Possum Link ECU on the new Impreza WRX
02 September 2001, 06:34 PM
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Hi, my name is Marco and I've got an Impreza WRX sedan 2001 ( I've covered
til now 3.700 miles ), my first new age Impreza after two olds turbo's
series a '96 compact w. and a '99 sedan, the last one with over 300 hp
(exactly 309 hp at 1,45 turbo's bar pr. and 347 hp at 1,8 bar pr.) with
Possum Link ECU and a complete motor's tunning.
At the end of september I'm going to install on my car the Possum Link ECU
specific for the new WRX (very likely I'll be the first of all in Italy) .
But I've some doubts : on the old car series the P.L. went very well but the
cold start was terrible, and that was the only one problem. Is there anyone
of you that have tried this P.L. ECU on the new Impreza? How does it goes?
Wath turbo's max. pression do you set?
2nd question: I've changed the complete original exhaust system , from turbo
to the end, with a inox racing type 110db italian made ( very excellent
construction specific for the Italy Subarucup
til now 3.700 miles ), my first new age Impreza after two olds turbo's
series a '96 compact w. and a '99 sedan, the last one with over 300 hp
(exactly 309 hp at 1,45 turbo's bar pr. and 347 hp at 1,8 bar pr.) with
Possum Link ECU and a complete motor's tunning.
At the end of september I'm going to install on my car the Possum Link ECU
specific for the new WRX (very likely I'll be the first of all in Italy) .
But I've some doubts : on the old car series the P.L. went very well but the
cold start was terrible, and that was the only one problem. Is there anyone
of you that have tried this P.L. ECU on the new Impreza? How does it goes?
Wath turbo's max. pression do you set?
2nd question: I've changed the complete original exhaust system , from turbo
to the end, with a inox racing type 110db italian made ( very excellent
construction specific for the Italy Subarucup
03 September 2001, 12:34 AM
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>where in Italy had you tuned your car.
>Is there someone that can map the Possum >there?
Yes this garage:
Winner Car - tel. +39 2 45.70.86.36
ragostage@tin.it
Assago - Milan - Italy
>What were the exact mods on your car?
The turbo was the '96 version modificated with Bonalume westgate and pop off, special pistons and cammes,head mods, BMC air intake, and Link ECU.
Which model do you have?
In which part of Swiss do you live?
...i have an holiday appartment in Lenzerheide.
Bye
Marco
03 September 2001, 12:45 PM
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There is a possum link II out make sure you get that. It fixes the lumpy idle and cold start problems.
Dan
[This message has been edited by submannz (edited 03 September 2001).]
Dan
[This message has been edited by submannz (edited 03 September 2001).]
03 September 2001, 02:51 PM
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The ecu believe the cats to be buggered when you remove them, and so fires up a warning light.
Preventing this from happening requires complicated electronic jiggery pokery, but will soon be doable, if a certain person hets his **** in gear with it
.
I think you will find that if you fit the new possum link, it wont be a problem.
I think you will also find there is no problem with cold start on the old or the new link, it is purely a case of having the experience to know how to sort it out.
I don't
but others certainly do 
The later link chips have imporved and improved, having just had Bob sort mine out, I am more than impressed with idle and cold start. the MY 01 will be even better
Preventing this from happening requires complicated electronic jiggery pokery, but will soon be doable, if a certain person hets his **** in gear with it
.I think you will find that if you fit the new possum link, it wont be a problem.
I think you will also find there is no problem with cold start on the old or the new link, it is purely a case of having the experience to know how to sort it out.
I don't
but others certainly do The later link chips have imporved and improved, having just had Bob sort mine out, I am more than impressed with idle and cold start. the MY 01 will be even better
03 September 2001, 09:58 PM
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Adam,
The later link chips which you mention .....Is it the new PC LINK the one that can be tuned using a PC, better tuning resolution and better idle and cold start control ?
Carlos H.
The later link chips which you mention .....Is it the new PC LINK the one that can be tuned using a PC, better tuning resolution and better idle and cold start control ?
Carlos H.
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04 September 2001, 12:40 AM
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carlos, you would be much beter off talking to Bob, he can tell you all.
There seems to be a new link, but also a link plus which is not model specific and so will require a loom adaptor, this is definitely tuned with a laptop, but I dont know about the new link.
Don't be fooled into thinking the "ol" link needs it idle and cold start improved upon, I am confident having seen my own car that the later chips, and more than capable of resolving the problems to everyones satisfaction.
The thing is, I know nothing about links or mapping (or much else really) so speak to bob and I am sure he can answer anyones questions, although he hasn't come back to me on the meaning of life yet.
There seems to be a new link, but also a link plus which is not model specific and so will require a loom adaptor, this is definitely tuned with a laptop, but I dont know about the new link.
Don't be fooled into thinking the "ol" link needs it idle and cold start improved upon, I am confident having seen my own car that the later chips, and more than capable of resolving the problems to everyones satisfaction.
The thing is, I know nothing about links or mapping (or much else really) so speak to bob and I am sure he can answer anyones questions, although he hasn't come back to me on the meaning of life yet.
04 September 2001, 12:58 AM
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Adam M:
<B>...The thing is, I know nothing about links or mapping (or much else really)...[/quote]
Glad to see you finally admit it Adam 
Matt
<B>...The thing is, I know nothing about links or mapping (or much else really)...[/quote]
Glad to see you finally admit it Adam
Matt
04 September 2001, 06:35 PM
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by submannz:
<B>There is a possum link II out make sure you get that. It fixes the lumpy idle and cold start problems.[/quote]
The 'lumpy' idle problem varies by MY of the car - for example the 'N' and the 'Q' series chip fixed any idle issues on the MY 99 car - but this is completely different for MY 98 and MY96 cars. There is no specific 'II' chip that applies to all cars.
Also the WRX Possum Link does NOT fit the Euro spec WRX. This problem may have been resolved now - however the original WRX MY01 ECU has a different pin out in Europe compared to AsiaPac.
So get an adapter and bring in a AsiaPac ECU for a cheap 248bhp!!!
Cheers,
Trout
<B>There is a possum link II out make sure you get that. It fixes the lumpy idle and cold start problems.[/quote]
The 'lumpy' idle problem varies by MY of the car - for example the 'N' and the 'Q' series chip fixed any idle issues on the MY 99 car - but this is completely different for MY 98 and MY96 cars. There is no specific 'II' chip that applies to all cars.
Also the WRX Possum Link does NOT fit the Euro spec WRX. This problem may have been resolved now - however the original WRX MY01 ECU has a different pin out in Europe compared to AsiaPac.
So get an adapter and bring in a AsiaPac ECU for a cheap 248bhp!!!
Cheers,
Trout
04 September 2001, 06:40 PM
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....also, as I understand it the MY01 WRX chip is the a Ten Row PC LINK chip which does give better resolution.
This software is excellent, however again the application of the ten row has little or no bearing on the idle algorithms.
A potential solution to the WRX01 Possum Link not fitting is the use of the Link Plus which has more features than PC LINK such as antilag, full throttle shift and limited compensation and decay modes.
However you will need a Loom Adapter - and more patience tuning it as it is a generic ECU rather than Subaru specific.
Cheers,
Trout
This software is excellent, however again the application of the ten row has little or no bearing on the idle algorithms.
A potential solution to the WRX01 Possum Link not fitting is the use of the Link Plus which has more features than PC LINK such as antilag, full throttle shift and limited compensation and decay modes.
However you will need a Loom Adapter - and more patience tuning it as it is a generic ECU rather than Subaru specific.
Cheers,
Trout
04 September 2001, 10:41 PM
#12
Ecu Specialist
David has it just about right but for further clarification ...
There are four Possumlink ecu's:-
version 3 ... MY92-96
version 4 ... MY97-98
version 5 ... MY99-00
version 6 ... MY01
The version 6 comes in two iterations as the STi ecu pin out and functionality is completely different to the WRX. The Eurospecs are the same as the Jap specs WRX afaik at this time, its the STi thats different. The reason that a de-catted car can show a check engine is that there are two lambda sensors installed on the MY01 car, the front one in the up pipe is a wide band item and the rear one a narrow band, the jecs ecu expects to see a difference between the two, decat it and they read the same hence the check engine, Link uses the front wide band for mapping purposes and the narrow band disply is available fro reference, there will, of course, be no check engine using a Link. The version 6 ecu also has boost temperature compensation and will reduce boost if engine temp is seen to rise above a set level. Good protection against blown head gaskets methinks.
There is also a generic ecu, Link Plus, which contains all of the fuctions of the above plus extra inputs and outputs (will drive 8 injectors for example. It requires an adaptor loom and is much harder to set up and tune.
The Link Plus was the first ecu to be "PC Enabled", this was very closely followed by the version 5 ecu. Both LinkPlus and the version 5 ecu are now "10 row" and the MY01 came "10 row" straight out of the box".
So these ecu's use the Windows software for mapping which provides the ability to map and datalog visually at the same time, graph real time, real time virtual dash display and 3d graph the fuel and ignition settings amonst othere features.
There is no reason for any car to suffer from poor idle and starting, its not easy to get right first time but is always do-able, on MY92-98 cars the ISC can need adjusting to balance the idle out but apart from that there is not an issue here. The last two iterations of the version 5 chipset have had improved idle and boost control these being OY and Q chips. The Q chip is the 10 row chip and that chipset also benefits from some additional undocumented settings which really do make a difference to the driving experience. The Q chip idle is even better due to further enhanced stepper motor algorythms.Just to say that I don't have my Motec plugged in at the moment. In my car the version 5 plus Q chip starts and idles better than the jecs.
All ecu's benefit from improved knock control, the version 6 (MY01) has an even further improved system that is progressive with revs to take account of the greater background noise as revs increase.
All ecu's benefit from improved boost control, its almost impossible to get overboost once the correct settings are achieved and target control is excellent with the smaller turbo's holding boost more steadily.
The version 3 and 4 ecu's are in the process of being "PC Enabled", the version 3 is available now and the version 4 soon to be. Currently Link do not have the development time available to convert these to 10 row and so they will remain 6 row, we are actively trying to persuade them that it is worth while converting the version 4 ecu, the version 3 would not benefit as the standard map sensor only allows 1.2 bar boost max to be run. the 22B chipset will also be included.
All ecu's including the Link Plus can still be tuned with a tuning module, much easier to make "on the fly" adjustments in car whilst driving with this, the laptop can then simply be plugged in, the map downloaded and the latest adjustments saved to file at the next convenient moment. So the best of both are available now.
The 10 row chips are adapted so that fueling adjustment is in "absolute" values ie instead of percentage points (0-100) we have 0-255 steps, the fueling has always been adjustable by these increments, just not in an obvious way, now it is clear. Basically that means that fueling can be adjusted in 1/3 percentage point steps.
Its worth bearing in mind that the 10 rows are from minus 1 to plus 2 bar, most cars will not be able to use all the rows (I am just using 9 of the 10),the improved granularity is a good step forward though.
In addition there are some further developments in the pipeline, these are specifically designed to suit my own mapping process and style and will require a greater attention to detail than before with longer mapping time needed but will again improve the end result significantly. Nothing more to say on that for now except to mention the words "icing" and "cake".
Finally, its clear that people can get confused between the different ecu versions, someone with a version 3 ecu could give bad advice to someone with a version 4 or version 5 ecu, for example, and not even be aware, this is because the zoning is different from version to version. So be sure to check what version ecu is in use before giving advice.
Hope the above is of some use.
[This message has been edited by Bob Rawle (edited 04 September 2001).]
There are four Possumlink ecu's:-
version 3 ... MY92-96
version 4 ... MY97-98
version 5 ... MY99-00
version 6 ... MY01
The version 6 comes in two iterations as the STi ecu pin out and functionality is completely different to the WRX. The Eurospecs are the same as the Jap specs WRX afaik at this time, its the STi thats different. The reason that a de-catted car can show a check engine is that there are two lambda sensors installed on the MY01 car, the front one in the up pipe is a wide band item and the rear one a narrow band, the jecs ecu expects to see a difference between the two, decat it and they read the same hence the check engine, Link uses the front wide band for mapping purposes and the narrow band disply is available fro reference, there will, of course, be no check engine using a Link. The version 6 ecu also has boost temperature compensation and will reduce boost if engine temp is seen to rise above a set level. Good protection against blown head gaskets methinks.
There is also a generic ecu, Link Plus, which contains all of the fuctions of the above plus extra inputs and outputs (will drive 8 injectors for example. It requires an adaptor loom and is much harder to set up and tune.
The Link Plus was the first ecu to be "PC Enabled", this was very closely followed by the version 5 ecu. Both LinkPlus and the version 5 ecu are now "10 row" and the MY01 came "10 row" straight out of the box".
So these ecu's use the Windows software for mapping which provides the ability to map and datalog visually at the same time, graph real time, real time virtual dash display and 3d graph the fuel and ignition settings amonst othere features.
There is no reason for any car to suffer from poor idle and starting, its not easy to get right first time but is always do-able, on MY92-98 cars the ISC can need adjusting to balance the idle out but apart from that there is not an issue here. The last two iterations of the version 5 chipset have had improved idle and boost control these being OY and Q chips. The Q chip is the 10 row chip and that chipset also benefits from some additional undocumented settings which really do make a difference to the driving experience. The Q chip idle is even better due to further enhanced stepper motor algorythms.Just to say that I don't have my Motec plugged in at the moment. In my car the version 5 plus Q chip starts and idles better than the jecs.
All ecu's benefit from improved knock control, the version 6 (MY01) has an even further improved system that is progressive with revs to take account of the greater background noise as revs increase.
All ecu's benefit from improved boost control, its almost impossible to get overboost once the correct settings are achieved and target control is excellent with the smaller turbo's holding boost more steadily.
The version 3 and 4 ecu's are in the process of being "PC Enabled", the version 3 is available now and the version 4 soon to be. Currently Link do not have the development time available to convert these to 10 row and so they will remain 6 row, we are actively trying to persuade them that it is worth while converting the version 4 ecu, the version 3 would not benefit as the standard map sensor only allows 1.2 bar boost max to be run. the 22B chipset will also be included.
All ecu's including the Link Plus can still be tuned with a tuning module, much easier to make "on the fly" adjustments in car whilst driving with this, the laptop can then simply be plugged in, the map downloaded and the latest adjustments saved to file at the next convenient moment. So the best of both are available now.
The 10 row chips are adapted so that fueling adjustment is in "absolute" values ie instead of percentage points (0-100) we have 0-255 steps, the fueling has always been adjustable by these increments, just not in an obvious way, now it is clear. Basically that means that fueling can be adjusted in 1/3 percentage point steps.
Its worth bearing in mind that the 10 rows are from minus 1 to plus 2 bar, most cars will not be able to use all the rows (I am just using 9 of the 10),the improved granularity is a good step forward though.
In addition there are some further developments in the pipeline, these are specifically designed to suit my own mapping process and style and will require a greater attention to detail than before with longer mapping time needed but will again improve the end result significantly. Nothing more to say on that for now except to mention the words "icing" and "cake".
Finally, its clear that people can get confused between the different ecu versions, someone with a version 3 ecu could give bad advice to someone with a version 4 or version 5 ecu, for example, and not even be aware, this is because the zoning is different from version to version. So be sure to check what version ecu is in use before giving advice.
Hope the above is of some use.
[This message has been edited by Bob Rawle (edited 04 September 2001).]
05 September 2001, 02:35 AM
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The PC Link is now available for 99 & 44s models of WRX which is fully programable via PC includes PC software. Note these are the only models available for this software but link are currently working on converting old models to the PC Link software. The distributor over there is Dimensionony (sorry don't know how to spell it), who should be getting these ECU's shortly.
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