Some late updates

I realized I haven't updated this blog since last summer.

I did finish replacing the fuel lines in August 2012. This was a much bigger undertaking than I had imagined, not least due to crappy (or nonexistent) tools and having to do all the work on an open parking lot. Having finally gotten all the pipes bent correctly, hydraulic hose fittings, fasteners, etc. installed etc, I didn't have much motivation left to document the whole process. Pictures and details will be coming soon-ish, though.

In August-September 2012, I also acquired a chip, calibrated for E85 Ethanol fuel, from a friendly hobbyist who has invested his time in getting TBI engines running on this stuff (amongst other things). To our mutual surprise, the car started immediately after filling 30l of E85 and replacing the chip. A couple of calibration runs were made using WinALDL, and new chips burned based on the results.

In civilized temperatures (15+ C) the car started and ran normally on E85, the only difference being a slight vinegary odor in the exhaust - and of course slightly higher fuel consumption per volume. When the temperatures started to drop below that 15 C mark, a lot of problems starting and running on a cold engine appeared, though. The chip needs some further calibration to deal with cold temperatures that we weren't able to finish.

Finally, in September-October 2012, some weird running problem appeared where the tachometer would suddenly jerk up or down about 500-1000 RPMs. This was sporadic at first, but rendered the car undriveable within a couple of weeks. It started after the spark advance was adjusted, and since the ECM had been lying in the passenger side footwell for about a month, my main suspects have been ignition and the ECM. It could just be incidental, of course. I tried changing the spark plugs, spark plug wires, distributor cover and rotor in the autumn, but none of this helped.