HFS3 problem

[ziad]

hello,

i figure i might put it up here incase either jeff or richard see it. anyway after my initial wrong restrictor issue the car was runing very nicely. went for a drive today one word awesome..... except half way there have a problem.

the failsafe light came on. if i turn off the guage its still on. if i turn on from the guage the light is on but nothing else is on.

i have unplugged all connectors to the hfs3 and replugged, power cycled, even checked the fuses on both the hfs3 as well as the pump. check the wiring. but all seems ok. but the unit does not work.

i unplugged the pipe from fav and did a test with the injector jumper and the sys jumper connected the 3 ligts on the board (hfs3) come up but there is no noise from the pump. also put the jumper of inj on the board and nothing there as well. the fuel injector light flashes on the hfs3 but its not working.

i am next going to try and check the power on the pump... and hopefully borrrow another guage and control board to see if it fixes it... but any thoughts to help me along??

[ziad]

slight update. had a look at the relay and the pump wiring. with ignition on:

the blue and red wires going into the relay are both +12.xxV the thick red wire from battery is +12.xxV and the wire going to pump is 0V.

looking at the manual i thought the blue is -ve and should be 0V when i check with multimeter with other wire on ground.

[Richard L]

Only the water level sensor will have this effect on disabling the system. Unplug the water level sensor and let me know if the system reboots.

Under normal sloshingm the water level sensor will not interrupt the system from injecting. If condition persists for a timed period or the level probe is parled on the empty position for more than 20~ seconds, the system will turn off.

If unplugging the level sensor does not cure the problem. Check if the wiring "yellow/black" is shorted to the chassis.

[ziad]

ahh thanks richard... unplugged the water sensor and the guage lights up. plug it back in the failsafe light is on. the water level is currently 2/3 to 3/4 of the 6qrt tank. so it looks like the sensor problem... i cant empty the tank tonight but i will empty it tomorrow and see if movign the sensor makes it work. anyway what can i do now.... looks like the water sensor has become a plug for the future.


btw i was under the impression if it was the water level the FS light should flash not stay on all the time.

btw JeffH is sending me an assembled tank with his level sensor as i requested baffles. but it wont get here for another 10days or so.

[ziad]

will the hfs3 work with the level sensor unplugged

[Raceready]

Well, in regard to the low fluid light, mine remained on and the on-off switch wasnt operable. I figured that that was the failsafe not letting the system be operational

[Richard L]

will the hfs3 work with the level sensor unplugged

Can you check if the level sensor is installed in the right way up? The lever should point upwards with a full tank.

One other possibility but rare. Os the senso very close a magnet? Such as existing washer pump or large bass speaker.

[Richard L]

Well, in regard to the low fluid light, mine remained on and the on-off switch wasnt operable. I figured that that was the failsafe not letting the system be operational

Unplug the level sensor, see if it makes a difference.

[Raceready]

Unplug the level sensor, see if it makes a difference.

So this system has bugs. Wow. I didn't install it. How do I unplug the level sensor. This ain't my expertise. Plug and play I thought.

[ziad]

i would expect all new systems to have bugs... saying that hopefully hfs3 doesnt.

but i dont think this is a bug... most probably when i was installing the sensor i stuffed it or it was faulty sensor and had a short life span.

[Richard L]

The level sensor/yellow led circuit logic is very basic. If you short circuit the level sensor, the yellow led comes on. If it stay shorted for more than 20 seconds, it will turn the entire system off. The yellow led will remain on.

Check the resistance of the level sensor. It should be either open or closed circuited.

[Richard L]

So this system has bugs. Wow. I didn't install it. How do I unplug the level sensor. This ain't my expertise. Plug and play I thought.

There is a small 2-way plug near the relay (by the tank). Unplug it and see if the yellow led turns off. If you tank is empty, it is normal to have the yellow led on all the time even the guage is turned off.

[Howerton Engineering]

Yes, this sounds like the low level sensor has turned the system off. If you unplug the low level sensor at the pump harness relay, right near the pump it should clear the problem on a ignition cycle. If it does, we need to see why you level sensor has an issue. As Richard said, any magnet type interference can cause this. I have seen this before, if the pump motor is very close to the low level probe it can cause an issue, but a big bass speaker or anything can do this.

Let us know what you find.

[ziad]

ok the sensor is it... i unplugged it and turn the car on.. the HFS3 is working.. plug it in and the failsafe light is on. it was working properly for atleast a week before this happened.

when i get some free time i will pull it apart drain the meth and check the sensor, currently running the car without the water level sensor connected.

the pump is about 1foot away from the level probe. there is a small washer bottle motor but i havent used it much. also there is a stepper motor on the variable flow exhaust muffler.. which is underneath the body of the car and about 10inches away atleast. maybe but its about 1inch diameter with 1.5" long. there arent any subs in the car... i wish i had some better music.

How far is the small washer motor away from the sensor?

[Richard L]

I am not sure why. The system was working for a while, the sensor decided to go short circuit. Any magnetic material has not changed location. Is the methanol 99% pure? Any traces of hydrocarbon wil destroy the sensor or at least cause the pivot point to swellup and stop the free swinging action of the lever.


Make sure the little arrow by the nut is on top. Also check if the lever is jammed in the horizontal position.

[Raceready]

Jeff actually installed the pump and sensor for me in the tank prior to shipping so i don't know what to unplug. I'll check the directions out. Should the light be flashing when low?

[Richard L]

The plug is at the end of cable run of ther level sensor. Do you have a tank full of water?

[Raceready]

I believe the level sensor is operating as it should in my case. I didn't need to unplug it. When the level is low the yellowlight will periodically flash but this may just be due to the water moving in the tank. If it stays on for a while it will shut the gauge down but the light remains on. If I am on a hill I guess it senses water and the gauge will light up. When I get to flat area it will then cycle through the same sequence and eventually shut down.

I set the 'sc' to show 5 bars at full boost (one click clockwise). I've left the wl and wh settings at 12 o'clock as the instructions mentioned that being a good setting. Do I need to scale them?

Thanks for the help

[Richard L]

The level sensor is working as it should.

As an experiment, try setting your WL fully counter-clockwise and the WH fully clockwise. This way the faisafe will never trip. You can then concentrate on your tank level sensor and yellow led.

[Raceready]

[QUOTE=I set the 'sc' to show 5 bars at full boost (one click clockwise). I've left the wl and wh settings at 12 o'clock as the instructions mentioned that being a good setting. Do I need to scale them?
Thanks for the help[/QUOTE]

What about this Richard?

PS- I'm getting tuned Friday :-)

[Richard L]

I think this is good.

[ziad]

sorry for late update... havent used my car in over 10days... anyway had a look at the float and its pointing upwards so its floating like it should. the multimeter says the resistance is almost 0.06Ohm in that condition. and no i didnt get time to chuck the meth out and see what the resistance is when no water.

[Richard L]

Either there is a short circuit in the float sensor or the washer pump is affecting it.

Can you take a picture of the sensor location, including the view of the washer motor.

[ziad]

sorry richard... I havent had a time during day to take a picture.. plus the carpet is on now so is hard to see anyway.

i did take the bottle off finally and put it in the middle of the boot away from any motors or magnetic things..... and with fluid still in the gauge light was on. so most probably stuffed sensor.... well it becomes a free plug for my 2nd tank now.

[Richard L]

I will send you a replacement level sensor on monday, I hope it will cure the problem.

[ziad]

richard please dont send now. I might need a few more things soon. plus my new Pink and white (or was it orange and white) tank came. Jeff sent me a new tank with baffles etc so its got a level sensor that i should be able to use :)

anyway i will get back to u eventually. plus moving house so the address will change as well and hence no need for any urgency.