Project E

[H-Man]

Small update: I've been looking at the datalogs I have and here is some useful ECU data about closed loop behavior:
The ECU needs to see a coolant temperature of at least 40C (If you are accelerating onto a highway, this takes about 30 seconds.)
The ECU also needs to see the oxygen sensor sending a rich signal at least once. Idling in the drive doesn't get the O2 up to operating temperature. 7 seconds of driving with a decent load matches about a min of idling. Should benefit from a heated O2, not sure how it would go over with the smog test guys though.
The ECU seems to switch over to open loop if it goes over 80kPa and cycles out if it goes below 70kPa (refresh rate of datastream is too slow to know for sure).
The ECU will run closed loop out to at least 4000 RPM and 80kPa with slow RPM change and a steady throttle, but it is more picky the closer you get to 4000 RPM, it wants to see 80C or more. Not sure about upper temperature behavior, I went up a 7% grade at 17 MPG in 5th and the coolant temperature didn't break 95C, however I was running at 90-95 kPa.
Movement of the throttle position sensor will cause the ECU to dump in a bit of fuel like an accelerator pump.
The ECU does not like to see the engine running lean.
Side notes:
TDCL injection time appears to be per fireing, not duty cycle, meaning that you need to look at RPM to determine how much fuel is actually being used. Also can't go to zero when in DFCO.

[H-Man]

I'm working on an eco light as part of a subsection of the section 'Abusing the Toyota Diagnostic Connector [TDC] for fun and profit'. I think that the diagnostic connector has an output line that just happens to be at a certain voltage when the car is in feedback. It isn't super accurate, but it should help with efficient acceleration. The electronics required to give good enough results for most cases amounts to a N channel mosfet with an appropriate Vgs, a handful of resistors, and a green LED. Simple, easy to read, and you don't need to pull the dash to try it out since the TDC has a ground, a battery positive, and the ECU output lines right there.

[mcrews]

Originally Posted by H-Man

I'm working on an eco light as part of a subsection of the section 'Abusing the Toyota Diagnostic Connector [TDC] for fun and profit'. I think that the diagnostic connector has an output line that just happens to be at a certain voltage when the car is in feedback. It isn't super accurate, but it should help with efficient acceleration. The electronics required to give good enough results for most cases amounts to a N channel mosfet with an appropriate Vgs, a handful of resistors, and a green LED. Simple, easy to read, and you don't need to pull the dash to try it out since the TDC has a ground, a battery positive, and the ECU output lines right there.

When you get 'bored' with that.....can you stop by and see why my sunroof quit working????

[H-Man]

And the warm days appear to be here again.
Got the best tank of the year tonight.

[H-Man]

Drove into a 30 MPH headwind (44 MPH gusts) at 55 MPH and managed to get 28 MPG. Not bad. If anyone near me in % over EPA ranking thinks they are safe, I haven't even fixed my fuel pressure regulator (something that can cost 10-15% on this engine) or taken off my power steering belt yet.

[Ecky]

Thoughts on a projector retrofit, allowing you to use HIDs or LEDs more safely? The savings are not huge, but also non-zero.

[H-Man]

Originally Posted by Ecky

Thoughts on a projector retrofit, allowing you to use HIDs or LEDs more safely? The savings are not huge, but also non-zero.

Not outright permitted by the NHTSA so it is questionable. If I get in an accident, I don't want to have to worry about the person who hit me worming out of paying due to a technicality.

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

"Everything which is not forbidden is allowed" is a constitutional principle of English law—an essential freedom of the ordinary citizen. The converse principle—"everything which is not allowed is forbidden"—applies to public authorities, whose actions are limited to the powers explicitly granted to them by law.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everything_which_is_not_forbidden_is_allowed

Further depondent sayeth not.

Posting to draw attention to the headlight in my avatar pic.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by H-Man

Not outright permitted by the NHTSA so it is questionable. If I get in an accident, I don't want to have to worry about the person who hit me worming out of paying due to a technicality.

That doesn't matter if you aren't a dealer selling the car for the first time. FMVSS 111 requires an exterior driver's side mirror, but most state regulations do not, and plenty of people here (myself included) do without the mirror perfectly legally. Similarly, the headlights have to be certified to FMVSS 108 standards "before the first purchase of the vehicle in good faith for purposes other than resale;" what you do with the car after you've bought it is governed by the state regulations where the vehicle is registered.

[H-Man]

I didn't say that I wasn't going to do it. Questionable is just that: I'm going to have to do more research before I make a choice (stuff like finding acceptable material to make the lens out of, making sure that my electrical system won't murder the current regulator on the assembly, and that my auto insurance doesn't care about headlight mods-- they specifically asked about at least engine swaps and some other things I can't remember). I'll likely spend more time on the design phase than anything else.

Still need to deal with fueling issues before anything else though.

My current list of mods that I expect will give the best FE boost for the money and time spent:

Duct work between front of car and radiator.
Grill block sized to reflect the cooling improvement.
Side skirts.
An indicator to keep track when the ECU is in feedback mode.
Corrugated plastic hubcaps.