Newbie needs help setting up a MegaSquirtII

[GWHZ28]

I have had the MegaSquirt II EFI on the shelf in my shop for about 10 months. I decided that it was time to install it on my '69 Z/28. My son bought this for me for my birthday last year. He is in Iraq repairing helicopters on a Marine base. If he was here he could help me with this project. Since he is overseas, I am asking for help from this forum. Here is a list of what was purchased :
MegaSquirt II PCB v3.57 (SMT) engine mgt. system
MegaSquirt Simulator Assembled unit version 2.2
12' Wiring harness for the MegaSquirt I / II ECU
GM open element IATsensor w/6' pigtail
6' DB9 Male /Female Straight Thru USB-Serial Adapter - MegaTune tested and Approved
LM-1
Bosch 5- wire Wideband O2 sensor
Analog Output Cable
10' sensor cable
10' power cable (Cig)
6' Serial cable for PC connection
Bung/plug kit
Software CD
Quick Start Guide

I have got the bung welded on the header collector. The car has a SBC 350 crate engine. I am going to use a Holley 950 commander 700 cfm TBI fuel injection unit. I have a Holley Pro-Jection 670 cfm on it now,but it does not give the engine enough fuel above 4K rpm. I can use the computer some. I'm 52 years of age.I was not born with a computer in my hand. I think that they are light years ahead in technology than what I grew up with. I can do the wiring with no problem. The problem I am having is how to get the PCB programmed to run my car. I need the beginner's version. If you can help me, I have more info about the components that are on this car.

Thanks,
GWHZ28

[devastator]

It's been a while since I started from scratch, but let's see if this'll get you going. I'd suggest installing all the wiring and sensors, if the engine does not already have them on board. When you tire of this and go back into the house, load the MS software on your laptop and connect it to the stimulator. Log in to the manual and start learning how MS2 works. With the stimulator, you can watch the gauges, (in Megatune), move as you turn the knobs. Use the stimulator in combination with Megatune to familiarize yourself with the information the manual is detailing for you. Familiarize yourself with the various tuning parameters, especially the injector characteristics, the general settings, AFR table, VE table, and ignition settings if you are using them.
The manual walks you through installing the firmware to MS2, using the laptop. (The firmware is the program that MS2 uses to control everything). Grab a friend of your son's to help with the installation of the firmware and the corresponding .ini file in Megatune, if you need. Create a file in Megatune for your engine by inputting the many variables that MS2 needs to run your engine, (like engine size, rpm, sensor types, etc). Hook the laptop back up to MS2 and boot Megatune. (This is assuming you returned to the wiring job on the engine and finished it.) Select your project at the prompt ,(which should show your project name and Car1 if it's correct). Burn it to the ECU. Check your connection speed and connectivity to MS2 and select ms2 as your ecu in the general pulldown menu. The indicators at the bottom of the screen in Megatune should change when MS2 is connected. Verify that your gauges are reading about what you expect and start her up. Tune and repeat as needed.
I'm sure I've left plenty of info out of this, but I didn't want to re-write the manual in this forum. Read the manual over and over again and follow it step by step to get your engine running, and then for tuning. If you get totally lost, refer back to the forums, leave a message, and someone will be with you shortly.
Have fun.

[GWHZ28]

Thanks for your response. I have done a lot of reading about the tuning of the MegaSquirt setup that I have. My brother is bringing his laptop over this weekend so that we can see if we can get the tuning down to an art. I know there is a LOT to reading and research that I am going to do. What I was hoping to find is someone that could set up the system with the info. that I have about the sensor specs. and engine specs. I am probably just not very "computer savy". I guess it is time to learn. I would like to know if there are any other items that I can buy to make the tuning easier?

Thank you, George

[devastator]

I think you'll find the LM-1 and Bosch 5- wire Wideband O2 sensor ,(not sure why you have both), to be the handiest piece of tuning hardware in your arsenal. A fuel pressure gauge is very highly recommended. A good multimeter also. It might also be worth your time to search through the success stories for someone that is running a similar set-up. I did this and it saved me a lot of time. I had a buddy of mine, (already a squirter), configure all the electronics and sort of give me a crash course in the tuning parameters. You'll probably pick it up pretty fast if you've done much engine tuning before.

[GWHZ28]

I have used the LM-1 and O2 sensor to set the AFR on the existing Holley Pro-Jection system that I have on the car now.
The Pro-Jection syatem does not deliver enough fuel above 4K rpms. I have a large selection of tools in my shop. I do have a fuel pressure gauge and a Volt-Ohm meter.
Where can I find sensor connectors to fit the sensors on a Holley 950 Commander TBI 4 bbl. unit ? The TPS, IAC and fuel injector harness (It has 5 pins). Thanks for your help again.

George

[devastator]

Have you tried Summitt, E-bay, or DIY autotune? Holley parts should be pretty easy to come by.

[GWHZ28]

I have been checking out Jeg's, Summit, and Ebay for these connectors. I am going to call Holley to see what they have to say. I am hoping that the sensors are made by on of the THREE big auto maker, rather than Holley specific.

Thanks,

George

[devastator]

What did the Holley 950 commander 700 cfm TBI fuel injection unit come off of? That is the parts you're looking for right?

[GWHZ28]

I bought it off of Ebay several months back. I have disassembled it and put it back together. It is a 700 cfm w/ 60pph @ 12 psi. 4-bbl. I have found the connector for the TPS and the IAC, but I am still looking for the 5 pin Weatherpak connector for the fuel injection. I probably going to contact Holley to find this connector. As soon as I get these connectors on the ECM wiring harness, I am going to start tuning the system.

Thanks,
George

[Rick Trewin]

Hi, I'm a fellow newbie with similar worries about tuning from scratch. My project is an Austin Healey 3000 running original S.U.'s as throttle bodies (with suitable innards removed), modified original manifold for TPI, MS II for fuel/ignition. I wish to retain original appearance as far as possible but have decided against TBI injection (I know there are some really nice S.U. conversions containing TBI injectors) since the original manifold does not distribute a fuel/air mixture anything like evenly.
We have several similar cars and if successful may wish to offer this conversion to fellow club members. Would it be helpful and/or save time to run a standard car with a fuel flow meter and vacuum gauge, then log readings over various engine speed/load conditions. Presumably these readings might give us a very good start with tuning? Cheers Rick

[devastator]

First off I'd suggest tuning fuel first, with ms2, and then spark later. I dove headlong into tuning both at the same time as a newbie, and it was a lengthy learning curve. Tuning MS2 is a learned skill, but not real difficult if you already have a strong background in tuning to start with. Read and re-read the manual at you begin. Some of the terminology in the manual appears daunting, until you are in the middle of tuning, then it suddenly makes perfect sense. I don't know what "stock S.U.'s" are, so I can't comment on them.

Would it be helpful and/or save time to run a standard car with a fuel flow meter and vacuum gauge, then log readings over various engine speed/load conditions. Presumably these readings might give us a very good start with tuning?

The vacuum gauge readings could be helpful to determine your highest HP reading and set your VE tables around that reading, but otherwise, I don't think having a "baseline" set of readings will help you much. The manual can instruct you on how to select the proper size injectors for you engine, so a fuel flow meter probably won't help much either. Mapping out your spark advance curve, however, would be very helpful for the future MS2 conversion.

[Ollie8974]

I have been checking out Jeg's, Summit, and Ebay for these connectors. I am going to call Holley to see what they have to say. I am hoping that the sensors are made by on of the THREE big auto maker, rather than Holley specific.

Thanks,

George

This Ebay seller has a large selection of Weather pack and Metri Pack plugs.
http://stores.ebay.com/MJM-National-Inc

This is another source for plugs
http://www.bmotorsports.com/
www.sherco-auto.com

[GWHZ28]

Thanks for the info. on the connectors. Those places had just what I needed.

Thanks,

George

[Rick Trewin]

Hi, thanks for useful comments.
Re. vacuum gauge and VE tables - can you elaborate any further, since this was one aspect that I was concerned about - I have no idea what the volumetric efficiency of this engine would be, save to say that it will be a lot less than any modern unit!
Thanks again Rick

[devastator]

Sorry if this thread is being hijacked here, but:

Re. vacuum gauge and VE tables - can you elaborate any further, since this was one aspect that I was concerned about - I have no idea what the volumetric efficiency of this engine would be, save to say that it will be a lot less than any modern unit!

A vacuum gauge won't be of much use since the MAP sensor will send the vacuum amount to the MS2 controller, which can be viewed with Megatune. As far as using a gauge before installing MS, I was referring to the vacuum you'd be pulling at that "perfect" AFR and engine RPM where you build the power you want. This is hard to get without a dyno.
The VE in MS does not refer to the actual Volumetric Efficiency of the engine. It is a number that you change in the VE tables where your RPM and MAP signals intersect. The adjustment of this VE number, changes the amount of fuel MS injects at that point. MS also looks at the values surrounding the current one, (at the intersection of the current RPM and MAP values), and uses them to "predict" the next fuel increment or decrement. You'll learn about this as you begin to tune, and it's much easier than it reads.

[Rick Trewin]

Thanks Devastator and apologies for unintentionally butting in on this thread - my inexperience also extends to web etiquette! Hopefully I will be able to begin tuning soon, so no more time wasting questions until I have at least had a crack at it. Cheers Rick