Picked up an LT5 and ZF

[spork2367]

Originally Posted by klork

Maybe I am missing something here but what makes the LT-5 so much more complicated then all the other twin cam coil pack engines out there? Megasquirt natively reads GM sensors so unless the LT-5 uses no standard GM sensors that part is easy. If not just buy the required sensors and away you go. They are pretty cheap. If you needed an electrical engineering degree to wire one up there wouldn't be thousands of cars out there running it.

I think you're just oversimplifying the work needed to get an ECU to run a complex modern engine. The LS has been done many times over. There are not thousands of LT5s out there running Megaquirts, nor is there a wealth of information on aftermarket ECUs for them. The plug and play Megasquirt ECU was developed by a company that only does that...with a running driving car for testing. Do you believe that you or the OP can do what DIYAutotune did accurately, cleanly and without a test car and have your time and materials add up to less than 1000 dollars? (the difference between the basic Megaquirt 1400.00 and the plug and play LT5 Megasquirt 2400.00)

I have done a lot of research on this. His cheapest route is:

NOS engine harness (pic makes it look like it's missing): 1300.00
Megasquirt ECU for LT5: 2400.00
Custom stand alone dash harness (ignition, gauges, OBD, check engine light, etc. some ancillary electronic modules needed for LT5) (or custom harness integrated into swap vehicles dash harness: 1800.00+

That's 5500.00 plus whatever he paid for the engine and trans for approximately 400 HP. That doesn't include troubleshooting or dyno testing/tuning.

Even if he got this motor and trans for free, that 5500 he still needs to spend alone would get an LS with a transmission and pay for a cam swap that would net him 450+ hp and replacement parts from any local auto parts store.

Don't get me wrong, it's an awesome engine. I have several. But it's not an easy or cost effective swap at all.

Originally Posted by tpepmeie

And then there's the dash compatibility, and Serial Data stream, if you want to use this in a C4 chassis. Sounds like that's where DIY Autotune is still struggling.

Supposedly they cracked a Ford dash that gave them some more insight into this, but I'm sure the LT5 is on the back burner...on a stove in another room....of an adjacent building.