D16z6 ECU options?

[cooperstock]

Hi,
I just joined the forum and I am new to honda engines, but not new to engine swaps (did the Rx7 LS1 swap).

I picked up a D16 vtec engine pretty cheap. But the engine does not have an ECU. I was considering building the motor... but I think I am going to leave it pretty stock for now, I will probably want to add a small turbo setup but nothing requiring upgrades of the internals.
But I need an ECU.

What ECU should I be looking for for this D16z6 if I want to add a mild turbo setup? I am interested in options and pros/cons.

I can put together my own megasquirt but that seems excessive for this. If I need more power I will go to the B series motor like people are suggesting. But this is going into a 1963 corvair as a rear engine upgrade from the 80hp flat 6 cylinder.

Thanks!

 

[K2e2vin]

P28 is the stock ECU; which is also supported by aftermarket software that lets you write chips for the ECU(Crome, Neptune, eCtune, Hondata, etc.). The P05, and P06 ECU are similar but do not have VTEC hardware. P08 is similar, but does not support purge solenoid, heated O2, and is foreign(JDM).

The P28 is the most popular option for people wanting to tune their cars; and works on other Honda engines.

 

[STC b series]

Look for a p28. That's obd1. When you go to tune it you can just tune it on chrome, it's free.
If your going to turbo that's what I'd use.

 

[K2e2vin]

It should also be noted that the stock ECUs, reprogrammed, can be just as powerful if not more powerful than a "regular" MS setup(non-MS3X, etc.).

 

[cooperstock]

Thank you, so when someone says they are selling a 'chipped' P28, what does that mean? from what I have gathered it means someone has put a socket on the board and a different chip? Does it allow for more tunability? Would I need that for this application?
I am guessing the standard map sensor is 1 bar, and that would need to be changed for the turbo... from what you have said I'll be able to adjust the fuel map for the boosted application? Or is it a standard maps sensor voltage vs rpm type of map so the ECU doesn't even know the engine is boosted?

This may be a topic for another thread... but will the stock injectors work for modest pressures? or will I need to upgrade those?

Thanks again

 

[K2e2vin]

A "chipped" P28 means they already installed socket and chip and should have installed the extra hardware needed for the ECU to read the chip. The actual tuning comes from being able to write your own chip or replacing that chip with an emulator connected to a PC(the ECU reads from the "chip" instead of the onboard data). When you take it to a tuner familiar with Hondas, they'll usually socket the ECU for you.

If you can solder, you can buy a virgin P28 and install the socket kit yourself(IIRC, it's about $40 and includes a blank chip).

The standard MAP sensor is just under 1bar(around 10psi IIRC); you only need to change if you plan on boosting higher than that. The ECU reads MAP voltage(0-5v) but in most of the programs, you can configure the table so you see pressure and it does the translation/conversion for you.

The common stock injectors are 240cc; they'd work fine with lower power levels. Many people swap over to DSM 440cc injectors.

 

[cooperstock]

I appreciate all the information, is there anything to be weary of when buying a P28 that has already been chipped?
And what would a reasonable price for a virgin p28 and a chipped p28? My ebay search tells me about $100 for a virgin and about $170 for a chipped...?

For injector replacement does the tuning code allow for specification of injector size or does the fuel map need to be scaled for the 1.8x increase in flow rate? If this is a silly question that will be answered once I download and start tuning, then please just ignore.

 

[cooperstock]

Ok, next question... I am not going to be using the honda transmission, so does it matter if I get an ECU for a manual or an automatic?

 

[K2e2vin]

Some "chipped" ECUs just have bad programming or shitty work. I had seen one that was advertised as "chipped" but lacked all of the other hardware to make it work.

I haven't kept up with chipped ECU prices but $100 for a virgin unit is about average.

Most of the programs do have injector size correction and will automatically scale the map using a multiplier.

No. Automatic ECUs will just throw a CEL for the transmission solenoid. It does not affect the engine at all, but if you want to disable this, it's a simple hardware mod: PGMFI.ORG - Grassroots ECU Development - Library . OBD1CivicIntegraAutoManual