Newbie FOX MUSTANG HELP NEEDED

[AREA351]

Hello,

I am new here and just joined to try and get some insight. I have 1990 Mustang with 408 Stroker , EFI , and stock computer. Considering my options for upgrades and
Megasquirt seems to have a lot of options. The car is NA, big cam , etc. I have been getting frustrated with the MSD Distributor, and always wanted to go to coil packs.

Here are my questions: What Megasquirt should I be considering? keeping in mind, I would like to eliminate my distributor and go to DIS Ignition. Is the Explorer, trigger wheel and crank sensor, EDIS module method the best conversion to do in conjunction with a Megasquirt install? If it is, how does the Megasquirt get wired in conjunction with an EDIS module? I have some pretty good info on the EDIS conversion. I know its a bit of a job, but am willing to take it on.

I hope I have provided enough info.Looking forward to hearing recommendations.

thx
Steve

[billr]

My opinions:

If you can solder, go for the MS3 "kit". It uses the latest CPU/firmware so is well-supported and continuing to be improved. The hardware can be easily and economically upgraded in the future if you need features beyond the basic ones provided. Cost of the MS3 kit is minimal, hardly much more than the lessor MS2.

Use the 36-1 wheel and sensor, but not the EDIS module/coils. Well, maybe the coils, using a separate driver module. Let MS take full control of spark timing, avoid any questions about what EDIS is doing. It will be less confusing.

[kjones6039]

Use the 36-1 wheel and sensor, but not the EDIS module/coils. Well, maybe the coils, using a separate driver module. Let MS take full control of spark timing, avoid any questions about what EDIS is doing. It will be less confusing.

Gotta agree with Bill here (of course, I always do! )!

Since you are just starting a new project I would not consider EDIS! It is just as easy to start with MS and let it control ignition also.

Ken

[Raymond_B]

Do some searching for 351w, crank trigger, etc. You'll find tons of info.

[AREA351]

thanks for the responses.

I can solder wires together. I went and looked at the MS3 Kits, and to be honest, they look pretty complicated. I have looked at a lot of threads over the last couple of days, and all complications and problems kinda scare me, to be honest. I would hate to be the next guy in over my head. Can I use one of those "assembled" units? I would pay extra, to have less headaches.
Also, what driver module would I want to use? and would my existing factory harness still be used? The A9L computer is 60 pin , I think? How the hell does all this come together? sorry for sounding useless. I have always been good around a car, but electronics are my weak point.
As for a trigger wheel, I would probably just buy one from DIY, and the VR?

[Raymond_B]

thanks for the responses.

I can solder wires together. I went and looked at the MS3 Kits, and to be honest, they look pretty complicated. I have looked at a lot of threads over the last couple of days, and all complications and problems kinda scare me, to be honest. I would hate to be the next guy in over my head. Can I use one of those "assembled" units? I would pay extra, to have less headaches.
Also, what driver module would I want to use? and would my existing factory harness still be used? The A9L computer is 60 pin , I think? How the hell does all this come together? sorry for sounding useless. I have always been good around a car, but electronics are my weak point.
As for a trigger wheel, I would probably just buy one from DIY, and the VR?

You can buy assembled setups from DIYAutotune. Check out their site and let your budget decide I went with an assembled MS3/3X, there's also PnP units (Plug and Play) that will go right in your Fox 60 pin connector (yes it's 60 pin). But wanting to go coil near plug and crank trigger kind of takes you away from the plug and play aspect.

I resisted just going with an entirely new engine harness for a while, I made all kinds of adapters(look at my post history and you'll see my creations ). Then I sat back and thought about it, the whole thing is just easier going all new wiring. No adapters to cause issues, no old ancient wiring to cause trouble, no old grounds, etc, etc. So many folks post issues here and a ton of the causes go back to "adapted" wiring. And again to add things like a crank trigger, coils, etc you'll need to do your own wiring anyway.

Click on the link at the top of the page and just work your way through the manual, don't even touch the software yet. Just read on soak in the physical aspect. Read posts here too, the cars do not have to be exactly like yours for you to learn.

[AREA351]

Thank you
I have a brand new peerless harness in my garage I have been saving. My wiring is pretty clean at the moment. Mostly gauges that got added in, etc, but still pretty clean.

I had been reading, and was just getting up on the PIP / SAW stuff. What do you recommend for a Megasquirt Driver module? Would you buy the trigger from Megasquirt?
the trigger wheel will probably be the easiest part of the job for me. I have a few machinist buddies.

[ScottRS]

I just hung a Microsquirt on a sort-of '93 Cobra 5.0. It has bigger heads and cam, but still fairly mild (24lb injectors are enough for it), up and running now. I have a lot of tuning yet to do before I call it "good", but I was using it over the weekend (my car gets used as a sort-of tractor as well).

Anyway, I'm using:
Explorer timing cover (because I wanted the short reverse rotation water pump, had that before Microsquirt)
36-1 Explorer balancer/wheel
Explorer crank position sensor
VW 4 tower coil packs referenced in the Microsquirt manual as "easy waste spark on 4 cylinder", I'm just using two of them; easy stock cross is 2000 Beetle gasser
GM MAP and baro sensors
GM CLT and MAT sensors
Ford TPS and IAC
Ford 24lb injectors
Adjustable fuel pressure regulator on stock rails
Single wideband O2

I'm running batch fire injection as I figured that was good enough for my needs. Waste spark (obviously) and no distributor. I plugged the hole in the engine with the Explorer cam sensor assembly, but didn't time it to anything, and it's not hooked up, just making sure my oil pump keeps spinning. Speed density rather than mass air; I've had problems with mass air sensors in the past and my intake layout isn't especially good for mass air anyway. Morphodite spark plug wires (standard replacement 8mm wires with the coil ends swapped to MSD 3304 LS coil ends fit the VW coils; hindsight being 20/20, I should have just bought bulk wire, ends, and plug wire crimping pliers).

I didn't go EDIS because I'm slightly paranoid about having difficult or impossible to diagnose black boxes in my car; with the Microsquirt directly driving the VW coil packs, I eliminated one more possible part to go wrong and force me to just throw parts at it to diagnose. I don't know for sure if that's good/bad/otherwise, but that's what I did.

I built my own engine harness using the 8' flying lead harness that DIYautotune sells; didn't want to try recycling too much old junkyard stuff, so bought some DIYautotune parts, some Rockauto parts, and got enough stuff to make it all work.

If what I've just described fits what you want to do, Microsquirt is not a bad way to go. If you want more capability (sequential injection would be the big next step in my mind) then MS3 is the better base to start with.

The biggest issue I'm finding so far is a surging idle, even in open loop. I'm going to have to tinker more with that to chase it down, but in open loop idle, it's pretty minor. Closed loop I definitely have something out of whack because it lopes pretty badly.