ECU options that work with Opel Cars

[SilentShout]

Greetings all

Moving forward with my turbo build, i am looking into options for engine management, I did previously start a thread on piggyback options, however im opening it up to all options including standalone.

To narrow it down im interested in aftermarket options that work with opel cars.

Options I have been looking into are as follows:

Crude
RRFPR and an extra injector + controller, very crude and high chance of it going bang so definitly steering clear of this one

Piggyback
Greddy emanage ultimate - interesting level of control for a piggy back unit, reportedly being able to control both fueling and spark retard, ideal for turbo applications however more aimed towards JDM cars.

AEM FIC6 - Another piggyback unit that allows you to control both fueling and timing retard, however much more user friendly and more options for instillation, Works with both hal and mag types of sensors, And you can upgrade to larger injectors and just enter the percentage size bigger and it automatically adjusts all the maps to suit so it will still run like factory. Also works with a few different aftermarket o2 sensors, specifically ones that are wideband, and mimic narrowband output to keep the factory ecu happy. If i was going for piggyback, i would go with this.

Standalone

Anything haltec seems to be really good for GM cars, however at is core the corsa c is european so i am unsure if it will work. The issues with standalone is there is only one ECU i know of that works with EPS (the sprint ultimate or something like that)

Incredibly expensive to install and tune, also very time consuming as the car will need to be rewired from scratch, the factory ecu may even need to stay in to control the dash etc due to the immobiliser.

Other

Getting the factory ecu flashed would be the easiest option due to no rewiring required, however with no one in Oz catering for it, and the great ecu hack project at a permanent standstill due to siemens programming being a B*tch it would be difficult to organise a flash with my ecu most likely having to travel across the globe and back.

If i was to decide on one, the AEM FIC6 is the way i would go, at $450 it would be the best bang for buck option for turbocharging the car. however i am told from some people it wont work with the engine even though it covers both types of sensors. Alternatively if i can get in contact with Warren G maybe he can do bench flashing, havnt tried contacting him quite yet due to easter etc, soon though.

Has anyone had any experience with aftermarket ecus and their opels? any opinions on what to steer clear from etc? (besides a crude setup as your gonna have a bad time) :)

[Brando47]

If it helps I asked a well known tuner in adelaide about a custom tune for my Z20LET and was told a unichip piggyback ecu was the go, I'm not so sure about the specifics of features and the like but seemed to have some goodies like remapping throttle response with the fly by wire accelerator, launch control and mapping our cat errors. He showed me a dyno map of a Z20LER he had just done with really good gains, quoted $1850 to buy, install and tune

[SilentShout]

Interesting, i havnt heard of unichip before but ill check it out. Fortunately the z20let ecu is a bosch motronic and if i had one of them i would already have the ecu files cracked for it. Unfortunately siemens have made their ecu rather cryptic meaning the simtec 71 in my car is uncrackable without a bench setup. Ill look into the unichip though as the fly by wire throttle is where the 1.8 runs into trouble with aftermarket options iirc. Thank you =)

Update: is this the one you were talking about? http://www.dastek.co.za/about_the_unichip.htm

Website hasnt been updated since 2010 and its a south african company from what i can see.

The only other option was a european Unichip site however it only spoke of remapping ecus and the only opel/vauxhall they listed was the 1.9 ctdi engine.

[Brando47]

I wasn't told anything by the guy other than the name of it but assumed it was the one here: http://dynomotive.com.au/unichip
It doesn't say much about compatibility but I guess he knew what he was on about haha, he said it was easy to remove and install if you got a new car so assumed it was fairly universal

[chris_r]

If you want to know about standalone options, talk to andrew. I believe he's running a Haltech unit on his SRi.

[dutchy]

if you wanna know some options (also about tunes using the original ecu) go to Cleveland, just around the corner for you. Bayside Performance Services (BPS) and talk to James. I warn you though that it might not be cheap.

[SilentShout]

Cleveland is a good 1hr 40min drive away from me granted theres no traffic, and I already sent 2 emails enquiring about their tuning services in regards to the sri, havnt called yet but the few other mobs (chiptorque etc) closer to home that i spoke to either laughed or genuinely didnt know what to do even if i spoon fed them all my findings in my ecu hack project =(

[poita]

Had a Link G4 Atom installed in the calibra. From memory was about $2.5k. That's the unit, fully installed, car dynoed and tuned to suit. The standard ecu was kept to run dash functions, immobiliser etc was taken car of by a mongoose alarm system

Sent from Sega Mega System

[dutchy]

Cleveland is a good 1hr 40min drive away from me granted theres no traffic, and I already sent 2 emails enquiring about their tuning services in regards to the sri, havnt called yet but the few other mobs (chiptorque etc) closer to home that i spoke to either laughed or genuinely didnt know what to do even if i spoon fed them all my findings in my ecu hack project =(

James tuned my old car, he's extremely knowledgeable . 1hr 40min is nothing mate, further for me.

[andrew]

I had bayside do me up a quote they said $1750 for ECU, allow $700-800 for install, $450-$550 for tuning and $100-$150 for plugs and pins etc. Give you an idea, to tune the factory ECU will run $1200 for first 4 hours and $165 per hour after that, that was for a haltech ps1000

Haltech have a better ecu for the corsa c's now haltech elite 1500 which is more compatible with our engines, cost $2300
the biggest thing going for it is Drive By Wire (DBW) Throttle Control also has
4 x Fuel Injection Outputs
4 x Ignition Outputs
20 x Digital Outputs
10 x Analogue Voltage Inputs
USB Laptop Communications up to 1 MB/s
6 x Engine Position Inputs with extensive trigger type support
Programmable Injector Peak and Hold Currents
OBDII Capable - Set and clear diagnostic trouble codes, view live engine data
ESP Calibration Software - Intuitive and easy to use
Dual CAN Bus communication for OEM and Haltech CAN Expansion
User definable 5D Tuning - Tune by gear, Cam angle or any channel for ultimate flexibility
Variable cam control - Independently control up to 4 camshafts
Auto tune capabilities - Short and Long term fuel, ignition, boost and idle control learning
Single Channel Knock Control - with high speed digital filtering for accurate detection
Multi-fuel Support - Support for Petrol (Gasoline),LPG, Methanol and Ethanol
E85 Flex Fuel Ready – Direct connection to sensor.
Closed Loop Boost Control – Multiple Modes – Tune by gear, wheel speed or time
Closed Loop Idle Control – With learning for consistent idle stability
Closed Loop 02 Control – Dual bank control for precise tuning
Anti-Lag and Launch Control – Drag and Rally modes
Data logging – Up to 40 channels of logging. Sampling rates up to 5ms
Multi Level Engine Protection – Set limits for sensors and protect your engine
ECU comes fully enabled, no additional charges for advanced features

[andrew]

Also to note I have the haltech elite for my car, not installed yet as I am still doing bodywork on it, but it is all mapped out for the install

[Raisin]

+1 for the Haltech Elite, that's one ballin ECU.

[chris_r]

I just had this crazy idea. What if you were able to ditch the factory Siemens POS ECU and fit another factory ECU, say like a Motronic 1.5.5 as per the Astra G Z20LET? The ECU itself is hackable, able to run custom maps and in Z20LET form, has the sensors necessary for a turbo setup. Sure, the obvious requirement would be that it needs to be mapped to suit a turbo 1.8, but I can't see why it can't be done, given how tunable this ECU is. To wire it into the car though, wouldn't be too hard, although having a SRi you will need to swap your engine bay loom for one from a XEP engined or Z10/Z12XE Corsa C. The latter two looms are the better looms to use, but you'll need to find one with the ABS 5.3 connector on it, if it's got the ABS 8 connector, you'll have to splice the connector on to your new loom. And knowing this is also all used for the Corsa C Z20LET swap, it's a given that the ECU will work with most other functions in the car easy enough (exception being cruise control). Apart from that, you'd need all the Z20LET sensors, throttle body, injection loom etc.

But here's where it might come unstuck: Crankshaft sensor - you may need to fit one externally near the balancer pulley (your Z18 should have the bracket for this, some AH Z18s don't) and whether the balancer pulley markings read the same way as the internal sensor on a Z20LET, I'm not sure. Camshaft sensor - similar deal as with the crank sensor, I'm not sure whether the sensors between the Z18 and Z20 would read the same, but you won't be able to swap one over to the other, as they're mounted differently. Coil pack, both engines use different coil packs, but I'm sure they can be made compatible with a little re-wiring work.

The other downside is cost, once you start looking at all this, you may as well go down the Z20LET swap route. Or if you want to be slightly different again, Z16/A16LER Corsa VXR motor, M32 box and Meriva A VXR shafts with a Meriva VXR ECU. Only problem with that is, Meriva A VXR ECUs are like hen's teeth and expensive. Not to mention, turn the wick up on the 1.6 turbo and chances are, the number 4 piston will melt, if it hasn't had forged pistons put in it already.

[DRMAT]

Just throwing this in here... i was just looking for something entirely different when i came across these two companies offering tuning for the Z18XE.... granted one is pretty old but i wonder if they still do them and how much? Never been a fan of PowerChip but if that's your only option? Might even help offer some insight into cracking the ECU?
http://www.powerchipgroup.com/datasheets/1/hol0114.pdf

Never even heard of these guys, i'm amazed i've never come across them before in all my searches for tuning options!
http://australia.quantum-tuning.com/car-remap-tuning-remapping.aspx?Make=Vauxhall&Range=Corsa

[andrew]

Just throwing this in here... i was just looking for something entirely different when i came across these two companies offering tuning for the Z18XE.... granted one is pretty old but i wonder if they still do them and how much? Never been a fan of PowerChip but if that's your only option? Might even help offer some insight into cracking the ECU?
http://www.powerchipgroup.com/datasheets/1/hol0114.pdf

Never even heard of these guys, i'm amazed i've never come across them before in all my searches for tuning options!
http://australia.quantum-tuning.com/car-remap-tuning-remapping.aspx?Make=Vauxhall&Range=Corsa

I had the powerchip tune and I found it pretty good, I got the one for 98 fuel also got them to mod the tune for the extra stuff I got done
the total cost with install was about a $1000

[DRMAT]

How long ago? Be a bit rough still charging a grand now for ECU tunes for a 10yr old car i reckon! Do you happen to know how they applied the tune to the ECU?

[SilentShout]

my guess is they tune it through the OBD2 port, same as how i flash my cars ecu. The issue which i came across in the great ecu hack was the axis data is kept seperately from the z axis data (the physical map numbers)

If someome has the map i can always get it off the car, run a comparison to my factory map and see the differences that were changed, this would mean i can pick up fuel maps, ignition maps and the rumored WOT map which is a single line map for WOT operation only (making it hard to find)

This is of course if all they did was flash the car with a tune.
andrew you wouldnt by any chance still have the mapped ecu floating around by any chance? :)

Unfortunately i couldnt offer any money etc for the services due to rent being through the roof due to renting with a cat in the middle of the gold coast -.- (some say cat, i say spawn of satan but thats just me, the sacrifices we make for the better half :shrug: )



Also that second website you linked DRMAT

Im not sure if they know what their doing or not.


The closest to the SRI i could find is this:

Vauxhall Corsa SRi-125 125 154 23% 280 365 30%


It says BHP is 125 (possible as some places lists it as this) however aparrently i have roughly the same torque as an aussie delivered SpecR S15 (200sx) and manage to make a wopping 365nm out of an NA 1.8l after a tune :lol:

[DRMAT]

Yeah i did find that as well... seems a little... optimistic lol Can't say i've heard of that many different variations in the SRi to begin with, certainly not here anyway.

[andrew]

my guess is they tune it through the OBD2 port, same as how i flash my cars ecu. The issue which i came across in the great ecu hack was the axis data is kept seperately from the z axis data (the physical map numbers)

If someome has the map i can always get it off the car, run a comparison to my factory map and see the differences that were changed, this would mean i can pick up fuel maps, ignition maps and the rumored WOT map which is a single line map for WOT operation only (making it hard to find)

This is of course if all they did was flash the car with a tune.
andrew you wouldnt by any chance still have the mapped ecu floating around by any chance? :)

Unfortunately i couldnt offer any money etc for the services due to rent being through the roof due to renting with a cat in the middle of the gold coast -.- (some say cat, i say spawn of satan but thats just me, the sacrifices we make for the better half :shrug: )



Also that second website you linked DRMAT

Im not sure if they know what their doing or not.


The closest to the SRI i could find is this:

Vauxhall Corsa SRi-125 125 154 23% 280 365 30%


It says BHP is 125 (possible as some places lists it as this) however aparrently i have roughly the same torque as an aussie delivered SpecR S15 (200sx) and manage to make a wopping 365nm out of an NA 1.8l after a tune :lol:

yeah I still have the remapped ecu as I have pretty much kept all of my parts that I have replaced

[andrew]

How long ago? Be a bit rough still charging a grand now for ECU tunes for a 10yr old car i reckon! Do you happen to know how they applied the tune to the ECU?

that is still the current price for tune, even a lot of the places in the uk are still charging $600 to $700 pounds for a remap,
they download your ecu details and email it to powerchip then they apply the tune to the program and email it back to the shop
and upload it back to your ecu through the obd2 port, the whole process takes about 5 hours from start to drive away

[dutchy]

that is still the current price for tune, even a lot of the places in the uk are still charging $600 to $700 pounds for a remap,
they download your ecu details and email it to powerchip then they apply the tune to the program and email it back to the shop
and upload it back to your ecu through the obd2 port, the whole process takes about 5 hours from start to drive away

so that just a generic tune then ?

[andrew]

mine was a non generic, you can get them to change some parts to suit the mods you have done

[SilentShout]

It wouldnt by any chance still be connected to the car?? :)

[andrew]

It wouldnt by any chance still be connected to the car?? :)

nope sorry the car is still striped out, it's in my parts room a long with all my new parts, the car has not seen power in it for at least 5 years

[SilentShout]

hmm i wonder if it would work (and if you would let me :) )

If i plug your ecu into my car, just to grab the calibration file off it (part with the maps in it) then put my ecu back in.

[andrew]

hmm i wonder if it would work (and if you would let me :) )

If i plug your ecu into my car, just to grab the calibration file off it (part with the maps in it) then put my ecu back in.

yeah it might work or just might lock you out its worth a try

[Leinad78]

Should work without a problem. As long as you don´t try to start the engine, there wouldn´t be any hassle even with an EWS system (if that car something like that?!)

I don´t know much about the Opels, but are there different control units interacting with the ECU? If not, go with a Megasquirt clone. They can be done for a minimum of ~50€ in case you´re able to solder.

Unfortunally i have no further idea in helping you out with the disassembly of your stock ecu. We have done some serious progress at MS43 though, we now can even surpress diagnostic error codes from popping up.

[SilentShout]

Wow grats on your progress =)

I still have yet to meet andrew and grab the file to compare to the stock one. Im hoping depending on what he requested to be changed it will show us where the WOT map, ignition and fuel maps are which is all thats needed to turbo the car.