Luegonigel Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 Not being fully up to speed with these things, so:- - There is a little black box next to the ECU, that is the map holder? Presumably an EPROM with the engine map in it? - I am guessing that there is nothing you can adjust on these things, once you get the map that is it? Or do clever people with laptops adjust various parameters using the pre-installed map as a base - as above, you can't tune these things, they are as they are? Couple of issues with the car:- - hunts a lot on light throttle say 30mph in town in 3rd.....solution may not be to do 90mph through every town - tick over not enough to run car with headlights on - could generally be smoother Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKC Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 Hi Luegonigel, The symptoms you have are very common on the 150 Caterham Sigma. Other than checking throttle body balance there is nothing you can do as the ECU is locked by Caterham. ☹️ We've developed three upgrades for Sigma engines, 155, 175 and 200 bhp. People that have driven them have commented on the massive improvement in driveability, throttle response and performance compared with Caterham's own engines. As I'm sure you are aware Caterham have replaced the 150 Sigma with the 140 Supersport. Please check out our website for further details of our products; http://www.premierpowerengines.com/products/1.6SigmaEngine Regards SKC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadBob Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 Hi Luegonigel, How long have you had your Sigma 150? I have one of the early ones (2007). In the early days it suffered from pinking in high gear and low revs, popping and banging on the over-run (which I didn't mind too much) and gutless performance at altitude (e.g. alpine passes). It's had at least 2 map updates by Caterham Midlands when being serviced and the first two problems are much improved, I haven't had the opportunity to drive an alpine pass recently. It might be worth getting Caterham to check the map and the other adjustments if there's any possibility you are not on the latest. Rob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Slotter Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 Yep, make sure you've got the latest map, there was a new one released about a year ago if not another one sooner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luegonigel Posted June 21, 2013 Author Share Posted June 21, 2013 Hi, the car is registered 2009, now 13,000 miles, I've had it for the last three thousand miles. I'll ring Caterham and see how you tell which map is installed. Idle adjusted this evening with the screw on the throttle quadrant, now runs with lights on no bother. Driving home 50 miles, the car seemed to drop down to what felt like three cylinders, rubbish between two and three thousand revs, higher than that it made progress to get home. My last k series stopped completely and I later found out it was a bad earth where all the earth cables collect on one bolt next to the ECU. Will check plug leads and the earth leads in the morning. ....and my plastic radiator started to leak today, will I make the Picos in Spain in a weeks time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 Hi Luegonigel - sorry to hear about the radiator - there are a few threads about replacing them I used the CC R400 all aluminium version when mine blew up year one! Needed a bigger fan (there may also have been some bracket extensions required?) , but easy quick job to swap over and if CC have it all in stock then you should have time? I had my sigma 125 re-mappped on a rolling road and it improved the running of my engine noticeably (on its first service CC put in their latest standard map and the difference was huge - did not run nearly as well!) no experience with the 150 version, but it may be worth exploring a rolling road session? Where are you going in the Picos - I am there in Aug/Sept and a still planning my last few days coming through the Picos from Portugal to Bilbao! Garth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luegonigel Posted June 23, 2013 Author Share Posted June 23, 2013 - used the vintage carb ballancer from the 1950s to check what was happening. Using this, each pair of throttle bodies seemed to be balanced but the forward pair were way down on the rear pair. The scale on the ballancer is 0 - 10, the rear pair were oscillating between 6-8 and the front pair between 1 and 3. Balance bar adjusted to suit and a short 5 mile run seemed to show the car as running much better. - I bought a spare Lambda sensor in preparation for going to Spain next week and took the opportunity of changing that out too. The car went on an emissions analyzer after that and seems to be performing well. The end of the old sensor was very black and sooty. There was also a lot of water in the sensor connector. - now just the task of getting the radiator and fitting it before next weekend with three days in Norway in between! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domus Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 When I did my build all the electrical connections got a dose of This Seems to do the trick, three years in and no electrical gremlins as yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Hughes Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 The black box next to the ECU is a MAP (Manifold Air.Pressure) sensor that gives the ECU atmospheric pressure. The ECU map is saved in the ECU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Hughes Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 Hi Nigel Just put 2+2 together and realised who you are. Saw Paul at Cholmondely and he said you had now got a SV150. The ECU map can be change by someone who knows the unlock code and I know of a couple of places that can do a re-map. Balancing the throttle bodies can make a big difference to idle and low throttle running. There is also an idle screw that can be used to increase the idle speed a touch. However I have seen on one accession that increasing the idle speed by altering it also needed the throttle position sensor to be repositioned. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luegonigel Posted June 23, 2013 Author Share Posted June 23, 2013 The power of Blatchat strikes again...tis I, just getting to know the Sigma 150 and its slight issues. Hopefully if we get to the Picos next week, see how it goes, we can get it on a rolling road a few weeks later. By the sounds of it though, this engine and throttle body combination is never going to be the smoothest. Next issue is to know how to measure the oil level properly as it has the Apollo tank. Measure when running, not running, when cold etc. when cold oil between the two marks, but as soon as you put dipstick back in, every time it is well above top mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diggerman Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 Caterham Midlands entered the latest map for me about 18 months ago and it has run perfectly ever since. I replaced the plastic (rubbish) rad with the all ali Caterham upgrade inc bigger fan, and that solved that problem. Car s now trouble free and a great tourer. It is a 150SV, built 2010 and with 13500 miles on clock. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David aka Blue7 Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 Glad to hear you have it sorted Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luegonigel Posted June 24, 2013 Author Share Posted June 24, 2013 I understand from Caterham that:- - the lambda sensor comes into play at lower revs - after lower revs, the ECU defaults to running on the fixed map in the ECU where lower and higher is, I forgot to ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Ferguson Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I could write a book about this as I have a Sigma Road Sport SV 150. I took it back to Caterham 3 times finally being told by head of sales take off in second gear as the kangarooing was so bad. I didn't waste any more time with them and had a an Emerald ECU fitted on the advice of some Bristol club members and properly mapped by Emerald it runs like a dream, in a different league to the Caterham ECU and map. It also registers 146 bhp on the rolling road they didn't go higher because they said you might have piston rings breaking! The car is sold as a 150 bhp but when it first went on the rolling road it was about 115, a bit like being sold a half full can of beans!! The car wont shake itself to bits and it has the right amount of power for a novice like me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliW Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Quoting Simon Ferguson: had a an Emerald ECU fitted That sounds interesting, Simon. I'm sure people would be interested to know more about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Cornford Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Hi Nigel I am probably talking rubbish...... but when Andy Jupp of PGM played with my car, at the same time as balancing the throttle bodies and idle adjustment he also adjusted the TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) to get everything in balance. To aid him in this he had a laptop connected running a copy of Easimap, and although he did not make changes to the map, he could see a variety of diagnostic displays that give feedback on the effect of the physical adjustments being made. There might be a member local to you that has the necessary cable for connection.. I also did have poor running, especially the day after washing the car ( or so I convinced myself). Has not happened recently (touch wood), but I think it was one of the contacts where the spark plug leads connect to the rectangular black box at the rear of the engine (distributor?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelS Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Simon, I am interested in your Emerald experience sounds like I need to get mine changed, what sort of cost was it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKC Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Guys, Interesting post this but why do you need to change the ECU to another make? On all our conversions we start by replacing the MBE with a programmable one. This then allows us to put our calibrations into the ECU. If you go for a direct replacement MBE ECU then you can still use your existing engine wiring loom reducing the cost. Regard SKC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon.Rogers1 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Glad you said that Stuart. I couldn't possibly comment 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luegonigel Posted July 25, 2013 Author Share Posted July 25, 2013 Never made it to the Pico sadly as the new radiator leaked the day before I was due to set off to Spain. Took the Audi TT 3.2 instead, it managed to do the bit admirably, not the same view through the tin top however. New all aluminium radiator now fitted, 500 miles done and it is ok. Now the oil pressure gauge has gone full scale meaning the sensor is goosed presumably? Sounds like I will need to get the car to somewhere near Aberdeen with a rolling road and access to the ECU to get a proper job done. I wouldn't mind getting out and driving the car for a few miles as that is what I hear they are for!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al7 Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 ...so what did the Emerald conversion cost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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