kinda beating a dead horse but whoever did ECM upgrade.....

[fireberd350]

ok


i know this has been hit on 100's of times, hell i even asked a question on it once before but i have a quick question....i read the gnttype article amongst others....maybe i am missing something....

here goes nothing...

the 84 ECM plugs remains right? just plugs right into the 86/7 ECM right?

I dont need a wire harness that the gnttype article suggests....do I....just the MAT sensor/wiring and a piece to insert it into the ECM pin...and fan relay/wiring...correct?


if i goto a junkyard and pull a MAT sensor and plug i will also want to get the fan relay and whatever i need for that....where are these relays located.....and what else is needed for it?

so i need:
86/7 ECM
MAT Sensor / plug / wiring
Fan Relay / wiring
86/7 Chip

if you feel insulted by my stupidity feel free to ignore this post and conceal your knowledge. i've had some bad luck already with the wiring on this car...i just want to make sure i have EVERYTHING I POSSIBLY need before i start the job.....thanks alot...steve

 

[WFO]

you got it.the mat can come off pretty much any 3.8 v6 car(and it fits nicely in your pocket ).get the connector and as much wire as possible too.

you will need to reuse your calpak chip from your stock ecm,that's the small one next to the prom chip under the cover on your ecm.then you'll need an 87 chip for your specific injectors.if you're running stock injectors i'd probably go with a thrasher chip.cheap($25),open loop idle and pretty good performance.

the ecm will plug directly into your existing harness and run.you only need to install one wire for the mat.it will run without the mat but it will pop a code.

you will need an electric fan of your choice,a relay and some wiring for the fan.the best way to make this all happen is to buy whatever fan you want and the casper's harness.it's plug and play:

http://www.casperselectronics.com/cgi-local/store/commerce.cgi?product=8485

they make one for the mat as well if you have the $$.i'll suggest buying the new positive battery cable/harness and ground cable kit as well.mine were friggin cooked and replacing them made a big difference in idle and performance.

later,sean

 

[fireberd350]

i definatly dont have the $$$...so i think im gonna yank a electric fan and relays/wires while im there too....hope all works out....thanks

 

[TType84]

look for an electric fan off a fiero..

its the only fan ive seen with a SQUARE PLUG.. the other fans are the wrong fans and ive heard they suck. the good fan is bad ass, ive had it on my car for 2+ yrs on high the whole time with no problems.

 

[fireberd350]

good to know.....did you use the fiero fan relay box or do i still need the fan relay from the car i get the ECM from?

 

[Nocooler]

Don't forget a 86-87 MAF.....84-85 will work but, a few people have complained about them running rich and poor driveablility.

 

[HOTSIX]

Firebird350 - WHEW !

I thought I was the dumbest guy in here on this topic.

I'm doing this as well - as soon as the hard Canadian ice and snow allows me access to my garage !

I'd really like some more info on the Fiero fan and relay. Like - where's the relay located. I'd head to the boneyard tomorrow if I knew exactly where to look for it.

I'll prolly get the wiring harness from Caspers since i'm concerned about my making it look to much like a hack job !

 

[fireberd350]

how about putting on a LT1/Ls1 MAF on.....is that worthwhile or only if your goin real quick.....my goal is low 13's....also will a MAF from an FWD ECM donor car work or are they smaller and no good?

 

[TType84]

Originally posted by Nocooler
Don't forget a 86-87 MAF.....84-85 will work but, a few people have complained about them running rich and poor driveablility.

so f'in true.. so f'in true.

i had to borrow a friends 87 maf and jay c chip for bluetops and an 87 MAF... my chip from him is 87 ecm with an 84 maf but i had to go to his house and get it re-burned for bluetops..

wow.. my car ran so much better with the 87 maf, it idled lower and smoother and it was just overall better.

but you are not gonna find an 87 MAF at a junkyard so get out the wallet.


a translator would work great but isnt a xlator + maf setup like $300? ouch..

btw im sure the relay is near the fan somewhere in the fiero, if you can solder, find any 80s buick they have like 8 or 9 relays up near the firewall grab a relay and some wire (make sure the harness you get has a wire for each spade in the relay)... once you do that come back here and ill try to tell you how to wire it up.... not too hard at all, but you should get some 10 or 12 gauge primary wire from the autozone near you.. thin wire will get hot cause i think that fan pulls something like 20a on high..

 

[WFO]

i've got a trans+/lt1 maf and it's great.but if you don't have the money you can get by with your stocker.i wouldn't drop any big cash on a stock 87 maf.you could get lucky with one of the reman's,do a search in general tech for this...

btw,the fwd mafs won't work.

 

[TType84]

i heard some people tried to put the fwd maf guts inside an 87 housing.. something about the guts being the same but the housing is really small .. i dunno the specifics but im guessing it wasnt successful or more people would be doing it.

 

[6SENSE]

The fan relay is nothing special, any automotive 30amp relay will work. There will be more than one of these on the car, but you only need to wire up one for high speed mode. Grab relay and plug, cut the wires back as far as you like (take extras too).
Also, there are two different fans found on the Fieros. One of them is the same as what came on the 86-87 TRs, and is your best bet. I drove with the other one for awhile and it was so-so, I think its alot less "heavy duty". I would check for the 86-87 TR type on the 6 cylinder model Fieros. However, Ive seen many 6 cylinder models with the less favorable fan on it too. Just got to search around.

 

[HOTSIX]

Cool.

Thx guys....off to the wreckers for a Fiero fan.

 

[Turtle TR]

is it recomended that you hook up the fan with the 86/87 ECM? I have a ramchargers fan with their harness so it's a manual op. i have all the parts to convert as well...but just havent commited to the swap.

 

[WFO]

it sure makes life easy,and it's only one wire to the relay...

 

[Nocooler]

Originally posted by Turtle TR
is it recomended that you hook up the fan with the 86/87 ECM? I have a ramchargers fan with their harness so it's a manual op. i have all the parts to convert as well...but just havent commited to the swap.

Only if you want the ecm to control the fans. If you comfortable with turning on yours fans - save yourself the trouble.

 

[fireberd350]

slowly getting everything together....just bought GSCA MAF/scanmaster off someone here...going to the yard 2morrow to hopefully get the ECM/fan/wires/relay/MAT...then my goal is to swap next sunday.....wish me luck and thanks for all the help

 

[Mike70gtx]

Auto zone has a thermostat for about $18 to wire a fan independent from the ecm. It has a sensor you stick in by the radiator and an external relay/thermostat that you can dial in the temp you want it to kick on at. I did that with the fiero fan and it works great.
BTW, what is the advantage of having the fan wired through the ecm?

 

[Turtle TR]

Originally posted by Mike70gtx BTW, what is the advantage of having the fan wired through the ecm?

not having to turn the switch on of off manually. i forgot to turn off my fans once and completely drained my battery that not even a jump start can save it's life.

 

[Mike70gtx]

The relay/thermostat that I got from Auto Zone does cut the fan off at 160 degrees or what ever I set it at. So it's not actually wired direct. So other than that, are there any other advantages?