GP THERMO add-on: Anyone done this/something similar?

[laserjock]

Yep. I've heard of them. So I guess what you are saying is that there is a thermistor in the controller? So is it supposed to essentially do what we are trying to make it do, it just doesn't do a good job of it?

I found an article last night that for the life of me I can't find again which went through outside temperature vs GP time. I assume the controller can make some adjustment to the cycle time but not turn it off?


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[N.E fjord-by-fjord 2fiddy]

Ok... Crap weather has gotten me delayed, but the bay gets cleared out tonight, and the relay has the wires on it, ready to hook up. I'll be doing this tomorrow, but I have one last Q for the OB gods:

How in the HELL do I get that damn black plastic doghouse off of my GPC??? I see the two tab inserts that lift up when you squeeze and lift, but there seems to bee a connection toward the rear that just wont give...

I need to get at the terminal on the solenoid so I can remove the Red w/GR wire(s) to hook to the relay.

Man I hate being able to see the thing you can't get at... Drives me nuts!

 

[N.E fjord-by-fjord 2fiddy]

UPDATE: Went to cold start my rig to bring it into the bay yesterday morning...

Started... aaaaand... BARFING coolant into my skating rink of a driveway. It's in the bay now, and I'm currently waiting on a Champion 3 row radiator before I do the whole shabang...

The lower pass.side of the radiator was HORRENDOUS! Looked like donkey kong friggin' punched the thing. I wondered when I bought it how long the radiator would last. It was the only thing I thought looked suspect during purchase... Guess I got my answer!

So... When it gets here: 8 new ZD9's, a homemade GP harness, return kit, fresh olives @ filter and IP inlet, radiator, and the GPC relay mod (with dash switch. because I want to. simple as that...)

 

[laserjock]

I am thinking of putting a switch in too but I may put it under the hood so if there's a problem I can pop the hood and fix it with a flip. I'm thinking doing it both to override the relay and also disable the system in case I need to give it a huff of ether for some reason.


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[laserjock]

Good luck with the radiator. I bought one too from amazon. Mine was a mess too. Both of the ones I have are leakers.


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[N.E fjord-by-fjord 2fiddy]

I found a sweet SPST ON/OFF/ON... So on my dash I'll have STOCK/KILL/MOD. Now, for where to put it... Got a nice empty black plastic mini panel next to the WAIT2STRT/WATERINFUEL lights... Thinking there will suffice.

If this all goes according to plan, I'll have a write-up with parts and wire lengths afterward. Pictures too if I ain't feeling lazy...

 

[N.E fjord-by-fjord 2fiddy]

UPDATE:

So... Long story short: the circuit works like a friggin' DREAM! It behaves EXACTLY as predicted and desired. I will upload a detailed final drawing of the circuit EXACTLY as I put it in so others can use/comment/review/balk/warn/whatever... I'll get to that this weekend. Packing for a trip to VT right now. I'll post from there.

As I mentioned, along with the circuit in one shot I did: radiator, return kit, ALL new olives (thanks typ4 for the kit/olives...), new gp harness, new gp's....

After filter/refill of coolant, and a thorough check for no leftover parts in the bay... I cracked the hard lines, and cranked til she spit. Tightened em up again. Started right up.

Drove her around for 5 min or so close to my house to get the temp up, then returned. Turned off, then... Turn the key on, and NO wait to start light. No clicking GPC. Nothing. Sweet silence...

Not only that, but the next morning... she cold started first crank in under 3 sec, in -8 degrees!!! She's come a long way since needing a block warmer in 15 degrees...

I'm one happy oilburner....

Side note: I put in a 3 row Champion that I read about on here, and I have to agree with others... It's WELL worth the $, and the install was cake...

Now what to do with the ol' brass *******...?!?!

 

[laserjock]

Awesome. Its added to my list for sure now. As for the radiator. Sell it for scrap. Youve got like 50lbs of brass there. I have 2 of them to go eventually.

 

[N.E fjord-by-fjord 2fiddy]

I'm on the fence about the scrap for her... I want to fix the leak in it... The crazy inventor blood in my veins wants me to create a hot water circ/heating system for my shop out of it/a standard wall fan/and a water tank system welded to my little woodstove in the shop.... I know, i know...



I can't help it... My great-great-grandfather invented the light bulb! His blood is in my veins...

(and no... not T.A. Edison. That guy was a businessman who was good at using others for their ideas and taking credit for it... Samuel Dimmick Mott (my gggramps) worked for/with him... If anyone wants to see the patent for the light bulb in my gggrampa's name... I have the PDF. Actually planning on making a tshirt out of it...)

 

[laserjock]

Okay, that's pretty cool.

As for the heat extchanger, will it work, probably. Will it work better than just setting the box fan behind the fire box, probably not...however, I am not one to squish someones crazy ideas... I'm a scientists and some of the best stuff is the result of a crazy idea somebody had. I guess I've been in business too long when the first thing I jump to is ROI.

 

[Coyote_Red]

I am going to wait for the tech article to show up. I have have read through this and understand it all. I just want to be double sure I guess. Thanks to all those who chimed in on this thread.

 

[redneckaggie]

All you would have to do is remove the red/green and run +12 to 30, ground to 85, power from temp switch to 86 and 87 to where the red/green used to connect right, using a 4 pin NO relay correct?

 

[N.E fjord-by-fjord 2fiddy]

CONCLUSION... (Part 1, GP life exp: jury still out...)

Bingo aggie... that's what we did in a nutshell... I just threw in a switch as well to be able to choose mod/stock.

Some people might not want to do the mod just yet though... Here's my take on the situation:

I wanted to give this circuit a good amount of time in use to see it's behavior. Different ambient temps at startup/trip lengths/length of time between starts... etc. After a few months of using it on and off, and comparing mod vs stock I have concluded this:

This is a mod that works. It works as expected. There have been no surprises as far as the mods performance in it's ability to regulate the GP's...

However, I WILL offer one caveat:

My engine has ongoing air issues... Whether minor or major, I know lots of others struggle with this too. So i figure this is worth mentioning. When the temp switch is active and the GP's don't come on due to the mod... that's great.

But the temp switch also deactivates the high idle on a warm restart. This means a warm engine, with an air issue, when being restarted... will have an even less rich mixture during the restart because of that extra air... I have noticed that in my case, having the GP's come on HELPS this... even if just a little.

Scenario(s) I've noticed: if my temp switch is reading around 120F from the coolant after a while of sitting, the high idle won't get set when I go to restart it, but air was intruding for that sitting period...
1: Restart with the circuit engaged and the GP's off: SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKE...
2: Restart with the circuit off, and the GP's come on: SMOOOKE...

Basically, the GP's coming on are actually good for "airy" fuel systems, it seems... Magic formula: air/fuel/heat. So when the air/fuel are off a bit, the extra heat helps.

So, I guess what I would say to those with air issues: SOLVE ANY AND ALL AIR PROBLEMS FIRST before you do this. Get her air tight. The GP life expectancy change is unknown still. Only further use will really tell if the GP's lives are extended beyond normal life expectancy... and whatever prolonged life you hope to get out of your GP's doing this might be lost due to incorrect operation from air intrusion...

OR ...if you're like me, and just can't resist, at least put that switch in the circuit in too so you have the option of stock operation after the mod...


...and for those with absolutely no air issues... well... SUCK IT! (that's my jealousy talking)
You obviously are better at this than I am, so you shouldn't be listening to me anyway!

One more update will come after i get every last air issue solved... who knows when the hell that will happen.

All in all though, I think this is a successful mod.

p.s. write-up will happen when I get time. no telling when that may be...