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I have gloves in trunk too anticipating having to remove a scalding hot ecu on the side of the road
All you really need is a rag in the trunk. It doesn't get scalding. I've done it without letting anything cool off. Also, just removing the engine cover and letting it sit with hood open will allow it to cool pretty quickly. Manageable in a few minutes. Remember that the ECU is thermally isolated from the engine via the 4 rubber grommets that your new pegs go into.
Before I got the tune... the night before ironically, I got my first "add a quart of oil" warning in all the 27,000 miles I've got on this thing ... so I added it, got the tune and though I've driven a bit more aggressively I've been treating this fairly mildly as I always do.
i checked the dipstick after warming engine and it was exactly at MIN so I added 1/2 quart and now we are exactly in middle of MIN and MAX.
I understand I'll likely need to add oil more frequently with a tune, correct?
Before I got the tune... the night before ironically, I got my first "add a quart of oil" warning in all the 27,000 miles I've got on this thing ... so I added it, got the tune and though I've driven a bit more aggressively I've been treating this fairly mildly as I always do.
i checked the dipstick after warming engine and it was exactly at MIN so I added 1/2 quart and now we are exactly in middle of MIN and MAX.
I understand I'll likely need to add oil more frequently with a tune, correct?
I believe this to be true. Eva2 asked for a quart about every 4 months or so without the tune and it seems that I only get about 7 weeks or so with the tune. Hard to say for certain as I have been sending my ECU back and forth to AMS over the last few months dialing it in. Ironically, the day my ECU was delivered on the latest round was this last Monday which is also the same day she went to the body shop from the rear ender. Ugh. So I do not know how the latest tweaks went and won't know for a few weeks until I get the car back.
Vrod - hey sorry to not clarify....EPC is the Mercedes online site for searching technical part info on all MB cars. I used this a ton when I had my old 2003 C32 AMG and it was a great resource to search by VIN and find any part number and associated components if you're doing the repairs and need to source all the replacement parts. I dont use it much on my E63 since its still under warranty and i just take it to the dealer and let them sort out the parts.....but its well worth the annual subscription price if you are out of warranty and having an indy mechanic (or DIY) repair your car and want to find the correct part numbers to source them less expensively from ebay or other online part wholesalers. i'm happy to run a VIN and look up a part for someone if needed since i have a subscription....
EPCnet Online is an official Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC site for hosting spare parts documentation for Mercedes-Benz cars and light trucks. EPCnetis a browser-based Electronic Parts Catalog which allows the user to specify virtually every spare part for the models covered. An intuitive graphical user interface permits easy navigation though the extensive parts catalog. Brief tutorials are available at no charge to familiarize new and experienced users with the Mercedes-Benz spare parts group system and the selection of the appropriate part for your particular vehicle.
Getting Started
Welcome to EPCnet Online, the official Mercedes-Benz USA LLC site for obtaining replacement parts information. The pages under this tab will help you get started more easily by explaining this site, the subscription and installation process, and the Mercedes-Benz parts system in general.
bmw world has realoem website for their parts.. i used it very frequently always checking certain things.
so for me its a no brainer to give up the 80 bucks for this to have all year access to the oem benz parts system.
sucks that benz charges for the services and there isnt ant real other reliable source for it on the web..
i even paid for the 24 hr star tekinfo so i can access the WIS ans print certain procedures like oil change, diff fluid change, spark plugs etc.
i might look into buying some ebay software to get accessnto WIS always, its very helpful sometimes, even tho it can be confusing and it isnt always detailed.
Next question is, where do all you benz guys order parts from online? I use to use ecs tuning alot for my bmw..
I had a service setup for that engine ticking sound (that has since been postponed due to the rear end accident repairs) so to be on the safe side, I swapped the entire air intake and filters back to stock. Just in case. You never know what they might say caused the problem should it end up being serious.
The reason I am telling you all this, is because it only took me about 20 minutes and I wasn't really going for speed. So if you guys ever are worried about the dealer voiding warranty work, it's super easy to revert.
I had a service setup for that engine ticking sound (that has since been postponed due to the rear end accident repairs) so to be on the safe side, I swapped the entire air intake and filters back to stock. Just in case. You never know what they might say caused the problem should it end up being serious.
The reason I am telling you all this, is because it only took me about 20 minutes and I wasn't really going for speed. So if you guys ever are worried about the dealer voiding warranty work, it's super easy to revert.
Just put the stock ecu back in ... so easy; just literally unplugged tuned one and plugged in stock one
i did break one of the risers for the big T Shaped covers ... the cover that has the engine builders name. Fortunately it's the middle riser and not therefore as important ... I don't think epoxy will allow it to endure multiple future removals and re installs ....
Just put the stock ecu back in ... so easy; just literally unplugged tuned one and plugged in stock one
i did break one of the risers for the big T Shaped covers ... the cover that has the engine builders name. Fortunately it's the middle riser and not therefore as important ... I don't think epoxy will allow it to endure multiple future removals and re installs ....
Hahaha, My stock cover I believe had the same piece break off. As you face the engine from in front of the car, it is the clip on your left just in front of the ECU (side of ECU closest to you). I wonder if you broke the same one. Really hoping my new carbon fiber cover doesn't break there. But like you said, It's not really a biggy even if it does.
Hahaha, My stock cover I believe had the same piece break off. As you face the engine from in front of the car, it is the clip on your left just in front of the ECU (side of ECU closest to you). I wonder if you broke the same one. Really hoping my new carbon fiber cover doesn't break there. But like you said, It's not really a biggy even if it does.
yep that's the one I broke ... going in to dealer for routine stuff in a week so I put it in ... boy what a difference the stock ecu is ...
yep that's the one I broke ... going in to dealer for routine stuff in a week so I put it in ... boy what a difference the stock ecu is ...
Oh,
But keep in mind, that it will actually be even slower than stock for a while until you adaptive changes kick in for your stock ECU. After a few days it will feel like it got faster. You will notice this. But still nowhere as fast as with the tuned ECU.
Oh,
But keep in mind, that it will actually be even slower than stock for a while until you adaptive changes kick in for your stock ECU. After a few days it will feel like it got faster. You will notice this. But still nowhere as fast as with the tuned ECU.
So does this mean that after the tune, the car will eventually make more power than what the dyno shows? Also when tuned, im assuming the car will make some more power a few days after adapting to it compared to when it first gets done.
So does this mean that after the tune, the car will eventually make more power than what the dyno shows? Also when tuned, im assuming the car will make some more power a few days after adapting to it compared to when it first gets done.
Well, it's a bit more tricky regarding the adaptive process on the tuned ECU than the Stock ECU. I will tell you that YES, it does seem as though after each time I received back my tuned ECU it did seem to hit its peak performance after 2 to 4 days. HOWEVER, the amount of adaptation that occurs has to be somewhat limited on the tuned ECU. Reason being that if it timing advances even slightly too much, then your knock sensors are tripped and cylinder(s) shutdown occurs. This is ugly when it happens! Ugh. BTW, when this happens the smartest thing to do is to pull over as soon as you safely can, and shutdown the engine. After that place your drive mode in C and drive it easy until you get home. Once home, you will then need to swap ECU's for a short while or disconnect the tuned ECU for a bit at minimum. This is the only way to pull back the timing that went too far. This has all happened to me so I know it all too well. Here is basically an accounting of what my experience has been so far:
1) Received new 2nd tuned ECU for the first time. It was jaw-dropping for about a month. But then I noticed it seemed as though all the gains from the tune had vanished. It seemed as though it performed like stock. I even did a runoff comparison with my Vbox between stock and tuned ECU's. Almost identical. So I shared this with AMS and they asked me to send it back to make some changes limiting the timing pullback. They also mentioned they could get me added power in the lower gears but that it might make the pedal to jumpy. I said Heck Ya, do it.
2) I then received back the tweaked ECU. WOW! No kidding about the lower gears. 2nd and 3rd are monsters. 4th is improved too. So I was going along happy as could be for about 5 weeks and then I had my first cylinder shutdown on the freeway. I did as I mentioned above. After the reset, all was good again for about 2 weeks, then it happened on the freeway again. Reset it again and only got about 6 days that time before a shutdown. So that is when I sent it back again. So there seems to be a fine line the tuner is walking between allowing timing pullback for avoiding knock and limiting timing pullback for performance. It's almost as if ideally we would want the adaptive process haulted on the tuned ECU.
3) I received back the 3rd iteration about 2 weeks ago. Hoping it is finally good to go. However, I am without my car for a few more weeks it looks like. So I will update when I get some miles logged on this latest iteration.
Sounds like the tuner needs to get an idea of how much extra power is released after the adaptation process, and then tune it to leave a bit of headroom for that. Its probably not making more than 10-20whp more after adaptation, but thats just a wild guess LOL.
EC has a stage 2 tune, which ive never heard of those issues coming up with that one from a few people that are running it, all using 94 octane pump gas (canada,eh).
yep that's the one I broke ... going in to dealer for routine stuff in a week so I put it in ... boy what a difference the stock ecu is ...
Peter - good to hear the ECU swap back to stock was easy and no glitches with the car re-adapting to the stock ECU......
i broke that same engine cover riser in the middle which you did - its still held in place tight with the front mount and rear mounts, but annoying that thing snapped off and broke....
Peter - good to hear the ECU swap back to stock was easy and no glitches with the car re-adapting to the stock ECU......
i broke that same engine cover riser in the middle which you did - its still held in place tight with the front mount and rear mounts, but annoying that thing snapped off and broke....
Looks like you and Peter need to upgrade to the CF cover so they won't break! It's only $1400 ! Hahahaha Sure love my dealer. lol
Just had a major service visit (routine) and had the tensioner chains fixed and I had the oem ecu installed; also had 30k maintenance done. My prepaid covers new plugs at 40k or in one year so I'll have them do the plugs then. Plus it's done by the master tech.
dealer didn't say anything about the ecu and there was no denial of warranty work. Just an FYI
came home and quickly popped the AMS ecu back in ... took under 45 seconds ... lol
btw naperville matched a formulaic coupon from Orland Benz: age x 3% = 12% off
good through oct 31, 2018
Last edited by PeterUbers; 10-27-2018 at 12:52 PM.
10-10-2018, 03:02 PM
It's only $1400 ! Hahahaha Sure love my dealer. lol
