Full Ecu Or Ignition Only?

[Rob_the_Sparky 9]

My engine clearly needs mapped ignition from my experience of trying to get it to stop pinking.

 

Is it worth the extra cash to dump the L-Jet injection as well in favour of a full ECU or would ignition only do the trick (for significantly less cash)?

 

The engine is a 1.9 8v with 10.4:1 compression and slightly warmer cam and a gas flowed head. It pinks in the mid range unless over retarded top and bottom and pinks on gear changes even once retarded (vacuum advance unit at a guess). It also has a power hole at the bottom end, from about tick-over to 1750rpm or so. Otherwise it goes really well...

 

Rob

[Dom9 2]

Build an MS Rob, come on - Pull your finger out!

 

Full Ign/Inj is the only way to go, surely!

[Rob_the_Sparky 9]

Yeah I know, I need the 205 running though until I can get my 309 to be reliable! Bought it so I could take the 205 off the road for a bit but that plan has gone tits up at the moment as it is imobilised on my drive.

 

Not sure I have the hours in the day/inclination to build an MS, think I would rather spend some cash and have back-up if it all goes wrong. Question is how much?

 

Rob

[Dom9 2]

Building it won't take long and can be done while the car is on the road and surely wiring in an aftermarket/Emerald/KMS/etc takes the same amount of time as wiring in the MS, but for a fair bit more money... Granted mapping might take you a bit longer, but I'm sure there will be a few base maps floating about to get the car straight back on the road...!

[petert 554]

Buy a full ECU, that can do direct fire ignition. You won't regret it.

[d-9 0]

Ignition only ECUs dont really seem to be that much cheaper than full ECUs, so why restrict yourself in future?

 

You can always use a full ecu just for ignition if you wanted...

[smckeown 1]

with the MS group buy going on, there's soon going to be loads of knowledge and base maps to play with, maybe even a guide or 2.

 

Good times ahead for the tight 205 drivers

[madspikes 41 1 Cars]

Go buy a squirt and go Injection and Spark control! I got mine from the group buy and I've built it already! Its just sat there waiting for me to fit! It doesnt take that long to build and is a simple build, I suppose 7 hours ish.

Edited April 26, 2006 by madspikes

[rich_w 0]

How about VEMS? The pre-built units arent too bad.

 

Documention can be a pain, but it has 60-2 flywheel support 'out of the box'.

 

www.vems.hu

[pug_ham 241 3 Cars]

My engine clearly needs mapped ignition from my experience of trying to get it to stop pinking.

This is the exact reason why I fitted the Motronic system to mine. I couldn't get enough adjustment to stop it pinking & as soon as it fired with the MP3.1 system (first try) on it has run perfectly ever since.

 

If you can find a loom (405 is best donor imo) & a ZX Volcane ecu nothing else needs doing to it once its all fitted.

 

Graham.

[Rob_the_Sparky 9]

Graham,

 

How difficult was it to get it mapped? As you can see my engine is not at all standard so I doubt a stock map will be any good for my engine. I also would like to get a decent amout of power out of it. From the feel of things when the ignition is advanced there is more power available but I can't leave it like that due to the mid-range pinking.

 

Rob

[pug_ham 241 3 Cars]

Rob, if you get a ZX ecu it doesn't need any mapping but if it does then Wayne (chipwizards) did it in about four hours although not much needed changing on mine. My next engine might be a different matter though when it goes in.

 

Whats the full spec of your engine?

 

Graham.

[Rob_the_Sparky 9]

The major change is the compression, calculated to be 10.4:1. Engine builder skimmed 50 thou off what was NickR's old head! I had to machine the engine mount to get it to fit due to the amout of material removed...(and the upper cam cover).

 

It also has a Kent cam described as fast road, but exact spec is unknown and was gas flowed. The history of the head is somewhat unknown as NickR thought it was an SBC head as it came off his SBC car but turned out not to be so precisely what was done and by whom prior to the skim is unknown.

 

Bottom end is fully rebuilt (new or re-ground everything) but is otherwise standard spec.

 

Rob

[pug_ham 241 3 Cars]

That doesn't sound to far removed from the spec of my curent engine (piper 270' cam & skimmed head) although I'm not sure on my current c/r but it isn't as high as yours.

 

Does the cam have a number stamped on it at the distributor keyway end?

 

What are the differences to the head other than what SBC do? Nick got some work done at Hiflow but iirc that was on his new engine & you bought bits from his previous one that like you say was supposed to be full SBC GTi-S spec.

 

Graham.

[Rob_the_Sparky 9]

Correct the head I had was off his "SBC" engine, hence the surprise when I later found that it wasn't one of theirs (they are all stamped with a number for tracability). Hence it is not known precisely what was done to it prior to my work, only that it made good power. The Hiflow work was done on another head.

 

The cam is stamped, it is an old Kent cam - the description was from Kent when the engine builder rang them to find out what it was as it is no longer in their catalogues. However, I don't have anything with regards number of degrees of anything. Guy who rebuilt the head commented that it need much thicker shims than anything he had done before so I suspect that it is a high lift re-grind but that is only a hunch.

 

Rob