ECU upgrade question

[mk1 Andi]

Hello all,
I have a problem with my Ecu and i'd like to hear some opinions and hopefully some good tips!

The previous owner of my car felt that he's a little too slow so he bolted a supercharger on his 220.
Unfortunately he thought that the 220 ECU is still good enough!

The idle is, well, let me say not so good.
And when i drive through the city with constant pedal position (~30mls/hr)
the car accelerates, decelerates, accelerates.......and so on
The Exhaust smokes like a diesel as well.

So i spoke to a "tuner" that has his shop nearby and he would fit a HALTECH ECU which costs ~1800euros PLUS installing, mapping.... 
I don't think that i will get away with under 3000Euros. 

Now i would like to know if there would be a cheaper solution?
Or at least a cheaper preowned Haltech?? 

Thanks for your help
Greetings from Austria
Andi

[AtomMadStew]

Was the car remapped after the charger bolted on? - I certainly hope so or could be causing what your experiencing now
It being a mk1 220 I hazard a guess it's honda powered - in which case a hondata/kpro  ecu may be the way forward.

Stew

[mk1 Andi]

No, it has not been remaped after the hardware upgrade!
It was a MK2 220, now a 300 still with the 220 ECU!

[Oli1122]

There is no way of a cheap solution that will work properly in your case!

I would also recommend the Hondata Kpro solution. There are some really big advantages compared to other ECU solutions. The Kpro is easy to handle (remap, datalogging, great experience along the internet forums) and a lot of Honda tuners are familiar with this kind of ECU and have from the start really good base maps.
Last but not least the Kpro is working really really good and reliable.

There is also a big drawback in your case. Since you have a 220 with i guess a MBE ECU you have to change first the entire electric harness of the car and then invest in a Honda PRB ECU with a Hondata Kpro.

Imho... driving with a supercharger on a n/a programmed ECU is a bad, bad, bad idea.

[AtomMadStew]

That's pretty poor on the previous owners part.
Id be surprised if it's anywhere near 300hp.
You don't get 300 just by chucking on a supercharger - there's MAF, fuelling and probably a few other things to change.
The previous 220's when supercharged made them approx 275hp (factory stated) iirc
Id hazard a guess the engine is running lean. I've not heard any bad comments about the Hondata kit - lots of tuners I've heard of use it.
What type of charger has been fitted? a rotrex supercharger, jackson racing or any other type?
Consider getting that sorted sooner rather than later Andi
You'll be surprised how much better it will run - like a different car.
Unless it's had all the extra necessary parts, be prepared to pay for a few other parts as well as just a remap.
Thankfully you have the honda engine - if it was the old mk1 rover engine I'd have hazard a guess the engine would have given up by now.
Not trying to scaremonger you just giving you my honest opinion and experience
Have a browse at the hondata kits (k100 & kpro) and see what you think
Stew
Also agree with Oli

[AtomMadStew]

Oli - has anyone ever made a patch cable that plugs into the MBE loom to adapt the configuration on the Kpro? (Not sure it's possible but would be easier than swapping the whole loom)
Their may be extra pins needed/become obsolete but you seem knowledgeable so i thought I'd ask the question.
Stew

[Oli1122]

Unfortunately not Stew... there is no adapter till now and I'm pretty sure there will never be one.
It can be done with a lot of rewiring and cable measuring but that will be a deep black hole money and time wise. In the end a harness change is far more easy and i think even cheaper if you take everything (money, time, try&error searching etc.)  into account.

As a side note:
Before i bought my Atom I was in contact with a seller of an AA2-275 also with an MBE ECU. That ECU is a total pita to work with. There is almost no support at all... especially in conjunction with a K20 engine.
The problem which stopped me from buying the car was the emission testing with a ECU remap and an additional OBD2 Port. Even the MBE dealer in germany was unsure if this was possible. 

In my opinion there is no alternative to an Hondata solution... and no i'm not selling hondata parts or getting paid by them. 
And I'm also with Stew. Its worth checking what have the previous owner done and how...and also which parts were used. I would check this first before tinkering with electric, remap and ecu stuff.

[mk1 Andi]

@atomstew:
Actualy the engine is running quite fat. The previouse owner screwed in larger injection nozzles and a fuel pressure regulator (4bar).

My biggest problem is that i don't know anything about electrics and near me is absolutely nobody that knows something about hondata or Ariel at all.
The nearest shop is Komo-Tec in Germany which is about 850km from me.

When you say "change the loom"....does it mean "just" the cables around the engine?
Or do i have to change the sensors and the cables that are going to the front of the car?

And which loom do i have to purchase? 
So many questions..... 

[Oli1122]

I guess your from Austria so take a look at the homepage from Jubu Performance. They are located in Münzbach and did a few Lotus K20 conversions N/A and SC's I think they might help you.... worth a try.

Why not using an Ariel harness? You can also use a RSX or a DC5 harness as a base loom and modify it but why would you if there is something which will work out of the box.
Check with the factory what else is involved (Sensors, plugs etc... i wouldn't be suprised?!) if you want to change it.

[mk1 Andi]

Thanks for the Jubu Tip!   

Sure i would take the loom from the Factory, but i'm not sure if there are more than one!
So i will ask for a AA2 300 loom, right? 

Thanks

[mk1 Andi]

I just called Jubu Performance...
They open the original ECU solder a extra circuit board in it, which makes them able to remap it! (~800euros)
To be on the safe side they also have several k20 looms in their shop.
On the telephone it soundet like they know what they are doing.
And they have already worked on a few Atoms! 
I will report.....

[Bungle009]

You could also try a call to CPL racing in kent.  They have done conversions from MBE to Hondata ECU.  Although not local, a conversation might give you some useful info.

[AtomMadStew]

Sounds like jubu know what they are doing - looks like you might have found a solution.

Changing loom is wiring only sensors are pretty much standard across most vehicles.
Sounds like you are on the right path to getting it sorted.

Stew

[mk1 Andi]

I hope so! 
Unfortunately they have a lot of work so they have only in 3-4 weeks time for me!

Thank you all for your help, i would have been lost without that forum 
Like i said, i will post if i have got news!

[K20A2]

Hi Andi,

just a little concern.
Did you tell them, that at present you are having an MBE-ECU?
The rebuilt you described sounds like the "simple" rebuilt of an original Honda-ECU.
I would be quite surprised, if they were able to also easily install a K-Pro or K100 to an MBE-ECU. Would be great but surprising.

You could perhaps also contact MBE in UK. They should be able to also provide you with a remappable ECU (incl. OBD2 if required).
Admittedly it might not be as easy to find a company for the remap as for Hondata.

Apart from that I agree, that you perhaps should not continue driving your Atom with the current ECU adjustment.

Regards