Idle up?

[StevenS]

EUREKA!

I have got my high idle working - further more it's even adjustable !!!

I used 2 pots, one 50k and the other 10k to wire things up, the 10k to step the voltage from the 50k pot down the 0.8v on the reference line.
Testing indicates my 50k and 10k are FAR too big but as I only plan on using them to set the idle speed to what I want and then to measure their resistance to replace them with static resistors it's not a big issue.
Further I can use any switch I want as the idea is to have the resistors on a line that's connected through a relay.

I'm uploading my test video now to youtube to update later. I'll also post a schematic of my circuit including all details should anyone else want to copy, however I'll stress right now this is something I developed for myself and I can't promise it will work on a universal level as I know the ECU's are different from mid 06 onwards (mines an 05, a pretty simply ECU in comparison)
However should anyone wish to copy mine (as I'll be making mine non-adjustable) I'll try and work out resistor values through testing so people can customise their own versions to suit whatever idle speed they want. I'll also try some 1k POTs to see if I can make it adjustable but be aware that if one POT is set too low you will possibly get it running full throttle hence my preference to have it set at a certain level instead of adjustable.

The other good news is that the components (not including the switch, as that varies depending which one you go for) can probably be had for less than $10 or so.

Video should be up shortly

[06lux]

nice work man. good to see 2 people with 2 totaly different designs come up with the same end product. this coupled with the 2wd 2L mod would be awesome

[Steve9R]

Good on ya Steve..

this is how it should be done.. looking forward to seeing your solution..

Steve

[StevenS]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU_80UDu ... e=youtu.be

I've been thinking some more and I think how I'll design it is so that the maximum idle is set by static resistors to around 1600rpm, and then have a small POT that can be used to drop the RPM from anywhere from stock to 1600rpm. I'll be running mine through a switch/relay so that I can set the RPM when I'm stationary whenever I want via the POT but then just flip the switch when on the go to have it instantly set where I want.

I'll probably provide 2 or 3 different circuit diagrams so people can decide which one they want to go with.

Although I will provide the circuit diagrams this weekend (if all goes well) I would prefer if people could give me a week or so of on road testing before going out and making their own just so I confirm there aren't any hiccups.

Further good news is that (at least on an 05 model) the ECU isn't so picky about the 0.8v difference between the 2 signals - I didn't get an error code once through slight adjustments so I would guess as long as they're not too close or too far apart from each other it will work.

[andy666]

.

[StevenS]

No the signal wires stayed separate - I used a dual gang potentiometer.

If anything it's gone from 2 separate circuits to 4 - and if any of them exceed the other 3 by any significant margin (as say during a short) it will go straight into limp mode to protect itself and the driver.

Either way I'm building this circuit for myself and I'm sharing it with others here to copy if they feel they wish to. I'm not guaranteeing my way is the best or the safest, I'll just post my circuit and others can disagree or put it down as much as they like.

[StevenS]

A quick idea of how my circuit will probably work. I'll provide a few different values for R1 and R2 that will give different RPMs without the 1k Potentiometer in there as I couldn't find them from Jaycar and just ordered a few from overseas - dirt cheap though
The idea of the 1k Potentiometer will be to turn the RPMs DOWN from where the resistors will set them. 1K might still be too big of a POT but it's the smallest I could find so time will tell there.

I'll also show which wires I connected to on the factory harness and try to make this as simple as I can to follow.

[andy666]

That will work.
However that's a very overly complicated circuit with a lot of components that can fail. Also where are you getting the 12v power that is going to control these relays?

[StevenS]

That will work.
However that's a very overly complicated circuit with a lot of components that can fail. Also where are you getting the 12v power that is going to control these relays?

I have a 12v bus bar behind the dash for such things, but I'm only putting the relays is as my switches from Custom Rockers need a 12v switching circuit for their illumination to work.
If this isn't a concern for others then the relays can just be replaced with a single DPDT rocker switch.

The optional potentiometer is only there if you want adjustable idle speed.

In its simplest form, with a set idle speed, it's got 2 resistors and a switch.

Andy - Everyone here contributed to this and if I come up with my own solution I am free to share it however I wish. Making accusations and trying to put others down via public forums or PM is inappropriate at best. If anyone here feels my circuit is too hard, too unsafe, too expensive or anything they don't have to use it - if another solution pops up that's even easier again then I reckon that's fantastic!

[amitch888]

Good work mate

[noodle]

Nice work mate, will be interested to see how you go after a period of live testing.
Thanks very much for sharing ALL the info you have gathered, that's what makes this forum such a great success.

[StevenS]

Okay I have bought a bugger load of resistors of different values this morning so I can provide resistor values that are actually off the shelf. Unfortunately the required resistance is extremely sensitive so I could only find 2 sets of values that fit with something readily available.

Note - RPM does differ slightly depending on engine temp and load, so I will provide the "range" of idle rpm each values give.
R1 - 470ohm, R2 - 870ohm. RPM range about 1050rpm to 1300rpm. For me it sat closer to 1300rpm. Lines showed a 0.8v difference with these resistors so it's ideal

other

R1 - 510ohm, R2 - 780ohm (using 2x 390ohm resistors in series). RPM range higher at about 1300 to 1550rpm, normally around 1500rpm. 0.690v difference here so not as ideal however no error codes popped up even when revving it a few times. If I were to use a 1k dual gang potentiometer this would be the R values I would be using as it gives a fairly high rpm should I dial it to that.

As I won't be getting my potentiometers in the mail for a week or so I'm going to use the first set of values this weekend and properly wire it up. I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures

[StevenS]

Circuit using the 470/870 combo in the car for onroad testing, working off my "custom rockers" idle up switch.

Impressions are that despite only being a small increase in idle speed, it feels right. Going higher with the idle made changing into first gear from neutral a bit jammy, but at around 1000rpm it works well.
On the road you can definitely feel a bit of extra shove when cruising at speed, and just lifting your foot off the clutch when stopped seems to get you started without any drama.
Sitting in first gear just letting the idle up move me forward showed a very comfortable pace if I was off-roading, just dropped a fair bit once I switched it off.

Video gives a bit of an idea of the controller in action. I'm going to put it through its paces over the next few days and see how things go.

Although this should work exactly the same on any of the petrol engines, I can't guarantee how it would go with something like the Sprint Booster. As this circuit has an affect AFTER where a sprint booster would be installed though I can't see it being affected much.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuBgkx0x ... e=youtu.be

[srluxy]

top work

[Jengel]

StevenS - great work. The system is not as complicated as some would make it and it serves the purpose we intend it to do. It's simply to get above engine idle to be able to do tricky off road crawling especially when it's a bumpy terrain.
And, rightly as you mentioned it was some good ideas thrown around that brought this solution and you did the hard work. We talk here about $ 20 components including wiring. Love it!

[Qwerty]

Mines not for rock crawling. It's for getting the alternator off it's lazy arse at idle and maintaining a decent output for my load !

[StevenS]

Thanks for the kudos - true the components might be cheap and if you're handy with a soldering iron it wouldn't take long to make.
However for only $85 Andy's kit offers a cheap solution and also sounds fairly capable. Although the group buy is now closed given how quickly it filled up there might be a chance of another one going ahead in future.
I was going to alter mine a bit further so that I could have adjustable idle "on the go" with a knob on the dash to say a maximum of 2200rpm (for those just chasing higher alternator output) but I've been roped into working this weekend so it might be another 2 weeks before I get the chance.
The design won't be too different, I'll just be using lower resistor values to get the idle up to 2200rpm and then using a 1k dual gang potentiometer to adjust the idle down from there.
Unfortunately I couldn't find a local source for these pots so had to order 10 from overseas via ebay

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/310408461739 ... 1497.l2649

If someone else wants to copy my final circuit and use one of these pots (and you're in Brisbane) then you're welcome to pick one up from me at no charge - I have far more than I need after all.

I've been a bit slack in getting a specific wiring diagram up as I haven't settled on my final design but that one I posted previously should be enough to get most people started. I'll try to get a more specific one up soon.

[Jengel]

Mines not for rock crawling. It's for getting the alternator off it's lazy arse at idle and maintaining a decent output for my load !

True . . . and if you use the winch as well!

[Jengel]

Qwerty . . . by the way, I found an interesting thing. I used to do video and photo editing at night times during a trip. Used the 220V inverter to power the PC and charge batteries for the cameras etc. If you leave the engine idling along for extended periods, your oil consumption climb. I could not understand why my ute was burning oil. I did a manual rev up to 1200rpm and no more oil consumption. Seems like if the compression is too low, the piston compression rings let through more oil and hence the oil loss. Makes this 'Idle Mod' so much more important.

[Qwerty]

Interesting mate. Tho I'm a v6 and don't notice any oil usage ever but interesting

On the v6 they have weak alternator that under 900rpm basically has about 1/3rd output.

With spotties , dc charging etc etc it doesn't keep up. Also when airing up and so forth.