Hondata Boost Solenoid and Boost by Gear Install/Review

[mucter]

As many of you know, Hondata recently released an update for FlashPro enabling boost control through Hondata's own ECU logic. Hondata made sure that I had a boost solenoid when they released the software update so I could get it up and running quickly to post a review/howto.

For those that don't want to read this entire thing, here's the cliffs notes:

• You must have FlashPro to use this (duh)
• You need a boost solenoid (buy Hondata's)
• You need an ECU pin (free from Hondata)
• This install is super easy, if you're handy with cars and know how to do some basic crimping/soldering you can have it done in 30 minutes or so.
• If you have an internally wastegated turbo, we all know that they don't hold their boost till red line. This is a MUST HAVE upgrade. Hondata's boost control will MAKE your turbo hold its boost. My Greddy turbo kit gained more than 50hp by just doing this mod. For the $100 it cost to buy Hondata's solenoid, you'd be an idiot to not see that it's something you have to have now! Boost controllers that cost $500+ don't have the features that this has, and the ones that do, they require you to be a rocket scientist to program them.
• If you have an external wastegate this will still be great for you because of the addition of boost by gear and RPM. You can keep the wastegate set at a low PSI to have traction in 1st and 2nd gear, then crank it up in the gears where you have more traction. Not to mention it's all controlled through FlashPro Manager directly so you don't need some other piece of electronics cluttering up the interior of your car.
• Setting up the boost by gear in FlashPro Manager was so easy a caveman could do it. It took me 20 minutes of driving around to make the difference in power shown in the graph below.

Enough talk, see the graph.



In the red run, I had the wastegate spring set to 11psi. You can see that after I hit peak torque around 4600rpm, everything goes downhill from there.

In the blue run, I'm using Hondata's boost control to force the turbo to hold boost. You can see that I hit peak torque and then it holds pretty level with a slow decline. I programmed it that way on purpose to taper the boost down slowly for the sake of my small injectors. This resulted in an increase of 25hp in the midrange and over 50hp at the top end!

Had I actually taken that run to red line, I probably would have made another 10hp and the difference in power would be even greater.

My setup:
Greddy turbo kit
Full Race GT3071R upgrade turbo
HPC coated manifold
Heat shirking coated Greddy FMIC
TurboXS Type-H RFL BOV
Fast-Turbo.com full oil line kit
RC 550cc Injectors
Hondata FlashPro
Hondata 4-bar MAP Sensor
Hondata IMG
Hondata Boost Solenoid

Stock clutch
Stock catalytic converter
Stock cat back exhaust
Stock fuel pump
Stock fuel pressure regulator


Hardware setup

Technically you can use any 3-way boost solenoid to control the boost through Hondata's logic. The only catch is that it must draw less than 3 amps off the ECU. I'd recommend you just use Hondata's solenoid since it's confirmed to be problem free for use with our cars.

You need to start by making sure you have everything needed for the install. This will vary based on how you decide to mount the solenoid and run the wires.

The basics of what you'll need:

• Boost solenoid - $100 from a Hondata dealer -> Boost Control Solenoid
• ECU Pin - free from Hondata -> Civic ECU pin request form OR alternatively, if you have a Greddy kit and have the Greddy PnP harness laying around, you can easily extract a pin/lead from that and use it instead (this is what I did and I'll talk about it later in this write up).
• Crimping tool if you go the ECU pin route
• 16-14 AWG 1/4" stud ring - can be picked up at any auto parts store, this is used to ground the solenoid to the body
• Inline 10amp fuse - goes on the wire from the solenoid that leads to the ECU
• Teflon tape
• Vacuum hose

Optional things depending on how you want to do the install:

• Soldering iron to solder all of the connections for the wires - I chose this route because I don't trust crimps on stud rings and I needed to solder the ECU pin lead from the Greddy harness to the lead on the boost solenoid. It's also best to solder the wires for the inline fuse.
• Shrink tube - to cover the solder joints and protect them from shorting out
• Plastic wire protector - the stuff that they use on the OEM wire harness, keeps the thin wires from the solenoid from getting damaged in the engine bay
• 3M vinyl electrical tape - to wrap around the plastic wire protector
• Scotch Super Heavy Duty indoor/outdoor mounting tape - for mounting the solenoid, found it at Home Depot
• Zip ties

Start by prepping the solenoid.

You'll need to attach a stud ring to one wire and the 10amp fuse and ecu pin to the other. If you mount the solenoid close enough to the ECU, you can cut one of the leads in half and attach the inline fuse to each side of the wire. Attach the ECU pin to the same lead you attached the fuse to.

For the ECU pin, you have 2 options.

You can get some free from Hondata and crimp one to the lead on the solenoid directly. Example below:



If you're like me and you have an old Greddy PnP harness laying around, you can remove a pin from the harness and use that instead. I liked this option better because I'm never comfortable with crimping connections and would rather use something that's already been crimped professionally with the correct tool. It's simple enough to solder the lead from the Greddy harness to the lead on the solenoid.

To remove a pin from the Greddy harness, first pry upward on the white plastic surround upwards slightly to unlock the pins. You'll need a small sharp prying tool or screwdriver to remove the pin. Insert the tool from the ECU side of the connector and lift a sprung plastic catch while pulling on the wire from behind. Do not use much force on the wire, otherwise the pin will dig into the plastic catch and the pin will be very difficult to remove.



After you've removed the pin, cut the wire from it, strip the end with wire strippers and proceed to solder it to the lead on the solenoid

For the vacuum connections on the solenoid, you'll need to follow the directions with the solenoid based on whether you have an internal or external wastegate. Hondata's solenoid comes with a piece of paper that clearly defines how the connections should be setup based on your configuration.

Install the NPT fittings and filter in the orientation specified by Hondata. Be sure to wrap the threads with Teflon tape to help them seal securely.

Just a note of caution. I know it's said in the help file and everyone says to do it... but I must re-iterate. You MUST run the source for this off the manifold. DO NOT run it off the turbo outlet. The boost controller will overboost like a boss and be terribly inconsistent if you run it off the turbo outlet.

If you run it off the manifold, either from the PCV outlet or the brake booster outlet, it'll work beautifully!

Here are some pix of the different configuration for internal/external wastegates on the MAC style solenoid (Thanks to JO TECH for the pix!)

Internal Wastegate:


External Wastegate:



For use with an internal wastegate, it should look something like this when you're done (I hadn't installed the fuse yet when I took this pic, don't forget to do that!!!)




Now you need to prepare the ECU connector for the installation of the solenoid pin.

• Remove your battery
• Remove your ECU - pop the cover off (two tabs at the bottom), remove the three bolts, loosen the three harness clips and remove the plugs - be sure to set it somewhere that it won't be exposed to a static charge

On the ECU wire harness, you need to find connector B



The ECU pin will be inserted into pin B2. Connector B is grey on the ECU side, see it below.



Remove the wire shield on the back of the connector by prying upwards on it gently. Then find pin b2 and remove the yellow blank that's filling the whole in the connector.

Pry upward on the white plastic surround slightly to unlock the pins on the connector.

Route the wire for your ECU pin through the wire harness shields and insert it into connector B2.



IMPORTANT: Remember to push the white plastic surround back down to re-lock the pins in the connector.

Re-install the wire shield, re-install your ECU and battery.


Time to mount the solenoid.

I had to pull the cowl to get to the vacuum connections for my turbo, I'm assuming that just about anyone doing this will have to do the same.

I chose to mount the solenoid near the brake reservoir on an unused wire harness clip surface. This location gives you plenty of wire to reach the ECU without extending the wire on the solenoid. Also the bolt that holds the metal bracket to the body can be used as the ground for the solenoid, so it just ended up being a very convenient place to mount it.

You can see it in the picture below with part of the wire harness connected behind it.



I used this Scotch mounting tape combined with a couple zip ties as an added precaution. The mounting tape uses 3m's super heavy duty adhesive on two sides of a thin piece of foam. This dampens the solenoid from vibration just a bit and helps keep it from making noise when in operation (the solenoid can make a ticking or buzzing sound while in use).



At this point I installed the plastic wire protector sheathing on the wires for the solenoid and wrapped it with electrical tape.

Remove the bolt from the bracket and slip the stud ring through the bolt and re-attach it.

Solenoid in-place ready to have vacuum connections installed



Install your vacuum lines, be mindful of which port connects to which vacuum connections on your turbo kit.





Re-install your cowl, the hardware part of the install is done!

You can just barely see it hanging out under the cowl next to the brake reservoir.



* Thanks to Doug@Hondata for sending over a few photos of extracting/installing the ECU pins



Software Setup

Note: You must have a version of FlashPro Manager that is 1.1.4.0 or higher to use these features. If you have an older version, please update to the newest version from Hondata.com

EDIT: Several changes have been made to the Boost Control logic since it's release, please make sure you have at least version 1.1.4.5 before trying to use this system.

Hondata's boost control and boost by gear operate by controlling the duty cycle of the boost solenoid. Different duty cycles will hold different amounts of boost in each gear/rpm.

Hondata allows you to use their boost control in one of two modes.

1. Fixed Duty Cycle - Allows you to set a duty cycle for the solenoid to run at all the time. This basically simulates a stiffer wastegate spring.
   
2. Duty cycle by gear and rpm - Allows you to use the Boost Control duty lookup table to have fine grained control over your boost throughout the entire operating range of the car. This is what I'll be focusing on as that is where all the fun is.

Boost Cut

Hondata also added a Boost Cut feature to FlashPro Manager that you need to use in conjunction with Boost control for safety. We'll set that up first.

1. To get started, open your current calibration in FlashPro Manager.
2. Click the Calibration button to open the Calibration window.
3. Find Rev Limits in the list on the left and click on it.
4. Toward the bottom of the window on the right, you'll see a section for Boost Cut. Check the box for Boost cut enabled.
5. Next to the Boost cut pressure input box, click the dropdown and choose psi.
6. Click in the Boost cut pressure input box and type in a number that is at least .5 psi over the maximum pressure you plan to run on your car. This will give you some breathing room while programming.

*** Heed the warning below the Boost cut pressure box. If you don't have a Hondata 4bar MAP sensor, don't type a value in this box greater than 11psi. If you set it higher than that, the boost cut won't work properly and you could damage the engine if you overboost.


Enable boost control

1. In the Calibration window, click on Boost Control
2. Check the box next to Boost control enabled
3. Change the Boost control type drop down to "Duty cycle by gear and rpm"

EDIT: If using Hondata's solenoid with a low amount of boost (10-20 psi), use a very low value for the "Boost control frequency". Mike (Soxfan143) and I have found values from 15-20Hz to work best.

If the boost comes on too slowly on your car, slowly raise the frequency until you find a balance between the speed of onset vs duty cycle. Ideally you want to get your duty cycles above 50% for maximum stability.



Enable Live tuning



Now we need to enable live tuning on the boost tables and the fuel tables. I highly suggest you have the fuel tables enabled for live tuning while tuning your boost. As you raise the boost pressure in the upper rpms, you'll inevitably find that your fuel won't be optimal in certain areas. It's prudent to be prepared to fix the fuel in-between pulls so you don't have downtime and don't cut corners if you have a lean spot. You don't want to damage your engine doing this!


Defaults for Duty lookup table

For safety sake I suggest that you set all of the columns in the duty lookup table to 10%. Hondata has them at 25% by default, IMO this is too high as 25% is about 11psi on my setup. Every setup will get a different PSI at different duty cycles. So it's best to start low and figure out at which point the duty cycle raises the boost above the wastegate spring pressure.

1. Click on Calibration
2. Click on Boost Control
3. Click on Boost control duty lookup, this will open the duty lookup table
4. Select all of the rows/columns in the table, hit ctrl+j
5. In the Set selected values to field, enter 10 and click OK

You're done setting up the calibration for tuning your boost control. Save your calibration as a new name/revision. Always save new versions of your calibrations to avoid confusion with changes you make and the results/issues they bring.


Upload your Calibration and do some tuning

Connect your laptop to your FP and your FP to your car. Click the upload button in FPM to flash the prepared calibration to the car. When the upload is complete, start your car. Drive around until the car is full warmed up and then go somewhere that you can safely do a 3rd gear pull. Start a datalog and do the pull.



Pull over, stop the datalog and look at the Graph from the datalog. You'll want to look to see if you're making more boost than the wastegate spring yet. If not, add 5% to the duty cycles in 3rd gear and do another datalog/pull. Repeat this until you start to see the boost pressure rise (for me this was at 22%).

Once you know where the duty cycle of the boost solenoid starts to raise the boost pressure, raise the duty 1% at a time until you get a feel for how much boost pressure you get out of each percentage increase.

With an internally wastegated turbo, you'll find that you need the least amount of duty to make the most amount of boost in the mid-range. Then you'll have to increase the duty as the RPM's increase.

Continue to do pulls and datalogs, analyzing where the boost is dropping and adding duty to compensate until you have the boost curve you want.


Warnings

Be careful to keep an eye on the AFR and duty cycle of your injectors (not the duty of the solenoid) as you raise the boost pressure in the upper RPM.

It's common for lean spikes to occur since your Calibration may not be tuned for the amount of boost you'll be getting at the RPM you're at. Add fuel where necessary in-between runs. That's why you set the fuel tables up for live tuning earlier.

Be mindful of the duty cycle of your injectors. If this ever exceeds 90%, you need to back off on the boost for the safety of the engine. If you are hitting 90% at or below your desired boost level, it's time to upgrade the fuel system (Injectors, fuel pump, fuel return, etc.)

Keep an eye on your knock count as you raise the boost. If you are experiencing a few knocks, make sure that your AFR is solid in that range. If you continue to see them, either lower the boost or start pulling some ignition timing to compensate. Don't ignore knocks on a turbo car.


Results after tuning

Here's where I ended up with my duty lookup table. I kept the duty low in 1st and 2nd to help with traction and then opened it up in the gears past that. I also left 6th gear at low duty because I don't think it's wise to have a lot of boost in 6th gear for a daily driver due to the heavy load it places on the engine.



When you're done tuning, click the Live tuning icon and click Clear All. Save and re-upload your Calibration to the car. This will clear the live tuning logic from the ECU and save your values to the main ECU memory.

Have fun and happy boosting!

[JO TECH]

Wow great info but for future info guys, the external wastegage and the internal wastegage have diferent diagram like how you put the hoses in the selenoid is very easy
Thanks Jay for the info
I put a pic today

[PainIs4ThaWeak]

300whp/257wtq with:

Stock clutch
Stock catalytic converter
Stock cat back exhaust
Stock fuel pump
Stock fuel pressure regulator

[JO TECH]

External wastegage

Internal wastegage

[Alphi]

Best How-to/Review EVER! Very detailed...thanks!

[Swift Racing Technologies]

Excellent writeup Mucter! Very well written.

[Supa Ninja]

I'm ordering mine today. Awesome review jay!

[skinsfn36]

Wow. Insta-Sticky....great write-up, I just wish I could use it

[CrazyQuady]

sub'd

[Silversweet09]

Great sticky Jay!

[Tigre]

FYI the MAC solenoid that honda uses does not have the upgraded viton oring and internals to 90C temps. the standard solenoid only goes to 30C after that the function of the solenoid becomes semi erratic. Basically the hotter your engine bay the more the fluctuation in boost not to mention the life span of the solenoid itself is diminished.

[DaWhitesFG2]

Very thorough and self explanatory Mucter. It's newbie-proof!!

[mucter]

Originally Posted by JO TECH

Wow great info but for future info guys, the external wastegage and the internal wastegage have diferent diagram like how you put the hoses in the selenoid is very easy
Thanks Jay for the info
I put a pic today

Yeah I mentioned in the writeup that you need to follow the directions that come with the valve. Thanks for the photos though, can I add them to the original post?

[i-vtecz]

great write up

[I Vtec, do you?]

Quick question for you. I always thought a wastegate worked by physically keeping it closed and allowing the boost to be held, depending on how stiff the spring was set.

If that's the case, how does this accomplish the same thing (or even better) electronically?

[JO TECH]

Originally Posted by mucter

Yeah I mentioned in the writeup that you need to follow the directions that come with the valve. Thanks for the photos though, can I add them to the original post?

O sorry but yeah take the pics!!!

[mucter]

Originally Posted by I Vtec, do you?

Quick question for you. I always thought a wastegate worked by physically keeping it closed and allowing the boost to be held, depending on how stiff the spring was set.

If that's the case, how does this accomplish the same thing (or even better) electronically?

I'm a little fuzzy on all the terms around this, but I'll try to explain.

With an internal wastegate, there's a pressure differential you have to take into account. The spring is made to hold a certain amount of pressure. The boost pressure coming through the vacuum line acts against the spring to open it. But the exhaust gases on the turbine side are also pushing against the wastegate flapper. As the RPM's increase, so does the exhaust flow. This increase in pressure on the flapper combines with the boost pressure and causes the wastegate flapper to open slightly. This causes the drop in boost at high rpm.

The boost control solenoid lowers the pressure that reaches the wastegate actuator, thus canceling out the pressure differential. This allows the wastegate spring to operate much more efficiently and hold the flapper shut, thus increasing your boost efficiency. From what I've read, you can still only hold about twice the total boost pressure that your wastegate spring is rated for. Some of the really good EBC's are able to overcome that limitation to a certain extent. I'm not aware of whether Hondata's falls into this category or not.

Anyone else more schooled than me, please chime in on this if I'm wrong. I feel like a n00b with this stuff.

Originally Posted by JO TECH

O sorry but yeah take the pics!!!

No problem man, I'm glad to have the feedback. Thanks for the pics!

[Supa Ninja]

Originally Posted by Tigre

FYI the MAC solenoid that honda uses does not have the upgraded viton oring and internals to 90C temps. the standard solenoid only goes to 30C after that the function of the solenoid becomes semi erratic. Basically the hotter your engine bay the more the fluctuation in boost not to mention the life span of the solenoid itself is diminished.

I just learned something Tigre, do you have any recommendations, do they draw less then three amps?

Jay-thats what I understand it too. A EBC is really only good for double the WG actuator spring pressure. I have a 7 lb spring so up top its only good to about 14 psi.

[Radicalblackcivic]

man time to get that hondata boost solenoid. thanks for the write up

[Str8JDM]

so you say to start out at 10% duty and increase until you see it boost past the wastegate pressure, which was 22% on yours...so any % before 22% was boosting at the wastegate spring? whether it was 18%, 14%, or 10% it was still at the wastegate spring pressure?

i guess what im trying to say is that you cant boost any lower then the wastegate spring right?

btw, sick write up...makes me want to get this now