Postby Kevinzz » May 8th, 2021, 3:52 am
I'm posting this reply here in tamdem with my other one since it applies to the same topic. Hope it helps someone!
Good day 2ners, sorry I know this post overdue for an update and a few people have sent me DMs concerning my solution. Apologies for the delay and well long story short, I ended up doing a Singapore to Japanese conversion on the engine side.
I did this because my ECU ended up frying itself along with some Chinese coil packs I unfortunately got roped into buying.. The cause of the problem is still unknown but the two strongest possibilities may have been either the Chinese coil packs, or a bad ECU ground connection.
Since the QG 15,16 and 18 family of engines are nearly identical with only minor differences like throttle body (cable type/E-throttle), bore/stroke and displacement, it makes sense that the ECU's would also be pretty much the same. And for the most part that's true (slightly different fuel and compression ratios). However, you also need to look at the wiring harness and it's pins/jacks.
There are certain pins that require inputs from speed sensors and other auxiliaries like the tranny ECU. My auto electrician was well versed in these conversions so it didn't take long for him to finish the conversion. But we did have some trouble sourcing the right ECU and harness. An important thing to pay attention to is the previous engine the ECU and harness comes off of. If you have an E-throttle engine, a Cable-Type ECU WON'T work and vice versa (don't ask me how I know this). All in all, consult with your auto electrician on what to look for if you plan on searching yourself. Or, drag him along with you to help you look hahah. Either way, you don't want to buy the wrong parts and cause yourself a headache.
Currently, I'm running an ECU and harness that came off of a 4wd Japanese Almera (Bluebird Sylphy QNG10). It's been over 6 months now with it and there have been zero issues (The Code on the ECU is YU for those wondering). I also haven't noticed any changes in fuel economy but the engine does idle a bit lower than it used to when up to temp (not by much and it makes the car almost silent from 15ft away). As for HP? I'm not convinced it went up but with that being said, the car certain became much more snappy on acceleration. Maybe it's a placebo effect?
So to recap this mess of a post, I ended up doing a Singapore to Japanese conversion because the price some places call for the V3 ECU alone is a joke and to import it would be just as costly, remember to do your research or ask your auto electrician about the pins and jacks you need to look for on the new harness, and lastly, this conversion was done to avoid any headaches related to Singapore ECUs in the future. The Japanese versions are more widely available and way more budget friendly.
Also, feel free to correct anything I may have gotten wrong. I'm not a professional when it comes to cars, just sharing what I learnt!
Hope this at least helps a person or two!!