Thread: [DEAD]Project Turtle: 1993 Toyota Tercel/56K=FAIL

Haven't gotten anything done today, probably gonna redo my wiring the weekend my shrink tubing comes in (on the 23rd, or thereabouts...).

The shrink tubing came in today! Getting ready to open it all up and see what I've got...

MISC. STUFF
Big traveling tool truck in-town this weekend. Going to pick up a 100+ dremel kit while I'm there: $20. Will post details later.

SCHOOL
Found out I have a 63 in AP English III...
101 in World History (That class is WAY to easy)
96 in Spanish II
100 in SCC (I get a passing grade for playing with computers? )
89 in Algebra II Honors(IDK how, but...can't complain)
92 in Chemistry I Honors
100 in Technical Theater(Paid/Grade for playing with electricity, moving things around onstage, and sitting in front of a light/sound board? )

Three weeks left to pull up that 63 to at least an 85...

CAR

I have become a member of EcoModder.
There is a thread posted there that piques my interest. It involves a Normally Closed Momentary-On switch wired into the EFI fuse holder under the hood. Details HERE.
What do you think RDHoltz? Ozzy71? HiJack? Anyone?

CARPC
Shrink tubing is here. All black. Ordered one of these. I'll use that on the tubing, and have something to light fireworks with later. Also, I'm going to upgrade my AUX battery setup. I'm trying to locate a switch to connect the batteries together so if the AUX runs down, I can hit the switch, then start the car, and shut off the switch. I'm thinking one of these big guys would do the trick? (grabbed first Google result; image is linked to source)

Originally Posted by freeflashstuff

I have become a member of EcoModder.
There is a thread posted there that piques my interest. It involves a Normally Closed Momentary-On switch wired into the EFI fuse holder under the hood. Details HERE.
What do you think RDHoltz? Ozzy71? HiJack? Anyone?

So this is a hipermiler mod to kill the engine at will, allowing you to coast and improve your fuel economy? My car sips so little fuel at idle that I think this would end up costing me more in clutch wear for restarts than it saved in fuel. Admittedly, clutch repair is long-term, and fuel economy is short-term, but that isn't a good trade for me. I just drop it into Neutral and coast down the long hills at idle.

Originally Posted by freeflashstuff

. . . I'm going to upgrade my AUX battery setup. I'm trying to locate a switch to connect the batteries together so if the AUX runs down, I can hit the switch, then start the car, and shut off the switch. I'm thinking one of these big guys would do the trick?

Using a giant switch is the brute force approach. You could use a small switch and a relay. In mine, I used a relay and a 3-position On-Off-Momentary On switch. The On position links the Main and Aux batteries for normal operation, and the Off position completely disconnects the Aux batteries. The Momentary On position ties the Main and Aux batteries together, but there is no power to the PC then; it's only for starting if I have dead Main battery and live Aux batteries. I have to hold it in the Momentary On position to make that start, but it keeps me from forgetting and leaving the batteries tied.

I don't ever expect to use the Momentary On position, but it's a nice option. The relay was $5 and the switch was $6, I think.

Like RDHoltz, FreeFlash, your car doesn't eat up that much gas either, if it is then something is wrong with your engine. Doing mods like this scare the $h!+ out of me. If something goes wrong, who knows what could break.

In my case, I'm just going to save up and buy the ECU reprogrammer so I can go from 14mpg to 20mpg.

PS: Hopefully next week I'll be ordering a new Alternator and Battery. Even after my Big 3 upgrade, I am having issues.

Also, about the http://thedatajack.com website, the guys says its on a AWS network. They are doing an upgrade that will get it to 7.2 download. If my research is correct, T-Mobile uses this network. I saw you post in my thread, sucks that you cant use it in 3G mode.

Ya, but I'm still thinking about it though. Bill did tell me on the phone that it used T-Mobile's system. Even on EDGE speeds, I could pull off up to 768k at max, which is what we pay $50/mo for on our cable line, so that's not that bad. Couple that with the router Bill mentioned in your email, the entire car has WiFi. You'd be a mobile hotspot.

On a different note, something may be wrong with my car. Idk. Cause my mileage has plummeted lately. I've gone from 35mpg city to 19-ish city. Still getting 35-45 hwy, depending on my cruising speed. My driving style hasn't changed...

As for the kilswitch mod, it's a hypermiling technique. Not necessary, but to squeeze more mpg out of the car. Also, I've run the car without the EFI before, granted with many problems, but it ran. The fuse was blown when I got it and I didn't realize it until I had to redo the battery terminal the first time.

Originally Posted by freeflashstuff

Ya, but I'm still thinking about it though. Bill did tell me on the phone that it used T-Mobile's system. Even on EDGE speeds, I could pull off up to 768k at max, which is what we pay $50/mo for on our cable line, so that's not that bad. Couple that with the router Bill mentioned in your email, the entire car has WiFi. You'd be a mobile hotspot.

On a different note, something may be wrong with my car. Idk. Cause my mileage has plummeted lately. I've gone from 35mpg city to 19-ish city. Still getting 35-45 hwy, depending on my cruising speed. My driving style hasn't changed...

As for the kilswitch mod, it's a hypermiling technique. Not necessary, but to squeeze more mpg out of the car. Also, I've run the car without the EFI before, granted with many problems, but it ran. The fuse was blown when I got it and I didn't realize it until I had to redo the battery terminal the first time.

35 to 19? OMFG.... Something is really wrong. When was the last time you did an oil change? I think when you had to replace your head gasket, you had to have had the oil changed then? If so, what type of oil are you using? I would go with 10/30, but full synthetic. I used that in my Dodge Shadow and it ran like a dream. One warning though is that once you go synthetic, you cant go back to regular oil, otherwise you head gasket will fall apart again. Could also be your transmission, have you had the fluid changed in that? It could be that its bad fluid and its causing the engine to strain to move the car forward. Wow thats bad when a 4 banger, has the same gas mileage of a V8. I'm sure its something simple though. Could it maybe be the new air intake?

I am not a fan of AT&T, so thats why I wanted to know what network it is on. If it would have been AT&T I wouldn't have gone with the service. AT&T, no matter how much they say its the fastest network, is the cr@ppiest network out of all. They don't even allow people to do certain things like Sling Player because their network is so slow. T-Mobile on the other hand I like. I hate their pricing plans, but if I can get on T-Mobile's new network at 7.2 download, and pay less then actual T-Mobile customers, then I'm down.

Originally Posted by HiJackZX1

One warning though is that once you go synthetic, you cant go back to regular oil, otherwise you head gasket will fall apart again. Could also be your transmission, have you had the fluid changed in that? It could be that its bad fluid and its causing the engine to strain to move the car forward. Wow thats bad when a 4 banger, has the same gas mileage of a V8. I'm sure its something simple though. Could it maybe be the new air intake?

Whoa, wait a minute. What does the type of oil have to do with the head gasket? This sounds like urban legend stuff.

The issue is probably not something like trans, because mileage around town dropped, but highway mileage stayed the same. Sounds like a low-speed timing or mixture problem.

Originally Posted by rdholtz

Whoa, wait a minute. What does the type of oil have to do with the head gasket? This sounds like urban legend stuff.

The issue is probably not something like trans, because mileage around town dropped, but highway mileage stayed the same. Sounds like a low-speed timing or mixture problem.

I'm probably calling the wrong gasket. I heard that synthetic uses different (smaller) beads of oil, while regular oil uses bigger ones. Its something molecular. God i'm making it sound Sci-fi. Hey I could be wrong, I wouldn't know because i only use full synthetic because its just better for the engine.

Well I was trying to point out simple stuff.... I didn't want to say it could be his actual gears or something.

I'm thinking it may be that cold air intake though.