I am impressed with the installation of the AEM EMS in the FD.

I received the unit this morning and after work, it took me about 15 minutes to swap out and go.

The AEM is larger than the stock ECU.
You'll need to shave some plastic off a bracket (used to hold the stock ECU bracket) in order to wedge the unit as flush as possible behind the kick panel. However, there isn't much surface area for the double sticky velcro.

Anyhow, I placed a wire around the unit to hold it down and put the kick panel back in place. So far, it's held pretty well for a quick install.
I'll go back and mount it neatly later.

I turn the car to the ON position and upload the latest firmware and map to the AEM.

First turn of the key and the car started.
After it warmed up, the idle was rock steady at 1krpm.

I drove around for about 4 miles and datalogged.

Pros: Quick PnP install.
Easy to view maps and configuration.

Cons: EMS is a bit large and requires a little modification to fit in stock location
My first datalog crashed the system (but the portable I'm using is fairly unstable in a car environment -- what do you expect from prototype notebooks?)

My engine is tired and worn (pre-AEM) and I need to refresh the motor.
So I hope to start tuning in a week (pending my project at work).

It feels good at cruising speeds from 2krpm to 5200rpm.
I got on a little boost (< 5psi) and it felt good and no signs of detonation. I won't boost any higher since the map needs tuning.

The only thing about the base map is that with light throttle at around 1.5krpm, the car bucks. I just need to check the datalog out and fix it.

So far, so good. The GUI is a bit intimidating coming from the DOS Haltech background, but there are just so many cool features. I really like how you can view datalogs and maps (several different ones like fuel and ignition) on the same screen.

J

 

I have mine and I am really excited about installing it. I am running an M2 intake and a downpipe as my only "Flow" mods. How good do you think the base maps are for those mods? How is the operation of the A/C and other accessories? Did you use the new files that AEM uploaded onto thier forum? Are you datalogging from the stock O2 sensor or a wideband? I am considering hooking an OZ DIY to it. Any thoughts on that? Sorry for all the questions. I am just trying to get as much info as possible before I install this thing.

Thanks,
Tyler

 

R1,

I understand your concerns.

First, you'll need to figure out a good way to mount the unit. It doesn't quite fit like the stock unit since it's larger. You can shave away at one of the plastic brackets to make it fit snug where the stock unit is located. You'll see exactly what I mean when you test fit it. It'll come REAL close to the blower fan connector.

My car isn't running A/C right now (previous owner used to drag it). I plan to put it back into the car after I re-do the engine (haven't decided exactly on the type of engine yet). However, I ran my Haltech on my FC with A/C and I think the AEM is more than capable of running A/C.

I used the latest files that AEM had posted in their forum. It fired up the car just great and shut it down cleanly.

I have currently no O2 bung in my new downpipe. I'm tuning this morning with a UEGO wideband on the tailpipe until I weld a bung to the downpipe. It'll be easy to install the wideband on the AEM, but you'll need to calibrate the wideband to the AEM somehow and I'm trying to figure it out right now.

The base map should get your car running fairly well as far as idle and cruise. I wouldn't trust ANY map for boost (>5psi and >5500rpm) unless you've tuned it yourself (DIY wideband or dyno). You'll need to adjust the fuel map for your modifications. That's where the fun starts!

I think you'll be very impressed when you install it. It's just too easy!

J

 

Great thanks for your reply. I need to find a better laptop now.

 

If your looking into a new laptop be sure to get one with a built in 9pin serial connector, many of the new laptops available don't have one. The USB to Serial converters don't work very well with the AEM. There are PCMCIA to serial adapters available though that work very good (I use one from Socket I/O)

There are several post on the AEM Forum discussing this if you need more info.

 

My cold start was pretty off (lean) and I couldn't start the car. My warm start wasn't much better either.

So, I increased the warm enrichment tables until the car started from cold (about 80F degrees today).

I also smoothed out the idle a bit by making the low rpm fuel table a bit more consistent.

J