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Fine tuning your monomotronic engine Page 1

Athens, March 2003.

About a year ago I confirmed two bad characteristics in the behavior of my car. First, performance increased until the motor was half-heated, and
then decreased until fully hot. Second, accelerator response was not nice; low and high angles were as expected, but mid angles could even cause
deceleration! That started my quest for ugly ghost hunting...

The real story involves many iterations to draw clear conclusions. A few times I had to remake my theory, in order to match phenomena. But
this is out of interest. What I will show here is the easy way to a costless modification and how to fine tune your engine without expensive
equipment, using your ears, eyes and a few hand tools.

My problems:

1. Power increases until motor is half heated, then decreases until fully heated. This implies that some part gets overheated and causes the
ECU (Engine Control Unit) to reduce power delivery.
2. Non-linear accelerator response. This implies that a few sensors and actuators have improper settings, so the ECU is thrown off.

Solutions:

1. By touching the air filter box and intake manifold (hardly bearable in the original setup) it is easy to notice excessive heat. There are 3-4
points where the system tries to make intake air and mixture hotter. Carefully setting to lower temperature helps a lot in performance. The
climate is already warm here, so heating is usually redundant.
2. Response is determined by many factors. Most important are valve settings, ignition timing and mixture ratio. Altering the mixture helps
to some extent, since fuel is inferior here (mixtures richer than factory marginal setting tend to be more stable). But too much tweaking
will increase emissions and decrease fuel efficiency. It is also meaningless to shift a SOHC (Single On Head Camshaft), because there is
no gain, even if shifting dynamically. Only DOHC (Dual On Head Camshaft) engines can benefit by such a mechanism, where phase of
intake cams is independent of that of exhaust cams. So the effort is focused on fine tuning the ignition timing. This alters the Torque -
Rotational Speed characteristic (and subsequently the Power - Rotational Speed characteristic) and creates some non-linear side effects.

Altering a setting in a sensor, affects overall behavior by one or more ways. So, the key is to see the engine as a whole. However, a block
approach helps simplifying the process.

I applied this theory to two VW vehicles with Mono-Motronic fuel injection, a Polo 1.0 (1995) and a Vento (same as Golf III) 1.4 (1992). Their
true schematic is slightly different from the one above, which is an extract from this file.

Intake air and mixture temperature


It is known that the colder the mixture, the denser it is, so more molecules can enter the cylinder and more power can be delivered. This is
correct. But there is a temperature below which the mixture is quite unlikely to catch fire in time. That's why car makers put preheating elements
through the air and mixture flow. Imagine an extreme external temperature of -40o C (impossible in my country), fuel injected to lower the
temperature another 10-15o C and no preheating. If I were mixture, I wouldn't catch fire :-)

A good mixture temperature is 10-20o C. In the summer, when temperatures are greater than 20o C there no choice. The tricky part is in the
winter, where mixture temperature must be stabilized to a value that sacrifices neither performance nor stability.

So...

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Fine tuning your monomotronic engine Page 2

Topology
There is a cold (atmospheric) and a hot (close to the exhaust manifold) air collector in both cars. Topology of air cleaners is different, but this is
not so important. In both cases there is a pressure actuated tap that selects cold, hot, or anything between these, air. Pressure in the actuator is
determined by a thermostat connected through a thin pipe with brown endings located 10 - 15 cm before the injector, following the air flow.
This subsystem is powered by a thin pipe with black endings connected to the thermostat and right below the throttle butterfly, on lower part of
injection, where there is usually a remarkable vacuum. When the air temperature measured by the thermostat is low and the engine rotates, the
tap will change position and hotter air will fill the intake pipes. Otherwise less pressure is applied to the tap and colder air is consumed.

This setup is sensitive to external temperature, it has, in other words, a big steady-state error. So, a safe setting should initially be applied,
considering the lowest possible ambient temperature, which would prevent cold mixtures at cold weather, but would result in overheating at
normal climate conditions. To eliminate this unwanted feature in the later Polo, VW engineers incorporated an additional (first following the air
flow) thermostat that adds an offset to tap movement, according to the external temperature. This way the original thermostat practically sees a
less variant ambient temperature.

The temperature - corrected (and cleaned) air passes around the injector, where fuel is injected. There temperature drops about 10-15o C, because
of vaporization. Mixture passes through the throttle valve (butterfly) and hits an obstacle like a cooler inside the intake manifold. It actually is a
cooler that emits heat from a resistor below, which is powered during startup. After some time, the ECU turns the resistor off. This is intended to
preheat the mixture until coolant fluid is hot enough. Two rubber pipes circulate hot coolant around the resistor, through the manifold body. So,
when resistor is off, the mixture is still heated. Coolant temperature is around 90o C, thus mixture becomes really hot before it enters the
cylinders. This may be necessary in extremely cold climates, but in warm countries it is redundant.

Da mod (The modification :-)


Well, it's not so much of a modification, it's quite a restoration and adjustment. First thing is that stuck thermostat. Yes, it's original adjustment
allows for rare opening, so dust and oil fumes build up a strong diaphragm. It's for sure that the thermostat gets stuck in every such car after a
few years of operation. The part must be removed using a thin flat screwdriver to loosen the holding metal part (please note brown and black
pipe position) and cleaned with gasoline or lubricant spray. Then, it is easy to "unlock" (remove the green gluey substance from) the adjustment
bronze screw to alter the factory temperature setting. A suitable pair of pliers is needed. Now the part may be placed back, still it is not the right
time for adjustment.

In the Polo there is also the additional (first in order of air flow) thermostat that needs some treatment. Using a cross-head screwdriver, remove
the part that contains the tap and gently blow some air with your mouth through the hot air inlet (beware, the thing may be dirty!). If you notice
leakage, the tap must be reinforced with extra rubber. I cut and sanded a ring from my old bike's damaged tube and placed it between the
original rubber and tap body. Then, you must make sure that it's operation suits your needs. You may alter the activation temperature by pushing
the thermostat by hand and inserting a soft (e.g. copper) metal ring to secure the new position. I adjusted it so that around 5o C the tap was half
way, and made sure that around 20o C the tap was completely closed. I used outdoors temperature and weather report by a nearby station, but a
refrigerator and a thermometer is a more reasonable setup.

Below injection
Our Vento had the infamous Powerteam kit that boosted power from 60PS to 85PS. This included destruction of injection's rubber-metal base (to
allow more mixture...), removal of the preheat resistor's heat sink (again to allow more mixture...), replacing the original camshaft with a
"deeper" and slightly re-phased ABT, and reprogramming the ECU. They also disconnected the resistor and let the car start helpless.

They had taken absolutely no care of exotic mixture temperatures. I think this is wrong. What I did was to bypass the hot coolant from the intake
manifold and keep it colder. I did not remove the heat sink from Polo, as this would result in reduced turbulence and subsequent firing - response
problems. I also reconnected the resistor in Vento (although without heat sink) to help cold start.

To bypass the coolant circuit you must use a proper pipe wrench or suitable pliers to release the clamps, and probably some funnel and pot to
collect the (bit expensive and hard to find) G11 solution. If you do the latter remember to filter the solution before reinserting it to the coolant
circuit. Also, in any case, avoid skin contact and improper disposal of the solution; as far as I know it is poisonous.

Open the circuit tap to release excessive pressure and close it again (coolant must be cold). Remove the two rubber pipes that connect the intake
manifold to the "plastic heart" part, the coolant circuit headquarters, and use one of them to "short circuit" the two plastic endings on the
"heart". Remember to re-engage the clamps.

Once you 're done, you may fill the circuit up with G11, fresh or used if collected before. Secure the coolant circuit tap, turn the engine on and
heat up properly to make sure there is no coolant leakage at all. If you notice leakage, you may need to replace the pipe, the "heart" or the
clamps. Don't give up too quickly, anyway, take a closer look, you might find a solution.

If everything seems ok, it is time to adjust the air intake thermostat. I used trial and error to do this. It was summer when I started, so I applied
too cool a setting. Later I slightly increased temperature to solve firing problems. I made out that intake manifold is well at 20o C, while lower
part of injection is at around 10o C. Your hand will tell you that the former is cool in a relaxing way, while the latter (right above the former) is
chilly! At first I used half turns, then quarter and eighth turns on the bronze screw, to approximate the correct thermostat position. This was easy
in Polo, I just had to remove the air cleaner box cap, but it was more difficult in Vento, where I had to remove the three screws that hold the air
intake elbow in place, right on top of the injection.

Result
Well, that's it! If you are successful so far, you have eliminated the first problem, mixture overheating and everything this implies. Practically, I

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Fine tuning your monomotronic engine Page 3

see no performance decrease, even after hours of driving, in the winter of course. In the summer things are not that good, still they are better
than before.

The rest
Following the above process, many thoughts come to mind. Once we make sure we have a cooler mixture, how can we achieve all the
performance it can give? How can we make our car's engine less civilized, yet equally controllable? Things like that are discussed below.

Ignition timing
I 'm not an expert on this, but I happen to know a few things. First is, spark comes out from the spark plug at a moment before the piston reaches
its top point. This moment varies according to rotational speed and load conditions (both steady - state and transient). As it is the case in most
cars, the setting is close to a point past which mixture catches fire on it's own, which causes the so called "detonation". Detonation is bad, both
because it forces the piston back, thus reduces output torque, and because it excessively wears off piston rings and cylinder head, because of
instant pulses and overheating.

Overheating
When the mixture is hot, it ignites more easily thus develops higher temperatures by the time the piston reaches it's zenith. This is dealt with
either by delaying firing angle or by lowering mixture temperature. The latter can be done either by enriching mixture or by less preheating it.

Detonation
When mixture is ignited inside the cylinder, it starts expanding. The expanded fume pushes the remaining mixture to further compress. As the
latter compresses it heats up and may reach a point where it suddenly fires up. This instantly alters the PV=nRT equilibrium and converts the
mixture to a tiny bomb. Overheating and detonation are tightly connected to each other, so a measure for one acts as a measure for the other as
well.

High-level
If we want a high-level approach of the effects of ignition timing alteration, it would be suitable to describe them as an increase of output torque
as firing angle precedence increases to a point, and a decrease past that point. The decrease is also accompanied by the audible effect of
detonation, that annoying metallic sound.

The factory setting is a very conservative one. It is probably suitable for better fuel than the one available here. The result is a steep torque -
speed characteristic, which is unsuitable for both comfort and speedy driving (softened response will result in better grip when driving fast).
Why not alter the setting to a "riskier" one? There seem to be no drawbacks, this looks wanted instead.

How much? When I set the precedence to full ahead, I got a "camshaft position error", which I noticed later, when I connected the VAG-COM
tool of a friend. You don't need to experiment too much. Just scratch a line connecting the two aluminum base parts of the distributor. Then set
loose the two Allen (hexagonal head) screws and turn the distributor cap, together with the loosen part of the base, clockwise, only 1~2mm
(that's 3~4o out of 360o , which is double in terms of crankshaft rotation). Gently tighten back the screws, turn the engine on and go for a small
ride around a few blocks. The possible problem will be noticeable when the engine is hot. If you hear no detonation, not even a subtle metallic
noise, this means you can readjust to an even more exotic setting. If you hear a metallic noise at some loads, you can't go further, that's all. If
you hear maracas, you must go back :-(

ECU
The above process will improve performance and soften response. You will have a slightly higher end, and more points till you reach it.
However, we did not mention how the ECU perceives those changes, and what it does.

The ECU sees two changes. First, the air temperature is lower. That is measured by the "intake air temperature sender - G42", that is located on
side of the injector and shares the same plug. Then, external load is perceived as less, since more RPM are achieved for the same throttle
position. Fitting the latter to your needs is a tricky part. You must readjust the throttle valve positioner (actually its stop screw) and the throttle
valve potentiometer - G69 (although it "must not be adjusted") in order to get a smooth and reliable operation.

When we set the ignition timing to earlier firing, we get sufficient torque at high end, but starting torque decreases. Why? The ECU sees more
RPM at idling speed and tries to close the throttle valve. This makes the engine more sensitive to load changes, i.e. greater possibility to turn off
when clutch is improperly released.

To resolve the problem, we must instruct the ECU to open the throttle valve more easily when RPM drops.

Throttle valve positioning system


When the driver releases the throttle pedal, throttle valve acts as a servomechanism. The throttle valve potentiometer on one side tells the ECU
the exact position. An electrical motor on the other side pushes a small piston (throttle valve positioner - V60) which repositions the throttle
valve (butterfly). According to the position perceived by the ECU, more or less pressure will be applied to the throttle valve, until a certain point
has been reached. The point varies according to engine temperature and RPM. When ignition is on but engine is not yet started, only temperature
makes difference.

When the driver pushes the pedal, the idling switch - F60, which is placed inside the throttle valve positioner, opens and positioning system is
turned off. It is turned back on as the pedal is again released.

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Fine tuning your monomotronic engine Page 4

Injection unit lower part: 1 - Throttle valve positioner (V60), 3 - Idling


Injection unit upper part: 3 - Retainer for injector with intake air
switch (F60), 7 - Limiting screw (do not adjust!), 12 - Vacuum
temperature sender (G42), 5 - Injector (N30), 7 - Injection unit upper
connection (for intake air preheating, 14 - Throttle valve potentiometer
part, 11 - Fuel pressure regulator.
(G69).

What to adjust
There are two things we will discuss about. First, we adjust the stop screw that activates the idling switch. For that, either a hexagon Allen key
(Vento) or thin pliers (Polo) is needed. Then we adjust the potentiometer, which does the job. For both adjustments we will need a big flat head
screwdriver (Vento only) or torx (asteroid) keys (Polo and Vento).

The idling switch stop screw


We must make sure that the ECU isn't thrown off at any conditions. In other words, the throttle valve positioner must not get to a position past
which a fully released accelerator cannot activate the idling switch. To do this, the potentiometer must rotate freely within its adjustment range.
So loosen the four screws on the right side. Although the VW manuals say "do not adjust the potentiometer" I suggest you do, unless you feel
too scared. There is no way you can harm the potentiometer, unless you dismantle it and scratch its surface or destroy the contacts. In case you
open it just out of curiosity, you will notice that no maintenance is necessary. So avoid cleaning, lubricants and altering the pressure of the
contacts. Put it back and turn the ignition on, but do not start the engine.

Now rotate the potentiometer clockwise slowly, until the throttle valve positioner is fully retracted or the throttle valve is stopped by the limiting
screw on the throttle body (injection lower part). DO NOT ALTER THE SETTING OF THAT SCREW. It is set by factory to a position where
no throttle butterfly wear occurs while it may be quite firmly closed. The stop screw you need to touch is on the throttle lever.

If the throttle valve positioner is fully retracted while the throttle lever is not stopped by the aforementioned screw, you need to release the idling
switch stop screw. As you do this, the throttle valve positioner will compensate for your move, so you need to reposition the potentiometer.
When you are done, the two stopping points must coincide.

If the throttle lever is stopped as you turn the potentiometer clockwise and the throttle valve positioner is slightly pulled away, press the switch
with your finger or a screwdriver to make the positioner fully retract, and start tightening the idling switch stop lever screw until it presses the
switch. Again, the objective is to have the two stoppers act simultaneously.

This way we allow the ECU to adjust idling speed under all reasonable conditions, and keep operation as continuous as possible.

The potentiometer
Now that you are done adjusting the idling switch stop screw, let's do the potentiometer stuff. As I mentioned, we need to instruct the ECU to
activate more the throttle valve. This is done if the former senses that the latter has not been as activated as before. That is, if the potentiometer
reports a «less pressed» position, the throttle valve positioner will be activated to compensate.

To find the margin of this setting turn the potentiometer counterclockwise a few degrees. Now I want you to do the juggler! With your thumb
and index finger rotate the throttle lever (clockwise, since on the opposite side of the potentiometer) and with your middle finger push the idling
switch to make it fully retract. Now release the throttle lever. If the mechanism responds immediately, you may turn again the potentiometer
counterclockwise a few degrees. If it responds after about a second, you need to turn the potentiometer clockwise a bit. By repetition you find
the critical position.

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Fine tuning your monomotronic engine Page 5

I usually adjust the potentiometer right before that position, where the throttle valve responds immediately. The only side effect you may
encounter is that RPM is kept too high at gear shifts. If so, use a more conservative setting.

Congratulations!
The effects may not show up right away, a few kilometers may be needed for the various parts to adapt, or better, to get cleaned. Needless to
say, not only had I no problem with exhaust emissions in both cars, but also it was the first time after the notorious Powerteam kit that our Vento
passed the yearly test without trouble.

Our engines now are fun to drive! So beware! These old cars may not be ready for extra power, even if not much. Both suspensions and brakes
are obsolete. I prefer driving safely (not slowly ;-D ). Keep your eyes open, sufficient distance, and go slowly on small roads. Keep full throttle
for the highways.

And don't melt your tires ;-)

Back

http://www.cc.ece.ntua.gr/~achan/Cars/Car_Modifications.htm 24.10.2008 02:23:42

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