K8 ECU on KLZE engine cause car to sputter?

[Juans_93_MX3]

Got done with the ZE swap a while ago, just curious for anyone that has ran the K8 ECU on the ZE. Does you car sputter after 3k RPMs?

Im thinking it could be a bad spark plug, small air leak (I think I know where) of that it might be that I am using a K8 ECU with a K8 VAF

I have a KLDE Probinator chipped ECU with a KLDE VAF but havent put it in yet.

[solo_ryder]

lol, why dont you put in the correct ecu combo?

Is there something wrong, or are you lazy?

[Mooneggs]

lol, why dont you put in the correct ecu combo?

Is there something wrong, or are you lazy?

x2 it takes like 10 minutes to put that stuff in haha

[Juans_93_MX3]

lol, why dont you put in the correct ecu combo?

Is there something wrong, or are you lazy?

x2 it takes like 10 minutes to put that stuff in haha

It takes a while because its kind of a pain in the a-- on the MX3 to take out the ECU

I have switched back and fourth between the two ECUs. Last time I ran my MX6 ECU/VAF on my MX3, I had to keep my foot on the pedal to keep the car running. It was almost as if there was a big air leak.

I am going to give the MX6 ECU and VAF another try. Sense than I had to redo the timing and TPS

Im just curious about other people's exprience with the K8 ECU incase for some reason MX6 Probinatored Chip ECUs cant work on the MX3. I know that the distributors are suppose to be different on the MX3 than the MX6 and Probe. Something to do with the wiring
Im hoping that when I run my MX6 chipped ECU/VAF that it doesnt do the same thing as last time.

[FlyingPotatoes]

I'm in almost the exact situation, and have similar symptoms.

I picked up an MX3 with a 90% completed ZE swap. As far as I know, it's still on the K8 ecu and vaf.

I managed to get it running the first night, but have been replacing all kinds of stuff chasing a serious misfire after about 5000 rpm, and it's smoking rich and falling flat on its face under load. Problem is reduced if i give it a vacuum leak, so it is definitely an excess fuel issue.

I read elsewhere that an MX3 ecu/vaf will run a ZE fine, but with worse gas mileage. Can anybody back this up? Will swapping the ecu/vaf fix the problem?

[Juans_93_MX3]

I'm in almost the exact situation, and have similar symptoms.

I picked up an MX3 with a 90% completed ZE swap. As far as I know, it's still on the K8 ecu and vaf.

I managed to get it running the first night, but have been replacing all kinds of stuff chasing a serious misfire after about 5000 rpm, and it's smoking rich and falling flat on its face under load. Problem is reduced if i give it a vacuum leak, so it is definitely an excess fuel issue.

I read elsewhere that an MX3 ecu/vaf will run a ZE fine, but with worse gas mileage. Can anybody back this up? Will swapping the ecu/vaf fix the problem?

I am going to find this out tommorrow.
Double check your timing to make sure its right

[Mad Cow]

Yep, I runs way rich with the K8 ECU and VAF. Mine spit thick black smoke until I chipped it, the VAF was stuck wide open though, but I put in a KL31 chip I found in the glovebox before replacing the VAF, and it stopped the smoke. Get a probinator chip and you'll be able to run both the JE50 (stock mx3) or KL01(stock KLDE) VAF.

[Juans_93_MX3]

Yep, I runs way rich with the K8 ECU and VAF. Mine spit thick black smoke until I chipped it, the VAF was stuck wide open though, but I put in a KL31 chip I found in the glovebox before replacing the VAF, and it stopped the smoke. Get a probinator chip and you'll be able to run both the JE50 (stock mx3) or KL01(stock KLDE) VAF.

So are you saying that your KLZE used to sputter until you got the ECU chipped?

I got a MX6 ECU (chipped) and people on ProbeTalk.com told me I also have to run a KLDE ECU

[FlyingPotatoes]

I am going to find this out tommorrow.
Double check your timing to make sure its right

Heh, I'm waaaaay past that. So far:

- Fuel filter
- Timing
- Distributor
- Spark plugs
- Spark plug wires
- Timing belt
- Checked all vacuum lines
- O2 sensors
- CPS
- Knock sensor

New ECU and VAF are coming tomorrow. I probably should have started with this post before I spent all that money.

[FlyingPotatoes]

I swapped in the ecu and vaf from a 93 MX-6 and the sputtering is gone.

It doesn't feel as fast as my turbo/ZE Probe did, but it still pulls hard. The car is just incredibly excited about EVERYTHING.

Can somebody add a note about ECUs to the FAQ so future swappers know to change it over? Or maybe change the search options so a search for "klze ecu" doesn't throw away your search terms? I wasn't able to figure this out till I manually scanned the last few pages of the forum.

[Juans_93_MX3]

Yup same here.

KLDE ECU (probinator)

The VAF from some FOrd Probe I bought from Probetalk.com doesnt want to work with it so K8 VAF for now but I hear it doesnt matter because the Probinator will work with either.

[Mnemonic]

k8 ecu and je50 shouldn't cause any problems besides running a little on the rich side.

[Mad Cow]

k8 ecu and je50 shouldn't cause any problems besides running a little on the rich side.

It'll also give you a CEL for the removed EGR and the VRIS points will be off. And not just a little rich, it'll be spitting black smoke when you floor it rich.

[Mnemonic]

lol I'm not a noob when it comes to this information and I've had this combo before for several months with no problems. Never blew black smoke, never blew any smoke for that matter on either KF or KL.


As for EGR... Seriously? WHO CARES ABOUT EGR... if you connect the egr up you wont get a cel light now will you?


And if i said it once I'll say it again, different VRIS settings plays a very very very, very very very, very very very limited roll in your over all performance, i've tried every single vris setting from every single K series engine that i could possibly find, and the dyno numbers were off no more than 5whp in either direction (which with that small of a margin the numbers are really the same). All pulls were done under the same condition, with NO VRIS being the control. The only visible difference is a slight shift in power. In any of the settings the difference wasn't great enough to make any real difference in performance.

[RX8SE3P]

I dunno what power a K8 ECU and VAF would make on a KLZE engine but it must be sh*t. My ZE runs quite rich with the K8 ECU and VAF. It literally stinks of fumes.

Blows some smoke but not black smoke. Dunno wtf people are talking about with black smoke, don't running rich causes that....

I'm getting my ECU chipped soon. Hope to make more power with it. The K8 ECU sucks because it has down low power but doesn't seem to be very smooth in it's delivery. It just feels wrong.

As for people saying the engine sputters and whatnot. Mine doesn't sputter with K8 ECU. It behaves much like my K8 but louder and has more torque and is less smooth.

Either way it's pretty common knowledge that you have to use the right ECU and VAF combination for your car.