Project 480: Engine: ECU

Time to talk engines!

I’m going to start with the engine as it’s the part of the build that I’m most experienced with. There is a lot to do on the engine so I will split it out in to different posts.

As I mentioned before the 480 had it’s BHP reduced by Volvo from 190bhp to 120bhp. This was done mainly by the cars ECU (Engine Control Unit) So the first thing to do is reprogram or replace this.

After a lot of research I found that one of the guys on the Volvo 480 Forum had come up with a way of reprogramming the stock Volvo ECU. But guy has retired from creating them, and the ones that he did make are hard to find.

The next option I looked at was to create my own ECU using something like an Arduino or Propeller Microcontrollers. Although this does appeal to my Geeky programing side, due to time constraints – Championship starts in March – I shelved this idea. I might still come back to using Microcontrollers in another part of the build.

The next is an aftermarket programmable ECU. There are several option of ECUs out there but the one that I have researched before and heard the most about is by MegaSquirt. One of the things that attracts me to the ECU is that you can buy it as a self assembly kit. This means you can buy it for cheaper then an assembled ECU, and as I can solder and have a fair grasp of electronics I should have no problems assembling it.

There are a few different versions out there MS1, MS2 and MS3. MS3 is the latest version and most expensive, but the features it provides over the others does not justify the extra money. MS1 lakes some of the features I want, mainly spark plug control. I think you can guess where this is going, and like Goldilocks the middle one is just right… The MS2 has both Fuel Injection control and Spark control. There is also some MS2 Extra code that gives you sequential fuel injection. So after some research I found that again, the best place was eBay and I picked up a good deal, and this is what I have to contend with:

Time to start soldering…