1fz-fe engine management upgrades (2 Viewers)

[dogfishlake]

So with an ecu like the haltech, is it a matter of building and splicing into the wiring harness? Man it would be so nice to have a plug in fix for this

 

[scottryana]

Nope if they pull any OBDII codes for emissions, and you pull your stock computer there will be no OBDII to read.

Can they if you ditch the stock computer and use some kind of transmission controller?

 

[scottryana]

It is really only about 6 wires. You can buy a patch harness and run your patches into that so that you don't make any changes to your stock wiring.

So with an ecu like the haltech, is it a matter of building and splicing into the wiring harness? Man it would be so nice to have a plug in fix for this

 

[dogfishlake]

Any suggested reading to get up to speed on this? Even if it generic, it's a starting point

 

[dogfishlake]

T

It is really only about 6 wires. You can buy a patch harness and run your patches into that so that you don't make any changes to your stock wiring.

That's encouraging

 

[scottryana]

No real reading. There just isn't much data out there. Even the Haltech forum sucks. I hate to say it but I think a lot of the tuners don't want to let a lot of the info out or they would be out of a job.

I have posted a couple times what trigger type the 1FZFE is which you will need for the cam and crank sensor inputs so the standalone knows how to fire the engine. If needed I could pull that info from my Haltech computer again, it is just one of those things that you don't use often.

 

[dogfishlake]

Thanks, I'm not in a rush but at some point, I want to do this. I am trd supercharger/intercooler now and it seems o.k. but I would like to go more boost. Possibly to the point of putting the trd on my stocker 80 and going turbo on my new to me 80- then I'll definitely need it. I was thinking of doing the Haltech (or other), then I'm ready for whatever boost set-up I throw at it

 

[Lionsgarage]

Yes MS is DIY but super easy, a buddy just made 816 RWHP with his 2JZ powered volvo with megasquirt, it blends E85 with a second set of 6 injectors and has traction control sorted for the street tires.
He is however much younger than I so it seems easier for him to think through this complex tuning.

 

[p0opstlnksal0t]

From my previous research there aren't any standalone systems that control our trannies. Which is why a piggyback is needed. I even heard of an Oz shop designing a full manual control vb and shifter kit but it never came to fruition. Has this changed in the last 2 years?

 

[dogfishlake]

I did Inquire to Wolf (Australian) about their standalone setup. They have a plug and play harness for the 80 and it does control the transmission, but, you must have them set it up, according to who I talked to. I had a conversation with the rep near me (Wisconsin iirc so semi close to Michigan where I'm at) and he was pretty stoked to do the system on my truck. I am still considering this but not sure yet. My plan is to go full standalone next, then likely scrap the supercharger and go turbo for higher hp. Just gotta start figuring out the funding!

 

[Fj81]

I really hope this begins to gain traction. Since the trucks are getting pretty old and the parts are starting to be discontinued, it would be nice to have a standalone option. Being able to run a motor stock or boosted incase you oem wiring is going bad or had been ruined completely.

 

[1973Guppie]

 

[GarageRat]

I did Inquire to Wolf (Australian) about their standalone setup. They have a plug and play harness for the 80 and it does control the transmission, but, you must have them set it up, according to who I talked to.

What kind of set up do they need to do? If they have done one of a given combination (like say a 1FZ, the closer to stock the better for a general starting point) then if they keep a halfway decent file database there should be a base calibration available in some form to build off of. The other possibility is the ECM is locked to the point where only they can do calibration/tuning.

I've had them in mind for a while for a second 1FZ that I need to assemble (already machined and parts sitting here) for a turbo build and I liked that they have the transmission control built in already giving a clean control method without using a piggyback but if it's locked to where it'd require them to have sole control of the ECM I'm not interested. I've been spoiled with the ease of having multiple suites available for the LS engine platform.

 

[dogfishlake]

What kind of set up do they need to do? If they have done one of a given combination (like say a 1FZ, the closer to stock the better for a general starting point) then if they keep a halfway decent file database there should be a base calibration available in some form to build off of. The other possibility is the ECM is locked to the point where only they can do calibration/tuning.

I've had them in mind for a while for a second 1FZ that I need to assemble (already machined and parts sitting here) for a turbo build and I liked that they have the transmission control built in already giving a clean control method without using a piggyback but if it's locked to where it'd require them to have sole control of the ECM I'm not interested. I've been spoiled with the ease of having multiple suites available for the LS engine platform.

Good point about their unit being locked, if indeed it is. I'm not runnung 300 miles away every time I would want to mess with the tune. I really don't believe that is the case but the conversation didn't get that far either. Not sure why the ECM can't come with at least a baseline for the transmission.

 

[SmokingRocks]

My PO put in a jet ref lashed obd1 ecu in my rig.

I originally took it out and replaced it with stock when I was rebuilding it because I didn't know what they had done with it.

After talking with them it sounds like they tweaked the amount of advance it can provide and they also increased the injector pulse duration.

I've since put it back in and it works fine, I'd like to say it has a bit more pep but who knows. All of my aspirations of power are crushed as soon as it enters the A442F

 

[GarageRat]

Good point about their unit being locked, if indeed it is. I'm not runnung 300 miles away every time I would want to mess with the tune. I really don't believe that is the case but the conversation didn't get that far either. Not sure why the ECM can't come with at least a baseline for the transmission.

It'd be a first for me if a manufacturer/distributor had the engine management locked out completely from the start. The only reason I even suggested it is generally a lot of tuners will lock an ecm after they do a calibration/tune, when done well it's not a big deal other then you have to return to the same tuner for any changes but it can be a hassle as well if something needs to be fixed or if that particular tuner goes out of business. I have a handful of other projects to complete before I can get around to getting the turbo engine assembled and in so I hadn't reached out to them yet but I'll definitely be asking how much setup is required on their end now.

 

[inkpot]

Currently I am running stock setup with just the basic TRD S/C setup, but I am interested in more power primarily for towing. I know there has been discussion of fuel pump upgrades in previous threads, but I don't remember any references to increasing fuel rail pressure via a variable / modified / adjustable fuel pressure regulator. I have found other Toyota FPRs that should interchange with ours but the only have 1or 2 psi more. My fuel injector shop guy says we should probably look for increases of 5-10 psi for significant results. John

 

[turboed83]

I have used Megasquirt in the past on turbo cars. They were all manual transmissions though so I have never had to mess with that. You can get an assemble MS3 from DIYAutotune for like 450$. Then get you a good wideband o2 setup. The MS3 has an autotune feature where you can plug in basic engine parameters for start up. Then readings from the wideband self tune for a basic drivability. Then you can simply take it to your tune and have them strap it on dyno and fine tune it. Hooking it up to run an engine is pretty easy actually. I have a 94 OBD1 and plan on doing this. I am just not sure how splicing into the factory setup works with retaining the TCU. Maybe scottyryana could shed some more light. Like does the ECU and TCU remain full hooked up and you tap MS3 harness into the OEM harness to get the signals needed ? Or do you remove the ECU completely leaving the TCU in place ? Does the signals the TCU needs come from ECU or are they directly from engine sensors such as TPS for downshift etc. ? This is the part I cannot figure out. The guys at DIY Auto Tune said they can build me a plug and play harness from a spare ECU if I send it to them. This is what I used to do when I built turbo VWs. I would dismantle the ECU and use the plug for the factory harness, then solder in the MS3 harness to the pinout accordingly. Pretty easy just time consuming. I made over 600 hp on these on several cars. They also offer a sweet touch screen live data display you can put into dash or console for live monitoring. I recognize there are more elite systems out there but being a budget minded guy i've had great results with MS. Now the 95+ trucks are a different animal because of transmission control.

 

[Fj81]

I have an old megasquirt1 or 2 floating around in my garage from my old RX7 days. Maybe I can find it and goof around with it. I even built the stim board to mess around and make sure the thing was reading signals correctly

 

[scottryana]

So even though you are using a standalone like the MS3. You would be wiring it in parallel to the stock ECU. The stock ECU stays in place and I like to use the AEM pigtail to plug in between the wiring harness and ECU so that I can do all my splicing and not hack any of the stock system.

AEM ECU Extension Harness Lexus LX450 4.5L | 4477ccL6 VIN:J [1FZFE] 96-97

**Might only work on 95-97 trucks, I am not sure**

You want to capture all of the sensors that you would need to run the engine stand alone and then output the proper signal back into the harness. SO things like cam and crank signal, throttle position, MAF signal, water temp, etc. You grab them and bring them into the MS3 and then have it output the ignition and injector outputs. This way you basically have full control of the engine but all of the other systems still get the signals they need to operate, i.e. the transmission, 4wd computer, etc.

I have used Megasquirt in the past on turbo cars. They were all manual transmissions though so I have never had to mess with that. You can get an assemble MS3 from DIYAutotune for like 450$. Then get you a good wideband o2 setup. The MS3 has an autotune feature where you can plug in basic engine parameters for start up. Then readings from the wideband self tune for a basic drivability. Then you can simply take it to your tune and have them strap it on dyno and fine tune it. Hooking it up to run an engine is pretty easy actually. I have a 94 OBD1 and plan on doing this. I am just not sure how splicing into the factory setup works with retaining the TCU. Maybe scottyryana could shed some more light. Like does the ECU and TCU remain full hooked up and you tap MS3 harness into the OEM harness to get the signals needed ? Or do you remove the ECU completely leaving the TCU in place ? Does the signals the TCU needs come from ECU or are they directly from engine sensors such as TPS for downshift etc. ? This is the part I cannot figure out. The guys at DIY Auto Tune said they can build me a plug and play harness from a spare ECU if I send it to them. This is what I used to do when I built turbo VWs. I would dismantle the ECU and use the plug for the factory harness, then solder in the MS3 harness to the pinout accordingly. Pretty easy just time consuming. I made over 600 hp on these on several cars. They also offer a sweet touch screen live data display you can put into dash or console for live monitoring. I recognize there are more elite systems out there but being a budget minded guy i've had great results with MS. Now the 95+ trucks are a different animal because of transmission control.