Driving 97 kick tach after J18A engine swap

[maroka]

Yeah about the pan, I guess you could get a pan with pick up from a kick sport but they're really rare where I'm from, so custom was the way to go. It is by no means pretty, but it works.

Here are a few photos of the pan: https://photos.app.goo.gl/C2eS7um3EXaTsLqk7

We used a MIG welder. Trick is to weld slowly to prevent the flange that mates to the engine from warping.

[fixkick]

Yeah about the pan, I guess you could get a pan with pick up from a kick sport but they're really rare where I'm from, so custom was the way to go. It is by no means pretty, but it works.

Here are a few photos of the pan: https://photos.app.goo.gl/C2eS7um3EXaTsLqk7

We used a MIG welder. Trick is to weld slowly to prevent the flange that mates to the engine from warping.

all that needs to be done and not put dirt in the engine,
must be kept clean.
that pickup screen is to block dead bugs and the like.
not at all does it protect the engine from dirt. (sand grit and the like are doom)
the dirt will wreck all bearing shells. fast, Like sand paper does to say a cell phone screen .

I forgot to warn you, the newer suzuki ECU j18,  have  removed the DLC pin for timing freeze , a HUGE  horror that.
so that only the SUZUKI dealer SCAN tool system can do that act,  
the year matters on this,  and FSM book matters to learn this bad act.
the DCL pin names if know also tells if this is true (seen about  2004) IIRC

one simple cure for this is to match mark the left rear cam CMP sensor to the head, with marks from carpenter, center punch
so the timing is never lost.  (my trick) simple and effective on all CPMs with the curved arc, adjustment mount. (cam angle sensor , LR cam end)

cheers and good luck you and your all your family;.

[fixkick]

sports are rare, super rare , about 10 to 1, less made than the G16 car. (and is a better car the j18) USA figures.

the consumer reports of infamous "roll overs" caused all that, then  for years lasting effects,, and sales fell like a rock , all is history now.
and suzuki filed bankruptcy  usa then Canada for cars only (not ATV stuff) 8 years ago?
all from one useless magazine. (the power of the press is frankly scary)

15000 cars is pathetic sales. (suzuki usa)
toyota sold 150k cars in one month, 130k average

for every 1 car sold by suzuki toy sold 200.
that is  why used parts are hard to find
and why other makers of 3part parts, do not want to support so few cars on the road. (USA )
suzuki does great outside USA /canada

[maroka]

It's a shame really, they're good cars. Super strong chassis/running gear. "I drive an offroad car, but I maintain a normal car" is what my dad uses to justify still owning an fixing that thing. He bought it 8 years ago and it's actually appreciated in value since then. At least here, good kick/tracker (we call them Vitara) is hard to come by and even if you do, it costs the same as a BMW x3/x5. Parts are plentiful here in Europe, but the marked is flooded with crappy knock offs that barely last a day.

About the CMP. We did just as you suggested. We took a sharp piece of metal and made a deep scratch along the CMP mount and head. When you move the CMP, the 2 parts of the scratch do not align anymore. And it's easy to put back.

Thanks for everything, good luck to you too! When we get it fired up I will take some readings with a scope and post an update. I am willing to help you write an article on that if you want to add it to the main site later, regarding the whole swap or just the tach!

[fixkick]

It's a shame really, they're good cars. Super strong chassis/running gear. "I drive an offroad car, but I maintain a normal car" is what my dad uses to justify still owning an fixing that thing. He bought it 8 years ago and it's actually appreciated in value since then. At least here, good kick/tracker (we call them Vitara) is hard to come by and even if you do, it costs the same as a BMW x3/x5. Parts are plentiful here in Europe, but the marked is flooded with crappy knock offs that barely last a day.

About the CMP. We did just as you suggested. We took a sharp piece of metal and made a deep scratch along the CMP mount and head. When you move the CMP, the 2 parts of the scratch do not align anymore. And it's easy to put back.

Thanks for everything, good luck to you too! When we get it fired up I will take some readings with a scope and post an update. I am willing to help you write an article on that if you want to add it to the main site later, regarding the whole swap or just the tach!

it is a great off road and snow car. for sure.
but here In uSA sales collapsed , many  want hug powerful engines here,  and cheap gas here. $1.81 a gallon here.
yes here too increased value,  the cars are less found used each day but some like it and that drives up prices on  shrinking base of used cars.
$500 car is now $1500. (beater vitara/sidekick/trackers)
and and  jeep wk wranglers

2020 stats.
From $51,950  new
Based on Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)
1996 to 2019
$4,400 - 58,960

times are a changing and not good,  inflation is never fun.

[fixkick]

that some big time ugly burns on D6, I hope that cleans up.

[fixkick]

here is a not burned
90
https://fixkick.com/ECU/hell/html/image_16.html

[maroka]

So, a little update.

I know it has been a while, but between my father being called on a repair and leaving the country and the j18 blowing a head gasket and university starting it has all been a little overwhelming for me.

My old man fixed the bearings, started it up, the thermostat had stuck closed, by the time he shut it off it had already overheated (we suppose) so it started blowing bubbles inside the coolant. My dad works as a ship mechanic, and he got called on a repair trip, so he left it for me to fix. Being my first time tearing apart an engine by myself, I was a little bit intimidated.

Anyway, I pulled the head off. Took it to a machinist and he said he had to take of 0.06mm off to make it level. It had warped between cyl 2 and 3. The black soot on the top of the cylinder liner where the head gasket should seal confirmed my suspicion that cyl2 was the culprit. After I got it back from the machinist, I put on some new valve seals and polished the valves. I managed to get it back together, with the exception of the valve cover and accessory belt which I didn't have time to install, since I had to go back to university. I hope that I can get it started this weekend.

In the meantime I started to do some research on my project car which is a MK2 Golf GTI in which I will be putting a 16V engine from a MK3 running Speeduino engine management (and turbocharging it down the road). This is off the topic, but I'll get to the point, I promise.

I started doing research on how I'm going to drive my stock MK2 Golf tach when I get rid of the dizzy and go COP.
Then I came across this: https://www.msextra.com/forums/viewtopic...31&t=40365

From my understanding it is just a transistor switched by the PWM tach output of the ECU which then applies and cuts power to the inductor, producing the high voltage that the tach wants to see. I also read that some tachs built for reading off the coil negative also work with simple 12V square wave.

I also came across this video. The guy uses the coil inside the relay to create the high voltage kickback that the tach needs to read: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySmWk_5G...immyLundin

[fixkick]

So, a little update.

I know it has been a while, but between my father being called on a repair and leaving the country and the j18 blowing a head gasket and university starting it has all been a little overwhelming for me.

My old man fixed the bearings, started it up, the thermostat had stuck closed, by the time he shut it off it had already overheated (we suppose) so it started blowing bubbles inside the coolant. My dad works as a ship mechanic, and he got called on a repair trip, so he left it for me to fix. Being my first time tearing apart an engine by myself, I was a little bit intimidated.

Anyway, I pulled the head off. Took it to a machinist and he said he had to take of 0.06mm off to make it level. It had warped between cyl 2 and 3. The black soot on the top of the cylinder liner where the head gasket should seal confirmed my suspicion that cyl2 was the culprit. After I got it back from the machinist, I put on some new valve seals and polished the valves. I managed to get it back together, with the exception of the valve cover and accessory belt which I didn't have time to install, since I had to go back to university. I hope that I can get it started this weekend.

In the meantime I started to do some research on my project car which is a MK2 Golf GTI in which I will be putting a 16V engine from a MK3 running Speeduino engine management (and turbocharging it down the road). This is off the topic, but I'll get to the point, I promise.
so this means engine swap MK2 into your J18 sport ?

I started doing research on how I'm going to drive my stock MK2 Golf tach when I get rid of the dizzy and go COP.  (the j8 has no dizzy but yes cop)
so you must  be talking about Mk2  but what harness what ECU what, parts all are from MK2 moved to J18, not sure me.
2cops or 4?
Then I came across this:  https://www.msextra.com/forums/viewtopic...31&t=40365
this MS post ignore the nasty backemf pulse from the coil (relay) that can blow up many TACHO heads, the suzuki used huge voltage divider and clamp diode to protect the TACHO and the ECU also monitors this same wire and so does the cruise module all 3 can blow up with any huge BACKUP spike and is NOT NEEDED at all to make a tach run, my guess is his problem is polarity not EFI spikes . BACK EFI is not good, to silicon, so is suppressed carefully.

ever car made uses there own tach designs , when the makers when to DIS Ignition with 4 cops,  no tach like to work with COPS. (generic tach)
The tach just  counts the spark pulses and does the math for 4 cycle and 4 cylinders.
The ECU has and out pin that is tacho, and no 2 cars made use  the same way or single here, some its serial data like my JK jeep has (CAN BUS)
if lucky the Mk2 golf service manual tells this at all. some just show a wire and say tach sig here, no format told.
for example it might send out 4 times spark pulses or with  cop  cards (shared wasted spark ) must convert that mess to normal 1 pulse per crank turn
the cluster engineer and the EFI engineer have lunch together and decide all this,  the cluster guy says we have a cluster PCB from 10 cars now all the same so tells the EFI guy here is my correct signal,  that is how this happens using internal standard parts at a car company.


From my understanding it is just a transistor switched by the PWM tach output of the ECU which then applies and cuts power to the inductor, producing the high voltage that the tach wants to see. this is true
I also read that some tachs built for reading off the coil negative also work with simple 12V square wave.

I also came across this video. The guy uses the coil inside the relay to create the high voltage kickback that the tach needs to read: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySmWk_5G...immyLundin


why not just make 12vdc signal,  no coil, no back EMF.,  replace the coil with say 100 ohm resistor there and same transistors. see if that works first.
never make true HV for fun,  12vdc is LV , 400v BACK EMF is nOT NEEDEd,

[fixkick]

lets do this another way,
sure scope the signal, sure, to see Polarity and PW, pulse width, (and the horror of back EFI is seen , the G16 has suppressor to stop that a module up front)
then use function generator set square wave pulse mode, a bench tool that can very easy generate pulse at slow rates (just like the engine does.)
then make the same pulse as the car but only 12vdc swing, 0,12,0,12, if that is the current baseline swing do that only
see the tacho does work and no COIL is needed nor wanted.
that is the best way to do that, or just remove the coil and use 100ohm resistor in place of your relay coil.
and get nice clean 12vdc pulses or 5v pulses if that is called for..
in the MS you can invert outputs of wrong, do not do that that to COP or it burns up fast.

if you dig into the G16 brown wire tacho line fully , reverse engineer it you see that they do all the can to get ride of the huge back EMF kick back pulse.
ours is near 400v, a very dangerous level in to any kind of silicon for sure MOSFET transistors.

some relays coils have built in diode clamp snubbers inside, so making this path totally unpredictable , both kinds, used on no maker of relay and p/n told.
not all relays are the same,.