Belly Tank Build Diary

[Mike Brown]

I like to use Velcro wire ties to secure cables and hoses in the car.  It is so much easier to service than cutting and replacing wire ties.  I am preparing to install the linear fire detection system and was looking for Velcro wire ties when I found this.  Velcro one-wrap roll of cut to length bundling strap in a fire retardant version.  One less thing to burn, I like it. 

[WOODY@DDLLC]

 

[Lemming Motors]

Mike
Don't use to many or you will protect the fire sensing wire from the heat 

[Mike Brown]

The linear heat detection cable is normally open and shorts when its temperature rating is exceeded.  To insure that the cable is connected for service an end of line resistor is added to the end of the cable opposite the detection system.  It is important to use a good crimping tool as the linear heat detector conductor is steel that has been tinned.  Without a good crimp the connection can become loose triggering a trouble indication. 

[Mike Brown]

I ran my linear heat detection cable down a chassis stiffener that is in the top and center of the engine compartment.  The cable was long enough to go the entire length of the engine compartment.  I used Velcro wire ties to secure the cable to the tubing of the stiffener. 

[Mike Brown]

I am amazed how small the world is and how well the post works.  6 days across the pond to the UK and even less time I received this great shirt!

[Lemming Motors]

That tee shirt will become a collectors item one day 

I cant get loo paper in the local shops but I can get car parts from the USA - crazy crazy world.

Big shout out here to Mike too for helping me out with a fire detection system.  Hope he uses the tee more than I see a red led on his system in my car 

[Mike Brown]

I purchased the LSA engine complete with ECU and wiring harness.  With the harness came an intercooler pump.  The intercooler pump was controlled by the ECU and I had no way to turn it on without tuning software.  My tuner suggested that I manually turn the pump on before making a run.  The thought was that by the time the manifold temperature was up from boost and the ECU turned it on the heat was already there and the run was almost over.  The pump had three wires and 5 terminals so a little research was in order to change the function over to manual operation.  It turns out that on the Cadillac version of the LSA they use a pump that was originally designed for the Chevy Volt, an electric car.  It pumped coolant to keep the batteries from overheating.  It is a very sophisticated brushless DC pump with an enable, PWM input for variable speed and pulse output so its functionality could be monitored by the controller.  Some sites described how to add a toggle switch to turn on battery voltage to the enable and +12V pins.  I was skeptical as other logic connections on the engine were +5Vdc.  Sure enough testing with a meter showed the enable to be 5Vdc.  I thought that if it was on the internet it had to be true!  I let the ECU enable the pump and switched the +12V on with a relay and an inline fuse holder.  The OEM fuse was 20A on a 22Ga wire which offered poor protection in the event of a short.  I connected the relay to the switch in the cockpit that controls the engine cooling pump.  Now when I make a run and turn on the engine cooling pump the intercooler pump also comes on.  If the engine is not running the intercooler pump is not enabled and just the engine cooling pump runs.  The pump is very sophisticated and will shut down on its own if it detects cavitation.  This seems to be problem with the CTS-V if the intercooler system is not bled free of air.  My pump is lower than the tank and I did not observe any problems with cavitation or the pump shutting down on its own.  I guess that I just got lucky on that one.  The pump seems very efficient pumping a lot of water and only draws 5A at full load with a soft start. 

[Rex Schimmer]

Mike,
Try putting a ball valve on the pump outlet and a 0-20 psi gage then start to close the ball valve and see what happens. The pressure goes up the flow goes down and the motor amps also go up right until the pump pretty much stops flowing water at which point the amp draw will probably go down as the pump is doing no work. Centrifugal pumps have a "sweet" spot where they are the most efficient and that spot is pretty much controlled by back pressure ( and pump speed if it has a variable speed controller) and in your case the back pressure is the flow resistance of your inter cooler. Just another reason that selecting a electrically driven centrifugal pump can only be done if flow vs pressure curves are known.

Rex

[Mike Brown]

I added a fourth oxygen sensor bung to the exhaust.  Two are for the sensors that connect to the ECU, one is for a wideband oxygen sensor that is connected to my data logger.  The fourth is for my tuners wideband when we the car is on the dyno.  This will save disconnecting and removing my wideband sensor when the car is on the dyno. 

[Mike Brown]

I most likely will not get to Australia to race on their dry lake bed but at least I can proudly show their sticker on my car.  Since the event was cancelled this year due to the pandemic they are selling their tech inspection stickers for $5 each.  I bought some just for a donation.  They shipped in the mail, it took a few weeks but they made it. 

[Mike Brown]

We had a successful weekend with the ECTA in Blytheville Arkansas.  We made four passes, all of them 200+ mph in the standing mile.  The best run was 201.342 mph which got me into the 200 mph club. 

[WOODY@DDLLC]

 

[Mike Brown]

We towed the car to Blytheville with our RV.  I was thankful to have the RV as the daytime temperatures were really hot.  Having a generator and air conditioning was a big benefit.  We boondocked at the airport.  My wife towed the car to the starting line and back to the pits with no problems using the RV.
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[Mike Brown]

There were MD88 jet planes parked everywhere.  I was told that Delta was not going to return them to service.  Most will be scrapped.  Those that are not scrapped will be brokered to other airlines.