Can we talk ECU's and OBDII for a second?
Discussion
Forgive me for asking what might be a daft question, but is it possible / a good or bad idea, to put a Megasquirt ECU (or other replacement ECU) into a standard car with no mods?
I'm really only interested in trying to read some engine data and from what I've researched the MX5 MKII doesn't support OBDII.
Would be interested to hear from anyone who may have done this on their standard UK car
I'm really only interested in trying to read some engine data and from what I've researched the MX5 MKII doesn't support OBDII.
Would be interested to hear from anyone who may have done this on their standard UK car
... if you were to put an ECU in, that supports all the different sensors and bits, would you not have to fit the extra sensors to stuff (if possible) for it to do anything?
otherwise, you would just have a fancy ecu in a car that didnt support it, no?
i might be wrong, but it seems right to me, but i dont know what sensors and stuff, if any, a mk2 has.
otherwise, you would just have a fancy ecu in a car that didnt support it, no?
i might be wrong, but it seems right to me, but i dont know what sensors and stuff, if any, a mk2 has.
Yes you can fit an aftermarket ecu and yes you can get some reasonable gains by doing so. Having complete control over fuel & timing means you can tune it to get maximum power/response at all revs & throttle openings. It would even improve economy.
It's an expensive way to get relatively small gains though.
You would also want to fit a MAP sensor and an intake air temperature sensor. It's a better way for the ecu to calculate air-mass than an AFM/MAF. Pretty much all other engine sensors will input into it no problem.
That's quite a lot of work just to read some engine data though.
It's an expensive way to get relatively small gains though.
You would also want to fit a MAP sensor and an intake air temperature sensor. It's a better way for the ecu to calculate air-mass than an AFM/MAF. Pretty much all other engine sensors will input into it no problem.
That's quite a lot of work just to read some engine data though.
it depends why you want to read engine data. if it's for geekery, understanding how stuff works and having a play with it, then yeah go megasquirt and you'll have a great time - and probably squeeze a bit more power / economy out of it too.
however, if you want to read OEM engine data, obviously you aren't going to be able to do this with an aftermarket ecu as it'll just be doing what you tell it to!
install is pretty easy tho. MS have a MAP sensor built in, so you just need an IAT sensor which is cheap enough.
however, if you want to read OEM engine data, obviously you aren't going to be able to do this with an aftermarket ecu as it'll just be doing what you tell it to!
install is pretty easy tho. MS have a MAP sensor built in, so you just need an IAT sensor which is cheap enough.
Yes, it's completely for the fun of seeing the numbers! I have no real need to change it and probably won't unless I find a cheap Megasquirt ECU.
Not sure what this IAT sensor is or does, will have a research later on. Is that all there is to it? Just plug in the Megasquirt, fit an IAT sensor and get the laptop out to set up the ECU?!
Not sure what this IAT sensor is or does, will have a research later on. Is that all there is to it? Just plug in the Megasquirt, fit an IAT sensor and get the laptop out to set up the ECU?!
IAT = Intake Air Temperature sensor. It measures the temperature of the air coming into the engine. The ecu uses that and the MAP (manifold air pressure) sensor together to accurately calculate the mass of incoming air so it can in turn calculate the correct required fuelling to get to the target AFR (air fuel ratio).
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