I had a problem with my nitrous today, I've been activating it at the 60 ft mark when on street tires and today when I did that the initial hit came on as usual then started to die down until there was no nitrous flowing at all, I was told that the wires going to my solenoids are to small and will not provide enough current to keep the solenoids open, does that sound right to anybody else?

 

it's possible. or could be bad connection or a bad relay.

Test it. Activate the system with the bottle closed and measure / monitor the VDC at the solinoid over about 15 seconds or so. If it drops then you know theres a problem.

I would just replace the wires that feed the noid with larger ones and be done with it if everything else checks out.

 

Did your system work perfectly before and now it doesn't? If so, it doesn't sound like wire sizing. Test your system...disconnect the lines at the jet(s) and activate the system (you can defeat window switches and WOT switches). If the wires are undersized, they'll get warm/hot to the touch before blowing a fuse.

 

You sure you arent running out of fuel?

 

If it quits all at once, just like turnin off the activation switch then it's most likely an electrical problem.... 99% of all nitrous system failures are electrical.... Check your wiring at the fpss, and at the window switch, if so equipped...

It sounds to me though like you are saying that your system starts at 100% and then graduallly falls off.... If that's the case, it's most likely a pressure issue, or a fuel issue. If your bottle is super cold, or low, then this could definitely be happening.

To test the system, make sure the bottle is TURNED OFF, and make sure the key is turned back to ACC. with the engine and fuel pump not running hold the WOT switch for about 10 seconds. If the solenoids click again while you're holding the WOT switch, you have a problem... After holding the WOT switch, feel all of your wiring, and make sure nothing is hot to the touch. If it is electrical, it's usually a bad ground or something..... It could also be your WOT switch jumping out of the way of the linkage or something... There really are a lot of possibilities here.....

 

thanks for the replys guys, I just got off duty from a 24 hr shift and looked at your replies, i'll try out some of your ideas first thing in the morning and let you guys know what came of it.

 

oh yeah, some more info for you guys. The system worked well initially but just startes to have this problem lately, and it doesnt feel like it just cuts out all at once, more like its tapering off untill its gone entirely. I'm thinking both solenoids must be closing at the same time because if one of them was closing and the other one wasnt, I would thinks it would be noticeable as in an extremely rich condition with a stumble if the fuel stayed open, or a lean condition and possibly some engine damage if the nitrous stayed open

 

I say check for fuel clog or pressure drop, Check/change the fuel filter...

If you are using a hobbs switch or some other type of fuel pressure safety switch then during the run your pressure could be dropping just enough to kill the system then when the system goes off pressure rises a little and activates it again, this may be happening in short burst at first just fluttering the solenoids on and off so power drops of and as Rpm’s raise the pressure drops even more and eventually the raise after the system goes off isn't enough to go above the setting on the safety switch. This would be why it seams to be ramping down progressively on both N and F solenoids at the same time.

If this doesn't make sense i will try to explain it better with numbers, if necessary.

 

Ok, here's some more info, there is no fuel pressure safety switch. Only a main activation switch and a WOT switch, both seem to be working perfectly. I disconnected the fuel and nitrous lines to the solenoids and activated the system, both solenoids and the relay clicked, I held the switch on for about 15 to 20 seconds while feeling the wires and solenoids for heat. None of the wires felt like they were even getting warm and niether did the fuel solenoid, but the nitrous solenoid was so hot I couldn't even touch the damn thing. With the wires to the N2O solenoid not even getting warm and the solenoid itself being hotter than the hinges of hell, does that mean the solenoid is bad? Someone at the track mentioned it could be a bad solenoid. This system is the TNT kit with 2 fogger nozzles in a plate behind the throttle body, I just bought it new last year and have only run 5 or 6 bottles through it.

 

The nitrous solenoid was hot, but the fuel solenoid wasnt?????

They don't recommend holding a solenoid open any longer than 15 seconds, but for 20 seconds it shouldn't have gotten that hot.... If you leave them open for prolonged periods of time, they'll actually melt the magnet inside....

The solenoid should not me MEGA hot..... It might warm up a little, but getting that hot usually means a bad electro-magnet in the noid.....

2nd opinions???

 

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Usually when a electrical unit gets hot, it can be caused by a bad ground. Check all your wires and make sure that they are properly grounded. Also you didn't mention what your bottle pressure was. To high of a pressure will cause the selenoid to open and close.

 

Thanks for all the replies everybody, your help along with the tech guys at TNT helped me solve the problem. It seems as if there was two problems, bad ground causing the solenoid to get hot and lack of fuel causing the car to lean out and lose power. Thats why it was happening around half track every time, the stock pump just couldn't keep up, it was a 100 shot (TNT measures at the wheel so it's actually closer to a 125 or 130 shot) which normally wouldnt be a problem, but in addition to the other mods the car has, (cam, porting, LT headers, gears, etc) the pump just couldn't handle it. It's all for naught though, I'm buying a T-Trim from a friend of mine locally. If anybody is in the market for a complete TNT nitrous system with a custom bottle mount let me know, I'm about to post it in the for sale section as well. Nitrous system is only a year old and has had 5 bottles run through it.