My Very Own Premier 118NE: Modifications & Upgrades


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Friends,
It all started in mid 2011 when started exporing the working of HHO converter, and people discussing the sequential CNG injection kits. My quest for a better fuel economy and a flexible control over the engine calibration started. Inbetween, a bug called CDI conversion kit creeped into my mind. But the fact that it did not have an ignition advance feature programmed into it did not impress me much. Hence the hunt still continued. Checked the websites of Landi-Renzo and similar CNG kit manufacturers. Their ECUs did need the OE ECU for logic and this CNG ECU was a slave who only governed the fuel injection & spark. Again continued with the search. Also had a discussion with Bangalore based tuners. But they wanted me to bring the car to them after equipping the engine with all the essential sensors. I had to drop down this option as it was practically not feasible for me to drive that far, and also I would lost the flexibility in having a control on my car.

After going through many success (and failure stories as well) took a daring step and procured the Megasquirt II DIY ECU kit about 3 months ago. To keep cost under control, and since this is the first time I am building an ECU from components I had purchased the Unassembled ECU kit (a CKD kind of stuff), a stimulator (also unassembled) and a relay board (after seeing this I thought I could have managed one from auto spare part shops locally). A still cheaper option is to buy the ECU mother board alone and procure the components locally, if you have plenty of electronics shops near your locality.

Resources you need:
1. This is the most important of all. Lots of patience, basic understanding of electronic components and their functions.
2. A thin pointed soldering, and lead
3. A small study lamp to illuminate your work bench while you sodler the stuff
4. De-soldering pump, in case if the component has to be removed.
5 A printed version of the assembly guide. MegaSquirt - Electronic Fuel Injection Computer by Bowling and Grippo ©2010

I pruchased this. MegaSquirt-II Programmable EFI System PCB3.0 - Kit w/ BLACK CASE DIYAutoTune.com

All components were neatly labelled and packed in individual covers.
So far I have only spent a lot of time reading the assembly instruction and soldering of electronic components. Power supply regulation, Serial communication and flashing of program have been accomplished. Yet to solder the components for driving the sensors, injectors & Ign coil.
Attached are the pictures of Relay board & the partially soldered ECU board, and the stimulator.

I have 2 choices:
1) I can use the existing points & condensor to ignite and use the ECU for fuel control. The -ve wire of the ign coil will be used to signal the ECU to understand the RPM of the engine.
2) I can use a crank / cam position sensor to input the position / speed of crank / cam shaft.
There are jumpers available on the board, with which we can swap the choices.
 

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Re: Megasquirting the 118NE

Where is this amazing event Happening? Cant believe it is in India.
Mind hiring an assistant , I can do some soldering and learn a bit or two.

Glued to this thread.
Cheers.
 
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Re: Megasquirting the 118NE

Wow, this is the toughest of all DIY's.
All the best, BTW where are you going to manage the sensors ?

How do you fix them.
 
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Re: Megasquirting the 118NE

I am not a techie! So, can't understand what exactly have you done and for which car and why? Please care to clear my query.
 
Thread Starter #5
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Re: Megasquirting the 118NE

Mind hiring an assistant , I can do some soldering and learn a bit or two.
Bro, I am myself not an expert with embedded systems & programs. Help of any sort is always welcome.

Wow, this is the toughest of all DIY's.
All the best, BTW where are you going to manage the sensors ?
How do you fix them.
Yes it is Varun. But got motivated by seeing plenty of success stories. To my knowledge the tuners in India have also learnt the trade in this same manner, but they dont want to disclose it as they call it the trade secret. Right now I have to go through Australian / American / South African automotive forums for grabbing information when I am stuck. Google is the God father for now.
I am retaining the original carburettor setup intact so that in case if I dont achive what I wanted to, I can revert back to OE setup. Support & motivation from DIY guys like you is what I badly need now.

Attached are some pics of running the ECU with the stimulator. I was able to input engine rpm, throttle position etc,. from the stimulator unit and was delighted to see the gauges move on my laptop screen. Also attached the pics of EFI hardware that I procured so far. On the pic you can find

1. M-800 injectors - 4 Nos with a wiring harness used in a CNG conversion kit
2. Hyundai santro's throttle body (42mm at the throttle plate) mated with a fabriocated Aluminium coupler to accomodate the 118 NE's air filter box.
3. Ford Ikon 1.3's Idle Air Control Valve
4. TMAP sensor of an Indica
5. 36-1 trigger wheel also from Indica
6. Rail pressure regulator from - M800
7. Rail fuel inlet flange
8. VR sensor from a Bajaj Rickshaw. I might not use it as it doesnt have a provision for connecting a shield wire.

A 2 feet long Aluminium pipe is at the Lathe shop for fabricating the injector bunges and the rail. As you can see in 1 of the pictures, the throttle body will be mounted in place of the carburettor.

I am not a techie! So, can't understand what exactly have you done and for which car and why? Please care to clear my query.
Hi, I am trying to convert my carburetted Premier 118NE into a programmable MPFI system where I can have the flexibiity in tuning for fuel quantity & ignition timing.
But why? Just for fun and self learning.
What if the project fails? I am performing all mechanical mods on parts from a spare engine. In case the end results dont meet the expectations I can always revert back to carbs.

-Ilango
 

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Re: Megasquirting the 118NE

@Ilangop I am really happy that you are modding the 118NE. this was my all-time favorite car.
Very spacious, royal looking car. what you are doing now was in my dreams.
I mean after i am settled, and have a good amount of money to spare and lot of time, i was planning to get a 118NE and mod it to my heart's desire.
All the very best to you. please do go on.
I am eagerly waiting to see the legend reborn.
 
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Re: Megasquirting the 118NE

Happy to see a 118NE with modifications.

You know one thing 118NE was my very first car. It has front and rear arm rest with it. The comfort level is unmatched with any other high end luxuries car.
 
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Re: Megasquirting the 118NE

Wow Unbelievable ! ive seen these kind of mods only on international forums !

Ilangop Im eagerly waiting to see the progress, interesting indeed

PS - My uncle in Dubai has his eyes over modifying the 118, he has the money but does not have the time though. he has asked me to look for some second hand deals to get one. He has sent me some pictures of modified LADAS which are similar to the 118s here. we both have zeroed in on a tinker/painter for the job, we might start work beggining next year he will be thrilled to see this thread (Attaching some pics which we intend to replicate)


It has front and rear arm rest with it. The comfort level is unmatched with any other high end luxuries car.
Now i understand what i have purchased - Once when trying to purchase some parts from Gujri (scrap yard) i saw the owner of the shop sitting on this car seat type of thing with an armrest, the shop guy told me it was from a 118 :suspect: didnt believe him , anyways it had a perfect working clamp though (this clamp was the one i was after) it made the armrest open and close like the ones in modern cars today. Purchased the whole seat for Rs 400/- it will work as an armrest im my Esteem in a few days from now :cool:
 

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Thread Starter #9
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Re: Megasquirting the 118NE

Wow Unbelievable ! ive seen these kind of mods only on international forums !

Ilangop Im eagerly waiting to see the progress, interesting indeed

PS - My uncle in Dubai has his eyes over modifying the 118, he has the money but does not have the time though. he has asked me to look for some second hand deals to get one. He has sent me some pictures of modified LADAS which are similar to the 118s here. we both have zeroed in on a tinker/painter for the job, we might start work beggining next year he will be thrilled to see this thread (Attaching some pics which we intend to replicate)


Now i understand what i have purchased - Once when trying to purchase some parts from Gujri (scrap yard) i saw the owner of the shop sitting on this car seat type of thing with an armrest, the shop guy told me it was from a 118 :suspect: didnt believe him , anyways it had a perfect working clamp though (this clamp was the one i was after) it made the armrest open and close like the ones in modern cars today. Purchased the whole seat for Rs 400/- it will work as an armrest im my Esteem in a few days from now :cool:
Hello Boss,
Premier 118NE is a legendary car which is called Fiat 124 salon. There was also a 2 door sport version called Fiat 124 Spider based on this same platform. This model was licenced to SEAT in Spain and sold as SEAT 124. Lada in Russia manufactured this car as Lada 2107 and sold till 2007. You can spot this car as Yellow taxis in large numbers in the "Bourne Supremacy" movie.
This was known for its comfort and luxury, but notorious for rusting. Any car after 1994 has the Anti rust treatment done before entering the factory paint booth. If you want a car for exclusively for mods, then go for a car after 1995.
Even the Nissan A12 engine (because of which it is called NE "Nissan Engine") is a legendary one. There are forums in NewZealand & South Africa where people have added turbo chargers and pumped its power to 120PS.
So coming to your uncle's dream, is he interested in powertrain mod keeping the external looks stock or he wants a Pimp my ride kind of modification which DC is good at?
 
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Some EFI Hardware

Since I am waiting for procuring the ignition coil driver IGBT, its time for some purchase. This morning I went to a spare parts shop who usually gives 0% discount & never entertains a bargain. Explained him what I am doing and what I want to achive. After convincing him that this is a learning experiment and nothing commercial he headed for offering a discount. Hence I loaded my bag with the following components (see first picture)

1. Fuel Pump Zen MPFI - Rs 1900/-
2. Ignition coil pack - Hyundai Santro Zing - Rs 1460/-
3. Ignition cable set - Hyundai Santro Zing - Rs 500/-
4. Spark Plug pack - Hyundai Santro Zing - Rs 240/-

I expect the injector bunges and the fuel rail to be done by today. The lathe guy is also equally enthusiastic. Will post the pics of the machines stuff tomorrow. Also it is hightime that the surge tank location and design is finalized.

The second picture shows the tentative locations for the surge tank and the Ignition coil. Alternate location for Surge tank will be at "Ign coil 1". Picture source: Our Workhorse - The Good Ol' Premier 118 NE - THE PREMIER PADMINI CAR WORLD This car belongs to my friend Rahul Waghmare from Hyderabad. Sorry for robbing his pic. I couldn't find an underhood pic of my car at this moment.
 

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Thread Starter #11
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EFI Rails & Injector Bunges

Friends,

Here is a small update from my side. The fuel rail & Bunges are ready to be taken for Aluminium welding. The rail still needs provision for fuel input and for the pressure relief valve. The raw material was a 2 feet long hollow Aluminium pipe. The smaller bunges were actually hose nozzles used for feeding in LPG / CNG into the mixer.

Costs:

1. Aluminium any size - Rs 350/- per Kg

2. Hose nozzles - Rs 30/- each

I would say, the lathe guy has done a good job. But now the rest is with the skill of the welder in aligning the components. Hope there is need for a fixture to ensure proper orientation & parallelity between the injectors.
 

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Thread Starter #12
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EFI Anti-surge tank

Most people know that there is a fuel - pump submerged inside the fuel tank. The secret in its construction is that these pumps assemblies are equipped with a small container inside with the pump is submerged (Ex: Ford Ikon, hyundai santro) or the tank has baffles inside so that the suction end of the pump does not starve when the fuel level is low and there is slosh inside the tank during braking.

Well, in the case of Premier 118NE there is in-tank fuel pump. The pump has be an in-line type or a modified in-tank type. Anyways, the pump requires an anti-surge tank to protect the pump from cavitation during braking and navigating inclines. After anaylising various DIY-EFI conversion forums and the space available in my car, I came with the final design as shown in the attached pictures.

This tank will house the fuel pump of MPFI-Zen. There are 2 ports welded to the tank, one to accept fuel from the low pressure pump which currently supplies the carburettor and the other one to return the excess fuel back to the tank. The fuel pump assembly also has 2 ports, one to supply the fuel rail and other for the returning fuel from the rail.

Cost:

1. 1 mm thick GI sheet (weighted about 800g @ Rs 65 / kg) - Rs 53/-

2. 3/8 hose nipples (2Nos) - Rs 50/-

3. Welding cost - Rs 300/-

A round flange with welded bolts will be welded below the fuel pump flange so that the pump assemblu can be bolted. Also some flanges will have to be welded once the fitment method is finalized. After which I plan to get the tank yellow zinc galvanized. I expect the total cost for this tank to be around Rs 1000/-
 
Thread Starter #13
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Surge tank pictures

Friends,
I am sorry that I forgot to attach the pictures in the previous post and noted it only after the editable time was already over due.
-Ilango
 

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Thread Starter #14
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Surge tank and temperature sensors

Hi all,
Found some time after sending my wife to her home town on a 5 day vacation. Well, there is some considerable progress as I was able to spend time with the lathe guy and the welder.
1. The surge tank took its final shape. It will be yellow galvanized for rust proofing.
2. The ECU needs a coolant temperature input. A hose coupler (as seen in LPG/CNG fitments) will be introduced inline with the existing radiator hose, where in the temperature sensor will be fitted in. The nut shown in the picture will be welded on the outer side of the coupler and given for galvanizing.
3. The nut for M-800 fan control switch will also be welded in the hose coupler, in case there is a need for an electric fan. As you know, the ECU tries to run on cold-start-enrichment mode till the right engine temperature is reached. As the 118NE's fan runs all the time, this is could probably prolong the warm-up period. Will have to confirm once system is in place. Also electric fan conversion is also not in the scope this EFI conversion exercise for now.
4. A milling machine made holes for orienting and accomodating the bunges for injector. The bunges have been welded (pics tomorrow) and I have applied Car-patch paste (metal paste) for having a better finish of the Aluminium welded joints and ensure proof against leaks.

-Ilango
 

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