1990fox347

hey guys my brother and i took his cobra to get dynoed last weekend, the owner of the shop and i got to talking about foxbody mustangs, thats what i have now i got a 347 with a vortech im getting ready to drop in my car in another week or so and they guy swore up and down about the MEGA SQUIRT stand alone computer system, basically im just looking for some info on them trying to see if anyone on here has one or used on in the past and can gimme some info on it before i spend the money, thanks!

FoxGT

I've built and installed them in several cars. I currently have 2 MSII's on my cars, one waiting to go on my bike (if I ever get to that project) & just finished an MS1 v 2.2 for a twin turbo 5.0 I built. Personally, I feel it's one of the best upgrades you can do to a car. I did a write up on how to install one in a 5.0 mustang back in '06 or '07 I believe, not sure if it's still up or not.

Pros: Adjustability, smoothness, fuel economy, & power. Factory cars are required to run with a stoich a/f ratio which requires them to basically waste fuel to reduce emissions gasses. Engines produce more power with a lean burn. Typically the cars I build them for & tune, I'll run around 16.7-17:1 afr at cruise which generally will lead to a 3-4mpg increase over factory (& significantly more if modified). Idle quality & response is significantly better, the MS processor is faster than factory.

Cons: Learning curve. The MS system has a LOT of features which can and has overwhelmed some of the people I've installed them for. This isn't much of an issue if you're the type to tinker with things. Consider that you're installing a whole new system which requires you to input an ignition map, warm up enrichments, iat enrichments, ect... You'll have to do a bit of reading. Once you grasp the concept it's fairly easy. The first one I installed took me about 20 minutes to get idling smooth, mostly because I didn't know what I was doing at the time, to give you an idea. The other downside is installation. I'll recommend to you what I do to the rest, I would highly advise wiring the megasquirt in yourself instead of using a plug and play due to the grounding and power issues of the ms. Some of these aren't as bad with the 3.0 board, but I wouldn't advise using the factory wiring due to interference & sensor accuracy. That being said, it can be done that way. The write up I did was for a plug & play setup.

As far as advising you one way or the other, I feel that it's a good idea to do so if you have the time to tinker with it. You significantly cut costs for upgrades & engine swaps in the future by having the ability to use the same cheap engine management for a variety of builds. It cost me about $350 ($150 for an MS1 v2.2 & $200 for a wideband o2/controller) to build an engine management for nearly every engine swap/turbo or supercharger kit/car I build & it's a system that will support running anything from your lawnmower to a 1500hp car. I would also advise building it yourself for the experience, instructions online are very easy to follow.
I will say this, it is NOT a system for someone who wants to plug something in & go.

Ditty

The above is a wonderful basic synopsis of a MS system. My buddy has one on his modified FC (RX-7) and he loves it. Of course, he's one of those techie sob's and LOVES to build circuit boards and what not. Personally, it isn't for me...at least the building and tuning. But he LOVES it and there are a million and one things that a MS can do.

FoxGT

It doesn't take a techie, just a curious mind. It is easy to assemble (One guy compared it to assembling legos) & tune one, just time consuming. If you've read the material that is readily available, it is fairly easy, it just takes time to read it. Expect to spend 8-16 hours on assembling one & however long it takes you to wire around 20 wires to the engine/key on.
I really hate to steer anyone away from building and installing one for the overall gain & better understanding of the engine's electrical system, calculation, & function, just don't want anyone to buy one & expect to just plug and go.
In my experience I've seen two types of users of the system (& because of that I don't try to push it on anyone anymore); those that don't care/have no interest in how an engine/car works & just want to go fast, then there are those that want to know how & like playing with what they have & learn more about it.

If you just buy one & install it then you open your computer to tune the car without reading anything or at least having an idea of things like why cars run at 12-13.5:1 a/f ratio at WOT & 14.7 at cruise for cooling and emissions purposes, or why more fuel is injected into the engine when it's cold due to density of the cooler air then you will probably be pretty lost when it comes to tuning it.
However, if you take the time to read the material that has been made readily available to you by the manufacturer, then it will be fun and a cakewalk for you. I personally found it fascinating material to read when I first started.

Again, I don't want to steer you away from this if you are the slightest bit interested as it is a powerful tool &, in my opinion, the single best thing you can put on a car. & If you run into any trouble, there is a huge online community to help you out with your problems