XF Fairmont build advice, trans and ECU questions

[Mattmannz]

Hi all. Have been a member here for a long time but haven't posted in a number of years. For some reason my member name is now imported_mattmannz - not sure how that happened!

Anyway, time for a new project for me. I sold my heavily modified Soarer about a year ago which at various times had an M90, R154 plus all the other usual bits and bobs.

I am now looking at doing a build on an XF Ford. I used to have one of these about 20 years ago and loved it. They are quite light at around 1350kg and have a good sized engine bay so in my mind make a good candidate.

I have a tight budget for this and am looking to transplant a stock 1UZ with auto and factory loom and ECU. I want to avoid cost wherever possible and also retain the full factory look and feel which includes fully auto trans control.

As the XF is a live rear axle I need either a slip shaft or a trans without a fixed yoke. Also a front sump motor is preferred as that will get me the closest to clearing the steering and crossmembers etc.

Also as I want to run stock ECU and retain full auto mode on the trans I need to be able to ensure the ECU receives the speed sensor signal from the trans correctly.

My experience with 1UZ's has been limited to my Soarer and prior to that a pre modded 1UZ Hilux 4wd so I am a little uncertain as to what combinations of sump, trans and speedo signal/ecu are available to suit my needs. I have done a ton of reading on here but can't find all the answers I am looking for so hopefully someone can help me out.

With my Soarer the speed signal for the ECU came from the dash which was fed from the trans. As the Ford doesn't have the ability to do this I am hoping to find a stock ecu setup that allows the trans to feed the ECU directly without requiring any intermediary. I also will need to speed sensor outputs so that I can drive the stock dash speedo which is electrically driven.

As I also need a slip joint in the trans I am hoping that I can find a trans/ecu setup that allows me to do these two things, and preferably in a front sump config.

I know I can swap the sump setup around without much drama if I can't get a front sump, and I can also get a driveshaft built with a slip joint on it if necessary so I guess my primary requirement is the speed signal output to the stock ECU unless there is a better/easier way of doing this and retaining the full auto control.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Cheers
Matt.

 

[George_R]

you will never find factory 1uz with slip trans joint, however you may source a340 from jzx90/jzx100 chaser and use some of its internals to modify 1uz factory transmission (that's regarding non vvti engine)

 

[Mattmannz]

Thanks for the reply George.

Probably easier to get a modified output flange that Gloverman sells and run a Hilux driveshaft which has a slip joint and get a falcon end put on it.

Cheers
Matt

 

[George_R]

sure! I always put modified flanges, mate fabricates them to accept volvo 2-piece driveshaft with telescopic piece on the rear end

 

[Mattmannz]

That's interesting George.

Do you know if most of the auto trans have two speed sensors?

Cheers
Matt

 

[George_R]

olny very first transmissions do, probably 1989-1992ish
I fabricate adjustable speedo adapters for the reluctor type sensor (one that's common across all 1uz's), and never use the hall type one

 

[Mattmannz]

Thanks again George.

So if I need to feed both the speedo cluster which doesn't have an output, and also the ecu from a single speed sensor what are my options?

Can the signal be split?

Cheers
Matt.

 

[George_R]

The signal can be split but you'll likely to run into trouble unless you know exactly what you're doing. The splitting device must not interfere with ECU circuitry (most importantly it must not drop signal level or DC bias point) , AND it must correct sensor's pulses per km

p/s one guy in Adelaide has my speedo corrector, you may try it if you like

 

[Mattmannz]

Thanks George. Does your corrector split the signal?

 

[George_R]

Yes it does. More exactly, its input is connected in parallel to one of the wires from sensor to ecu, and it's designed so as not to introduce any sort of interference to ecu functionality

I think there must be other speedo correctors around that present the same level of functionality as mine, but most often it's trial and error way to choose the right one, while mine can be borrowed for free

 

[Mattmannz]

Great. Does it also include a corrector or modifier so that I can translate the signal into the Ford speedo or would I need to build a seperate unit for that?

What are these worth to buy if they are available? My build is a way off yet as I don't have a donor car yet!

Thanks for all the help.

Cheers
Matt.

 

[George_R]

Of corse, corrector is its main purpose. With current firmware, it can run standard JZX90/100 cluster, or some generic European cluster like one from Mercedes or Volvo. I haven't tried it with too many speedometers, but it's fairly easy to add yet unknown one to support list. In addition it allows stepless screw adjustment to +-50% within selected range. Price is $65usd plus shipping. The device in Adelaide can be regarded as sample as its owner surely won't run it in near future due to mechanical problems.

 

[Mattmannz]

Excellent. Thanks a lot. Will be in touch.

Cheers
Matt

 

[gloverman]

Slip joint trans are only from the really early 131 crowns and I would not recommend running one of them. Much better to use one of my flanges as you said.

As for engine choice I think you will find a Non VVti UCF20 would work best as it only needs the single speed input from the gearbox and doesnt need the second input from a dash cluster. It has a 4 pulse per revolution square wave signal from the ECU to trigger the speedometer. This may need adjusting for your application. Other wise you can fit a 10 series tail shaft to the box which will allow the fitting of an electronic speedo drive down there. Alot of Customers purchase their engine from my supplier and it is shipped to me for wiring/prep etc and then to them for fitting. Also has a front sump

Personally I would be using a 20 series VVti engine. Front sump , 5 speed auto and go much better and often work out very well on price at the end of the job as they are newer with alot less issues than the older stuff but have their own little set of conversion requirements.

 

[Mattmannz]

Thanks for the advice Gloverman, much appreciated.

I wouldn't mind the better auto and slightly greater power with the vvti setup. I have seen a few non security motors for sale which should be straight forward to wire up.

Cheers
Matt.