Can you "remove" the Rev Limiter?

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douglas vincent
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Can you "remove" the Rev Limiter?

Post by douglas vincent »

Since from the replies on the Rev Limiter post indicate that different engince have different rev limiters, and some engines of the same sub specie have different limits, is there a way to remove or increase the rev limiter?
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Post by BAC5.2 »

Why would you want to? All you are doing is not making power, overworking engine accessories, and hurting engine components.

I could understand it for a momentum advantage, but if you are going to do it, do it right and build the engine to handle that kind of load.

To answer your question, any aftermarket tuners should be able to remove the rev limiter, but you're stock ECU will try to learn around any settings they impose.
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Post by vrg3 »

How would any aftermarket tuner be able to remove the rev limiter? And how could an ECU learn around that?

I don't think there's a good way to remove the stock rev limiter right now... of course, if you use aftermarket engine management, you can do whatever you want.
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Post by douglas vincent »

I would like to have it gone for those few times that I go just a tad into the "no-no" zone before shifting into 2nd. First gear goes by so quickly and it sucks to "miss" the shift due to clipping into the rev limiter. It is not that I want to drive at 7000 rpm but to have it available for just that split second would be great
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Post by vrg3 »

Hmm... maybe you should get an MSD DIS-2 or something similar... You'll get much more powerful sparks, and you can set up a soft rev limiter at 6250 RPM.
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Post by rsstiboy »

just learn to shift before redline, its there for a reason.
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Post by douglas vincent »

And you have never hit redline in first accidentally? right.
Reddevil, Awaiting new heart, will it ever happen?
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1992 wagon, wifes daily, high compression
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Post by petridish38 »

douglas vincent wrote:And you have never hit redline in first accidentally? right.
I have never hit the rev limiter in my car.... not in the 60,000 miles I have owned the car....If i'm going quick, i bring it very close to redline and maybe even touch it, but by the time it gets up near redline you're not going to benefit much from going any farther.... by that time, second gear is ready and waiting to take over..... This should be how it is for all legacies, even if they are slightly different.

But, relevant to your original question.... isn't the rev limiter part of the programming of the ECU?? If so, I wouldn't think it would be easy to "remove"

In my opinion, I would Just shift a little earlier...

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Post by legacy92ej22t »

I've hit my rev limiter quite a few times and I consider myself a very good driver. When you're pushing to the limits and moving at a high rate of speed it's easy to bounce.
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Post by entirelyturbo »

My rev limiter is either past 7000 or nonexistant. I've never hit it either. I've hit 7000 3 times since I've owned the car, and while I'm by no means positive, I think I heard a bit of valvetrain backlash something or another when I let off at 7k. While the bottom end of the EJ22 is easily good for 8000rpm, the EJ22T even more, the valvetrain isn't much good for anything past redline. So as everyone has said, just deal with the short 1st and shift at redline.
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Post by evolutionmovement »

I've only hit the limiter twice - both times in third gear. Since power falls off before redline I shift before it anyway. My old GLs had no limiter you could feel the valves float over 6500.

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Post by BAC5.2 »

I've never hit the rev limiter in my car, in first or any gear. I usually shift at around 6250 or so. There is no power to be had in those extra 250rpm's, so why mess up the flow?

Vikash - I thought I read that the E-Manage software had the ability to raise the rev-limit. I figure since the ECU would learn around other parameters altered by the E-manage, why wouldn't it interpret this alteration as well.
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Post by vrg3 »

Phil - The only way the E-Manage could raise the rev limiter would be if it started pulsing the injectors itself after the stock ECU cut fuel, essentially behaving as a standalone ECU.

Douglas - What do you think of my idea of installing a DIS-2?
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Post by douglas vincent »

I love the idea of a MSD dis-2. I dont love the price. Best I found last night was about $320. So I will have to keep an eye open on ebay.

Since I do have the rev limiter and cant change it, I am not so sure about the soft limiter which I would like to set at the current rev limit of about 6500.

I do like the prospect of more even power of course. Exspensive experiment though.

Just bought 4 new tires and had them siped at Schucks so I spent that $350 already.
Reddevil, Awaiting new heart, will it ever happen?
1990 wagon, EJ25 12.3 @ 116.5 FAST Family wagon getting new motor soon
1992 wagon, wifes daily, high compression
1992 Touring wagon, should I keep it?
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Post by vrg3 »

Yeah, if you're interested in one, your best bet is indeed watching for a cheap used one on eBay.

In order to use the MSD's rev limiter you do have to set it below the stock rev limiter, but since it's soft you won't get the bucking that fuel cut causes. It works by randomly cutting out different cylinders' ignition to keep the engine from accelerating.
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Post by Legacy777 »

The Dis2's are very nice.....really like mine, and they're not too bad to install.
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Post by Brat4by4 »

http://www.takakaira.co.jp/asp/template ... QqlnMokrnN

You could always try this product. Scare the crap out of people trying to race you when you do over-rev.
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Post by legacy92ej22t »

Ya know, everyone's always saying there's no power past 6250 rpm but my car pulls hard all the way to redline. :D Maybe you all have a problem? lol
-Matt

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'96 Outback 5mt.
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Post by mTk »

Get it on a dyno, that'll tell you where to shift.

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Post by DeusExMachina »

Probably to bring this post back from the dead...

Vrg, what controls our rev limit? Injector cut or ignition?

If its injector, the eManage Ultimate (besides having knock detection/correction, it has many other cool features) it can control rev limit if its a fuel-cut rev limit. It pulses the injectors past the stock RPM. Esentially a standalone without the hassle.

And, quesiton about the MSD ignitions...are they really that much of an improvement?
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Post by dzx »

There was a guy here in Denver that could remove the rev limit on the legacy. I think he went by milehi on this board. From what i've heard from the local subaru community tho, he just up and left the united states.
///M
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Post by vrg3 »

I do believe it's fuel cut; OEMs usually do whatever they can to make sure raw fuel doesn't come out the tailpipe. So I suppose the eManage Ultimate ought to be able to raise the rev limit.

The MSD ignitions are definitely an improvement on EJ22Ts.
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Post by DeusExMachina »

Would installing an MSD ignition have any adverse affects with my eManage? I suppose if the stock ECU has no issue, then the eManage will not.
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Post by vrg3 »

Nope; it should be just fine.
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Post by Legacy777 »

I'm pretty sure the ECU uses ignition for the rev limiter. I bounced off of it once when I still had the auto. Unless the TCU had a separate rev limiter.

Regarding the MSD Dis 2's. They are definitely worth it. Even on the n/a EJ22's. It shouldn't affect your emanage at all. It just goes in line between the ignitor and coil pack.
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