FAQ for new users

[daxtojeiro]

For general information on MS1/Extra, MS2/Extra, Megasquirt-3 etc
- go to http://www.msextra.com

For the MSEXTRA Megasquirt manuals go to
http://www.msextra.com/doc/index.html


Somewhat out of date FAQ follows....

Q: hello i am building a feista mk3 with a 2ltr zetec and just wanted to know how hard it would be to use your system with throttle bodies and how hard to fit it and would i need to have a starded for loom in the car thanks very much
A: Hi there, well I can’t say how easy it would be as easy for someone is hard for someone else. There’s no reason why fitting an MS ECU should be any harder than any other after market ECU, in fact with all the help available on this forum it could be easier. I’m not sure what you mean about the loom, but you’ll need either an old loom with the relevant connectors on it for your sensors, etc, and connect that to the loom I supply, or you’ll need to get the connectors for your sensors and wire those straight to the loom I supply, Phil

Q: Hi There, Been thinking about one of these units, I’m running a 1955 Buick V8 with an old Hilborn mechanical injection system that I’m going to convert to EFI (They do parts to convert these including the TPS etc), the system would only be capable of using the standard points distributor. Do you know if the Megasquirt will work with this type of set up? OH and nice work on the Cobra. Cheers Dave
A: Hi there, basically you need an Air Temp sensor, a coolant temp sensor, a Lambda sensor, an electric high pressure fuel pump, a set of electric fuel injectors and a suitable inlet manifold and MS can control it. I have converted an old TR6, which was mechanical, over to EFI using injectors and a few other bits from a vauxhall omega and an MS ECU. It will work ok with a distributor and points, if you want to run a mapped ignition system youll need to lock the dizzy up so the weights and vacuum advance have no affect to the position of the points opening with respect to the timing. If you dont want to run ignition mapping then thats fine, you dont need to lock the distributor up, just leave it and it will trigger the MS ECU for fueling. Phil

Q: Hi, I am currently modifying my kit car to a 2l zetec with bike throttle bodies, would the megasquirt you have run this? Do you need to fit a seperate relay board or any other parts? finally is it difficult to set the items up or is it fairly straight forward when using the software. Thanks John.
A: Hi there, yes these can be built to control a Zetec engine, indeed there are many Zetec's running with the MS ECU. The V3.0 pcb has a built in VR conditioner, which means it you can use your original 36-1 toothed wheel and sensor, as fitted to most Ford EFI setups as well as many other vehicles. As for setting up the MS, that is a case of reading all you can about the system, the more you read and understand the easier it will be to set up. Im not going to tell you its easy, but its certainly not hard if you put the effort in and is very rewarding, Phil

Q: Hello, my name is Kevin. I think your the man to answer my questions & maybe help to get my project underway. I have a BMW M535i, with Motronic 1.0 & airflow sensor etc. It will have to be built on a budget, but I have just bought a second-hand, Eaton M62 Super charger & I want to fit to it to the car. I am not going to do any mods to the engine internally, as I have been told that I can may get away with about 8 psi boost? I am guessing that I will need a complete programmable ECU, what do you think? Or do you think I can add a couple of extra injectors & a boost retard sensor with a piggy back computer of some kind, to sence boost (retard) & add extra fuelling? I am very serious about doing this prodject as I think it will be a very good Street Sleeper car. I will want to also Drag race it at Santa-pod & get some 1/4 mile times. I would be very grateful to talk to you & buy the bits I need from you as you seem very reasonable. Thanks Kevin
A: Hi there, Im not familiar with the 3.5 BMW, so I dont know if it can take 8psi of boost, but I did add 8psi to a 9.75:1 compression ratio 3.5 Rover V8 without any internal changes. I used the MS ECU to control fuel and ignition on that engine. But one thing is for sure, you will definetly need to control fuel and spark with an aftermarket ECU, it will not work efficiently just adding a few injectors or piggybacking your original injectors. Megasquirt will definetly control your setup very well, it is an ideal ECU for your purpose. I would think youll need new a new set of injectors at least, it depends on what power you anticipate getting from the engine and the flow rates of your current injectors, (this can be found from the internet) You really need to read the MS manuals and the Extra web site that I have added links to in the Auction. If you decide Megasquirt is the way to go for you then you can purchase an ECU from me. good luck with your project, Phil

Q: Hi, I am thinking of fitting EDIS/Megasquirt to my rover V8 efi to run on petrol and LPG. What would be the best Megasquirt module for this and how much would it cost for you to supply it? I know this is a very large subject but i am just trying to get an idea of what i need and the cost. Thanks Ben.
A: Hi there, well Edis is an option with these ECU's, but you may want to concider directly driving the coil packs from MS, gets rid of the need for an Edis module, V8 ones are difficult to find in the UK anyhow. As for LPG, the best option would be to have it wired for switched tables (so you run one fuel and spark map when in petrol mode and a completely different one in LPG mode) this will allow you to tune the 2 fuels vertually independantly. The only real problem I can see is that the Air Density Correction calculations for petrol may be different for LPG, this would need to be looked at but I wouldnt think it is very far out as most systems that are reto-fitted use the original EFI ECU to drive the LPG. So this may not need to be any different, Im just not 100% sure. Good luck with your project, Phil

Q: hi there, i have read your FAQ's and have seen the one about the 2 l zetec and bike TB's (throttle bodies). I am very new to all this,so i need help, i want to purchase this MS system but i don't know what else i need. i am running a kit car with a cvh engine, i'm changing to 2 litre zetec with yamaha r1 TB's, what will i need on top of this package as far as wiring goes. If you have a contact tel. no. please could i have it. much thanks
A: Hi there, as far as wiring goes you need the relavent plugs for all your sensors, e.g. Air Temp Sensor, etc. Your Zetec would have a VR sensor on it and a 36-1 trigger wheel which can be used directly with a V3.0 MS. You should also have a coil pack sat on top of the engine somewhere, this can be directly driven from this MS ECU V3.0 too, (no need to get an Edis module) so youll have fuel and ignition control in wasted spark mode on your setup with this MS. Phil

Q: hi I am building a bmw 318is m42 with throttle bodies,high cams etc,with this system,can i get rid of the MAF,so i can put on a DTM carbon airbox,so the ecu controls the air mixture thanks
A: Hi there, yes the MAF can be thrown away if the hard ware allows it, as some setups have the MAF built into the inlet manifold. This setup can use the built in Manifold Air Pressure sensor (known as Speed Density mode), or a Throttle position pot (thats whats called Alpha_n mode) or it can be adapted to use a MAF if it has a 0-5V output signal (e.g. a Ford item) so yes, the restriction of a MAF can be removed if you so desire, Phil

Q: Hi, I am thinking of fitting EDIS/Megasquirt to my rover V8 efi to run on petrol and LPG. What would be the best Megasquirt module for this and how much would it cost for you to supply it? I know this is a very large subject but i am just trying to get an idea of what i need and the cost. Thanks Ben.
A: Hi there, well Edis is an option with this ECU, but you may want to concider directly driving the coil packs from MS, gets rid of the need for an Edis module, V8 ones are difficult to find in the UK anyhow. That option is up to you with my setups. As for LPG, the best option would be to have it wired for switched tables (so you run one fuel and spark map when in petrol mode and a completely different one in LPG mode) this will allow you to tune the 2 fuels vertually independantly. The only real problem I can see is that the Air Density Correction calculations for petrol may be different for LPG, this would need to be looked at but I wouldnt think it is very far out as most systems that are reto-fitted use the original EFI ECU to drive the LPG. So this may not need to be any different, Im just not 100% sure. For adding a switcheable input I would charge £10 more, so its not very expensive. Good luck with your project, Phil

Q:hi there, i have read your FAQ's and have seen the one about the 2 l zetec and bike TB's (throttle bodies). I am very new to all this,so i need help, i want to purchase this MS system but i don't know what else i need. i am running a kit car with a cvh engine, i'm changing to 2 litre zetec with yamaha r1 TB's, what will i need on top of this package as far as wiring goes. If you have a contact tel. no. please could i have it. much thanks
A:Hi there, as far as wiring goes you need the relavent plugs for all your sensors, e.g. Air Temp Sensor, etc. Your Zetec would have a VR sensor on it and a 36-1 trigger wheel which can be used directly with a V3.0 MS. You should also have a coil pack sat on top of the engine somewhere, this can be directly driven from this MS ECU V3.0 too, (no need to get an Edis module) so youll have fuel and ignition control in wasted spark mode on your setup with this MS. Phil

Q:hi I am building a bmw 318is m42 with throttle bodies,high cams etc,with this system,can i get rid of the MAF,so i can put on a DTM carbon airbox,so the ecu controls the air mixture thanks
A: Hi there, yes the MAF can be thrown away if the hard ware allows it, as some setups have the MAF built into the inlet manifold. This setup can use the built in Manifold Air Pressure sensor (known as Speed Density mode), or a Throttle position pot (thats whats called Alpha_n mode) or it can be adapted to use a MAF if it has a 0-5V output signal (e.g. a Ford item) so yes, the restriction of a MAF can be removed if you so desire, Phil

Q: hi, are you asembling these units or buying in from the states?... We have an on (and on and on) going project that requires radically re giging the zetec and then running a supercharger on top, i looked at the old v2 MS units about 18 months ago and they looked very good value and the spec/drivers pritty impressive to say the least, what up grade is this unit?, and if your building them can you supply ecu only as we have full loom build facilities of our own. Thanks Jenna
A: Hi there, I assemble them myself in my workshop, I do supply them without a wiring harness if thats how you want them. As you can probably see James and I have pushed the MS code a little further on than it was 18mths ago. The upgrades I do are the 2 spark outputs (i can do them with 1, 2, 3 or 4 spark outputs) and the TIP122 FET added to the Idle valve output so it can drive 3Amps to an idle valve, the original simply isnt up to the job of driving an idle valve directly. Basically Im selling them ready for use so the end user doesnt have to modify them for their use, Phil

Q: Hello! This is a great system! Can I use it on a motorbike? I have a Honda GL1000ccm, flat four engine, 61kW@7500rpm, watercooled, waste spark ignition with two coils (so each of the two coils supplies two cylinders). But the ignition system is fine, I only need to control fuel. I can build an intake manifold as I am a good welder. Problem could be that I have no sensors on the engine, so You would have to tell me what I need to make it working (sensors, throttle plate, fuel pump, injectors, wiring diagram). I have a 12V negative ground electricity. Thank You Ray
A: Ok, thats a great project, starting with a clean sheet is fun! Fuel control is easy to do, well its not too bad lets put it that way. Take a look at the Download section, there are drawings in there for you to download. But basically you need a lambda sensor, a throttle position pot ( this isnt strictly needed but it does help if you can fit it) a high pressure fuel pump capable of around 40psi, 4 injectors, air temperature sensor (I can supply these if needed), coolant sensor (I can supply these too), fuel pressure regulator, fuel rails. I would think the easiest way would be to get them from a scrap bike with injection already fitted. If you want me to mail you a drawing I can by all means. Phil

Q: This ecu is ok(plug'n play)for peugeot engines(both mi16 and 106 GTI)? Other modifications needed to put it in peugeot engines?
A: Hi there, sorry these items are not plug-n-play ECU's, they all need to be tuned for your setup, etc, with the software provided, I have fitted these to several RV8's and Zetecs, (as well as other cars) and none of them have the same map in it as every engine is different, the base map should get you running but they need to be tuned for your setup. They also need to be wired into your engine, this isnt too difficult in fact most people are surprised how easy this is to do. The main thing to find out is what trigger signals you have on your engine, e.g. Ford use 36-1, Vauxhall uses 60-2, etc,. Phil