I purchased my Megasquirt 3 GoldBox from Felix Hamilton at Hamiltuned on Facebook. He offers multiple versions such as a DIY harness which I opted for, a pre-made harnesses, and even a plug an play option that interfaces with the stock wiring harness.
I chose the DIY harness because it was the cheapest option, as well as I was tired of the old wiring harness in my Z messing up signals to my Nistune ecu causing it issues.
I chose the DIY harness because it was the cheapest option, as well as I was tired of the old wiring harness in my Z messing up signals to my Nistune ecu causing it issues.
Install Process
The installation of a GoldBox is very straight forward if you understand basic wiring circuits. 3 pin coils such as the 350Z coils I used, require a switched 12v power source, ground, and a signal wire from the ecu. Injectors require a switched 12v power source, and the ecu signal wire.
Other sensors include the MAP sensor, IAT sensor, CAS, and CHTS. Each of these are required to be hooked up to a special ecu ground called the sensor ground. If they are not wired to this ground, they will read incorrect values and that can be detrimental to the performance of the engine. For a complete walk through of all the wiring of the harness and sensors, please watch the below videos and reference the Megasquirt users manual which can be found below.
Other sensors include the MAP sensor, IAT sensor, CAS, and CHTS. Each of these are required to be hooked up to a special ecu ground called the sensor ground. If they are not wired to this ground, they will read incorrect values and that can be detrimental to the performance of the engine. For a complete walk through of all the wiring of the harness and sensors, please watch the below videos and reference the Megasquirt users manual which can be found below.
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Additional Hardware
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Depending on your build you may also look at upgrading your ignition system to a coil on plug style with an ignition coil for each spark plug. There are many ways of doing this from using LS coils (which is a very common selection) or the route I took which was using 350Z Coils.
Whatever setup you get make sure to also get the related connector. I found Rockauto.com usually has these connectors for $1-2 per connector. |
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If you do decide to upgrade to a coil on plug system, you can also tidy up your engine bay a bit by deleting the stock distributor cap and rotor. The Z Garage offers Block Off Plates to help make your engine bay look clean and tidy while remaining completely functional!
You can check them out here
You can check them out here
If you have an 84-86 analog gauge cluster and you are opting for a coil on plug setup like I did, you will need to also purchase this adapter from DIY AutoTune in order to run your dash tachometer correctly, as the old tach was powered by the ignition coil which no longer exists. This adapter was developed on the Z31 chassis and works perfectly.
TunerStudio
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TunerStudio is the application used to setup and tune your ecu. You do not have to purchase a license for the basic functionality of the program, but more advanced features require a license purchase. There is also an autotune function offered for an additional price on top of the license fee, and while it is not as good as a professional tuner, it definitely helps get your fuel map very close to where it needs to be, especially if you are not an experienced tuner to work on it yourself.
The video to the right shows a complete tutorial on the setup and basics of tuning your ecu with TunerStudio, although we still recommend having your car tuned by a professional. |
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Files from The Z Garage
Here is a repository for .msq tuner files currently running on my GoldBox. These maps are by no means perfect and should be taken simply as a file to compare to yours as you tune your ecu. Different builds with different components will react differently to the same tune, so take that into account with your build when viewing these files.
Base Map and MS Setup Files
The Z Garage's Current Tune
View The Current and Previous Tunes Here
Use the file names for the most current file.
Use the file names for the most current file.