Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

how many bolt ons can i put on my rb25 (plenum, exhaust manifold, turbo etc) before i have to go for a new ecu? got a heap all the bits lyin in my shed ready for it, just dont know what i can get away with without upgrading to a haltech or similar :wacko:

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/365314-bolt-ons/
Share on other sites

Turbo back exhaust, front mount intercooler and 10psi boost will usually be about the limit of the stock ECU without hitting the major ECU limits.

Usually this would yield you around 165-175rwkw. I made 170rwkw with a fairly nice power curve without hitting any ECU safety features.

Having said that every car is slightly different so you may still run into problems (especially on a cold night).

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/365314-bolt-ons/#findComment-5828811
Share on other sites

I always find it amazing how many people want to avoid getting an ecu... Ecu was one of the first things on my list. Makes such a big difference, not just to power but to drivability and fuel economy.

Why not get an ecu and find improvements everywhere?

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/365314-bolt-ons/#findComment-5828831
Share on other sites

thanx for the input guys, i DO plan on getting a new ecu, just the parts i have came with the car. living in a small country town kinda makes it hard to get the thing tuned tho, is it worth goin all out for a pfc, haltech or similar? im not chasing huge power, its my everyday car, just sumthin thats a bit of fun, maybe round the 200-220rwkw mark. my gf drives the car too, so i dont want it scarin the sh!t outta her :rofl2: any help would really be appreciated!!!

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/365314-bolt-ons/#findComment-5830834
Share on other sites

LOL, my missus was driving my car one day and a car that was on and off the brakes in front was giving her the shi ts, she said she wanted to overtake them and I said "go for it", she dropped it down to second and floored it, LOL, the car hit boost went sideways and she shAT herself, said my car was "stupid" and hasnt driven it since.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/365314-bolt-ons/#findComment-5830902
Share on other sites

thanx for the input guys, i DO plan on getting a new ecu, just the parts i have came with the car. living in a small country town kinda makes it hard to get the thing tuned tho, is it worth goin all out for a pfc, haltech or similar? im not chasing huge power, its my everyday car, just sumthin thats a bit of fun, maybe round the 200-220rwkw mark. my gf drives the car too, so i dont want it scarin the sh!t outta her :rofl2: any help would really be appreciated!!!

See that is a big issue that a lot of the guys living in major cities don't always understand. An ECU upgrade can be great, however if you don't have any one to go to makes it kind of pointless lol.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/365314-bolt-ons/#findComment-5831181
Share on other sites

You can add an exhuast without hitting problems, well I didn't anyway.

I currently have all the basic mods (exhaust, boost tee, FMIC & POD) + a SAFC 2 & the car made 180rwkw when it was tuned about 1.5 years ago, no problems what so ever.

If you are not aiming for more power, SAFC is a budget option if you just want a quick solution to get rid of any R&R problems that may occur.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/365314-bolt-ons/#findComment-5831246
Share on other sites

Do what it takes to get a Nistune fitted and tuned. Looking at your list if you don't need new injectors or afm you should be able to fit all that keep the boost low and drive to the tuner to get the Nistune fitted and tuned. As you will need a Z32 ecu you can get the nistune chip installed beforehand and then just plug it in and get the tune.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/365314-bolt-ons/#findComment-5831336
Share on other sites

cooma is only an hour south of canberra. heaps of tuners here.

ppl will drive futher than that in sydney to go to their tuner..

Oh, I didn't really look where he was from, I just ment in general. But yeah if he is that close than no problem at all.

Get NIStune, wideband, a laptop and start learning :P

This. Learning to tune isn't that hard, just takes patience and practice.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/365314-bolt-ons/#findComment-5831407
Share on other sites

The big diff is, if we f**k it up we have no one to go to to get it sorted. Have to put it on a trailer and then tow it 200km. Plus its not like you have a mate round the corner that knows how to do it and can show you. No safety net.

If we were to learn, we would be self taught and then some! and mistakes could be expensive.

Last thing you want to do is have to sell your car on Carsales - needs a tune!!!

Plus, I got a dyno + tune and it works so why muck it up?

I'd like to tune my own and have been considering getting a wideband and knock sensor, but then I'd need to use it, so on hold for now.......if anyone moves to town with the right skills, I'd probably do it.

Until then I stick to the mechanical stuff.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/365314-bolt-ons/#findComment-5832442
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Surely somebody has one in VIC. Have you asked at any shops?  Is this the yearly inspection or did you get a canary?
    • This is where I share pain with you, @Duncan. The move to change so many cooling system pieces to plastic is a killer! Plastic end tanks and a few plastic hose flanges on my car's fail after so little time.  Curious about the need for a bigger rad, is that just for long sessions in the summer or because the car generally needs more cooling?
    • So, that is it! It is a pretty expensive process with the ATF costing 50-100 per 5 litres, and a mechanic will probably charge plenty because they don't want to do it. Still, considering how dirty my fluid was at 120,000klm I think it would be worth doing more like every 80,000 to keep the trans happy, they are very expensive to replace. The job is not that hard if you have the specialist tools so you can save a bit of money and do it yourself!
    • OK, onto filling. So I don't really have any pics, but will describe the process as best I can. The USDM workshop manual also covers it from TM-285 onwards. First, make sure the drain plug (17mm) is snug. Not too tight yet because it is coming off again. Note it does have a copper washer that you could replace or anneal (heat up with a blow torch) to seal nicely. Remove the fill plug, which has an inhex (I think it was 6mm but didn't check). Then, screw in the fill fitting, making sure it has a suitable o-ring (mine came without but I think it is meant to be supplied). It is important that you only screw it in hand tight. I didn't get a good pic of it, but the fill plug leads to a tube about 70mm long inside the transmission. This sets the factory level for fluid in the trans (above the join line for the pan!) and will take about 3l to fill. You then need to connect your fluid pump to the fitting via a hose, and pump in whatever amount of fluid you removed (maybe 3 litres, in my case 7 litres). If you put in more than 3l, it will spill out when you remove the fitting, so do quickly and with a drain pan underneath. Once you have pumped in the required amount of clean ATF, you start the engine and run it for 3 minutes to let the fluid circulate. Don't run it longer and if possible check the fluid temp is under 40oC (Ecutek shows Auto Trans Fluid temp now, or you could use an infrared temp gun on the bottom of the pan). The manual stresses the bit about fluid temperature because it expands when hot an might result in an underfil. So from here, the factory manual says to do the "spill and fill" again, and I did. That is, put an oil pan under the drain plug and undo it with a 17mm spanner, then watch your expensive fluid fall back out again, you should get about 3 litres.  Then, put the drain plug back in, pump 3 litres back in through the fill plug with the fitting and pump, disconnect the fill fitting and replace the fill plug, start the car and run for another 3 minutes (making sure the temp is still under 40oC). The manual then asks for a 3rd "spill and fill" just like above. I also did that and so had put 13l in by now.  This time they want you to keep the engine running and run the transmission through R and D (I hope the wheels are still off the ground!) for a while, and allow the trans temp to get to 40oC, then engine off. Finally, back under the car and undo the fill plug to let the overfill drain out; it will stop running when fluid is at the top of the levelling tube. According to the factory, that is job done! Post that, I reconnected the fill fitting and pumped in an extra 0.5l. AMS says 1.5l overfill is safe, but I started with less to see how it goes, I will add another 1.0 litres later if I'm still not happy with the hot shifts.
    • OK, so regardless of whether you did Step 1 - Spill Step 2 - Trans pan removal Step 3 - TCM removal we are on to the clean and refill. First, have a good look at the oil pan. While you might see dirty oil and some carbony build up (I did), what you don't want to see is any metal particles on the magnets, or sparkles in the oil (thankfully not). Give it all a good clean, particularly the magnets, and put the new gasket on if you have one (or, just cross your fingers) Replacement of the Valve body (if you removed it) is the "reverse of assembly". Thread the electrical socket back up through the trans case, hold the valve body up and put in the bolts you removed, with the correct lengths in the correct locations Torque for the bolts in 8Nm only so I hope you have that torque wrench handy (it feels really loose). Plug the output speed sensor back in and clip the wiring into the 2 clips, replace the spring clip on the TCM socket and plug it back into the car loom. For the pan, the workshop manual states the following order: Again, the torque is 8Nm only.
×
×
  • Create New...