J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

I havent quite decided which way I should go with getting them to actuate...Actually. Getting them to work stock seems like more of a challenge. And I like a challenge... I havent been out to even test my 6-ports cause its TOO COLD......

HAILERS

Get them to work as original. Then play. Open them electricaly at 3500 rpm like this: buy a 3/16 plastic barb vac tube. Buy two feet of vac hose. Buy a solenoid that is just like your switching or relief solenoid from the junk yard(two to five bucks). Stick the 3/16 barb into the middle of the large hose that exits the back of the airpump. Put it about in the middle of the hose. Make sure you drill or stab a hole a touch smaller than the 3/16 barb. Shove the barb half way into the hose. Mount the solenoid on the r/h fender anyway you want, zip tie, bolt, rubber band, glue etc. Run a piece of vac hose from the barb to a nipple on the solenoid. Now run another piece of vac hose from the other nipple on the solenoid to the 3/16 pipe that feeds the actuators. The solenoid has two wires in the plug that you cutoff at the wreck yard. One wire goes to any ground you want to make. The other wire runs to the back of the Relief solenoid to the blue wire with a yellow stripe. So now you have power for the new solenoid and a ground. You need to know right now that the Relief solenoid gets a close signal at 3500rpm. So what you have is a hose from the airpump hose, to a solenoid, and another hose from the solenoid to the feed for the actuators. Start the engine and rev to 3500rpm and you will see the actuators actuate with a smartly each and every time at 3500. They will close at anything under 3500.
I've got plan #2 where you run a hose from the hose at the back of the air pump directly to the feed for the actuators. Before you start the engine, you pull the blue connector off the Relief solenoid and leave it off all the time. What this means is, is that the relief valve in the acv is relieving all the time so there is not enough pressure to actuate the actuators. But as you rev the engine the air pump pressure rises, and at approx 4000 there is enough pressure to actuate the actuators. ENOUGH TYPING. Just DO NOT tap into the hose after the air control valve or the above WILL NOT WORK AS ADVERTISED. Tap b/t the acv and the airpump. The last way of making them work cost about two bucks but does disable the working function of the relief part of the acv.

J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

I like method one better. I wonder if I can get a vac solenoid from Auto Zone? I didnt happen to see that method listed in your threads, and that is, without a doubt, the best one yet in my opinion. I have to admit, due to the fact that its SNOWING in Tucson Az, I have been hiding in my house. I really HATE snow!!! So I have yet to ascertain wether or not I even have serviceable 6-port actuators. The move fairly freely, but I havent verified operation of the vac assembly.

Rat

J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

Did I say vac assembly? I meant pressure assembly..

HAILERS

This site http://www.fc3s.org/ and look for ELECTRONICALY ACTUATED SIX PORTS, or something to that effect. Its an overall good site as far as info goes. Personaly I find that way of opening the actuators overly complicated and costly. Why would you do it that way when the trigger to open a valve is already existing at 3500 rpm and the air source is there as long as you have a air pump. I guess that why God built so many different people.
Now for a confession. There has been an ECN (engeneering change notice) that has come out on my first method. The new solenoid has to be the ones that you can blow thru when the plug is off. The second change is that the two wires have to go into the back of the relief solenoid plug. This method has no side effects on the operaton of the relief solenoid where as the first method did indeed have a slight side effect.
Anyway, try looking at the http://www.fc3s.org/ site. The owner posts here on occasion.

J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

Hold on....Method one, basically states that you are installing a vac line from the Air pump, to an electronically operated vacuum solenoid. At low RPM it should be closed. As revs increase, it should open. The only way that your setup DOESNT work is if the solenoid and the signal from the relief valve arent compatible...IE..At 3500, the signal to the Relief Solenoid either becomes a ground. Or its the other way, where the "close signal" is actually a voltage....Okay, now I am lost. Maybe I am missing the whole Vac solenoid switch thing, but my guess is that it uses a 12V signal to either close or open a vac path. If the soleniod I need is an OPEN path with no voltage applied, then the signal that is being sent to the relief solenoid is 12VDC (I assume) below 3500RPM. Then it becomes 0VDC (ground, whatever) at above 3500 RPM. This would make that type switch work. However a normally closed switch could be used too...Okay....This is giving me a headache. What wold be good to know here is what signals are coming from the Relief solenoid connector. One ground and one 12VDC signal?

Rat

HAILERS

First of all the first method works and has been working in the past, its just that tonite I noticed a flaw, which is that I just noticed that the Relief solenoid(Blue) was never really turning off at 3800.
Here's the deal. The relief solenoid has a constant 12v going to it at all times. The other wire goes to the ECU where the ground is put on the solenoid at idle making the solenoid open and pass vacuum to the acv. When the ECU sees 3500 rpm the ground to the relief solenoid ceases to be. Soooo what this means, is that the OTHER new solenoid needs to be one of the solenoids that with no plug on it, will pass air from one nipple to the other i.e. not powered up.
So you hook up the new solenoid with its plug on, but the wires need to go to the wires in the back of the relief solenoid(blue). That means at idle there is power to the new solenoid, cutting off the air flow from the air pump to the pipe that feeds the actuators. When the engine reaches 3800, the ECU removes the ground from both solenoids. That means the new solenoid is now passing air to the pipe that feeds the actuators. At the same time, since the relief solenoid works just the opposite of the NEW solenoid, no vacuum is passed thru the relief solenoid(no power closes the vacuum path.
My first method only worked because when the ground was on the relief solenoid, there was not enough voltage to pull in the new solenoid(which was of the type yu could not blow thru without power) until the ground from the ECU went away at 3500 rpm. For some reason the relief was staying energized to the open position.

J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

Wow....I had to read that about 10 times. Maybe what I am failing to understand is basic VAC solenoid theory. What you are stating is that on the Relief solenoid there are 2 wires. A constant 12 VDC and a SWITCHING 12 VDC which is alternated between groung and 12VDC by the ECU. This means that above 3500 RPM BOTH wires going to the relief solenoid are at some voltage, I assume its 12VDC.

Maybe what I am not understanding are the basic inputs/outputs of an electrically actuated switch. In order for your system to work, the new solenoid would be closed at one pole=12V and one pole=ground. Open would be 12V at both poles. Correct? Actually this is how you are stating the relief solenoid would work. I am guessing its using an electrical field to recess the plunger in order to pass vacuum. Where my problem comes in is I keep looking for the common ground wire to this whole equation (like a realay). I think I am grasping the concept though... Actually after writing this, I think I am getting it...

Rat

HAILERS

Yeah, your right, its a confusing post.
The relief solenoid, the one with the blue plug: It has two wires on it. One wire has 12v at all times. The ground is on the other wire, but that ground comes from the ECU and is switched on as a ground at idle and that ground is removed by the ECU above 3500 rpm.
The next thing is to know that there are two types of solenoid on that car. One, like the relief solenoid, passes air(vacuum) when energized, like at idle. When the ground is taken off at 3500 rpm the solenoid will not pass air(vacuum).
The other type of solenoid on that car, will not pass air(vacuum) when energized, but will pass air(vacuum) when de-energized.
So what you are trying to do with the NEW solenoid, is to keep the air pump air from passing thru it until 3500 rpm is reached. Well if you run its two wires to the back of the relief solenoid, that will happen.
You start the car. The relief solenoid has 12v that is there always on one of the wires, and the other wire has a ground from the ECU. So that solenoid is passing vacuum because its that type of solenoid. Now the other solenoid is of the type that when its energized , it does not pass air, and that is the case since its wiring comes from the back of the blue relief solenoid.
Now you step on the pedal and hit 3800 rpm. When 3800 rpm is reached the ECU removes the ground from both solenoids. That de-energizes them. The NEW solenoid can now pass air from the air pump to the actuator feed pipe and the relief solenoid drops out also, cutting off the vacuum to the acv relief valve.
Gotta go to sleep. All I can say is I can make it work and it makes sense in my pea brain but I really don't put things down very well on the posts. I think the main thing that will clear things up is that there are two types of solenoid and they work just the opposite when energized. I've gotta go to sleep. Enjoy the snow. We've got a good rain going here, no snow in the forecast.

J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, its getting kinda late here...Actually that clears it up. I was just confused cause I thought they worked like a regular switch, which ususally requires a ground somewhere in order to function properly. So now it all makes sense... Well, I can tell you that, if you get the storm we are having, enjoy it...It sucks..

Rat

J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

Man, I pulled the intake system, replaced the gaskets...Now the 6-ports open in the driveway.