Another MR2 Question - Sorry!

Another MR2 Question - Sorry!

Author
Discussion

_Al_

Original Poster:

5,577 posts

259 months

Monday 19th September 2005
quotequote all
I've read loads of times, both on here and the owners club that a healthy turbo should boost to the '+' symbol on the boost gauge.

Mine used to do exactly that, but since the recent ECU-tripping incident it has started boosting a few mm clear above the '+'.

This only happens in 3rd, 4th and 5th (it gets just over 1/2 way in 1st and almost to the full mark in 2nd).

Looking at the car I can't see any mods to the turbo system at all, but then I don't have a clue what I'm looking for. Can someone tell me what sort of thing would uprate the boost and where it would be fitted?

Or is this just normal?

andy mac

73,668 posts

256 months

Monday 19th September 2005
quotequote all
To be honest, I wouldn't bother with the stock guage, and try to get an aftermarket one fitted as soon as possible. They tend to be a lot more accurate.
Does it feel like you are losing boost, or do you think it is a duff guage. Stock, if I recall, it should get to about halfway through the range on the plus side.

_Al_

Original Poster:

5,577 posts

259 months

Monday 19th September 2005
quotequote all
If anything the boost does feel stronger than it used to.

The car has been very different to drive since the ECU reset.

*The turbo isn't on/off anymore. It used to come in at 2,800rpm as one massive slam, now it's much more progressive.
*It no longer objects to 'lesser' fuel like it used to. I've been forced to run it on 95, but there was no discernable effect. It used to hate anything other than Optimax.
*It can rev past 6k effortlessly (used to stop dead).

I do have limited faith in the boost gauge. So far it has seemed to agree with what happens on the road (except when the car was in safe mode - it went ape) but so many people have said it's useless I think it'll have to go.

I'm planning on a 180mph dash conversion some time soon anyway...

Mr E

21,634 posts

260 months

Monday 19th September 2005
quotequote all
Stock gauge is rubbish. Mine goes clear off the scale in every single gear (and I have reduced boost in 1st to save the clutch.....)

andy mac

73,668 posts

256 months

Monday 19th September 2005
quotequote all
get a new boost guage, and opreferably a boost controller of some sort. It should stop any more potential boost spikes. You woulod know if the car was acting up. As long as it is pulling when it is supposed to, etc, it should be fine.
Just time it. I used to get about 5 and a bit seconds to 60, and it would pull easily to 130, then slow it down a bit after that. If you are a bit similar, you should be fine.

_Al_

Original Poster:

5,577 posts

259 months

Monday 19th September 2005
quotequote all
Right - time to do my homework.

Blitz you say...

Cheers guys!


andy mac

73,668 posts

256 months

Tuesday 20th September 2005
quotequote all
Unless you are going to be remapping your car from the cockpit, you can pretty much go for any apexi/blitz type boost controller. If you are going to be modding the bollox out of your car, it would be worth one of the spangly ones, where you can adjust bits and bobs from the cockpit. All IMHO!

_Al_

Original Poster:

5,577 posts

259 months

Tuesday 20th September 2005
quotequote all
Yeah - I was just reading about it on the Blitz site. Looks more expensive than the car!

Gaz, can I have your job please?

andy mac

73,668 posts

256 months

Tuesday 20th September 2005
quotequote all
I had the earlier version of the sbc. Not as fancy looking. The one I had reverted to stock figures when turned off, and enabled you to increase and lower the boost from the cockpit. Thats pretty much all you need to be honest, along with a decent guage. (Digital guages aren't too hot in my opinion.) You might find some on Ebay...

http://search.ebay.co.uk/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.co.uk%2Fws%2F&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=blitz+sbc&category0=

andy mac

73,668 posts

256 months

Tuesday 20th September 2005
quotequote all
Gazboy said:

_Al_ said:
Yeah - I was just reading about it on the Blitz site. Looks more expensive than the car!

Gaz, can I have your job please?



It's £300 from fensport, £150 from greenline.jp or try Vortex or Miami Rice.

Its only 265 quid from Blitz themselves...

andy mac

73,668 posts

256 months

Tuesday 20th September 2005
quotequote all
erm...

_Al_

Original Poster:

5,577 posts

259 months

Tuesday 20th September 2005
quotequote all
Gazboy said:

It's £300 from fensport, £150 from greenline.jp or try Vortex or Miami Rice.


Oh ok, that sounds more like it.

I checked on the Blitz site and they didn't list it as compatible with the MR2 Turbo. I'll ring them up about it.

Ideally I'd like to take the car on a rolling road and see what it's doing now before I try to beef it up.

That way I can see the power gains...

I'm taking the back half of this week off work to do a full service and complete strip-down inspection on it.

The radiator has seen better days so I may replace it. There's probably some other stuff that needs doing too.

I know it had a full service & cambelt before I bought it, but I've seen some appaling garage work in the past (not to mention cheap nasty parts being fitted) so I don't want to take any chances.

You know... I'm already considering selling it next year and replacing it with a Rev 3/4. Extra BHP and tuning potential...

tuttle

3,427 posts

238 months

Tuesday 20th September 2005
quotequote all
Does sound like a boost spike,100% agree with the guys, a decent aftermaket boost gauge,with a memory/warning function is a must for boost tweakers.

My 2 cents for the EBC.
Are you ever likely to change ECU for mapping etc? Many manuf's now make modular modular controllers that will almost 'plug & play' into their own ECU's.Some will only work with their proprietry units. Something to think about anyway.
The Blitz has 4 sets+ overboost/scramble(is correct Gaz?) of boost level settings,which is good if you want to be tweaking it for different driving situations/styles.Downside is it will prob take a fair bit of setting up.
The GReddy profec B is a bit cheaper,still has the dual solenoid control & all the features,but only 2 boost level settings.Works very well,imo.
The new dogs danglies of ebc toys is the Blitz SBCI colour controller with 6 different functions-they're going in the UK for ~£750.00,I've been able to get them for around £420.00 & have seen them in the region of £375.00 on Ebay.

_Al_

Original Poster:

5,577 posts

259 months

Wednesday 21st September 2005
quotequote all
Right,

Messing about with the car again last night (the alarm went mental) and I finally got round to pulling up the carpet.

It's on a Blitz 'Access Super Complete Computer PC23710T 49505'.

Catchy title.. Does anyone know about the unit?

I've also found marks in the cab on the dash which (judging from the sticker in the boot) used to house a Greddy boost controller.

One more question. When I collected the car the coolant was right up to the pressure-relief cap when cold. Now it isn't (but the expansion tank is still at the 'full' mark).

Is this something I need to worry about? Do I remember someone saying it should be right up to the PR cap?

I can't see how it can be that high when the expansion tank is so low in the engine bay...

_Al_

Original Poster:

5,577 posts

259 months

Wednesday 21st September 2005
quotequote all
That was easy...

Google said:
ACCESS ECU
On turbo charged engines, the most common way of increasing power is to increase the boost pressure. This increases the amount of air going into the engine, and providing there is sufficient fuel to accompany the boost pressure, the resultant charge is much denser and provides more power. Standard Engine Management systems have built in boost limits, which turn the fuel injectors off if the boost rises a certain amount over standard. To remove the boost limit, an upgraded ECU needs to be fitted. This will usually allow a 30-40% increase in boost pressure with corrected fuelling for the increased boost. Increasing the boost without increasing the fuelling will cause the engine to run lean, which can be fatal for the engine. The Blitz Access computer does not rely on fooling the ECU with external clamping circuits or making sensors read differently, it properly re-programs the factory limits, and all the fuelling is adjusted accordingly. The Boost limits are raised, the speed limits are removed, the rev-limiters are raised, the timing maps optimised, and the fuelling maps are adjusted to cope with higher boost.

Mr E

21,634 posts

260 months

Wednesday 21st September 2005
quotequote all
It's a piggy back ECU, as you've found out.

What you need to discover now is how it's mapped, and who did it. If it's been mapped for a spec, and then the car has been modified again you may have problems.

Oh, and I know of nobody in the UK who can map a blitz ECU.

_Al_

Original Poster:

5,577 posts

259 months

Wednesday 21st September 2005
quotequote all
It's a piggy back?

It says;

"The Blitz Access computer does not rely on fooling the ECU with external clamping circuits or making sensors read differently, it properly re-programs the factory limits."

I'd taken that as it being a stand-alone. Especially as it says 'computer complete' on it. My brain hurts.

I can't find the original ECU in the boot. Any idea where it is?


>> Edited by _Al_ on Wednesday 21st September 10:15

Mr E

21,634 posts

260 months

Wednesday 21st September 2005
quotequote all
Erm. I've just looked it up. It's a straight replacement.

Sorry about that.

My other comments still stand. Do you know when it was mapped, and what to?

_Al_

Original Poster:

5,577 posts

259 months

Wednesday 21st September 2005
quotequote all
No probs. I don't have a clue what it's mapped to though.

I think the installation and setup was all done before the car came to this country. The cars' only owner over here wasn't into the whole tuning thing.

The only changed engine part it's had since it arrived (as far as I know) is a new rear section exhaust. Apparently that's a Toyota MRT standard part to replace a 'Departure' part.

I'm worried now. I had to unplug the whole thing while working on the alarm last night. Will it have lost the mappings?


Mr E

21,634 posts

260 months

Wednesday 21st September 2005
quotequote all
_Al_ said:

I'm worried now. I had to unplug the whole thing while working on the alarm last night. Will it have lost the mappings?


Nah. What I'm worried about is that it may have been mapped to a different spec to the one you're currently running.