Haltech E8 - Manual (Page 75)

Haltech E11/E8 Instruction Manual
Starting Your Engine
If your engine is a freshly built engine, make sure that you prime the engine oil system by cranking it with
no spark plugs and the injectors disconnected. Crank until the engine oil pressure turns off any warning
lights and oil pressure gauges (if fitted) read sufficient oil pressure.
Disable Injectors - To avoid accumulating unburnt fuel in your engine, make sure you disable your
injectors before you crank the engine when setting up.
Check for RPM - With your trigger set-up correctly, cranking the engine should produce and RPM figure
in the 80 – 300 RPM range depending on your engine. Make sure that the RPM reading is stable while
cranking. If the RPM signal shows “0” or the signal is erratic check the wiring for the trigger is correct.
Calibrating Ignition Timing - Now is the time to triple-check your ignition settings in the software. If the
settings are correct, turn off power to your ignition system and connect your ignition system to the ECU. It
is a good idea to check your ignition coil temperatures periodically on a newly wired system. If you find
that a coil is getting hot, then turn off the ignition power immediately and double check your wiring and
ignition settings.
Setup the ignition lock timing to a value that corresponds to an easy to read timing mark on your crank
pulley. Select a value that will allow you to easily start the engine too. Typically, engines will be clearly
marked at 10 degrees BTDC, which will also allow for easy starting.
Your injectors should still be disabled at this point.
Crank your engine while someone is watching the timing with a timing light. Check for consistent ignition
pulses while watching at what engine position the spark occurs. Adjust the Trigger Angle and/or Tooth
Offset to adjust the timing to correspond to the Lock Timing value that you have set. Typically you should
select a tooth offset that gives you a trigger angle between 50-100 degrees.
Once this is set, your ECU is now calibrated for ignition timing. Using the timing light, attach to each spark
lead and check that every spark plug is firing a spark.
Enabling Injectors - With the ignition system now calibrated and firing, enable the fuel injectors. If you
have purchased the optional trim module, now is a good time to setup the trim module to allow you to trim
± 50% fuel (See section for instructions on how to setup Trim Modules). With fuel enabled, crank your
engine and adjust fuel until the engine starts. Adjust your fuel trim and fuel maps at the idle range and
load until the engine idles smoothly. Typical engine idle RPM will be 1000 RPM at about –60 to –80 kPa of
vacuum. Check that your ignition timing is still accurate and firing at the angle that is set in the Lock
Timing parameter. For more detailed information on setting the base timing see Setup Guide section
'Setting the Base Timing'.
You are now ready to tune your engine. Proceed to the Tuning Guide.
If your engine fails to start, go to Appendix C for the faultfinding guide.
Copyright © Haltech 2008 Page: 75