1995 3000GT VR-4: ERL Aquamist 2s Water Injection Installation

These instructions apply to a 1995 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4, but are easily transferable to any model/year of turgocharged 3000GT or Dodge Stealth.

Note that this page does not contain every detail of the installation process. This is primarily because much of this work is completely decided by personal preference and the other components you already have installed in your car. This page's intent is to outline the major steps involved and provide one example of how to install a water injection system. If something is unclear or you'd like more specific details, please feel free to contact me either via e-mail or via the Team3S mailing list.



The Procedure

Raise and Support Front of Car
 
  Support the car with jack stands or something sturdy that allows both of the front wheels to be off of the ground. You probably won't need to get under the car, but it never hurts to make sure you properly support the car.

 

Remove Front Corner Lamps
 
  There's a little philips screw on the leading edge - remove that and the lamp assembly just pops out.

 

Remove Headlamps
 
  There are three 10mm bolts on the top side and one in the space normally covered by the corner lamp.

 

Remove Active Aero Dam
 
  If you have a '97+ VR-4 or a Stealth, you just need to remove your undercovers. For a refresher on removing the aero dam, you can look at the Front Active Aero Dam Removal page.

 

Remove Wheel Well Inner Splash Guards
 
  Remove the front splash guards - they're held in by those annoying little plastic screw-in clips.

 

Remove Front Facia (Bumper Cover)
 
  Remove all the little 10mm bolts along the front edge of the hood and headlight buckets. Then get the 10mm bolts inside the corner lamp area (go in from the wheel well with a long extension). Unclip the fascia from the plastic tray below the radiator tray.

 

Remove Front Bumper Support
 
  There are eight 12mm bolts that hold the front bumper support to the brackets. After you remove them, you can remove the support.

 

Assemble Water Tank
 


  I chose to plug the hole where the OEM pump sits and drill a hole in the side of the tank for the outlet hose. This allows the level of that hole to be a little lower. I used a fluid level sensor from a USDM 3000GT's washer fluid tank to fit in the sensor hole. If you choose not to use a sensor, just plug the hole securely. Since I did use a sensor, I extended the harness with some 18ga wire and plugged it in to the harness where the washer fluid sensor normally plugs in. Therefore the OEM washer fluid light on my dash now reports the level in my water tank and not the washer fluid level. One day I may splice both sensors into the same harness so the light will indicate low fluid in either tank. The lower 6 pictures (concrete background) show my first attempt at the tank. Note the extra upper fitting - this is a refill connection in case I ever want to rig up a larger tank somewhere else and have it automagically refill the front tank when necessary.

 

Test-Fit Tank
 
  Place the tank on the front bumper support and position as necessary to have the fill neck protrude near the hood latch. Mark the position of the two tank mounting holes on the bumper support - this is where you'll need to drill and tap holes to securely mount the tank.

 

Dril/Tap Holes And Mount Tank
 
  Drill and tap holes for whatever bolts you'd like to use. I picked up some stainless steel bolts, nuts and lockwashers from Home Depot to secure the tank.

 

Remove Radiator Shroud
 
  Remove the radiator shroud in preparation for mounting the water pump.

 

Mount Water Pump
 
  I chose to mount the water pump on the back side of the bumper support, between the bumper support and the radiator. If you have a front-mount intercooler, this location may not be for you. I chose this location because it keeps the pump lower than the lowest level of water in the tank and it's about a close to the tank as you can get. Both of these things will help the pump keep its prime and not get air bubbles in the inlet hose. This location also makes the inlet and outlet lines fairly accessible and allows the heat sink for the pump to get some significant airflow when the car is in motion. The pump is also hidden from view. The Dynamatt you see there is because I had some scraps lying around and I know that the pump generates a lot of noise and vibration when it operates. The Dynamat should keep the pump from using the bumper support as a sounding board.

 

Trim Radiator Shroud
 
  Using this location requires trimming the radiator shroud where the pump is located. Try to make this fit the outline of the pump as closely as possible to make sure that airflow is still directed through the radiator rather than upward inside the bumper cover.

 

Mount Pump, Tank and Bumper Support
 
  If you've got all you water lines and electrical connections accessible, it's time to replace the bumper support and bolt it, the pump, and the tank onto the car for the (hopefully) final time.

 

Test Fluid Level Sensor
 
  Connect a continutity tester (ohmmeter) to the sensor harness and slowly fill the tank with water. With an empty tank, the meter should show continuity. When it reaches a certain level, it should stop showing continuity. At this point, you can see how much water will be left in the tank when the light on your dash comes on. The black dashed line on the side of the tank is where the sensor will light up the warning light on my car. Note that this step also lets you check the tank and fittings for leaks, which you should do before you replace the front fascia.

 

Route Electrical and Water Lines Into Engine Bay
 
  At this point, you should route the electrical wires for the pump and level sensor along the bumper support and into the engine bay. I routed them through the opening at the passenger's side of the radiator. Secure the lines with zip ties, and do the same for the water line(s). Shown is the location I chose for the relay that provides power to the water pump.

 

Connect and Mount Injection Manifold
 
  The ERL instructions state how to wire and plumb the injection manifold. I chose to mount it in the location shown.

 

Drill and Tap Y-pipe
 

  You'll need to mount the sensor in the y-pipe somewhere. I was successful in tapping the y-pipe with the ERL-provided tap and securing the nozzle with a hose clamp as shown. To be sure of mounting depth and my ability to tap the plastic correctly, I practiced on the white section of PVC pipe shown in the first 3 pictures. On my second attempt, I decided to attach a small aluminum plate to the side of the y-pipe with some silicone and some hose clamps. I then drilled and tapped this aluminum plate to make a secure mounting location for the nozzle.

 

Find a Place To Run Wiring
 
  Some of the wires for the MF2 controller need to be routed into the interior of the car. I used a small piece of plastic tubing to serve as a guide to feed the wires through the OEM grommet as shown. Basically, you just shove the plastic tube through the grommet, pass the wires easily through the tubing, and then pull the tubing out from the interior of the car.

 

Mount and Connect MAP Sensor
 
  The ERL MF2 controller needs a 0-5V signal for boost mapping if you choose to use this function. I purchased a GM 3-bar MAP sensor (P/N: 16040749) from Flow Chevrolet for about $50. Pin A is +5V, Pin B is the MAP signal output, and Pin C is ground (+0V). I mounted it to the top of the fuel injector resistor box near the wiper motor.

 

Connect RPM Wire to ECU Output
 
  Figure out which ECU pin is your engine speed (a.k.a. engine ignition signal) output, and tap this wire for the MF2 RPM input. For my 1995 VR-4, it's pin 58 of connector C-90, and the wire is white.

 

Mount MF2 Controller
 
  For now it's mounted here until I figure out where I'm gonna stick it permanently.

 

Mount Indicator LEDs
 
  I chose to replace the yellow LED that ERL provides with a pair of super-bright red ones. I have 5 LEDs mounted in the panel as shown - the green (dim) one indicates system power; the red ones on the sides are the warning/fault lights; ande the two LEDs between the center green one and the red ones are blue and are powered by the injection solenoid signal. Thus the blue ones are only on when the system is actively injecting water. The panel that the LEDs are mounted to is just a small piece of plexiglass with holes drilled in the back. The back is also painted black to maximize contrast when the LEDs are lit.

 

Set Up Water Injection Map
 
  Here is a graphical representation of the mapping I'm currently using in my VR-4. Note that the minimum boost required for water injection to start is 7psi, so no injection occurs below that threshold. The second chart shows only the regions I plan to use in my car: 0-7500RPM and 0-20psi.

 




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Last Modified Tue Jun 15 2004 18:39:57 Pacific Daylight Time