miller maf, or megasquirt?

[KillaCams]

Seems like it would make sense to try the 173 ecu first and see if that fixes anything, MS is a big step and i doubt you will see much gain on a stock motor

[87-325ic]

Idle issues could be unrelated to the two codes...ignition, ICV, etc depending on what exactly the problem is.

I know a bad cap and rotor have been known to make cars feel like they hit a brick wall at certain rpm.

I also assume you've tried to chase down all vacuum leaks?

new wires, plugs, dist, and rotor a couple yrs ago. i guess it seems a little old now.
ICV is clean and works.

the drivability issues i talk about are really more like valves that are out of adjustment by alot. but i just adjusted them.


now for the threads sake, lets try to get back to the original question. my problem should be in a new thread.

[gearheadE30]

I'm building Megasquirt for my M42, and it really hasn't been difficult thus far, except for the M42 ignition coils. I hevan't installed it yet, but there is a ton of support and it isn't too expensive. Adding a MAF may even make things worse, and you can get a lot more out of megasquirt. It is all very well documented.

[tjts1]

Megasquirt it. You can have it up and running on $300 includin wide band O2.

[87-325ic]

Megasquirt it. You can have it up and running on $300 includin wide band O2.

care to elaborate?


btw i checked/ changed my o2 sensor, It was pretty white but not too bad. It def was running lean when my valve cover was leaking.

it seems to run a little better now, maybe its placebo. but i still get the CEL...

gotta be the ecu!?...


So its looking like, 173 ecu and maf (maybe), or dump it all and go MS.

[matt]

If you can't make a stock e30 run right, what chance do you have with megasquirt?

[nando]

Megasquirt it. You can have it up and running on $300 includin wide band O2.

for what? an MS1 V2.2 with a home built wideband controller? No thanks.

A worthwhile MS2/V3.0 with a real wideband (Innovate, AEM, etc) is going to cost $800 minimum, all said and done. that's before you've touched a dyno.

[BeirBrennerE30]

so you have a car that runs poorly... and you want to swap in a ECU that is even less capable of controlling your engine to solve the problem? It wont mean your problem is fixed. It just means your new ECU is too stupid to tell the difference.

[kid325e]

This isn't what you want to hear but sometimes if you can't figure out a problem with your car maybe its best to just man up and pay to get the problem TRULY diagnosed. Bring it to a reputable shop in your area with good knowledge of e30s.. check the bmwcca member boards in your area, they will have the best reviews on what shops are worth your time and money. Best advice I can give you.

No upgrades till you get it running right. Matt has a point if you can't get your car running right with the work you've done, you have no business with a MS system. If you MUST go your way, go with the miller MAF, less ways to fuck up imo.

[tjts1]

for what? an MS1 V2.2 with a home built wideband controller? No thanks.

A worthwhile MS2/V3.0 with a real wideband (Innovate, AEM, etc) is going to cost $800 minimum, all said and done. that's before you've touched a dyno.

MS1 extra_HR gets the job done and then some. If you want to waste your money on MS2 that's your choice but MS1 will put you way ahead of the stock ECU. I'm not sure what your definition of a 'real' wide band O2 sensor is but most use exactly the same Bosch LSU and some even have an EGT output. $300 will get the job done and you'll never look back. If you want to spend more money, get MS3.

[87-325ic]

new ECU

megasquirt?

is it really that bad.

why is it i here such good things out of people who have done it?
or are these the ones who spend the 800+ on doing it right..

Whats my best option here then?

just swap a different ecu and chip it and be done with it? and start saving for a 24v swap? or a turbo..?

[nando]

there's nothing wrong with megasquirt but it's not going to go very well if you don't yet understand the stock engine management, which is a lot simpler. It's more something you get into after doing a lot of reading and deciding you want to play with/learn EFI.

I would swap ECUs first

[nando]

MS1 extra_HR gets the job done and then some. If you want to waste your money on MS2 that's your choice but MS1 will put you way ahead of the stock ECU. I'm not sure what your definition of a 'real' wide band O2 sensor is but most use exactly the same Bosch LSU and some even have an EGT output. $300 will get the job done and you'll never look back. If you want to spend more money, get MS3.

it will "get the job done" but have fun daily driving a car with no idle control and poor AE.

I wouldn't suggest MS1 to anyone at this stage, there's just no point, it's a dead end. at least MS2/MS3 share CPU architecture so development will continue to be strong.

besides MS3 isn't out yet, and isn't proven. It's waaay too complicated for a beginner to start with. They don't know about or need to deal with individually mapped injection angle tables. ;)

[matt]

MS3 is awesome. It's finally approaching where BMW was 15-20 years ago. :)

[87-325ic]

haha awesome.

so i guess im staying with motronic. is the maf worth it though? its not much more than a new chip.... and it saves like 20 lbs up front...