Megasquirt or other?

[bhpjon]

I am looking at the possibility of changing my ecu from the standard rover one (i had looked at a mark adams chip etc) but the costs seem prohibitive when a fully mappabable new system eg megasquirt can be had for less. Any contributions gratefully recieved

[That Daddy]

ive heard the emerald system is very good,mapped ign,fuel inj,etc.been going years always a good sign.i wish i could junk the standard kit,and have something like above you aint lived till you,ve gone from standard ign to mapped what a transformation to the motors caracter.

[mackempete]

I'm in the same boat. Upgrades planned, with budget assigned for new ECU and wondering whats best.

[mongoose]

I'm a very big fan of alternative ecu's,and i run an Omex system myself and am very pleased with it.There are several good options out there to choose from,but before you make your choice you need to consider what you want to achieve,both now and in the future.For me the basic needs were that i wanted to run wasted spark ignition through coil packs so i could bin the dizzy,and i also wanted to be able to run paired/semi sequential injection rather than the banked injection like a std car.I will also make use of the coling fan control and do away with the awful otter switch arrangement.
Thats just a few things you might want to think about,but whichever you choose you will find it well worth it.The much lower mapping costs,and the ability to see whats going on and alter things is a great bonus.I've saved a small fortune,and ive been able to use my system to help with fault diagnosis.
I'm always up for a chat if you want to know more about my install,so your more than welcome to mail me if you like.
Worth mentioning that you dont have to carve up your existing wiring loom also,i think this possibility puts some people off.Mine is wired in alongside the Lucas loom,and i could convert back in less than an hour if i wish!

Edited by mongoose on Tuesday 18th July 15:30

[2Munkys]

Think I took one of the more expensive routes with th M/A chip for the mappable fuelling and the Omex 150 for the ignition. The mappable ignition made the biggest difference to the way the motor feels: much more eager; much stronger.

[antonyj]

mongoose said:

The much lower mapping costs,and the ability to see whats going on and alter things is a great bonus.

Just out of interest how do they compare?, (I know how much MA sessions cost)

[trackcar]

I've hopefully got a megasquirted 5.5 litre RV8 coming in on thursday, running coil packs so will let you know who we get on.

[mongoose]

antonyj said:

mongoose said:

The much lower mapping costs,and the ability to see whats going on and alter things is a great bonus.

Just out of interest how do they compare?, (I know how much MA sessions cost)

To map my Omex completely from scratch,for both fuel and ignition maps cost me something like £240 from memory.This was several hours work,taking up more than a whole afternoon as other(non ecu related) problems were encountered.
Minor tweeking will obviously cost considerably less of course,as there isnt so much to alter each time any more.I now use a wideband lambda,so i can make minor tweeks myself now,whilst on the road,so i only pay for my fuel to do this!A good example of saving dosh was when i recently changed my faulty fuel pressure regulator for an uprated pressure one.I have been able to alter the map for this myself
I don't want to mislead you though,there is no substitute for a rolling road session as its much more efficient at getting a good map quickly.It might be worth having a word with Trackcar to see how much his charges are,he's usually very reasonable.

[mackempete]

trackcar said:

I've hopefully got a megasquirted 5.5 litre RV8 coming in on thursday, running coil packs so will let you know who we get on.

Hmmm interesting thats the upgrade i'm looking at for my chim. I take it this is V8D's 5.5 were talking about? Dont suppose its topsparks griff is it? I'll be very interested to hear how you get on.

Pete

[mongoose]

mackempete said:

.....I take it this is V8D's 5.5 were talking about? Dont suppose its topsparks griff is it? I'll be very interested to hear how you get on.

Pete

And me,i'll be very interested too

[mgaut]

mackempete said:

trackcar said:

I've hopefully got a megasquirted 5.5 litre RV8 coming in on thursday, running coil packs so will let you know who we get on.

Hmmm interesting thats the upgrade i'm looking at for my chim. I take it this is V8D's 5.5 were talking about? Dont suppose its topsparks griff is it? I'll be very interested to hear how you get on.

Pete

nope. TopSparks is running Emerald

[brummiewedge]

I have Emerald on order, i will use late coil packs, and Vauhall pick up on the crank. Budgeting around a grand for everything.

[topsparks]

The good thing about the Emerald system is that its much cheaper than the Omex and you don't have to put it together yourself!, and Dave @ Emerald only charges £250+vat to fully map your car.I have also had a new loom made that plugs straight in to your car.All you need is a P38 coil pack off ebay and a crank pick up from John Eales .
I can supply the custom looms and ecu's give me a call 07973 504312 James.
I have spoken to the 5.5 Chim owner(also a James!),his engine is the same spec as mine apart from the megasquirt which I know Rob had a nightmare trying to setup.

[pupp]

You rotten sods... I just think I'm getting to the point when the plastic can relax and you go and start me thinking 'upgrade' all over again.

Links please for the various options...

[mackempete]

topsparks said:

The good thing about the Emerald system is that its much cheaper than the Omex and you don't have to put it together yourself!, and Dave @ Emerald only charges £250+vat to fully map your car.I have also had a new loom made that plugs straight in to your car.All you need is a P38 coil pack off ebay and a crank pick up from John Eales .
I can supply the custom looms and ecu's give me a call 07973 504312 James.
I have spoken to the 5.5 Chim owner(also a James!),his engine is the same spec as mine apart from the megasquirt which I know Rob had a nightmare trying to setup.

That sounds like just what i'm after. I was considering the omex as I know V8D have experience with these. Would they be able to fit your loom and map the Emerald?
I'll probably give you a bell when i get further down the line, but in the mean time what sort of ball park cost are we looking at for the whole lot. Just because I've got the meeting with the bank next tuesday and i dont know how much to beg for?

pupp said:

You rotten sods... I just think I'm getting to the point when the plastic can relax and you go and start me thinking 'upgrade' all over again.

Links please for the various options...

Plastic??? Neh, you want to re-mortgage and do it properly!

[GreenV8S]

I tried to buy an Emerald system but gave up after six months of waiting.

[pzero64]

pupp said:

You rotten sods... I just think I'm getting to the point when the plastic can relax and you go and start me thinking 'upgrade' all over again.

[David H]

Also very interested in this. If someone could offer a reasonably priced conversion (fuel and ignition) I think it'd do very, very well.

Let us know how you get on Joolz.

[tacoma]

mongoose said:

I'm always up for a chat if you want to know more about my install,so your more than welcome to mail me if you like.

Edited by mongoose on Tuesday 18th July 15:30

Guys forgive my ignorance but in terms that a 3 year old could understand what am i going to achieve by upgrading the ecu? Should I only be thinking of doing this if i am going to track/race the car? Will there be a noticeable improvement in performance for me in a beautifully running 4.0lt? Would having a ne ecu fitted and the mapping done (listen to me you would think i knew what i was talking about) mean that the car needed more frequest tuning etc.

I know this is a lot of questions but it is threads like this one that really give newer guys like me the opportunity to learn.

Thanks

m



thanks

[mongoose]

David H said:

Also very interested in this. If someone could offer a reasonably priced conversion (fuel and ignition) I think it'd do very, very well.

Let us know how you get on Joolz.

I tried to badger dave at Emerald into doing a simple ecu for the Rv8 when i met him at the Autosport show.Just something simple with 4 outputs for fuel and ignition,and maybe cooling fan control,i think these are the most beneficial things.He didnt discount the idea,but seems a very busy guy,so you dont know how long it could be before/if this ever came off.I reckon if enough of you called him and made a request for it,so that he could see the demand,you might get somewhere with this?