Hello,

I am new to the Fiero Forums, as I have reached out to people in the Cadillac Forums about the Northstar system and have gotten no replies, and I figured the Fiero community might have some answers.

I am currently working on an engine swap project that is using a 1993 Northstar engine and trans combo. It isn't a Fiero, its an '87 MR2, but if successful, I will be doing the same to a Fiero in the near future. I have heard of a lot of Fiero Northstar swaps are very successful, and I was wondering about the engine control module (ECM).

What ECM is the best to use with a Northstar? I will not have lights, airbags, A/C, ABS, power steering, or anything that isn't the engine or transmission. I just need the engine to run well, and the transmission to shift properly. I would really like to use the stock ECM to save some money, or another GM ECM if it will work. If oyu use the stock one, are they easy to re program with, say, TunerCat or TunerPRO? This engine is a 1993 and has a PROM chip in it, but that means little to me.

Does anyone have some suggestions on how to get this standalone setup running?

The Northstar PCM used to be a real pill to reprogram. I'm pretty sure that Tunercat doesn't have any definition files for it. I don't know about Tunerpro.
Ryan Hess has a program that will run a Northstar using a 7730 ECM, but I have heard that the base tune needs some tweaking to make it run correctly.
Also, I don't know if it will support an auto tranny. I think it was designed with a manual in mind.

The easiest thing to do is to use the stock GM ECU that came with your 93 N*. It will control the automatic transmission just fine. You can use your stock computer or have it reprogrammed by Westers Garage in Alberta for various items such as EGR delete, Rev-limiter removed, performance shifting, etc....

You can get a wiring harness here if you don't want to make one: http://howellefi.com/gm-northstar-products.html Howell puts a security bypass module in the harness so you don't have to deal with pass key issues. This is for a stock system.

I have a 96 N* with an LS1 style PCM, a manual transmission, aftermarket cams. It runs but has tuning issues. I'm doing another one now with my son and we are using the stock 1996 PCM with passkey, EGR and Rev limiter deleted running the auto transmission.

Perhaps you already know about this link: http://www.v8mr2.com/

Good info on Westers. I was under the impression that it was still a "magic box". It appears that the science has marched on.

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 03-18-2012).]

We can do all most every year of Northstar's currently. The OBD I ECM's are the ones that we need more time on. We have only tuned a few

pcmcalibrators.com

I am using the OBD I ECM, so maybe I'll send it off to Wester's.

If I find a way to bypass the passkey, will the stock ECM just plug and play without any modifications? I figured without climate control, abs, and airbags it would lock up...

There was a guy a few years back who was installing a N* in an MR2. I don't remember whether it was here or a kit car forum. I never heard if it was finished or not.

Hi, all!

Just wanted to give a quick thanks for the suggestions...

Believe it or not, I finished the project (well, you know, finished for now) and I used the Stock ECM with no programming modifications.

With some help from a friend, we dissected the wiring harness and other than the Passkey, removed all other modules. Engine AND Transmission run and shift like a champ!!!

If you have any specific questions on it, I can try to answer them as best I can.

Thanks again for the suggestions,

Cool!
Thanks for stopping in and sharing your success story! So many times, we'll never hear about how something worked out.

Of course, pics are always welcomed. (The thread might get moved to O/T, but that's okay. Or just start a new one.)

------------------
Raydar
88 Formula IMSA Fastback. 4.9, NVG T550

Praise the Lowered!

I have become a big fan of megasquirt in the last few years... You can be out the door with everything for less than $300.

I'm more than happy to talk about the build if you want... Of course, I could go on for hours, so if you have any specific questions, I'd be more than happy to answer them in a sort of Q&A format.

What do you want to know about it?!

If you go to gmr2.wordpress.com you can see a little about the build and see it running. I have probably 100s of pictures that I am still working on compiling.

quote Originally posted by STSMR2: I am new to the Fiero Forums, as I have reached out to people in the Cadillac Forums about the Northstar system and have gotten no replies, and I figured the Fiero community might have some answers.

Yeah, Cadillac Forums is pretty useless.

quote Originally posted by STSMR2: Believe it or not, I finished the project (well, you know, finished for now) and I used the Stock ECM with no programming modifications.

The most relevant info to share would be the service number of your PCM and the "broadcast code" on your PROM. That would be a four letter code like "ABCD" on a sticker on the PROM.

quote Originally posted by darkhorizon: I have become a big fan of megasquirt in the last few years... You can be out the door with everything for less than $300.

Does it do transmission control? If not, it wouldn't be appropriate for this application.

There is a megasquirt controller that will control transmissions. Look up megashift using the GPIO controller.