How - To: Adjusting your ECV rod thing

[Marky]

Hi

In this weeks episode of Mark writing things for the internet, we have how to adjust the ECV valve. Which is like AMI insurance / TSB Bank... Exhaust Control Valve

Anyway

What this thing does: It\'s the valve which controls exhaust flow to the secondary turbo

Why you fiddle with it: Because you can and *sometimes* you can make an improvement. Mostly because you can

The results: Well, see below

Tools needed: 10mm open ended spanner, cold engine, child-like hands

I would like to thank todays model, nickmcgills RSK-B4. It was a bastard of a model and I couldn\'t actually do anything on the spot as the nut at the bottom was super tight.

Step one: Loosen this shield with the two bolts on the top of it. Then you can push it back over the exhaust housing, so you have access to the ECV rod.

Step two: if you crane your head over, you will see this point of view. What you are wanting to do is get the locking nuts on top and bottom loosened off. They are absolute little %#$%@$\'s of nuts as they are half heat siezed after 10 years so be careful not to round them off. WARNING the rod in the centre is on a reverse thread, wind it and you will jam the nuts harder onto the shaft (hurr hurr hurr nuts... shaft.. oh man)

Step three: Get them loose, wind the hexagonal rod right out, REVERSE THREAD, it will eventually come right off. Put it on again so both ends are just caught on and moving freely.

Step four: You need to be speedy here. Start the motor, it will sound like rubbish as it\'s in parallel at the moment. Now what you do is wind it in... and more... and more... ooh the car is starting to go wubwubwub again - then you\'ll hear the valve start to chatter at you. This is it *just* getting seated inside the up-pipe - go all of one more turn on the hex rod then lock it in place.

Oh god what have I done now? Well I\'m glad you asked. This has put the valve so it is as easy as possible for the ECU to start getting it\'s pre-spool going on the secondary. I have found a few cars where this has been wound quite far in - result being the VOD is a bit worse than it needs to be.

Downside to this is that if you drive with a leadfoot you may find it getting into VOD range sooner than before - the offset to this all is that once it\'s on secondary, the valve is open as much as it can be without physically getting in there and porting it out. More flow to 2ndary = more powaaa. You\'ll hear the difference as well - when set very short, mine will make a an audible buurrrr-click-wubwubwub changing from twin to single, with the rod wound out you can hear it sort of go uh, burrrrrrrrrrrurbubububwubwubwub. Shows one way is slamming it shut, the other is kinda just easing closed.

It\'s a bit of a trial-and-error thing - you can also wind it right the way in and have wicked response on primary at the expense of VOD transition. See what works for you I guess, it\'s one of those things where you might find it was as good as it can be before you started - but it\'s free and simple.

[shadoxity]

Thats interesting. I shall have to have a play with this, could work to my advantage.

I have retuned mine so that the secondary stays closed in the lower revs which give a huge amount more response during low revs (2000-3300rpm) and then starts spooling the secondary using this valve after a certain rpm and load limit

Which makes the car 100x better to drive than the factory tune...

But this could allow me to get some more flow before i grind out the up pipe!

[Marky]

That\'s how it is from factory? Least I\'ve never seen one move before switchover time

maybe the rev d does things differently to earlier ones? i couldnt say. i know boost control on all of mine has been 100% wastegate controlled and the ecv doesnt move till 4k ish

[nickmcgill]

In my defense the numbers were applied 4 years ago when I go the car and forgot which side was primary and which was secondary

[shadoxity]

 Marky said:

That\'s how it is from factory? Least I\'ve never seen one move before switchover time

maybe the rev d does things differently to earlier ones? i couldnt say. i know boost control on all of mine has been 100% wastegate controlled and the ecv doesnt move till 4k ish

Std map in the B4 uses the EGCSV to control primary boost after 1800rpm and over 1 load or something around that (off memory without opening the map up).

Modifying the map so it keeps it closed till 3200rpm, you get much better response from the primary! MUCH better and transition is pretty smooth.

[Divine]

 shadoxity']

[quote name='Marky said:

That\'s how it is from factory? Least I\'ve never seen one move before switchover time

maybe the rev d does things differently to earlier ones? i couldnt say. i know boost control on all of mine has been 100% wastegate controlled and the ecv doesnt move till 4k ish

/quote]

Std map in the B4 uses the EGCSV to control primary boost after 1800rpm and over 1 load or something around that (off memory without opening the map up).

Modifying the map so it keeps it closed till 3200rpm, you get much better response from the primary! MUCH better and transition is pretty smooth.

Rev D map is different to Rev a,b,c?

[shadoxity]

 Divine']

[quote name='Marky said:

That\'s how it is from factory? Least I\'ve never seen one move before switchover time

maybe the rev d does things differently to earlier ones? i couldnt say. i know boost control on all of mine has been 100% wastegate controlled and the ecv doesnt move till 4k ish

/quote]

Std map in the B4 uses the EGCSV to control primary boost after 1800rpm and over 1 load or something around that (off memory without opening the map up).

Modifying the map so it keeps it closed till 3200rpm, you get much better response from the primary! MUCH better and transition is pretty smooth.

Rev D map is different to Rev a,b,c?

all the B4 models have the same map, with some slightly different timing and boost values and a couple other differences.

[lachlan]

http://www.veloce.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/TT%20PDFs/B4Technical%20Description.pdf

if you read page 6 of this it seems they have sacraficed some boost off the primary turbo to aid vod . / make the torque curve flatter over all .

the dyno graph on that page looks rather optimistic .... it shows no transition . but makes mention of "may feel slightly reduced acceleration between 4-4500 rpm

[Marky]

Yeah I\'ll eat my hat on that one

With the factory ecu in mine the boost curve is rock steady until 4k then does the whole switchover thing, but with the syms one in it starts to pre spool the secondary from around 3 grand - can hear the exhaust note change and see boost start to fluctuate (it varies) but absolutely has a marked difference in power loss / change, the factory one you feel a solid dip but the other one just has more of a perk up I guess, its like vtak bro

Never noticed it before on any of mine till this ecu though - it\'s the reason I thought my boost control was borked, was all wtf why is boost falling away - yeeeeah about that

Have heard the zerosports controllers do exactly the same thing too - can override it by removing / blocking the top hose to the ecv so it only operates "all or nothing" (I\'ve tried it, didn\'t like it - but it works)

[lachlan]

yeah wasnt arguing , just sharing something i read recently that was interesting .

i think subaru could have done a lot better than the plastic bov for the secondary spool up venting .

its intesting looking at your dyno graah that it drops as low as 5 psi and it takes near on 15oo rpm to recover to the boost it had . i would have thought it could do better . change over takes a set amount of time and it would have plenty of time at a realistic ramp rate on a dyno .

i think the primary turbo shouldnt have a waste gate . any excess exhaust the primary doesnt need shoulf be going through the secondary .

[Divine]

 shadoxity']

[quote name='Marky said:

That\'s how it is from factory? Least I\'ve never seen one move before switchover time

maybe the rev d does things differently to earlier ones? i couldnt say. i know boost control on all of mine has been 100% wastegate controlled and the ecv doesnt move till 4k ish

/quote]

Std map in the B4 uses the EGCSV to control primary boost after 1800rpm and over 1 load or something around that (off memory without opening the map up).

Modifying the map so it keeps it closed till 3200rpm, you get much better response from the primary! MUCH better and transition is pretty smooth.

Rev D map is different to Rev a,b,c?

all the B4 models have the same map, with some slightly different timing and boost values and a couple other differences.

No they don\'t. I would doubt a car with 550cc injectors would have the same map as one with 440cc.

[Marky]

Yeah it\'s weird - my one that is. On the road the gauge just dips for an instant and it perks up instantly - buuut I\'ve got a feeling I had a couple hoses round the wrong way even that long ago. It had no pre-spool to ecv at the time so would explain the super slow spool up

And agreed - the better fix would be "why did they bother at all" - 2l is too small to try this sequential bollox. On a batmo or supra you don\'t feel any dip, it just goes better, and the system is much simpler as well - but they have the capacity to do it. Option b would have been two properly sized twins if they wanted to have twins for the sake of it - twin td03s like a legnum in parallel would probably be mint

Not like it has any benefit over single t at all - its not like they are lightning fast to spool up on primary in the first place. I think they\'re a bit stuffed with an ej20 in general though - if it could spool up a turbo like an I4 can (like an evo spooling a td05 for example - like full noise under 3k) it\'d be a much happier err, thing

[xeroed]

Another thing to try with the whole TT setup to allow parrallel 2 things are needed,

One Way valve and a length of Vacuum Hose,

Take the Vacuum hose off the semi butterfly dashpot under the intercooler, (this keeps Secondry boost unrestricted )

add the one way valve so it only has vacuum , connect that hose and valve to the top of the changeover dashpot,

This should Pull the Rod to open(sometimes a minor rattle occurs due to the internal exhaust shutoff valve)

can blank off the hose you remove if wanted, Test it out ,

works wonders to maintain turbo temps, and semi bypasses the cat on the primary turbo

PRimary Boost is set at 10Psi Factory and when secondry turbo kicks in it it is about 13-14psi ,@3500RPM +

[Marky]

 xeroed said:

Another thing to try with the whole TT setup to allow parrallel 2 things are needed,

One Way valve and a length of Vacuum Hose,

Take the Vacuum hose off the semi butterfly dashpot under the intercooler, (this keeps Secondry boost unrestricted )

add the one way valve so it only has vacuum , connect that hose and valve to the top of the changeover dashpot,

This should Pull the Rod to open(sometimes a minor rattle occurs due to the internal exhaust shutoff valve)

can blank off the hose you remove if wanted, Test it out ,

works wonders to maintain turbo temps, and semi bypasses the cat on the primary turbo

PRimary Boost is set at 10Psi Factory and when secondry turbo kicks in it it is about 13-14psi ,@3500RPM +

Took me a bit to get that haha

Do you mean tee the intercooler valve into the same vacuum hose at the top port of the exhaust valve - so it all opens up in one hit instead of being pre-spooled?

Or do you mean hooking the hose which was going to intercooler valve to the top port - so it has constant vacuum / valve is kept constantly partially open?

[lachlan]

yeah i struggled to grasp the intention of that post too .

[Rosssub]

 Marky']

[quote name='xeroed said:

Another thing to try with the whole TT setup to allow parrallel 2 things are needed,

One Way valve and a length of Vacuum Hose,

Take the Vacuum hose off the semi butterfly dashpot under the intercooler, (this keeps Secondry boost unrestricted )

add the one way valve so it only has vacuum , connect that hose and valve to the top of the changeover dashpot,

This should Pull the Rod to open(sometimes a minor rattle occurs due to the internal exhaust shutoff valve)

can blank off the hose you remove if wanted, Test it out ,

works wonders to maintain turbo temps, and semi bypasses the cat on the primary turbo

PRimary Boost is set at 10Psi Factory and when secondry turbo kicks in it it is about 13-14psi ,@3500RPM +

/quote]

Took me a bit to get that haha

Do you mean tee the intercooler valve into the same vacuum hose at the top port of the exhaust valve - so it all opens up in one hit instead of being pre-spooled?

Or do you mean hooking the hose which was going to intercooler valve to the top port - so it has constant vacuum / valve is kept constantly partially open?

Hose 1 to IACV (intercooler dashpot) only ever gets vacuum so a one way valve would not be needed.

The top port (hose 5) of ECV actuator (changeover dashpot) is the positive pressure hose that opens the ECV fully after prespool.

The bottom port (hose 6) of ECV actuator (changeover dashpot) is the negative pressure/vacuum port for prespool.

You could connect hose 1 (to IACV) to the base of the ECV actuator, plug hose 6 and then hose 1\'s vacuum would partially open the ECV. But hose 1 (to IACV) only gets vacuum prior to TT mode, so the IACV would constantly be wide open and the ECV would be in prespool position (partially open) until hose 5 (ECV positive pressure) opened the ECV completely after prespool.

[Marky]

Yeah... Not sure what the idea is - its like it\'d be locked in sort of half changed over all the time?

Same could be achieved by just having the rod wound too far out I guess

[xeroed]

NOTE : was intended for Bottom HOSE #6 on Main Dashpot , NOT the top hose

 

Hose 1 to IACV (intercooler dashpot) only ever gets vacuum so a one way valve would not be needed.

The top port (hose 5) of ECV actuator (changeover dashpot) is the positive pressure hose that opens the ECV fully after prespool.

The bottom port (hose 6) of ECV actuator (changeover dashpot) is the negative pressure/vacuum port for prespool.

You could connect hose 1 (to IACV) to the base of the ECV actuator, plug hose 6 and then hose 1\'s vacuum would partially open the ECV. But hose 1 (to IACV) only gets vacuum prior to TT mode, so the IACV would constantly be wide open and the ECV would be in prespool position (partially open) until hose 5 (ECV positive pressure) opened the ECV completely after prespool.

that dashpot under the intercooler is a normally open butterfly , that vacuum #6 line gets boost pressure once the secondry turbo starts to come online during the VOD / secondry turbo spool up >

now the reason for the one way valve is to stop this line seeing boost hence keeping that secondry turbo flowing freely,

if this one way valve was not there , that exhaust flapper inside, will slam it shut causing a huge loss of power,@ say 4800 rpm if incorrectly hooked up

its the easiest and the most efficient way to keep them running parallel

[xeroed]

What i tried to explain takes about a minute to install,

**disconnect intercooler dashpot hose

**disconnect bottom Hose off main Dashpot and blank off

**Fit one way valve to intercooler Dashpot Hose and add extra hose length on the end (vacuum only)

**Connect same hose with one way valve to Bottom of main dashPot

DONE But can be undone just as easy ,

*******What this does ******

**Pulls the Rod Up , which opens the Exhaust valve

**Keeps the Intercooler Valve Open at all times

*************Changes you may notice*************

** Power band is altered

** NO VOD

** slightly more lagg when at Low RPM

**Slight rattle at idle (due to the exhaust flapper being open)

**turbo temps are more consistent

**SEMI Bypass the CAT on the primary side

**Alters driving experience (Could feel like a different car)

**Better Fuel Economy around town

**Allows secondary turbo to continually run Like the primary

[Marky]

Oh right, its just running in parallel more or less. Got ya

[Rosssub]

 xeroed said:

NOTE : was intended for Bottom HOSE #6 on Main Dashpot , NOT the top hose

 

Hose 1 to IACV (intercooler dashpot) only ever gets vacuum so a one way valve would not be needed.

The top port (hose 5) of ECV actuator (changeover dashpot) is the positive pressure hose that opens the ECV fully after prespool.

The bottom port (hose 6) of ECV actuator (changeover dashpot) is the negative pressure/vacuum port for prespool.

You could connect hose 1 (to IACV) to the base of the ECV actuator, plug hose 6 and then hose 1\'s vacuum would partially open the ECV. But hose 1 (to IACV) only gets vacuum prior to TT mode, so the IACV would constantly be wide open and the ECV would be in prespool position (partially open) until hose 5 (ECV positive pressure) opened the ECV completely after prespool.

that dashpot under the intercooler is a normally open butterfly , that vacuum #6 line gets boost pressure once the secondry turbo starts to come online during the VOD / secondry turbo spool up >

now the reason for the one way valve is to stop this line seeing boost hence keeping that secondry turbo flowing freely,

if this one way valve was not there , that exhaust flapper inside, will slam it shut causing a huge loss of power,@ say 4800 rpm if incorrectly hooked up

its the easiest and the most efficient way to keep them running parallel

Hose 6 never gets positive pressure, only ever vacuum.

Also pulling the rod up closes the ECV, pushing the rod down opens it.

[xeroed]

its the easiest and the most efficient way to keep them running parallel

 

Hose 6 never gets positive pressure, only ever vacuum.

Also pulling the rod up closes the ECV, pushing the rod down opens it.

Yeah your right #6 is always seeing vacuum once it reaches certain Rpm ect ,

#1 hose (intercooler dashpot) that sees vacuum at low rpm (closed) and boost/ atmospheric pressure at higher rpm(open) works in semi Sync with

the #6 vacuum , could be a fraction before though .

[Rosssub]

 xeroed said:

its the easiest and the most efficient way to keep them running parallel

 

Hose 6 never gets positive pressure, only ever vacuum.

Also pulling the rod up closes the ECV, pushing the rod down opens it.

Yeah your right #6 is always seeing vacuum once it reaches certain Rpm ect ,

#1 hose (intercooler dashpot) that sees vacuum at low rpm (closed) and boost/ atmospheric pressure at higher rpm(open) works in semi Sync with

the #6 vacuum , could be a fraction before though .

Hose 6 gets vacuum for prespool.

Hose 1 only ever gets vacuum, never boost pressure. The IACV is spring loaded to open.