HeatRaveR Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 So awhile back, I'd finished the wiring up of my MS1 V3.0 in my '82 280ZXT. But as I had not yet had time to fiddle with the programming, I left the stock ECU running everything. So the MS is still "on", as well, just not actually controlling anything (not connected to the injectors or any ignition stuff). I finally got my laptop to communicate with the MS, and supposedly uploaded the 29v firmware to it a few weeks back. Since then, I've only driven the car twice on local errands (MS not controlling anything) and then parked the car for a couple weeks. But now that I'd had time to get back out in the garage and continue working on it, I find that the MS no longer activates when I turn the key to the "on" position (none of the 3 LED's are lit, and my laptop gets no sensor readings). Does anyone have any thoughts on what the cause might be, or how to further troubleshoot it? I've already checked the wiring, and full voltage is still going through, and the grounds still appear to be solidly soldered in place to the car's wiring. The only other changes to wiring that I've made are connecting it to the injector grounds and fuel pump relay (so still not connected to any ignition stuff). Could something inside the Megasquirt have somehow burned out from driving the car while not connected to anything it's supposed to control (ie injectors)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Reload the firmware one more time to confirm. I shipped my MS back to get reflashed when it didn't turn on anymore. It turns out I could have easily done it myself. I doubt the MS "burnt out". It's pretty tough from what I hear although I don't know how you wired it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeatRaveR Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 OMG, thank you! I just tried it out and the laptop now reads the MS sensors again. ^___^ It's pretty cold out in the garage right now (1am), so I won't attempt any programming now, but just the fact the laptop now reads the sensors is encouraging. I wonder why it suddenly needed to have the firmware reloaded like that. I sure hope it's not a regular, random occurrence and that it won't strand me somewhere if I don't have my laptop! Just to confirm though, should any/all of the 3 LED lights go on when the key is in the "on" position? If not, then I may be looking for something that isn't even supposed to happen. ^^; Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cramer Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 There is no power-on light on the Megasquirt. The LEDs can be programmed to do a variety of tasks, but normally none of them switch on until you have an RPM reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobythevan Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 I have run for over two years now and 33K miles on my Talon with V2.2 hardware and never seen the MS need to be re-flashed. If it happens to you I would look into your power and ground to the MS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeatRaveR Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 Even if the battery is disconnected, the MS shouldn't need to be reflashed, would it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cramer Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Even if the battery is disconnected, the MS shouldn't need to be reflashed, would it? No. Megasquirts store settings in flash memory and save them when they are powered off, which is a bit different from many stock ECUs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mario_82_ZXT Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 My friend had a similar issue and it was all due to how his wiring was ran. Basically, the ecu harness came in from the engine bay in such a way that moisture would run down it and get INSIDE the MS box, causing it to become erratic, and it had to be reflashed TWICE. This was easily fixed by putting a "U" in the harness so that the water will drip down on the lowest part of the "U" and not come up to the ECU. Just something to think about, Mario Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeatRaveR Posted April 2, 2008 Author Share Posted April 2, 2008 My friend had a similar issue and it was all due to how his wiring was ran. Basically, the ecu harness came in from the engine bay in such a way that moisture would run down it and get INSIDE the MS box, causing it to become erratic, and it had to be reflashed TWICE. This was easily fixed by putting a "U" in the harness so that the water will drip down on the lowest part of the "U" and not come up to the ECU. Just something to think about, Mario Thanks for the heads up on that. Though, it won't apply in my case since the MS is mounted up near the steering column, so the wiring is already angled downwards. Well hopefully this was just a fluke anyways. I mean, I don't have to do some special disconnecting process when I'm ready to separate the laptop, do I? While I have everyone's attention, let me ask: Let's say I created a .msq file while having the 29v coding active and as the firmware. If I subsequently upgrade the firmware to 29y4 (or whatever the latest version is) and activate it in the Megatune Configurator, will I need to start a new .msq file from scratch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cramer Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 While I have everyone's attention, let me ask: Let's say I created a .msq file while having the 29v coding active and as the firmware. If I subsequently upgrade the firmware to 29y4 (or whatever the latest version is) and activate it in the Megatune Configurator, will I need to start a new .msq file from scratch? Yes. You can copy the VE, spark, and AFR target tables with the export function, but the rest of the MSQ must be copied by hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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