andy at omex, i sent him my editted base map and he said that looked fine, he has asked me to increase the injector pulse width to see if we can get the plugs wet. so i'll have a go, other than that he said i would have to send the unit back to him


g60_edge - 24/3/11 at 03:14 PM

quote:
Originally posted by omega0684
quote:
Originally posted by g60_edge
Have you tried just increasing the simple fuel scaling value (in start up screen) to try and get more fuel in. Mine woudln't start on it's standard setting, so doubled it (88) and it started. I was able to reduce this to around 60 odd I think in the end.


i dont see how this could solve the problem i have? if the injectors arn't opening then it doesn't matter what figure i put the fuel at its still not going to be injected into the cylinders


Beacuse it is such a quick and simple thing to try. It will help to prove whether the injectors are really working or not.

Sounds like you are making progress with omex now, it will be running soon!

[Edited on 24/3/11 by g60_edge]

[Edited on 24/3/11 by g60_edge]


omega0684 - 28/3/11 at 03:32 PM

well i've just had a phone call from Andy @ OMEX, he says he has tested all the ecu and the wiring and is certain its all working, he thinks that potentially the signal coming from teh crank sensor is too weak to fire the injectors and so possible need to move the CPS closer to the toothed wheel, the also thinks that it might not be sparking under compression!

I'll put all the loom back together and try his recommendations when i get all my stuff back and let you know how i get on


flak monkey - 28/3/11 at 05:38 PM

If its not sparking under compression then the coil is fubar, or the plugs or leads. I always run NGK plugs as champions are hit and miss. And decent HT leads are a must, knowing you you have probably got magnecors anyway though.

I was also going to say have you got the coil connected up right, i.e the right HT to the right cylinder and the trigger leads from the ECU the right way around. Shouldnt matter if you are running wasted spark, but its worth checking.

Gap to the crank sensor should be 0.5mm


scudderfish - 29/3/11 at 07:59 AM

Thought I'd get back on this thread rather than doing this over facebook

If you briefly manually earth an injector, does it squirt fuel? Even with the fuel pumps not running, there should be pressure in the line to do this.

Regards,
Dave


perksy - 29/3/11 at 07:58 PM

Double check the crank sensor gap, Although if the ECU is seeing 150 rpm it can't be that far out (if at all)

Give the Loom/Connections a 'Wiggle' test just incase its a wiring/connection issue

a set of Noid lights would be a good investment and they're not that expensive tbh

Try reloading the Map file into the ECU, might sound daft but this has worked on a couple of Mbe's i've seen
also double check all the settings

There ain't that much it can be tbh apart from the Ecu and Omex have tested that

Not something Daft like the Injector pulse rates turned right down in the settings ?


Gold Leaf - 14/6/12 at 11:21 AM

Hello to all,

My apologies for pulling up this posting from last year, but I have EXACTLY the same problem as the one described by the chap who started the thread.

Are you still here Omega0684 ?

Can you please tell me how you resolved the problem in the end as my problem is exactly the same and I have been through the same checks etc as you.

Very many thanks
Steve