Wolf V500 EMS Installation Guide

[ktm]

As stated, following is my installation guide for the Wolf V500 system. First off, I need to thank Ron Tyler for his outstanding support and understanding. He was always available to answer all of my questions, even those not pertaining to the Wolf V500. With that out of the way, onto the installation guide.

 

The Wolf V500 system is an outstanding engine management system. Ron is a much better source of information, but I will endeavor to provide a summary of the highlights. The Wolf V500 system is capable of handling sequential injection and ignition for up to 8 cylinders, or batch injection and ignition for up to 16 cylinders. It has boost control, fuel pump control, fan control, internal 3 bar MAP sensor (30 psi), external MAP sensor inputs, etc. More information is available at www.wolfems.com. At the bottom of this post is the specification sheet available from the website.

 

 

 

Fuel injection control is achieved by setting and adjusting the fuel injector opening times for a given load and RPM. No more VE and AFR tables. Ignition control is similar. Both injection and ignition control have numerous modifiers (trims) that can be used to adjust each based on intake air temperature, manifold pressure, throttle position, engine temperature, battery voltage, acceleration, deceleration, etc.

 

My installation write-up is geared for my specific build. However, the wiring diagram and Wolf inputs are the same regardless of the build. It is up to you to determine the correct inputs.

 

DISCLAIMER (borrowed from Afshin): First, electrical shorts can burn out your EFI and/or cause a car fire. I have no interest in anyone doing this and don’t know if it will work for you or not. I have no formal training and am only sharing what I did for myself. There is no guarantee nor should any inference whatsoever be made that anything posted below is correct or safe.

 

Cliff Notes: If you done blown up yourself, look in the mirror for liability.

Now, onto the meaty part.

 

The main components of my build consist of the following:

 

1983 280zxt engine

Six (6) LS-1 Coil-on-plugs

Supra 7MGTE 440cc injectors (low impedence)

Garrett T03/04E 0.63 A/R 50 trim turbo

Walbro GSL 392 fuel pump

Flex-a-lite 210 fan

240sx TPS (potentiometer style)

1983 280zxt distributor

Wolf V500 EMS

 

I am utilizing the internal 3 bar MAP sensor in the Wolf ECU to measure my intake manifold pressure. Wolf also utilizes an engine temperature sensor (not cylinder head temperature sender, though I am going to do some testing) and intake air temperature sensor. I installed the engine temperature sensor is located in the lower thermostat housing where the thermotime switch is normally located. I installed intake air temperature in the pipe running from the intercooler to the throttle body, as close to the throttle body as possible.

 

When you open the box, you are faced with a rats nest of wires that are connected to two large plugs. Rest assured, if I can do this, so can you. While it may look daunting, it is not that bad. Many of the wires are used for auxiliary inputs/outputs and are not used.

 

 

For you Texans, that is a bottle of Shiner Bock in the picture below.

 

 

 

Here is the wiring diagram for the Wolf V500

 

 

Power Distribution

 

First thing is first. Our cars are over 30 years old and much of the wiring, while still in decent shape, is not up to the task of handling high current loads. All of your systems should be run off of new wires connected that draw their power from relays. Furthermore, you need to think about how are you going to distribute the power from a source to the relays, and then from the relays to the various components.

 

You do not want to burn your car down, nor do you want to fry anything after you spend your time and money wiring everything up. Therefore, think through the entire build first, plan it out, and then execute.

 

I setup my power distribution system as follows. I ran a 10 gage wire from the positive terminal of the battery to a 50 amp manually resetting circuit breaker. From the circuit breaker I ran a 10 gage wire to a new fuse block. From the fuse block I ran a power wire to the various relays controlling my components.

 

The Wolf ECU is on its own circuit, relay and fuse. That way, if the car stops running for whatever reason, you can quickly eliminate a potential source of the problem.

 

The electric fan is on its own circuit, relay and fuse as well, since it is a high draw (30 amp) component.

 

The fuel pump shares a circuit with the distributor.

 

The ignition coils and injectors also share a circuit.

 

I tapped into the ignition wire (black/white) right after the ignition switch. I ran a new wire to a power distribution block, where four (4) wires then run to each relay.

 

For those of you with a 240z, Ron Tyler informed me there is no single wire that is both hot in 'start' and hot in 'run'. You will need to replace the switch with a 280z switch that has a single wire that is hot in both 'start' and 'run'.

 

Below is a good shot of my system. You can see the four relays above the fuse block, the circuit breaker to the right of the fuse block, and the ignition hot power distribution block below the fuse block. Yes, it's messy. I have not made an attempt to clean it up yet incase I need to trace down gremlins. The bundle of white wires with the connector at the lower left of the picture is my injector subharness connecting to the Wolf system.

 

 

I am getting my vacuum reference from the intake manifold as shown below. It is the silver 90 degree fitting coming from the manifold.

 

 

Fuel Injection

 

Wolf controls the fuel injectors via six (6) inputs. Wolf switches ground for each injector depending on the injector sequence you set. The Supra 7MGTE injectors are rated at 440 cc/min and are not polarized. Wiring the injectors is straight-forward. Simply wire each input to the corresponding injector, and wire a common positive 12 volt supply to all of the injectors (the injectors are connected in series for the 12 volt supply).

 

You can use either high impedence or low impedence injectors with Wolf. The system automatically compensates for either type.

 

I made a separate harness for my injectors so that they are stand alone. I utilized a single 6 input connector for the Wolf inputs and a single insulated spade connector for the common power. This way, I can pull the fuel injector harness independently of the other systems.

 

The following picture shows my fuel injector subharness. The bundle of white wires to the far right were part of the Wolf harness and correspond to the injector inputs. I installed the connector on the end of the white wires. This is where my injector subharness connects to the injector inputs coming from Wolf. The single red wire is my +12 volt power to the injectors.

 

 

In this picture, you can see that the power wire for the injectors is shared between injectors.

 

Ignition

 

Like the fuel injectors, Wolf controls the ignition coils via six (6) inputs. Wolf sends a control signal for each coil depending on the firing sequence you set. The LS-1 coil-on-plugs have four (4) outputs as shown below.

 

Wiring the coils is straight-forward as well. Simply wire each input to the corresponding coil, wire a common positive 12 volt supply to all of the coils (the injectors are connected in series for the 12 volt supply), and wire each ground as a ommon system as well. You have a decision at this point prior to wiring.

 

You can wire up the coils in any order you chose. You can wire up the coils in the same order as the cylinders (1,2,3,4,5,6), in the firing order (1,5,3,6,2,4 for an L-series), etc. For simplicity and to keep things straight in my mind, I wired them up in the same order as the cylinders.

 

Just as with the fuel injectors, I made a separate harness for my coils so that they are stand alone. I utilized a single 6 input connector for the Wolf inputs and a single insulated spade connector for the common power and the two common grounds (for a total of 4 connectors – 1 6 input connector and 3 insulated spade connectors). This way, I can pull the fuel injector harness independently of the other systems.

 

The +12 volts comes from a dedicated relay that controls the injectors and coils. One of the grounds connects directly to the battery and the other ground connects to the same ground as the Wolf system.

 

Here you can see my ignition coil subharness.

 

 

A shot of the LS1 coil-on-plug plug. Pink is power, the two on the left are grounds, and the light blue is the signal. All of the plugs have the same color for 3 of the 4 wires. Only the signal wire changes color.

 

 

Here is the pinout for the LS1 coil-on-plug.

 

 

Here is a picture of the an LS1 coil as mounted on my car.

 

 

Intake Air Temperature Sensor

 

The IAT sensor connects to the Wolf system via two (2) wires. The sensor is not polarized. Simply wire the sensor to the Wolf ecu as indicated in the wiring diagram.

 

You will need to input the calibration curve for your specific IAT sensor into Wolf.

 

 

 

Engine Temperature Sensor

 

The ET sensor connects to the Wolf system via two (2) wires. The sensor is not polarized. Simply wire the sensor to the Wolf system as indicated in the wiring diagram.

 

You will need to input the calibration curve for your specific ET sensor into Wolf.

 

You can see the sensor plug immediately below the upper radiator hose.

 

 

Throttle Position Sensor

 

The TPS connectors to Wolf via three (3) wires. Wolf requires a potentiometer style TPS such as that from a 240sx automatic. The TPS has three wires: a ground (black), power (red) and signal (white). Wolf has three inputs for the TPS as well (ground, power and signal). Thus, wiring up the TPS is rather simple.

 

The picture below shows the TPS plug I wired.

 

 

Once the engine is running, you will need to calibrate the TPS and Wolf. This is very easy to do. Simply measure the signal voltage (white wire) of the TPS in the idle position and write it down; measure the signal voltage at WOT and write it down. Input these two values in the TPS calibration drop box in Wolf. Viola’, you are now calibrated.

 

Trigger Signal

 

This is the single most input step in the entire process.

 

The wiring diagram shows the Wolf input in a shielded cable. Wolf provides a small length of shielded cable, but chances are you will have to run additional length. THIS IS IMPORTANT. Do not skimp on the shielded cable. Noise in the line will cause numerous problems such bad timing, etc.

 

I made my own shielded cable as the electronics store I frequent did not have a shielded cable with just three (3) 16 or 18 gage wires. I bought a sheathed 3 wire cable and some very nice steel braiding. I slipped the steel braiding over the cable and used heat shrink. Presto, a shielded cable.

 

As indicated above, I am using the 280zxt distributor to provide my trigger reference. Ron Tyler drilled a small hole next to the slot that is for cylinder #1 on the optical disk. That is the reference for cylinder #1. The 280zxt has four (4) wires: black, white, red and green. Wolf only requires three (3) inputs: black, white and red. The green wire from the distributor is not used. The black wire is ground, the white is the trigger reference signal, and the red wire is for a +5 volt source that Wolf normally supplies. However, Ron Tyler recommended that the power source should be +12 volt. This does not damage the distributor and it provides an added level of insurance against noise in the line.

 

I wired a three connector shielded plug to the stock sheathed cable on the distributor. The other end of the plug was wired to the shielded cable I made. This way I can disconnect the distributor from the shielded cable and pull it separately. The black and white wire connect to the Wolf supplied shielded cable; the red (power) wire is connected to a relay that it shares with the Wolf system.

 

IMPORTANT. Pin A30 as shown in the wiring diagram is incorrect. The trigger reference signal should connect to Pin A28.

 

Below is a picture of the shielded trigger reference plug.

 

 

If you opt for the same trigger reference as I, then you'll probably want to modify your distributor cap. I simply cut the top off and superglued a piece of 26 gauge steel to the top. Paint with Kyrlon fusion semi-gloss black and you have one slick distributor cover.

 

 

Fuel Pump

 

Wiring the fuel pump to Wolf is rather simple. I used a relay to provide power to the pump. Wolf controls the fuel pump via the relay ground.

 

Electric Fan

 

As with the fuel pump, wiring up the electric fan to Wolf is simple. Again, I used a dedicated relay to provide power to the fan as it is a high draw device. Wolf controls the electric fan via the relay ground.

 

I hope that you have found this to be useful. I will be adding to this write-up over the coming week, but I believe this to be a good foundation.

[ktm]

I will also provide a discussion about setting up the Wolf system and my base start up map soon.

[olie05]

So what does the optical wheel look like on the distributor, 6 slits and a HOLE?

[RTz]

So what does the optical wheel look like on the distributor, 6 slits and a HOLE?

 

Correct...

 

 

 

The hole has no timing influence and its position is non-critical. It simply needs to fall within a 'window'. When Wolf sees the 'dual-pulse', it knows that slit is cyl. one. Engine position is calculated from the leading edges of the slits.

[Careless]

Someone forgot to mention how similar to the Wolf V500 Ron Tyler's new logo looks.

 

[RTz]

Someone forgot to mention how similar to the Wolf V500 Ron Tyler's new logo looks.

 

[Careless]

FIERCE!

 

*ahem* back to the thread topic

 

would it make sense to just remake an entire harness rather than use the plugin that Wolf has for the RB26? I mean using their standard plug in harness and rewiring most of the connectors and whatnot?

 

That would sure as hell make it easier to route wires too, no? And I'd learn where every single wire is too =/

 

I'm not sure what I should do. Test the motor with the harness and then tear it down, or what.

[RTz]

Bo,

 

Do you want this stay on topic, or let it roam? Your call.

[ktm]

I would rather this thread stay on topic. I am hoping that they may sticky it. Saying that, Careless' question is valid and would be part of the installation.

[RTz]

[/i]would it make sense to just remake an entire harness rather than use the plugin that Wolf has for the RB26? I mean using their standard plug in harness and rewiring most of the connectors and whatnot?

 

There are pro's and con's to both choices.

 

Briefly...

 

I'm sure Bo will concur, a custom harness (universal-fit) is time consuming. If you want a tidy, reliable system, for years to come, be prepared... it takes time. I've never spent less than 100 hours installing any EMS. However, as you mentioned, your understanding of the system will be be incomparable... I assure you.

 

A 'direct-fit', has the potential to have your car running well in a handful of hours. Outside the lack of personal accomplishment (ask Bo about this ) and system understanding, the biggest drawback I see is age. That is to say, the under hood temps of a Nisssan DET(T) are typically high and this takes a toll on the OE harness. They are getting old enough now that it needs to be considered.

 

There are innumerable small items as well, such as a small monetary hit with a direct-fit (around $100), along with a potentially better fit to your Z with a universal-fit, etc, etc.

[Careless]

OK, I just read through this, and it's pretty informative.

 

Question, I may have time on Sunday to put together an instruction PDF with steps and images. Do you want to take some high quality shots and send them to my Email?

 

PM me if you do.

 

It's something we should start doing for all of our Tech Guides, so that they are on file, should the database crash one day. (believe me, it does happen!)

[ktm]

I am going to make this into a Word document myself, including photos, and then have it converted to a PDF at the office. Thank you for the offer though.

[Careless]

No prob!

 

So is there the option of running AFR and VE, or is it just injector time.

[ktm]

It's just injector pulse width. This gives you the most control over your fueling as that is what the VE and AFR tables are used for anyway by other systems.

 

I developed a robust spreadsheet that calculates injector opening times versus load and RPM as well as injector duty cycle based on a user developed AFR map. Ron indicated that while it was a great exercise in understanding EFI, the pulse widths that were calculated were 'guesstimates' at best. Still, it does give you an idea about injector opening times and duty cycle.

 

I am going to revise the spreadsheet once I start tuning and develop an empirical relationship between injector pulse width and AFR. The spreadsheet I mentioned above uses thereotical/factory/rule of thumb values.

[hughdogz]

ktm,

 

Thanks for getting this phenomenal write-up going. I agree Ron is the MAN!

 

Now if I can just figure out how to get the Wolf3D out of the cardboard box it came in, I'll be on my way...(j/k)

[RTz]

So is there the option of running AFR and VE, or is it just injector time.

 

'Pulse width tuning' sounds a little complicated initially, but I have yet to find someone whom has tried that style of tuning and not appreciate it. Its easier than it sounds, makes complete logical sense, and you know where you stand, at all times, without question. Its the only way I'm interested in tuning these day's

 

'AFR tuning' is pure marketing, in my opinion. With currently technology, its not capable of working sufficiently for anything other than a course tune. Root causes are the response rate of the O2, the distance from the O2 from the chamber, and the processor's ability to sample/adjust/sample/adjust. By the time its calculated and applied the correction, you're no longer where you were.

 

 

Now if I can just figure out how to get the Wolf3D out of the cardboard box it came in, I'll be on my way...(j/k)

 

I'll loan you a sawzall?

[Racinjitter]

Great write up KTM! Couple Q's though, doesnt the wolf have a 2 bar internal map sensor? Where did you get your base map? I have been looking for a wolf tuning forum to no avail.

[ktm]

Updated with additional pictures and information about IAT, ETS, TPS, trigger ref.

 

Correction about the MAP sensor. It is a 3 bar sensor (30 psi).

[ktm]

Racinjitter, Ron Tyler helped me with the base map. As I mentioned above, I have a spreadsheet that allows me to calculate injector pulse widths. This gave me an idea of the range I should be considering. Ron was the one who put together my startup fuel map.

 

You can reference the MS forum for your timing map, as timing is timing with our engines.

 

I will be more than happy to share my map. I was in the same position as you 3 weeks ago.

[RTz]

doesn't the wolf have a 2 bar internal map sensor?

 

 

3 Bar... one bar below atmospheric and two above. For a maximum of 30 psi. Note: You may use any available external MAP sensor.

 

 

Where did you get your base map?

 

I'll provide you with one.

 

 

I have been looking for a wolf tuning forum to no avail.

 

I approached Wolf on this topic several weeks ago. It may happen, but it wont be tomorrow. I'm expecting Superdan to create a Wolf specific forum on HZ, which will be a start. Meantime, its you and me, Baby