TECH: FUEL SYSTEM UPGRADE
Scotty throws a new fuel system in our 1Jzpowered Volvo in the quest for 10s
WHEN it comes to performance fuel systems, too much is never enough. We’re not talking about running your engine fat and lazy in the tune-up, but we are talking about fuel system capacity, and take it from us, more is definitely better.
Of course, there are limits to everything. After all, there’s no need to run four big EFI pumps on a naturally aspirated smallblock, but generally you will want more fuel capacity than your engine needs.
We ran into this issue with the Carnage Trolvo recently. For those who aren’t familiar, the Trolvo is a 1983 Volvo 240 sedan that we bought cheap as an unfinished project. It came with a few bits and pieces, such as an intercooler and new-in-box fuel pump, but the part we liked best was the twin-turbo Toyota 1JZ-GTE engine under the bonnet. It took us a little while to puzzle through some wiring and transmission issues, but with a Haltech Elite 2000 ECU and a Turbo 400 transmission from Allfast Converters in Perth, we got the Volvo up and running.
To get the car sorted initially, we used the Deatschwerks DW200 fuel pump that came with the car, and fitted that to a brand new fuel tank. We also added a Bosch 044-style Raceworks pump in-line, but ditched that after the first dyno session when it was discovered that the 044-style pump didn’t like being fed high-pressure fuel. The little in-tank DW200 was capable of moving 255 litres per hour, which was enough to see 289rwkw (390rwhp) on the dyno at Maxx Performance.
We were pushing the limits of the fuel system on the dyno, and when we hit the track and introduced g-forces to the equation, the system started to show its weaknesses. As always, while dyno testing is good, it’s the real-world track testing that sorts out the men from the boys.
Which brings us to this point. The Trolvo needs a new fuel system if we’re going to see this Swedish sleeper run 10s at the track, and we’ve got a great big box of Raceworks pumps, lines and fittings to help make that happen. Time for some upgrades!