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For those with the Helix/Vortex spacer thingy

12K views 51 replies 26 participants last post by  FalKeen 
#1 ·
Funny thing happened to me this afternoon, I was cruising along, almost at my destination and experienced a loss of power. Looked at the dash and a light was flashing or lit up which normally isn't. Not good I thought. Tried to make it to a nearby carpark but no good, had to wait for someone and I slowed right down and the beast died on me. In a REALLY bad and awkward position. On go the hazards, which I don't remember ever using before and I'm spewin' but then I remember cars these days and especially these are pretty digital. So I started it up and she was fine, as is the case with a lot of running problems. Phew, parked, did my stuff and got back to work.

I looked up the fault and it was the light for the throttle and it of course said to see your dealer asap. I happen to be going to the dealer on Monday so I rang my service guy when I got back to let him know to expect this issue.

Of course they know my car and straight away I'm reminded that "you've modified your throttle body" cause I have the Herrods Helix spacer. I'm hugely sure that the spacer has nothing to do with it and the problem may never even happen again but they mention the letter Ford sent out about modified cars recently, blah, blah, blah.

What kind of simple mod is the Helix spacer? It's a GOOD one, it's not like I stuffed a sock up there and now am having trouble. Anyway, I've had mine in since early Feb I think, for those that one one I'm just wondering if you've ever had that throttle light come up and how long you've had it. Hell, if you don't have one and the light has come up, that would be good to know.

Thanx

Vic
 
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#2 ·
I am sure it wouldn't have anything to do with the helix. I did read a while back that the drive by wire throttle bodies on the BAs did have a few problems......and I am sure it was on a XR8...Some guys experianced stalling and some just no throttle.
 
#3 ·
My young blokes BA V8 hads the light coming on so I rang ford and its the fly by wire thingy, the car is very snappy to drive, its stalling or its smoking the bags, you cant drive smoothly, so its going for warranty soon.....Hope this helps......
 
#4 ·
I'm sure it's the not the Helix too, but it's the first thing they'll blame. Maybe an ECU flash? Mine is from October and hasn't been done before as far as I know....

I've just remembered I've got after market air in my tyres, I'll have to ask Rod how he gets any warranty work done....ha ha...
 
#6 ·
The wires going to the throttle bodie are fairly tight so you have to make shore that there is enough room when you put the spacer in, I've got about 1" of slack AFTER putting the spacer in
 
#7 ·
Vic,

Mine has done what you discribed once and only once in the 2500km I've done so far. At time I had no idea what the problem was, but it went away immediately and has not done it since. Ford said that the car will get 'flashed' at the 3k service, which will address this issue. The point is, I have NO spacer so I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with it.
 
#8 ·
Genebaby said:
I'm sure it's the not the Helix too, but it's the first thing they'll blame. Maybe an ECU flash? Mine is from October and hasn't been done before as far as I know....

I've just remembered I've got after market air in my tyres, I'll have to ask Rod how he gets any warranty work done....ha ha...

greetings All
i dont belive they can void your warranty for having a helix spacer fitted to your car

the only way they can void your warranty is if the part that has been fitted HAS CAUSED the fault

as for warranty if you are worried about it it's simple dont modify it

regards
rod
 
#9 ·
Greetings Rodney, I was joking!!!! It's typical of Ford (and most manufacturers I guess) to jump on anything first to avoid helping you out with warranty. "So your stock suspension is falling apart? Is that aftermarket air in your tyres? I'm sorry, you've modified your car far too much, no suspension fix for you"...lol.....

Thanx for the responses guys. I figured it would more than likely not happen again, don't want to take my spacer off for a few years to make sure all is ok!....ha ha...
 
#10 ·
I had this problem on my ute when it was about 4 months old, the orange throttle warning light was coming on. The car wasnt behaving any differently, but the light was on. The dealer looked at it and the fault was within the throttle module which inluded the whole pedal unit. It was replaced immediately

Have fitted a helix since then and have been no problems whatsover. One thing that the helix did do, was stop the erratic idle particularly when cold. Gives a good noticeable increase to acceleration at low revs too
 
#11 ·
shane3 said:
The wires going to the throttle bodie are fairly tight so you have to make shore that there is enough room when you put the spacer in, I've got about 1" of slack AFTER putting the spacer in
Hey shane, I noticed you spelt sure like this ---> "shore"

Wasn't it you that said something about spelling in another thread. :wnc:

Don't worry, i'm only taking a quick dig. Now i'm goign back to the books to study electronics.

Paul
 
#12 ·
I tink a men's aloud won spilleng erra - giv hem a brake!

Vic - maybe if you painted the Helix spacer red, it would be camouflaged by the rest of the engine. Stick it to Ford on the warranty thing - there's no way the mods to the throttle bits could affect the throttle - no way at all!
 
#13 ·
What kan i say i droped outa skool at 15 (in "93" i was involved in a motorcycle accident and had some memory loss....I think !) I should start useing Microsoft Word more often !!!!
 
#14 ·
:edit: Well, this is getting more fun now. Went for a 5 minute drive to get a card for Mothers day (I know, I know, last minute, but these things happen) and came back. Went for another 5 minute drive for lunch and car stalls and dies quietly in the car park. Start her back up and park, all ok.

3hrs later we are giving my brother a lift home and embarrassingly the car keeps stalling when I start it. Resort to revving it a bit and off we go. Car is a bit surgy on the trip and is respondig very weird but no throttle light.

On our way home again back comes the throttle light and the car dies a sad death. We wait and start her up and she does move and then starts to die again. We coast to the lights and put on the hazards. People beep and laugh at the BA XR8 that can't move.

We waited a whole light cycle to try again and the car won't go above 40 but it's moving, I think it's in limp home mode. Then the throttle light is back and she slows down some more but keeps moving and eventually we get back, happy to be home.

The car has been great until this, even the handbrake works on this one. Ford is only 4mins from home at this time so it should make it there tomorrow morning I hope.
 
#19 ·
casrms1450 said:
What is a Helix Spacer ? HiClone type device ?
Yes, it causes a cyclone effact, condencing the air and mixing the fuel better, I've had mine in for 2 days and can tell there is a differance in the way the car responds, especially from 2000rpm up, it seems best from 2600rpm up in 2nd gear (sports mode auto) and it gets to 6000 very fast.
There is a little whistle when you give it a boot, but only for a second.
 
#20 ·
shane3 said:
Yes, it causes a cyclone effact, condencing the air and mixing the fuel better, I've had mine in for 2 days and can tell there is a differance in the way the car responds, especially from 2000rpm up, it seems best from 2600rpm up in 2nd gear (sports mode auto) and it gets to 6000 very fast.There is a little whistle when you give it a boot, but only for a second.
You guys are joking right? A little plastic block with whizzy wings in it, sitting outside the plenum chamber, is going to do anything for turbulence or inlet flow? If you understood the dynamics of a multirunner pulse tuned inlet manifold like the Boss has, you would know that the stillest volume of air for the engine to feed from is the best.

What next? Snake oil for the engine?
 
#23 ·
Street Tuner said:
You guys are joking right? A little plastic block with whizzy wings in it, sitting outside the plenum chamber, is going to do anything for turbulence or inlet flow? If you understood the dynamics of a multirunner pulse tuned inlet manifold like the Boss has, you would know that the stillest volume of air for the engine to feed from is the best.

What next? Snake oil for the engine?
If someone is going to come on here and shitcan a product and other's, they should be able to explain their reasonoing, Tell us in your expert opinion why you don't believe in the spacer?.
 
#24 ·
Ok, lets look at the Boss inlet system in some detail then
It consists of 8 equally lengthed and spaced inlet runners, curled over at the ends (to maintain optimum length without needing an even taller bonnet bulge) all feeding from a common plenum chamber.

The job of the plenum chamber is to act as an air reservoir for the inlet system, and allow a single throttle body to control the air supply to the eight individual inlet runners.

Under wide open throttle - how you test the engine on a dyno - there is a phenomena that exists in each runner that dictates the inlet air charge will pulse, and bounce up and down the runner at a given frequency (dictated by how fast the engine is opening and closing the inlet valve...which is in itself a function of engine rpm)

Manifold designers optimise the inlet runner design to give a resonant frequency at a certain point in the engine rev range that promotes most effective cylinder filling. By having a variable length manifold (like the BA 182kw six), they can make a coupe of these points across the rev range.

As the air moves up and down in the runner in column form, whether it is swirling, or has had a minor amount of swirl imparted on it at the plenum opening is neither here nor there. Its has no effect on the engines cylinder fill index, or the resonant freqeuncy of the inlet runner.

Primarily these swirl devices were made for poorly designed, old fashioned carburetted engines that had terrible fuel atomisation problems due to bad manifold layout. None of which applies to a Boss engine with an excellent inlet manifold, and an injector that sits directly behind the inlet valve head.

Hope this helps explain my thoughts.
 
#25 ·
nothing to do with your helix spacer,i have seen this problem heaps of times & it is either throttle body concern Or one of the potentiometers on the throttle pedal has failed causing the light to come on,i work at a dealer,which is a Herrod distributor & Ford cannot void warranty on fitment of throttle spacer-tell them to get stuffed & loosen up!
 
#26 ·
Street Tuner said:
You guys are joking right? A little plastic block with whizzy wings in it, sitting outside the plenum chamber, is going to do anything for turbulence or inlet flow? If you understood the dynamics of a multirunner pulse tuned inlet manifold like the Boss has, you would know that the stillest volume of air for the engine to feed from is the best.

The Herrod Helix Block (not the plastic with whizzy wings kind that you refer to)
sits between the throttle body and the inlet tract, that creates high turbulence of air, it is beneficial to have a vortex flow,this forces the intake air as fast as possible into the cylinders. This increases the turbulence and mixes the fuel with the air better.
 
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