ECUs and Tuning Discuss Engine Management, Tuning, & Programming

changing from cam to crank angle sensor

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 01-07-2012, 03:37 PM
  #1  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (-1)
 
mr2daj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 226
Total Cats: 5
Default changing from cam to crank angle sensor

hi i have a Motec M4 ecu and at the moment it is wired to the cam angle sensor. was thinking of changing to a crank sensor but not 100% on the wiring. anyone able to help on this?

is it really worth the trouble? would i be better off just leaving it as is?
mr2daj is offline  
Old 01-07-2012, 06:40 PM
  #2  
I'm Miserable!
 
Techsalvager's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: albany, ga
Posts: 1,866
Total Cats: 0
Default

What year miata? Some of the 1.8s have a crank trigger with pickup that you maybe to use the setup and get a trigger wheel made for it.
Techsalvager is offline  
Old 01-07-2012, 07:34 PM
  #3  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (-1)
 
mr2daj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 226
Total Cats: 5
Default

its in our race car. 1.8 flyin miata bottom end. was thinking i could use a standard crank sensor as my pulley has the 4 standard triggers.
mr2daj is offline  
Old 01-08-2012, 01:44 AM
  #4  
Former Vendor
iTrader: (31)
 
Savington's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Posts: 15,442
Total Cats: 2,099
Default



It is easy. There are 4 wires at the own CAS connector. Two are power and ground, one is cam signal, one is crank signal. Just wire both nb sensors to power and ground, then run the cam signal to the cam signal wire on the oem harness and the crank signal to the crank signal wire. you cannot use the 96-97 sensor. The crank sensor you need comes from the 99-05.



The motec should be able to accept a custom 12 tooth trigger pattern too. Our 12 tooth wheel is a huge improvement over the factory 4 tooth wheel.

Last edited by Savington; 01-08-2012 at 01:44 AM.
Savington is offline  
Old 01-08-2012, 05:20 AM
  #5  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (-1)
 
mr2daj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 226
Total Cats: 5
Default

Brilliant thanks for the help. So do I have to run both cam and crank or can I just use the crank? Is it really worth the change? How quickly could I get one of your trigger wheels in the uk?
mr2daj is offline  
Old 01-08-2012, 11:31 AM
  #6  
Tour de Franzia
iTrader: (6)
 
hustler's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Republic of Dallas
Posts: 29,085
Total Cats: 375
Default

Originally Posted by mr2daj
hi i have a Motec M4 ecu
Attached Thumbnails changing from cam to crank angle sensor-animation7vc.gif  
hustler is offline  
Old 01-08-2012, 11:59 AM
  #7  
Elite Member
iTrader: (10)
 
Reverant's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Athens, Greece
Posts: 5,977
Total Cats: 356
Default

The M4 is actually a very dated ECU, circa 1995, and very limited. I installed and tuned an M2R on a RX-7 last year, and I swear I will never touch another non-MS ECU again.

Tuning under DOS anyone?
Reverant is offline  
Old 01-08-2012, 01:21 PM
  #8  
Former Vendor
iTrader: (31)
 
Savington's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Posts: 15,442
Total Cats: 2,099
Default



If you want to run sequential fuel or spark, and you do, a cam sensor ie required.
Savington is offline  
Old 01-08-2012, 01:22 PM
  #9  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (-1)
 
mr2daj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 226
Total Cats: 5
Default

Originally Posted by hustler
not really. got it for next to nothing.

may be an old ecu but easily capable of doing anything i need it to do.
mr2daj is offline  
Old 01-09-2012, 07:54 AM
  #10  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (-1)
 
mr2daj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 226
Total Cats: 5
Default

would i have to use the NB sensor on the cam or could i leave the NA one in the back of the head? cant really use NB sensor as i have vernier cam pulleys with no pickup. what about a longer bolt in one of the vernier adjustment bolts with a sensor reading from that?

Last edited by mr2daj; 01-09-2012 at 03:05 PM.
mr2daj is offline  
Old 01-09-2012, 04:45 PM
  #11  
Boost Pope
iTrader: (8)
 
Joe Perez's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,027
Total Cats: 6,593
Default

Originally Posted by mr2daj
would i have to use the NB sensor on the cam or could i leave the NA one in the back of the head?
Assuming your ECU can be configured to understand the resultant pattern (I have no idea how the Motec's trigger inputs are defined) then yes, you can absolutely run an NA CAS with an NB-style crankplate.

The CMP output of the NA's CAS is kind of odd. It outputs two pulses per cam revolution, one long and one short. In the original NA configuration (using both outputs of the CAS), one of the CMP pulses was high for the entire duration of one of the CKP pulses (both leading and trailing edge), whereas the other CMP pulse was high for the leading edge of a CKP pulse but low for the trailing edge. It's a bizzare configuration, and the only explanation for it I can imagine is that it would reduce cranking time at engine startup, by giving the ECU two opportunities for sync capture per cam revolution rather than just one.
Joe Perez is offline  
Old 01-09-2012, 04:57 PM
  #12  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (-1)
 
mr2daj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 226
Total Cats: 5
Default

oh rite i see, thanks for the explanation. very interesting and very complicated. think it would be far more simple to use a sensor on the cam pulley in that case. is it even worth doing as it is working perfectly fine as it is? how much ign slop would normally be lost by changing setup?
mr2daj is offline  
Old 01-10-2012, 02:13 AM
  #13  
Junior Member
 
C. Ludwig's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Floyds Knobs, IN
Posts: 92
Total Cats: 4
Default

If you're just wanting a single pulse off the cam to go with a new crank sensor, you can very easily modify either version of the cam sensor to produce the single pulse.
C. Ludwig is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Full_Tilt_Boogie
Build Threads
84
04-12-2021 04:21 PM
Frank_and_Beans
Supercharger Discussion
13
09-12-2016 08:17 PM
Greasyman
General Miata Chat
2
09-28-2015 10:44 AM



Quick Reply: changing from cam to crank angle sensor



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 03:31 PM.