Has anyone used a MegaSquirt on an Ecotec yet? - Performance Forum

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Has anyone used a MegaSquirt on an Ecotec yet?
Saturday, March 05, 2005 8:38 PM
I see that everyone is waiting for a chip for there injection. Has anyone tried a Megasquirt system on and Ecotec. I would be interested in know how it works.

Thanks

Re: Has anyone used a MegaSquirt on an Ecotec yet?
Sunday, March 06, 2005 7:10 PM
Good question. Megasquirt doesn't support sequential fuel injection like the Ecotec uses from the factory. You would have to use batch fire instead, which would probably work and only result in slightly poorer emissions (but who cares?). I assume GM uses its standard wasted spark DIS on the Ecotec, so you would have to use 'Megasquirt 'n spark' to control the ignition. I believe their new V2 is designed to support ignition but I'm not sure if that is available yet. I'm not too sure about how it controls the ignition, so you should read their forums there as they are very helpful.

Personally, I'm waiting for the Ultra Megasqurit to be released for my Audi, but that may not be for some time, and probably wouldn't be necessary for the Ecotec.

Chip tuning is a bitch, especially if the fuel tables are encrypted. An after market EMS is a lot easier to tune, but usually very expensive. I would say buy and build a Megasquirt, give it a shot, and if you can't get it working, sell it on eBay.


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Re: Has anyone used a MegaSquirt on an Ecotec yet?
Thursday, March 10, 2005 4:43 AM
With the Megasquirt just running fuel, say, will this negate the redline fuel cut? Or is it a timing/fuel cut from the stock PCM? Thinking about this setup, looks interesting.




Re: Has anyone used a MegaSquirt on an Ecotec yet?
Thursday, March 10, 2005 11:15 AM
I'm not too sure what GM uses for its rev limiter. Anyone know? If the stock ECU only cuts the fuel injectors or fuel pump, then yes, you could remove, or better yet, raise, the rev limit. If it cuts the timing, then thats a different story.

Your best bet would be to remove the stock ECU completely and use Megasquirt for fuel and timing. Eventually, a CAN interface is supposed to be implemented so you could connect Megasquirt to the cars CAN and use it to control all the on board devices.


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Re: Has anyone used a MegaSquirt on an Ecotec yet?
Thursday, March 10, 2005 11:23 AM
04firetec wrote:With the Megasquirt just running fuel, say, will this negate the redline fuel cut? Or is it a timing/fuel cut from the stock PCM? Thinking about this setup, looks interesting.


It isn't that easy unfortunately, the Ecotec has a sequential fuel injection and the megasquirt (MS) doesn't support that. Also the MS only supports firing 1 coil and the Ecotec uses a wasted spark ignition which has 2 coils. Not to mention if your transmission is an automatic then you have to control it also and MS has no support for that.

Your stock ECU, PCM, VCU, whatever you want to call it, cannot perform with any 1 circuit missing. In other words you can just switch the Fuel circuit over to the MS and expect the rest of the ECU to function properly.

My current situation has me with an Ecotec that I am putting in a Boat. I could use the stock ECU for a standard transmission and that would (should) only control Spark and Fuel. But I need 200+ Hp from the Ecotec and am planning on running a Turbo and need a better (more tunable) ECU. I will probably have to develope a sequential fuel system for the MS and also Dual coil support for the ignition.

That would be the reason I am asking here if anyone has used MS on an Ecotec ... Don't want to reinvent the wheel if someone here has resolved the problems before me.
Re: Has anyone used a MegaSquirt on an Ecotec yet?
Thursday, March 10, 2005 11:28 AM
[quote=Opel GT
Your stock ECU, PCM, VCU, whatever you want to call it, cannot perform with any 1 circuit missing. In other words you can just switch the Fuel circuit over to the MS and expect the rest of the ECU to function properly.quote]

Your stock ECU, PCM, VCU, whatever you want to call it, cannot perform with any 1 circuit missing. In other words you can't just switch the Fuel circuit over to the MS and expect the rest of the ECU to function properly.

TYPO
Re: Has anyone used a MegaSquirt on an Ecotec yet?
Thursday, March 10, 2005 5:32 PM
I think I know more names for that thing that controls the engine then any other thing on the planet... I do like to mix it up though

While MS doesn't support sequential fire, and it would be a major PITA to make it do so, it could still be used without a problem. There is nothing fancy about the injection system of the Ecotec; its a regular indirect port injection system, just like 99% of all the other fuel injected cars made today. MS's batch fire could be used, alternating between firing even and odd injectors, at only a loss of emissions and maybe a negligible amount of performance (0.1hp).

An easy solution to control the ignition with MS would be to go to the junk yard and get a DIS control module off an older 4-cylinder GM. Use it to drive your coil packs and use the timing signal from MS to control it.

While MS isn't labeled to support much, its an embedded microcontroller that can be modified by you to do whatever you like. I have heard of people using it to control their automatic transmissions.

As long as you leave all the original sensors intact and replace the fuel injectors with resistors of the proper value, you *could* get the ECU to operate without knowing the difference.

I personally wouldn't do that and I personally think that is a poor way to go about things. Spend some more time on the MS website reading their forums and what not. The Ecotec isn't all that special (sorry) and solutions already developed by others for other engines could sure be used for it.


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