The MegaSquirt Project has experienced explosive growth other the years, with hundreds of new MS installations occurring every week - a phenomenal success! MegaSquirt has been successfully used in all aspects of Internal Combustion engine applications including R&D, Industry, Race, and Research. The MS project has transformed itself from a simple R&D project into a full-featured mature engine control system. To reflect this the support structure has also changed to meet the needs of MegaSquirt Users.
Moving forward, the R&D forums for MegaSquirt project are in a read-only mode - no new forum posts are accepted.
However the forums will remain available for view, they still contain a wealth of information on how MegaSquirt works, how it is installed and used. Feel free to search the forums for information, facts, and overview.While the R&D forum traffic has slowed in recent years, this is not at all a reflection of Megasquirt users, which continue to grow year after year. What has changed is that the method of MegaSquirt support today has rapidly moved to Facebook, this is where the vast majority of interaction is happening now. For those not on Facebook the msextra forums is another place for product support. Finally, for product selection assistance, all of the MegaSquirt vendors are there to help you select a system, along with all of the required pieces to make it complete.
I'm about half way done with the turbo manifold fabrication, for some pictures of my horrendous machining and welding skills, try http://www.benslagle.com/turbo.html to see the latest updates. Lots of bad pictures. This is just a test setup, more of a proof of concept than anything else, just to see if I can make it work. If it does indeed work, I'll build up a better manifold, and if that works well enough and I can get the quality up, maybe start making them for others with the same engine.
(EDIT) I've also found out a 1994 Mitsubishi Montero 3.0L alternator will JUST fit the truck 4G64 if you change the pulley on the alternator. However, the stock puny little 45 amp alternator wiring can't handle a 75 amp alternator and big electric fan, so I had to replace it. It's really easy to change the alternator wiring, just take the nut off the alternator and the bolt out of the fuse box on the battery (Has removable covers on both sides that hide the bolts. I wondered why I couldn't get the fuses out... )
I just started the engine with the turbo connected for the first time about half an hour ago! No boost yet, since I'm just testing things right now. I've got the wastegate locked open. It's amazing how many leaks in a 12 gauge fabricated steel manifold stand up to air pressure, but when you get it hot, the quality of the welds and the metal become apparent. I'll probably end up getting a 220V cord and plug for my 110/220 welder and make a better manifold, this one is just a test. The nice part is, nothing else leaks.
On another note, I looked at my Chinese oil pressure gauge at idle and it was showing 60-70 PSI, going up to 80 at part throttle. I suspect the gauge, since there are no strange noises, or it could be the fact that the engine was cold and I run 20W50 in the summer.
Now I'm getting ready to take the manifold and the turbo back off the truck and fix the leaks.
I've been driving around tuning the truck on low levels of boost (6 psi or less) and it's been running great. The Innovate wideband sensor is the best thing you can ever do for a MegaSquirt installation, it makes tuning a LOT easier and more accurate even on NA engines. I would advise anyone who can afford it to get the Innovate LC-1 or similar. Installation took about 30 minutes working very slowly, sensor calibration worked the first time, and the default configuration works with MegaSquirt.
I have noticed a large increase in power with the turbo working, even though my homemade exhaust manifold keeps getting small leaks. (One of which burnt the alternator... oops...) After I started tuning with the wideband, it really got smooth too. It's a little slow from 800-2000 RPM but at 2000 it starts picking up boost and really takes off up to about 5500. (Ever watch a VTEC Honda take off? Kinda like that but at 2000 RPM instead of 5000.) Also, the big Buick radiator I've got in there works great. It just barely fits, there's about 1/4 inch clearance on each end, but it works. The temperature stays at 180 and the only time the electric fan ever comes on is when I'm going under 20 MPH for over 3 minutes or up a steep hill over 70 MPH running boost.
It's been a while since the last update, and I just got started working on the truck again after a long winter break. I completely rebuilt the homemade turbo manifold with heavier flanges. I also rotated the exhaust housing 180 degrees so it's not such a pain to hook everything up. The manifold now has a pair of flanges, one for each pair of two cylinders. From there, it goes into four 1.5 inch long by 1.5 inch diameter tubes, then into a trapezoid shaped chamber, then (at the narrow end of the chamber) exiting into the flange to the turbo. It seems to work extremely well, and I have at least a few PSI of boost available within half a second from anywhere above idle. Under normal circumstances, at about 2/3 throttle, I have about 5 PSI at 2000 RPM. I will be uploading logs and the MSQ shortly. Another interesting fact to note is the turbo is now spinning at idle, and with the air charge pipe removed, I can feel a lot of air flowing.
I have also switched to a 1998 Dodge Neon alternator with a VR706 regulator. It bolts right up. Thanks to the large number of Neons in circulation and in the yards, I shouldn't have any trouble finding an alternator if this one fails, and the regulator is $15 at AutoZone. It's really simple to install the external regulator. Just bolt the regulator to a grounded surface, run a wire from the positive terminal to a switched 12V source that's on in the Run position, run a wire from the field terminal of the regulator to one of the field leads of the alternator, and ground the other field lead from the alternator. (They don't appear to be polarity sensitive.) There you go, one Neon alternator that's readily available.
Since I actually got it running at the beginning of summer this time instead of the end, maybe I'll get to work all the bugs out and drive it for a change.
Long time, no update. The clutch blew in June of 2009, and an associate offered to put the new one in. Of course, he lost all the bolts, lost the old clutch parts, lost the transmission crossmember, dented the tailgate, broke the taillights, ruined two tires, and stole the antenna.
Now the good news: I've decided to put in something that's easier to get parts for. I have a Chevy 250 straight six and a 5 speed that bolts up to it. I'm pretty sure the radiator will be under the bed for this one. I've done all the measurements, and other than some light sledgehammer action on the firewall, it's going to fit. I've got a throttle body injection unit that will work with a cheap adapter to start, then I'll be working on fabricating a multi port injection setup.
In other news, I still have the turbo I bought from a Ford 6.0l Powerstroke. I'm looking for the oil control valve/solenoid/doohickey so I can have a big turbo on my new engine.