knock sensor

[SeR_Cyclops]

well i think you know alot but some other argue. how is the unichip?

 

[Knox Joe]

Unichip is working good on low boost. High boost is maxing out my stock injectors and leaning out, so I'm not running it now, I have 440's waiting to go in, but we are still waiting for a software update from Unichip so we can get it on the dyno for a tune.

If you want a light it will be fairly easy to install, though. There is a bracket, like someone else mentioned that you can put the sensor on, and then all you do is run a couple wires for power, route the lead wire, and put the light somewhere in the car.

To be honest, I wish that when I decided to change my set up I would have just kept the J&S and installed it with the Unichip, but the tune is safe how it is, I watch my A/F's like crazy, and I don't try and drag race.

 

[mspHtown]

i posted this in another thread but il post here again. this is a detailed discussion on the j and s. i had it bookmarked on my comp here at home (the semester just ended).

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1961003#post1961003

 

[SeR_Cyclops]

thanks

 

[TheMAN]

make sure the unit will work with your setup. they are not all the same. they can come configured differently from j and s.

i dont want to give a number and then you run it and blow your car up. i know yashooa ran 100k miles on high boost and finally messed his engine up. im running 12 and im a little nervous that the engine wont hold up (well i was running 12, i just pulled my engine to put the built block in).

its extremely difficult to give you a number because from all the blown motors on the forum, you dont know the causes. people abuse their cars. maybe they didnt abuse it and put in the wrong octane. people kill it in 5th gear boosting. there are sooo many variables.
with all the bolt ons, the j and s, and a good tune, i would say you could get by with 10psi. you just got to take care of the car.

you definitely definitely do not want to over rev the engine.
you want to limit the boost in 5th gear.
keep up with the oil changes.
just simple stuff.

it "blew up" not because of stress but due to stupidity
the WGA broke and the turbo boosted more than it should've and broke the ring land.... either way, had the J&S not been there, the motor would've been in pieces in a matter of weeks after boosting 20psi from the start

good engine management is what kept it from going into pieces.... I'm pretty sure that motor would still be fine right now and no rebuild would've been done if the WGA didn't **** up

 

[TheMAN]

Okay I'll give you guys the story.

Everything was installed right, that was checked, and double checked and was not an issue.

The issue with running them both came at partial throttle ONLY. For some reason when applying partial throttle the car would buck and lean out. It wasn't fuel cut, because once I got on it the whole way it would run rich, and it only really happened when I was just cruising past 0 psi.

I think the car comes out of open loop and goes back to the factory ECU closed loop right at that point, but I dunno, we could never figure it out.

Also, when I ordered from Turfburn he let J&S know I would be running the Split Second, so John @ J&S set it up for that.

I am now running a Unichip and will be getting tuned in a few weeks since we couldn't get the AFC J&S thing figured out. The Unichip is awesome too. I think eventually I'll buy another J&S, but for now my car is as fast as I want, so I'm probably not going to run too much boost anyways, and just baby it for a while.

Now, as far as knock detectors go. You don't need a light, you can definitely hear engine knocking, and by the time that light flashes you've probably already heard it.

I just got my GF a 06' Suzuki Grand Vitara and it calls for just regular unleaded, but every time the variable intake runner (Suzuki's version of V-tack!) would kick in it would start knocking. It sounds like an exhaust shield rattling, rocks in a can, or metal rocks in your engine (think *tink tink tink*).

So we tried different brands of gas and different octane ratings, and the only thing that fixed it was going to premium. Took it to Suzuki and they told me try different brands, I told them I already did that, and they told me they didn't know what to do. WTF? So now I run premium only, and it hasn't knocked since, except when we get gas with a possible 10% ethanol mix.

define "everything was installed right"
What I did to install mine:
Ignition Switched Power
- Splice into ECU Pin 97 (pin 71 also works and is what turfburn tells people to use)
Ground
- Splice into ECU Pin 77 (pin 51 also works and is what turfburn tells people to use or you can simply wire to the chassis... pin 24, 76, and 103 are other alternate sources of ground on the ECU harness)

Coil Pack 1
- Rerouted wire in ECU Pin 26
Cut wire and connected ECU side to Channel 1 input on J&S
Connect harness side to Channel 1 output on J&S

Coil Pack 2
- Rerouted wire in ECU Pin 52
Cut wire and connect ECU side to Channel 2 input on J&S
Connect harness side to Channel 2 output on J&S

I also used an actual terminal crimper I bought from NAPA to make the knock sensor connections as using pliers will **** up the terminals and make a poor connection! Dielectric grease was also used to seal up the connector

I don't know about the splitsecond but I've heard of all sorts of weird problems people had with the unichip and could be the cause of your issues

you're right, you don't need the light, but you *need* to look at the J&S box or have a light when "tuning" the J&S after you install it... by the time you hear the pings, it's already pinged a while already... this is why the J&S is better than us, it will pick it all up before it's even audible... john recommends that you set it where it's at the threshold of it barely pinging and leave it there for maximum performance and let the box take care of the rest

 

[Knox Joe]

I don't know about the splitsecond but I've heard of all sorts of weird problems people had with the unichip and could be the cause of your issues

you're right, you don't need the light, but you *need* to look at the J&S box or have a light when "tuning" the J&S after you install it... by the time you hear the pings, it's already pinged a while already... this is why the J&S is better than us, it will pick it all up before it's even audible... john recommends that you set it where it's at the threshold of it barely pinging and leave it there for maximum performance and let the box take care of the rest

First off, the Unichip is not being ran with the J&S, never was, I sold the J&S and AFC at the same time, and am now running just the Unichip with zero problems.

Everything was hooked up as per the J&S instructions. first my first mechanic did it, and we had the problem, then I checked all his work (I didn't do the work myself because I run a huge business and don't have time to wrench right now) to make sure everything was right, and it was installed to the T as per the instructions. Then I was having problems with my first mechanic (he broke my pass. side axle while doing a clutch job, wtf?) so I brought it to a shop I had seen on DIY on TV doing an import show that was here local called Racing Innovations. they looked at it too, and there tech said everything was done right, and they couldn't figure it out either. So we ordered a Unichip and I sold the AFC and J&S.

When I had the J&S I also bought the gauge that comes with it. I never saw it light up once, but I also never ran much boost (8.5 psi), and tuned the AFC with a safety net of extra fuel up top.

I'm ordering the Snow methanol kit next week, and we should have everything set up by then end of January. By then it'll be our rainy season though and the car won't get driven, so that sucks. I never drive in the rain, as it is not my daily driver.

 

[TheMAN]

something must be wrong if it never lit up... I'm pretty sure they didn't hook up something right somewhere
it should at least light up while the car is idling

 

[Knox Joe]

something must be wrong if it never lit up... I'm pretty sure they didn't hook up something right somewhere
it should at least light up while the car is idling

No, I checked everything myself after the first guy hooked it up.

I know cars, I have wrenched on plenty of cars in my life, I started out working as an Audio Tech so wiring is my "thing". Everything was hooked up exactly like the instructions said. Then another shop checked everything as well.

The J&S lit up fine, and had green lights while driving. Actually I sent the gauge back to J&S when it didn't light up, and he said there was nothing wrong with it, but sent me a new lead wire anyways, so maybe it was the wire, who knows.

Oh, a side note, the gauge was not the gauge you see on their site with a/f and all that, it was just a knock sensor with an LED in a gauge housing, only supposed to light when it is retarding the timing.

 

[TheMAN]

without knowing further how it was wired, I can't say it was incorrectly wired or not.... the instructions are a little vague and can't be followed to the "t"... furthermore, it doesn't talk about any of the ECU harness' wiring colors, leaving the installer to determine which wires to cut and splice... very easy to cut the wrong wires there!

 

[Knox Joe]

without knowing further how it was wired, I can't say it was incorrectly wired or not.... the instructions are a little vague and can't be followed to the "t"... furthermore, it doesn't talk about any of the ECU harness' wiring colors, leaving the installer to determine which wires to cut and splice... very easy to cut the wrong wires there!

I went by the pin out when I was checking everything out.(shrug)

Plus would the J&S light up and everything if it was not working?

 

[TheMAN]

the J&S will still power up and "light up" if the knock sensor isn't connected
I did that when I first hooked it up to test start to make sure my coil packs didn't melt

 

[Jaysanooch]

it "blew up" not because of stress but due to stupidity
the WGA broke and the turbo boosted more than it should've and broke the ring land.... either way, had the J&S not been there, the motor would've been in pieces in a matter of weeks after boosting 20psi from the start

good engine management is what kept it from going into pieces.... I'm pretty sure that motor would still be fine right now and no rebuild would've been done if the WGA didn't **** up

Mine didn't last half of the mileage at half the boost. I did everything I could (mpi/j&s/conservative tune) to prevent my "throwing a rod" last July. Engine management is the way to go but I'm beginning to think it's just a flip of a coin if you want to risk...pushing the limits on the stock bottom end.