Faulty Race Logic Box???

Hello everyone,

last Saturday I had the installation finished for my Race Logic Traction Control. The problem is that I can't get the green diagnostic LED to flash at all and thus can't initialize the system. Has anyone else had similar problems?

There are also some other symptoms that may or may not be related to this. Since the install the car doesn't start well from cold. You have to try a number of times (around 6) to get it going. However with the accelerator half way down it starts first time but misfires badly. When you take your foot off the accelerator it dies. If you then try again it starts perfectly with no misfires.

The unit was installed by a very reputable installer, however he's not installed RL to a VVTi before so it is possible that it's the install but it's unlikely.

Has anyone on here had a faulty Race Logic box and if so what were the symptoms?

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Jon

Originally posted by SupraSapphire

The unit was installed by a very reputable installer, however he's not installed RL to a VVTi before so it is possible that it's the install but it's unlikely.

Hi Jon,

I'm not going to ask who installed it but I would say it was highly likely that this IS an installation problem. Certainly more likely than a duff box IMO.

Was the car fine before being installed?

The bad starting and missfire problems smack of injector cycle conflicts. I wouldn't rule out the box by any means but I'd be going over the whole installation first.

Are you saying the car was given back to you like this?

Regards,

Nathan

TDI PLC

The car had a number of things done to it at the same time so I can't say for certain that it’s the traction control causing the problem. It had a service in which the spark plugs and leads were changed. It also had a new battery and a fuel cut remover fitted. It could be caused by any of these really. It'll teach me to get one thing done at a time in future I guess

Originally posted by SupraSapphire

It had a service in which the spark plugs and leads were changed.

What leads?!

I must admit it does sound like quite a bit of work at the same time....still, no excuse for getting the car back like that....unless you didn't want to pay to get it sorted...assuming it wasn't a fitter error of course.

Regards,

Nathan

TDI PLC

Who fitted the RLTC ? We have done a couple of VVTI's

now and both worked (apart from shite dat files) drop us a line we may be able to help...

Jon asked me to fit the four ABS signal wires to the ABS unit as the ABS unit in his VVTi did not match any datasheet with the RLTC.

My findings were as follows. (Measured with an oscilloscope, car jacked up and spinning the wheels by hand)

Regards

Pete

If a fuel computer is sharing the racelogic preferred pickup for the rev counter this can cause issues on some (igniter or injector no 1 , I think) Moving the RLTC cable to the 'tacho' pin on the ecu ( Pin 16 , I believe) and leaving the FC on the other can solve some problems

HTH

NOT to be confused with the non-VVTi ABS unit for the Jap Spec Supra...

OR the non-VVTi ABS unit for the UK Spec Supra...

Yes, Pete sorted out the ABS wires because they where completely different to the instructions. Again many thanks Pete. Sadly there's still some sort of problem.

Originally posted by matt

If a fuel computer is sharing the racelogic preferred pickup for the rev counter this can cause issues on some (igniter or injector no 1 , I think) Moving the RLTC cable to the 'tacho' pin on the ecu ( Pin 16 , I believe) and leaving the FC on the other can solve some problems

 

HTH

Matt - this sounds like it could be a possibility. I'll have to speak to Chris. Thanks

Chris W installed the unit. I'm sure he won't mind me mention his name as his excellent reputation proceeds him.

I hate to add to your probelms, but experience suggests that stock dat files provided for the MKIV by RL are not very good and in some cases causes some of the probelems you are having.

However the lack of setting capability does point to other problems as identiified in posts above.

I can supply a good dat if you need one.

Thanks Phil but you've already sent me the files Haven't been able to use them yet though.

Originally posted by SupraSapphire

Matt - this sounds like it could be a possibility. I'll have to speak to Chris. Thanks

 

Chris W installed the unit. I'm sure he won't mind me mention his name as his excellent reputation proceeds him.

You know I am NOT an electronics boffin, but IMO if you disconnect the RPM sensing lead then the RLTC should be out of the equation unless some internal injector switching fault is present. When I changed the VFCC you thought the problem was fixed, now it seems to have returned. You could try cutting the VFCC out of the eqaution too, just cut the blue and green leads that come from the VFCC, and join the cut ends that come from the ecu and loom, leave the VFCC ends insulated and unconnected. Apart from VFCC and RLTC I can't see anything else that was done being an issue.

Jon - you're not having much luck m8! Hope it gets sorted OK.

Originally posted by SupraSapphire

Thanks Phil but you've already sent me the files Haven't been able to use them yet though.

DOH I get quite a few requests and forget who I have sent them too.

The internal dat supplied can be the culprit, some are useable but some are not. If you use Graham Rudd's app and "receive" the internal dat I will look at for you if you email it to me.

The DAT fikle was still as supplied by racelogic when it left here.

Originally posted by Chris Wilson

The DAT file was still as supplied by racelogic when it left here.

Might be worth checking.

Yes, the standard dat file is still in the unit. I haven't got as far as installing the new ones yet.

Originally posted by Terminator

Might be worth checking.

I banged in your updated file to a basic J-Spec car the other day and it wouldn't calibrate. When I put the stock RL file back in it calibrated straight away, but in both cases the LED was showing the RPM fine.

Just to clarify, I wasn't overly eager to fit RL to a VVTi, as historically I have always found (and a search will show always said, too...) that info on VVti engines is sparse and sometimes incorrect. So it proved here, with the engine ECU pin out numbers and colours matching, but the ABS ones being very different. I left the RL disconnected from the ABS ecu with the customers blessing and agreement, with a revised charging and the introduction to Pete Betts to use his `scope to find the right ABS pinouts. the car was also found to intermittently hit waht appeared to be fuel cut, came back to me, where I diagnosed a faulty VFCC, I fitted a new one immediately, and that problem was fixed. The old VFCC was found faulty by Pete Betts and replaced. I had assumed the starting problem had also cleared up as at the time it was starting perfectly, but it was hot starts as the car wasn't left here.

So my only thoughts are the RPM wire to the RL is either wrong, or causing a problem. Pin out and colour matched the RL and Petes diagram for speed limit removal stuff, so i am confident it isn't another VVti difference...

The RLTC I fitted to a none VVTi J-Spec manual worked fine out of the box, trust a VVti to be a PITA.

Originally posted by Chris Wilson

The RLTC I fitted to a none VVTi J-Spec manual worked fine out of the box, trust a VVti to be a PITA.

Probably good for some of the newbies who are thinking of buying cars to take note of that. The VVTi does give some advantages out of the box, but when it comes to tuning it can be a real struggle. Maybe in years to come this situation may change.

I banged in your updated file to a basic J-Spec car the other day and it wouldn't calibrate. When I put the stock RL file back in it calibrated straight away

Did you transfer the wheel reference data from the original Dat file to the new updated file?

You need to run the standard file and get the wheel calibration done, upload the dat file and then transfer the reference data over to the new dat file and then download the new one.

Well that's what I thought you had to do.

Anyway Jon's RLTC doesn't want to communicate so I hope it's this RPM wire.

The old VFCC was found faulty by Pete Betts and replaced.

Just to clarify.... the device itself wasn't faulty it was the cable which was intermittenly connecting to the header pins on the circuit board. So the Design is fine, just the manufacture was faulty.

Regards

Pete

Originally posted by Chris Wilson

The RLTC I fitted to a none VVTi J-Spec manual worked fine out of the box, trust a VVti to be a PITA.

I assume that was my car, the RLTC you fitted does work superbly...cheers.

PS Got my CD this morning

Originally posted by TRL Performance

Did you transfer the wheel reference data from the original Dat file to the new updated file?

You need to run the standard file and get the wheel calibration done, upload the dat file and then transfer the reference data over to the new dat file and then download the new one.

 

Well that's what I thought you had to do.

 

Anyway Jon's RLTC doesn't want to communicate so I hope it's this RPM wire.

 

 

 

 

Just to clarify.... the device itself wasn't faulty it was the cable which was intermittenly connecting to the header pins on the circuit board. So the Design is fine, just the manufacture was faulty.

 

Regards

Pete

I love these flurries where everyone covers their arses Of course I was in no way saying Petes devices have a design fault, i have just oredered 3 more, and the new ones are really neat, snap open box, and much smaller. Impressed.

Originally posted by Chris Wilson

I banged in your updated file to a basic J-Spec car the other day and it wouldn't calibrate. When I put the stock RL file back in it calibrated straight away, but in both cases the LED was showing the RPM fine.

 

.

I have had this a couple of times Chris. When the file was sent back many of the settings were altered. I can't explain why, may be the file got scrambled when unzipped or loaded into the RL unit. When I sent another copy everything was OK.

Chris if you PM me the name of the owner of the Jspec that had a problem, assuming the file was obtained direct from me, I will check my copy of his file and check the problem was not caused by me.

If anyone else has had one of my dats and it has turned out bad please let me know. If there is a problem I need to know about it and put it right.