306 S16 restoration/upgrades

TrixX

TrixX

Member
Tadpole
Joined
Apr 5, 2021
Messages
25
Location
Sunshine Coast
Hi guys, I've ended up with a GTi-6 and also my Mum's S16. S16 is in the better shape so working on getting her fixed up a bit.

Alternator failed the other week and it's got a failing Power Steering pump, but I have replacements for both those.

The bigger problem is the previous owner of the S16 replaced the fuel pump and now it doesn't pick up fuel below 40% fuel in the tank, espeically if you go round right hand corners...

Was thinking about an upgrade as looking to improve bits that I can along the way, so it'll be getting some new injectors, coils, new MAF sensor and a few other things. Just not sure what's a good pump or good upgrade pump to look at currently.

Also anyone know what the stock pump is in flow rate and pressure? I've seen mutiple different pressures and flow rates in my searching but nothing definitive.
 
I don't believe they have a MAF sensor. I think the pump you need is Walbro Part No. GSS-342K.
 
Peter is correct, no MAF sensor. They have a MAP sensor which is built into the ECU.

Tony.
 
Thanks for the info, found the Walbro you mentioned. Will see if I can get hold of it. Trying to get hold of some replacement ignition coils. Problem is everyones selling them for $200-300 per coil. Anyone know of a place to get them at a more reasonable price?

Or is there a better solution? Prior to Covid was looking to grab a set of 4 Valeo ones for $50 per coil.
 
Stick with Valeo. There usually 140ish per coil.
 
Pull your pump out before you commit. I have 2nd hand coils, $50 each.
 
I've got three valios never used that I didn't put in before I wrote off my S16. I'd replaced one and decided I should do the other three. Where are you based? The packaging is mangled. The seller I got them off sqashed them into an auspost bag.

Tony.
 

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Wintermute said:
I've got three valios never used that I didn't put in before I wrote off my S16. I'd replaced one and decided I should do the other three. Where are you based? The packaging is mangled. The seller I got them off sqashed them into an auspost bag.

Tony.
Click to expand...
Up in Qld, Mooloolaba. What would you like for them?
 
Mingus said:
I also have spare ones that have been used, at least 4 if you need them.
Click to expand...
I am after 4 new ones if possible. It still has it's original's and just want to get everything refreshed to equal new or upgrade bits to suit new tech where possible.
 
I was hoping you'd Say Sydney, I'm lazy and getting packaged and to the post office is a bit of a pain ;)

I doubt your current ones are the originals. I had my S16 for near on 25 years, the first coil failure was when it was about three years old. I replaced quite a few coils in that time. Though I will admit there were some periods where it was running hotter than it should have which may have lead to the early demise of some of them. Definitely don't throw out the old ones if they haven't failed. In my experience, the failure mode is always the same. Car runs on four cylinders fine when cold, but when it gets up to temp one cylinder drops. I always had a spare one in the car and a 10mm spanner, just in case. They just go without any apparent warning. Luckily I never had more than one go at a time.

It sounds like your not in desperate need of them. But if you are really keen let me know. If you are planning on keeping the car, then it definitely doesn't hurt to have some spares! That was something that I was starting to wish I had done, build up some more spares, some things are just near impossible to get (like the vacuum pods, and I was dreading the day one of those went...

Tony.
 
I'm sort of in a hurry but not. I do need to get it running in the short term and then plan to get the other mods on the car as they become available.

I am keen for the new ones though.
 
Well back on the task again of upgrading my S16's (yes there's another one now!).

Will upload some pics when I get Photoshop working again. Gotta get rid of Win 11 first...

Anyway, the red Pug S16 popped a head gasket a few months back, the day I picked up my new Blue S16.

So all the stuff that was going on the Red car is now heading onto the Blue Car. Coils have been running solid on the old Red one so thanks to those that helped out there, well until the gasket went pop.

So onto the main point of this, looks like I've got a broken injector and probably knackered plugs (well one is not a probably...). Grabbing the plugs out of the red one for it so they're sorted, but the injectors were about to be replaced in the red one anyway. I was looking at an E85 flex fuel upgrade for the car and fuel systems are one of my weaker areas of knowledge.

What I've found so far as some 550cc Bosch 78mm injectors (14mm O-Rings) so should fit the stock rail. A Walboro Fuel pump that's 3bar and 480l/hr (so should be double the stock pump's 230l/hr). Found a flex fuel sensor but not sure how to integrate that with the stock ECU, and whether I have to basically head down custom ECU route here too.

www.efihardware.com

Injector Bosch EV14 550cc Long

EV14 Full Height Injector <span style="color:#000000;"><strong><span style="background-color:#00ff00;"> THIS INJECTOR IS E85 COMPATIBLE. </span></strong></span> 89 HP Normally Aspirated - estimated (pump petrol) 74 HP Turbo up to 1 Bar Boost - estimated (pump petrol) 69 HP Turbo up to 2 Bar...
www.efihardware.com

www.efihardware.com

Walbro 460 E85 High Flow Fuel Pump. Walbro 450 | EFI Hardware

Get better performance with this Walbro 450 or 460 submersible high flow gasoline pump. One of our most popular products in the market. Buy it today.
www.efihardware.com

Gonna change for AN8 or AN6 lines where needed but when it's fully setup for E85. Basically just want to get the right hardware in place now. The other obvious problem is that the map on the ECU won't match the new hardware, hence whether it's just easier to get a new ECU...
 
Oh something else, I was thinking of putting a GTi-6 mainfold on the car as the S16 manifold it giving me the *****

Worth doing?
 
The GTi6 manifold is a good idea, if you want to eliminate the standard manifold and unreliable vacuum pods. Also, a backfire will crack the plastic manifold and they're getting harder to find. I'd put the original setup in storage. This will change the fuel demands however and you'll need a remap for best performance.

Changing to E85 is thwart with issues:

1. Fuel Rail: It's coated on the outside only. The inside is plain, uncoated steel which rusts rapidly when ethanol is used. I've seen rails that have been used with just E10 and they aren't pretty. You'll need an extruded, anodized aluminium rail. I bought mine from EFI Hardware. You'll thus also need a new regulator.

2. Fuel Pump & Injectors: Yes, they both need to be E85 compatible. As for size, the injectors need to be a minimum of 30% bigger than standard, for the same HP. Given the oem injectors are only 196cc, you'll have plenty of headroom with 550cc. If you installed these with the original ECU it would be massively too rich.

3. Flex Sensor: this measures the ethanol content in the fuel and reports back to the ECU, which adjusts fuel delivery accordingly. The oem ecu has no such input, as flex sensors weren't invented in 1993.

Thus you'll need an aftermarket ECU in order to make use of any of your ideas. Ideally you'd do a tune on 98, drain completely, then another tune on straight E85 (from a tin, not servo). Thus two separate fuel and ignition maps. The flex sensor will then allow the ecu to interpolate between 0% and 85% ethanol seamlessly. Winter and summer blends of servo E85 differ, as do supplier to supplier. Only race E85 is guaranteed 85%. Once setup however, you can fill up and mix 98 with E85 as desired.

Having said all that, you will see a minimum increase in HP on a low compression, normally aspirated engine. Probably <5%. Yes, 10.4:1 is low these days. You need 12:1 minimum to see any useful gains. Unless of course, you're more interested in the environment than fossil fuel usage.

Hope that helps.
 
PeterT said:
The GTi6 manifold is a good idea, if you want to eliminate the standard manifold and unreliable vacuum pods. Also, a backfire will crack the plastic manifold and they're getting harder to find. I'd put the original setup in storage. This will change the fuel demands however and you'll need a remap for best performance.

Changing to E85 is thwart with issues:

1. Fuel Rail: It's coated on the outside only. The inside is plain, uncoated steel which rusts rapidly when ethanol is used. I've seen rails that have been used with just E10 and they aren't pretty. You'll need an extruded, anodized aluminium rail. I bought mine from EFI Hardware. You'll thus also need a new regulator.

2. Fuel Pump & Injectors: Yes, they both need to be E85 compatible. As for size, the injectors need to be a minimum of 30% bigger than standard, for the same HP. Given the oem injectors are only 196cc, you'll have plenty of headroom with 550cc. If you installed these with the original ECU it would be massively too rich.

3. Flex Sensor: this measures the ethanol content in the fuel and reports back to the ECU, which adjusts fuel delivery accordingly. The oem ecu has no such input, as flex sensors weren't invented in 1993.

Thus you'll need an aftermarket ECU in order to make use of any of your ideas. Ideally you'd do a tune on 98, drain completely, then another tune on straight E85 (from a tin, not servo). Thus two separate fuel and ignition maps. The flex sensor will then allow the ecu to interpolate between 0% and 85% ethanol seamlessly. Winter and summer blends of servo E85 differ, as do supplier to supplier. Only race E85 is guaranteed 85%. Once setup however, you can fill up and mix 98 with E85 as desired.

Having said all that, you will see a minimum increase in HP on a low compression, normally aspirated engine. Probably <5%. Yes, 10.4:1 is low these days. You need 12:1 minimum to see any useful gains. Unless of course, you're more interested in the environment than fossil fuel usage.

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Helps a lot mate, thanks.

Looks like ECU Master are about to get another customer then :D

Not too worried about 10.4:1 as I'll be adding a turbo down the road and it'll be needing around 10.4:1 for the compression at that point. If I go much more in compression it'll be too high for the turbo. Though I'll probably do a GTi-6 head swap at that point too for the dual springs on the valves and better exhaust flow.

It's a bit of a test run for this and the other S16 I'm restomodding. As road goer's they are much nicer cars IMO than the Phase 3's. My GTi-6 is getting setup for hillclimb and time trials.
 
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