As above

I have a 1997 UK Turbo 200 AWD V3 with a suspected faulty ECU, I have been offered a V3 STI ecu will this work has anyone else tried this??

 

I dont think it is as simple as that mate,as the 2 engines have diffferent horsepower outputs,and different rev limiters and compression ratios, as well as the sti ecu will be mapped for jap fuel not 95 ron like your uk

 

It won't work. Car won't even start, and if you managed to work your way round that you'd quickly realise how much the Japanese specification ECU doesn't suit your UK spec engine and turbo.

If you think your ECU's shot then you need either a like for like or a 98MY UK replacement. And you'll need to have the onboard immobiliser recoded.

All that said though, it's pretty rare for an ECU to actually fail, what are the symptoms?

 

No, the STI will have a different map suited to STi's only, fueling is different, boost is different etc etc and the V3 ECU isnt mappable so it cant be made to suit your car either

 

Ive just broke a 96/97 P reg uk 2000 turbo and still have the ecu I'm sure its a 7D but i'll have to check in the garage tomorrow (monday) if ya need it

cheers drew
0784 3421 838

 

Hello Splitpin. my car is spluttering from cold feels like the car is kangerooing/spluttering quite badly although once the boost kicks in the acceleration is nice and smooth. I should mention My car is converted to LPG but runs fine on LPG when it switches over the car is upto temperature, to eliminate any fault with the LPG ECU I disconnected it completely from the car. The LPG Ecu was mapped before I had the problems which is probably why the car is running fine on LPG still.
Coincedentally the car was running fine until my clutch was changed and the earth strap was not connected to the starter properly which caused a lot of arching
Whether it is related or not I have noticed that the rev counter does not give a consistent reading, what I mean is once warm and running on petrol you would expect the rev needle to sit just below the 800 mark on tickover sometimes its rests a little below or above in the 700 - 950 range
it doesn't bounce up and down just doesn't rest at the same position when you take you foot off the accelerator

Thanks for your input, I was a bit gutted when I found out my ECU couldnt be mapped now gotta work out how I can spend £700 on an Apexi commander without the missus finding out lol (pending the car being sorted)


Cheers Drew I will see what Splitpin advises, I will send you a text later

 

Sorry Midnight I missed you out the multiquote, thanks for your input. the STI ECU is a definate no no. Back to the drawing board

 

v3 ecu will work with a 98 model or same year but you will need the sti v3 afm n injectors to run it but then consider engine internals is not the same

 

This sounds more like a dodgy sensor ground or some similar wiring fault rather than the ECU itself.

And the problems you're having started immediately after this? How long did it take between the clutch being changed and the "earth strap" on the starter coming to light?

Incidentally which specific strap are you referring to? Where's the other end of it connected? There shouldn't be an "earth strap" running to the starter, there should be the thick +ve starter power supply.

When the clutch was changed is it possible that something else was disconnected and not properly tightened? I'm thinking in particular of the sensor ground cable that should be bolted to the inlet manifold?

This advice would apply anyway, but doubly so in the context where you don't have a spare ECU, but the first thing I would do in this situation is check the electrical system as comprehensively as you can.

If these problems began to manifest themselves immediately after the clutch change then it's highly likely that whatever went wrong, went wrong at that point. If you can tell us more about the wire that was left off though that might help us to help you.

 

The earth lead he's on about is the main engine earth which attach's to a 90' bracket held by the top starter/belhousing mounting bolt

 

Thanks for getting back to me, the problems started immediatley after the clutch was changed. My friend normally does all my work and has done for the last 5-6 years never with any problems, but we did have a difference of opinion on this one, I wanted him to lift the engine to change the clutch as a hoist was available he said it would be easier to drop the prob shaft and work underneath (no ramps)

There was a lot of problems getting the gearbox back on so looming could have been disturbed I have done a visal check with the intercooler out all looks ok, the problems started straight away with lazy starting and battery drain a couple of breakdowns later I discovered that the lamba sensor plug/loom had not been re-connected, main earth strap with had not been reconnected (as described by drewtts, I believe this combination of faults killed my maf (i was getting fault code 23) which has been replaced.
There was another earth strap at the back of the engine, Cant check until tonight where it comes from but it was loose and I was told that it should be attached around the rear engine stabilizer bar it is connected now. Given the circumstances my thoughts were as yours that something has been disturbed whilst doing the clutch or ecu failure due to the earths not being connected properly.



This is the strap I am reffering to