Pro-M Racing Engine Management System

[cgundermann]

Have not seen anyone using this fully programable ECU, so I thought I would thread my progress for my 347 application. The ECU is allegedly water & heat proof and I just mounted it to the top of the passenger footbox. Used some roughly half inch nylon spacers to give it some standoff for air circulation. Have it facing rearward for the OB2 plug to read and port to plug in laptop to adjust the tune. Nice opening at the far right of the lower dash/firewall to run the wiring which was just the right length. Pro-M instructs you to run their leads to fuel pump, ignition etc. - sooo some rewiring after completing the Ron Francis wiring kit. Have all the engine specific variables entered into the ECU, which is fairly simple and intuitive. Recently had my J-Pipes ceramic coated and installing the Innovate Motorsports Wideband Air/Fuel sensors. I did a carbon fiber dash and I found a simulated carbon fiber two gauge pod from Summit, which I mounted upside down under the dash. Just mounted the required check engine light and I am prepping #7404 for a move. New home the first week of December and my Bride blessed having the oversized garage painted, wired for cable (Velocity Channel), sink and MotoFloor garage floor tiles. Just retired this past summer, so after the move I will build up more steam on my build and hope to have this running the first part of the year. Keep you posted after nesting...

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[karlos]

Thanks for the info. I'll be running a Pro-M system on my build as well, although I'm many months out from actually installing it. Very interested in following your progress. Please post a pic or two of your ECU installation if you get a chance. Thanks!

Congrats on your recent retirement. I find myself in the garage until 2 or 3 am some nights, as I'm still chained to a desk 9-to-5 and just can't get enough done on the weekends. I imagine it's a great feeling to be able to allocate your time however you want...

Build looks great, BTW.

[cgundermann]

Thanks Karlos, just starting to decompress and enjoy retirement. Looking forward to my heated dream garage and more unbridled build time. Here is the ECU mounting location:

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[skullandbones]

Were you planning this EFI tunable system the whole time or did you change your build plans after wiring? Will this be your tuning thread?

I started out with EFI in mind but did not anticipate the need for a tunable ECU (found out through a lot of reading but too late for the initial build). Luckily for me, I found one that will retrofit into my harness. I started out with shorty headers and J pipes but changed my mind and went with the BBK ceramic headers. Sometime down the road, I will probably go back the J pipes when I put the exhaust semi under the chassis like on the ERAs and FIA FFR roadsters. It will make the sensor location issue a lot better and maybe more accurate (we'll see). I'm sure there are tuner tips that will be transferable so looking forward to hearing your experiences with tuning. Are you going to use Tuner Studio or does the Pro M have it's own tuning software? BTW: I like the idea of under the dash mount. I was scratching my head on where to mount the gauge which is modern and digital compared to vintage style dash gauges. It will separate them enough to look OK, I think. I don't know if you have always hot rodded but I remember when it was cool to mount a Sun tach on the top of the dash or steering column. There were also those ubiquitous gauge pairs under the dash with the brushed mounting bracket and water temp and oil pressure gauges.

Congratulations on retiring and moving to a new home. That's a lot of stuff happening all at once plus the build!

Good luck,

WEK.

[karlos]

Thanks for the photos of the ECU. So it's on the PS footbox, but do you have it inside the passenger compartment (bottom of the footbox) or in the engine compartment (on top of the footbox)? The photos are a little too zoomed-in to tell...

[cgundermann]

I knew I was going EFI, but hadn't decided on a stock/piggy-backed ECU and mid build - Pro-M released their new system. I am on your blog, but I will update this thread as I progress with the system. The Pro-M unit comes with its own tuning software, so I will keep you posted. Interested to see how yours works out. I remember from your blog that you were struggling with where to mount your O2 gauge, so I included a pic of mine. Doesn't contrast too much with my dash theme. I debated on where to put mine for a while...

[cgundermann]

Yes, it is suspended from the roof/top of the passenger foot box. Still experimenting with orientation, for easy access to plug in - other wire looms loop in just below the face of the dash. I might make a cover to hide the wrapped wires coming in.

[NICK C]

Is the ECU for that system based on the A9L that was pre-programmed at Pro-M for the older non programmable systems. I have that system and may retrofit to the new system like yours as I eventually get mine running. It surely will be more precise in fine tuning. All of my engine specs were given to Pro-M when I ordered, and I know it's based on algorithms and means, but will be nice to really tune tight. I ask about the ECU as I have mine mounted in the passengers side panel and was wondering about size and any mods I may need to do in the future. Thanks Nick

[cgundermann]

No, it's a clean sheet design and apparently it can manage all engine parameters without the Ford TFI even hooked up. Chris Richards at Pro-M is an old Fox body 5.0 guy and is a wealth of knowledge. He designed it from his perceived weaknesses of the A9L. They also make for other manufacturers...

Now I am just conveying what I have read and relaying my discussions with Chris at Pro-M. Proof will be in the pudding once she is running! Thus far, I have been impressed and love the ability to simply plug in a laptop and change the injector size, boost levels, nitrous etc. It comes with all the wiring for these power adders...

The Pro-M ECU is slightly bigger than a A9L, but as mentioned is H2O/heat proof.

[skullandbones]

If you don't have the TFI distributor what would you use (vacuum)? One of the reasons I decided to go with a tunable computer is it's ability to allow you to run DIS (distributorless Ignition). However, you have to have some Hall Effect reading to go to the ECU. One way the Stinger guys have done it is to use the reluctor on the TFI distributor and take off one tooth so it can be used as an 8:1 trigger. You have to fabricate a cap to go over the distributor body without the cap and rotor. You can use a similar setup with the explorer type cam synchronizer/cam position sensor and a crank trigger on the balancer (OEM). You can go with a aftermarket crank trigger that will mount on the crank but you still have to have something to run the oil pump so the explorer synchronizer would work and looks pretty good, too. One of my goals was to get rid of the distributor and wires for COP or one 4 post coil per bank with very short plug wires. Raises another question: will yours run the coils without an ignition box?

Thanks,

WEK.:cool:

[cgundermann]

The programable processor comes with tuning software and USB cable for tuning through the OBD II connection. You can enter your specific tune or for $100, have the new EFI processor shipped with the “tune” pre-installed. It will also include a software package that will allow you to make any modification to the engine...

Water and shock proof for mounting under hood or inside the vehicle.

Free software updates for life - all of the upgrades and new features free, just download.

OBD II compatible. Codes read and cleared and sensor data read using a generic OBD II scan tool. The processor uses the same code strategy and the same codes, that all of the OEM's use.

Fully laptop programmable; laptop also acts as a powerful scan tool and you can view data in real time.

Full control over both Air/Fuel ratio and timing. The latest trends are "fuel only" EFI systems. They have no control over spark, so they are only doing half of the game.

Operates in constant closed loop with TWO wide band oxygen sensors, which adjust each bank independently, resulting in in more precise control over air/fuel ratio. Your choice of either the Innovate MTX-L or LC2 wide band O2 sensors.

Tuning software is Fuel table based on "load" and "lambda". Spark table based on "load". Want to change it - enter a number and the processor just does it.

“One Click” tuning - you don't have to watch the screen on your laptop. You can tune your Air / Fuel ratio on the road. Drag and drop the fuel table to the tuning box. One button will richen the mixture at whatever point you happen to be in the fuel table at any given time. Another one will lean the mixture. A third one will undo your change if you don't like the result, just put your fingers on your keyboard and watch your wideband O2 sensors. Then just click your way to the optimum tune, and save your changes. This can be done with any table in the tune.

Store an unlimited number of tunes. The software has a feature that copies the existing tune to another file, then runs the engine on that copy. Modify the copy anyway you'd like on the fly, and instantly see the results. This allows you to modify your tune, without actually modifying your tune! Like the results - then save them as your new tune. Don't like, switch back to the original tune, and try again.

Suppose to make tuning for forced induction super easy. The tune is based on “Load”, no tuning will be required for forced induction in most cases. For running high boost levels, you can adjust the tune slightly if needed. Even in those cases, according to Pro-M - tuning will likely not be needed.

Two ways to control timing retard for forced induction. Simply adjust the advance values in the spark table for load values that reflect boost. The wiring harness has a connector for an optional 3 BAR MAP sensor (available from Pro-M). Enter the amount of advance you want to pull out for each pound of boost. The MAP sensor is not needed if you use the spark table method.

Fully programmable progressive nitrous controls; ramp the nitrous up while ramping the spark advance down, all with simple parameters right in the processor.

Fully programmable progressive water/methanol injection controls! Ramp the water/methanol up while ramping the spark advance up along with it. Advanced OBD II diagnostics and fail safe features.

User adjustable two stage Rev Limiter. Cut fuel or spark or both. Activate your first stage with your existing trans brake or line lock with one simple connection.

“Decel” feature cuts fuel while decelerating. Progressive ramp in and ramp out makes the transition in and out of “Decel Mode” seamless.

Individual cylinder tuning.

Electric cooling fan control built In; wiring is already in the harness, and the parameters are already in the processor. The processor will automatically turn the fans on and off based on coolant temperature, and will turn them on when the air conditioning compressor runs.

Ignition module - the ignition module is integrated into the processor. The processor uses four individual drivers to run the ignition coil.

According to Pro-M:

Advanced timing control that actually rivals the accuracy and consistency of “Coil On Plug” type ignition systems. Distributor type ignition systems are typically victims of distributor gear lash. Consider also the rapidly changing speed of the engine. When the cylinder comes up on compression, it slows down. When it fires, it speeds up. These changes are very rapid, which makes the distributor gear lash become a considerable factor. The processor averages the signals produced by the distributor. This allows the processor to deliver consistent timing advance to all the cylinders. Something normally you only see with “Coil On Plug” systems. This also allows Pro-M to offer a “Coil On Plug” ignition system for the older engines that were not originally equipped, which completely eliminates the need for a CD box in boosted applications.

Supports OEM “Coil Pack” and “Coil on Plug” ignition systems. If the engine you want to run was originally equipped with “Coil Pack” or “Coil On Plug” ignition, it can manage those...

Want to run twin turbos, or twin superchargers; Pro-M EFI processor simply adds the two air flow values. Optional Pro-M wiring harness required.

Two programmable outputs. For example... Connect one of them to a shift light. Just tell the computer to activate that output at whatever RPM you want.

Scope feature built into the software; use the Lab Scope to examine sensor data on the fly, or record the data and examine it later.

Self protecting processor - it detects short circuits and will shut down that ECM driver if a short is detected. It will also turn on the check engine light, and store a code to direct you to the problem.

Self diagnosing processor: the processor continuously checks itself for faults. Tells you whether or not the processor is the source of trouble.

The processor is made by the same manufacturer who makes the processors for Ford. They are built in the same plant, side by side with the OEM processors. The software and code is written by OEM contractors.

Pro-M also offers a specific management system for Coil-On-Plug, or Coil Pack Ignition on any engine; even on older engines that do not have crankshaft and camshaft position sensors.

Chris

[cgundermann]

From their website in regards to your earlier question:

Now you can have Coil-On-Plug, or Coil Pack Ignition on any engine. Even on older engines that do not have crankshaft and camshaft position sensors. On newer engines already equipped with Coil-On-Plug or Coil Packs from the factory, you'll simply use the existing sensors and coils. On older engines, we supply a sensor assembly that goes where the distributor used to be. Just install it in place of the distributor. This acts as both a crank and a cam sensor. Pro-M EFI Processor cleans up the messy signal generated by camshaft driven sensors, and delivers a consistent spark to all the cylinders. As good as later model, high data rate ignition systems, and easy installation. But it's not only about consistent spark to all the cylinders, it's also about throwing a spark hot enough for even the most demanding conditions; our Coil-On-Plug system for older engines utilizes the GM LS coils - the hotter ones with the heat sink.

Uses Pro-M EFI Coil on Plug Distributor; why Coil-On-Plug?

Any ignition coil will have an optimum charge and discharge time. This is the time required to throw the hottest spark the coil is capable of. But with a single coil, this becomes a problem. As engine RPMs increase, there is less time between cylinder events, and therefore, less time to achieve optimum charge and discharge. At some point (typically around 3500 RPM), there is simply not enough time anymore, and the spark power begins to diminish. As the RPM's increase, there is less and less time, and eventually, the coil will not have enough power to jump the spark plug gap. This is not typically a problem with naturally aspirated engines, but if you are running relatively high levels of boost, you can experience “Spark Blow Out”. There are three way to fix this. First, you can decrease the plug gap, but this will only get you so far. The second way is to add a CD box, which puts more current to the primary side of the coil, increasing the output of the coil. While this increases the output, it also shortens the duration of the discharge. It works, but it's not a great method, and these CD boxes are unreliable at best. That's why you will usually see a spare one in the trunk. The third, and by far the best way, is to increase the charge and discharge time. This is done by using multiple coils. A single coil will have to charge and discharge 4 times per engine revolution. Each coil in a Coil Pack system will only have to charge and discharge one time per engine revolution, and each coil in a Coil-On-Plug system will only have to charge and discharge one time for every two engine revolutions. Add to that the fact that we supply the GM LS coils, and you have an ignition system that is unstoppable.

Chris