It is a pretty bad ass unit and I got it in the hopes of saving some time. All the relays and fuses are controlled by simply plugging in a laptop and setting the values in software. It also comes with a really nice premade universal chassis harness and I needed one. The wiring on the car needed to be redone from scratch, it was really bad.

So it sounds like instead of running power to the white/red wire, I just simply ground it to turn the miata keyed ingnition switches into ground switches. Is that right?

Yeah, that will work - but in my mind that's gonna be a huge pita, since you basically have to rewire everything that's hanging off of IG1 - or at least verify you're not sticking ground where 12v is expected.. and stuff like starter will now need an additional input (starter solenoid needs +12v).

Shouldn't be too bad, everything is disconnected/cut and setup to be fully run from the P12.

There isn't that much on the car. Headlights, spal fan, horn, ecu, aim dash, alternator, starter, e85 sensor, marker lights and a fuel pump. I'm pretty much doing the wiring from scratch, it needed it!

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f8dd46b826.jpg

Oh and to clarify, the ground activated switches go to the the P12 (12 inputs and 12 outputs). I then get to select via computer which outputs get power based on the input switches triggering them. So for starter and everything else it has actually been pretty easy to wire everything up. I'm also using a keisler harness and they did an awesome job to make this very easy.

Got the new V8R shifter installed. The exocet tunnel is a bit flimsy, so I need to brace it from underneath. Fairly simple install though and the piece is gorgeous and built like a tank. I'm not on the road yet, but running it through the gears feels very good. The position and height are absolutely perfect!

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c5b3e731a2.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a48e2fa899.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...dad6b23141.jpg

Had a couple people asking for more pics of the shifter.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ed86d2c36d.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c695045831.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b6a98575ae.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...4590d444fa.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...77e88ac9c2.jpg

Great looking piece of hardware! It would be nice to see someone with the original shifter in an actual miata chassis try one to see if it fixes the 2nd / 3rd gear issues. Can't wait to see some video of it in action!

Need some help guys, I'm stumped. Trying to start the engine right now and everything looks good, but no spark. Engine harness is from keisler and has three positive inputs. All three are getting power. Harness is connected to everything. Fuel pumps are running. Just no spark. I even pulled a coil and plug out to look at it while attempting to start. Nothing. All ground wires are connected. Any ideas where to troubleshoot?

Are there fuses for the various high draw circuits like the coils, O2 sensors, main switched and constant 12v in that harness?

With the e39 too, you need to be at or above 12v for it to start. Anything below that and it will just crank over but won't start. At least that was my experience....

Just checked all the fuses for the harness and everything is good there. Battery voltage is 12.35v

Engine harness has switched and constant power inputs and both are connected properly.

12.35 while cranking or just with the key on?

Much lower than that while cranking is just pissing into the wind.

11.0v while cranking. Wtf, I'm using a really good battery (Odyssey PC925) and it is on a trickle charger while attempting to start. What do you think could be dropping it like that?

I have the fuel pump wired so it stays on while starting the car. Other than that there isn't much to drop the voltage. The car is a cage with an engine.

The starter is the only thing coming on for the start ignition key position and it is dropping me from 13v+ down to 11v. Even tried to boost with a li-ion jump box and it still didn't get above 12v while starting. Wtf?

For me if I ever have an issue like this it ends up being something simple I missed so I'll just spitball for you. I'll just spout off where I would start and sorry I can't give you exact pins because I'm in Cali currently....

1. Do all the critical circuits have 12v while cranking and not shutting off while the starter is engaged?

2. Is the block properly grounded with a good size cable? (2 awg from block to ground)

3. Can you connect to the ecu and log data while cranking?

4. Is the ecu throwing any codes?

Hang in there.... you will figure it out just like everything else.

I think it is the gas. I haven't driven the car in 8 months. Last time I left gas that long in my lawnmower it wouldn't start.

Answers to the questions anyways just in case it isn't the gas.

1. Yup, 100% certain nothing is shutting off while cranking.
2. 2awg from battery - to chassis and chassis to block, and 2awg from battery + to starter
3+4. Not yet, but I'll be doing that tomorrow. I have an Autocal EFI from Overkill with the new tune and I think it pulls codes too.

Okay, there were a shit ton of codes being thrown. Most are emissions equipment and related to missing components that should not cause the engine to not start.

The two I that will cause starting issues...
P0615 - starter relay: This code indicates that the starter relay (also called the PNP relay or park/neutral relay) is in the “On” position when the vehicle is not in park or neutral. When the vehicle is in gear, the starter relay should be in the “Off” position, which prevents the vehicle from starting when it’s in gear. If it’s in the “On” position when the vehicle is not in park or neutral, the code will set, and the Check Engine light will turn on.
P0118 - coolant temp sensor: The ECT sensor range input to the ECM went to 4.91 or less than -40 deg F indicating an open circuit in the sensor, connector or wiring.

Ordered a new coolant sensor just to be sure and will double check the wiring. Connecting the transmission reverse switch now to see if that was the issue with the starter.

Codes shouldn't prevent it from firing - the ECT will cause issues, but shouldn't prevent firing.

I can't remember - Do you have HPTuners? The verbage for VATS disable is a little confusing / double negative-y.

Good info, thanks! I don't have HP Tuners. Do I need VATS disabled?

I just checked again for spark and no luck. Grounded the spark plug threaded part, inserted the back all the way into the coil plug, and put a screwdriver within 1/2mm of the tip.

Checked starting voltage again and it goes from 12.5v to 11.0v while starting. I'm using a decent size battery, any thoughts on how to keep voltage up while starting?

VATS is the main thing that needs to be turned off to use the ECU as a standalone - did you pick up the ECM from v8r? If so, should already be turned off.

A jump pack is enough extra juice on ours to get over the undervolt issue - I don't know exactly what the threshold voltage is for disabling the injectors - I don't know if it disables the spark as well.

It'd be nice if you had an HPTuners cable to monitor while cranking.. if you have a cheap OBDII dongle, it'd be nice just to verify the ECM is remaining powered while cranking.

The ecu is oem and unmodified (nothing touched at all). I'm using overkill for the tuning. Just emailed him asking to send me an updated tune with VATS disabled.

I'm a noob in regards to hp tuners. What do you recommend I start with? I see the MPVI2 on their site and another MPVI Pro kit online for $650.

The ECU is staying powered while cranking. I have the autocal plugged into the obd2 port and I can verify it is reading the whole time.

I would sit tight on ordering HPTuners unless you want to get into tuning. I'm willing to bet that VATS is the issue if that is a factory part and since Overkill is most often working with factory cars rather than swaps it is not common practice for him to disable that like V8R does.

Victory is close..... I can smell it!!!!

I'm not familiar with overkill - let me look things up real quick.

HP Tuner's isn't 100% required - and it's pretty expensive. I've only scratched the surface of E38/E39 tuning, just turning off DTC's and VATS. Might want to probe the sparkplug connector - in GM wiring everything that's pink should be 12v keyed.

Edit: okay - so overkill is using EFI Live (which is the competitor to HP Tuners), and they have that device that basically allows them to sell tunes without giving the whole suite away. That makes more sense now. They should have a vats disable pretty easy.

I will just add that Goof, I and others will be able to help you more with HPTuners since we are already set up to read configs and logs. He is 100% right that it is not exactly cheap or required but with EFILive you will have to rely on Overkill to edit things for you.

Thanks guys! So friggin close! Arrrggg! I'll update as soon as I get something from Overkill uploaded.

I'm going to go ahead and get an hp tuners setup. Do you guys recommend mpvi1 or 2? And any recommendations on where to buy from?

Once I put the overkill tune on using the autocal, can I still access everything with hp tuners after? Worst case, overkill offers an hp tuners tune and I could switch over to that.

I'd be wary of mixing HPTuners and EFI Live - v8r uses EFI and they tossed a tune on one of our ECM's (That I thought I had set back to stock) that ended up bricking it (it might have been damaged in shipping though..). EFI Live is roughly equivalent of HP Tuners though - they're Australian based, HP is American. But they're pretty much equal in feature parity.

Having owned HPTuners for the last 7 years, I cannot fault you for wanting it yourself. It is an extremely helpful diagnostics tool and the HPT forum is quite helpful if you are looking to get your feet wet and dive into learning to tune.

The only reason why you would want the Pro kit is if you need to log additional analog channels (think aftermarket wideband or EGT sensors). If the LFX is like other GM DI vehicles I have tuned, the OEM o2 sensors are wideband and can be read directly through the ECU. You'd have to verify that. Even if they are not OEM widebands, you can buy the AEM OBD2 wideband gauge that adds a PID channel to your OBD2 port and the standard HPtuners interface can then pick up on signal directly through OBD2 instead of an external analog signal that requires pro version.

The MPVI2 with 2 credits on it to unlock your ECU would cost $400 based on what I'm seeing on their website. In the grand scheme of this project cost, that seems like a drop in the bucket given the value of being able to tune and log yourself.

Thanks Padlock!

No problem.

If you want any initial pointers on software, you can feel free to drop me a PM. The most time consuming part of tuning with HPtuners is creating your logging configuration file with calculated functions and histograms that align to the tables found in your tune. Once you get that setup, its as simple as driving around and doing a copy and paste for 95% of the dailing driving related tuning issues you would run across (dialing in fuel trims, idle control, etc). Adding flex fuel with HPT is also a pretty simple process after a bit of reading if you see that in your future.

Still waiting on the tune from Overkill. He's not fast, but from what I have read very worth it.

In the mean time I got to wandering on the interwebs and came across this..
Roots SC for LLT/LFX Camaro - Space Coast Camaros
http://www.bowtiev6.com/forum/viewto...=2747&start=20

I'm really craving a roots blower. I know a turbo or side mount supercharger are probably way easier to do, but the thought of a roots blower popping out of the hood makes me very happy. My side space restrictions are pretty rough because it's on an exocet, but I can go vertical as much as I want.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...6b49fd6260.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...508463b183.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...406a87ae6c.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...fc24f94ece.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...37414b7a62.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...44825e5ded.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...bfcd3c3565.jpg

DO IT!!!!!

I think the only reason there are not more of them is due to the fact that the fab and cutting required on a camaro/cadillac did not outweigh what could be done with a centrifugal sc that required no cutting.

Hahaha, calling RX on Monday to get the details. They don't make this kit anymore from what I can tell, but all I really need is the intake manifold adapter and crank pulley adapter and I can piece the rest of it together on my own. I'll see if they have any left or they can make me one.

Edit: Looks like they do still make it.

http://teamrxp.com/products/top-moun...lfx-v6-engines

Yup, and the fact I'm going to have to cut a giant hole in my hood anyways makes it perfect. Roots blowers are so badass. How hard was it to tune your engine with the turbo in HP tuners?

On the plus side, since I'm doing an overkill tune and he makes supercharger kits already, I could more than likely get him to tune this remotely for me.

For me...tough
For him....piece of cake I'm sure.

I'd just get the agreement and cost in writing before I bought the sc.

Damn, this would be perfect if it was for the lfx. Only for the lgz though. I wonder if it would fit since the motors are so similar...

https://www.edelbrock.com/stage-1-st...une-15180.html

At that price, I think it might be worth it to just get it and see if the intake manifold adapter needs to be modified. I can't imagine it will be far off as the LGZ is literally the Gen 2 of the LFX. I think I'll call Edelbrock on Monday as see if they can give me more info.

Wahwah, not even close to matching. LFX on left and LGX on right.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...61304a4cfa.jpg

Quick tip for anyone with an LFX wanting to use an AIM dash. Wayne at VeryCoolParts wrote an article about using the AIM MXP on his LFX Exocet build with the E39 ecu.
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/ar...eview-aim-mxp/

I couldn't get the AIM dash to read the OBD2 output for the life of me, so I reached out to him. He was nice enough to send over his setup file for the MXP and it turns out the C7 Stingray ECU option in the AIM setup for connecting to GM ECU's works perfectly with the LFX E39. I'm now reading IAT, ECT, RPM, Oil Temp, Oil Pressure and a variety of other data.

Holy hell this thing is loud. Well, got VATS disabled and it started. Immediately ran into my first issue though. Gas pedal is not depressed and it revs up to 1700rpm immediately. HPT scanner is showing 29% throttle position, but zero on the accelerator pedal. Is that normal? Also throwing a bunch of codes, which I expected.

0x7E8: P0010 - Intake (A) Camshaft Position Actuator Circuit / Open (Bank 1) (Permanent)
0x7E8: P0097 - Intake Air Temperature Sensor 2 Circuit Low (Permanent)
0x7E8: P0627 - Fuel Pump A Control Circuit / Open (Pending, Current, Old)
0x7E8: P062F - Internal Control Module EEPROM Error (Permanent)
0x7E8: P0807 - Clutch Position Sensor Circuit Low (Permanent)

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3a991be2f9.png

HELL YEA BROTHER!!!!! Now the "fun" part begins of getting the gremlins out.

Check for vacuum leaks for the RPM being high. I don't have much experience with the pedal/throttle stuff, I've just noticed that they never seem to quite report what I'd expect.

Also be aware that the LFX has cat light off - so it'll run super rich and higher RPM for the first 20 seconds or so to heat up the catalytic converters. Idle will lower after 30 seconds or so, faster if the coolant temperature is high.

0x7E8: P0010 - Intake (A) Camshaft Position Actuator Circuit / Open (Bank 1) (Permanent) - doublecheck your wiring here.
0x7E8: P0097 - Intake Air Temperature Sensor 2 Circuit Low (Permanent) - same.. although I think this should be in the MAF(?)
0x7E8: P0627 - Fuel Pump A Control Circuit / Open (Pending, Current, Old) - ignore / disable - since you don't have a fuel pump control module, shouldn't matter.
0x7E8: P062F - Internal Control Module EEPROM Error (Permanent) - ugh.. okay, this one is annoying, possibly made worse by crossing the streams between HPTuners and EFI live. It's basically saying there's a checksum value that's failed. I don't think there's any way to "fix" it - if it was OEM the fix would be to reflash the entire thing with the GM software.
0x7E8: P0807 - Clutch Position Sensor Circuit Low (Permanent) - ignore / disable.

Just to be clear, nothing from EFI live was ever uploaded. I simply downloaded the ecu data with the efi live autocal, nothing else.

Still waiting on a tune from Overkill... (crickets)

So yeah, decided to not wait any longer and just go full bore hp tuners.

What's the easiest way to post a video on this site?

<yt> youtube link </yt> if memory serves - replace the <'s with square brackets

Edit: The numbers on the dash are for the gps. Total brainfart, forgot the obd was connected to hpt.

Quick question.... does the ecu need to get constant power from the battery even when the car is off? I saw an HPT thread mentioning that you can reset fuel trim values by disconnecting the battery.

So if I am using a battery disconnect and killing power to the ecm when not using the car, am I always resetting the fuel trims? Is this bad?

If you do not have a constant 12v then it will have to re-learn the fuel trims every time you drive it after it has set for more than 15 mins or so. The impact of that can be minimized by how well your open and closed loop tuning is, but it will make your life soooo much easier if you allow it to maintain 12v and keep the LTFTs.

Hopefully that makes sense...

Do you not have any relayed outputs for your ECU, Fuel Pump, O2s, ...?

Got it, thanks! I have relayed outputs, I just set it up to kill everything drawing power with a disconnect and I use it anytime the car is sitting. So I'll change that asap.

Does anyone know what this plug is? Can't figure out where it goes for the life of me. Wire colors are: 1) black 2) baige with white stripe. The connector is purple and blue.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...be8d84b766.jpg

This chart has been a big help troubleshooting for me. Posting it up in case anyone else needs it.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b299a2f9d3.gif

Might be the Evap solenoid? See if it tones out to pin 51 on the black ECM connector.

If the next end down (very last on that leg of harness) is to the secondary O2 sensor, than I believe that connection is to the transmission, towards the back. I don’t know what the sensor is for, but those were the same color wires and connector on my stock harness and I’m almost certain that’s where it connects. (Yours is very different than mine, and hard to trace from picture.)

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...1a2a85807.jpeg


btw...been a little while since I’ve been online, but Congrats on getting the engine started! Sounds awesome!

You rock, pretty sure that is it! No wonder I couldn't find it though, on my MV7 that is just an empty hole. No connector for the plug anywhere to be seen. Guess it is GPS or nothing for vehicle speed with an MV7

Thanks!!!

VSS sensor for the MV7 is on the passenger side. On the MV5 that might be the trans temperature sensor. VSS sensor and temp sensors are gonna be 3 pin though.

Edit: might be wrong. Pin 9 black connector is Tan/White is the MV5 trans temp sensor.

Saw your edit. Thanks! So no trans temp sensor on the mv7.
Tan and white is definitely it.

The connector itself looks a lot like a GT150, which is typical for GM temp sensors (if that helps)

Awesome, thank you!

Trans temp is not showing up properly (-40F) in my obd2, so I believe that is it. Everything else is connected.

Is there a way to tell in HP Tuners if my long term trim is being saved or erased when I power down? I believe I have everything wired up correctly, but I'm curious which wire controls the power to the ecu memory. I have an small red 12v acc wire and large red 12v battery wire on my engine harness from keisler. The 12v accessory wire (when off) is not allowing me to connect to the ecu via the obd2. I figured with the main power wire getting 12v I could still connect. So now I am questioning whether or not the ecu is getting power where it needs so it does not turn off and forget everything.

I'd check your 12v constant with a multimeter while the switch is off to be sure but you will not be able to connect to the ecu, and the obd2 will most likely not have 12v until the ignition is on.

I have not found a way to easily see that the LTFT has been saved to memory.

Awesome, okay thanks! It is definitely getting 12v constant, just wanted to confirm that is what keeps the ecu memory saved.

Found a loose ground for the engine, so going to try and start it up again and see if that fixes any issues when the kids wake up. This car is not nap time friendly.