k3lyf

hello and before i start i must appologise for my lack of technical knowledge.

I have just got my 99v plate impreza back from my local main dealer where i had a new engine fitted under warranty. The car needed the new engine due to second piston melting and damaging the heads. The car is fitted with a cat back magnex 6x4 exhaust system and a k&n filter and did have a atmospheric forge dump valve but now removed. The dealer said that the engine expired because of the mods especially the d/valve. Could this be true? They said i need to get the car "mapped" to the mods. Is this true? If this is right who do i go to for mapping? What do i ask for? what parts do i require? do i need an ecu? and most important whats the cost gonna be?
Please any suggestions are appriciated.

Cheers
Scott

FB Tuning

iTrader: (30)

It's unlikely the mods you listed caused the engine to fail...There are lots of people running around with more mods than you on a standard ecu without issues.

On your year car, it's more likely that you experienced the MAF sensor underreading, and causing your engine to run lean at WOT, hence the piston failiure. - Pure speculation, but far more likely IMO

I would replace the MAF as a precautionary measure, although PSLEWIS will probably be along in a minute telling you otherwise....

You can get your standard ecu reflashed with a Ecutek Tek3 map, which will obviously be tailored to your car setup. - Approx £550-700

Alternatively, you could get an Apexi Power FC, which is a fully programmable ECU. Can be bought and mapped for around £750

If you intend to make future mods, i would recommend the PFC, due to the ease of altering the maps and settings.

If you are just looking to map for your current mods and leave it at that, then go for the TEK3, as it retains all the features of the standard ecu - Knock retard, diagnostic trouble codes etc...

Do a search on here, there's plenty of info about

Richard

Engineer@Uni

Fiestaboy hit the nail on the head, but I'll also add a little, because I'm not sure you understood all the technicalities he pointed out.

While it's true that a lot of people are running on decats etc, it can't be denied that it's not the best course of action for longevity. Thing is, the ECU from stock assumes a fair degree of flexibility. ie. with the stock exhaust (that is fairly restrictive) certain conditions (eg. cold air, high quality fuel, light car mods) can alow the car to produce mroe power. The downside to this is that if you mod your car to permanently work in this way, you leave now leeway for further increase. Put simply, the ECU can't detect the need for THAT much fuel, because with the stock internals it is impossible that such demand is needed.
Personally i disagree with the dealer pointing out that the Dump Valve is to blame. Sounds like total BS to me, frankly.
Most likely the "map" you've been advised to get is an excelent idea. It will ensure not only that you run your car safely for amny years to come, but also will likely improve fuel economy and net you a good few horses too. the ECUtech "flash" remap is probably your cheapest alternative and needs nothing on your part. What will happen is the garage will plug a PC into your car and put it on a pair of rollers for a few hours, and thats it. Changing ECU to the Apex'i (or possibly a Motec M800, I'd advise) is also possible, but the benefits are hard to see at your level of tune. Frankly, it is better more detailed and will also show better and more driveable assuming an excelent mapper does his job, but the difference will not be worth it in your case. Most people do it at over 350-400 horsepower in conjunction with a new turbo, intercooler, clutch etc...

PS. WOT = Wide Open Throttle