My Jetta + SDS : It's alive!

[Agtronic]

I'm pleased to say that my car came alive today! Running SDS EM4-4F and I can't believe how well it runs!

Installation was easy. I bought the system a few months ago, so I had time to read the manuals over and over and after a while I just installed-it in my head over and over, picturing where everything was going to go. Even in my sleep, I would figure out how I would mount certain components.

I took a kazillion pictures, so if anyone is interested I can post-up a nice, long, detailed post on everything I did. If it can help out future SDS users.

I got the system from L-Sport 5 minutes from my house. When I showed-up there to order a system, Karim told me he had a system already coming for a customer who had backed-out. It had every option I wanted except for the back-lit LCD and fuel-pump relay. Karim called SDS to see if it was too late to change the options and they were only able to send it with the backlit LCD or I could wait longer to get the fuel pump relay. I said okay for the back-lit LCD but forget the fuel-pump relay.

The original customer was going to use 240cc injectors (or something like that) and as you know, the system comes pre-programmed. I'm using 580cc injectors. So I set all my RPM FUEL values accordingly when I first plugged it in.

So today, when I finished installing the system, I plugged everything back together and felt pretty confident that it would start. I crank it and nothing happens. It just cranks and cranks. Doesn't even try to catch. I twisted the knob endlessly and nothing at all. Damn. +50%/-50% doesn't do it?! I can't be THAT off can I? So I check for spark, yup, nice strong spark. Listen to injectors. Yup, they're clicking. I check my ECU grounds. Yep, good to go.

Finally, I check the SDS manual real quick and I see a section "Changing Fuel Injector Size" ... basically, it tells you which parameters need to be adjusted and I changed my start values. I crank it once more time and she fires right up! What a good feeling!

I let it warm-up a little and started giving little quick "kicks" in the throttle. It chokes for a few seconds then bounces back. A little ACC LOW and ACC SENS tweaks and now the engine responds real good.

I took it out for a little drive, and it feels pretty good. Lack of power though. I'm not sure if it's 'cause I have been riding in my pop's 328I a lot lately, and since the Jet has been parked in my garage with no tranny for like 2 months now ... but it felt pretty slow. Probably just regular 2.0L wimpiness ...

A few things I noticed. The engine sounds different. It has a more "rhythmic" sound ... it has a more pronounced growl. I'm not sure if it's the lack of an airbox (I know what that usually sounds like too) or if the ignition timing is far off from what it's supposed to be at? I don't know. I don't have a timing light so I have no idea if my magnet position is good or not. I have to do that tomorrow for sure. Also, when cruising in vacuum, like right between accel and decel, right in the middle, it jerks back and forth a lot. Nothing that can't be fixed with some fine-tuning, I'm sure.

So far I have been tuning by nose. I have no idea at all how for off I am in the AFR department. I can guess the idle by feel, with the knob, and I go sniff it out back. By the way it smells, I think it's okay for idle.

Tomorrow I throw on my wideband and get serious!

A few details I have to work on include cleaning-up the wiring, even though it's already surprisingly clean. (Using wiring looms does WONDERS!) I need to put my interior back together. (Looks like a race car now).

So I'll post some pics soon, probably tomorrow when I get a hold of my ****ty webcam.

I took some real photos too so I can scan the negatives and have super-high-res shots.

That's about it for now! I'm psyched! Once this thing is running good, the turbo is getting thrown-in!


Modified by Agtronic at 9:56 PM 8-19-2003

[StevenT]

I'm really interested in seeing some extra pics about your setup!

Congrats too, it's great to install things and have stuff work without doing lots of troubleshooting.

Are there any other SDS manuals besides the one that you can download off the site?

Also what type of bracket did you use to mount the Hall sensor? I'm particularly interested in that.

[SILVERADO]

Congrats!! Since your Mk3 has no timing # scale set all your rpm ign. values to 0 up to say,3k rpm,then hold throttle open (it will not like to idle at 0 deg.)and under 3k and line up the groove on the crank pulley with the "arrow" on the black plastic timing belt cover.It is easy to synch your hall magnets this way without a timing scale.,unless you have a degree adjustable timing gun(then all of what I just wrote means little).Have fun man! BTW since there are no idle stabiliser,set your idle 900-1000,and it idles smooth.........

[evolveVW]

getting it to idle was the most time consuming...my 1.8t idles smooth at 750. So get yout magnet position parameter set and have fun!!!

[fush23]

Congrats on getting it up and running. Now the fun part is coming tuning it. Good luck.

-jeff

[turbojeta3]

congrats.....

i to finally now how you feel. i went around the block for the first time lastnight. got what a feeling. she is struggling alittle at about 3500 so i going today here in the next couple minutes to do some tuning. eventho i dont have a wideband yet i can get pretty close. the motor is brand new so i cant go romping on it.

congrats man. all props to anyother dyi'er

[mattstacks]

Sweet, after I got mine installed, I felt real stupid wasting all my time trying other misc. nonsense. I love my SDS.
I not only got past 7psi I got to 14. It is like a whole other car.

[SILVERADO]

Turbojeta3,drive around with your rich/lean knob plugged in and when it "stumbles "around 3500 rpm,turn knob rich or lean,until it makes the stumblimg go away,then you will know which way to go on your rpm fuel values.

[Agtronic]

[ EDIT : NOV-05-2003 : All problems are fixed. See this thread. ]

So I drove around some more today. Runs pretty damn good. I didn't bring it too high up, probably around 4500-5000 (my tach is dead).

A few problems :

- Tach is dead
- Speedo is dead (hasn't worked in two years)
- Oil pressure light flashes on cluster

For the tach, I don't know what the input signal is. Silverado, are you sure I need the MSD 8920? I've been told to hook-up the tach directly to the coilpacks' tach signal wire. I know you've done a lot of SDS installs, and you said I need an adapter. I'm scared to hook it up directly ... Don't want to fry my cluster!

The speedo, I don't get it. All wires seem fine. Maybe it's the sensor itself ...

I chopped off some of the wires at the 28 pin connector next to the distributer. I didn't chop them all, only the injectors, ISV, TPS, IAT and ECT sensors. Maybe there was an important ground I cut or something. I'll have to check the wiring diagrams. (I've been dreaming of wiring diagrams all week now).

I'm off to play with some wiring now. I'll report back afterwards!

My clutch is still pissing me off though!


Modified by Agtronic at 4:12 PM 11-5-2003

[roccoturbo]

because you have electonic cluster you will need a adapter, i re checked what i had told you initialy, my rocco did not need one that's why. My clutch does about the same thing it's a bit hard at first to get you use too but you will

[SILVERADO]

Yep,get the MSD 8920,and you will be looking for the "light green" wire,and if you have a Bentley look for the Speedo pinout in the back and you will see the terminal for the tach input,attach it to that and you are ready!!

[turbojeta3]

thats funny cuz my oil light doesnt go off. i changed the low pressure switch but still nothing. i dont have a buzz that normal folows the light just the blinking light!!!

[evolveVW]

Hmm another dead Mk3 cluster with SDS. Is your fuel guage working at least????

[Agtronic]

Quote, originally posted by evolveVW »

Hmm another dead Mk3 cluster with SDS. Is your fuel guage working at least????

Don't blame the SDS! All it does is run the engine. You can't expect any standalone to work every manufacturer-specific gauge cluster too!

I'll figure out the wiring for the oil light 'cause I have the same problem.

Evolve, I think the reason your cluster is dead is 'cause the factory wiring harness has many internal + and gnd connections. These are inside the harness and it's easy to miss them. Also, some of these connections are made inside the fusebox. Some of the internal fusebox connections are taken from other sources than the main + or - sources, so if you unplug everything, the cluster (or the cluster control unit) probably doesn't have a main + or - ...

Best bet is to read the diagrams and check if all the power connections are there. If there are, trace down each component individually. When you first look at the wiring diagrams it's depressing, but then all of a sudden, it'll click and you'll think "oh? That's it?!" ... It's like snakes and ladders ...


Modified by Agtronic at 11:48 AM 8-21-2003

[mattstacks]

Got all my guages to work and no oil light- just tracin wires.
obdII formally.

[SILVERADO]

The reason I think your oil lights are going off is possibly due to the tach input at 0.The VW "dynamic oil pressure warning system" uses a tach input as part of the oil light system.

[Agtronic]

AH HA!

[scottnbarb]

Pics please!!! As many as you can! This is something I would love to do with my car over the next year.

[Agtronic]

Quote, originally posted by scottnbarb »

Pics please!!! As many as you can! This is something I would love to do with my car over the next year.

Soon, soon!

[evolveVW]

I wasnt blaming it on the SDS.. tracing power and ground were the next things I was gonna do

[yourbro123]

just a few more days for me..........

[Agtronic]

Here are some ****ty web-cam pics. I'll have high-resolution images when I have my films developped.

High-tech air filtration system :

Chopped wires :

Using wiring looms really helps keep things looking stock :

I'm not sure how I'm going to clean-up these wires here :

This is where I ran the wires, had to drill a whole in the firewall, and there was already one in the rain tray (between engine bay and rain tray).

This is the hole I made using a holesaw. I used an OEM VW boot that on the other side, so it's weather proof.

[turbojeta3]

is that a sock??? hahahahaha.

looks good man.

[mattstacks]

Sweet,,, I used something called spiraband to clean those wires up around the coil pack .nice job with the hole for the wireing. My SDS unit sits in my glove compartment. I ended up drilling a hole in the fire wall lower than that and cutting a hole in the back of the GC. I havent figured out a good way to mount the unit yet.