Looks like this might be a rite of passage for a MegaSquirt...

Car runs, then dies and wont restart again for a while. I tried cranking the REQUIRED FUEL setting up to like 17 or 18, and it still wouldnt fire. Pulled the plugs and they were NOT wet.. (WTF?)...

I assume that if you wired the fuel pump directly to the MS, it would control the pump?

 

well, I put the cranking at about 14, now it starts fine, but wont idle no matter where I set the required fuel in the engine constants...

Also, where do you check to see if the TPS is working?

 

More information:

I moved the cranking enrichment up to about 14. Now it will start up everytime, but it will still only run for about 3-5 seconds and then die. While its starting to die, if I bump the start key before it dies (not something I advocate), the car will start running again for an additional 3-5 seconds.

Now, I understand that this is most likely due to the fact that the MS transitions out of cranking mode in a few seconds, and if I bump the start, it places it back in starting mode. However I have ratcheted up the fuel (at least as far as I can tell), and I still cant keep the vehicle running.

At this point, I am going to bypass the MS fuel control for the fuel pump and see what happens. Any other advice is GREATLY appreciated!

Rat

 

The rotary needs a bunch more fuel to run if it is a cold start. Datalog your start to determine if the timing is also contributing for it to die.
Warmup wiz:
60* 150%
80* 145%
100* 140%
130* 130%
160* 100%

 

The reason mine behaved this way was because the ASE made it run, but as the ASE 'expired', the warmup enrichment wasn't enough to keep the engine running. Bumping hte key supports this theory because you are reinitializing the ASE. The other thing to check would be your idle control - is it working? The normal operation seems to work as the car will start, but what are your fast idle speed and temperature?

 

UPdate:

The wonderful individuals that installed this ECU neglected to wire the fuel pump to the ECU... So it would turn on during crank then immediately shut off..

Soon as I had the pump wired right I immediately flooded the car from all the fuel I have been throwing at it...

Back to square one!

 

haha, ok, at least now you know what was wrong.

Should run well after you get that fixed.

 

Update #2:

Timed the car, pulled all the fuel back, and it started right up! Has a VERY high idle that I attribute to a vacuum leak.

Cant thank everyone enough for all the help on the car, especially Muythaibxr! Its unfortunate that most of my problems were not the MegaSquirts fault, but the individuals that installed it (wasnt me!!!!).

Looking forward to tuning the ECU! Gotta admit, I kind of like the system, and I might use one again in the future!

Rat

 

UPdate #3:

Found the vac leak, idle is solid wherever I set it! Tuning time!!!

 

are you running ms1 or ms2?

 

Its an MS1