大力士

I bought an 89 jdm engine for my 87 turboII and the wiring harness for the 89 motor was cut and I was told to get a microtech ECU so I did.

When I took out the old ecu there were tons more wires than there are coming out of the LT10 so is the microtech really the only ecu I need or do I have to run both the microtech and the my stock ecu or is that even possible?

If the microtech ecu is just going to my engine how would it relay things to my dash such as my tachometer or my temperature gauge.

Maybe I don’t understand what standalone means when talking about ECU’s I actually don’t know a whole lot about anything car wise so this whole project has been very difficult.

Any suggestions on what I need to do? I’m not even sure this makes sense.

SirCygnus

iTrader: (1)

um... you have no diea what your getting yourself into buddy. but ill make it simple for you.


the microtech is a stand alone ems. it replaces everything that controles the engine so taht you ccan fully customise anything dealing with how the engine runs.

the dash board shouldnt be affected i dont think.
anyways.

the cut stock harnes can be thrown in the trash. i would however try and saqve some of the plugs.

anyways, im HOPING you can solder.

rx7 FC TII

iTrader: (3)

...yes you are way in over youre head....you might want to find someone who can install it for you....because theres alot of soldering and alot of electrical work involved, it takes alot of time and patience to install a standalone

Evil Aviator

Good News: Congratulations on choosing a good budget standalone EMS over a bunch of stupid whiz box band-aid electronics or a ghetto rework of the stock system and all of its crusty old outdated components.
Bad News: Whoever told you to get the Microtech neglected to tell you to get it installed and tuned by a professional. Expect 2-14 days and about $1,200 for installation and basic tuning. No, you can't do this yourself, despite what you may read on the internet.
Good News: Assuming the rest of the car's components are in good shape, you will have a very nice running car when the pro tuner is finished with the installation and tuning.

I hope you didn't remove any wiring. The LT10 only runs the engine. The rest of the car's wiring that may look like engine wiring is actually required to run things like the windshield wipers, lighting, gauges, air conditioner, etc.

大力士

Well that stinks I have no money but i can solder.

There are three plugs that equal around 40 or so wires that plug into the stock ECU. The Microtech ECU on the other hand only has 24 wires I can splice and solder the Microtech into the engine but how does the engine relay things to my dash like temps boost rpm etc???

I know the speedometer comes from the wire in the transmission and the fuel gauge from the gas tank so I’m not worried about those.

Another thing there are wires coming out of both sides of the engine and they also equal more than the amount that comes on the ECU. What will I do with the extra wires the man that sold me the ECU told me that I could and should splice it to the wires sticking out from the engine; Is this correct?

I’m a poor college student hardly able to pay bills as it is working full time and I’m borrowing my dads car as he rents a car while I’m trying to get this thing to run so I have to do it myself so if anyone can help it would be sooo awesome.

85rx-7gsl-se

iTrader: (2)

Just out of curiousity Evil Aviator, when you say you can't do it yourself, are you refering to tune or installation. I understand on the tune and I am going to have Brian Cain tune mine. But as far as install, besides basic eletrical and soldering skills, some good wiring diagrams, and some time, what else is there. I am not trying to be rude or anything, just wondering because I am getting ready to install mine tomorrow. I might be in better shape than most though because my Dad is an electronic technician and I have his tools and knowledge at my disposal.

大力士

A man from chruch told me that if i get the thing at least running he will get his racing team to tune mine so im not so worried about the tuning but how can i when im not sure about all the other things.

Trots*88TII-AE*

iTrader: (11)

ok, what is your current condition? you have a stock '87 body, wiring harness kind of all over, but not cut, and you have an '89 engine in there right now, with all the wires cut on it? or is the harness from the '89 engine all good, just cut off at the previous ECU?

大力士

all the wires are cut on the engine they hang out around a foot in length maybe less.

大力士

the car harness is only cut where it meets the engine on the passenger side but I don’t think any wires come through the fire wall on the driver side at all.

I bought the car with the engine massacred

大力士

I’m not sure what it looks like before you touch it because everything in the engine bay was demolished it looked like he took a drill to many parts trying to get miss threaded or broken bolts out.

Evil Aviator

Based on the questions asked by the original poster, he should not attempt the installation himself. Most people who are good at wiring can install the EMS on their own, but troubleshooting can be frustrating to those who do not have a good understanding of modern engines. Very few people are able to properly tune an EMS, although the Microtech brand is a little easier than average because they are already configured for the engine type. EMS products are getting easier to use as technology advances, but they are still fairly complicated at this time.

Yes, you have a bit of an advantage over the average person. A very large bit, lol. You should be just fine, but as I stated above, troubleshooting may be a bit difficult.

You may want to consider a tuner who is bonded and insured so that you do not end up eating the cost of replacing an engine that blows up due to a tuning error.

No, those are excellent questions.

Just to clarify, my EMS viewpoints are based on many years of reading and moderating this forum, and 19 years in the rotary engine community. When I respond to a post, I do so based on what I have experienced in the past, and apply it on a general basis. In this case, I have seen failure after failure on the part of average people who try to install and tune a standalone EMS on their own, with most of the problems occuring on the tuning portion. I do not intend to preach doom and gloom, but rather to clarify an issue that is muddied by EMS salesmen who do not offer full service. The next time a salesman says the installation and tuning is so easy, then ask him to come over to your house and do it for you for $20. I have a feeling that you will not get many takers, lol.

大力士

''There are 2 sides of harness for an FC. Passenger side is for ECU
The driver side is for headlights power for ignition alternator etc..
The passenger side is where the MT should be installed I.E. injectors, CAS, also wiring up the ignition. The Passenger side Harness should not be touched.''

I found this on another form is this true? are all the wires comming out of the driver sid of my engine that are cut for my headlights and such?

Evil Aviator

Do you think you can still return the LT10 for a refund? You are in WAY over your head on this project. I think you would be better off trying this project after you finish college and have the time and money that it will require. You can buy a running RX-7 for $1,000-$2,000. Sorry, I know that isn't what you want to hear.

MaczPayne

iTrader: (5)

Do NOT tamper with the wiring on the driver's side of the engine bay! They are important for your lighting, charging(if you have a TII), and ignition system. You only need to rip out the passenger side engine wiring harness and the ecu.

Learn where each and every wire that comes out of the MicroTech goes to, then mock it up, cut the wires to length, and solder on their respective connectors as per the MT manual. If you have any confusions about wiring, this forum has lots of resources and topics that have been covered.

Take your time, measure twice, cut once, and triple check all your connections and wiring before attempting to fire up the engine.

I recently installed an LT8-s on my T2 without any previous experience. How did I pull it off? Weeks upon weeks of studying: wiring diagrams of both the ecu and car/engine, and as well as how everything worked to control the engine.

Evil Aviator

How many weeks do you think it would take to research the situation like you did, and then get a gutted RX-7 running, assuming you were broke, working full time, attending college, and had absolutely no idea what the stock wiring was supposed to look like before it was chopped to pieces? Keep in mind that his father is spending probably $130/week on a rental car until the RX-7 is finished. My guess is about 20 weeks, maybe more.

大力士

I know its not what I want to hear but can you answer the questions for me or are they not making any sense I can find help but a little fore hand know how would help

I have always wanted to do something like this (rx7 engine swap) and I saved up $4000 to do it as my other car bit the dust. I found an 87 TurboII rx7 for $750 with a blown engine and rusted out exhaust with all kind of holes in it.

I bought the JDM engine and transmission for $1100 dollars after shipping

Before it arrived I bought the full beat racing exhaust down pipe and all for $880 after shipping. I was told that I should go ahead and get an aftermarket intake so I did $80 after shipping and $15 dollars after modified 3" inlet piping. After this I was told that I might want to get a fuel pump because you will need more fuel to the engine so I bought the wilburo 255 for $100 after shipping Also $16O for the two 800cc fuel injectors that someone also said I might need.


But when it arrived it had a cut harness and it was the wrong year and was told that it would be easiest to just buy a Microtech ECU and wiring harness so it would work for both the wiring for the car and engine


Then someone told me that if I’m planning to run more than 10 boost that I need a new intercooler and supposedly after the aftermarket exhaust and moded intake with aftermarket cone filter that it would naturally boost my turbo to 11-12psi so I bought $200 intercooler and $100 piping off eBay thus equaling around $3500 then another $1400 for Microtech Ecu hand controller and 4x ignition box now around $4900 dollars

Obviously I spent over my savings making it a little hard to pay bills and a little stressful spending all my time in class or under the car (which is in a gravel lot by the way) or at work after all this work getting everything in and together the last thing left is the freaking wiring.

After all this money and time spent would you give up and buy a $2000 working rx7
I like to learn and love to learn so please tell me what you know so I can learn and then learn from my mistakes because I’m sure I have already made many. So I know you know how please let me know.

大力士

and thanks Evil Aviator and Mazpayne and everyone else all of this information has helped and all is a little scarry.

大力士

oh yeah i have not removed any of the wireing. i have not messed with any of the wires in the engine bay. My question was about the wiring acctually coming out of the engine on the driver side i will take pictures tommorow and post lots of pictures with these questions maybe that will make my questions a little easier to answer.

大力士

i also have an aftermarket blitz bov that came with the JDM engine because i think they accidentally broke the connector between the turbo and the stock intercooler

MaczPayne

iTrader: (5)

I don't know why you were told to get a FMIC, the top mount is perfectly able to handle the power you will be making, since your MT will be a rough base tune anyway. I'm a college student as well, and unfortunately it has taken me about a year and a half to get my T2 running, working on it during weekends only.

Trots*88TII-AE*

iTrader: (11)

I think you should start taking what other people tell you with a grain of salt! Do you have the wiring diagram for the car? have you checked it out? and the wiring instructions (not sure how detailed they are) that came with the microtech? I've personally never wired a microtech, but I've dealt with a lot of wiring issues on various cars before. You need to determine what every single wire is on your engine, and where it would go on the stock ECU. label every single wire that's cut. Then, work on finding which Engine Control wires you will have to wire up into your Microtech. I understand that some of the car's systems must still be handled by the stock ECU, so seperate them. You have to take small steps instead of trying to do the whole thing as one.

85rx-7gsl-se

iTrader: (2)

I got the Microtech wired in. It starts and runs for about 5 seconds then dies. Hmm? Back to troubleshooting.

大力士

My Car

大力士

pic of questions from before