Question Megasquirt & Our Automatic Transmissions

[johnny23toronto]

Out of curiousity, has anyone had any experience with Megasquirt on an OBD-II Explorer, as a parallel installation AND keeping the auto transmission running?

I'm just expecting that I will throw codes with MS on my '99 ex and that will make the pcm do cautious and crappy tranny shifts.

I asked a moderator on the Megasquirt forum, and even they didn't have a definite answer as to how a megasquirt parallel install would behave when it came to relying on the stock ecu/pcm for shifting and tc lock-up decisions.

Every OBD-II turboford/turbo mustang I've seen so far has a manual trans... Can anyone provide some insight on this? Thanks

 

[Turdle]

I moved this to the "need for speed" sub forum. I think the people you want to see it browse mainly this forum.

 

[jah81592]

You will not be able to utilize the tranny function in the stock PCM. There are several sensors on the PCM uses to calculate load which ultimately determines the shifts. I would recommend a Powertrain Control Solutions standalone. It isn't for the weak at heart. It will control your tranny very easily and also have the ability to retain the speedo (some applications),paddle shifting and numerous other features the stock pcm can only dream of. If interested contact me as I am a dealer for this processor.-j

 

[Exploderpilot]

And what would it cost for an application such as a 700r4?

 

[rocket 5979]

Johnny my first question would be what reason are you planning to switch to the Megasquirt for?

 

[scruff]

I think Bauman either has, or has been developing a standalone for this trans as well.

 

[johnny23toronto]

Why Megasquirt? because...

Parallel installation is key here. I will start with spark control first... disconnect ecu outputs to the ignition system, re-wire with MS, and tune until satisfied. Then, move on to the fuel system... same thing. All the while, all of the other remaining ecu wires are still connected, so that, in theory, other stock things are still working, such as: the dash instruments, idle air valve, PCM, etc, are still working.

jah81592's: One of MS's approved vendors sent me the following response:

"...a '99 Explorer would be an EEC-V... Do you have an automatic transmission? If so, you'll probably want what we call a parallel installation, with the stock ECU simply disconnected from what you want to control and the Megasquirt wired to it instead. You'll usually want to give the Megasquirt its own temperature sensors, but you can split the rest of the signals with the stock ECU. If you have a manual transmission, it may be possible to have the Megasquirt control everything..."

Do you think that it would still be an issue? I don't really know what to think. I really want to stick with the auto tranny for now too, but throwing codes will mess up shifting won't it? I am almost certain that I will throw codes: with Ford OBD-II EEC-V, isn't there really complicated self-diagnostics that will detect unexpected adjustments of inputs/outputs that don't match what it was calibrated for... i.e., fuel, timing vs expected a/f ratio... Please read "http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/eecv.htm" It was fantastic for me.

Also, why do you say that "a Powertrain Control Solutions standalone. It isn't for the weak at heart"? Is there a lot of wiring or physical changes that need to be made to the valve body?

rocket 5979's: "...what reason are you planning to switch to the Megasquirt for?"

I want to use it as a stepping stone to going turbo. I am going turbo. I've been long overdue with this sick obsession... It all started when I swapped a B18B into my civic, completely by myself... when I was younger and didnt have the resources/experience to turbo it. Now I've moved up (literally) to the explorer.... now I MIG weld regularly and have a decent size heated workshop, access to materials, tools etc. so I want to turbo my explorer! I also have stockpiled some parts for this... I digress.

I love everything I have read about MS (cost too!). Especially the ability to tune yourself and its applications for other vehicles (upcoming hybrid Z, or my dad's 69 cutlass that is plagued with pinging) which I may use this on in the future. It even has features where it can automatically optimize based on constraints like set a/f ratios as extracted from your own driving logs, improving with each iteration... and eventually fine tuning it on a local dyno.

I'm open to other sugestions of course. But when I hear of Bama Chips, or SCT tuners, etc., they sound great but I don't want to rely on others to program and reprogram it for me, especially if I change things in several stages. What would you/anyone here recommend?

I've learned so much from this forum, and I am always willing to learn so much more from you all too. Thank you, in advance,

-johnny

 

[rocket 5979]

Johnny I do not recall which PCM you are running in your vehicle, whether stock or swapped. I would suggest that if you are running an EEC-V PCM then just buy the SCT PRP (Pro Racer's Package) from James and tune the vehicle to the full extent with that. It allows full control of all parameters within the PCM that would need to be modified for running forced induction. You will save money rather than swapping to the MS system as well as simplicity, and no wiring. If you are running the EEC-IV PCM in your vehicle then going to the MS might be a more attractive option if you are comfortable with it.

Nevermind, I just saw that you have EEC-V. I would definitely recommend that you go with the SCT PRP to tune your vehicle on your own. Remember that the SCT Advantage software is professional grade stuff and does have a learning curve. What it lacks in ease of learning it makes up for in sheer tunability though.

 

[scruff]

I checked, Bauman do have a standalone unit, which is tuneable by a lap top, which is more convenient and cheaper than the other companies who sell standalones.

However, I think you should take the advice of these guys, and since you've got EEC V use it's features and forget the headache of standalone.

 

[stev0n]

i used the megasquirt several years ago on my saturn and absolutely loved it!

just by dialing it in after each run at the track i was able to shave off half a second out of my 1/4 time without upping the boost! Very easy to understand and use and cheap! A great bang for your buck if you ask me.

But i had a manual tranny.

 

[jah81592]

The Bauman will not control the 5R55x series trannies. None of them not the 5R55E or S. I have already been down this road many times and PCS is the only trans controller capable of controlling the sophisticated 5R series Ford trannies. The reason I state that the PCS is not for the weak at heart is because the 5R is a very hard tranny to get the shifts down on. The 5R55E is alot easier but the 5R55S is a pia... If you are going to run the Megasquirt then you can piggy back off the sensors you will be using to drive the fuel injection for the information needed for the PCS. If you do go the PCS route (which I highly recommend) then I believe you will be satisfied once the swap is complete. It is just going to take some dedication and patience. Believe me this 5r55s swap has pushed mine to the fullest. The stock computer cannot control the trans only. You will need a trans controller.

My question is this, why don't you buy a SCT pro-racer package an tune the vehicle accordingly. I will be plenty powerful enough to control any engine combo you could dream of. If you are going to need a tranny go with a PCS,swap in a 5R55S and your drivetrain problems will be a thing of the past. The 5R55S is a very stout tranny. I don't believe I have even began touch the tip of the iceberg yet!Later-j

 

[scruff]

Oops, I assumed he was talking about a V8 truck and therefore an AODE.
Sorry.

The Bauman will not control the 5R55x series trannies. None of them not the 5R55E or S. I have already been down this road many times and PCS is the only trans controller capable of controlling the sophisticated 5R series Ford trannies. The reason I state that the PCS is not for the weak at heart is because the 5R is a very hard tranny to get the shifts down on. The 5R55E is alot easier but the 5R55S is a pia... If you are going to run the Megasquirt then you can piggy back off the sensors you will be using to drive the fuel injection for the information needed for the PCS. If you do go the PCS route (which I highly recommend) then I believe you will be satisfied once the swap is complete. It is just going to take some dedication and patience. Believe me this 5r55s swap has pushed mine to the fullest. The stock computer cannot control the trans only. You will need a trans controller.

My question is this, why don't you buy a SCT pro-racer package an tune the vehicle accordingly. I will be plenty powerful enough to control any engine combo you could dream of. If you are going to need a tranny go with a PCS,swap in a 5R55S and your drivetrain problems will be a thing of the past. The 5R55S is a very stout tranny. I don't believe I have even began touch the tip of the iceberg yet!Later-j

 

[wjg]

...swap in a 5R55S and your drivetrain problems will be a thing of the past. The 5R55S is a very stout tranny. I don't believe I have even began touch the tip of the iceberg yet!Later-j

off topic:

when are you going to sell like an "installation kit" for swapping this transmission?? is this the one that 02+ trucks have? our 05's transmission is hard as a rock.

 

[rocket 5979]

off topic:

when are you going to sell like an "installation kit" for swapping this transmission?? is this the one that 02+ trucks have? our 05's transmission is hard as a rock.

I doubt he ever will sell a kit for this swap. While there may be a few of you that would want to do this swap it is nowhere near enough to surpass the cost that it would take to start putting full swap kits together and stocking them.

 

[wjg]

im not expecting him to make a kit with all the parts needed, but perhaps a list with Ford parts # and things needed...kinda like a write up. i just say that he should sell it cuz he had to do a lot of work to make the trans work like it should (idk if its perfected tho since there was no recent updates in the other thread)

BTW this is what im dealing with now

 

[IZwack]

Since you (johnny23toronto) are online and SINCE its been a year, any update on the changeover to MegaSquirt?

 

[johnny23toronto]

more than one year!

Lol. Over a year. How time flies! Well, I'm still unsure which way I will go. I really am impressed with the things I've seen on this forum with respect to tuning done by others (Henson, etc).

The SCT pro racer package seems like the best thing out there. I just cringe at the price.

Costs considered, I'm leaning towards the sniper special forces tuning kit (or now its renamed "delta forces") setup. Not the expensive one (commando, around $800). If I had a few more pennies saved up, I would definitely go with SCT pro racer, or commando with recon... but I'm not doing to well financially and work is very crappy lately. Depressing really.

My datalogging can be done with my eyeball on the "JAW wideband" gauge I installed already, and it logs against rpm and connects to my laptop too. I've been working periodically on this turbo project though. I'm committed to completing it. I've got lots of the exhaust and down piping underway, 42 lb injectors already on my shelf next to me, and other stuffs like a Holset Turbo, wastegates, etc, here too.

I promise to formally do a write up on my progress, soon. I'm sure I'll be stuck on other stuff.

Costs are brutally adding up, with expensive metric adapters, oil fittings, and the nightmare of trying to find a decent place for a bulhead fitting on my upper oil pan... its all the little things that cost the most.

Its coming together though. I never have time to work on it for more than a two or three hours... the woman is calling, I got to go. (My brain is thinking: Damn, I'm not even married.)