pascal.1605

Hello everyone,
this is my first ever Post, so if I missed anything please let me know.
Also, english is not my First language so keep that in mind.

I have a "Crank but no start" issue on my Car.

Here is some info on the Car:

1992 Euro Model Mx-5.
170.000Km on the clock.
MsLabs MS2 Basic ECU connected to the newest Version of Tuner Studio.
MAF delete, MAP included in ECU.
Removed the "ST SIGN" Fuse as is required by the ECU.
Aftermarket BMW E36 TPS and a aftermarket GM IAT Sensor, TPS is allready callebrated.
Jumped the Fuel Pump with the MAF Connector, Pin 2 (Gold) and Pin 7 (Silver).
Connected the IAT to Pin 1 and 6.
AEM 3 Port Boost Solenoid connected to Pin 4 and 12V.
NGK Colder Plugs with NGK Blue Leads.
Yellow Rx-8 Injectors
The Car was pretty much completly dissasambled for restauration and presumably last ran about 3 years ago. Car was a mess when i got it but ive since put it all back together and It Cranks over nicly but dosnt Start.
Also the previous owner did some questionable Electrical work on it (Like random wires everywhere).


When I First tried hooking up my Laptop i noticed that the ECU wasn't connecting because the White/Red wire wasn't getting any Power and i coudn't hear the Main Relay switch on, the Blue/Red wire below it (in the yellow Connector) was getting Switched 12V. The Fuel Pump also wasn't priming.
I Tried swapping in a new Main Relay from my other Miata but that didnt work eather.

I Checked the Ignition Switch just to be sure, looked brand new so I cleaned and reassambled it.
Next i Checked all Fuses, they all looked fine but I hooked up my Multimeter to both the 15Amp Engine and 10 Amp room fuse respectively, when i did that i could hear the Relay click and after that the ECU and Fuel Pump had power ever since so I concider that Problem "Fixed".

With that out of the Way I now have Air and Fuel so it has to be a Spark Issue.

Ive read that with theese symptoms its most likely a Bad CAS so I Checked the Connector first, its clean, not melted and the Thick White/Red wire has 12V, the smaller White one also has 12V, the Yellow/Blue wire is slighly below 5Volts and the Black wire is Ground.
I Also Checked the Coil Pack Connector, its also Clean and not Melted. I didn't check for Voltage yet because im new to this whole electical stuff and dont want to mess with the Coils quite yet.

After that i tried Checking for Codes, Jumped the "GND" and "TEN" Pin but didnt get an engine light on the Dash, the only two lights that come on are the Battery and Handbrake light, no Engine light at all at the "ON" Position.

After all that Testing and Tuning my Battery got pretty tired so i need to Charge it first.
I also ordered a Spark tester( Basicly a Lamp that goes between the Spark Plug and the Plug Wire and lights up when there is Power), that will be here in two Days.

Replacing the CAS is the last thing I want to do since there is only one site that sells them in my Country and there at least 450$.

To summarize:
-I can confirm that i have Air and Fuel.
-Engine Cranks but dosn't start.
-NO "(Check)Engine" Light at all at the "On" Position, therefore I can't look for Codes.

Help would be appreciated.

curly

iTrader: (25)

Post a log of you cranking it, and attach your tune. That’ll help us a lot.

pascal.1605

Unscrewed my Gauge cluster to check if the bulb has gone bad... Apparently we didn't get the "Check Engine" light in Europe, at least early Models don't have them. Instead We got a Fog light where the Check Engine light would be.

I'll have to wire up a LED to a Resistor as an alternative to a check engine light and plug it in the Diagnostic Box.

pascal.1605

Hi, thanks for the reply

I'll try to update my Basemap and get a composite log tomorrw.

curly

iTrader: (25)

You’re kind of going about this like it’s a stock car, it’s not. If you have a standalone ECU, the check engine light is only for when you don’t have your laptop with you. You can check your grounds, CAS, coils, injectors, and even the CEL function, by simply connecting to the ECU.

pascal.1605

Im new to Standalone ECU’s.
I saw the Coil and Injector test window in Tuner Stuido but didn’t exactly know what values to punch in.

How do you check the CAS ? Thats probably what is causing issues.

curly

iTrader: (25)

When you crank it; you’ll see rpm on tuner studios.

pascal.1605

Got it running.
i Changed the basemap and did some further tweeks in Tuner Studio. It fired right up but is idleing at 2000RPM. I'll check the IAC Valve later and look for vaccum leaks.

Watterson02

Since many people aren't going to "spoonfeed" you on this forum I will, at least for a moment. It seems like you're a little confused with the purpose of the aftermarket ECU, its basemap, and how it works. It isn't a stock computer like Curly has mentioned, so it can't be treated like one. So hopefully this will help clear things up and get you pointed in the right direction.

The base map on the ECU will not be 100% correct for your car. The base map's purpose is to get the car running so that it can be manually calibrated by either yourself or a professional tuner. It is not intended to be used as-is right out of the box. By doing so your car will run poorly at best, or at worst damage the engine. I'd highly suggest at least watching these videos and doing a little research on how to tune your car. One of his first videos addresses setting your idle. I'd bet $10 your IAC valve is working as intended (can't say the same about vacuum leaks). You probably just need to tune your idle.

Also, purchasing the paid version of Tunerstudio will save you a ton of time in terms of dialing in the fuel map by using the autotune feature, just lock it out of the lower load cells and tune these manually. Autotune does not work well with the low-load cells and will end up taking out way too much fuel from my experience. Also, make sure you've got a wideband O2 sensor installed for best results. Lastly, if you're using aftermarket injectors make sure to enter in their deadtimes and voltage calibrations, otherwise, all other corrections will be incorrect.

And for the love of everything that is good, don't mess with settings you don't understand yet. This includes the ignition timing, just stick with the base map's values (or close to it) while under full load. A few more degrees should be fine, but if doing so run premium fuel. Lastly (for real this time), use the search bar. Every question you will likely ever have has already been asked on here unless you're getting into the very deep end.

At the end of the day, we're here to help, but if it is a quick Google search away people are going to get irritated. On a more positive note, enjoy the fun that is tuning. There is always more to learn, and that's the joy of it

edit: also the aftermarket ECU will not output any codes and from my experience would only turn on the check engine light if something was preventing the engine from running. Whether the key is in the on position but the engine isn't running or the CAS isn't working, the output will be the same. For more information you will almost always need a laptop to diagnose it.

pascal.1605

Thanks for all the Infos.
The problem was that I didn't have the right basemap loaded for my old MS2 ECU (pre3.3 alpha5). The map i was using was for a Ms3pro and had some issues loading. Once i found the proper Map i callebrated my sensors and set the base Timing with the fuel pump disconnected first. After that it fired right up. I also rechecked the timing once it ran to make sure it's still at 10° Also had a big boost leak at the intake manifold, once i fixed it the idle went down to normal.

Now i just have a few fun electrical issues to work out like my gauge cluster not working and my headlights popping down when i turn the lights on and up when i turn them off 😑
that's a problem for tomorrow though.

Like i said, when i got the car it was a electrical nightmare.