ECU 430 BV or not??

[67Fox]

I have read many a threads on this BV or not BV subject.
But I was thinking maybe some clever person on here (not me) might be able to look at these photos of my ECU to determine if the ECU has a code of colour etc.. to tell if it was a BV or not?
Any ideas?
Oh, I have a 93' 430 (BV?)

[davep]

Jason has written 4.3 BV on the ECU label, so it's reasonable to assume that TVR made some attempt at mapping your car as a 4.3 BV. One way to accurately determine which tuning/mapping you have is to check the tune resistor value (more than likely to be White for Fuel Map 5 if the car has Cats), then connect RoverGauge and copy down the PROM contents for evaluation. For more information see this website:

http://www.stevesprint.com/remap-14cux/LR-TVR-sett...

and

http://www.stevesprint.com/remap-14cux/bins

Note SteveSprint's request for a 430 CAT (BV even better) tune!

Edited by davep on Wednesday 27th May 11:16

[Chuffmeister]

Original sales invoice/ documentation that came with the car. Failing that, I should imagine heads off/ inlet manifold off to be certain. The ECU gives the impression it is a BV, but a bit of black marker could have easily seen to that in order to increase previous sales values... if you catch my drift Also, it wouldn't surprise me if TVR just chucked on the first ECU they had to hand.

I'm, not sure whether you can check this using a borescope. I hope it turns out positive as they're a rare car.

[67Fox]

davep said:

Jason has written 4.3 BV on the ECU label, so it's reasonable to assume that TVR made some attempt at mapping your car as a 4.3 BV. One way to accurately determine which tuning/mapping you have is to check the tune resistor value (more than likely to be White for Fuel Map 5 if the car has Cats), then connect RoverGauge and copy down the PROM contents for evaluation. For more information see this website:

http://www.stevesprint.com/remap-14cux/LR-TVR-sett...

and

http://www.stevesprint.com/remap-14cux/bins

Note SteveSprint's request for a 430 CAT (BV even better) tune!

Edited by davep on Wednesday 27th May 11:16

Thanks for the info Dave.
If /when I can get roverguage I could download the ECU map for Steve.
Where should I look for the "tuning resistor" (value) exactly?

[67Fox]

Chuffmeister said:

Original sales invoice/ documentation that came with the car. Failing that, I should imagine heads off/ inlet manifold off to be certain. The ECU gives the impression it is a BV, but a bit of black marker could have easily seen to that in order to increase previous sales values... if you catch my drift Also, it wouldn't surprise me if TVR just chucked on the first ECU they had to hand.

I'm, not sure whether you can check this using a borescope. I hope it turns out positive as they're a rare car.

Yep exactly my thought too Chuffmeister!
That's why I thought I would open the ECU up and maybe someone could see with a "chip" number /type it would be BV or not.
I have bought a borescope as that would be be my next idea to look into the engine. But that's another avenue to explore I suppose

[davep]

67Fox said:

Thanks for the info Dave.
If /when I can get roverguage I could download the ECU map for Steve.
Where should I look for the "tuning resistor" (value) exactly?

The passenger footwell loom/bird nest is where you'll find the tune resistor, see here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=939...

The resistor is colour coded: White for cat engines (Fuel Map 5), Green for pre-cat engines (Fuel Map 2). All pre-cat BVs run with Fuel Map 2, so it'll be interesting to see if yours is a BV running with Fuel Map 5 and how it's tuned.

RoverGauge can be downloaded via the Internet, all you then need hardware wise is an interconnect cable:

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/parts-and-p...

Your next question will probably be: Just how big are the TVR BV spec valves? Answer is here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[blitzracing]

Ive got the cables for sale on PH under TVR parts.

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/parts-and-p...


Also check the chip with the black tape- some times you can read something like 4.3 cat in pencil on the tape.

[67Fox]

blitzracing said:

Ive got the cables for sale on PH under TVR parts.

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/parts-and-p...


Also check the chip with the black tape- some times you can read something like 4.3 cat in pencil on the tape.

Thanks Blitzracing. I do know its a 4.3 as the engine number says so and it has cat's as I have Lamda sensors.
The question was about the BV or not BV. I was hoping that a look inside the ECU might bring something.
But thanks for the feedback.
I will look into what DaveP said earlier in the thread. SteveSprint etc... and buy a Rovergauge connector set.

[OleVix]

You might want to relax because it has been said more than once that the regular 4.3 has almost identical power output to the BV. They are both ported and balanced and with valve reliefs in the pistons. But the restrictions to more power is not just in the valves, but in intake trumpets, AFM etc. Meaning the slightly bigger valves on the BV means feck all

[67Fox]

OleVix said:

You might want to relax because it has been said more than once that the regular 4.3 has almost identical power output to the BV. They are both ported and balanced and with valve reliefs in the pistons. But the restrictions to more power is not just in the valves, but in intake trumpets, AFM etc. Meaning the slightly bigger valves on the BV means feck all

Well then it's time to sit back relax and crack open the beer

[Cokes]

I have BV written on my ECU but as I've just had a rebuild on the engine I know for a fact it's unfortunately not a BV.

[loud430]

mine chucks out 279hp on the rollers but doesn't have bv written on the ecu, although if you take the cover off it has 4.3 'cat adder mk2' written on the chip?

[67Fox]

davep said:

The passenger footwell loom/bird nest is where you'll find the tune resistor, see here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=939...

The resistor is colour coded: White for cat engines (Fuel Map 5), Green for pre-cat engines (Fuel Map 2). All pre-cat BVs run with Fuel Map 2, so it'll be interesting to see if yours is a BV running with Fuel Map 5 and how it's tuned.

RoverGauge can be downloaded via the Internet, all you then need hardware wise is an interconnect cable:

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/parts-and-p...

Your next question will probably be: Just how big are the TVR BV spec valves? Answer is here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Hi davep,
You mention a tune resistor that has a colour, but in the linked picture it is not clear. What needs to have the colour?
The wiring to the resitor is white, the clear cover over the resistor is yellow'ish.
In my limited knowledge a resistor has serveral bands on it with colours giving the value of ohms.
Sorry if i seem dim

[davep]

67Fox said:

Hi davep,
You mention a tune resistor that has a colour, but in the linked picture it is not clear. What needs to have the colour?
The wiring to the resitor is white, the clear cover over the resistor is yellow'ish.
In my limited knowledge a resistor has serveral bands on it with colours giving the value of ohms.
Sorry if i seem dim

If the colour of the wire within the sleeve is white, then you are running Fuel Map 5 (a TVR Cat map) and tune. Land Rover didn't want to train (or trust) their techs to read resistance values so they colour coded the tune resistor wire insulation and placed it within a sleeve (so turning a cheap resistor into a needlessly expensive part). If you want to determine the resistor value the White resistor should be 3900 Ohms (orange, white, black, black), others are:

180 Ohms, Red, No Cat, Australia and "the rest of the world."
470 Ohms, Green, No Cat, UK and European vehicles without catalytic converters
910 Ohms, Yellow, No Cat, Saudi vehicles (without catalytic converters)
1800 Ohms, Blue, Cat, Saudi vehicles (with catalytic converters)
3900 Ohms, White, Cat, USA and European vehicles with catalytic converters.

So far the writing on your ECU label is accurate, that is 430 CAT. So your next step is to determine the BV part if you don't have confidence in Jason's description.

And you're not dim.

[spend]

Can I put the cover off of an old 500 Lucas ECU on my 400 Pig Compression and claim its a 500 BV?


Seems to be completely bonkers trying to imply Engine specs from a plug in bit of electronics to my small mind?

[davep]

spend said:

Can I put the cover off of an old 500 Lucas ECU on my 400 Pig Compression and claim its a 500 BV?

Of course you can, why not get a felt tip pen and write your own.

[monkeymoo4u]

Hi,
I have a factory 430 BV and apart from the 430 BV badge on the plenum chamber it has BV after the chassis number and on the V5,on the ECU it has "uprated"and the build date written on in white pen and revs so much free-er than a standard car.

[stevesprint]

67Fox said:

I have read many a threads on this BV or not BV subject.
But I was thinking maybe some clever person on here (not me) might be able to look at these photos of my ECU to determine if the ECU has a code of colour etc.. to tell if it was a BV or not?
Any ideas?
Oh, I have a 93' 430 (BV?)

67FOX
Sorry for the delayed response and thank you for the copy of your chimmy 430BV chip.

Judging from the contents of the chip file you emailed me YES it’s for a 430BV running CATs. I’m particularly grateful as I believe it completes my collection of TVR tune files and also because I've fitted lambda probes to my Precat Griff 430 for research. You can download copies of all the 14CUX chip files I have from http://www.stevesprint.com/remap-14cux/bins

Your Chimmaera 430BV chip is based on TVR's typical R2967 revision with the same Chimmaera 400 pad characters etc plus your ECU looks like the typical TVR factory installation with the black insulation tape on the chip’s erase window. I'm pleased it doesn't have a typical TVR Air Flow Meter scalar of B2/B9 for 400 Precat/cat or 91 for Precat 430, cat 450 and 500, but instead is AD which is somewhere in between & unique. The AFM scalar controls how far down the table is used on full load. Testing your 430BV chip on my 430 Precat reveals your 430BV AFM scalar is more suitable than my factory 430 Precat scalar that is also used on the 500s. I would be interested to see how your AFM scalar performs on a Precat 430BV.

While adding your Chimmaera 430BV chip details to my spreadsheet of tunes at http://www.stevesprint.com/remap-14cux/LR-TVR-sett... I also noticed it has a lower main fuel scalar of 5AA0 but shouldn't be a surprise as CAT equipped cars have to run leaner than the equivalent non-cat.

What do your long-term lambda trims run at? I ask as they run quite low on my 430 Precat (-66% & -28%) with your cat map but maybe because my 430 is not a BV.
Thanks again, Steve

loud430 said:

mine chucks out 279hp on the rollers but doesn't have bv written on the ecu, although if you take the cover off it has 4.3 'cat adder mk2' written on the chip?

Loud430
Your Chimmaera 430BV chip also sounds interesting and therefore would be interesting to see if it’s the same as 67FOX’s chip. As we both live in the Bucks area hopefully one day our tracks will cross and you wouldn't mind if I quickly plug in RoverGauge to check.
Cheers, Steve

[67Fox]

Hi Steve,

No problem with the delay Steve

That's great news, I have sent you a PM to thank you for your efforts etc...
cheers Simon