i have been looking into going haltech and just came across the platinum. it claims that it is geared more towards rotary and they apparently sell platinum's that are model specific (i am thinking patch harness included?).

is the platinum worth playing with or should i just go with an e6 and call it a day?

also, i have messed with other stand-alone's but not haltech and i have a couple of haltech general questions; what pre-settings are on the ecu (injectors, MAP's, etc.)? is there an auto-tune feature like the megasquirt ecus have?

other than those questions, i am sure that it isn't that much different from the other ecus i have played with. thanks for the help guys.

 

There are basically 3 Haltech models that you may be interested in. The Sprint RE (which has replaced the discontinued E6 series), the Sport 1000 and the Sport 2000.

The Sprint RE is a basic ECU which is geared toward those looking to run the engine without much in the way of extra inputs and outputs. The ECU has four low current injector drivers (injectors must has >8 ohms resistance per channel) and four ignition drivers. On the typical two-rotor, this allows you to run sequential injection and direct-fire ignition. It's capable of working with the stock triggers and ignition systems on all of the two-rotor engines. It has dedicated outputs to run the tach and trigger an electric cooling fan. It also has two user programmable outputs that can be used for something like open loop boost control or auxiliary injection. It's a nice little box that works very well, and IMO is worlds better than the E6*, even if it won't support low impedance injectors. The Sprint RE only comes with a flying lead harness.

The Sport 1000 and 2000 are identical, with the exception of the 2000 having more inputs and outputs. Like the Sprint RE, the 1000 has four injector and ignition drivers. The 2000 has six of each. The 2000 also has more definable inputs and outputs than the 1000. The 1000 is generally the box of choice for a two-rotor application, unless you're a racer that is doing a lot of datalogging or running a bunch of external accessories. The 1000 and 2000 will run low impedance injectors.

The 1000/2000 have much greater mapping resolution for fuel and ignition than the Sprint RE (32x32 v. 16x16). With that said, the Sprint RE generally has enough resolution for most every application. The 1000/2000 will do things like closed loop, gear based boost control, closed loop idle control, closed loop EGT based fuel control, etc. All three boxes will do closed loop fuel control based on narrow or wideband O2 sensors.

The 1000/2000 is available with a patch harness that will connect the ECU directly to the stock wiring of the S4/5/6s or with a flying lead harness.

None of the ECU employ a autotune feature. They do employ a quicktune feature that works well but really requires the use of a load holding dyno to use properly. None of the ECUs comes from Haltech with any of the settings setup for the end user. Haltech can supply start maps but generally it's best to work with your vendor to supply support for the system.

 

couple more questions.
if i run a sport 1000, could have it control two extra injectors for nitrous? if so, can i switch them electronically so that i don't have to run nitrous all of the time?

does the 1000 allow me to run wide and narrow band sensors for closed loop fuel or do i have to choose one or another? just trying to get an idea so that i can come up with a build list.

 

Yes and yes.

However, if you're main injectors are large enough you can program the ECU to add fuel for the nitrous shot without the need to add additional injectors. Simpler, easier, less expensive.

Also, if you're using a wideband there is no real need for the narrow band. Just use one sensor for tuning and closed loop operation. The wideband is easier to configure for closed loop use anyway.

 

Hello,

since this thread existed I will post my questions here insted making a new thread.

I would like use a Haltech Platinum Sport 1000 as a standalone EMS for my 1986 NA FC (Series 4).
Before jumping head over toe into this operation I need a few informations so I can make up a plan and avoid potential trouble.

Well first I will describe my car. As already been said, its a S4 NA FC bone stock.
Its the EU Version so I still got the thermal reactor and distributor cap.

As I live in Luxembourg we still need emissions. I plan to install a RB exhaust system. (Header to tips with the presilencer replaced by a cat.) Airpump removed.
The engine is still stock with 145000 kms. I plan to keep it NA and get a raceport once a rebuild is needed.
The car does not have AC anymore. Powersteering will be removed before the PS1000 gets in (depowered rack).
I wont name a target HP number because that might vary due to some reasons or restrictions to come.

Here are the questions:

1. What is a flying / patched loom ? Nobody seems to explain it. I would like to have a wiring loom that has already the needed connectors.
2. What about my distributor ? AFAIK when going to EMS I need to replace the dizzy with a CAS. So far OK but what about the ignition coils ? What kind of ignition coils do you typically use (or can be used) with an PS 1000 What are the Pro/Cons ?
3. What is wasted spark / Sequential ignition / Direct fire ? Whats the difference ? All my cars used a dizzy cap so I am a bit lost at these things.
4. I plan to install and tune my Haltech myself. I already installed the ECU manager and played around with a basemap to get a feel for it. Are there any special steps required for installation ? Any tipps / common errors ?

Other question related to this topic: Which injectors are installed stock from the S4 NA ? Should I get them cleaned or better get new ones from RC Eng with same or slightly higher flow rate ?
(Transport costs are pretty expensive so I might better get new ones while I am at it. What would you do ?)

Many thanks in advance.

Steven

 

1- Flying lead is just a length of wires that you would have to terminate for all the sensors, injectors, coils, etc yourself. A patch harness is usually to just adapt the ecu wiring to the stock engine harness.
2- You will either need a CAS or you could use our trigger kit since you're no longer using ac/ps. (36 teeth on ours vs. 12 on stock CAS)
3- Wasted spark means the coils fire at the same time. From the factory, rotaries fire wasted on the leading. Both coils or a single double-post coil depending on year will fire twice per cycle 180* apart, one for front rotor, one for rear. In direct fire, you use 4 coils, 1 per plug, each firing once per cycle. Many people run a LS2 truck coil that are pretty stout, we prefer a small bosch coil that is very fast. Both have built in ignitors so you don't need an external ignitor or CDI (capacitive discharge ignition) box.
4- Just try to get as familiar with the software as possible, it's pretty easy to quickly overlook setup parameters that can cause problems down the road.

For your last question, we prefer Injector Dynamics injectors. A ton of data comes with them that you can use in your ECU making them super easy to tune.

Hope that helps some!

 

To expand on question 1, get in contact with C. Ludwig, he can make you a nice terminated harness.

 

Steven,

Since you have the Euro spec car, you will need to go with a flying lead kit and either build the harness yourself or have one made for your application. The patch loom that Haltech offers will only work with the US and JDM version. You will also need to provide some for of trigger, as FFE mentioned. We recommend the FFE trigger kit, but a stock CAS would work as well.

You have a limitless range of ignition options. Stock 2nd gen coils from a US or JDM car would work and be inexspensive. Our suggestion is the AEM/Mercury Marine IGN-1A coils. Hot, reliable, easy to install, and fairly inexspensive.

As mentioned, wastespark is the factory method of supplying leading ignition in the 2nd and 3rd gens. The leading coil fires both front and rear rotors once every 180* of crank rotation. Direct-fire or sequential spark allows the use of individual coils on the leading ignition so that each coil only fires once every 360* of crank rotation, when it is needed. The advantage is that the coil duty cycle is halved and allows for better coil charging at high RPM. On a relatively stock application like you have, there is no real disadvantage to wastespark.

There's is nothing really special needed for setup. We always recommend the Haltech intake air temp and coolant temp sensor for use with the Haltech system. It just makes setup easier and ensures accurate temp readings. The Platinum ECUs have built-in 2.5 bar MAP sensors, so they're good for up to 22psi of boost. Since you have an S4, we recommend an alternate throttle position sensor be used. The easiest TPS configuration would be an S5 TPS and throttle body swap. There are other options that are detailed on this site.

 

Many thanks to FullFunctionEng and C. Ludwig !
Now I have a better overview of the situation.

@ C. Ludwig
As for the harness, why does the version offered from haltech not work with the EU cars ?
I think a build to application would be best. (I dont feel ready to build harnesses , 1 or 2 connectors ok, but not the whole thing)

For the trigger I planned to use a normal CAS. Whats the benefit from 36 teeths to 12 ?
The coils I think "direct fire" (One coil per spark-plug) might be the best. I have an S4, so there is plenty of space under the hood for 4 coils
The AEM/Mercury Marine IGN-1A might be my coil of choice. Looks like people like them a lot. Coolant and Air temp sensor will be replaced too with the haltech ones.

Do you have any books to recommend for ems tuning ? I would like some background on all that stuff
I believe you posted a link somewhere but I can't find it now.

@FullFunctionEng
As for the ID Injectors, they seem to be expensive but very precise. Which one would you recommend for the 13B S4 NA ?
On their site the ID725 only are listed for the FD.


Many thanks again
Steven

 

The obvious answer for the patch loom not working with your application is that it's a different system. Since you have a distributor and not the CAS and coils (and more importantly the associated wiring), there is no way for the Haltech to interface with those missing pieces.

We can build a replacement harness to your specs and do ship internationally. Drop me a PM if you'd like specifics.

ID injectors all the way. For something as near stock as what you're doing, I would be very tempted to run only two 850 or 1000cc injectors in the primary location and block off the secondaries all together. You'll have plenty of fuel for what you want to do, the 850 or 1000cc injectors will idle just fine, and you will avoid any hassles of tuning the staged injection. This would also allow you to run VE tuning mode, which can't be used with staged injection. The new VE mode is preferred by many tuners over the legacy standard of pulse width tuning.

The two best books on the subject IMO.
http://www.amazon.com/Modify-Managem...7&sr=8-1-spell

http://www.amazon.com/Engine-Managem...7&sr=8-2-spell

 

The benefit of 36 teeth vs 12 is 3 times the resolution, no slop from the gears w/the CAS, and overall more rock solid timing during dynamic conditions.

For injectors, I would agree with Ludwig. You could easily get away with running 2x 850's or 1000's as primaries and save a little cash. If you are wanting to keep staged injection, 4x 725's would be more than enough.

 

Many thanks again !

I never heard of just running primarys on an NA, but why not. I guess back in the '80s they had not the precise injectors who were up to the task.
I can see a few other benefits from only running primarys, but I need to think about it in detail so I dont overlook things.

I just need to get a bit more confident with the haltech software.
Is it possible with the haltech to have it connected to a laptop while driving and have the laptop show gauges and data such as rpm afr airtemp etc .... ?
That would be a great +, because there are no extra gauges going into the car with exception of the laptop.

As for the cas the 36 teeth one might be better but for the start I will use a normal cas to get everything up and running. Considering the fact that my car is currently almost completly in pieces in my garage

@ C. Ludwig
I will drop a PM asap.

Thanks
Steven

 

Running only primaries is really the way to go.

There are gauges (dash) on the software but will require the laptop to be on continuously while driving... So if you don't mind the hassle of that then it should be ok.