ESM Chips - Information & Help

[John_W]

... is it as simple as 'bridging' the right 2 wires to the aldl plug with a length of cable and a 2-way on/off switch?

Not sure what Geoff has done, but Clemo installed a switch to just as you suggest: connect terminals A & B (the pins with White/Black & Black coloured wires leading to them) of the ALDL socket.

However the last owner has told me that
"As regards to a chip i did have one fitted but it caused problems with the forge wastegate, it wouldn't boost properly. With the setup you have i would avoid the chip unless you put a standard wastegate back on. You should be able to wind the boost up for more power with the MBC cos it has a boost cut out over ride (as long as your sensible!) "

Russ,
I presume that the Forge device you have is a dump valve. From your description it sounds like it is leaking under boost. If you're going to up the boost by using either a MBC or a chip, there's no point in having it escape from a leaky dump valve. Foregoing a Mountain chip because the dump valve leaks is the tail wagging the dog. Maybe best to replace the Forge with a Bailey, or just remove it altogether.

As to the ECU's over-ride cutout protecting you from too much boost if you wind up the MBC, unfortunately the FCD (corrected from MBC as per Monty's comments later) works by preventing the ECU from seeing the true boost levels and therefore the safety features of the ECU become ineffective.

One of the strengths of a Mountain chip is that the ECU safety features remain in action (maximum boost limit, lower limit when engine cold, and others which I've forgotten).

John

[Russc]

[quote="John_WRuss,
I presume that the Forge device you have is a dump valve. From your description it sounds like it is leaking under boost. If you're going to up the boost by using either a MBC or a chip, there's no point in having it escape from a leaky dump valve. Foregoing a Mountain chip because the dump valve leaks is the tail wagging the dog. Maybe best to replace the Forge with a Bailey, or just remove it altogether.

As to the ECU's over-ride cutout protecting you from too much boost if you wind up the MBC, unfortunately the MBC works by preventing the ECU from seeing the true boost levels and therefore the safety features of the ECU become ineffective.

One of the strengths of a Mountain chip is that the ECU safety features remain in action (maximum boost limit, lower limit when engine cold, and others which I've forgotten).

John[/quote]

Yep, you presume correctly it is a dump valve. Interesting as it was new when put on.

I`m not particually fussed about it though. I`m going to get the car on a rolling road shortly so i think i`ll see what it`s doing and then sort it out from there. I do like the sound of the automatic protection though, afterall that`s the reason it`s there in the first place!!!!!

Thanks

Russ

[Monty]

As to the ECU's over-ride cutout protecting you from too much boost if you wind up the MBC, unfortunately the MBC works by preventing the ECU from seeing the true boost levels and therefore the safety features of the ECU become ineffective.

Thats not true, Even with a MBC the ECU still see`s the true boost and once u go over the 0.9 bar the fuel will be cut. IT`s the FCD (fuel cut defender) that fools the ECU and if u want to go beyond the fuel cut with a MBC then u`ll need the FCD which is a little black box. But the Chip is the way to go.

[Russc]

Yeah i`ve got a HKS FCD

[John_W]

Even with a MBC the ECU still see's the true boost and once u go over the 0.9 bar the fuel will be cut. IT's the FCD (fuel cut defender) that fools the ECU and if u want to go beyond the fuel cut with a MBC then u'll need the FCD which is a little black box.

Monty's right. It's the FCD you have to look out for. Sorry I misled you.

I should have said "the FCD works by preventing the ECU from seeing the true boost levels and therefore the safety features of the ECU become ineffective". As you've got a FCD fitted as well as the MBC, my comments do apply.

John

[Sooty]

ESM, sent you a PM earlier in the week.

[Sooty]

Anyone any idea how else to get in touch with Alan to buy an ESM chip ???

I realise its only a hobby for him, but just want to let him know that I'll have one from his new batch. What will he need to know? Model, engine no??

[Elanlover]

I would think the best way is through a PM here or e-mail address from his website (same as the one listed here perhaps?). Alan's usually pretty good about getting back to people. Keep in mind that its not his full time job to create and sell chips - just his hobby. He did state earlier that chip production would be offline for a bit over the holidays and re-starting in the new year. Not sure when the start date for that was. Maybe he's out of town?

E-mail him and see if you get a reply. I'm sure he'll get back to you when he can.

[GeoffSmith]

Sooty,

It's probably best to e-mail Alan (same address on LEC and his website) but don't be too concerned if you don't receive a reply. He will get back to you when he's in a position to do so.

Geoff

[Sooty]

Thanks guys. Had already sent a PM but just e-mailed him now as well.

I'm not desperate, but a little depressed that my 23 yr old £900 Astra is faster than the Elan and need to do something about it !!

[Elanlover]

I'm surprised to hear that your Elan's not that fast. Turbo or N/A??? Perhaps there's some other issues with the car's performance other than a chip? Timing ok? Better be certain the car's in tip top shape befroe plugging in a chip. It could aggravate a minor tuning problem.

[GeoffSmith]

Getting the base timing right is a must. You can then use ElanScan to start diagnosing any other problems.

[Monty]

errmmmmmm, think Sooty has left out one little detail, go on Simon tell them what engine is in the Astra

[ESM]

Hi guys!

Haven't been on much lately, a combination of frequent visits to Scotland, extreme busy-ness at work and a failure of the hard disc controller card in my home PC (its a RAID array but disc redundancy doesn't help when the controller falls over). I've just got the PC back up and so I should be back in business soon. I've received a few switchable add-on boards (these ones plug into the usual daughter board) and a load of new chips and daughter boards so I'll have to update the instructions and the 'shop' page of my site and get rolling again.

Apologies to anyone who hasn't got replies to messages. I'll be reading them again now. The only item that's limited in quantity is the switchable chip board (I have five) I have a stack of the standard daughter cards.

Cheers
ESM

[Sooty]

errmmmmmm, think Sooty has left out one little detail, go on Simon tell them what engine is in the Astra

Yeah, sorry to cause any confusion. The Astra has a 2.0 16v engine it running around 165bhp but weighs less than 900kg, so its no slouch. So I need the extra power from the chip for the Elan.

Alan, please put me down for 1 of the 5 boards as I'll deffo have one as soon as they are ready. Will wait (patiently) to hear from you.

[ESM]

Here are pictures of the new stuff

[GeoffSmith]

Piggy-backed piggy-back eh?

[algirdas]

Dear Alan:

Welcome back! I hope all is well with you and your family.

Pretty exciting stuff. But for those of us who happen to be dumber than a fence post, what are you cooking up? Should I hold off fitting my Everest chip until Son of Everest is released? Will my car now take on a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde persona?

Sincerely,

Algirdas

[ESM]

Piggy-backed piggy-back eh?

Yes, I like this because it means the old daughter boards need not be obsolete - it gives an upgrade path. I suspect the top of the ECU won't fit back over it - its not exactly low profile. That's not a problem technically but not everyone will like it. Your board won't have that problem.

Dear Alan:

Welcome back! I hope all is well with you and your family.

Pretty exciting stuff. But for those of us who happen to be dumber than a fence post, what are you cooking up? Should I hold off fitting my Everest chip until Son of Everest is released? Will my car now take on a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde persona?

Sincerely,

Algirdas

Thanks! Dad's not bad, he's not great on his feet but he is managing ok at home.

[Monty]

Nice, looking forward to the new chip