Moto-P's AE86... Part 3
"The awakening"
by Moto-P
So 6AM...after all's been done and dealt... I crank the starter...
The 20V for all it's worth fires up with the note, the tone, the orchestra of
4 throttles. Just the way it should have in my mind... I swear, the
first crank!!!!
I stumble for a second so I give it gas... and the bugger just flashes
past 3000rpm with fast non-OEM eagerness. The idle stabilizes as soon as
the ECU starts to get feedback from the O2 sensor. The mapped parameter
hunts around on the graph on laptop monitor and the note gets better and
better. I couldn't believe it... Freedom was actually fine-tuning
the mixture on it's own.... I let it idle till it was factory
smooth...which took about 10 minutes all it's own. First five minutes was
to warm up enough for the Freedom ECU to throw it's thinking cap. Then
another five to figure out what every sensors and actuators are supposed to be
doing and performing the tuning.
Checked oil pressure and as usual on 20V, it needles past 60% on the AE86
scale at idle.
Stuff it in gear and gently roll off the driveway and into the
street... The ECU now does more thinking as I drove around the
neighborhood gently. The map for the rest of the parameter from idle to
80% throttle starts to take set. By 25 minutes, the car is driving around
as if it had an OEM ECU. The fuel map still fine-tunes as I give it more
and more gas.
My drives proceed to go out to a wider main street where I can open it up
more. The ECU again learns the inputs, and sets it's own brain... I
say to myself repeatedly..."this thing is BAD ass” I drive straight
to an alignment shop to get my suspension straightened out. And by this
time, I just forget about work for the day...and just skip the day. (I
must have lost my mind that day...)
After a 2-hour digital alignment, my drive takes me to Toysport...just to let
them comfort after all their worries. The whole staff drops tools, work,
and their jaws as they see my car drive in. Their first instinct was I was
going to step out and scream and complain as I had done for the last 8
months. Then they realize... the car is now running...and running
good. Some jump up and down.
My late afternoon and much of evening was spent getting to know my new best
friend, the Freedom Computer, as it continued to analyze my habits and fidgeted
with the mixture. Occasionally giving me a single ping as the ECU gets
bold, but backing off immediately. The thing was possessed and it wanted
to make the Atlantic qualifying. Of course, I'm kidding and it is only an
OEM based 20V, which can do only so much...but I'm not joking about its
intelligence.
7pm I finally come home with a perma-grin. That facial expression
others have only their imagination to fathom the joy in my small, puny brain....
including my lovely, and stressed wife. My engine now feels better than
the previous 20V of yesterday. She (wife) slowly begins to take comfort in
my jubilant mood and approves inside that her husband has a toy of his 9-month
dream. (I hoped anyway).
The general impression for that day was I that I never showed for work, was
late to pick up my guests at the airport, but could have cared
less... Evil! But my car worked... I slept in my dusty,
cold car seat that night...