E36 Tuning

Hi Guys

I have looked through some of the hp videos/courses and they are really good.

I own a skyline r34 which runs around 700 bhp and tuned by someone else on link and it is locked/can't see what was done. I want to start fresh and retune however the thought of getting it wrong and probably will initially does scare me as there is no room for error with around 22psi of boost on the engine. link base map is what name suggest and unless you know what you doing, not a car to start with

so here is my plan and want get some opinion.

I have an e36 drift car with m52 engine and siemens ecu. I am looking to get link ecu plug in however that only works with bosch ( earlier e36 models) . I have an e36 m50 engine complete with loom.

My plan is to change the loom from m52 to m50 and start the car with the bosch ecu. I am assuming 328i and 325i will have similar maps.

I have a copy of rom raider so can look at what siemens map is like and try and get the bosch to that state which I consider safe as the car is NA and there is no room to blow it up unless i do something very stupid.

I can use loggers to get it right and have a good map

now with that, I can then purchase link plug in and use the base map and road tune it so can understand link which then allows me to turbo charge my e36 and by that time comfort and experience has built up so can re tune it with turbo installed.

Am I approaching this right?

To recap, swap ecu from siemins 328i to bosch 325i. do road driving and fine tune the bosch. then get link and start from base map to get it right then go turbo

I am worried of getting timing wrong and fuel map. with NA, is there a lot of room for error when getting the right number in ?

once all this is done, book a dyno for day and dyno tune it. once all comfortable then start with my skyline and say screw you to the tunner I fell out with!

if it starts ok then buy link plug in .

Why don't you work with the person that did the tune to get it unlocked. Often that is done just to prevent unintentional changes, but you are going into this with training. If you paid for the tune, you should be able to modify the tune. Ask nicely. Offer to pay for question you might have, or have this tuner with you at the dyno.

It went quite nasty and no chance of that happening. I do want to learn this also as have a great passion for it so just wanting opinion on approach

Any chance of getting started from scratch and making brand new file still using the existing ECU?

there is like said above however afraid of screwing up given lack of experience, power of car and ...

hence why starting with na engine then move up

I would start from scratch, with your current ECU & wiring, but disconnect the turbo compressor outlet (or pipe from intercooler to throttle). Get the engine to start & idle, make sure all the sensors and controls are working. For tuning, I would only do it on a dyno to start, and tune it NA first. Then you can follow the trend into the boost area. Install a soft wastegate spring, and get the boost control working (you don't need to target 22psi of boost initially). figure out how to hold it at 8-10 PSI boost. Then you can work your way up to more boost / power.

Might be worth checking with the manufacturer of the ECU that's 'locked' to see if there's some sort of flash option to bring it back to a default state? Seems like this could be a good selling/support option for manufacturers, anyway, as sometimes they're badly tuned and locked, there's a problem with a hostile "tuner", omeone is buying one s/h and the seller can't recall how it was locked, or some other reason. i don't have a problem, as such, with an ECU being locked, but if it makes it an expensive silicon brick, that's a different story.

Thanks David. Hadn’t thought of method you said. It is a safe route i guess initially

@Gord, it is link ecu and they won’t unlock it. I am annoyed as essentially i either re tune myself or pay someone to do it

it is an expensive useless ecu which you can’t read anything from

i would also start from scratch,

What model Link ECU do you have? Are you sure it can't be Factory Reset (i.e. empty and ready to be setup / tuned)? As long as you can do that it's not useless. Do you have documentation on your harness? Perhaps you want to start there while you have a running engine.

Ah-ha, I think this is all you can do, at least it leaves the ECU useable - https://forums.linkecu.com/topic/9083-unlocking-ecu/ Like you, they had a "tuner" - seem more like bodgers, though - lock the ECU.

It seems like something everyone having a tune done should get in writing, though, before any tuning is done - specifying the ECU WILL NOT(!) be locked without explicit, written, permission. If a tuner, have that as something to be discussed, and confirmed in writing either way, before ANY work is done.

On that, might be worth going over the documentation/paperwork and any other information you can find on the "tuner", as if it wasn't set down you may have a case against them, worth checking https://www.gov.uk/consumer-advice as you may get your money back and/or have it unlocked. Alternatively, you may be able to get a legal opinion from a lawyer for a small charge, maybe even have them draft a letter on your behalf.

[edit] Can't seem to find a specific base map for the vehicle, but this may help - if not granny-eggs - https://www.nzefi.com/product/link-g4-plug-in-nissan-skyline-r34-rb25det-neo/

I think tuning your na drift car then bosting it will be a wonderful experience the bmw stuff is stout enough na that you can feel every ounce of hp and tq when you make even small changes n/a and once you boost the bmw {and have a sick fast drift car} I think you will be more than ready to tackle the gtr tune even from scratch good luck

A OEM ECU is locked as well. What is the difference from a consumer protection point of view?

Some OEM ECUs are locked, this is more a concern for warranty and emissions concerns, rather than the "consumer".