Just did the compression test. 125psi across the board. Whew!!!

 

Looks like I may have isolated it. TurboBobs LTCC has a couple of LED's inside the housing for the processor. I'd PM'd Bob last night asking if he had any idea if the LTCC could play a role in this. He asked me to pull off the cover of the box and look at the LED's.
Upon "KEY ON", they go thru a bulb test and flash once. Then, when you crank, the green LEN *should* illuminate and stay on. Mine does. The red LED is for diagnostics. Here's what the .pdf file just told me....

Red LED flashes once = Cylinder Decode sequence error.

Red LED flashes twice = Wrong number of Hi Res Pulses counted between Lo-Res Rising edges.

Red LED flashes Three times = Wrong number of Hi Res Pulses counted during a High Lo-Res pulse or a Low Lo-Res Pulse.

Red LED flashes four times = EST (Electronic Spark Control) signal from PCM = missed pulse. Check connection to white wire.

Mine is flashing 3 times.

I've ordered a new opti.

 

i figured it had to be something with the opti ot ltcc.. let us know how the new opti works..

 

I sure will. It's being overnighted and will be here this afternoon. It's going on after I get home from work.
Dave

 

during an RPM test using a stock uninstalled Opti and an angle grinder to spin the opti with the opti connected to the car and key on (injector fuse pulled) I noticed inconsistent RPM readings from test to test... I found the stock 4 wire long plastic connector going to the opti pickup inside the distributor sits loose on the pins which was creating intermittent loss of signal. VIbration basically was moving this connector creating a spike in the signal, sometimes a total loss of signal.

I wonder how many people other than me have experienced something realted to this problem, probably not your problem but worth checking regardless.

 

I've had this problem before also. I wonder how many people have replaced $300 optis when the $20 connector can be bought from caspars electronics.

 

Well.... over nighted the Opti and a new Opti Pigtail and it was here to greet me when I came home from work. Tested them before installing it by just hooking up the harness to the new one, turned on the key, spun the opti. The red blinking light on the LTCC was gone and I could hear the spark plugs sparking. Cool ... So I installed it. Then swapped the injectors back to the mototrons. Reflashed the PCM with Bryans tune and fired it up.
IT RUNS THE SAME G*D DAMNED WAY AS IT HAD!!!! Running on 6 cylinders at the most.
UNbelievable! This is so sad it's funny.
I tried relashing it with the timing advanced 2 degrees across the board since it starts so weakly. Doesn't matter.
Ill get a timing light tomorrow and see it that reveals anything.
The scanner says it's got 32 degrees at 850 rpm now. It did say 30 before I added the extra timing.

 

man that sucks..

ths shoudnt be that hard to figure out.. if you have compression its got to be spark or fuel?

you running cats?
is it possible that there is a restriction in your exhaust like a plugged cat or piece of scrap metal?

 

It's got great spark, plenty of fuel and consistent compression across all cylinders(I checked with a compression check/tester)
What I'm leaning towards now is that the cam was degreed incorrectly and it's retarded far too much. I contacted the engine builder and he said he used the 2 degree notch on the crank sprocket but, in the time gone by, he doesn't remember if it was 2 adv or 2 retarded. With that news, I looked on google for 'symptoms' of a cam too retarded and found a magazine write up about cams that portrayed symptoms JUST like mine. So, I'm going to get a degree wheel, piston stop and dial indicator to see where the thing is opening and closing the valves in relation to TDC to find out if that's it.
Jeezus... what an expensive and time intensive ordeal. I just want to drive my freaking car.

 

so do you have to pull all the acesories off can you do this by just pulling the valve cover off and bolt the wheel to the balencer?

sounds like a pain in the butt..

i am guessing that you never used this engine without turbos?

 

I'm debating on whether to even check. At this point, I think I'm just going to pull the timing cover off, pull the timing set, set the timing set dot to dot and put it all back together. I think if you couple the assumption that the cam is retarded excessively plus the effect modifying the opti's sensor perception BECAUSE the shutter wheel inside the opti is now off, the two have (probably) combined to make it run like dog crap.

This motor is brand new. It runs this (crappy) way with the turbo outlet connected and when it's disconnected. Truth is, when I first fired it up, the turbo wasn't connected and the (new) timing chain would have been ultra tight and it ran incrementally better those first few minutes. Now that the chain has loosened just a bit(and thus adding just a tiny bit to the retarded opening of the valves) it's just even more weak. Just imagine the effect of a late opening and late closing valve. On the intake stroke it's only getting a partial gulp of air, then pushing some of even that, right back out the still open intake. Then the exhaust... after the spark event, the exhaust opens late, only partially expelling the exhuast charge and the valve stays open on part of the next induction cycle. Both charges(Intake and exhaust) are half done and contaminated.

 

yeah i don't know much about cams.. i always just line up the dots.. if there is a need to be advanced or retard the cam the manufacturer can just grind it into the cam..

i guess if the builder retarded the cam 2-3deg and manufactuer gorund 2-3 degrees in the cam it could be pretty hosed up

 

Yeah. He ground something like 4 degrees into the cam itself(Bret Bauer) and the engine builder went 2 more(at least). I know that to get the most power out of the cam, you should degree it but it has an extra ramification with the optispark having it's reference point altered. I can't remember if it was EngineerMike or Shoebox that has said this could be an issue when degreeing cams.

 

my next motor is going to us a lt4 timing chain as i want to retain the stock waterpump so i dont think i could degree the cam if i wanted.

good luck with ripping the front of your engine off. i replaced 3 waterpumps in a row one year.. i could probably do that cam in 3-4 hours LOL

 

Yeah.. I'm much more familiar with what the water pump gaskets that I would like to be. Thanks