Aftermarket ECUs

[N7GTX]

Think I'll apply to write for Jackanory.....

[QBee]

N7GTX said:

Think I'll apply to write for Jackanory.....

I seem to remember there's a vacant post as head of PR at Conservative Central Office.
As Max Bygraves might have said "I wanna sell you a Tory".

[trev4]

Classic Chim said:

N7GTX said:

In a similar vein I would not go anywhere else than Powers. With the rich TVR heritage this company has (they have your original engine build sheets) plus all the upgrades and in-house engine manufacturing in their amazing workshop, including their AJP engines - 4.7 litre anyone? - as well as RV8s, its no wonder many TVR owners take their cars to them. Not only owners but other TVR specialists send their engines to Dom for rebuilding/testing/upgrading. That in itself speaks volumes and one of the reasons I chose Powers for my upgrades. Who else offers a 3 year unlimited mileage warranty? And that is using only 10/40 or 15/40 semi-synthetic oil. No synthetic stuff here and indeed its use would invalidate the warranty.

It should be remembered that MBE developed and supplied the ECU for the birth of the Cerbera 4.2 V8 and had been supplying ECUs prior to that so perhaps one of the reasons why Powers chose MBE over others.

http://www.mbesystems.com/case_study_tvr.html

Oh, and Dom is a real gentleman to boot. Pity its a 4 hour round trip to see him.......

P.S. The AJP V8 MBE 9A9 ecu is fully sequential (fuel and ignition) if required.

,
I enjoyed reading that little lot.
As can be seen and heard from the responses they all do a good job regardless of Ecu brand. Loom is a big part and then locality of mapper/ installer/ quality of workmanship.
You can't really fault any of the main dealers who are offering this upgrade and I agree it's essentially around the same initial cost regardless of who installs it. Unless you go DIY of course.
We are indeed lucky there are alternatives and competition.

The system is only as good as the mapper and again in Lloyds Joolz and Jason at Powers we have experts. How many TVR has Jason mapped for instance.
All good choices.
This fully sequential firing stuff,,,, ability to tinker etc,
Why. I really can't fault how my car runs so what benifits would this bring.
Once mapped its adaptive upto set % perimeters etc so unless you have a change of engine character it will self adjust.
Once your maps are working well in all conditions you wouldn't want to change them would you?
The Tvr chip in the CUX is working pretty well on cars that are nearly 20 years old and so shows fuelling is never going to be miles out unless something's wrong so as I'm assuming my new Ecu is more than capable of fine tuning and should not need re mapping very often,,, is this nieve of me,,, am I missing something ?
Ok we have the geeks,,,,, long live the geeks but most blokes considering this at some point don't want to have to re set or adjust things unless necessary or keep fine tuning it. I want it fine tuned by the mapper then hopefully not need to touch it for years.....
My engine state of tune should stay pretty much the same for years unless it wears,,,,
It's constantly wearing but my logic says CUX cars have the same chip it left the factory with sometimes 100,000 + miles on the clock and it still works!!!!
We shouldn't need to adjust or again am I missing a mechanical fundermentsl or something?

Since mines been installed coming up 2 years now it's had idle adjustment made once and nothing else. Some % perimeter changes for self adjustment but that would only come into effect if something was badly amis so no changes to its map.
Still exactly the same as the day it was mapped really. Starts exactly the same every time and runs as if fully warm in this weather instantly from cold.
Best thing I ever did for the longevity of my re built engine.
My single biggest satisfaction is how the engine oil stays cleaner for much longer. 2000 before it was black as your hat, now 4000 and it's still brown,,, get in there.


My thoughts exactly, for someone like me who is just concerned with future reliability I don't think you can go wrong with any of the main three suppliers it's a shame they are not a bit closer to sunny Essex.

Note to self. No posting after beer and wine then I might get it in the right place.

Edited by trev4 on Friday 30th June 08:40

[Classic Chim]

N7GTX said:

Think I'll apply to write for Jackanory.....

I meant the Mbe info. Now get your car on the strip and show us what ya got big boy!

As I have proven the Mbe set up on a standard 4.6 induction system other than AFM REMOVAL can get my car to a 12.60 on the strip, that's proper testing that is and I don't have a power map, just the one that returns 28 mpg on the way home

Edited by Classic Chim on Friday 30th June 06:13

Edited by Classic Chim on Friday 30th June 06:44

Edited by Classic Chim on Friday 30th June 06:45

[QBee]

Classic Chim said:

N7GTX said:

Think I'll apply to write for Jackanory.....

I meant the Mbe info. Now get your car on the strip and show us what ya got big boy!

As I have proven the Mbe set up on a standard 4.6 induction system other than AFM REMOVAL can get my car to a 12.60 on the strip, that's proper testing that is and I don't have a power map, just the one that returns 28 mpg on the way home

Edited by Classic Chim on Friday 30th June 06:13

Edited by Classic Chim on Friday 30th June 06:44

Edited by Classic Chim on Friday 30th June 06:45

And the moral of the story, Jackanory viewers, is to engage brain in first gear, not reverse, before bragging about drag strip times.....

[N7GTX]

QBee said:

Classic Chim said:

N7GTX said:

Think I'll apply to write for Jackanory.....

I meant the Mbe info. Now get your car on the strip and show us what ya got big boy!

As I have proven the Mbe set up on a standard 4.6 induction system other than AFM REMOVAL can get my car to a 12.60 on the strip, that's proper testing that is and I don't have a power map, just the one that returns 28 mpg on the way home

Edited by Classic Chim on Friday 30th June 06:13

Edited by Classic Chim on Friday 30th June 06:44

Edited by Classic Chim on Friday 30th June 06:45

And the moral of the story, Jackanory viewers, is to engage brain in first gear, not reverse, before bragging about drag strip times.....

Aw, poor Al, everyone always picking on him.....

[Classic Chim]

Your all so cruel. I don't care 12.60 lar da da lar da

New Dif, just checking its operation in case I need to do a reverse 360'at some time.
And the extra advance works in reverse pretty well.
My 5 mins of fame,,, for all the wrong reasons,,, as usual.

[spitfire4v8]

Dont worry, my very first time at the Pod I set off in reverse .. I had over-shot the lights, reversed back, thought I'd pulled the lever far enough across the gate to go back into first (v8s, lt77 box) , but went straight back into reverse .. oh the shame!
Fortunately as it was my first time I was setting off very carefully as I didn't really know what to expect. Had I side-stepped the clutch the reverse idler would have shot straight out the side of the box !

[QBee]

Feeling guilty now.....

[PhilH42]

In all honesty I don't have a scooby on which aftermarket ecu to go with. When Eann fitted the turbo he said it ran really well on the 14cux and he's right. Joolz mapped it and after swapping my previous leads to ceramic and boots and sorting a couple of other teething problems its running sweetly.

To be fair the mapping had to be a little conservative due to running lean top end and the dizzy is retarded so I do wonder just how good it could be with the injectors upped and aftermarket ecu? But I can't deny it runs very nice as is.

A well mapped upgraded ecu was described to me as the cherry on the cake, from the comments here nobody seems to regret it thats for sure.

[QBee]

PhilH42 said:

In all honesty I don't have a scooby on which aftermarket ecu to go with. When Eann fitted the turbo he said it ran really well on the 14cux and he's right. Joolz mapped it and after swapping my previous leads to ceramic and boots and sorting a couple of other teething problems its running sweetly.

To be fair the mapping had to be a little conservative due to running lean top end and the dizzy is retarded so I do wonder just how good it could be with the injectors upped and aftermarket ecu? But I can't deny it runs very nice as is.

A well mapped upgraded ecu was described to me as the cherry on the cake, from the comments here nobody seems to regret it thats for sure.

I have an Eann Whalley turbo and ran it for over 1000 miles on the 14 CUX. It ran fine, but I never really pushed it to the limit, as the CUX chip was mapped for my previous engine, different cam, different injectors, different heads etc, etc. I changed to an Emerald, mapped by Jools, and am very happy with it. You are welcome to come and drive it Phil.

[Litcoat]

Alright all,
Been reading this post with great interest, whereabouts is the ecu? I have no idea what system is on my car though she does drive very smoothly, 30mph in fifth is no problem and put your foot down and she just surges away, I'd like to know what's in there to see if things have been modified.

Cheers Mark

[QBee]

If it is the passenger footwell, behind the kickboard and next to the battery, then it's the original Lucas 14CUX. Controls the fuel.
Look under the bonnet, front of the engine - distributor or two coil packs for the spark?
Post a pic of the front of the engine for further diagnosis

[Classic Chim]

QBee said:

I have an Eann Whalley turbo and ran it for over 1000 miles on the 14 CUX. It ran fine, but I never really pushed it to the limit, as the CUX chip was mapped for my previous engine, different cam, different injectors, different heads etc, etc. I changed to an Emerald, mapped by Jools, and am very happy with it. You are welcome to come and drive it Phil.

It is like that Phil, cherry on the cake sums it up well.
Using mine on a drag strip which is the only time I can accelerate to its max potential I feel it's held back even now, more out of self interest and engine longevity as I feel it's firing at 6000 revs with ease. When they run lean you feel the power dying off and engine note changes ( bad bad signs ) hard to detect with turbo power
When I'm flat on the floor in third the engine note and power seems linear right the way to the limiter and there's no sense of it struggling for fuel or timing and the noise stays the same roar.
I had a few different best guess chips put in on the CUX via Dom at a Powers and one map especially was noticeable how it chucked fuel at the job in the mid range as I accelerated you could feel peaks and troffs in the power and the engine note would subtly change and actually get quieter at the top and if flat out for long it got hot too. Removed that one within a month.
Joolz has changed the game for CUX owners and that's a great thing.
As much as any power gains which I never allowed myself to expect anyway it was more the reliability and confidence of use that I wanted. That comes in spades so I'm well pleased, more power and better mpg and mine is noticeably cheaper to run are just bonus points attached.
When I'm up against some modern motor on the road I feel I've got a little secret most wouldn't want to find out about the hard way so let em go without quarrel fully knowing I'd whoop em, hahah, tongue in cheek but it's a massive feeling of modern confidence in the car.
Throttle action matters a lot to me, instant reaction to my right foot, millisecond accurate and there's something about the MBE without stepper that I like hugely, I like it fully off if I ask, like a motorbike without tickover so I get max engine braking and it's like that, my mates who had canams used the stepper motor and it was far more lazy at off throttle, it still adds a fair amount of fuel and not at all what I want. Home install so maybe needed tweaking but similar in operation to CUX.
Not everyone likes the abrupt nature that my Mbe has, you control all of it with the throttle position rather than added fuelling via stepper so you have to blip it and toe and heel to get smooth down changes etc or you'll lock rear wheels up, you can't be lazy but once your used to it it's sublime to use and I seem to be able to match engine revs to a fine degree with my right foot, makes you feel better than you are. Really good stuff.
When it was first done it was very noticeable how the engine would instantly drop to 900 revs when changing gear, for me that's glorious as it shows the engine having little overrun when off throttle, Very race car and works brilliantly as I don't need to use brakes very often, I use my right foot to accelerate and slow down just as easily with it by controlling the throttle level. Like a performance car should it's magic to use the throttle now.
The benefits of these sports Ecu are far fold
I was lucky enough to have a very good condition CUX system and by selling it incl old injectors leads, caps rotor arms tonnes of old but usable Lucus stuff to a chap in need via a car fire helps me to claw back nigh on £750 as the CUX is still very valuable to a number of RV8'users let alone us TVR boys. Makes the cost far more realistic and in my mind a total bargain. Still skint but I'll recover some day

[Classic Chim]

PhilH42 said:

In all honesty I don't have a scooby on which aftermarket ecu to go with. When Eann fitted the turbo he said it ran really well on the 14cux and he's right. Joolz mapped it and after swapping my previous leads to ceramic and boots and sorting a couple of other teething problems its running sweetly.

To be fair the mapping had to be a little conservative due to running lean top end and the dizzy is retarded so I do wonder just how good it could be with the injectors upped and aftermarket ecu? But I can't deny it runs very nice as is.

A well mapped upgraded ecu was described to me as the cherry on the cake, from the comments here nobody seems to regret it thats for sure.

Sorry guys this was the post my long winded drivel was aimed at

[Litcoat]

Yes, there's a distributor in there

[QBee]

Litcoat said:

Yes, there's a distributor in there

That tends to suggest you are on the 14CUX. Black box, about six inches square, one inch thick, down the side of the battery (or sometimes on top). Big connector on one side, which is a good way to reset the ECU if it starts running rough - with the ignition off, detach the ECU for a minute then reconnect it. It will relearn the variables when you restart the car.

[PhilH42]

QBee said:

I have an Eann Whalley turbo and ran it for over 1000 miles on the 14 CUX. It ran fine, but I never really pushed it to the limit, as the CUX chip was mapped for my previous engine, different cam, different injectors, different heads etc, etc. I changed to an Emerald, mapped by Jools, and am very happy with it. You are welcome to come and drive it Phil.

Thanks for the offer Anthony.

[PhilH42]

Classic Chim said:

Sorry guys this was the post my long winded drivel was aimed at

Thanks for the inciteful post! From what I can see most seem happy whichever variant is chosen but your general driving style (note my heel and toe technique is very much work in progress) and desire for a very responsive throttle echoes mine, so interesting to hear the subtle/ or not so subtle differences between ECU's and your thoughts on the MBE.

I've always enjoyed 1/4 mile drag.... more so than track although I tried both many years ago and both were good fun. The plan being once everything is set up properly to give it a go again...I really want to get her down to the brighton speed trials.....there was a twin turbo Chim there last year, not sure whose that was?

The response on mine low down is not that impressive IMHO, not any more than without turbo so I'm hoping that this characteristic will be improved when going aftermarket.3rd, 4th and 5th now are particularly good.

One thing I'm sure it will help with is fuel consumption as a few short runs on hard boost and the needle moves....alot!!

[andy43]

QBee said:

Litcoat said:

Yes, there's a distributor in there

That tends to suggest you are on the 14CUX. Black box, about six inches square, one inch thick, down the side of the battery (or sometimes on top). Big connector on one side, which is a good way to reset the ECU if it starts running rough - with the ignition off, detach the ECU for a minute then reconnect it. It will relearn the variables when you restart the car.

Even if it's running lovely it's still well worthwhile having a look behind The Carpet Mat Of Eternal Lucas Damnation to see what state the ecu/loom/battery are like in relation to each other. Not unheard of to have the ecu bouncing around on top of unshielded battery terminals...