RTz

You're not giving enough information on what part isn't working out for you. More than one person has done this swap... why not ask this question (with some detail) on the thread that's DEDICATED to this conversion?... http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=91250&highlight=z31+MAF+swap.

WOW!... I guess I'm going to have to fleabay my original BSR intake manifold (Holley 4-barrel).

Wolf3D V500

In the NARPS valves

Not at all... its job is to provide positional information to the ECU. Yes. It needs it for 'everything'... its the KEY component. You can't replace it with a categorically different sensor and expect the ecu to 'understand'. If I correctly understand which Crane system you have, it will not provide the information that the ECU needs to function correctly. A more direct approach would be to start with a 280zxt (late model) distributor, which has a CAS built in. This dizzy will 'bolt on'. Then, per this thread... http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=91250&highlight=z31+MAF+swap, adapt it for your intended use. HTH,

In addition to the item's mentioned by BRAAP, I would ask... ...a Z31 or Z32 ECU? ...One of the things the Z32 ECU is looking for (and likely the Z31) is a 5-volt square-wave from the CAS. Another thing its expecting is increasingly longer slots per cylinder, as well as a 360 tooth 'outer count'. I haven't personally scoped the Crane optical system... is it a square wave? What voltage? Are you getting this wave-form straight out of the pick-up?

'TPS only' is often referred to as Alpha-N (TPS + RPM). It works well with NA, hot cammed engines, as erratic idle can cause erratic manifold pressures. Sometimes a restrictor is enough to 'calm' the pulses. HOWEVER, in a turbo application, straight Alpha-N doesn't work. This is because a given amount of TPS doesn't correspond to a given load. In other words, A TPS, used as a load sensor, can't tell the difference between 1 psi and 20. This is where blended mode comes in... some systems allow Alpha-N to be used below a threshold, transitioning to MAP, above.

My MS experience is admittedly limited. I understand that MS will allow using Map-Dot for accel enrichment. I haven't personally tried this with MS, but I have with Wolf3D. It works fairly well. Albeit not perfect (and dependent on cam(s), filter rates, TB, plenum, etc) but certainly do-able. Other possible omissions are (as you mentioned) clear flood mode, data logging, fuel cut, and auxiliary functions (potentially significant).

Welcome to the dark side!... I'm there myself ('88 M3)

Jon, I had to re-read that a couple times, but I think I follow. It assumes that you're able to create a 'negative' under the hood though correct? Are we anywhere close to being able to accomplish that?

Sounds like that little rubber seal on the upper core support, thats gone from more S30's than not, needs to be re-installed (or maybe improved?). Did you have an opportunity to mess with, or look into its effectiveness? Thanks to all those that participated/contributed!!!

Where's my Redenbacher's?

This picture by Yasin spills the beens.... Notice the stretched wheelbase... knew there had to be some 'magic' in there somewhere

I would surely like to see that! With the close relationship between the seats and rear axle line, it would seem un-doable.

I'll second that... nice job Austin.

What a small world. Paul fly's out once a month to detail my ride, and he does as he say's... if I get bird droppings, he's on a jumbo straight away.

...and I've never heard of 'painting' pistons. Now I'm confused... are you talking about ceramics or paint?

Doesn't add up to me... painting something a color to gather heat or reject it implies that the heat is a light source. Paint two blocks of aluminum, one white and one black. Put them in a dark oven and they're temperatures will follow each other. Put the same two items with a 500 watt halogen bulb pointed at them and they will become two different temps. Obviously, under the hood, the heat generated from light is pretty well negligible.

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Couple of last minute pictures before coating. Runner area is approximately 42% greater than an N42 manifold (N42 above)...

No need to apologize! EMS's have evolved so much in the last few years that its virtually impossible to keep track of who's doing what. For what its worth, I can find something to like about nearly all of the available systems, irrespective of price. Personally, I think there are enough brands to go around for everyone Todays 'suggested retail price' for V500 is $1895 AUD (around $1600 US). Some dealers offer club discounts, group buy's, and so on.

Interesting post Pascal. Its good to see some diversity from the other side of the pond. However, I'm compelled to stand in defense of your miss-information regarding Wolf... I think it would be unreasonable to blanket all generations of Wolf systems (or any brand for that matter) into one lump. I make this assumption due in part to your seemingly inaccurate claim of a singular map. As of version 4, multi-mapping has been an option through an external plug-in. V500 has it built-in. This leads me to believe that you are making claims based on an older Wolf generation. Admittedly, the older versions had limited individual cylinder tuning and, if compared to a far more expensive system at the time, could easily explain the power discrepancy. However, If you were intimate with Wolf these day's, you'd know that this is no longer the case. You'd find that Wolf has addressed this deficiency head on. In this case, it seems that old data is worse than no data. There are a few more flaws in your portrayal of Wolf. Please allow me to clarify a few things. You mentioned that Wolf is "missing shitload of stuff" and implied that these features is what sets Motec apart... for a mere $2400 AUD. I spent a little time shopping for a Motec today. The LEAST expensive M600 I found was $3170 AUD. And, interesting enough, the majority of these cool features that Motec 'has' are not included. They are *EXTRA*. Things like Data Logging, Anti-Lag, Dual Wideband, Staged injection, Variable Cam timing, Drive-by-wire, etc. Opting for just 3 of these... Data logging ($350 AUD), Drive by wire ($700 AUD), and Anti-Lag ($350 AUD) added another $1400 AUD. I'm not gonna split hairs with you... I'll take your word for it that you can buy an M600 for less than I quoted, in the limited time I spent 'shopping'. Nonetheless, I'm not seeing this "WRC" or "Formula 3" level system coming anywhere NEAR the prices you quoted... the add-on's alone can cost more than an entire Wolf system. Further, Wolf will do nearly ALL of these things INCLUDED in the box for around $1900 AUD (approx. $1600 US). For example, Wolf has 13 auxiliary inputs and 22 auxiliary outputs (6 of which are PWM)... how many Wide-bands would you like? Data logging built-in. With multi-mapping, Anti-lag is implied. Continuously variable cam timing is built-in. Drive-by-wire could be arranged... if you're savvy. M600 has 6 ignition & 6 injector channels. Wolf V500 has 8 of each. Granted, this is a 6 cylinder thread. But, Wolf allows you to put those 4 unused channels to work as independent auxiliary outputs. A Motec M800 (with 8 of each) costs another $350 AUD. Motec's individual cylinder trim tables (fuel and spark) have 210 points. Wolf has 2048... nearly 10 times the resolution. Boost control is the same on both accounts... 210 vs. 2048. Forgive me for wondering about the "shitload of stuff" missing from Motec. They are BOTH formidable systems. Each with their own strengths. Don't get me wrong. I have plenty of respect for Motec. It truly is a nice system. I can appreciate your attraction to it. For a lot of us, its price is what holds it back. For me, its simple... in my opinion, its performance is not proportionate to its price.

First I'd say that Haltec may in fact be 'better' than MS. All EMS's have limitations. Do yourself a favor and take your time researching the pro's and con's of the systems that fall into your budget. This thread may or may not help... http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=119404

Several people offered advice for fixing the warped plenum (thanks!). A close friend of mine had an unusual solution... dry ice. The warp is caused primarily from the expansion of the material with no place to go. Dry ice contracts the metal considerably, and nearly instantly, I found. A video illustrating the rough idea... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rIKo6241vg To aid the process I capped and pressurized the manifold to 10 PSI to help the 'valleys' come up. This seemed to help a little but probably wasn't entirely necessary (air was off for the 'peaks') The larger 'dents' towards the center came out very readily. The wrinkles at or near the welds took substantially more effort and I wasn't able to get them out completely. I did find though, through a tip from Roostmonkey, that a large portion of the stress is in the weld itself and, oddly enough, using ice on the weld helped a surprising amount. Although not perfect, here are results... Before... After... Although I wouldn't do this on a painted surface, I would recommend giving it a try. Pretty slick. Some clean-up work and its off to be ceramic coated.

I hear ya. I own an '88 M3... It has been mostly trouble free. Some of my friends and family have various models and ages of BMW's with mixed levels of reliability... from impressive to disturbing. However, engine issues have been nearly nonexistent... I wouldn't hesitate to use a BMW powerplant.