Fitting Motec ECU

[andygtt]

Ive decided to fit the M800 ecu that I have into the Noble, I dont have any loom etc so anyone got any advice before I start spending money and cutting wires.

Planning to push the Noble as far as I can, also fitting a tripple plate clutch etc etc

Cheers

[anonymous-user]

Option A: just cut off the original ECU plug, and stick the M800 on the end, hoping that most of the wires can be used as they are, Advantages: cheap to do

Option B: make up a custom loom for the motec, remove complete original ecu & engine harness, fit motec to car. Advantages: much more likely to be good & robust, and you can de-bug the loom on the garage floor with the ecu and sensors/actuators before it gets anywhere near the car!


I'd go B every time!

[Busa_Rush]

What ECU has the Noble got as standard ?

I'd buy a loom if possible, makes life much easier.

[stevieturbo]

And optionc C.

make a plug in adaptor so you dont butcher anything up. Means it keeps all options open for running OE ecu, or the motec.

It means you use all the factory wiring. This can often be the easiest option, and cheapest.

[andygtt]

I'd ideally like to have the option to go back to the original MBE ecu at a later date if possible.... not really wanting to totally re-wire the car just to fit the ecu, however the idea of getting the ecu running off the car appeals

[stevieturbo]

Wont the MBE ecu meet your needs for tuning ? Isnt it a fully reprogrammable system ?


IMO making up a patch harness is the sensible way. No cutting involved usually so keeps all options open.

[nick_968]

Option D - Just buy the M800 ready made loom from Motec and either run it direct to the points it needs to go to or mix and match using the original harness to connect into.

[nick_968]

Option D - Just buy the M800 ready made loom from Motec and either run it direct to the points it needs to go to or mix and match using the original harness to connect into.

[andygtt]

stevieturbo said:

Wont the MBE ecu meet your needs for tuning ? Isnt it a fully reprogrammable system ?


IMO making up a patch harness is the sensible way. No cutting involved usually so keeps all options open.

MBE has no safety cut outs, no knock sensing, no tracking... Motec also allows traction control, anti lag etc.

there will be minimal performance gains with fitting the MBE.... however I really like the idea of being able to rely on the ecu to protect the engine should my fuel pressure drop or there is pinking etc.

wonder how much the motec loom is?

[nick_968]

My Motec loom was £250. You will still need to terminate the other ends etc. All it consists of are the two plugs that come from the ECU with all the wires already connected in to them i.e. a blank loom. You have to do the rest.

[andygtt]

nick_968 said:

My Motec loom was £250. You will still need to terminate the other ends etc. All it consists of are the two plugs that come from the ECU with all the wires already connected in to them i.e. a blank loom. You have to do the rest.

well the connectors are £50 for the pair so i'm not paying £200 just for the wire.... I have a spare engine loom from the Jag V6 that has knock sensors etc so may make up a loom based on that so I don't have to cut my car around.

Ive been reading the info on the Motec and remembering why I chose it before so Im pretty sure its the right way to go... going to cost quite a bot to unlock some of the features like the logging etc... gotta decide if its worth paying £400 for the wide band lamba!

[stevieturbo]

Will the Motec be doing anything special, over and above what the MBE ecu can do ?


And you may see a loom as simply a plug and a few wires.


Go buy said wires, tools to crimp, and spend many hours making a loom yourself, and you might soon think, " I wish to fk I just bought one" lol

Making looms is a horrible task.

[andygtt]

Motec will be able to log, also safty ie shut down on low fuel pressure etc etc... also gives me better control over the boost pressure and i will be able to control boost via a dial in car or even by gear selection.... also traction control anti lag if i choose.

It wont give me more power but its the saftely im interested in.

Wireing is the bit I least like about building cars, if there is an off the shelf loom then I will buy and fit, but if i still have to make it to length and fit plugs etc then im not sure its worth it

[nick_968]

andygtt said:

Motec will be able to log, also safty ie shut down on low fuel pressure etc etc... also gives me better control over the boost pressure and i will be able to control boost via a dial in car or even by gear selection.... also traction control anti lag if i choose.

It wont give me more power but its the saftely im interested in.

Wireing is the bit I least like about building cars, if there is an off the shelf loom then I will buy and fit, but if i still have to make it to length and fit plugs etc then im not sure its worth it

If you dont buy the ready made loom you will have to crimp all of the pins on that plug into the loom connector, they are Motec only so you will have to buy them as well and then on top of that you will have to put up with sub standard crimped connections as the proper Motec crimpers are about £300 a pair. You can get a regular crimper to do it but the connections are nowhere near as good as the two are designed to work together. Brace yourself for Motec, they know how to extract every penny!! The best bit is the software and the phone support though, it is really good as is the data logging. Re the wideband, if you buy a Motec PLM you can get wideband without the option activated. I preferred to spend my cash on the PLM as it has resale value and then dont have to buy wideband gauge either.

[stevieturbo]

You dont need a PLM you can use any external wideband controller on an aux input on the motec.
Or you can pay for the on board wideband control.

If it was me, I'd be getting someone to build a short patch harness. Keep it simple. The standard wiring loom is perfectly fine, why not use it ?
it should also be cheaper than a fully bespoke loom, plus for the most part it will be plug n play. Aside from some additional features you may wish to wire in.

I assume you already have the Motec from a previous project or something ? Or have you to buy it too ?

Edited by stevieturbo on Monday 27th September 20:58

[Boosted LS1]

Motec seem to know how to charge, I wouldn't want another at their prices. I'd go with Stevie's suggestion.

[stevesingo]

Point to note on the Motec cut to fit, off the shelf loom. They are only wired with basic functions, i.e not every terminal on the ECU plugs is terminated. You have to add extra wires for WBO2, knock ect. You can get a motec dealer to supply wire tails with the pin crimped on, which makes life easier.

Steve

[stevieturbo]

Haltech make nice flying lead kits and are very keenly priced. They use the same style Tyco connectors. So they could be removed and repinned to suit the Motec.

I'd still just get a patch harness made.

[andygtt]

I already have the unused M800 as Im stealing it from my GTT project, the plugs are £50 including all the pins but I do take on board about the crimper.. i do have proper ones but if they use a Motec unique unit then i guess Im knackered.
Im speaking to someone later in the week about them doing some kind of loom for me.

think i have resounded myself to doing most of the loom myself, once i have the adapter etc i will look at the most effective solution, im keen to make sure i can switch back to the MBE if needs suit later on... ie i get the GTT project going

[nick_968]

stevieturbo said:

You dont need a PLM you can use any external wideband controller on an aux input on the motec.
Or you can pay for the on board wideband control.

If it was me, I'd be getting someone to build a short patch harness. Keep it simple. The standard wiring loom is perfectly fine, why not use it ?
it should also be cheaper than a fully bespoke loom, plus for the most part it will be plug n play. Aside from some additional features you may wish to wire in.

I assume you already have the Motec from a previous project or something ? Or have you to buy it too ?

Edited by stevieturbo on Monday 27th September 20:58

Stevie


When I set mine up I thought the difference was that with the PLM you dont have to activate the wideband option whereas with any other aftermarket gauge you will need to do so to have both a readout and closed loop control. With my PLM it does the readout and the closed loop without buying the wideband option. So a used PLM worked out better cost wise for me.