Megasquirt?

['94firebirdv6]

seeing as how there is no tuning software available for us 3.4 guys and after i get the FFF kit (hopefully end of this year) if there is still no tuning available what are my options? i know Fastchips can do a basic tune but ive heard that it is just that...basic. i also dont like the idea of having to send my pcm away everytime i need to tweak something. Ive heard about megasquirt for our cars. what exactly does this do? is just like a FMU that can be adjusted or is it more than that. i am also aware of a standalone computer system but right now, that is WAY out of my budget. thanks

[camaroman1181]

http://www.msefi.com/
home page for the forum for megasquirt. check that out and then go to hte home page and read all about the system. i have a 95 3.4 that i am also goign to turbo and will probably resort to this setup to control my engine. If im not mistaken, the basic system controls your fuel system and fuel injectors. I believe their newer setup can also control ignition as well. there hasnt been anyone with our motor to do this iwth the factory igintion. However, a user named turbocamaro on that site has installed this setup on his 3.4. i'm trying to contact him currently so i can find out how he wired stuff. i believe he used ford coils cause he couldnt get our DIS to work properly with the setup.

[TurboProject]

I built and installed a megasquirt in my car a year ago. My name is TurboCamaro on the msefi forum and I'm using the Megasquirt-I to control both fuel and spark on my car. I'm using a different type of software/code that comes with the processor when you buy it but it's still the same processor(not the MS-II). I also build a very simple board that fits inside the megasquirt case that controls the cooling fans, boost control, and also has knock detection. I'm still getting the bugs worked out of the knock detection.

The megasquirt controls a ford DIS ignition module which is connected to my stock GM coils.

[Nachius]

Good to see you around Turbo, for a highly modded 3.4 the megasquirt is about the best way to go.

If you want any control over it at all it's the only way to go!

We contemplated going to a megasquirt on our 3.8 buildup, either that or a fast system, but with HPTuners and DHP now we may be able to do what we need with just computer tuning!

[White95]

Hey TurboPorject is there any way of adding the extra goodies (fans, boost control, ect) for us people who aren't that computer smart?? I'm willing to pay if your willing to help out once the next round of MSII becomes avaible.

As of right now I think I'll end up being the first to try MSII on the stock 3.4L ignition.

[TurboProject]

As far as getting the code flashed into the megasquit itself, that's real easy. The people who developed the code made it real easy.

But you also need some extra hardware to run those things. If you see my site you can see the little board I built(the brown one) that has the fan control, boost control, and knock sensing on it(I'm still working on getting the knock to work right). If you know how to solder it's not hard. I also think some of the people on the msefi.com forum were producing daughter cards like this professionally that can be added in.

Also, as fas as I know, at this point MS-II doesn't support fan control or boost control. But it would just take someone changing the code to make it work. I would imagine it wouldn't take to long for the same people who wrote the code I'm using to adapt it for MS-II.

[White95]

Ok so I bought MSII finally. I'm planning on installing it next weekend. I'm going to need help figuring all the details out and what goes to what on our cars. Who all can help me out cause I'm gonna need it.

[TurboProject]

Did you get the MSII with the v2.2 or the v3 board? I'm assuming you bought it assembled? Where did you get it?
http://www.rs-autosport.com ?
http://www.diyautotune.com ?

I'll help you out as much as I can. I've never messed around with a MSII; I'm using a MS-1 to do everything I'm doing. But there is good documentation out there for it so let's go for it! [img]graemlins/burnout.gif[/img]

Just don't be afraid to make mistakes ;)

[ChronoGN]

I thought about getting a megasquirt for my 3.8L but I heard on some forum that no one has been able to get it to work on a GM 3.8L Series II motor yet. Anyone have anymore detrails on this?

[TurboProject]

There are some questions as you whether the 3.8 ignition control module can be controlled in the same manner as the 3.4's. I posted some stuff on what I think here: http://www.camarov6.com/ubb/ultimate...331;p=2#000025

Other than that I wouldn't think it would be a problem, as long as you're not trying to use a throttle by wire throttle body; megasquirt doesn't support this yet. The cable/pedal driven ones should be fine though.

Also, there has been some recent talk about adapting megasquirt to use a MAF sensor. But even if you couldn't adapt it, you could always just run the engine in a speed density manner using the MAP sensor in the megasquirt itself, the cars TPS sensor along with all the other regular sensors(coolant temp, intake air temp, etc).

Also, does anyone know what type of IAC valve the 3.8 uses? Is it the regular stepper motor type that GM has been using for years? If so, MS-II is the only one that easially supports that at this point. I'm currently not running any type of IAC. I just blocked off the IAC port in the throttle body and cracked the throttle plates open a little bit with the idle set screw. It works fine. I can idle at ~800rpm without any problem.

[TurboProject]

Pretty much all you would need to do to get a megasquirt to run at least fuel only on a 3.8 would be to wire the following sensors/controls to it:

+12 power

Air temp sensor signal(disconnect from stock computer and run to megasquirt)

Coolant temp sensor signal(disconnect from stock computer and run to megasquirt)

TPS sensor signal(the +5v reference comes from megasquirt, disconnect from stock computer and run to megasquirt)

Oxygen sensor(not nessisarially requiered, but an Innovate LC-1 for $200 is a very good option if you want a wide band setup, or you could just use the stock heated narrow band and connect the heater power to the same relay that powers the fuel pump. Disconnect both signal and heater from stock computer and run to megasquirt)

A tach signal wire(I used the wire going to my tachometer from the ICM, you could also use the tach line from a DIS-4 or something)

Injectors(megasquirt is batch fire at this point. I wired one bank to one signal and the other to another signal. Megasquirt can alternate these banks to help w/ pulsations in fuel rail pressure. Also, the car is already setup with fuses going to the +12 side of the injectors, so you just need to disconnect the ground side from the stock computer and connect them to the megasquirt)

Fuel pump relay control(the stock computer grounds the fuel pump relay to turn it on, so you could just cut the ground wire to the coil on the relay and connect it to megasquirt)

There would also be options for a IAC stepper motor if you went MS-II.

And then there's the issue of controlling the stock DIS on a 3.8 that I've already mentioned.

And of course you'd be losing all of the emmissions type stuff: evap purge, EGR, AIR pump, etc. I don't know how well the stock computer would run these after jerking all of those other things away from it. For a while when I was still running fuel only and the stock computer was still controlling the ignition I added a second coolant temp sensor that the stock computer was hooked to and ignition seemed to run ok. I never checked the timing though to see if it was running on a "limp-home" mode.