Standalone for E85

[92turbooooo]

So I want to run E85. I was told a standalone ECU was the way to go. Engine timing, injector duty cycles, etc... Is there a "best" standalone? I was looking a Megasquirt2 or 3, and they seam pretty comprehensive, cheap too. Is there a SA ECU that doesn't require a full rewire of the ecu? Thanks



Sorry, shes a 92 leggy turbo, td04, 02 wrx TMIC, hi flow 3 inch TBE. I have yet to install the walbro, and 850cc injectors.

[93forestpearl]

You are not going to find a "best" aftermarket ECU. Well, you can, but spending $5k on one of the two (MoTeC or Pectel) is out of reach and impractical for most people.


All of the major aftermarket ECU's work, and can work well depending on your application. The key words are your application. You need to decide what features you need and want, what kind of software interface you like, etc. I like my Link, but someone else might prefer a Hydra, Autronic, AEM, Haltech, Power FC, or whatever. They all have their advantages and disadvantages.

As far as the MS goes, I haven't followed them in years. I was thinking about using one six years ago, but they were not refined enough for what I wanted to do. I've heard they have come a long ways, however. It's up to you to decide how much work you want to put into the unit and/or programming.




If you don't want to wire it in yourself, some of those companies can make you a jumper harness. It is expensive though. I feel going that route is selling yourself short anyways. The beauty of a standalone is it's adaptability. Sourcing and splicing wires is pretty straightforward.

[PhyrraM]

If you do the 4 channel ignition conversion, there are a few decent plug-n-play EJ20G ECUs out there to choose from.

[92turbooooo]

Nice info, thanks. So there isn't really a 'best' for e85 application? And as long as I wire the EMS correctly it should work? I here the DIY. I would much rather install it myself and have a better understanding of my car. I'm not trying to go e85 tomorrow, I plan on gaining as mush knowledge about EMS as I can before picking one. Any thing else for me? I realize that there is still a lot for me to learn, can't wait.

[92turbooooo]

More questions. Does the EMS need to be engine specific? Can I buy a wrx AEM for my legacy? It seams like some are car/engine specific and some aren't. 93forest, witch Link model do you have?

[93forestpearl]

The ECU doesn't care what fuel you use. However, some make it a little easier to run low impedence top-feed injectors in a peak-and-hold format, like Bosch 1600's. At the end of the day, fuel is fuel and timing is timing. They all essentially do the same thing, but can go about it in slightly different ways. It is up to you to decide what you prefer, and what you're willing to spend.

You will not be able to run any plug & play ECU unless it is specifically for your car. WRX or STi plug & play units are a no-go, unless you change your wiring harness, sensors, heads, etc, to that spec.


I have a Link Plus G2, which is from 2006 or something like that. They are up to the G4 platform now.

[92turbooooo]

I see what you mean about different interfaces. Its kind of like different computer operating systems. They do all do the same thing, but displease, menus, and adjustments are all done differently. Fun stuff.

So if I wanted to by this http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AEM-EMS- ... 235wt_1002
I would have to adapt my harness to fit it, rite?

PhyrraM, you are referring to this http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=37071 rite? And what you have done is make the ECU tunable, rite? So does that mean that an open source tune is posable? Or just so JDM plug n play ECUs work?

[93forestpearl]

So if I wanted to by this http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AEM-EMS- ... 235wt_1002
I would have to adapt my harness to fit it, rite?

No. You would have to go a lot deeper than that. Crank and cam triggers are different, among a whole ton of other things. If you adapted the car to be able to run that, you would essentially be able to run a WRX ECU and use RomRaider.

Those are built as vehicle specific, and that is most likely why they are cheaper than universal units. They do not have to include all the features that a universal ECU required to have.

[PhyrraM]

PhyrraM, you are referring to this http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=37071 rite? And what you have done is make the ECU tunable, rite? So does that mean that an open source tune is posable? Or just so JDM plug n play ECUs work?

Yes, that is my conversion. Member 'Rob' is also working on a conversion box. It will allow you to use any programmable ECU meant for a JDM '93-'96 EJ20G. This is because, other than the ignition and one other sensor, the JDM EJ20G is the same pinouts as the Legacy turbo. If you were not going for E85 then you could use a factory EJ20G ECU too.

It does not make the ECU tunable. It only allows you to use a tunable ECU meant for the EJ20G.