94 1.8l Turbo build. FM link or MS
 

After taking a few years hiatus from the miata scene i bought a 94 1.8L miata torsen car. looking to add a turbo to it. Currently has the infamous lifter tick that im trying to get rid of and i also need to fix a leaking main seal on the front as well as timing belt while im at it.

I want to piece together a kit and am starting with engine management. I am interested to hear some opinions on the flying miata link vs megasquirt. I have the ability to solder the MS but wasnt sure if i needed it.

Im looking to get 170-190 HP and keep it reliable as its a daily.. going to go with a t3\t4, A\A intercooler, and 440cc injectors. Will the link be sufficent?

Also forgot to add im now living in central texas and it gets Hot! Should i plan to upgrade radiator or fans?

I have a Link. It's a great ECU, and it has some nice features, but often I wish I had a MS3.

As you see, the majority of the tuning focus on this site is related to MS systems. In that sense, the MS has the advantage. Nearly any problem you encounter will be documented in a thread somewhere. Also, from what I've seen, it's a lot more technical, requiring you to adjust a lot of specific parameters, as opposed to the Link, where you have a lot of "factors" and "multipliers" and such values which don't seem to have any obvious physical meaning.

The Link has the great tuning manual from FM. If you have a problem that isn't in there, good luck finding help outside of FM. It's not as easy, but there are threads out there. I also believe it needs a specific IAT sensor which uses PWM instead of resistance. You'll either need the keypad or the serial converter box to interface with it. Both can be expensive, but you can make your own. I have the circuit diagrams.

I have a Link as well and would suggest going for MS. Since the Link ECU is no longer supported, it is difficult getting replacement parts or support for the system. It does do a good job auto-tuning but since I am having trouble finding a Link-->USB connector I haven't even had a chance to datalog or fine-tune yet...

I plan on switching to MS down the road to use their dual-map ability too

Thanks for the insight. The link I'm considering has the serial link with it so I could adjust by laptop if needed.

If I find a MS in a similar price range ill pull the trigger. If not I guess ill give the link a try. Since I'm only planning for a mild build I think the megasquirt might be overkill.

I'm also considering running a water/alky injection to compensate for a intercooler for the time being. But I doubt that will effect too much on either system

I hope..

Link?

what is this, 1995?

I run the FM link as well. If you can find it cheap and it includes a keypad, IAT sensor, knock sensor and serial link it's worth going for so long as you just want a nice street driven boosted car, it will do that for you. No regrets so far.

WHERE DID ALL THESE LINK OWNERS COME FROM?!?!

Do not buy the Link. Would you buy a first gen iMac over any modern laptop? All jokes aside, you never would.

Actually, i have bought a few G5 macs for music production. I dont need latest and greatest. i need stuff that works and is efficient. If the link is capable of delivering me a proper tune for a mild setup i dont see any reason not to give it a go. I'm simply looking for a unit that can
A)run bigger injectors
B) adjust timing on boost
C)adjust fuel for boost and injectors

You're hopeless.

That anaolgy doesn't work as well when we are talking about technology applied to a 90's car...Link works just fine.

Also, I will soon be experimenting with a Link-->USB adaptor and if it works then anyone should be able to connect their PC to the ECU for less than $40 of Amazon sourced parts.

If you are looking for a good, easy auto-tuning ecu then Link works just fine and has plenty of features to make the car run well.

Well, the year the car was designed doesn't matter. It's the engine. So technically why use a link at all, when carburetors work just fine?

WAIT! The origins of the modern internal combustion are somewhat related to steam trains, so let's just all boil some water to get around.

Fuck, Freddie Flintstone used his feet.

LETS ALL PUSH THE FUCKERS AROUND!

Says the guy running a MS1. Old tech != bad tech.

I agree that a MS variant would be the best choice (MS3 >> Link, obviously), but you can't argue that the Link won't run a decent, reliable tune on a mild build. You can find them cheaper than MS because nobody wants to mess with them anymore.

A classic example of the pitfalls of extrapolation. Link does a fine job at reliable and smooth engine management. If you want to push the limits of what your engine can do, don't buy a Link. The OP isn't doing anything crazy so a cheaper option that is proven to work well seems like a great choice on his part.

Do none of you guys even wonder WHY the link is no good at producing big power?
Its because its so old that it has nearly no resolution, nearly no processor speed, no, no, no, no, etc.

I hate it when people equate processing ability and speed and precision only to POWER, like that's all that gets affected by an old outdated ecu.

Power is just a small part when you drive a car daily. Idle, low speed precision, fuel efficiency, etc etc etc etc those things matter greatly. And lemme tell you, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE MISSING. Period.

I'm curious - have you ever driven a miata with the standalone link and a good tune?

yes. As well as an ELF, voodoo box, safc, aem fic, and greddy emanage.
serious
I hope you realize that just because a car is running low timing and tons of fuel and feels "buttery smooth" its not what I'm talking about.

I've also a friend running an MS1 on his hybrid festiva/bp contraption. It runs good, but when compared to my MS3 its a dinosaur

btw - if the choice is between Link and say, doodoo box or some other bandaid, I would wholeheartedly agree with you and advise to go with the link.

after all, we only criticize them nowadays because there are much better solutions available. when compared to the "other" old solutions, the Link is actually GREAT :party:

Yeah, I would never try to make a direct comparison between the Link and latest and greatest MS, they are completely different animals at very different price points. And some days I feel like it would be fun and interesting to tinker with an MS3.

But at the end of the day my car runs great and is a ton of fun. The link was so much cheaper than the MS I could get in the game for a good amount less money, which was the right choice for me and my budget.

Everyone's got their own reasons to do whatever works for them. I wouldn't discourage anyone from either option as long as they understood what they were getting into.

I have run both. They both work great. I had 220whp with link very reliable and easy to tune. Ms is new and as many have said all the cool kids run it, if you care about that stuff. Get what ever is in your budget.