Stand Alone ECU Discussion

[Sid_RallyX_82]

I've been considering a stand alone system, so I figured I ought to know what kind of things will be in this Pandora's Box that I'll be getting myself into. Basically I've heard that MegaSquirt is very simple and easy to use but that also means quite basic, but I've seen it around here so I take it that it's enough intricacy for our cars? What about some of the other systems? A friend of mine told me his boss, Jim Pierce, was quite impressed by Haltech, from Australia. I'm pretty much looking for pros and cons of systems you've personally used. I'm not exactly sure how i want to use the system, but it will most likely be on a B3, in which case I would mostly just want to bring up the redline to ~6-6.5 and retune the hard parts to compliment that, probably sacrificing a little fuel economy for a little more power. Thanks guys

[shorestiva]

I prefer megasquirt since its widely used especially in the miata world so there is plenty of support for it. There are many different varieties of megasquirt. Each one is capable of doing different things but just about all of them will be more than capable of handling a b3. I think stratified still offers and plug and play setup for a escort gt which has a identical plug and pin layout as a 90 and up festiva. I've heard good things about haltech and it's gotten more popular in the US lately but it doesn't have that much support.

[mikemounlio]

I have a full EVO kit from carlos i could sell you. You kinda gotta have Carlos remote tune it for you. All you would need in a bp dissy to make it work. I think they even have nice little caps you can buy to make it look good now.

anyway i run an evo kit on my car overkill. They work but they dont have all the bells and gadgets. It just runs the car on a map sensor.

[chrisofna]

I was going to get a Fueltech but they discontinued the model I was going to get. I want to go standalone on my B6T eventually because I feel like the stock electronics leave a lot to be desired.

[mikemounlio]

I was going to get a Fueltech but they discontinued the model I was going to get. I want to go standalone on my B6T eventually because I feel like the stock electronics leave a lot to be desired.

The kit i was talking about was bought for this very reason! I wanted to go big turbo. I got the kit to do just that but then i have switched the build up. Im now going built bp. I will take the car to FL to have it tunned in person by the man himself. Im gonna go with a better unit this this one. So its up for grabs if you want it.

[blake4591]

I would recommend the megasquirtV2/ microsquirt. Either would easily run a B6T and they are simple enough that you can learn tuning on them without having a bunch of bells and whistles you don't actually need. I use a micosquirt on my 2.3 lima turbo and it has never given me problems.

[chrisofna]

I would recommend the megasquirtV2/ microsquirt. Either would easily run a B6T and they are simple enough that you can learn tuning on them without having a bunch of bells and whistles you don't actually need. I use a micosquirt on my 2.3 lima turbo and it has never given me problems.

https://www.diyautotune.com/product/microsquirt-engine-management-system-w-8-39-wiring-harness/

Like this set-up? It's pretty cheap and looks to be a good set-up.

[RdstrBlk]

megasquirt user chiming in - used for n/a and turbo applications

get it, learn it, and love it - it's a lot to learn but just read read read

for cheaper alternatives, people have made their own ECUs using arduino/rasbpi

What is your application?

[ryanprins13]

You want it to increase the redline on a stock b3? Have you hit the rev limiter on the engine you plan to do this to?
I havent tried it on my new festiva but on my old one when my cheap princess auto tachometer got above 7000rpm the engine would sound really weird like it was drowning. Maybe the valves were floating or something. Anyway, i revved it higher than i wanted to or should have several times and never hit a rev limiter. People tell me it has one though, lol.
What else did you plan to do? Adjust afr?

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[blake4591]

https://www.diyautotune.com/product/...iring-harness/

Like this set-up? It's pretty cheap and looks to be a good set-up.

Yeah that is what I'm using. I'll warn you that you're still going to need a wide band, some type of fuse box and it'll take some time to get everything wired. Most people seem to forget all that additional stuff when looking at ECUs. Also, the microsquirts only work with low impedance injectors. I don't know what the factory B3 injectors are but you'll need to confirm that thy are compatible with the mircosquirt.

[w4rkry]

You want it to increase the redline on a stock b3? Have you hit the rev limiter on the engine you plan to do this to?
I havent tried it on my new festiva but on my old one when my cheap princess auto tachometer got above 7000rpm the engine would sound really weird like it was drowning. Maybe the valves were floating or something. Anyway, i revved it higher than i wanted to or should have several times and never hit a rev limiter. People tell me it has one though, lol.
What else did you plan to do? Adjust afr?

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

Stock EFI car in ther US has a limiter around 6200 RPM depending how accurate your Tach is. I think the Carb cars didn't have a limiter, but don't quote me

[chrisofna]

Yeah that is what I'm using. I'll warn you that you're still going to need a wide band, some type of fuse box and it'll take some time to get everything wired. Most people seem to forget all that additional stuff when looking at ECUs. Also, the microsquirts only work with low impedance injectors. I don't know what the factory B3 injectors are but you'll need to confirm that thy are compatible with the mircosquirt.

Are you sure about the injector thing? I just found this on the Microsquirt FAQ:

"Your MicroSquirt® EFI controller will limit the injector current to ~5 Amps per driver. This may be too much for the injectors, especially if you only have one or two low-impedance injectors per driver. High-impedance injectors (i.e. injectors that have a DC resistance of more than 10 Ohms) will not flow more than ~1 Amp at any time, so they do not need any additional current limiting. Low-impedance injectors (< 3 Ohms) can flow up to 15 Amps if not limited, and this will burn them up. To do this, use a 5 to 8 ohm resistor (with a 20 to 25 watt rating) in series with each injector."

I would probably be using my old 440s out of my Cressida (Supra Injectors) which are low impedance, but it sounds like anything would work with the right resistor.

[theastronaut]

Stock EFI car in ther US has a limiter around 6200 RPM depending how accurate your Tach is. I think the Carb cars didn't have a limiter, but don't quote me

My carb'd '88 has seen 7,000 rpm, in first gear, downhill. So I'd agree that there's no limiter lol. There's really no need to spin it over 6,000, they don't make any power up top. Maybe the EFI cars pull better past 5,000 rpm, but mine gets choked up and drops power after 5000-5500. It struggles to hit 6000 in second gear, and it's pretty much impossible to hit 6k in third.

I'd swap in a B6d; it'll bolt up to your trans, makes double the HP, they do 7,200 rpms stock (in Miata trim), they make power all the way up to redline, and it's cheaper than any stand alone system.

[w4rkry]

I can hit the limiter in 3rd pretty easy in my EFI, and I would agree that there isn't a ton of extra power that high

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[Sid_RallyX_82]

You want it to increase the redline on a stock b3? Have you hit the rev limiter on the engine you plan to do this to?
I havent tried it on my new festiva but on my old one when my cheap princess auto tachometer got above 7000rpm the engine would sound really weird like it was drowning. Maybe the valves were floating or something. Anyway, i revved it higher than i wanted to or should have several times and never hit a rev limiter. People tell me it has one though, lol.
What else did you plan to do? Adjust afr?

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

I'm one of "Those Guys" who wants to see what they can make out of a B3, for 3 reasons:
1, Self gratification. I want to show myself that I can take something and make it "better" (by my own standards, of course better is relative.
2, It's what I have. I already have too many engines in my garage. If I get ANOTHER project before finishing what I have, my dad will strangle me.
3, I live in California, where the air is pure and the emissions regulations are smothering. I can get away with using the stock block and heads and changing internals.

My general plan is to change a few things to put some power back in the top end and use a standalone to compensate for lost fuel economy and enhance power