Anyone have an old (non-working) ECU I can play around with?
Discussion
honestjohntoo said:
Ah! The old fashioned SD1/TVR clockwork version? The one that still has a small army of experienced advisers and a bunch of good documentation available.
However, as with all old fashion clocks, they do need TLC in the form of regular cleaning and oiling.
Not unlike the 350i, the engine is as reliable as ever, but the plenum is its pinch point! Neglect the plenum along with its ancillary rubber pipes, tubes and electrical connections, and the result is failure.
Very frequently, more than once at a time, so with co-existing faults, neglect turns to frustration, frustration turns to anger, and anger returns to neglect. Circle within Circles of the Mind!!!! Madness ensues.
Worse! From my experience, many newer owners seem unwilling or unable to put in the effort, nowadays, to keep a traditional "CLASSIC" car on the road.
The switch from our gorgeous RV8 with carburettors to the RV8 injection versions happened in the early to mid 1980's and in the following two and a half decades the dirty arm owner/enthusiasts took the time and effort to learn how their new toys worked.
Now we are into the 2010's it seems today's younger owners come to the RV8 injection engined cars with a "plug and play" mentality bred from the new type of smart phones, USB and bluetooth everything, plus the expectation that the machines will be self healing.
Not only that, but become frustrated there are no professional experts for hire any more.
Well, sadly for those who seek a 350i Flapper Plug and Play. They don't and they won't.
Injection engines from the 1980's era still requires the old breed of Owner/Enthusiast. I'm one, so is A.Q. plus quite a few others who infest this and the SD1 forums.
The oldies however, will always be moving on and the void will be hard to fill.
And Yet, And Yet! It is not rocket science. In fact, it is a pretty cute system comprising just a few simple and very understandable components hooked into a black box (actually a silver ECU) where the irony is that the Black Box rarely fails. Neither do the ancillary components which are generally even more reliable (with one or two exceptions).
The trick is TLC and a quantum of understanding. Cant really be that hard - can it?
Im one of the Oldies too !However, as with all old fashion clocks, they do need TLC in the form of regular cleaning and oiling.
Not unlike the 350i, the engine is as reliable as ever, but the plenum is its pinch point! Neglect the plenum along with its ancillary rubber pipes, tubes and electrical connections, and the result is failure.
Very frequently, more than once at a time, so with co-existing faults, neglect turns to frustration, frustration turns to anger, and anger returns to neglect. Circle within Circles of the Mind!!!! Madness ensues.
Worse! From my experience, many newer owners seem unwilling or unable to put in the effort, nowadays, to keep a traditional "CLASSIC" car on the road.
The switch from our gorgeous RV8 with carburettors to the RV8 injection versions happened in the early to mid 1980's and in the following two and a half decades the dirty arm owner/enthusiasts took the time and effort to learn how their new toys worked.
Now we are into the 2010's it seems today's younger owners come to the RV8 injection engined cars with a "plug and play" mentality bred from the new type of smart phones, USB and bluetooth everything, plus the expectation that the machines will be self healing.
Not only that, but become frustrated there are no professional experts for hire any more.
Well, sadly for those who seek a 350i Flapper Plug and Play. They don't and they won't.
Injection engines from the 1980's era still requires the old breed of Owner/Enthusiast. I'm one, so is A.Q. plus quite a few others who infest this and the SD1 forums.
The oldies however, will always be moving on and the void will be hard to fill.
And Yet, And Yet! It is not rocket science. In fact, it is a pretty cute system comprising just a few simple and very understandable components hooked into a black box (actually a silver ECU) where the irony is that the Black Box rarely fails. Neither do the ancillary components which are generally even more reliable (with one or two exceptions).
The trick is TLC and a quantum of understanding. Cant really be that hard - can it?
It was the 1980's when I was beginning my career (electronics/IT) and the prevalent technology was similar to that of the 4CU ECU's - I am actually enjoying learning about these systems and your site honestjohn is an excellent read ... I have a spare ECU on the way so I can start my experimentation !
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