Offering ECU upgrades -- MSX150 & MSX110

[desperado]

I have completed the development of 2 ECU upgrades for the MSX150 and MSX110. I have now logged over 25 hours of run time with the current upgrades and I'm very pleased with the results.

The calibration upgrades relate to the fuel maps, the boost maps and the timing maps. Everything has been calibrated and tested using proper instrumentation such as Bosch Uego LSU4 wideband O2 controller, boost gauge, fuel pressure gauge and data logging directly from DW (yes... I went on the water with my portable computer...).


The MSX150 ECU upgrade requires no other modification. It will increase top rpm from the typical 7,350rpm to 7,800rpm using the oem impeller. The fuel map is calibrated as follows:

• 4000rpm: 14.2 AFR
• 5000rpm: 13.8 AFR
• 6000rpm: 13.2 AFR
• 6500rpm: 12.5 AFR
• 7000rpm: 11.8 AFR
• WOT: 10.6 AFR
  • Please note the cruising rpm fuel calibration has been leaned for greater economy and engine life. Unburnt raw fuel leads to premature engine oil contamination which leads to premature piston ring, cylinder walls and crank bearing wear.

Boost is increased 2 psi and the curve maintains steady pressure to 7,800rpm. FYI.... the original boost map starts decreasing pressure from 7,250rpm (soft rpm limiter) to 7,800rpm (hard rpm limiter).

The MSX110 ECU upgrade has been designed with the intent to run on the original intercooler and oem prop. It features the same fuel map as above. This ECU upgrade will increase top rpm from the typical 7,000rpm to 7,500rpm.

I have done the Polaris/Weber PWC ECU's as a hobby. The whole process was facilitated by the fact the hard work was done 1 year ago when I developped the Polaris/Weber Bosch ECU reflash for the snowmobile application. I have done over 75 snow reflash up to this point......

Anyway... I thought I'd let you know in case that would be of interest to some of you.....

[beerdart]

[K447]

This is very cool news

Thank you for taking the time to put this together, and make it available!

How would the upgrades actually happen?
Does the ECU need to be sent somewhere?

Costs?

Any issues with 'dealer servicing' after the ECU has been flashed?

Any related or recommended engine/impeller/jet pump upgrades or modifications to improve performance, or reliability?

[desperado]

Details below.....

This is very cool news

Thank you for taking the time to put this together, and make it available!

How would the upgrades actually happen?
I need to have access to the ECU -- either it is sent to me by mail or on the pwc. Once I receive an ECU, I ship it back 48 hours later using priority courrier.

The reflash involves modifying the Eeprom memory content of the ECU. This is done using the oem DW diagnostic port and an appropriate serial protocol as well as a custom ECU checksum recalculation.

Does the ECU need to be sent somewhere?

See above.


Costs?

$200usd plus shipping

Any issues with 'dealer servicing' after the ECU has been flashed?

No issue whatsoever. The reflash is 100% transparent. DW remains fully functionnal.

Any related or recommended engine/impeller/jet pump upgrades or modifications to improve performance, or reliability?

The reflash calibrations I am offering have been developped around 100% stock components. No other modifications are required. It is a safe calibration for recreational use. It gets the engine very close to the conservative 7,800rpm limiter.

The only potential upgrade would be to go with a Solas Concord PA/CD 13/19. This impeller lowers the rpm around 200 compared to the oem unit and retains great acceleration. This can be desirable because the increased power gets the engine close to the hard rpm limiter which is set to 7,800rpm. Once on the rev limiter, the ecu will close the throttle body to reduce engine torque..... top rpm then takes a dive.... That being said, and to get those last few mph's, another option is to slightly repitched the oem impeller which is doing a good all around job.

[castaicsportsgarage]

This is very interesting and I could beleive a lot of work. How do you feel the add rpm and boost will effect an already over taxed engine? thanks i will save your info

[desperado]

This is very interesting and I could beleive a lot of work. How do you feel the add rpm and boost will effect an already over taxed engine? thanks i will save your info

I do not think the engine over taxed. The Polaris 4 strokes snowmobiles have been using the same engine for 4 years and top rated RPM is 8,100. Polaris set the RPM cutoff limit at 8,800rpm on these engines. The valve train components are the same, the connecting rods are the same.... however the MSX pistons have a somewhat shorter (around 0.250") skirt but weight the same.


In fact, it is always better to run boost at higher rpm than lower. I am always more concerned when high boost hit at low rpm.... this opens the door to detonation. Simply put, all things being equal, running 15psi boost at 7,800rpm is safer than running 15psi boost at 7,000rpm.

The engine itself is very sturdy. However, it has often been considered the 2004 engine block were fragile and plagued with cylinder wall nicasyl flaking. It is not clear to me if this is true or not. There is one thing I know for certain: the original MSX ECU fuel calibration is too rich. That being the case, oil degrades very quickly from gas contamination and this is bad for piston rings and cylinder wall. Oil maintenance is key for these engines, snow or PWC.

[ph2ocraft]

Extremely niiiice, I think Kevin will be in touch shortly.

[dubl-z]

Desperado ECU upgrades

Can you upgrade the MSX 140 ECU?

If so what is your email address?

Thanks.

[desperado]

Can you upgrade the MSX 140 ECU?

If so what is your email address?

Thanks.

No, I can't. It is a completely different software & hardware plateform compared to the Bosch Motronic that comes standard on the MSX110 & MSX150. Sorry, can't help.

[Kawi-Guy]

Contact me about an MSX150 ECU upgrade.
I'm thinking about the ECU upgrade, just not 100% sure

[dubl-z]

ECU

What are your thoughts on the Rev Limiter Performance Chip offered on e-bay by Magnum Tuning?

Ive put a 6' wedge and a Sola's 14/21 impeller top speed 68 mph.. Still looking for more hook up and top end.

Thanks for your response!

[K447]

What are your thoughts on the Rev Limiter Performance Chip offered on e-bay by Magnum Tuning?...

Stay away from that thing.

[Keddano]

+1

[seatsR4toilets]

Please explain.

[K447]

What the eBay 'boost chip' actually does

Please explain.

What it does is mislead the engine control computer to think the intake air is colder than it really is. Colder air is denser than warm air, so the ECU slightly increases fuel delivery to match what it thinks is cold air.

In reality, the air is still warm, so the result is a slightly richer fuel:air ratio in the combustion chamber.

This can mildly increase engine power (but it entirely depends on how that particular engine was tuned to begin with). It can also increase unburned fuel in the exhaust and crank case, and sometimes causes excess soot production.

For engines that also utilize an exhaust oxygen sensor, the chip must also intercept that signal, and again lies to the ECU about the actual AFR, since otherwise the excess fuel richness would trigger a fault code in the ECU.

The engine computer is being mislead, and no longer has accurate data with which to manage the engine operation.

I have completed the development of 2 ECU upgrades for the MSX150 and MSX110...

Please note the cruising rpm fuel calibration has been leaned for greater economy and engine life.

Unburnt raw fuel leads to premature engine oil contamination which leads to premature piston ring, cylinder walls and crank bearing wear

...the original MSX ECU fuel calibration is too rich.

That being the case, oil degrades very quickly from gas contamination and this is bad for piston rings and cylinder wall. Oil maintenance is key for these engines...

In the case of the Weber engines, desperado found that the engine was already running rather rich. Forcing the ECU to run even richer has no benefit, and would increase the rate that the oil becomes contaminated with fuel.

A high output per cc engine like the turbocharged and intercooled Weber has very complex engine control feedback, and simply creating false input signals to the ECU is not a good way to improve the engine.

Desperado did the homework to create a fully recalibrated engine mapping, and the result is a substantial power increase while maintaining some margin of reliability.