Dist gear looks like normal wear on a gear with miles on it. Your new cam has sharp edges on the drive gear that will "bed in", check the dist gear again after several hundred miles or @ the first oil change.

Dual mass F/W does not seem to making noise. If there is any type of misfire the F/W will rattle, it will sound like a slight rod or main bearing knock.

As far as flywheel balance: Place your hand firmly on the COLD intake manifold, slowly bring the rpm up to 4k, if it still feels smooth your good to go. If the vibes keep increasing the flywheel needs attention as suggested above.

Vid noise: Sounds valve train related to me but not bad. Lots of new parts + roller rockers are always a bit noisier.

Noise locater: Stick the handle of a long blade screw driver in your ear & touch the engine in various places with the blade to locate the problem area.
or:
A length of vacuum or fuel line stuck in your ear will also lead to the noise.

Suggest a spirited drive then pull the dipstick & check for metallic content in the oil. A bright light + magnifying glass works for me.

Good job, she starts nice, runs smooth, sounds healthy.

BTW after some miles lash the valves again with the engine running.

 

Great, thanks Churchkey! I'm relieved that there aren't any big red flags with it.

When I check for flywheel vibration should I wait for it to warm up a bit (but no so much the manifold is too hot to touch) first?

I'll check that and go for a drive as soon as my dad gets home. Can't wait!

 

A few hu dred miles till you change out the break in oil. The wear looks even from the pic so honestly, I would be fine tk run it for a bit. You can always change it.

 

Well, took it for a spin! A couple things I noticed:

• The exhaust kept "popping" at idle in the driveway, like it does when you decelerate or just quickly let off the gas.
• The tach needle got very "bouncy" past about 3k rpms.
• The O2 sensor reads 4.42 mV the entire time in the datalog.

Here's the datalog.

Edit:
Went for another drive, out on a main road this time up to about 50 mph. It ran pretty well, although I seemed to notice some sort of mechanical engine noise at higher RPMs. There is a bit of engine shake, but vibrations are minor except at idle, where they're a bit more noticeable.

Also, it had a firework-ey smell that was pretty strong. Not like raw gas, more like sulfur or something.

Here's my data log for the run (do these actually help you diagnose issues?).

 

Somethings is backwards in the tune. Your Integrator/BLM is 128 at idle which means "Open LooP" and the ECM is using the fueling & timing MAPs inside rather than the O2 sensor. But it reads like maybe that is a normal start and not into "closed loop" yet - i donno. Then when u open the throttle to 30% and almost 3000rpm u can see the int/BLM come up and BLM is 130 - its not in "open loop" yet - this i do know. But as rpm drops it goes to 128 which would be "open loop" (opposite expectation) and later at idle below 900rpm the int/BLM flat lines (180/160). Thats a high number but the integrator should be all over the place as it swings in closed loop controlled by the O2 sensor now - O2 output should be swinging 100mV to 900mV in "closed loop".

The 4.42mV flat line for the O2 sensor is a failure but i dont see any codes at all. U should have code with that O2 sensor reading. OBD I would be codes 13, 44, 45.

Where the problem is i dont know but i would start looking at your O2 sensors.

BTW poping as u let off the throttle is most likely retarded timing while popping at idle dont really know but assume its retarded also if it doing it while letting off the throttle.

Hope this can help. Good night.

PS i hope file dropper is free for me and no viruses.

 

Sorry for the delay; I just got back from a backpacking trip.

Hmm, that's odd. I'll read up a bit more on tuning and talk to the person who made my initial bin. Since closed loop mode operates off O2 sensor input, is it likely the issue with the O2 sensor is causing the ECM to stay in open loop?

I'll put a multimeter to my oxygen sensor to see if it is working. However, I read that the fireworks smell from the exhaust could be caused by the cat from raw fuel being passed through it. Could running it to test the O2 sensor damage the cat?

One more thing: I noticed spark advance rose as high as 47.81* advance (line 1535 of the data log). This seems like a lot of advance to me. Is that a normal amount?

I'm glad you're wary of unknown sites but FileDropper is itself completely safe, assuming that the file being downloaded did not originally contain a virus. Regardless, I do not believe it is possible for a CSV file to carry a virus. FileDropper is completely free, and runs off of ad revenue and premium subscriptions.

 

is it likely the issue with the O2 sensor is causing the ECM to stay in open loop?

Well thats a good question and i think a possibility. Im thinking the tune maybe just a "open loop only" tune and never lets the ECM get into "closed loop" - some tunes will do that and the ECM run entirely on the fuel and timing "maps" stored. But even if so i dont like what that tune is doing most of the part throttle time. So im looking at the data again and near line 670ish it looks like WOT w/99% open throttle (only 3000rpm though) and i see the integrator and BLM are both in "open loop" (128/138). So what that tells me it should be using the O2 when in closed loop and u have found for yourself the O2 output/reading is unusable and should be in fault - but again no trouble codes.


Could running it to test the O2 sensor damage the cat?

Well if the cat is ruined it wont affect the tune - only the emissions. But yes an over rich mix will burn up the cat. But theres really no telling from your data run the status of the cat. I just dont know what your alternatives are? Try a different tune to protect the cat? What if the cats already expired? IMHO i would continue with the tuning then worry 'bout the cat after. That is unless u are ready to remove the cat until u have the ECM tuned.



One more thing: I noticed spark advance rose as high as 47.81* advance (line 1535 of the data log). This seems like a lot of advance to me. Is that a normal amount?

No anything over 45* adv is gonna fire the preceding cyl unless the rotor has been "phased" differently than sparking when aligned to the desired cyl plug wire terminal. If u look at the dist cap u will see the terminals all 45* apart (which is 90* on the crank). So really anything more than 22.5* adv on the dist cap (which is 45* on the crank) the spark will jump to the nearest terminal and with 47.8* adv that would be the preceding cyl in the firing order.

Hope this helps more than confuses u. Im thinking u have something wrong with the O2 and or that tune.

 

Thanks for the help.

Any idea why it would be giving so much advance?


I just went out to check out the O2 sensor, and noticed the check engine light was on (which I could have sworn it wasn't after I drove it last). I pulled the codes and got CCM code 41 (loss of ECM serial data communications) and ECM showed "ERR", which I read means the CCM can't communicate with the other computers. The battery light is on as well.

 

I just put a DMM to the O2 sensor lead while I started it and let it run for a few minutes, and I don't believe there's a problem with the sensor. The voltage started at 0, and gradually rose to about 870 mV, then fell to around 850 mV and stabilized.

 

A OEM narrow band O2 sensor reading 850mV/870mV would be rich and least 14.55 A/F but easy to exceed that w/o knowing how rich it really is. So your 4.4mV data does not match the 850mV output. I think for the engines sake richer is better than leaner. Most performance tunes run rich and many run on the fuel map entirely but your data capture shows closed loop at times to me meaning it should vary around the 14.7 A/F or 450mV mark.

If u need to "map" your A/F u will need a wide band sensor and the display. But i think the problem is in your tune or the ECM/ostrich. If the data capture matched the sensor reading i would suspect the O2 but thats not the case.

U have some critical decisions here before u spend anymore $$. Cant u reinstall the original memcal and tune to see how it runs?

 

It runs pretty rough off of the memcal, but I'll put it back in to give it a shot and see if the Ostrich is the issue. I just tested resistance from the wires at the ECM plug to the O2 pigtail and to the ground and got 20 ohms and 60 ohms respectively, so I don't think the problem is a broken wire.

 

Can u take a data log with the original memcal? I though i read u have a wireless bluetooth adapter. Do u have the capture software for this.

Id like to see the original memcal data log.

 

I just tried it, and got the same 4.42 mV reading.

BUT, after I was finished, my dad pointed out that I had forgotten to reconnect the O2 sensor. So now it has to cool down a bit so I can get my hand in there to plug it back in.

Because of my mistake now I know that with the sensor unplugged it shows a reading of 4.42 mV! So there's a bad wiring connection somewhere. Oddly enough, the check engine light didn't come on, but just earlier today the light came on when I disconnected the sensor.

I actually did a datalog with the stock memcal in, but that was with the O2 sensor unplugged. Here's the one I just did (I can't log in anything other than CSV, if that's what you were asking).
http://www.filedropper.com/2015-08-03180324

Edit:
Oh, forgot to mention that, contrary to what I said, it runs pretty well off the stock memcal now. Maybe even as well as with the Ostrich.

Also, the speedometer display is flashing "sys" as it runs.

 

It still read 4.42 mV with the stock memcal and the sensor plugged in.
Data log

 

I looked at that stock memcal log and the ECM never came out of open loop but the data log was very short and the coolant temp didnt change much so that maybe how its programed. But it does make sense that if the ECM sees 4.4mV from O2 that it keeps the mix rich - result is 850mV from the sensor (and remains open loop).

I think u need to measure the voltage at the ECM connector to the O2 sensor. The resistance to ground might be helpful if u knew what it should be and that could tell u the condition of the O2 but u should measure the same 850mV at the ECM connector as the 850mV u measured at O2 sensor lead - i assume u measured the O2 sensor somewhere other than the ECM connector (while connected and running). Once u verify 850mV right to the ECM then the problem would be inside the ECM or possibly the ECM connector. Can u back pin the ECM connector for the O2 pins/wires? Back pin uses sharp tip meter leads (called stabs).

Getting late, ill look for a post tomorrow.

 

Had a bit of stuff to this morning so I wasn't able to get to it until now.

Voltage from the ECM wire to ground was actually negative, about -8 mV. I'm going to check resistance from the ECM wire to the O2 sensor pigtail again to make sure I have the right wire, and if I do I'm guessing that means I have a short in the O2 sensor wire.

Edit:
Yep, got the right wire. Now for finding if I have a short.

Although now I'm not quite sure. Just a thought, will a multimeter register 0 volts if the resistance between the two points being tested is less than the resistance between the two multimeter leads?

Resistance between the O2 sensor lead and the ECM wire is very low, as is the resistance between the lead and ground. Which makes sense, since the ECM measures the voltage differential between the sensor and ground, right?

Edit 2:
The FSM says the ECM should output a reference signal of .45v between the O2 sensor signal and the O2 sensor ground wires on the back of the ECM with the O2 sensor unplugged and the engine running. I measured no voltage between the two, which also seems to point to the O2 sensor signal wire being shorted to ground. Not sure how a single wire would short out though. I guess I'll pull it onto the ramps and trace the wire's path.

Edit 3:
Duh. Figured out an (I think) completely accurate way to determine if it's shorted to ground. I unplugged the plug from the ECM and the plug from the O2 sensor, meaning the O2 signal wire should be insulated from anything else on the car. However, the DMM found a closed circuit to ground with a resistance of only about 2 ohms. Unless I'm overlooking something, this means there's a short.

 

Got it!

When I had installed the nut on the ground stud on the driver's side of the bellhousing, I had accidentally pinched the O2 sensor wire under the nut, which smashed it so much it broke through the insulation and shorted out.

I'm getting accurate O2 sensor readings now so I'll take it for a spin and datalog it.

 

I present to you a datalog complete with (quite rich) O2 sensor readings! It looks like the O2 sensor shorted out in a few places, but it was still too hot to put electrical tape on it before this run.
http://www.filedropper.com/2015-08-04194348

Edit:
I present to you a datalog complete with (quite rich) O2 sensor readings! It looks like the O2 sensor shorted out in a few places, but it was still too hot to put electrical tape on it before this run.
http://www.filedropper.com/2015-08-04194348

 

Awesome C4! I think u proved u have a working car now and u are able to control it. I really think the hard work is behind u.

Dont think u need much help anymore. Im sure u can learn how to tune your car in short time but dont worry when as tuning never really ends. And neither do problems as cars age. But u know that car inside and out now and not much gonna fool ya. Interesting u never gave up and im sure the fun in the build stopped more than once.

Nice effort. Have fun with that car. Also stay away from fast turns and telephone poles.

 

Thanks again for all the help Cardo. I got this car to learn, and you've taught me a ton about how cars work and how to fix them.

Yeah, there were definitely times that I didn't enjoy dealing with the problems I ran into but now I am so glad I figured it out.