| GL1500 EFI Conversion Project |
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| Moderators: redbaron, MDKramer, Flyone, AZgl1500 | Page:   1 2 3 4 5 6 7   |
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| Posted: Tue Jan 17th, 2012 01:59 am | 81st Post |
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Like all vacations, this one had to end.  After getting the mounting flanges pretty much smoothed out and flat, I ground down the ugly weld they had tried to put on the box, and re-painted with POR 15. I had problems with the silver not wanting to mix or stay mixed for that matter. So I decided to go with the black instead. It seemed to cover better and I had less problems with runs as well.... I also welded on mounting brackets for the fuel rail.  Then I did yet another test fit. This was necessary because I had to drill out the mounting holes to allow for the different expansion/contraction rates between the aluminum heads and the steel manifold. I also had a bit of an issue in that the manifold would bolt up fine to the other engine, but with the engine in the bike it wanted to cross thread a couple of the mounting holes. I had to run a tap through them to clean everything up. Luckily, I've been through that scenario before and realized what was happening before much damage was done. Everything fits like a glove now.    This is pretty much where I left the manifold for now. I need to run a coolant line from one side of the engine to the other and that will go underneath the manifold. These were the coolant lines that connected to the stock manifold and will not be needed with the EFI. I figure just running a line between the connections will be easier than trying to block them off. I also need to install a knock sensor, and it looks like I've found a good place to do that under the manifold. So the permanent mounting of the manifold will have to wait for now. I was having trouble mounting the throttle bodies with the idle air control valve attached (impossible, it hits the frame). So, I thought I was going to have to use a stepper motor IAC with a separate housing remotely mounted. Since then I got the bright idea to cut down the mounting tubes for the throttle bodies. I'm not sure if I will be able to cut them down enough to get the throttle bodies mounted with the IAC valve installed, but it's worth a try. Besides, the more room I have when it comes time to install an airbox/filter the better. I then removed the exhaust with the idea of cutting holes and welding in o2 bungs. At this juncture I got the bright idea that instead of using the collector box I might just get a piece of pipe bent and put the o2 bungs in that. So, I didn't do any drilling or welding after all. The headers are designed in such a way that the only area I could drill for the o2 bungs has three separate sections and the sensor would only be able to read exhaust gasses from one cylinder at that point. If I do the pipe, I'll get an average of all three cylinders. It's a compromise, but better I think than just measuring one cylinder and hoping that the other two are the same.... That's pretty much it for now... Hopefully next time I'll get on to flow testing the injectors along with some wiring and dealing with the fuel pump setup. (You guys gave me an idea here to use a fuel pump from an 86 Honda Accord Lxi) Interestingly enough, I used to own an Accord Lxi. I really liked that little car. I'm not 100% sure I can make it work. Need to do a little more research on it, but right now it's looking very promising. Doug
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| Posted: Wed Jan 18th, 2012 03:29 pm | 82nd Post |
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Coming along - I'm not seeing vacuum taps (used for Cruise and also for input to injection controller...) Will this be derrived from the TrhottleBody assy ? Good strong source should be nearer the heads, but may be a bit "noisy" for use by the controller. The long-runner + even-fire + low-rpm should leave the vacuum at the TB plenum fairly smooth, but possibly too weak to be relevant for the computer?? (I didn't see the volume ratios, but this is kinda an issue with the 1500 carb setup) Last edited on Wed Jan 18th, 2012 03:33 pm by satan |
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| Posted: Wed Jan 18th, 2012 10:11 pm | 83rd Post |
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Yes, it's starting to come along quite nicely.  But, I've still got a ways to go.As for the vacuum taps, there are three on the throttle bodies. I've thought about this a bit, and decided that if I needed more I could always drill/tap for fittings later. The MegaSquirt unit I bought has a MAP/MAF (I can't remember which) sensor on the motherboard, and I'll just connect to that. If need be I can use the one that's on the throttle bodies (I think), and that would also eliminate the need for one of the taps. As for the strength of the vacuum at the throttle bodies, I would think it should be fine. That is where the 1800 controller gets it's information. There are no vacuum taps on the 1800 manifold at all. (at least, none that I can remember) I'm not quite there yet, but I could tell by looking when I mounted the throttle bodies that I'm going to have to relocate the vacuum actuator for the cruise control. The cable is too short to make the 180 degree bend that would be necessary where it is right now. Throttle cable/ cruise cable connection on the carbs was at a 90 degree angle to what the throttle bodies will be. There's no way around that, so I'll have to figure out where/how to relocate it. It shouldn't be too bad. Doug
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| Posted: Thu Jan 19th, 2012 09:02 pm | 84th Post |
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The actuator may also be something you can find in a carjunkyard (longer cable side) quite easily -- Keep on it (thanks for the updates and photos!)
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| Posted: Thu Jan 19th, 2012 11:12 pm | 85th Post |
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WOW is all i can say. Nice work Doug so far Tom
____________________ At first it doesn't work. Force it. If it breaks it needed to be fix anyway |
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26th, 2012 11:08 pm | 86th Post |
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Excellent work Doug .Had many a thought of doing a1500 efi years ago, actually I think they were dreams. Watching with anticipation
____________________ Jjk3 |
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26th, 2012 11:56 pm | 87th Post |
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Wow when do you think you will be able to fire it up? Great work. Steve
____________________ "Today well Lived, Takes care of the days yet to come" "So let's ride" Steve |
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| Posted: Mon Feb 27th, 2012 01:08 pm | 88th Post |
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whitewingguy wrote: Wow when do you think you will be able to fire it up? Thanks for the encouraging words everyone. I've still got a ways to go before I can fire it up. I'll be going home around the end of this week, and should have some more updates by the end of next week. I've been paying extra close attention to the manifold part of the project up until this point because it's absolutely crucial. Sloppy work there will lead to problems later that aren't easy to fix. I should get the manifold and throttle bodies permanently mounted , and will move on to finishing the exhaust and dealing with the fuel pump by the end of next week. After that it's flow testing for the fuel injectors and then I start wiring things up. I still have to figure out where I'm going to mount the MegaSquirt (this isn't going to be easy). Then it's a matter of setting up the software and calibrating the sensors. Once I get all that done I should be able to fire it up. I will still need to fabricate an air filter after that and before I take it out and ride it. I'd like to get it ready for the spring riding season, but realistically, it'll probably be summer before it's back on the road. Doug
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| Posted: Mon Feb 27th, 2012 03:46 pm | 89th Post |
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This is really amazing. Once this project is complete, I'd like to see you convert a GL to diesel. Seriously, modem diesel burns clean, more efficient, and I'll give up the jack-rabbit starts. GL1800-D
____________________ John IBA #7640 (18 certified rides) SCMA #25165 |
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| Posted: Mon Feb 27th, 2012 04:27 pm | 90th Post |
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These bikes are all about torque, and that's exactly what you get with a diesel. I bet you'd be surprised at the kind of "jackrabbit starts" you'd get with one. I'd also bet that if it were done properly (beyond my abilities/budget/desire) you'd get improved fuel economy. Think about it. If you can get 50mpg + out of a Volkswagen Rabbit, you ought to be able to at least match that with a Goldwing converted to diesel. I agree, it would be a cool project. Heck, why not take it one step further and convert to a turbo diesel! I can pretty much guarantee that you'd have the only one in existence.. Last edited on Mon Feb 27th, 2012 04:30 pm by Outlaw |
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12th, 2012 12:29 am | 91st Post |
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Ok, I did a little work on this project when I was home last week. Sorry I haven't had a chance to update until now, but I've been pretty busy. I was able to finish the manifold. Did a little last minute sanding on the flanges to get them to mate up as best I could. The right side mated up with no problem, and needed no sanding. The left side had two runners that required a bit of attention. I got the front two pretty much perfect as far as I could tell, and the back runner is pretty darned close, but not perfect. I am planning on using a gasket and some sealer with it to fill in any small gaps that may be left. The problem I ran into with the rear runner was apparently with the head, and not the manifold. I don't want to remove the heads if I can avoid it and I'm not going to try sanding that. So, I'll just have to make do. After I was finished with the manifold, I moved on to the exhaust system, starting with the headers. I needed to drill holes and weld in bungs for the o2 sensors. Here's how that went. First, I drilled:   Test fit of the o2 bung:  Then I test fitted on the bike to make sure I was going to have the necessary clearances. My first attempt was not very successful and the switch for the brake light on the rear brakes was in the way. So, I had to make some adjustments. Wallowed out the hole a little bit with a grinder, and I was in business....  Here's the other side: 
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12th, 2012 12:45 am | 92nd Post |
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After that it was just a matter of welding them in. Looking at the above post, I realize that one of the photos shows the bung tack welded in place. Guess I got the wrong photo, but you get the idea....   I then painted the headers to help prevent rust, and test fitted the o2 sensors. I also test fitted them to the bike with the o2 sensors in place to double check clearances and to see where I needed to drill/cut the heat shields. Here's a few shots of that.      Next, it's on to modifying and mounting the GL1800 mufflers. This looks like it's going to be a little tricky. I made a bracket to extend the mounting point further back because there is no way I can bend a pipe to fit using the stock collector box with the mufflers using the stock mounting points. Here's a few shots of that:     
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12th, 2012 12:53 am | 93rd Post |
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Here's a few shots of the brackets in place on the mufflers. The outer skin of the mufflers is not steel. I'm not exactly sure what it is (aluminum probably), but there are steel sub-frames inside that are used by the factory to weld things like shield mounting points onto the muffler. So, I had to pick my mounting locations carefully. I'm pretty sure what I've done will hold, but it's a little less than ideal in my opinion.   
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12th, 2012 01:03 am | 94th Post |
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Right now I've got both headers mounted to the bike with the collector box. The idea here is to be able to line up everything before I drill holes in the brackets. This is going to be a two person job, and I ran out of time before I could get it done. So that will be my starting point the next time I get a chance to work on it. I've got a couple of ideas floating around in my head at this point. 1 ) Find a good pair of GL1500 mufflers and just use them... The problem with this of course, is that they are hard to find in good condition. They're usually expensive, and they tend to rust out. But it sure would make things easier at this point. 2 ) Eliminate the collector box, and make my own crossover tube to fit the GL1800 mufflers. This is certainly do-able, and it might be a lot easier than trying to bend a short piece of pipe from the collector box to the muffler. Of course, if I'm going to do this, then I shouldn't have put the o2 bungs where I did. I guess hind sight is 20/20. So, that's pretty much it for now. As always, I'd love to hear any comments or suggestions. A collective mind is sometimes better for a project like this. Doug .
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12th, 2012 01:52 am | 95th Post |
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Something like this is what I had in mind for idea #2. This is made by a company in England I believe. It's for use with stock mufflers so it wouldn't do me any good. But I could make something like this to fit the GL1800 mufflers.  Doug .
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| Posted: Thu Mar 15th, 2012 11:32 pm | 96th Post |
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This looks like it for a 1500, if so where did you find the picture? Thanks for any help.. Steve Outlaw wrote:
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16th, 2012 02:53 am | 97th Post |
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Yes, it is for a GL1500. You can buy these on Ebay, but they don't come cheap. Doug
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| Posted: Sun Mar 18th, 2012 03:52 pm | 98th Post |
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WOW great read and a great job you are doin......JD
____________________ 2011 KLR650 1994 1500 Aspencade Yeah it's a work in progress..... |
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| Posted: Sun Apr 1st, 2012 03:23 am | 99th Post |
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my concern it that the bungs for the O2s are too tall keeping the sensor tips out of the exhaust stream for measurement. tips need to be in the flow. also can the throttle bodies be turned 180 to solve the IAC valve to frame issue? i know you've probably already gone past this point by now since posting issue
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| Posted: Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 11:40 pm | 100th Post |
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Those bungs are longer than they look. In fact, the one I had to angle in is probably a bit too far in... I was trying to be careful to not restrict exhaust flow.... ( I had this concern as well, but those are the bungs that came with the o2 sensors) Worst case scenario, if that turns out to be a problem, I have an angle grinder. I tried turning the throttle bodies 180 degrees, and it won't work. Two reasons really: #1 ) it puts the throttle cable connections on the wrong side #2) I had clearance issues the other direction as well. I will be getting another chance to work on this project this coming weekend. Jim will be helping me this time, so hopefully I'll make some good progress. I want to ride it this summer. Sooner than later, hopefully! Doug
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