POTS mod

[Connal]

Ok, I know there is information about it. I was wondering if anyone had some good pics though? I want to make sure I don't hook it up backwards, or wire the wrong things.

Any help?

Go ahead, call me a noob. You know you want to lol

[ZX2Fast]

You can't hook it up backwards. You can cut either of the wires and it doesn't matter what direction you put the wires on the switch or the POT as long as you get the wires between the POT and the switch, you are golden.

[Connal]

Ok, let me rephrase this. When it comes to that kind of thing, I am stupid. I know what switch is what kind, I just don't know how to hook it all up. And I want to make sure I do it right so I don't screw up. I might be reading it wrong, I don't know.

[ZX2Fast]

Electricity follows the path of least resistance. The switch is there to create a no resistance path. So, the switch doesn't actually turn the POT's on or off, it just creates the original path. When the switch is in the 'ON' position, the POT's mod is actually off because the switch is the least resistant path. When you the switch 'OFF' it breaks the short path so the electricity has to go through the POT's. So when the switch is 'OFF' the mod is active. You are really just wiring the switch and POT next to eachother and not inline with eachother.

[Connal]

I know what you are saying, but I am still lost.

Looking at it where it says "Next you have to solder. We’ll start with the POTS first. Note: If you want, you can use some heat shrink on each connection to ensure they don’t touch. Note2: If you plan on using small pots and a kit box, then the set of wires going from the pot to the switch can be significantly shortened since they will be inside the box. Take one set of wires that you strapped together strip and tin the ends. Take another set and strip and tin those ends. Take the two red wires and solder them both to the center pin of the pot. Now solder the two black wires to one of the outside pins. Doesn’t matter which one, the difference will be which way you have to turn the pots to turn them up and down. Just try to get both pots the same; you can use a multi-meter to accomplish this. Now do the same thing for the other POT.
"

I know there are two pots, but ok, from what I understand two red wires get connected to the center pin of the POT, then two black wires to one of the outside pins? So two wires on each pin? Then, do the same exact thing for the other one? Ok, then what? That is where I am lost.

[ZX2Fast]

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/365874/5

See if that one is easier to understand.

[ZX2Fast]

I think the wording is confusing. I think what he is getting at is that you put one of the wires on each of the Pot's, not both wires on one Pot.

[Connal]

Ok, that one is a bit more understandable. Let me just double check this.

Two POTS wired the same, go to the switch. Am I correct in saying two? The how to says two, but the picture shows one.

From the switch, the wires go to the cut wire, if the switch closes the connection, it basically bypasses the pots, however, if the switch breaks the connection, it reads the voltage shows by changing it through the pots.

So it would be Pots----wire------switch------wires for PCM.

[ZX2Fast]

There will be two switches. If you only used one, then the PCM inputs for the IAT and ECT would be shorted together.

[Connal]

There will be two switches. If you only used one, then the PCM inputs for the IAT and ECT would be shorted together.

Ok, I'm lost again.

So two switches, and two POTS. So, the picture diagram, I would be making twice? And wire one to each? One to the IAT and one to the ECT?

[ZX2Fast]

Yes. The IAT and ECT don't use the exact same resistance for temperature. At that, they are also separate circuits so wiring them to the same Pot or switch would short them together.

[Connal]

I thought it only needed to be done to one or the other?

So it would be

Pot---wire---switch---iat wires
pot---wire---switch---ect wires

So in order to do this I need to flip to switches, and adjust two potentiometers?

[ZX2Fast]

Yes. Honestly, I only noticed a difference at the track with the ECT only.

[Connal]

ok, so only do it with the ect then? Or would you recomend just not doing it?

[mechtech]

I wouldn't use potentiometers, but fixed resistors of around 50 k ohms

[ZX2Fast]

50,000 is way too high. I used a 0-50,000 pot and I only turned it about 1/8th a turn. The sweet spot for me was waiting for the car to get to normal idle, then adjusting the pot until the idle jumped 300 rpm.

[mechtech]

When at normal operating temp, POTs @ 50k ohms would lie to the computer that the temp was about 15 deg F.
30k would be about 25deg F.
20k is about 32 deg F.
Pick your poison.
Many of us used the idle raising as the guide, but this is faulty and only tells us about the idle, not the actual help at full power and high RPMs.

Connal - I'll PM you about easy wiring.

[ZX2Fast]

I just adjusted mine at the track and pulled it down when I started losing time instead of gaining.