DarkHorseRacing
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- Jun 14, 2014
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Hi all, a question for those of you with TCM 1200 engines. This one is a 2018 quad rotor not the newer single 5.0 whipple. Trying to start the engine and had the throttle cracked open about halfway, and after several seconds it backfires hard (like popped the engine cover up hard). We got the engine started after that but now its way down on power, and doesn't seem to be making the boost it was before that.
So my question is, on a backfire with the whipple's, can a backfire cause damage to something that would keep the engine from making boost properly? I was thinking of burst panels or something but dont see any.
If not, then my second possibility is the batteries were very low when trying to start the engine, and maybe the engine ECU got messed up or lost its program. We did wind up replacing the batteries because the volt gauge wouldn't go above 12 with the engine running initially. Now after the replacements volts is about 12.5 and then goes to 14 with some rpm. I do see the volts drop under 10 though when cranking the engine. Batteries are Odyssey AGM 31-PC2150's. Two on one side of the battery switch and one on the other. Doesn't make a difference whether the switch is on 1 or 2.
Engine starts and idles normally after the backfire (and the battery replacements), but then won't spin much over 2,500 in forward, though you put it in neutral I can rev it past 5K. Engine is making boost in idle, its about 0 on the boost gauge but anything above that doesn't go further than like 5-6 PSI, when it should be higher. Also the exhaust note sounds different at higher rpm than it was prior (not as loud, less deep rumble).
Thoughts?
So my question is, on a backfire with the whipple's, can a backfire cause damage to something that would keep the engine from making boost properly? I was thinking of burst panels or something but dont see any.
If not, then my second possibility is the batteries were very low when trying to start the engine, and maybe the engine ECU got messed up or lost its program. We did wind up replacing the batteries because the volt gauge wouldn't go above 12 with the engine running initially. Now after the replacements volts is about 12.5 and then goes to 14 with some rpm. I do see the volts drop under 10 though when cranking the engine. Batteries are Odyssey AGM 31-PC2150's. Two on one side of the battery switch and one on the other. Doesn't make a difference whether the switch is on 1 or 2.
Engine starts and idles normally after the backfire (and the battery replacements), but then won't spin much over 2,500 in forward, though you put it in neutral I can rev it past 5K. Engine is making boost in idle, its about 0 on the boost gauge but anything above that doesn't go further than like 5-6 PSI, when it should be higher. Also the exhaust note sounds different at higher rpm than it was prior (not as loud, less deep rumble).
Thoughts?