Disclaimer; This is a repost of our
original Aquamist installation, Testing, and Dyno results.
The
original post was truncated and essentially useless.
Since the
original post, we have learned more about tuning the system to the
car. We have experienced significant performance gains over all with
water injection. I cannot recommend this type of modification
enough.
TwinTurbo.net Aquamist 2C Group Buy.
The group buy is open until December the 7th.
The cost of the
kit, custom assembled for the 300ZX TT, is $620 Shipped within the
United States.
Here's our technical document.
It's also in Technical
([ http://www.twinturbo.net/net/viewmsg.aspx?forum=main&msg_id=696410
]).
Or you can post any questions in the Technical Forum, and
I'll get to em as fast as possible.
Aquamist Installation and Performance Article.
What is Aquamist, and what will it do for me?
Aquamist
is an after market performance product that serves a multitude of
purposes, all enhancing the drivability, performance, and response
of our cars.
In essence;
1. You can run higher boost, higher
timing advance or a combination of both. (Performance)
2. You
clean the internals of your engine of all carbon deposits, filth,
and sludge. (Drivability/response/efficiency). This aspect works
exceptionally well.
3. Higher octane levels out of lower octane
fuels (i.e.: 92 octane becomes roughly 95 while spraying water).
You can do more of your own research on the very technically
informative Aquamist site; Aquamist
Disclaimer: The following pictures, text, and descriptions are
how WE used the product. It in no way is the absolute correct or
appropriate installation. We are aware that there are items we would
do different in the future. You are free to use this article as a
guide, but not as written law. [Grain_of_salt=ON].
Purchased:...
I started by purchasing the Aquamist 2C
kit. I chose the 2C kit due to the RPM based water delivery. The
Aquamist 2C kit uses an ECU fuel injector signal to control water
delivery. I felt this would give us the proper amount of water at a
specific RPM, which is considered a two-dimensional water mapping
system.
Above: This picture above is the basic 2C kit.
Above: This picture above is some of the additional
items that we purchased to install our kit. Some items shown are not
used. Some others, we had to order more than one of, or additional
length of. Remember, we just played it by ear as we went,
Learning what seems to work and what doesn't. I am 100% convinced
that no one has taken the Aquamist system as far, or to the extent
that we have (more “grain of salt”)
Plumbing:...
Now we can discuss the basic plumbing
schematic. This is essentially the same thing as on the Aquamist
website, however we did quite a few things additional.
Above: Nothing much to say here...
The big
difference is, we added some quick disconnects. This allows us to
"bleed" the system of air, and the ability to change water injectors
quickly. Any air in the system will cause the system to fail and not
be able to build water pressure correctly.
Install:...
The install of this kit is not easy, nor
extremely difficult. It takes time, basic planning and some
self-fabrication. Lets start with some pictures...
Above: This is the pump Install that I came up
with.
Pump location is fairly critical and should drive the
installation of the system. The pump needs to be below or even with
the water supply. If the pump is higher than the water supply, the
pump may not be able to overcome gravity and provide enough water.
We also need to put it in a location that allows cooling via
incoming air. This pump gets VERY VERY hot if it runs for more then
30 seconds or so. Maximum run time for the pump is one minute.
Beyond that, pump damage will occur. When finding a location for the
pump, you also need to consider that the pump is fairly loud when
active. I chose to mount the pump on the inside drivers frame rail
under the headlight bucket.
Above: This is a view looking from the front bumper
towards the back of the car.
There really isn't much to
discuss here. We plumbed the system more for function than for
stealth ness. It just turned out to be a rather clean install. There
is still room for improvement. *The twin intake shown is neither
included nor available through Aquamist or myself. This is one of
the 300Degree prototype kits (availability unknown).
Above: The Accumulator Installation
It is
important for us to show the how we installed the accumulator. The
accumulator is one of the largest physical parts of the install and
very important to the function of the Aquamist system. It is also
the most difficult to install due to it's shape. We chose the stock
intake tubes that run under the headlights. It will absorb shock,
yet provide plenty of support for its weight.
I meant to include pictures of where we installed our Aquamist
water injectors, after all, that is key to the system. I took a set
of custom-made intake hard pipes, and drilled and tapped them to
accept one injector in each intake pipe (2 pipes total). The proper
thread tap for the injectors is included with the kit. We installed
the injectors about 6 inches from the throttle body butterfly plate.
We plumbed it per the schematic diagram. I originally wanted to have
custom hard pipes made up for the pending group buy, but had many
problems sourcing the mandrel bent tubing. But, in hindsight, hard
pipes would not have been necessary.
Above: Damon built and installed some test
lights...
Damon and I both felt it necessary for us to know
what the system was doing at all times. There are two circuits that
we need to watch. The first circuit controls the charging of water,
which builds the necessary 55psi. The second circuit controls the
delivery of water into the air intake. We need to know when the pump
is on. We need to know when the injector/pressure switch is
activated and delivering water to our intake. We also want to be
able to control when it sprays water and when it does not...sort of
an override switch. That would allow us to A/B the system during
tuning.
As Damon would say; "So I've got some LEDs and some
resistors..."
Water Source:
For the water source, we chose to use the
stock windshield washer tank. We simply took some tubing and Tee’d
it into the washer nozzle feed lines. We found that one draw back of
95 and newer Z's is there is no "low tank level" light. This can
cause total Aquamist pump failure if left unattended.
One thing
that needs to be tested is how well the pump will work when pulling
water from the tank in the rear of some earlier model TTzs.
We
did successfully determine that water could be pulled through the
washer pumps with out problem. This would allow you to get a Tee
from an auto parts or hardware store to provide a water source for
the pump. This makes the install much cleaner.
System overview;
Before we move onto the preliminary
dyno results, we need to discuss how the system works...I'll try to
just list them in simple steps.
1. With the key in, and the car on. Pump activates until
the pressure manifold detects 55 psi has been reached. Pump
stops.
The pump circuit is very simple. Basically, its ground,
power, and a relay.
2. water injectors normally
off.
3. while driving, you boost to 14.5psi. You have set
the adjustable pressure switch to turn on at 12 psi. The adjustable
pressure switch came preadjusted per my requirements (12psi). You
really want to set the switch to turn on before detonation usually
occurs. Any earlier, and you spray water when it is not entirely
necessary. This will only use your water supply quicker.
The
system, detecting you have reached 12psi+, completes a circuit. The
circuit is inline with a fuel injector signal, which the Aquamist
kit gets from your ECU. The other item in the circuit is the
highspeed injector. The highspeed injector cycles WITH the engine.
As RPM rises, so does water flow.
4. As the water pressure
in the system drops below 55psi, the pump turns on.
5.
Boost drops to below 12psi, shutting off the highspeed injector and
water flow. The pump continues to charge the water system until it
reaches 55psi.
So that's basically how the system works.
Tuning:…
We need to choose the correct injectors to
meet the demand of our cars. We need to deliver as much water as
possible with out hindering any performance gains.
To tune the
injectors, we took several days to make heavy-footed runs on the
freeways and service roads in our area. In between, making injector
changes. We also utilized a thermocouple to measure air intake
temperature at the back of the plenum, by the balance tube.
Here
are some links for you to look at that show our temperature reading
results.
1. [ http://www.twinturbo.net/net/viewmsg.aspx?forum=general&msg_id=301699
]
2. [ http://www.twinturbo.net/net/viewmsg.aspx?forum=general&msg_id=304037
]
3. [ http://www.twinturbo.net/net/viewmsg.aspx?forum=general&msg_id=305201
]
4. [ http://www.twinturbo.net/net/viewmsg.aspx?forum=general&msg_id=306460
]
When tuning the car, we were told to continue increasing the
injector size until we felt a stumble. When we feel the car stumble
at full boost, we were to back the injector down one size. The
Injectors available are .4 to 1.0 mil. We maxed out at 1.0 mil (x2)
and never met any stumble. If we were to continue tuning, we would
remove the 2 1.0 mils, and replace it with 2 .5 mils, and 2 .6 mils.
This means, the pump would be driving 4 injectors (2 sets of 1.1 mil
total). We would continue increasing the size of the injectors until
we met stumble. However, we chose to stop at 1.0 mil for various
reasons (mainly time related).
This is all fine and well, but
what do I use in my Aquamist system for fluid? There are basically
two options. You can spray raw bottled water, or use common
windshield washer fluid. Windshield washer fluid gives you more
cooling efficiency, but be certain that it is an alcohol to water
mix of no more than 50/50. Using standard washer fluid has two
benefits. It prevents freezing in cold climates, which can destroy
the pump. And it is readily available at a cost comparable to a
standard gallon of water. You also want to be sure that the fluid
you chose have the least amount of additives. We chose one that
contains water, 7% alcohol, 1% glycol (for flavor), and coloring.
The Dyno Contest:…
Lets look at what mods have been
done prior to this Aquamist install.
- Sonic Motorsport twin
intake (aka “dual pop”)
- B&B 3" exhaust w/ dual 4.5" oval
tips
- Primespeed 3" test pipes
- Gutted pre-cats
- U-R
underdrive pulley
- JWT ECU
- Apexi AVC-R
- Apexi SAFC
controlling dual MAF sensors
Please take special notice to the
fact that we are running stock turbos, stock Intercoolers, and stock
Injectors. These three items are significantly important in not
reaching our desired or expected goals.
Above: Baseline… Dyno.
The above dyno is a
baseline run without water. The AVC-R is set for 1.05
bar, which is approximately 15.2 PSI. Timing is at 19degrees
BTDC.
You can see that Damon spent some time on the dyno before
our Aquamist installation, as he achieved a very nice fuel curve and
a relatively smooth torque power band. Some things to note on this
chart; Max Torque is achieved at roughly 4,500 rpm. RWHP begins to
level out at 5,200 rpm. 362 RWHP and 357 FtLbs is very admirable.
Above: We then turned on the water…
We didn’t
make a single change, all we did was turn on the water. We made this
pass about 2 minutes after the first baseline run. I think we need
to let the car sit for a little longer.
You’ll notice first and
foremost that the curves are MUCH smoother. You also need to take
notice that while max RWHP is 20HP less, we are achieving an almost
identical chart, except the area under the torque is larger. Max
Torque is being achieved at both 3,500 and 4,500 RPM now…take a good
comparison look between the above two dynos. Our max torque
increased 8 lbs…there will be more increases as we make runs on the
dyno.
Above: torque of the gods…
Hmm…that’s a bunch
of torque, wouldn’t you say?. This is a second pass at 1.25 bar.
(18.2) We were rather delighted by the torque number, as compared to
our baseline run. This represents a 50 ft/lb increase in torque.
Above: After 7 or so runs of tuning…
…we
discovered something extremely important. See…our Z’s are pretty
smart creatures. The ECU is self learning and requires a few
‘passes’ before it learns the optimal settings for the car. We would
change something minor, and for no apparent reason, our A/F ratio
would go through the roof. These abnormal A/F Ratios would lead to
very undesired HP and Torque results. What we know we need to do
now, is make a change…then make a pass or two to give the ECU a
chance to learn. After the ECU settles in, we can then make our
“money” run.
The above chart is at 1.25 bar (18.2 psi). We
didn’t let the car sit to cool very long on this run. We also
noticed that we would gain very little HP with more PSI. We
attribute this to the stock intercoolers being very restrictive, and
the turbos beginning to over spin. It very well could be associated
with heat soaking as well.
The most important aspect though, is
that we ran 1.25 bar and 18 degrees BTDC several times and never
experienced the slightest hesitation or detonation. It made very
strong, smooth pulls. The outside temperature was roughly 92
degrees.
What We’d do Differently…
I think we need to have an
aftermarket intercooler to help flow air.
I think we need to
relocate the water injectors further upstream of incoming air, as
close to the intercoolers as possible.
I think we need to take
the time to add more injectors, to flow more water, as directed by
our distributor.
Things you need to be aware of during your install.
-
Water tank location. It varies from model years. Some tanks are
located up front (Damon’s), some are located in the rear (Nixits).
We have not tested the system on tanks in the rear of the car. It
should not be a problem, but we cannot say for certain.
- Some
form of light indicator for low fluid level. We unfortunately found
out that Damon’s car does not have a low washer fluid indicator.
Mine (‘91) has a low fluid indicator. If you run out of fluid, there
is no safety switch to shut the system down. So the pump will
continue to run. This of course will over heat the pump and
potentially destroy it. Luckily, Damon installed the light indicator
/ warning lamp and noticed the adverse condition prior to damage
occurring.
The Group Buy…
The Group Buy kit is custom assembled
for the TwinTurbo.net group buy. Damon and I determined what should
be included in the kit, with the assistance of the Aquamist
Distributor. There is a minimum of 10 kits to get out Group Buy
price. There are no other price breaks above 10 kits.
Here’s the
contents;
- 1x 2c Kit
retail: $650.00 . . gb: $520.00
- 1x
Accumulator
retail: $40.00 . . gb: $32.00
- 3x 4mm quick
disconnet
retail: $26.75 . . gb: $21.00
- 1x "Y" connector
retail: $8.75 . . gb: $7.00
- 2x Check valve
retail:
$28.00 . . gb: $22.40
- 3meters x 4mm line black
retail:
$8.25 . . gb: $6.60
- 5meters x 6mm line black
retail: $16.25
. . gb: $13.00
- 3x extra jets
retail: $48.00 . . gb:
$38.40
Totals:
Retail: $826.00 . . gb: $660.40
An
additional discount of $40.00 brings the total group buy price to be
$620.oo. This is over a $200.00 discount.
Also, you need
to decide what Injectors to include in your kit. You are allowed 3
sizes. I recommend .5 mil, .7 mil, and 1.0 mil. We were able to run
1.0 mil with room for more. Other injectors are available at an
additional cost.
This document was composed by nixit(da][as) and edited by Dallas
DamonZ
"As the Z32 gets older and decreases in value it becomes
affordable by lower income and often less desirable people whose
tastes reflect their personality and social standing.- Marshall
17:37:05 10/10/03
Petz #3
|
Aquamist 2C Installation Guide, Testing, and Results -
ni[X]it 11:24:28 01/31/04
