Phunk...congrats on the smoking reduction/elimination program...woohoo!

Still thinking about those diodes on harnesses...hmm...

I have used the 100V and 200V diodes without any issues...maybe people are using different types of diodes? Some of them have different forward voltage drop. (got that from J&S)

 

Well here's an update if anyone is interested:

I have had my two blown coils replaced at the dealership. I also had them install two larger SPAL fans; The fans Ultimate Racing installed for me were just too small and my engine has been running too hot in the heat wave we're having up here. The dealership then referred me to a local shop, Final Lap. Marty, the owner was extremely helpful. He got me up and running with the diodes on my Emanage ignition harness.

He also helped me to finally get Phunk's Crank Sensor wire going....it turned out my unit had pins 1 & 2 reversed. Again Marty figured this out for me.

As for Ultimate Racing in TO, they did the install, and did not even see fit to return my calls. I will be posting a separate buyer beware thread for my fellow Z buyers to decide if they choose to buy from the likes of them. I will am considering a small claims action for the grief I have encountered because of their poor advice. My personal experience is they take the money, asking for a premium for their products and service, and provide zero support. Zippo. Nada.

But I digress.....I will be curious as some of you might be to see if I blow some more coils. I won't know if it's the cooler conditions in the engine bay or the diodes that solved it.....but I couldn't afford to keep having the Z in the shop for our short summer season up here in the Great White North. I actually want to drive the car.

I am keeping tabs on Sharif's thread on the Emanage Ultimate....would love to know of the EU's design has taken steps to preserve our coils.

If I blow coils again, I know it's the Emanage...and my next step will be to rip that puppy out and get either an Emanage Ultimate if it is definitely 110% proven, or go with Unichip, or HKS piggyback. I have been reluctant to go with these piggybacks because they limit tuning to certified dealers....but I am beginning to recognize that there may be a good reason for that.

BTW, the Emanage port that accepts the laptop connection keeps flashing the yellow light even though I do not have anything connected to the unit. Does anyone know if this is normal? I figured it should not flash unless there's connection being attempted to a PC.

 

I just wanted to clarify that the this is not exactly the case... the group buy crank wires that were sent out did not have a consistent color arrangement cause we had a communication error when assembling them. So the instructions for the GB units was different, and did not specify which color wires were in what arrangment, and it specifically instructed the installer to use pinouts (pin numbers) rather then wire colors to get the installation correct.

This morning when I sent you a new copy of the instructions since you lost those... these ones were for the later wires which are color arranged.

Therefore, this gave the illusion that yours was actually assembled incorrectly, just because the instructions were for a different one then you had... when the case is just that in the GB colors were not arranged, and install was by pinout (truely more accurate and important then colors anyway). But for the ease of understanding by installers, all units after the GB have arranged and consistent coloring, which is how it really should be anyway.

Sorry for the mixup, and glad you got it working fine either way.

-Charles

 

Charles, I don't want to mince words, but both instructions did not match my install.

I am not knocking your efforts. Again Thank You. I appreciate being part of the group buy. Understandably, I would have liked this to cost me a lot less to get installed. I am trying to rationalize this by telling myself that even though it cost me a couple hundred bucks to install a simple $70 part, I am still nowhere near as unlucky as some of our poor fellow Z'ers who have suffered blown engines during or shortly after their kit installs. It's all relative I guess.

I think we should petition our governments for a "Save the Force Induction 350Zs" fund which we can receive grants from when we blow our engines. Who's with me!!!

 

If the timing harnesses isnt properly installed, its very possible to blow a coil, even with diodes. I can only point to experience, and that fact that nobody that I have sold a harness to, or installed a harness, as blown a coil with the diodes. I really hope it was some strange error that resulted in the blown coils, rather than the eManage. I have driven my car in 100 degree Los Angeles weather, and 90 degree Charlotte humid weather, and have never blown a coil....in over 20,000 miles.

Regarding the EU, I am running it without diodes, and so far...no blown coils. I am sorting through some other issues now, as noted in the EU sticky thread. But I do intend to run the EU without diodes. They have used totally different coil and injector drivers on the EU, so we can only hope they have taken measures to protect the coils. Stay tuned for more.

 

Sharif,

You were running the diodes with your original Emanage Right???

I have seen the light and have had these installed. I agree with you can screw up your wiring and cause lots of wonderfully horrible things to happen, but I have had three separate shops check it out, so I am hard-pressed to think that the unit is not installed like it's supposed to be.

 

I was part of the GB. I never got a new set off instructions. My car is currently being worked on and I am not up for paying my shop hours and hours of labor time for them to figure how how to correctly install this wire. How do I know how my colors are arranged?

 

Speaking of grounding problems, I wonder if our cars have this issue. I keep getting shocked when I step out of my car.

 

GMAN,

My advice FWIW is to tell your installer to try the instructions, but if it doesn't work, don't sweat it and immediately do the following....

1. Get your installer to plug the "Plug" end into the sensor.
2. Get your installer to get the Voltmeter out.
3. Have the three ECU wires to tap into stripped and ready
4. Turn the ignition on, while your installer tests each ECU wire for a signal
5. Based on the voltmeter readings wire-up your postive, negative, and the signal will be the last one (process of elimination)

I think that's the thinking process my installer followed to figure it out.

Hope this helps.

Give generously to the "Help Luanda pay for Mods" fund. Cash donations accepted!

 

The instructions in the group buy were not colored, therefore its impossible for them to have not matched, cause they never specified. The first instructions were universal and would still work even with the color coordinated cables. They actually had a small line to write your color on. It said to write down your color per pin and then wire it accordingly at the ECU.

I really am sorry it cost you so much to get it installed.

 

There are no updated instructions for the GB. The instructions provided with the group buy are not wire color coordination dependent. The new instructions are only for the new wires. Luanda only got the new instructions because he had lost the old ones. If your shop properly follows the old instructions, they should have it installed in less then 2 hours, as over 40 other members did. If the installer reads the instructions and is familiar with wiring aftermarket electronics in vehicles, this very simple "+/-/signal" 3 wire install is basic enough that even a color blind fellow should be able to wire it accordingly.

-Charles

 

Bear in mind that I had spent several hours with the dealership to no avail. If I was aware of a tuner shop I could go to locally, that would have been my first choice.

You want an installer who has experience in customizing and/or implementing custom parts.....would have saved me a few bills.

Have you given to the "Help Luanda pay for Mods" fund?? Cash donations accepted!

 

luanda: what shop did you end up goign to anyway?

 

Charles, here's where I went (as above). They also have a portable dyno that resides on their premises when it's not on a road trip. Pretty need setup.

 

OK thanks.

 

ok here is a good one, atleast one blown coil, wiring inspected 3 times for accuracy, twisted,soldered, wrapped in self vulcanizing rubber, then the best vinyl electrical tape. oh yes, and diodes. just fried atleast one coil tonight but feel i did more than just the one. my coil signal wire read 0.54 on most all my coils, and a very high 0.67 on the emanage out wire before the diode. trying to remember the diode, i believe it was the 1n5400, something like that. it did smoke when i had the ignition to on without engine running. which diode to use? the signal going into the emanage from the ecu was a consistent 0.01-2v

 

That sucks man.

I bought a set of the 1n5400 and the 1n4002 that John suggested earlier in this thread. My dealer and tuner looked at both, and we thought to go with the 1n5400 since most are using that one. May be 1n4002 would offer better protection.

I think the diodes may only offer part if any of the solution. For me, the problem became evident during the hottest days, when my engine was running hotter. Was it a hot day the day you blew the coils??

I also installed a massive 16" SPAL Fan which has lowered my engine temps a solid 25 degrees on average.

Also, we looked at where the emanage was being grounded and changed the location, trying to find a better ground.

My theory is that the Emanage runs the coils right at the brink....and a bad ground and/or high engine temps and POOF!.

One footnote about the SPAL fans if you go with the heavy or extreme duty fans, expect to run a separate electrical wire and relay as the amps they draw may be too much for the stock wiring.

That's all the info I can offer you. Good luck mate. Let us know what you come up with...

P.S. Would the fact that there is increased pressure in the cylinders cause the coils any grief?? I mean could be the fact that we are running FI versus blaming the EManage that could be the problem?? If so, why are the other piggybacks running OK?? Could it be the fact that the Emanage controls timing by using the ignition harness?? I understand that the new EU or the unichip can pull timing from the tapping into the crank sensor....maybe that's the way to go on our cars. Just thinking out loud, trying to provoke some brainstorming here....

 

Overzealous, remeber that even with diodes, you can never leave your car in the on position, with the engine not running. The coils will still fry. If there is running, everything is fine.

On a side note, the new Emanage Ultimate does NOT burn coils, and doesnt need diodes!

 

my combo is almost all brand new. only about 3/4 of a mile on it. so heat was not an issue at all. i feel my mistake was in the fact of leaving the ignition to on without running the motor, unfortunately i was diagnosing other probs with the emanage and the motor was not in a running condition, so i really didn't have a choice, and thought having the diodes cut the signal down low enough it was not a problem.
i believe it is just the fact the emanage keeps them on and that is the prob. i prolly had my ignition to on more than most during this tuning phase, so mine went super fast. but doing it at all would cause damage to the coils in the long run.

 

ya, i remember reading that. i thought having the diodes dropped the volts down low enough to be safe. guess i should have checked first.
i am super close to getting the eu right now even though my emanage is basically brand new. but after reading about it, it does sound like a more flexible product.
sharif, does the wiring change when you upgrade? i heard you can get a harness that makes the switch easy.
i will ask around and see if there is a way to get that voltage back close to factory and still have enough signal to fire, but if not i will be getting the eu!! kind of pisses me off really cause having the key on and engine not running is the only way to diagnose or test alot of the sensors and stuff on the Z.