Question on stand alone engine management

[nobrakese36]

Well i thought this would be the best forum to ask in, exactly how does it work, does it replace your ecu,(1992 e36), how does the instrument cluster react?, i heard you make your own harness, what exactly does the new harness you make plug into? any other things you wanna through in would be nice,thanks

[mike radowski]

Simply put, it is a replacement box that controls the engine. Depending on the install, it can be wired along with the stock ecu, or replace it entirely. Most of the time it is a replacement. I run an AEM from Gary K. at evosport.com. It is a plug and play system that requires little to no modification of your stock wiring. Vic Sias also offers a similar solution using the electromotive TEC3R. Haltech, Motec, Autronic are several other big names in the industry.

[nobrakese36]

more info please, also why dont you need the afm anymore!!

[nobrakese36]

How hard would it be to install a mega-squirt system in my N/A 318is built motor,thanks

[mike radowski]

more info please, also why dont you need the afm anymore!!

Most standalones are speed density systems that are MAP sensor based. No need for a mass air sensor. Some systems can be configured with a mass air sensor if desired.

[bigmansM]

Simply put, it is a replacement box that controls the engine. Depending on the install, it can be wired along with the stock ecu, or replace it entirely. Most of the time it is a replacement. I run an AEM from Gary K. at evosport.com. It is a plug and play system that requires little to no modification of your stock wiring. Vic Sias also offers a similar solution using the electromotive TEC3R. Haltech, Motec, Autronic are several other big names in the industry.

One thing i emailed VIC about and havent gotten a response is; How difficult would it be to remove and reinstall the stock items?
Like right now, i have to smog my car; so i am waiitng to throw all the turbo stuff on it. After that i can drive the car for two years then return to mostly stock to smog again. i tried to find a "under the table" smog shop and had no luck
Im thinking tec3r and just remove it when i need the stock ecu again in two years

[autox320]

How hard would it be to install a mega-squirt system in my N/A 318is built motor,thanks

If keeping the motor NA, I'd also look into the Maxx.

http://www.maxx-automotive.de/dl.html

[ParadigmGuy]

One thing i emailed VIC about and havent gotten a response is; How difficult would it be to remove and reinstall the stock items?
Like right now, i have to smog my car; so i am waiitng to throw all the turbo stuff on it. After that i can drive the car for two years then return to mostly stock to smog again. i tried to find a "under the table" smog shop and had no luck
Im thinking tec3r and just remove it when i need the stock ecu again in two years

It's not difficult to go back to stock from one of Vic's TEC3R's. But if all they check is emissions, you can pass anyway with the right tune.
Did you try that guy I told you about a while back?

[bigmansM]

It's not difficult to go back to stock from one of Vic's TEC3R's. But if all they check is emissions, you can pass anyway with the right tune.
Did you try that guy I told you about a while back?

No, my cell phone memory got cleared so i dont have that number any more. I had to do a little motor work anyways and i didn't have much on the car so i just yanked it all off. I think ill be driving the car soon, so i need to decide on what engine management and be done with it

[bigmansM]

If keeping the motor NA, I'd also look into the Maxx.

http://www.maxx-automotive.de/dl.html

what you ever used this?
Never heard of them until now. If there isn't a p[lug and play kit, this setup wouldnt be a very good option.

[nobrakese36]

please a more detailed right up, how exactly do you get it to control your car? what does it plug into?

[B.Watts]

please a more detailed right up, how exactly do you get it to control your car? what does it plug into?

Umm, the wiring harness?

[nobrakese36]

Yeah, just wondering how you hardwire it directly into your car, so you splice into ecu harness directly,thanks guys

[SiGmA]

If its plug'n'play, you plug it into the harness. If its not, you splice it into the harness and add (wire) anything else in that is needed. Check out UrineMachine's thread for MegaSquirt lovin.

[and1c]

please a more detailed right up, how exactly do you get it to control your car? what does it plug into?

Search the forum...google it. You will find tons of information

[highboostingm3]

please a more detailed right up, how exactly do you get it to control your car? what does it plug into?

I think the reason that you aren't getting the detailed write-up is that people have explained this before on here if you search and it would take quite a bit of time out of someone's day to do a write-up that has already been done in the past.

Here are some cliff-notes and I hope it's enough info for you.

Typical standalone wires in two ways.
1) Stock ECU and stock wiring harness is ripped out of car. New full wiring harness (loom) for standalone (Megasquirt, Emanage, Haltech, Autronic, Tec 3...whatever) is made and all the wires and all the sensors attach where need be like coil for ignition control, injectors for injector control....basically everywhere the stock wires went on the engine and cockpit (+ a few if you are anal and - a few if it's arace car and doesn't need some things). Hardly anyone does it this way unless it's a race car.

2) Wire into stock DME harness or in place of. This is a way my previous tuner did it which worked well. The stock DME stays in place hooked up to the stock harness. You only unplug what you don't want the stock DME to control like ignition and fuel. So you hook up with a custom harness from the standalone to ignition, fuel, egt, iat, and whatever other things you want to check, datalog, control or whatever.


Another way is Plug - N - Play (PnP)!
There are two PnP setups and soon there might be 4.

1) Vic Sias Tec 3R PnP. The way this works is Vic has already wired up the Tec 3r standalone to a stock DME for you. The stock DME plugs into the stock wiring harness like normal. You do not have to splice any wires at all in the stock wiring harness, you do not have to unplug anything at all in the stock wiring harness. You just unlug your stock DME and then plug this in. I think you might have to hook up a crank trigger wire but I'm not sure. That is it though! The ignition drivers are in the Tec 3r unit so there is no need for external ignition drivers. That is why it's Plug and Play!

2) AEM EMS by Evosport PnP. This plugs in the same way I think yet you do have to set up a separate ignition unit and I am not sure how that is wired in. The AEM is a great unit however.

3) Megasquirt seems to work awesome when done the same way Urinemachine did it so PM him if interested.

4) Emanage they are still working on in this forum but some have figured out how to work it.

Here are pictures of the Tec 3R and how it comes from Vic Sias wired to a stock ECU.



I will go out to the garage and take it out of the bubble wrap for you, take a pic and show you.
Here you GO!

[ParadigmGuy]

No, my cell phone memory got cleared so i dont have that number any more. I had to do a little motor work anyways and i didn't have much on the car so i just yanked it all off. I think ill be driving the car soon, so i need to decide on what engine management and be done with it

Hit me up on AIM or PM if you want it.

[DTRguy]

I don't know what they check or how stringent your smog allowances are for your particular year car. I tuned an older (92)GTI 16v turbo on Megasquirt with 55lb injectors with NO CAT (we told them it was up higher and they bought it!) it is a all wheel drive converted car so they had to do a idle speed/fast idle speed test (not on rollers) and it passed quite handily. Then they dropped E-check in this area. But yeah it can pass. In fact it was better than the specs, and it was the tune we ran it on.

[nobrakese36]

Your Awesome!!!

[DTRguy]

Your Awesome!!!

Not sure how to take that. Just trying to answer a question through personal experience. It wasn't really a request for sarcasm... If I have ruffled feathers on here... I am sorry. I have not intended to do so. I have just been trying to jump into the fray. There are a lot of really knowledgeable folks on here and I have learned a lot and have much more to learn. If someone has a question and I feel as though I have something to help... I try. Isn't that what a public forum is for? I help people freely everyday in my shop and at my local gatherings. I don't mind sharing information and experiences to lessen the pain of turboing a car or adding a stand alone. Everyone needs help at some time... Including me and possibly including you all. We weren't all born with the knowledge we have despite what we might think.

[highboostingm3]

Your Awesome!!!

Who is awesome? And whomever is awesome doesn't own awesome therefore it can't be their awesome.

[bigmansM]

If keeping the motor NA, I'd also look into the Maxx.

http://www.maxx-automotive.de/dl.html

what i am wondering with this unit is,
are there any internal jumpers that need to be made? I know the megasquirt has several different internal jumpers going on.

i think if all there was needed to do is tap into a few ignition and timing wires then more people would be doing these DIY stand alones.

[nobrakese36]

wasnt talking to you,i was talking to highboostinm3 for all the pics,gsshhh

[highboostingm3]

wasnt talking to you,i was talking to highboostinm3 for all the pics,gsshhh

Hi there cutie.

[nobrakese36]

all help is appreciated though :>