MagicMike Posted September 14, 2020 Report Share Posted September 14, 2020 Hi all, I'm having some trouble with the cheap ECOtrons dual CAN, and sensors failing/becoming slow or inaccurate. I've used the 4.9 sensors they provided, and when one failed, I bought another pair of the 'motorsport' (better heat tolerance supposedly) version from a local reputable vendor. One of these sensors is now failing also (stable at stoich, slow or stupid rich/lean either side of that). I've tried 2 different sensor locations, firstly about 700mm from the manifold, and 2ndly in the factory o2 location in the dump pipes. Wiring for the controller is powered on with fuel pumps. What's the best option to replace the ECOtrons in this day and age? Would be great if it could report diagnostics etc to the Link (300z plug in). Experiences, suggestions, info welcomed. Regards, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adamw Posted September 14, 2020 Report Share Posted September 14, 2020 In terms of dual channel the only one I really have experience with is the Motec LTCD. They seem reliable but are a bit pricey. HV Electronics have a dual channel one which seems reasonable on paper but I have no personal experience. @Ducie54 was using a couple from memory, he may have some feedback. Neither of these will provide much in the way of native error/status reporting. I believe the new Haltech one has a mode that is compatible with Link but again have no personal experience. The old silver cased ones were very slow, not sure if that has been improved in the newer one. Otherwise you can buy two Link Lambdas for about the same $ as the LTCD but will give full integration in terms of status/errors etc. Also maybe worth considering the 14point7 spartan 3 - has worked well for me on several budget cars. MagicMike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ducie54 Posted September 15, 2020 Report Share Posted September 15, 2020 Im using 2 Emtron dual wide band controllers. I dont have the latest software for them so I have to power them up from a Aux output. They power up after 20sec from ignition on without a CAN signal. I have CAN set up for errors but it shows just a number. I then have to go back to the manual to work out what it is. If i was to do it agian I would just buy 4 of the LINK sensors. So much less hassle setting them up. MagicMike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicMike Posted September 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2020 Thanks for the info! So 2 x link units sounds like winning. Is it correct that the spartan units use the same protocols as link? 2 way communication, turn off CLL on sensor error etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adamw Posted September 17, 2020 Report Share Posted September 17, 2020 4 hours ago, MagicMike said: Is it correct that the spartan units use the same protocols as link? 2 way communication, turn off CLL on sensor error etc? It duplicates the basics. It doesnt have all of the Link statuses but the basic OK/Error comes through. Sensor temperature comes through. CLL disable works correctly. It doesnt have bi-directional comms so doesnt turn off when the engine is not running like the Link. MagicMike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicMike Posted September 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2020 Thanks Adam, that pretty much settles it for me I'd think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicMike Posted October 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2020 Following on from this, trying to work out how and where to mount the controllers... Will they survive in a Z32 engine bay? Manual says 100degs, obviously wouldn't be mounted anywhere on the engine itself. Should be ok? The cables aren't long, and I'd rather not have to have the sensor plugs on the cabin side, so I'm exploring options. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adamw Posted October 20, 2020 Report Share Posted October 20, 2020 Yes they are fine in the engine bay. MagicMike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicMike Posted October 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2020 Got the first module connected and working fine, but can't get the 2nd online. Using a NZ EFI dual CAN harness with termination resistor. Any tips? What ID should the second unit use if the first is 950? Also, re power wiring, my previous setup was triggered with fuel pump on, is this still ok with the Link units? Or can I switch to accessory power if the link takes care of sensor heating? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adamw Posted October 28, 2020 Report Share Posted October 28, 2020 For Lambda 2, unplug the first lambda so that only lambda 2 is connected to the bus, (you dont need to change anything on the main Mode tab - leave only one channel set to Link CAN lambda and ID 950), then go to CAN devices tab, click Find Devices, when it finds the device, change the parameter drop down box to "Lambda 2" and then hit the send button. Press apply, ok, do a store, power everything off. Plug all CAN lambdas back in and re-power up, both should now be identified and working. For power, prefereably they should just be connected to an ign switched source - let the ECU control it. With it powered from the FP relay you will get CAN errors logged every power-up - it will still work fine, just the errors will annoy you everytime you look at the runtimes screen. MagicMike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicMike Posted October 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2020 5 minutes ago, Adamw said: For Lambda 2, unplug the first lambda so that only lambda 2 is connected to the bus, (you dont need to change anything on the main Mode tab - leave only one channel set to Link CAN lambda and ID 950), then go to CAN devices tab, click Find Devices, when it finds the device, change the parameter drop down box to "Lambda 2" and then hit the send button. Press apply, ok, do a store, power everything off. Plug all CAN lambdas back in and re-power up, both should now be identified and working. For power, prefereably they should just be connected to an ign switched source - let the ECU control it. With it powered from the FP relay you will get CAN errors logged every power-up - it will still work fine, just the errors will annoy you everytime you look at the runtimes screen. Thanks mate, I'll give that a try tonight and report back. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicMike Posted October 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2020 Changed to acc power, did as Adam said above re setup, works perfect. Easy when you know how! Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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