WANTED - ECU for 1985 350i in New Zealand.
Discussion
Having recently had a few problems starting my car, I had the ECU resoldered. This was the only option locally in NZ and it fixed the problem which was overfuelling.
Last week I took the car in for its 6 monthly MoT (WoF) and it started running on what felt like 4 cylinders. Seemed like a bank wasn't working. Stopped the car then started again - all fine and the problem has only recurred once.
I'm now thinking I need a replacement known serviceable ECU on standby for if and when mine gives up the ghost.
Its a 1985 early series 2 350i.
There are some on fleabay etc but I need overseas delivery and a guarantee it works! Long way to go back to complain if it doesn't work.
Do the wedge collective know a reliable and trustworthy source for a standard ECU?
Last week I took the car in for its 6 monthly MoT (WoF) and it started running on what felt like 4 cylinders. Seemed like a bank wasn't working. Stopped the car then started again - all fine and the problem has only recurred once.
I'm now thinking I need a replacement known serviceable ECU on standby for if and when mine gives up the ghost.
Its a 1985 early series 2 350i.
There are some on fleabay etc but I need overseas delivery and a guarantee it works! Long way to go back to complain if it doesn't work.
Do the wedge collective know a reliable and trustworthy source for a standard ECU?
Not sure if this will help you but I have used these guys:
http://www.bba-reman.com/uk/index.aspx
Might be worth the call to see what they can do but all their work is guaranteed
If you are having intermittent faults and they seem to rectify themselves might be worth a quick look / clean up of the main ECU cable connector plug? It's usually the simple things on these cars
Good luck
Chris
http://www.bba-reman.com/uk/index.aspx
Might be worth the call to see what they can do but all their work is guaranteed
If you are having intermittent faults and they seem to rectify themselves might be worth a quick look / clean up of the main ECU cable connector plug? It's usually the simple things on these cars
Good luck
Chris
There are options which I've been advised before such as http://www.linkecu.com/products/engine-management-... that are here in NZ, but its a four figure $$$$ job.
I don't really want to get into modifying the car, I'm too old now
Just like to keep it simple and get a one for one plug and play replacement as back up or a spare.
Should there be a 'tuned' ECU that is a direct replacement, then I'm all
.
I don't really want to get into modifying the car, I'm too old now
Just like to keep it simple and get a one for one plug and play replacement as back up or a spare.
Should there be a 'tuned' ECU that is a direct replacement, then I'm all
.Being pretty ignorant of V8 setups - Is it standard Rover SD1 ??
Would a Range Rover work ? (just thinking they are around in NZ, that's all)
Although knowing how B. Leyland used to work, there's probably 50 different options, one for each month that Rovers were made...
There's always that nice Holden 5.0 V8.... (!!!!!!)
In case you ain't heard of it, Megasquirt is a sort of 'Open Source' management system and (relatively) cheap, but you would probably have to calibrate it yourself...
Would a Range Rover work ? (just thinking they are around in NZ, that's all)
Although knowing how B. Leyland used to work, there's probably 50 different options, one for each month that Rovers were made...
There's always that nice Holden 5.0 V8.... (!!!!!!)
In case you ain't heard of it, Megasquirt is a sort of 'Open Source' management system and (relatively) cheap, but you would probably have to calibrate it yourself...
a rover v8 3.5 ecu from a landrover (flapper injection type) should work fine, the TVR ones do have a different fuel map in them which results in a different behaviour, but it should drive your injection without trouble apart from maybe making it lose a few horses and respond differently.
RCK974X said:
Is it standard Rover SD1 ??
Would a Range Rover work ? (just thinking they are around in NZ, that's all)
I did check with the Rover club in NZ and all that seems available are ones with an unknown serviceability status.Would a Range Rover work ? (just thinking they are around in NZ, that's all)
I'm relunctant to change mine with a potentially faulty other unit and introduce other running issues.
I'd prefer an as new, 'like for like', with a degree of guarantee it will work for years to come.
Probably doesn't exist does it?
I have five ECUs - sorry all keepers
one is regular V8 Rover SD1
one is a V8 Rover SD1 Vitesse from eBay (same as what your car came with new, therefore a correct one)
one is the original correct one.
and two are Range Rover - work 'OK'
All worked - but the correct one clearly was a little better performance, and seemed to pop a bit more on over-run (love that sound!)
In the end I resoldered the original, and it works fine. The Range Rover ones should be found cheaply, and enough are parted out that there is no reason to suspect a bit ECU when on eBay. I would be more cautious of used Vitesse, or 350i ECUs, why are they for sale?, less of them out there, and these may be the old bad ones in someones garage.
The other thing to check is the ballast resistor. Easy enough to check with an ohm meter, take the plug off of it. On each end of pins there is a common lead that has a resistance between it and each of the other pins in that row. The resistance should be the same for each. On my wedge (maybe all?) the factory mounted the resistor pack on the inner wing with the connector at the up side, this results in moisture getting in driving or washing the car, and it doesn't run out. I have had two fail, the first was intermitent, and would run badly, but clear up. The resistors are just traces on a circuit board, and they can corrode. The second one had a 100% failure on one trace. I was able to unscrew the cover on the pack, scrape some varnish off the offending trace, solder a short bridge wire to fix it, check the resistance was close to right, then varnish it again to avoid a repeat.
Good luck - I know how frustrating these issues can be.
one is regular V8 Rover SD1
one is a V8 Rover SD1 Vitesse from eBay (same as what your car came with new, therefore a correct one)
one is the original correct one.
and two are Range Rover - work 'OK'
All worked - but the correct one clearly was a little better performance, and seemed to pop a bit more on over-run (love that sound!)
In the end I resoldered the original, and it works fine. The Range Rover ones should be found cheaply, and enough are parted out that there is no reason to suspect a bit ECU when on eBay. I would be more cautious of used Vitesse, or 350i ECUs, why are they for sale?, less of them out there, and these may be the old bad ones in someones garage.
The other thing to check is the ballast resistor. Easy enough to check with an ohm meter, take the plug off of it. On each end of pins there is a common lead that has a resistance between it and each of the other pins in that row. The resistance should be the same for each. On my wedge (maybe all?) the factory mounted the resistor pack on the inner wing with the connector at the up side, this results in moisture getting in driving or washing the car, and it doesn't run out. I have had two fail, the first was intermitent, and would run badly, but clear up. The resistors are just traces on a circuit board, and they can corrode. The second one had a 100% failure on one trace. I was able to unscrew the cover on the pack, scrape some varnish off the offending trace, solder a short bridge wire to fix it, check the resistance was close to right, then varnish it again to avoid a repeat.
Good luck - I know how frustrating these issues can be.
Whilst all the 4CU ECUs are interchangeable, there are no two exactly alike, even between different spec. of engine (Rangey, Vitesse or whatever). In the same way there are no two exactly identical airflow meters. If you HAVE to swap one or the other, make sure (as far as possible) you get a matched pair, i.e. that they both came from the same engine originally.
Range Rovers were tuned for low-down torque and the fuelling reflects this. So if you go for an ex-Rangey ECU you may find the car will tow your house down the street but it may not spin past 5500rpm.
I have a shelf full of 4CUs and another full of AFMs and, as Hotty and others will testify, you can swap them around till you're blue in the face and still not get a properly running engine.
Several of us on here have also exchanged information on the calibration resistor values of 4CUs for some years now and I can tell you that I have yet to see two ECUs with the same values. I can also tell you that guessing what values to alter that may improve your cars fuelling is likely to be a long and frustrating process
Range Rovers were tuned for low-down torque and the fuelling reflects this. So if you go for an ex-Rangey ECU you may find the car will tow your house down the street but it may not spin past 5500rpm.
I have a shelf full of 4CUs and another full of AFMs and, as Hotty and others will testify, you can swap them around till you're blue in the face and still not get a properly running engine.
Several of us on here have also exchanged information on the calibration resistor values of 4CUs for some years now and I can tell you that I have yet to see two ECUs with the same values. I can also tell you that guessing what values to alter that may improve your cars fuelling is likely to be a long and frustrating process
Hey wedg1e "...calibration resistor values of 4CUs..."
Does this mean the engine management system isn't [entirely] digital ??
I'm interested as I'm also doing some amateur work on the Ford EEC-IV
EEC-IV is entirely digital and can be disassembled into real CPU code.
Some of the early BMWs were analogue with calibration resistors, as I remember.
Does this mean the engine management system isn't [entirely] digital ??
I'm interested as I'm also doing some amateur work on the Ford EEC-IV
EEC-IV is entirely digital and can be disassembled into real CPU code.
Some of the early BMWs were analogue with calibration resistors, as I remember.
RCK974X said:
Hey wedg1e "...calibration resistor values of 4CUs..."
Does this mean the engine management system isn't [entirely] digital ??
I'm interested as I'm also doing some amateur work on the Ford EEC-IV
EEC-IV is entirely digital and can be disassembled into real CPU code.
Some of the early BMWs were analogue with calibration resistors, as I remember.
A quick Google will turn up more expert info on the 4Cu than I can give. Essentially Ferranti designed two application-specific ICs that form an analogue computer, which sums and differences values created from airflow, engine temp and air temp then fine-tunes it with a bit of rpm and throttle position. Then it alternately fires each bank of 4 injectors together creating a guesstimated amount of fuel in the inlet runners. Primarily I think the whole exercise was in aid of emissions control rather than power or driveability (as numerous Edelbrock/Holley carb users will testify).Does this mean the engine management system isn't [entirely] digital ??
I'm interested as I'm also doing some amateur work on the Ford EEC-IV
EEC-IV is entirely digital and can be disassembled into real CPU code.
Some of the early BMWs were analogue with calibration resistors, as I remember.
The system design was actually had a tie-in with Bosch and some bits of the Audi/BMW injection system of the same era were near-identical. Jaguar used a derivative of it but they used MAP rather than an AFM but the bank-firing was the same.
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