Bought ZL1 with alky system. I'm completely in the dark. My control box is set between 5 and 6. What does this mean? My led light will turn red, but doesn't turn green. Why not? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Get the installation instructions and read and completely understand them. If you are not careful on setup of your system or how it works you can hydro lock the engine at low rpms or just off of idle. The red and green light is explained in the instructions. Read them and completely understand how your system primes. You do NOT want to toast your ZL1. IMO to be safe, I would turn it off or disable/disarm it until you understand how it works.

It's critical that you have a pressure switch controlled valve to keep the methanol/water charge from getting into the charge pipe leading to the TB when the system is off. Engine vacuum (about 10 lbs at idle) can siphon or suck any liquid between the pump and the line to your throttle body if you don't have one of the those valves.

 

Was the system on the car when you got it?
Was it already set between 5 and 6? (This is not necessarily a bad thing. My old car was tuned on setting 6 (max) on the controller, and meth dependent so no meth = more IAT's = Pulls timing = No power save motor.

If the car had a Alky system when you got it and was tuned for it DO NOT turn it off, OR DO NOT go WOT until you fully test it. If it is a Alky Control system hit the test button light should go RED. Also watch Wide-band/ Should go rich/ bog engine down. DO NOT hold waiting for the light to go green it usually wont and at that point the motor will likely stall. Best bet is to unhook the feed hose and then hit test button and let it run into a bucket to make sure meth is coming out.

 

System was in car when purchased. Control box was set at 5-6. What is IAT? Pressed test button at idle and it did bog motor. Have since talked to Julio at Alky and he told me to run rpms up to 2000 press and hold test, the light should be red and turn to green, which it did not, so he says the pump needs replacing. It's been in the car for 5yrs. So, if I unhook the feed hose and do a test, will there be a noticeable difference in pressure when light goes from red to green?

 

IAT = Intake Air Temperature

 

If you order the pump from Julio, I would get a couple spare led lights too. I agree it's time for a new pump, but it could be that the green side of the light is burned out. A couple of leds are inexpensive so it's good to have an extra.

There is a condition where the light won't turn green. Have Julio send you all of the instructions if he hasn't already done so or provided a link to download. The testing portion is step 9 and explains one reason why no green. If the red light flickers on and off while driving - that's no good either. Disarm the system until you get it all sorted out.

Be forewarned. Lot's of things can go wrong so IMO get a knowledgeable person to help you go over the install to make sure it is installed correctly. In the meantime, stay out of full throttle. Or ask previous owner if the car was tuned for meth? There are lot's of variables. You do not want to grenade your engine.

The low level light is important too - critical in fact - if the tank is empty and you don't know it. While going over the installation. visually examine the vacuum line to the MAP sensor for leaks or dry rot at the ends. If it's five years old - I would replace with new line.

 

After I install new pump, if I remove nozzle from intake and test for spray, will there be a difference in pressure when the light goes from red to green?

 

It is a pretty quick ramp up but you should see a difference.

 

Tip - suggestion: Julio said that he can rebuild a pump - most times. If you order a new one, then I would send the old one in for a rebuild. Then you will always have a spare if one fails and you won't have any downtime waiting for a rebuild or new replacement. I recall he said winter months are best time for rebuilds. If running straight methanol life of the pump is about 2-3 years.

The led light changes from red to green at about 50 psi. Learn what the function is for the Gain dial.

When testing, I would test with water first (distilled of course). Be careful where you point the hose when testing. Use the test button to empty the tank if needed.

If you don't have a pressure switch one way valve, get one. It's cheap insurance.

Obviously, after getting a new pump and the system sorted out, you will need to verify the current tune or retune.

 

Thanks for the info!

 

Thank you for your time and info. I will send my old pump back. I did request an instruction manual. What is the function of the gain dial? Is this something I can turn up and down while testing with the water and see a difference in volume and pressure? How much water? When I drain the meth from my tank will the low level light come on automatically or does the pump have to activate to show the low level warning? Is it the tune that tells the pump when to activate? Sorry for all the ?'s but I have finally found somewhere that is actually willing to share information. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!

 

Also, I have had a HIGH ENGINE HEAT message come on and the engine go into limp mode while the temp gauge reads normal. The code also read high heat. Checked cooling system and water temp, everything functioning properly. Could this be coming from low amount of meth entering intake causing high IAT?

 

The Gain control is a critical component of the system. Leave it alone. It's all explained in the instructions. Don't mess with it until you and your tuner get it sorted out.

The low level light will display dependent on the level of fluid in the tank. You will see how it works (if it works) when you empty the tank using the test button. I have the first version and instructions for the PAC controller and system. Am sure your version might be a later version. So the answer will be in the instructions based on which version of the system you have. It's pretty simple, however, to test the light. Just empty the tank.

Typically when you turn the ignition key to start, the light will display. It displays the level only to the extent whether it is low or not low. It's not like your gas gauge that shows the approximate level of the fluid in the tank.

You will need to determine fluid usage by your driving style. Get into boost at every stop light. It will empty quick. Stay out of boost, not so quick. So you will need to visually determine fluid level by looking at level of fluid in the tank. In the meantime, to start, perhaps best to carry a gallon with you until your can determine usage. Check it frequently. It's not like the oil in the engine that you might check perhaps once or twice between oil changes.

How quick the pump comes on (determined by rpm,maf, or map) makes a difference too. Your tuner and you adjust the system determined by knock and IAT. To boil it down, it's how long the pump is on and ramp speed that determines usage as well as the frequency of the number of times it is on or off.

So if your ZL1's main diet is rice on Saturday night, the tank probably won't stay full for very long

 

Are you in the dark, or do you have some knowledge about the history of the car and it's previous owner?

IMO, it has other issues to address as well. I would get with your tuner, who if he is good, can tell how the tune was changed from stock. If there haven't been any other changes to the engine, perhaps might be best to discuss with your tuner whether to change change the tune back to the stock tune, while the system is disarmed and the pump is being rebuilt by Julio.

https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=395039

 

I'm in the dark as far as I'm trying to learn about meth injection. I have obtained the build sheets from builder. The motor has had extensive work done to it (which I knew that at purchase), but that was in 2013-2014. Car was wrecked and has been sitting a lot since rebuild. Only has 3900 miles on it. I bought it as a toy/driver as I love the horsepower. Although the road seems small when I play, I just noticed the green light wasn't coming on, and here I am. I wasn't wanting to get my tuner (I have a 2010 SS) involved due to money and the fact that they are 1.5 hrs away. But, it looks and sounds like that's something I'm going to need to do. I was hoping for a simple fix, but I surely can't afford to tear something up

 

My new pump came yesterday. I decided to see what the old pump was doing before I swapped it out. I removed the line from the nozzle on intake. With gain on 2 and test button held on little to nothing came out. On 5, some comes out in pulsing motion, steady, but no pressure, on 8, steady stream but no pressure. Should there be pressure? Can barely hear pump running, just a little high pitch whine. What do you think, does the pump sound bad? I just saw on a couple videos that say the pumps rarely go bad, they just sometimes will start to leak. Mines not leaking.

 

The pump: the sound is very faint - just as you describe. Does your pump have the poly sleeve and is there any moisture inside the cover? Where is the pump with relation to the wreck? How is it wired and and is it fused correctly? The pump draws a lot of amps when it ramps up. There is a screw on the pump adjust also. There shouldn't have been any reason to change it from it's initial setting. But you never know. Some people just can't leave things alone.

The vacuum line: Did you check to make sure it is attached and not leaking?

The red/green led: Are you sure the green isn't burned out. I had to replace mine.

The tank: Is your tank located correctly? It's gravity feed to the pump. On an fbody - the kit uses the washer tank for the methanol, so one has to be careful when locating the pump so part of the hose doesn't hang lower than the pump. Best way to check flow from tank to pump is to remove the line and watch the flow. You want to make sure the tank is high enough and the pump is low enough. Is the pump installed correctly and not upside down?

The filter: Since the car has been sitting/parked it is possible the screen in the filter is clogged due corrosion or debris. It should be located in the line between the pump and the nozzle. It's a maintenance item you want to put on a schedule. Take it apart and check that it is clean. The filter might be part of the issue.

The water pressure in our houses is usually about 45-50 psi. For example, my filtered water line for drinking water is the same pressure with about the same size line. So during the test, your flow should approximate the same under 50 psi. Attach the nozzle and then flow will change and seem to be under more pressure - same as a water hose when you try to stop or reduce the flow.

I'm not sure during test if the pump ramps to full capacity. I would think NOT. Excess fluid at low rpm would kill the engine or worse hydro lock it. Find out for sure from Julio.

This is my opinion. Perhaps I am wrong. Since the pump ramps up to full capacity as a result of the map signal, we don't want full capacity during test at idle or less than 2k rpm. We would flood the intake and hydro lock the engine. That's why it's so critical during test to make sure the engine recovers from a bog and completely clears itself of any remaining fluid in the intake, and pipe and the nozzle.

Be aware. The test isn't like nitrous where it exits to atmosphere. Methanol or your mix stays in the system. You DON"T want it to accumulate without being burned off in the engine. It's very critical to understand that. When testing the system, once is OK, more than once in succession could be catastrophic.

The electronics: Did car sit parked and for how long? What happened during the wreck and after? Were the electronics exposed to atmosphere after the wreck? Questions to ask yourself?

 

Pretty awesome someone took that much time helping this guy. I feel your pain having something you're not completely familiar with. Hoping Alky can help me with my issue. My installer/tuner is available if I need him but I've got a feeling my issue is with the controller. TBD