jamie555impreza

hi all,just wondered if anybody knows which standard ecu goes on the 96 wrx ? mine has a prova ecu fitted at the moment so want rid of it for a standard unit.no mods on my car apart from the hks induction.standard 260 bhp from new(jdm v-limited/ NOT sti) any help gratefully recieved.

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

Z4
Any particular reason why you want rid of the Prova ecu?

jamie555impreza

just cos ive had all the scare stories about them,set up for 100 ron fuel.i only get 97 in my town,cant be on with octane booster cos i never fill my tank.been through 1 engine already.rather just go standard to be honest

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

a fair and honest reply

If you do see Z4 ecus for sale they are normally excessively priced (i paid £75 about 4 years ago for mine and still see them for sale on Ebay described as rare and over £100)

joz8968

iTrader: (13)

Sell the Prova and get a 2nd hand 4-plug ECU with the Polar Performance chip pre-installed - the chip's map is safely designed around Esso Supreme 97 RON fuel , by the respected Scott T.

With a decat, fresh panel filter, new fuel pump, you should see 260+ bhp I would have thought... the Z4 is 'only' 256bhp (260PS)!

You should be able to snare one for around £80 these days...

jamie555impreza

how much can i expect to get for the prova ? just phoned a firm and they said a standard ecu wont go on my car cos its a jdm model, GRRR is nothing ever simple with scoobies

dj219957

the firm is talking ****. get a z4 ecu of the bay, if your that desperate you can run a u8 or w6 ecu, these are very safe but only run 240ps instead of 260ps like the z4.
dont pay any more than 40 quid for a u8 or w6 (i run a w6 and am happy with the power) or 80 quid for a z4 ecu.


is the ecu you have not just chipped with a prova chip or is it a replacment ecu?

if its just chipped you can just replace the prova chip with polar performace chip or take the chip out, reconnect the j1 resistor and run the standard map off the ecu.

jamie555impreza

thanks for that.as far as i am aware its a prova ecu,seen 1 on ebay direct from japan at 288 quid.im not fussed about a powerloss cos her indoors drives it,just wanna run it safely with no complications.will try for the u8 or w6.thanks for your help

dj219957

subaru impreza turbo ecu u8 1995 brain on eBay, also, Subaru, Car Parts, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 21-Jun-09 21:31:38 BST)

still over priced really. they go for as little as £10

dj219957

just looked at a prova one on ebay. it just looks like a chipped ecu to me.JDM Prova ECU EJ20T GF8 GC8 Subaru Impreza WRX STI on eBay, also Engine Tuning Parts, Performance Tuning Parts, Car Tuning Styling, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 13-Jun-09 19:40:06 BST)
if you look at the last picture it says w6 on the chip. meaning this was a prova chip for a w6 ecu. i bet if you take the chip out and reconnect the j1 resistor it will run.
see if you can look through the prova sticker on the ecu or peel it off to reveal the original identity of the ecu.

of course it might be safer and easier to sell that one and use the money to buy a new one.

jamie555impreza

just took the cover off,its a says z4 on 2 stickers on the board,can i still do wot u mentioned.and how do you do it ?

dj219957

great. you have the z4 which is the better one. provided prova havnt done anything except put a chip in it and cut the J1 resistor then yes you can do it.

Your looking for a resistor that sticks out of the boadrd. it will have been cut (they might even have removed it, they have on that one on the ebay link).
use this http://www.enduringsolutions.co.uk/install/ to find it

dont mess with the L1 resistor.

if the j1 resistor has gone you can just solder in a peice of wire.

jamie555impreza

much appreciated,your the 1st person ive talked to that actually knows wot they are talking about,will have a look and let you know the outcome. CHEERS

joz8968

iTrader: (13)

Jamie, you may not have to go to the hassle of desoldering/removing the Prova chip and/or chip board. If you just reconnect the J1 resistor as dj has said, then it should read from the Z4's OEM map and ignore the Prova chip anyway.

So do that simple task and c.256bhp is yours... er, your other half's... to enjoy...

jamie555impreza

thanks for that,you lads know wot your on about.was getting sick of being fobbed off by companies trying to sell me apexi ecus.

joz8968

iTrader: (13)

To add to my last post... the prova chip is worth a few bob so is worth removing and selling on...

jamie555impreza

yea will do,dont think im confident enough to do it myself though,not my forte electronics,dont suppose anyone has a contact number for harvey smith at darlington ? no reply to emails at the moment.

joz8968

iTrader: (13)

Tossers trying to make a quick buck out ot you when that's not the solution to your request.

I HATE that when that happens... vendors exploiting a customers possible ignorance/lack of knowledge

dj219957

i would not sell a prova. i could not live with myself if it blew the buyers engine up. the prova chips have a bad rep over here cos we dont have good enough fuel for them. they are too agressive. that bloke has more chance of platting **** than selling that prova for that price.

jimes

just peeled my sticker off the prova i had spare and its a w6 and the prova board inside has w6 stickers on the chips. would this be worth anything to anyone? have power fc now!

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

Jimes speak to Scott T at PolarPerformance as he uses them for his performance chips may only be worth about £20ish

dj219957

so there we have it. prova ecus are no more than a standard ecu with a chip in them and a sticker on the outside to cover the original identity of the ecu.

joz8968

iTrader: (13)

...Which, being a Jap chip, is no doubt unsuitable for our fuel as dj said. The map is bound to be ultra aggressive and unsafe; like a Mines is, for example.

As I said earlier, if you/your wife DID WANT power of c.260+ bhp, then I suggest the much 'safer' PP chip of Scott T. (post # 5).

But if not, then reconnect your W6's J1 resistor to run its OEM map of 0.79bar boost/240PS - so no need to buy another MY93-96 ECU (even if they are only about £10-30).

Obviously, it's up to you if you remove the Prova chip to sell on...

jamie555impreza

just want to say a big thanks to you lads for the help and your knowledge,youve probably saved me a few quid.

jamie555impreza

update at present is that ive still got the v4 ecu in with the prova chip, the j1 resistor has been removed altogether,and i cant find anyone prepared to replace the resistor cos they dont have a clue which 1 to put in. so keeping an eye on ebay for a 2nd hand ecu. tryed a uk ecu but it brought the cel light on.so after an import 1.

joz8968

iTrader: (13)

impreza ecu chipped on eBay (end time 25-Jun-09 22:20:30 BST)

my94wrx

iTrader: (4)

the j1 resister is not actually a resister but dummy to look like one, one alternative is to replace with a run of wire and a toggle switch on the end then enabling you to switch between standard and daughter board.

dj219957

if your not upto soldering in a peice of wire then youd be better off with one of these. much safer. that ecu is too agressive for what you need and will no dobt cause you problems. 18psi is too much.

SUBARU IMPREZA W9 - WRX RA 93/94 ECU on eBay (end time 25-Jun-09 21:24:45 BST)

Subaru Impreza Z4 ECU 4 plug 260bhp on eBay (end time 30-Jun-09 10:30:13 BST)

Monkeysccob

The Z4 ECU mentioned in the link above is mine. You can have it for 75quid...............fair price i reckon

Monkeysccob

Or, Jamie555impreza, i might do a straight swap with prova ecu if ya interested. Just an idea............if so, send me a message via e.bay