Anyone running Megasquirt or any other stand alone ecu programmers? Just curious if they are worth giving a try on a stock motor. I'm sure they would work better with a cam and better ignition system, but curious to see the benefits on a stock motor.
felt different on my stock engine but u dont gain much difference vs stock worth the money imo... im going turbo so i needed it anyway edit: message Litneon or check his posts he hass one running aswel...l he helped me with mine
MS has worked well for me. Even on the stock engine, you'll see a good 10% gain in power. And you can tune for mileage. The stock EFI setup runs pretty rich most of the time. When cruising, I have my AFR's rock solid around 15.2 at 70mph and 15.7 around 60 or lower.
Are those AFR numbers for your turbo set up or stock ? I basically want to play around with tuning but have no idea when it comes to EFI. Do they have simple set ups that you can get into?
Well, those AFR's are for no load cruising. Wouldn't matter if it were NA or turbo, the numbers would be the same because it's off boost. Check out the MSEXTRA forums. Along with DIYautotune. There's a ton of info to read up on. It's a bit overwhelming at first, but once you familiarize yourself with it, it becomes very natural. That learning curve will be required no matter what standalone you decide to go with. I don't have any of the factory ignition or fuel injection components left, with the exception of the fuel pressure regulator and fuel rail.
Also, search MegaManual... It's a guide to all MS setup and tuning stuff. Start at the beginning. Read up on installing it and how to get the engine started. Again, read and reread until things start to make sense. You can know the basics before you spend anything, but until you get the tuning software, some of the stuff won't make a whole lot of sense.
Going standalone will delete your VAFM and distributor if you choose to do so (like LitNeon's). Reducing drag, increasing efficiency, and pushing it further than the ole OEM ECU could ever do.
Awww man does it mess with the emissions bull sh!t? I should have known. As far as I know my truck only has to pass the sniffer test and safety. So then would the MS be a "no can do"?
I have no clue what the regulations and laws are for emissions testing and visual inspection. You could have a clean set up that looks very OEM, as your Standalone ECU will be in the cab like the factory ECU. If anything, I'm pretty sure you could have someone tune it to run even cleaner than factory. Standalone tuning (or tuning alone) is the fuel injected equivalent to someone tuning their carbs and timing, except you can do much more with precise parameters. (spark, fuel, and the list goes on especially when you introduce forced induction) I'd find some more answers.