Megasquirt on a 96 - newbie advice
 

First off hello!! :wavey: I'm Richard I'm in/from the UK and have an JDM imported 1996 VRLimted

I've been reading this site, the Megamanual and MSEFI.com for the last month or so now. It's my intention to install the Megasquirt with V3 board and the spark and on, but just use the squirt part for the time being. Leaving the stock ECU in place to control my A/C, idle etc.

The main reason for just going for the squirt first is I've read a few times about the spark component frying 1.8 coils, I'd really like to avoid this!

I'm a pretty competent mechanic, and My dad's offered to lend me a hand, who is pretty decent with all things electrical, but he's not an expert. I however am completly dumb to electronics, although I can just about work a soldering iron ;)

Because I've been reading so much for the past month, I'm getting a bit confused and overloaded with information, although I'm positive it'll all start to make a lot more sense when I have the parts laying infront of me, it'd be fantastic if anyone could pass on any usefull information, that I may have forgotton, not read etc.

Are there recomended sensors to use with the 5? I know the standard coolant temperature sensor and be 'fudged' to work, but i'm quite happy to fit a dedicated sensor for the MS.

Also I've not read anywhere yet about whether it's possible to dump the MAF with a MS? and can you alter the rev limiter? I think I read that you can, but I'm at info overload at the moment and can't remember if only specific cars can alter the rev limiter etc.

Where has everone mounted their MS? will it fit next to the stock ECU with it's standard case? and is it reccomended to get the Relay board, if so, where have you all mounted that!

I think that's everything I want to ask for now, but no doubt i'll be pecking you heads again very soon ;)

Many thanks in advance

Richard

Welcome to the brain overload!!!

Don't worry, it gets much easier to understand once the stuff is sitting in front of you.

The MS will allow you to dump the AFM/MAF. You can also easily raise the rev limit.

I mounted my MS next to the factory ECU, but I didn't bother with the relay board as the V3 board doesn't need the relay board.

Don't be too intimidated with the electrical stuff, I'm electrically challenged but I still got my MS working.

I would suggest that if you are going to have the MS control fuel and spark, then you should also use it for the idle control. Even though the factory ECU controls the idle solenoid, an engineering friend is pretty sure that the factory ECU also uses spark to help control the idle. I am using the MS to control the idle ind it is doing a really good job of it (although I'm using a different version of MSnSE to everyone else).

Good luck
Steve

Thanks for the reply!

Could you expand on your idle comment? How did you get the MS to control the Idle?

Thanks

Richard

To get the factory idle control valve to work, I did a couple of board mods which are listed in my MS install topic. It's the PWM idle stuff. That will allow MSnSE to control the idle.

However I've never been that happy with the codes ability to control the idle, it was all right but I was never overly impressed with it.

So I tried keithmac's idle code which is based on the 029L code (but with all of the later fixes to the bugs). Keithmac's code is an extension to the standard idle code which also uses ignition timing to help control the idle.

I have been mucking around with it for the last few days (my car has been off the road for the last two weeks as I was painting it) and the idle is now 99% as good as the factory idle. Keithmac's code additions are fantastic!!

I'm going to be installing a MazdaSpeed 260 duration intake cam into my engine soon which would have been a real challenge for the standard code to control the idle (staying with the speed density fuelling), but keith's code will be able to control the cam at idle without any problems at all.

sounds fantastic, It's on the ever-growing list! Thanks for the info

WHen I first started reading up on MS I had no idea it was so powerful, I was under the impression it could only do fuel and spark and no more, So in a way it was more like a really powerful piggyback. The fact that I keep finding out it can do so much more, just keeps re selling the deal :)

Aussie,

How do I utilize Keithmac's idle code? Should it be listed in my settings.ini as such? Is there a way to check whick version of 029 code I have?

I was just sent my TIP122 and am about ready to do the board mods for idle control. Are there any settings of yours I can use before you tune for your new cam that will help me out?

Finally, I am still approaching spark very slowly, studying old posts. I keep hearing about coils blowing up. Are the 1.6 more prone to that? Anything else I should know? Nate Sully's instructions aren't perfectly clear and he has a 1.8. Things like this scare me a bit:

"just clip the two brown wires, and solder the two wires from MS to the connector side. The cable side goes to your ECU. I don't know which way the coils go because I had them backwards at first, your engine will try to go the other way if this happens. To fix it, swap the brown and brown/yellow."

Do you know what you did here?

Thanks so much,
Kyle

1.6 is tough, 1.8s are the weak ones. just set your dwell for 4ms or so and hook em up. if it tries to run the wrong direction, you have the coils hooked up backwards. :D

Aussie, How do 1.8s do idle control? The stock IAC has been working pretty well on mine, no need for me to change to MS control.

I've read a lot about the 1.8 couils being weak. Is there any specific way of using the MSnSE to control spark safely i.e. by using certian settings and not exceeding them, or is it more of a suck it and see approach?

Thanks

Hmmmmmm, so you dont HAVE let the MS control the idle? I may do like Al and let the Mazda ECU handle that.

I was hoping that I could get the snappy throttle response I want if I let MS do idle, but maybe that's more a function of spark? Right now I have to lift off the throttle at idle, then the rpms hang at about 1400 for two to three seconds then drop to 800-1000 where I want them. Is that normal for these cars?

Sounds like you have gunk in your damper.(dashpot)

If anyone wants to try out keithmac's idle code, download the rar file here and load the 029L4-Default_IAT_Corr file onto the MS. If you already have MSnSE on the EC U then you don't have to do anything else to get it working.

If you thought that the standard MSnSE idle code was complicated then you'll be horrified when you see keithmac's idle code. From memory there are nearly forty different tuning settings you can play with/totally stuff up.

I'll post the four pages of my idle settings up to the settings page later today (Aussie time) if anyone wants to give them a shot.

You will need a variable tps for keithmac's code to work.
You will need to calibrate the tps to get the raw adc numbers from your tps.
You will need to replace my tps figures (12 adc) with [your tps number + 2] to get it working.

If you try it, you will love it. I certainly did!!!

I didn't have those problems with my idle on MSnSE.
What settings are you running for your dashpot?
I have found the dashpot adder (freq) to give the idle a 'kick' if it's set too high.

Huh, I'd never paid attention to that thing before. It doesn't seem gunked up, but it seems to work to dampen the throttle return as it is obviously designed to. Why does the Miata have that? I'm going to see what happens tomorrow if I disable it.

I'm not using MS for idle currently, the stock ECM is doing it. Are you still running a dashpot even with MS controlling your idle?