stock ecu + innovate lc1?
#1
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stock ecu + innovate lc1?
So I went ahead and ordered my LC1 in prep for my turbo stuff, im going to get the injectors, wideband, and MS installed, get used to it, then install turbo hardware to help in the troubleshooting process of going turbo. Anyways, I have the innovate lc1 sitting on my floor, and i was wondering if there is any point in installing the wideband now with my stock ecu, just to make sure its working right, get more familiar with it, give me something to do since im bored, etc. I know when I install the MS, i basically unplug my stock ecu, hook up a vacuum line, my AIT sensor, and plug it into the stock ecu harness, so im wondering, if i go ahead and install my LC1 now, wil I have to re-do anything when i go to the MS, or will installing it now just save me one step when I finally get the MS in?
I went over the instructions briefly that came with it, and it mentions using the stock ecu ground etc, so im wondering if I would just have to redo stuff when i change ecu's?
I suck at electrical ****, so im not trying to mess with any wires more than I have to so any clarification/suggestions are welcomed
Thanks
I went over the instructions briefly that came with it, and it mentions using the stock ecu ground etc, so im wondering if I would just have to redo stuff when i change ecu's?
I suck at electrical ****, so im not trying to mess with any wires more than I have to so any clarification/suggestions are welcomed
Thanks
#3
I did this with mine, used the second output to emulate the narrowband and wired it to the OEM ecu:
http://mx5cartalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=39059
Its a good opportunity to check your sensor and you can use the datalogging output on the LC1 to take a squiz at how the OEM ECU works before you pull it all out.
http://mx5cartalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=39059
Its a good opportunity to check your sensor and you can use the datalogging output on the LC1 to take a squiz at how the OEM ECU works before you pull it all out.
#5
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so after re-reading the installation instructions, I think I have a better feel for what I have to do but I still have a couple questions:
I know on the stock ecu, ill attach the yellow wire to the existing 02 wire to send narrowband signal, but when i swap to MS does it still require the narrowband signal?
where are people grounding to? can I attach it to one of the shifter bolts? or should I run it all the way out to the engine block (I think thats where the stock ecu grounds?)
and whats the best/most accessible switched 12v source? i read somewhere the radio but which wire would I need to tap off of?
and for the headlight source for lighting the gauge, which wire do I need to tap off of?
from searching I can find out what device they are tapping from, but nobody really specifies which wire from that device to use.
thanks for any clarification
I know on the stock ecu, ill attach the yellow wire to the existing 02 wire to send narrowband signal, but when i swap to MS does it still require the narrowband signal?
where are people grounding to? can I attach it to one of the shifter bolts? or should I run it all the way out to the engine block (I think thats where the stock ecu grounds?)
and whats the best/most accessible switched 12v source? i read somewhere the radio but which wire would I need to tap off of?
and for the headlight source for lighting the gauge, which wire do I need to tap off of?
from searching I can find out what device they are tapping from, but nobody really specifies which wire from that device to use.
thanks for any clarification
#11
I'm attempting to do this very same thing on my car this weekend. Unfortunately I hit a huge road block. Wiring was simple, I kept the controller in the passenger compartment, fed the wires through the firewall on the passenger side through the 1" hole plug that was there. I wired the grounds to a single lug, then bolted them to what I thought was the ECU ground (the black wire with a white or green stripe on it at the back of the intake manifold). I cut the connector off my old O2 sensor and soldered it to the yellow wire (you have to use a lot of heat, I had to use 800 deg F in order to get the aluminum wires to take the solder).
I got the power from an unused circuit on my fuse box. My car doesn't have power windows, but there was a slot in the fuse box for it. 1/2 the terminals were in that slot (the power wire), but the other half was blank. I modified it to accept a 1/4" spade terminal, then put a 10 amp fuse to connect the two. Ran the wire from the fuse box over to the LC-1 controller.
Everything looked great, even got the old 02 sensor out with no problem!!! So of course something had to go wrong. I read a bunch of posts where people said that you can run the wires up thru the hole in the floor for the shifter. It's true that all the connectors fit, however, the stupid wire for the 02 sensor is too short!!! Arghhh. Since I already wired everything, I didn't want to start snipping wires and have to resolder everything, so now I'm attempting to mount the controller under the dash with the connector sticking thru the firewall, so I can just essentially plug the O2 sensor into the firewall. Unfortunately I need a nibbler and will have to wait until tomorrow when I can borrow one from work.
So long story short, I'm attempting to wire it in place and drive around to record all my O2 readings with the stock ECU, but I'm stuck cause like an idiot, I didn't verify what I read on the internet before doing a lot of soldering. Lesson learned.
I got the power from an unused circuit on my fuse box. My car doesn't have power windows, but there was a slot in the fuse box for it. 1/2 the terminals were in that slot (the power wire), but the other half was blank. I modified it to accept a 1/4" spade terminal, then put a 10 amp fuse to connect the two. Ran the wire from the fuse box over to the LC-1 controller.
Everything looked great, even got the old 02 sensor out with no problem!!! So of course something had to go wrong. I read a bunch of posts where people said that you can run the wires up thru the hole in the floor for the shifter. It's true that all the connectors fit, however, the stupid wire for the 02 sensor is too short!!! Arghhh. Since I already wired everything, I didn't want to start snipping wires and have to resolder everything, so now I'm attempting to mount the controller under the dash with the connector sticking thru the firewall, so I can just essentially plug the O2 sensor into the firewall. Unfortunately I need a nibbler and will have to wait until tomorrow when I can borrow one from work.
So long story short, I'm attempting to wire it in place and drive around to record all my O2 readings with the stock ECU, but I'm stuck cause like an idiot, I didn't verify what I read on the internet before doing a lot of soldering. Lesson learned.
#12
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that sucks, ill be sure to check if the 02 lead makes it into my engine compartment or not before wiring. are you using the stock exhaust manifold? I have a crappy ebay header til i save up to finish my turbo setup, and it has the o2 bung farther back than stock location. hopefully mine will fit.
let me know if you get it all wired up, and if everything works out for you. I rather learn from your mistakes than from my own
let me know if you get it all wired up, and if everything works out for you. I rather learn from your mistakes than from my own
#13
I ended up cutting a hole in the firewall right next to the speedo cable, there was an unused square hole there anyway, I just made it larger with a 1-1/8 hole saw. O2 sensor fit right thru, though if I used a slightly larger hole saw, the connector would've fit thru, which would've been smarter, but I didn't feel like doing any more drilling. Connected it to the controller, turned the key and viola!! She started, idled without any hiccups and I could log data from the controller. I haven't taken it for a run yet to start recording AFR under different driving conditions. But so far, no check engine light. Oh, and I'm using the stock exhaust manifold.
#14
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care to take any pics of which wires you used? i suck at reading wiring diagrams. i know use radio for switched 12v, tap headlights for backlight etc, but the radio has more than one wire in it...haha any clarification of color/markings on the wires you used? I would really appreciate it
#15
The wife took the camera with her for the week, so unfortunately I can't take any pics. However, I did NOT use the radio. I can try to explain it to you though, and take pics next week. If you look under your dash (drivers side), look for the fuse box. Look for the power windows fuse. In my case, there was no fuse, but, there was power going into the slot, just no connector coming out. So you have to look in the fuse box to see how many terminals are in the fuse box. This will quickly become a flexibily test, so stretch before attempting, heh. It will help to remove the 2 screws holding the fuse box to the bracket. Won't help much, but you can at least tilt the fuse box to look in there.
If you have 2 terminals in there, you're in luck. Find the power windows connector under the center console. If not, then you have to add a terminal to that fuse slot.
I chose to do it this way so I'd have a dedicated circuit for my LC-1. I didn't want to attach it to anything else...probably just paranoia.
Also, I didn't use the gauge cause I can datalog with the laptop. I can take a pic of the grounding point that I used when I get the camera. Good luck!!
If you have 2 terminals in there, you're in luck. Find the power windows connector under the center console. If not, then you have to add a terminal to that fuse slot.
I chose to do it this way so I'd have a dedicated circuit for my LC-1. I didn't want to attach it to anything else...probably just paranoia.
Also, I didn't use the gauge cause I can datalog with the laptop. I can take a pic of the grounding point that I used when I get the camera. Good luck!!
#17
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so i got everything installed and its running fine, no codes, everything seems normal
one question, I tapped the g2 gauge backlight power from the cupholder light source, so it would get power when i turn on my lights, but it isnt working. is there some obvious reason this is a wrong place to tap?
one question, I tapped the g2 gauge backlight power from the cupholder light source, so it would get power when i turn on my lights, but it isnt working. is there some obvious reason this is a wrong place to tap?
#18
Is it still working fine? Looks like mine is having an issue. Not sure what yet, but the check engine light comes on intermittently. I've got to research and see if anyone using it in the stock location sees the same thing. The check engine light will come on for a few minutes, then go away. I might just make a quick aluminum heat sink and throw it on there to see if that makes it go away. I did read a post saying that the O2 sensor should be far from the engine, but that seems that that would be true for boosted motors, not stock. We'll see.
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