Anyone tune with megasquirt yet?

I've been reading up a lot since I bought the kit from justin. It's like reading a physics book. Just wondering if you guys have any constant values that worked well, like the pwm %. The car runs, but I dont have my new fans, so I can't drive it. I'm going to lower the timing a lot with tunercats, then I'm going to wire up the MS.

is it MS 2? i know you can enter values, and do an "auto correction" and it'll make changes for you that are optimal :) As far as values, i havent messed with MS in a while, i'd have to see the layout again

I think there is a messageboard for megasquirt somewhere. Someone there will give you a free baseline tune.

http://www.msefi.com/

is it MS 2? i know you can enter values, and do an "auto correction" and it'll make changes for you that are optimal :) As far as values, i havent messed with MS in a while, i'd have to see the layout again
No, but I can convert it to ms2. I'm only running fuel with it, so I dont really need the ms2 for timing.

I think there is a messageboard for megasquirt somewhere. Someone there will give you a free baseline tune.

http://www.msefi.com/
Yea I checked on there, not too many lt1s though. Just wondering if anyone had used it on here.

The book really isn't that bad - by the time you are done you will have read it 10+ times :)

I figure 20-30 hours worth of build time and reading is still far cheaper than the other aftermarket setups.

What injectors are you running? PWM is just for low imp ones. Thats one area I can't help with much, I am running 60# high imp. But there is good info in the book on pwm.

I am looking at ordering mine as well, and using the stock comp. to control the tranny (for now). What PCB is it? 3 or 3.57?

Gonna be working on mine in the next few months. Gonna run emspro in a few months. Not going to be ltx based anymore though.

What injectors are you running? PWM is just for low imp ones. Thats one area I can't help with much, I am running 60# high imp. But there is good info in the book on pwm.
Well I was going to run my 42lb high imps off the stock pcm while I'm on 5psi, then when I got the 83s I was going to switch to ms. Now I think I'm going to switch over on the 42s and learn it, then switch to the 83s. I actually read it again and I set all my constants, ve tables, and other little stuff. I figured I'm in pharmacy school, this ms stuff cant be THAT hard. I just manned up and got through it, just been studying so much lately, it's hard for me to focus on other material.


I am looking at ordering mine as well, and using the stock comp. to control the tranny (for now). What PCB is it? 3 or 3.57?
It's the 2.2 I believe, with 8x8 ve tables. Just going to use it for fuel, stock pcm for timing.

Forgot to ask this before, do you have to splice into the stock harness? I want to buy all new injector plugs, coolant sensor and plug, and IAT + plug. I bought this harness a couple years ago b/c the PO cut and spliced mine and I had miss problems that could not be solved. The new harness cost me 1200 from GM, but it fixed my problems. I REALLY dont want to cut it up.

For you guys just running MS for fuel. In the stock pcm do you just leave the timing stock up until 100kpa, then put the timing you want to run on boost in the 100kpa cells?

I would do the 95 and 100kpa but ya that will work. You might find better spool times with less timing though. I suppose you could build a MS harness completely seperate, depending on where MS gets its input from.

You would need an extra iat and coolant sensor, just run ms with the wideband. What are you going to use to trigger MS with though? (for batch fuel injection could you just trigger off the negative side of the coil?)

I would do the 95 and 100kpa but ya that will work. You might find better spool times with less timing though. I suppose you could build a MS harness completely seperate, depending on where MS gets its input from.

You would need an extra iat and coolant sensor, just run ms with the wideband. What are you going to use to trigger MS with though? (for batch fuel injection could you just trigger off the negative side of the coil?)
You really think it will spool faster with less timing down low? I figured it would be peppy down low and spool faster with the added timing. Yea I'm going to get an extra IAT and coolant sensor. I forgot about the trigger thing, guess it needs to know when to fire the injectors huh :eek:

Every motor is different, but I know a lot of the import guys get better spool time with less timing,,, I guess less energy is tranfered in the power and more is wasted into the exhaust. Usually a bad thing, but since there is a turbo to spool.

Really there shouldn't be an issue with a 383 spooling a 76 though.

Play with it and see what works, less timing is safer. If it makes power and comes in faster all the better.

Play with it and see what works, less timing is safer. If it makes power and comes in faster all the better.
Yea I figure that's what I'm going to have to do anyways, just trying to get a decent starting point. Where are you getting your trigger from?

I am running fuel and spark, sooo: 36-1 crank trigger drives all of my stuff. Coil packs running wastespark and batch fire on the injectors.

I'll have pictures of it once I redo that. Right now its just a big ugly thing on the front of my dampner.

Alright, cant get it to start on MS, I'm not seeing any rpm in megatune with the input from my MSD box. Gotta figure that out...

I tuned and built an MS1 v3.0 with msns-extra code for my uncles TBI 305 It uses 2 low imp. injectors, I just used the PWM values that the manual gave and it works good.

The extra code is a good thing even if you're not going to use spark control, it gives 12x12 tables and a ton of other options.

I'm going to be running MS1 extra on my 300zx when I put the 'big' turbo on, if I ever get the motor together....:rolleyes:


Alright, cant get it to start on MS, I'm not seeing any rpm in megatune with the input from my MSD box. Gotta figure that out...

How do you have it hooked up? Here (http://www.megamanual.com/ms2/msd6a.htm) is the manual page for using an MSD.

The thing I find aggravating about MS is that anyone that knows how to apply it to their LT1, won't tell you any meaningful details about how to do it. I've written dozens of write-ups on how to do many things on our 4th Gens for public consumption on many Fbody forums so "I" have contributed. I've even tuned other people’s cars with LT1 Edit for free and helped install all kinds of things (Torque Converters, cams, shocks, springs, headers, etc) so I help my brethren. But approach any of these guys diplomatically as can be done, even offering to pay, and either you get ignored completely or such oblique answers such as "Yes", "No", "I did it myself", etc.

The MS forum is so unfocused. The people out there that have installed it, have installed it on every internal combustion motor I've ever heard of and THEY show pictures, details, answer questions, etc. But dare approach any of those guys that have made it work on an LT1 and you get near nothing (At least nothing in the context that you could go out there and install it in a step by step fashion).

I have the "MS I" and "MS II" and purchased the MS specific wiring harness that has the wiring destinations imprinted on the wire ends. I've read and read the MS forums but it's extremely difficult to weed thru the thousands (if not millions) of forum traffic trying to find something germane to the LT1 installation.

At the end of the day, I think the sales of these devices are not market driven. That is, they don't care how many they sell so there's no pressure to increase it's appeal. And the guys that have figured it out, unlike the majority of the other guys engines MS has been applied to, don't want to share or, more benignly, just don't have the time/patience to create a write up on how to install one and get it running in a step by step manner.

tell you what.. you buy me a ms2 and i will install it on my lt1 and supply you with a complete write up and schematic....

The thing I find aggravating about MS is that anyone that knows how to apply it to their LT1, won't tell you any meaningful details about how to do it. I've written dozens of write-ups on how to do many things on our 4th Gens for public consumption on many Fbody forums so "I" have contributed. I've even tuned other people’s cars with LT1 Edit for free and helped install all kinds of things (Torque Converters, cams, shocks, springs, headers, etc) so I help my brethren. But approach any of these guys diplomatically as can be done, even offering to pay, and either you get ignored completely or such oblique answers such as "Yes", "No", "I did it myself", etc.

The MS forum is so unfocused. The people out there that have installed it, have installed it on every internal combustion motor I've ever heard of and THEY show pictures, details, answer questions, etc. But dare approach any of those guys that have made it work on an LT1 and you get near nothing (At least nothing in the context that you could go out there and install it in a step by step fashion).

I have the "MS I" and "MS II" and purchased the MS specific wiring harness that has the wiring destinations imprinted on the wire ends. I've read and read the MS forums but it's extremely difficult to weed thru the thousands (if not millions) of forum traffic trying to find something germane to the LT1 installation.

At the end of the day, I think the sales of these devices are not market driven. That is, they don't care how many they sell so there's no pressure to increase it's appeal. And the guys that have figured it out, unlike the majority of the other guys engines MS has been applied to, don't want to share or, more benignly, just don't have the time/patience to create a write up on how to install one and get it running in a step by step manner.

How do you have it hooked up? Here (http://www.megamanual.com/ms2/msd6a.htm) is the manual page for using an MSD.
That's for MSII, I have MSI on a 2.2 board, you should be able to connect the tach output directly to pin 24, which ppl told me works, except it doesnt on my car.

Thanks but I already tried that with a Vortec and the dude never wrote the document. Fool me once...


tell you what.. you buy me a ms2 and i will install it on my lt1 and supply you with a complete write up and schematic....

Ok I got it running, must have been a loose connection or something. Just gave it another shot cranking and had 100rpm, took a few tries then just fired up. Then idled perfect, doing some tuning today.

Nice, I really wish I would've kept my megasquirt. :(

I'm sure I'll be going to it this winter though.

Nice, I really wish I would've kept my megasquirt. :(

I'm sure I'll be going to it this winter though.
It lives on through me :D

It looks like you can use the low-res signal from the opti as a trigger.

LINK (http://www.msextra.com/viewtopic.php?f=89&t=22914&hilit=optispark)

That's for MSII, I have MSI on a 2.2 board, you should be able to connect the tach output directly to pin 24, which ppl told me works, except it doesnt on my car.

Yup, you're right. Good to here that it's working. :)

On the noted link, notice that the posts stop abruptly on 12/2006 and without resolution. That's the common path. People get to point 'x' with the integration of the Opti and MS then they either punt or die I guess. They never go to the point of saying "It works with the opti alone!" or "fugetaboutit". Some have used the 96/97 crank position sensor but that leaves out the earlier LT1's and those of us that have switched to a double roller timing set(no room for the crank position sensor).

It looks like you can use the low-res signal from the opti as a trigger.

LINK (http://www.msextra.com/viewtopic.php?f=89&t=22914&hilit=optispark)



Yup, you're right. Good to here that it's working. :)

I still think the opti is doable, but I don't know of any proof, and honestly once you go this far why the hell would you want to keep it? You have other options now.

Good point on the double roller, I considered that path but never thought about it not fitting.... or will it? The only 96 I have done I got rid of the sensor just because...

I don't have any secrets, but I do have a slow ass car that acts up day to day. I would call it reliable at this point, but as far as making power or being done its far from that.

I see 3 options:
edis8
drill the intake and run a dual synch distributor
obdII crank sensor and use the opti as the distributor... eww still using the opti in a way

I think the optical sensor portion of the optispark is fine and trouble free (That said, don't ever wash the motor and get the Opti wet!). It's the high voltage portion of the design(cap and rotor essentially) that tends to fail. My original '96 opti worked great from new (96) until 2005 (when it was stolen at a Houston Speed shop where I'd dropped off the car for some motor work). The thing that bugs me is that obviously TurboBob, who created Voltblaster, LTCC and other amazing electronic gizmos for our cars, can intercept the signals from the opti by merely intersecting a male/female combo plug at the point where the stock opti harness snaps onto the main harness. His LTCC therefore knows when number 1, number 2, etc plugs are firing. It seems all it would take is for Bob to extend the technology of the LTCC a bit by providing a simple box with a "D" plug on the side that interfaced with the Opti harness the very same way and use THAT to give the MS/MSII the pulsetrain to fire the MS.

My take on the opti is I have had the high voltage fail about 60% of the time and the sensor @ 40%. That will vary for everyone, but I have changed a lot of them on my car and others too. The thing is just to sensitive.

The FAST setup utilizes the low Res pulse off the Opti, you just splice right in. It's not like it hasn't been done before. We just need to figure out how.