My first ElanScan! How are things?

[ccb056]

elan data ecu.zip

Just received the optically isolated unit from Geoff today. Thank You!

Purchased the car over a month ago. Has about 40k miles on it. Fed car. No CEL lights.
Just wondering if everything is normal. Not all the fields were reading/collecting data (HP, boost, etc)
Started the car after letting it sit for about 2 hours. Drove for about an hour in the city and on highway. Was collecting data from a few seconds before start to shutdown.

[Pascal]

Hello,

i made my first recordings with ElanScan (optically isolated one), i still have a problem to solve with the error messages but it should be solved soon.

Now i try to understand the informations, some seem very surprising to me, beginning by the timing base. Any comment is welcome.

Have a good day, Pascal

[Fredjohn]

ccb056
I too would like to understand Elanscan data, as I have also just done my first readings. So I am not really sure if my reading of your results is correct!!

However looking at your results on the graphs, 3 things are apparent:

You have no faults
You do have boost and horsepower readings
Max boost achieved was about .58 bar: this makes sense with a standard ECU as the cut off is .65 (Mine was about .88 bar but I have an Everest chip)
Max hp was about 111: seems low but as I said I may not be reading it correctly

Hope this helps you in understanding your data. If I am totally wrong please please someone correct me

Fredjohn

[Pascal]

Good beginning ... how do you know that i have no fault ? This is something not clear to me and likely obvious for the community (and then frustrating ).

Pascal - France

[Fredjohn]

Good beginning ... how do you know that i have no fault ? This is something not clear to me and likely obvious for the community (and then frustrating )

Pascal: sorry for any misunderstanding: my comments were for ccb056 not you!!! Desole

But if you look at your own data in Elanscan and show the Fault Code graph (look at "Curve Parameters", second line "Faults": click on this): if you get a straight line on the graph at zero then I presume you have no faults.

I cannot tell from your Excel file as I do not have enough knowledge to interpret it.

J'espere que ca s'explique, si non il faut parler a quelqu'un qui comprend Elanscan

En plus, Elanscan does not read base timing, it only reads the actual timing, which is base timing +/- ECU adjustments for many things. See Base Timing thread viewtopic.php?f=38&t=11942&p=276536#p276536 and the comments by Brit-car-nut.

You can only read base timing by going into service mode and using a strobe light: Elanscan does not do it for you. See various posts on adjusting/reading Base Timing

Si tu ne comprends pas mon anglais, je pourrais le traduire mais malheureusement je ne connais pas tous les mots techniques.

Salut
John

[Pascal]

Hello John,

your comments are helpfull, and i have to learn how to read the ElanScan diagrams.
Herewith are a pair of pictures showing the rpm/spark advance and rpm/boost.
I don't think those results are good.

If you or someone can tell if this looks like others, or if this is alien, it will be a step for me.

No snow anymore, good days arriving, ' ElanDays ' ... Belgium Ieper day ...

Pascal

[ccb056]

Well it's been a year since this first Elanscan.
Since then we have installed new RC 320cc injectors, plugs, wires, and coils.
We also fitted a 2.5 Piper exhaust with PCE and 2nd silencer, and ported the wastegate to 21mm as can be seen here:
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=21952
A plugged PCV valve was also replaced.

Not quite sure if the ECU is stock or is one of ESM's Everest chips, even with the 21mm port we are boosting to 0.9 bar.

I have attached a collection of scans we performed today.
I have also attached an excel document and graph showing spark advance at idle (950 RPMs).

interstate run 0.png

It is interesting to note that my idle spark advance curve is very noisy (R-squared value of 0.0978), I would have expected better control, but I do not know what is normal with our Elans.
Also, it seems that average spark advance at idle is 17.8 deg, pretty close to the 16 deg that the service manual recommends.

What do you think on this variance for the Idle spark advance?

[Fredjohn]

average advance at idle is 17.8 deg, pretty close to the 16 deg that the service manual recommends.

What do you think on this variance for the Idle spark advance?

See post above:
Elanscan does not read base timing, it only reads the actual timing, which is base timing +/- ECU adjustments for many things. See Base Timing thread viewtopic.php?f=38&t=11942&p=276536#p276536 and the comments by Brit-car-nut.

You can only read base timing by going into service mode and using a strobe light: Elanscan does not do it for you. See various posts on adjusting/ reading Base Timing.

John

[Pascal]

Hello,

New elanscan logging done today ...

I have finally given my M100 to Lotus Service this week, but i see and feel no difference except the money gone.

the fault code seems to be there anymore (although map sensor changed ! ) , the timing seems erratic (and this stresses me), spark advance at 45, and she smells gasoline.
and now she ...(sorry) farts at 2000 rpm.
I don't know what to think about the curves. If someone has time to have a quick look at my scan files (ecu and xlsx) , i would be delighted as i have no idea what is normal and what is not.
I made this logging from 950 to 6375 rpm, engine hot, outside temperature was 20°C.

Have a great Elan Day,
Pascal - France - april

[ccb056]

Pascal, looking in the engine management manual I see:

systems_controlled.png

Your attached elanscan data shows you are experiencing a 'MAP low' alarm.

MAP (Manifold Pressure) on the figure above controls
1. Fuel delivery
2. Idle speed
3. Spark timing
4. EGR control
5. Secondary throttle
6. Wastegate control
7. Check engine light

I think the causes for this alarm can be
1. Faulty MAP sensor
2. Faulty connection between MAP sensor and ECU
3. Vacuum leak

I think causes 1 and 2 are unlikely because your elanscan data is showing a changing MAP reading, and you have recently replaced the MAP sensor.

I would investigate cause 3, 'Vacuum leak.'

The good news is, when this one problem is fixed, the Elan should be driving much better! Good luck!

MAP 01.png

MAP 02.png

MAP 03.png

[Pascal]

Hello,

is vacuum leak about rubber tubes, manifold and exhaust , or something else ? In other terms, where should i begin to look at ?

Many thanks,

Pascal - France

[ccb056]

Best place to start looking is at the rubber tubes.

[Pascal]

Hello,
i don't see anything obvious on the rubber tubes, the one going from the engine sensor to the MAP switch is in good condition and was moved and checked when changing the map switch..
Maybe it is the sensor itself ?
Pascal

[Pascal]

Hello again,

i still have trouble that someone may have experimented :

the engine seems to work very well and starts easily when cold.

When hot (just normally hot) , it works well as long as i do not stop at - for instance - a traffic light. then it seems to loose the timing. the result can be ( with car stopped, engine turning, gear neutral , temp gauge at first quarter or less) : 1200 rpm idle, or hesitating between 900 and 1200, or just simply engine stop.
more risky : it works well but engine stops when i go ( first gear, begin to press the accelerator and it stops when i am engaging a crossroad)

also i feel that sometimes my exhausts smells fresh gasoline.

also : if if drive long enough to have a hot engine ( not specially hot, just a very normal soft drive ), and i stop the car and engine during 15 to 30 minutes, so it begins to cool ... then the engine will be difficult to start, like turning on two cylinders, and i have a yellow light on.

the pity is that my car is just out of a Lotus service and they did not find anything wrong, including no hose leakage.
they told me i have to try RON98 instead of RON95 , and avoid E10.
i did so, but i see no improvement except a higher iddle rpm (950 with E10 , now 1100 with RON98).

could it be a spark plug problem ? ( not yet investigated).
could it be the Hall sensor ?

so,
any idea is welcome.
have a good day,

Pascal france april

[Brit-Car-Nut]

Could be a bad fuel pressure regulator. They have a rubber diaphram that doesn't like ethanol and they weren't expected to live 20 years..