Kit car application, chopped wiring
#1
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Currently running a stock 1.6 motor with headers, short exhaust. Mega squirt appears to be the first step for power. Motor is 1990 but all wires to ecu have been shortened for use in kitcar. No smog to worry about. Where should I look to buy a kit I can adapt to what I have and allow for mod's or possibly going to a 1.8 motor? It may be basic to all of you but chopping off all the air bags, and control wires to go basic for me was a challenge. thank you
#3
Boost Pope
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I assume you're asking two questions:
1: How to adapt a MegaSquirt to your harness, and
2: How to adapt a 1.8 engine to your harness.
1: You have several options here. There's the MSPnP which is a turnkey that plugs into your stock harness. There's the DIYPnP, which you have to build, but is cheaper, more powerful, and also a direct plug-in. You could build an adapter cable like This One, or just do what I did and cut the factory connector off and install a DB37 directly.
2: Electrically, you have a few choices. You can move the electronics from your 1.6 engine onto the 1.8, or you can cut a few ends off and install the appropriate 1.8 pigtails. Depending on the year of the engine you choose, variables will include the ignition coils, temp sensors, TPS, crank/can pickups, and probably a few other little things I forgot.
1: How to adapt a MegaSquirt to your harness, and
2: How to adapt a 1.8 engine to your harness.
1: You have several options here. There's the MSPnP which is a turnkey that plugs into your stock harness. There's the DIYPnP, which you have to build, but is cheaper, more powerful, and also a direct plug-in. You could build an adapter cable like This One, or just do what I did and cut the factory connector off and install a DB37 directly.
2: Electrically, you have a few choices. You can move the electronics from your 1.6 engine onto the 1.8, or you can cut a few ends off and install the appropriate 1.8 pigtails. Depending on the year of the engine you choose, variables will include the ignition coils, temp sensors, TPS, crank/can pickups, and probably a few other little things I forgot.
#4
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To shorten the wires, i cut and soldered all wires to the ecu so perhaps the kit will work for me after research and practice on fine solder. I'm short on space for the turbo but it has been done. This is aprox. 1200 lbs of car and is called a Locost or Lotus 7 Replica, and is now street licensed. thanks for the clear directions where to go from here.
#5
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Interesting project and nice looking car, If you go the MS way, you could go stand alone wiring, that way you can get rid off the stock ecu and half of the wiring, just use the ms and the Relay/power board from DIYautotune and their cable from the ms to the relayboad, then you engine wiring (injectors,sensors) connect directly to the relayboard, its a easy setup like that (took me alot to work out) but the guys here will help you out.
Dr.
Dr.
#6
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Nice to see I'm not the only one with a kitcar here
You'll have lots of fun with it!
The yellow one is from a friend. It's a '92 that I installed a Begi S on, with a Toyota MR2 IC and stock ecu (afpr setup)
The blue one is mine. It has a '00 NB with MSM turbo, custom IC, MS2Extra with full sequential. Cops are about to be installed.
The wiring loom was stripped entirely and every single wire that was not needed, was removed. Took me 2 days to sort out. In the end, I had removed about 50% of the wiring ... I'm still using the stock connectors and built the oem connector inside the MS for a 100% PnP setup.
![](https://lh6.ggpht.com/_iHGa0sdYqVI/S5GYuCdE2mI/AAAAAAAACIU/ocZkn1uPAyY/foto4.jpg)
![](http://img697.yfrog.com/img697/185/dscf5296i.jpg)
![](https://lh5.ggpht.com/_iHGa0sdYqVI/S5Gaehr19VI/AAAAAAAACJ8/ktiAfVnMEZk/DSCF4956.JPG)
More pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/frankske69/
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/images/smilies/smile.gif)
The yellow one is from a friend. It's a '92 that I installed a Begi S on, with a Toyota MR2 IC and stock ecu (afpr setup)
The blue one is mine. It has a '00 NB with MSM turbo, custom IC, MS2Extra with full sequential. Cops are about to be installed.
The wiring loom was stripped entirely and every single wire that was not needed, was removed. Took me 2 days to sort out. In the end, I had removed about 50% of the wiring ... I'm still using the stock connectors and built the oem connector inside the MS for a 100% PnP setup.
![](https://lh6.ggpht.com/_iHGa0sdYqVI/S5GYuCdE2mI/AAAAAAAACIU/ocZkn1uPAyY/foto4.jpg)
![](http://img697.yfrog.com/img697/185/dscf5296i.jpg)
More pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/frankske69/
Last edited by WestfieldMX5; 04-19-2010 at 01:05 PM. Reason: added link to pics
#8
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I haven't ran it yet with the turbo, so can't say. When the airplanes start flying again over Belgium, I can finish the build (waiting for a couple small parts). For now, I'm running stock wastegate pressure, but with less restrictive IC, piping and exhaust, so probably a bit more hp than a stock MSM. I'm guessing 170rwhp or so? I'm going to the dyno as soon as I can
.
The yellow car runs 7psi and probably has about 140rwhp, but in a 1300lbs car with your bottom 3-4inches from the ground, that's scary fast. I wonder what mine will be once I up the pressure to 10-12psi :-)
If you want to see how I built the MS inside the case, look here.
![](https://www.miataturbo.net/images/smilies/smile.gif)
The yellow car runs 7psi and probably has about 140rwhp, but in a 1300lbs car with your bottom 3-4inches from the ground, that's scary fast. I wonder what mine will be once I up the pressure to 10-12psi :-)
If you want to see how I built the MS inside the case, look here.
#10
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twpipe,
It sounds like you went through great troubles to retain the original wiring harness in the car.
We actually offer a 12' long automotive grade (TXL) flying lead harness that plugs into a standard MegaSquirt ECU. The wires are color coded and labeled. It makes projects like yours much easier. It's also super clean and lets you remove a bunch of factory wiring so it saves weight.
![](http://www.diyautotune.com/catalog/images/products/msharness12_med.jpg)
We also offer a similar set up with a relay and fuse panel.
Since you've gone as far as you have, you might want to just go ahead and plug an ECU into the "stock" harness. Since the harness is a 90, you'd want to get an ECU for a 90. Our MSPNP MM9093 will plug in and work. Or you could build a DIYPNP which is a plug and play ECU, but in kit form. Either would work with your 90 wiring and a 1.6 or 1.8.
It sounds like you went through great troubles to retain the original wiring harness in the car.
We actually offer a 12' long automotive grade (TXL) flying lead harness that plugs into a standard MegaSquirt ECU. The wires are color coded and labeled. It makes projects like yours much easier. It's also super clean and lets you remove a bunch of factory wiring so it saves weight.
![](http://www.diyautotune.com/catalog/images/products/msharness12_med.jpg)
We also offer a similar set up with a relay and fuse panel.
Since you've gone as far as you have, you might want to just go ahead and plug an ECU into the "stock" harness. Since the harness is a 90, you'd want to get an ECU for a 90. Our MSPNP MM9093 will plug in and work. Or you could build a DIYPNP which is a plug and play ECU, but in kit form. Either would work with your 90 wiring and a 1.6 or 1.8.
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