[K Sykes]

Some more random thoughts from the last several years of getting my car to where it is now. Overall, there is a lot of info available, both here and in the MS community. I don't think I have an original thought on almost anything below, but a collection of lessons learned and bringing together a lot of good ideas from others.

Happy to answer any specific questions.

1. EFI will not overcome mechanical issues. I spent a lot of time chasing tunes that would run great for a little while, and then have issues. It turned out that my exhaust valves and valve guides were toast. The clue was my rearview mirrors – finding a large cloud of oil smoke on a highway downgrade. I chased a lot of wrong tunes trying to get that sorted out. Once I bit the bullet and rebuilt the top end, everything got better and stuck.
2. Grounds matter a lot. Take a voltmeter and compare what your computer is seeing as voltage, what the actual voltage is at the 12V source for the MS2 and what it is closest to the alternator. I had a 2 volt difference and a very inconsistent voltage during driving – this was causing all kinds of problems with O2 readings and other MS functions. I replaced the battery-to-body cable and the braided copper strap between the engine and the body. That settled the voltage down so that it barely moves while driving and made the computer and the voltmeter reading nearly alike. You can fine tune the setting in the software, but if it’s a dramatic difference, check your grounds first.
3. To ground the MS, more, thinner wires are better than a few thick ones. I re-did my harness to use a total of 6 wires between the DB37 connector and the engine ground, which acts as an inductor and helps reduce noise.
4. Buy Tunerstudio, vs using Megatune. Phil Tobin keeps adding functionality to TS and it just does so much more that Megatune.
5. If you aren’t confident in your skills in programming, wiring, circuit design and tuning, start with the Tbitz kit or at least just do fuel first. There are too many variables with fuel and ignition, to be able to problem solve both at the same time. Those problems can be your install, software settings, firmware and mechanical issues. Tony’s kit takes a bunch of those out as a starting point. He also provides a base tune that will let you start and run as well as software logic that allows the MS to emulate the fuel pump logic that Porsche uses. It’s opposite of basically ever other car manufacturer.
6. There are two worlds in the MS community – the B&G folks, who designed the original MS and have firmware, the manual and a forum that provides support. This is the firmware Tony uses and for your first install, it’s the path of least resistance if you include his base tune. You can get your car running, and play with and improve the tune on the B&G firmware. The other camp is the MSExtra folks. They have taken the firmware to a new level and I made that switch to add ignition. The downside of this move is that you loose the TBitz fuel pump logic and need to rewire your fuel pump relay to work the way that MS expects it to.
7. Going to ignition adds a new dimension to performance, driveabilty and complexity to your install. I chose to go the EDIS route because, the units are very available in junkyards, they are simple to add and wire to the MS2. The hardest part for me was getting the crankwheel and sensor fitted. The only reason that was hard for me was because I had never dropped my engine. The shot valves made that an easier decision and out came the engine. I used goingsuperfast.com ‘s pulley and trigger wheel. Be sure to let them know it’s for an EDIS install, so they index the missing tooth to the right spot. They also have a VR sensor holder and a plug to take care of your missing distributor. The VR sensor that fits is a Ford part, the part # is on their site. I was able to find one on a junk car and got it for like $2. The EDIS unit itself is on early 90’s 6 cylinder Fords. Explorer, Taurus and the like. I found it easies to find the units on the Explorer; it’s on the driver’s side front on inside of the engine compartment on the fenderwell. I never was able to find one in a Taurus. The coil packs are easy to find, or you can buy one new for ~$60 – 80. They also have a capacitor that is usually attached to the coil mount. Not a bad idea to grab that, as it can help reduce noise. The spark firing order is important to get right. The EDIS fires ACB order meaning if you wire it according to the pinouts, with the connector closest to you, the coil fires the left pair, then the right pair and finally the middle pair. This works out great for us as 1-6-2-4-3-5 equal 1-4, 6-3 and 2-5 going in pairs which on the coilpack is 123 going across the one row and 456 across the other. It’s wasted spark, so it doesn’t matter which wire is on which pair, but it’s easy to put them 1,4-2,5-3-6 so you know which wire goes to which plug. The only other thing that’s important for this is shielding. There are a lot of low voltage signals running from the VR sensor, TPS and the PIP and SAW signals. EDIS pin 7 is a shield ground. It’s important to only ground one end of the shield. It’s also important to keep the signal wires away from the spark plug wires and the coil. I also twisted the wires from the VR sensor to help cut down on interference. You can make a twisted pair by chucking the wires in an electric drill and winding them together. I used some microphone wire (pair shielded) for the pip/saw signal wire. It was pretty thin gauge, but seems to be working fine. DIYAutotune sells a good shielded pair wire by the foot as well.
8. Getting 12V. I ended up ditching the Stock SC 3 fuse block in favor of a 6 way, common hot, modern fuse block. I used a wire that is hot for start and run triggering a relay that uses a heavier gauge wire direct from the starter terminal that is direct to the battery to power the 12v common on the fuse block – I have the injectors, 02 sensor heat, MS CPU, Innovate LC1 and the coilpack all with their own fused power from this panel. I have backdated heat, which gets rid of the need for the power to the fan and I gave up on rear window defrost, so I have no need for any of the legacy circuits, except to signal the relay to turn on.