ChrisD

I got motivated to write this post because I've recently gone through this process and I feel that it could definitely be helpful to some who are trying to gauge the price and process of upgrading to the AEM EMS from the various 'Stage 1' turbo kits out there. I've omitted the cost of labor, as that is something that you'll need to talk to your mechanic about. Basically, if you want to do this process, depending on how "mechanically" skilled you are (or perhaps how rich you are), you want to be aware of these tasks and decide which of these tasks you want to outsource to a shop or tuner.

• The Parts

A new (Mike Simon, obviously) block: ~$5000 (does not include race prepped head, add ~1500 or so for that.. talk to Mike Simon for details)
The EMS: $1200
The wideband o2 sensor + controller (optional but VERY nice, i'd lean towards required if you don't want to spend ages and bundles on the dyno): $1200. I got a FuelTronics AFR-PRO, somewhat generic brand. I'd suggest going with something a little more mainstream, I've been having trouble with the manufacturer voltages/AFRs, and had to do it manually.
4 pigtails for injectors: $12
4 720 cc custom rc injectors: $700ish
Sold vafc -$150
Sold profec-b -$150
Resistor box (for injectors): $50 bucks, free if you've got friends in junkyards, they're common on old crx's
GM 3 Bar map sensor + pigtail: $10 bucks? stage6 bought this for me.
GM boost solenoid: $15 bucks
GM boost solenoid pigtal: $5 bucks
AEM static Fuel pressure guage (maybe not necessary but definitely useful), custom 2nd line drilled to other side of fuel rail, 2nd fuel pump if you are going to run more than 10 psi: depends, couple hundred bucks at least.. talk to your mechanic
Various hosing and t-clamps for the solenoid and new map sensor: 5-50 bucks, depending on how you want it mounted (mine's kinda messy, so it's just screwed on to a bracket, cjb80 has a nice bronze fitting [$15] so you can put a vacuum line to the original map sensor 'hole' instead of just leaving the stock one plugged in to "plug" the hole like I did)

You can expect to go through some other various parts, too. I've had to buy some of the following because they were either broken or worn out (included just to give you an idea of what to perhaps expect):

6 (2 for extras) o-rings on the valve cover, $5 bucks a pop
5 valve cover bolts (broke 1, 4 for extras), $2 bucks a pop
A spark plug coil because a tiny rubber piece on one broke and the coil comes as a whole piece, not sub-components: $97
some windshield washer fluid rubber hosing that melted from the wastegate to manifold bolts coming off: couple bucks

• The Process

Build engine, assemble short block and head [~$1500 for additional race prepped head, speak to Mike Simon for specifics] and put motor in car.

Upgrade fuel system (2nd fuel pump, AEM FPR, custom work to tap fuel rail on other side.. pictures of my install will be forthcoming). Leave stock injectors.

Install wideband o2 sensor. Don't cut your existing narrow band o2 sensor just yet, just wire the o2 sensor to the controller/display that should come with it. It should also come with an output that you can wire into your computer/logger, ensure that you buy one that has this output.

Remove VAFC, Profec-B, Vortech FMU, sell them and buy pizza for ChrisD with the proceeds.

Start car and drive 200-500 miles without boosting to ensure motor works properly with stock injectors, ECU, etc. Vary throttle as much as possible without going into any positive boost (since you don't have the missing link check valve on the MAP sensor anymore.. the engine will panic if it sees positive pressure).

Change oil with a non-synthetic mineral oil (with the turbo you should generally stay mineral, anyway, mineral carries heat better, just my two cents though, YMMV).

Install the EMS hardware (pretty simple, takes 15 minutes).

Load basemaps for stock s2000, and turn on car to ensure EMS install went ok. Don't driver around though, the maps aren't set up for boosted applications.

Turn car off. Relish the last time for a few days/weeks you will hear it run smoothly.

Replace stock injectors with new ones. If you are using RC Engineering ones, the spacer/washers they give you are too thick, go to home depot and buy 2 flat thin ones (which should be about 2/3rds the thickness of the one spacer) [$1]. Cut off existing pigtails, solder new ones in, solder one wire to the injector, others through the resistor box. This takes a few hours, and is a bit of a pain in the butt. Make sure you ask RC engineering which pigtail part number will fit your custom injectors, and buy them ahead of time. I went to _11_ auto parts stores to get the pigtails I needed, most stores will only carry one replacement pigtail, and NO store will know which part number will match your injector. I brought mine in, they let me into the back storeroom area, showed me to the pigtail shelf and let me go nuts, trying to figure out which one fit. It was a pain. Save yourself a day of driving around town, find out which injector pigtails to get ahead of time, and preorder 5 (1 spare in case you mess up the soldering).

Install GM 3 bar map sensor. If you get the cjb80 bronze fitting, you can replace the stock map sensor and mount the GM sensor nearby, and run a vacuum line from the bronze fitting to the map sensor. Otherwise, you can mount it elsewhere and clip a vacuum line (I clipped the line to the AEM FPR), insert a T valve [$1] and run hose from there to your map sensor.

Install GM boost solenoid, see the AEM BBS for specifics (or examine my pictures when I post them to see where/how I did it). Wire the pigtail through the passenger side compartment, behind the radio, into the driver side compartment, connect to EMS.

Wire the o2 sensor to the EMS, clip existing o2 sensor wire.

Replace wastegate spring with heavy boost spring [$10? $20?, again, purchased through Stage6].

• The EMS

Then I think you are done with HARDWARE, although you may need to change the spark plugs several times over the course of tuning (see xvipers DIY spark plug guide). So here's maybe a rough outline for the EMS with the approximate times involved (although I'm still in this process myself, so I can't help you too much):

Learn how to use the EMS (or skip this step if you're having a tuner do it) (10-20 hrs?)

Load s2000 basemap. (5 minutes).

Set up throttle position (5 minutes).

Set up ignition timing (30 minutes if you have a timing gun and a friend, otherwise you'll have to have a honda shop or your tuner do this part with you).

Set up gm 3 bar sensor (5 minutes)

Set up boost solenoid (5 minutes, much much more if you don't just want to run "full boost", eg, as much as the turbo can create).

Resize the fuel map for your injectors (5 minutes).

Start the car and set up idle (2 hrs?)

Start driving around and set up basic fuel maps (2-8 hours?)

Set up wideband o2 sensor (with voltages supplied by manufacturer) (1 hour)

Set up automapping, closed loop mapping. (1 hr?)

Set up knock sensor. (1 hr?)

Set up timing maps. (2-8 hrs? coincident with fuel maps?)

Set up whatever else you want, as at this point you should be able to drive around and be fairly proficient with the EMS.



And finally, enjoy the boost.

Reignman

Thanks for the excellent write up! Have you seen any o2 sensors for less than $1200 for the full setup including data logging? With all I spend at the dyno it might be worth it to invest in one. Sounds like a lot of work you put into the project but Im sure it is well worth it once everything is up and running.

s2kpdx01

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ChrisD
[B]I got motivated to write this post because I've recently gone through this process and I feel that it could definitely be helpful to some who are trying to gauge the price and process of upgrading to the

ChrisD

[QUOTE]Originally posted by s2kpdx01
[B]

so how is your car running?

s2kpdx01

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ChrisD
[B]

ChrisD

The sensor itself usually is between 200 and 500 dollars, but you'll need a controller/display unit for them all, generally they don't work without one. I haven't seen many less than 1200, I think that's sort of the running price.

s2kpdx01

I had a question about the EMS unit. I am a no0b in the broadest sense of the word when it comes to tuning a car. Can you have like 3 or 4 different maps stored on say an EEPROM and use the EMS to load the different maps on the fly? Or does the EMS have some way to store maps and a menu system to pick them? I think it would be cool to have a 91/92 (for us west coast choads), a 94 octane, 100 octane, and 110 ...or something like that.

ChrisD

You can have as many maps as you want, but for most situations you won't need them, the EMS can tune based on a variety of different situations, boost, vehicle rpms, egts, coolant temps, so on and so forth. If you want to, however, you can set up a boost switch and wire that to the unit (so you'd have "high boost" and "low boost"). You wouldn't reload any maps, you'd just use one, but you'd be able to raise the boost and so utilize a higher portion of the same map.

Or if you wanted to keep the laptop in the car, you could load other basemaps in 10 or 15 seconds (valet, gf driving the car, various octane settings, etc).

Elements

Chris I love that write up! Thanks alot. It really tells me what I am about to get myself into.


Kevin

terry@spool

Good write up I am running up a group buy at mazdamp3.com.
If any of ya'll are intetersted its a UEGO unit with wideband sensor, control box and display. $499 SHIPPED!