Nigel Meylan Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 Got problems with my Vauxhall 1.6 litre 8 valve. Turns out that my MBE 956i ECU is toast... ☹️ Spoke to Caterham who said they could order one in through SBD Motorsport. Gave them a call but they told me it had been replaced by a 9A4i unit that would also need a new loom. Should I try and source a replacement for my old unit, or go for the updated option and fit a new loom ? How difficult is that ? Can anyone out there give me some advice, it would be much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keybaud Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 I have my MBE 967i and loom that I don't need anymore, as I've changed my C20XE from carbs to throttle bodies. I've also got the serial cable, manual, etc, but I don't know if you can swap maps between them. Let me know if they are of use to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECR Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 I'd try to source a second hand 956 if possible. I've just looked on Ebay but there's nothing listed. If time's a problem then it will have to be a new unit and loom. 95% of the wiring on a new loom will be plug in and replace the already plugged in connectors you have. The rest will be fairly simple, a power feed an earth and that's about it. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 how badly damaged is your original? Caught fire? water damage? or just component damage? It may be possible to fix it. Ive seen some pretty badly damaged ECUs in my line of work and had many of them fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Meylan Posted May 10, 2013 Author Share Posted May 10, 2013 Thanks, I really appreciate the offer. I'll check if it's compatable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Meylan Posted May 10, 2013 Author Share Posted May 10, 2013 Quoting sparky**: how badly damaged is your original? Caught fire? water damage? or just component damage? It may be possible to fix it. Ive seen some pretty badly damaged ECUs in my line of work and had many of them fixed. Already sent if to a testing/repair company. They said it's totally burnt out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 Ah thats a bugger. Who did you use out of interest? Have you got any pics of the damage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Meylan Posted May 10, 2013 Author Share Posted May 10, 2013 Used ECU Testing in Derbyshire. To be fair to them, they called me today to break the bad news, and said they wouldn't charge me the testing fee, just the return postage. Haven't got pics of the damage, the unit looked ok on the outside. It actually packed up on me on the Fish & Chip run, in a cloud of smoke from the unit. My first blat, and it ended on the back of a low loader. I was gutted ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keybaud Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 Quoting ECR: If time's a problem then it will have to be a new unit and loom. Why wouldn't he want mine second hand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECR Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 No reason at all. Provided the map can be swapped straight over it would be an excellent solution. If it has to be remapped on a rolling road it gets a bit more expensive but undoubtedly still cheaper than a new one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin7H Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 I have a Weber Alpha Ecu and harness from a VX available. It is listed in For Sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keybaud Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 Quoting ECR: No reason at all. Provided the map can be swapped straight over it would be an excellent solution. If it has to be remapped on a rolling road it gets a bit more expensive but undoubtedly still cheaper than a new one Unless he has a spare copy of his old map, he'll have to have a remap, because the current ecu is dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECR Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 True If it's a standard map perhaps some kind soul could download one for him.it would save some money perhaps ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_pank Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 If only SBD option is with a 'new loom' I bet if you had the pinouts of old and new ecu you could easily make an adaptor... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Deslandes Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 there was a similar discussion on this topic in the past few weeks. It is quite practicable to modify and use the exisitng 956 loom with a 9A4, ignition only or full injection setup. You just need the new connector from SBD, a table of pinouts and several hours of concentrated rewiring of the connector. If I was nearer to the Midlands I'd happily do it for you, should you be unable to get a replacement of the same type. If you need to have a rolling road session to map the unit from scratch I think I'd seriously consider buying an uptodate ECU as you could find yourself in the same boat again if you stick with the old type and the incremental cost if you modify the loom wouldn't be that great. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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