Team-BHP > Technical Stuff


Reply
  Search this Thread
4,599 views
Old 14th May 2007, 11:01   #1
BHPian
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: thiruvananthapuram
Posts: 774
Thanked: 25 Times
Is Ecu boon or burden ?

We should seriously contemplate whether ECU is a boon or a burden? Because many times it gives problems than any advantage to non-ecu vehicles. An ecu means antoher part to be taken care of.

Last edited by adya33 : 15th May 2007 at 02:54.
swathyd is offline  
Old 14th May 2007, 11:10   #2
Distinguished - BHPian
 
theMAG's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Avon, CT
Posts: 7,217
Thanked: 1,806 Times

The same can be debated abt the pervasiveness of computers in our lives.

Do they have disadvantages? Definitely. Do they have advantages? Absolutely.

Since I'm very interested in the increasing the number of jobs(multi-tasking), quality of a job done, reducing the least amount of time to do it right, and the advantages outweight the disadvantages I'd prefer automated computing all the way.

Not much difference to a situation in a car, is it?

Last edited by theMAG : 14th May 2007 at 11:12.
theMAG is offline  
Old 14th May 2007, 13:33   #3
Team-BHP Support
 
Jaggu's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 20,207
Thanked: 15,848 Times

its advantage all the way, be it power, FE or better pollution control ECU has helped alot.

again if you look at the number of ecu complaints its minuscule compared to say a carburation problem in real life scenario.

then the icing in the cake.. piggy back ecu's great convenience in moding
Jaggu is offline  
Old 14th May 2007, 13:56   #4
Senior - BHPian
 
Technocrat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: GTA
Posts: 14,813
Thanked: 2,700 Times

Its surely a boon as per me.

Quote:
An ecu means antoher part to be taken care of.
What about the tricky carburetor which it replaces & which needed tuning more often than the ECU.
Technocrat is offline  
Old 15th May 2007, 02:53   #5
Senior - BHPian
 
adya33's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Pune
Posts: 1,839
Thanked: 183 Times

Of course ECU is boon. As pointed out by Jaggu ECU helps in achieving better FE, Power and lets not forget pollution control.

As for taking care of ECU unless it has been tampered with or engine has done excessive modification and on very rare occasions like floods in Mumbai you really don't have to worry about it.
adya33 is offline  
Old 15th May 2007, 03:47   #6
BHPian
 
vabs78's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Pune, India
Posts: 552
Thanked: 11 Times

One day, not too long in the future, this same ECU will be driving the entire car
vabs78 is offline  
Old 15th May 2007, 03:55   #7
Senior - BHPian
 
1100D's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Calcutta
Posts: 4,390
Thanked: 4,068 Times

ECU is definitely a boon. Think about a lot of technology in vogue these days, how would you achieve some of those without ECU (Say Cylinder deactivation).

ECU does tuning on the move rather than one having to adjust with the screw driver (or like in some high-end old cars with knobs/levers for advance/retard or rich/lean). Maximum mechanics that work on carburetted cars in India dont have the knowledge to do it right. They just do something based on what their trainers have told them who got it from their trainers and successively there has been an information loss. (You cant expect a mechanic to read air-fuel curves). So with an ECU you car is always tuned right provided the peripherals are clean and working fine.
1100D is offline  
Old 15th May 2007, 07:26   #8
BHPian
 
chetanhanda's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Toronto
Posts: 887
Thanked: 49 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by swathyd View Post
We should seriously contemplate whether ECU is a boon or a burden? Because many times it gives problems than any advantage to non-ecu vehicles. An ecu means antoher part to be taken care of.
No we shouldnt even contemplate ..
ECU's arent that bad, they dont create problems unless we go and mess with them.

99.99 % problems I've heard about ECU's are not even ECU related, its just lack of info regarding ECU which has led to this...
Ive heard of people blaming ECU from knocking,poor performance,bad mileage to engine missing etc etc..

Just out of curiosity how much care or what care do you take to mantain your ECU.. ECU is not meant to be serviced/mantained.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 1100D View Post
So with an ECU you car is always tuned right provided the peripherals are clean and working fine.
11100D has put it perfectly

Last edited by chetanhanda : 15th May 2007 at 07:28.
chetanhanda is offline  
Old 15th May 2007, 10:42   #9
BHPian
 
rishibravo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: New Delhi
Posts: 579
Thanked: 11 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by vabs78 View Post
One day, not too long in the future, this same ECU will be driving the entire car
I totally agree with vabs .... ECU is definitely a boon.
rishibravo is offline  
Old 8th July 2007, 10:20   #10
BHPian
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: thiruvananthapuram
Posts: 774
Thanked: 25 Times

Does a 2000 santro got an ecu ? An acquaintance recently was telling about his santro s' ecu complaint and it cost him 25000 rs.

Last edited by swathyd : 8th July 2007 at 10:23.
swathyd is offline  
Old 8th July 2007, 13:52   #11
BANNED
 
mclaren1885's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Bangalore (the city of modded cars) !!
Posts: 4,820
Thanked: 45 Times
Infractions: 0/1 (10)

ECU's are definitely a boon for those who know how to use them and a nightmare for those who think they CAN tinker with them not knowing head or tail of it. Prime example being the advantage an ECU gave incase of Carb & MPFI Zen & Esteem. Check out the figures yourselves.
mclaren1885 is offline  
Old 8th July 2007, 13:52   #12
Senior - BHPian
 
kuttapan's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 1,155
Thanked: 22 Times

ECU's are good, no doubt - but they have undesirable side effects. For example, the ECU keeps the engine spinning at a particular rpm, though you are not applying throttle and so the car will continue moving at a particular speed no matter what. It can be frustrating in slow moving traffic, when you let your clutch out and your car jumps to kiss the bumper of the car in front and you have to brake to keep it in check.
kuttapan is offline  
Old 8th July 2007, 15:05   #13
BHPian
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: thiruvananthapuram
Posts: 774
Thanked: 25 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by mclaren1885 View Post
ECU's are definitely a boon for those who know how to use them and a nightmare for those who think they CAN tinker with them not knowing head or tail of it. Prime example being the advantage an ECU gave incase of Carb & MPFI Zen & Esteem. Check out the figures yourselves.
Ok, but 'using' an ecu makes less sense. Because problems arising out of an ecu is not just because of tampering it. And about FE improvement with an ecu, it is not as great as it is hyped.
swathyd is offline  
Old 8th July 2007, 15:10   #14
BANNED
 
mclaren1885's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Bangalore (the city of modded cars) !!
Posts: 4,820
Thanked: 45 Times
Infractions: 0/1 (10)

Quote:
Originally Posted by swathyd View Post
Ok, but 'using' an ecu makes less sense.
Can you explain to me how?

Quote:
And about FE improvement with an ecu, it is not as great as it is hyped.
Hyped .
mclaren1885 is offline  
Old 8th July 2007, 15:16   #15
Senior - BHPian
 
abhibh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Back in the HOOD near you!
Posts: 2,768
Thanked: 39 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by swathyd View Post
Ok, but 'using' an ecu makes less sense. Because problems arising out of an ecu is not just because of tampering it. And about FE improvement with an ecu, it is not as great as it is hyped.
Carb Esteem - 65 PS and 14 kMPL = lot of vibrations on cold start in winters
ECU / MPFi Esteem - 87 PS and 14 KMPL = remains the same all round the year

What say ???
abhibh is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks