Ecu mods on stock engines
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You mean add a custom chip or program? It is really not worth any horsepower gains unless you are doing it to accommodate other mods such as cam, larger TB, bigger injectors and so on. Doing so stands a better chance of hurting you than helping you.
Roby
Roby
Well they can recalibrate it but the question is does it really add HP to a stock engine? If it does and the increase is substantial then it means that Merc wasn't doing a good job of programing the ECU to start with.
Roby
Roby
I had my 502 mag ecu modified in an Eliminator 22 eagle xp and saw absolutely nothing. I was told it should add 300-400 rpm. ($375) waste of money. On the other hand, I plugged in a hypertech re-programmer on my gm 6.6 turbo diesel and it ripped my head off. 95 hp and 170 ft lbs torque for $375, wow! Wish it was that easy with a boat. I guess keep dreaming.
You can reprogram to alter the rev limiter. You can reprogram to clean up the transom at idle a touch. You can reprogram a factory blower motor a little leaner (cause they come very rich with factory settings). But programming a box doesn't get any additional airflow thru the motor. So you shouldn't expect to see any power increases on an otherwise stock motor.
If you live at a high altitude, you can probably improve on the factory map, though.
Cars, in the early EFI days, were a LITTLE different. You could drop a chip in them and feel real increases thru the midrange, cause you were changing from SMOG settings to performance settings. On a boat, they simply try to program a curve that provides close to an optimal fuel mix at most throttle settings, at most altitudes. No doubt, though, that the factory map is best at sea level or close to it.
If you live at a high altitude, you can probably improve on the factory map, though.
Cars, in the early EFI days, were a LITTLE different. You could drop a chip in them and feel real increases thru the midrange, cause you were changing from SMOG settings to performance settings. On a boat, they simply try to program a curve that provides close to an optimal fuel mix at most throttle settings, at most altitudes. No doubt, though, that the factory map is best at sea level or close to it.
I didn't think it would help,I just wanted to bounce it off a couple more coconuts and see what the opinions were.
Re: Ecu mods on stock engines
Quote:
I typically boat at ~6200', what kind of difference would a reprogram for high altitude make? Would it just clean up the transom or would I see anything different in performance/response, etc.Originally Posted by mcollinstn
If you live at a high altitude, you can probably improve on the factory map, though.
Quote:
I've not run a 500EFI at 6200 feet so I don't know how "out of whack" the stock map is at mile high. I'd be surprised if there wasn't room for improvement, though.Originally Posted by BiggBlok
I typically boat at ~6200', what kind of difference would a reprogram for high altitude make? Would it just clean up the transom or would I see anything different in performance/response, etc.
