Explorers EEC V computer. Man, can I data log with it!

If anyone here wants data info from Ford 4.0 liter v6 and I6 engines with the EEC IV, I can help. If your building a MegaSquirt kit, its propably a good shoe in to reduce a lot of extra work. Down here, Australian EFI Fords ran EEC IV and EEC V computers since about 1986, but weren't ODB2 compliant. The US import Explorer was fully ODB2 compliant, and ran the same kind of gearbox as the later 2008- date 5-speed auto Falcons and Territories. So a long term plan for me has been to get all the Aussie 4.1 and 4.0 systems patched into the US Cologne V6 Explorer/Mustang emissions certified systmes rather than constantly mucking about with the real headaches of Ford Australias often patchy and hard to lock down EEC IV and V transitions. Also there has been a desire to eliminate the need to buy a Ford Australia specific T5 or Borg Waner/BTR/Ion or ZF automatic gearbox.

What I've found is that I'm currently able to use two of the sixty sensor inputs to download vehicle distance and rear wheel bump at 50 foot intervals!

I cant do any binary code dumps as yet, but can log most of the SOHC v-six parameters visually at 50 feet intervals using this screen

http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/images/image10.gif


Since my 3.3 and 4.1 log head EFI units use US Ford Explorer gearboxes and odb2 compliant EEC IV computers, I've got to download fuel air ratios, pulse width, tps settings, MAP and total advance settings so I can get an EECIV calibration for Crossflow and Log head EFI engines under varing loads. I'm able to produce a part load Road Warrior Dyno System settings from about 2500 miles of existing surveyed road in my Explorer. Its 4.0 V6 and 3.3/4.0/4.1 I6 engine capable, crossflow, log head, 2v, sohc or dohc.

Its just that my 98 Explorers EEC IV computer has a 32 bit memory with heaps of room to data log. Im curently using two 16 bit data loggers for my road roughness, and as a cost saving going forward for my business, I would like to use more of the functionality in Fords EEC system.

I'm using an ODB 2 plug in to read data from my 4 liter Explorer (from Alex Pepper at http://www.obd-2.com/) , and I'm just stunned at how much info I can get out of a Ford on board computer. I spent 8 grand on two Campbell Scientific CR1000x computers only to find that the EEC unit can probably due the same for the price of a junked Explorer.

Is the 4.0L Explorer engine you mention the SOHC, or overhead valve (OHV) unit?

Ford had a 4.0L OHV engine that they used from 1990 until 2000 in US Rangers, Aerostars, and Explorers; basically a Cologne 2.9L engine. Since it was in early 90s vehilces, the EEC IV fuel injection was OBD1; OBD2 wasn't installed in the US Ranger until 1996.

You may want to look at these early EEC IV, OBD1 computers for this engine since it is OHV and its programming may match our 3.3L and 4.1L closer.

Just a thought.

Still busy taming Dinosaurs down here...

I've looked at earlier non SOHC Cologne and Vulcan stuff, but its really a case of drinking fizzy drink from a champange class. 160 hp isn't where things are at when you can get over 200 without any effort.

It's like this...our stock Aussie unleaded 1986-1992 4.1 EEC IV X-flows do 164 hp and 248 lb-ft right out of the box...the cross flow head flows less than a modified log or Classic In-lines engine, so why not just go for the 205, 207, 210 hp of the Ranger/Explorer/Mustang S197 SOHC 4.0. Not even base 4.9 EFI will eclipse those figures.

The Explorer/Rangers EEC IV sits at 160 hp or so for the OHV 4.0 right out of the box.

If the just the intake is reworked on a 3.3 and and even a 3.0 EEC V set up used, it'll do better than 160 hp with the right cam.When you consider the expense, and the nothing short of stunning advances Ford has made in the higher end V6's, why would anyone settle for an engine down 50 hp on power?

I'm already down the track to eec five data forms for our sixes. I've decided to start with the US EEC 5 Explorer EDIS-6 ignition first, since that influences your EFI MAP tables more than anything. Then I'll look at the EEC 5 4.0 Falcon SOHC EDIS-6 from a 3500 pound vehicle, but dump it in my 2600 pound Mustang.

Update: Actually, I've been busy logging stock Ford Exploder SOHC V6 ignition data with my Hugh McInnes style Corvair Turbo vitual Dashboard care of Alex Peppers CarCode system. See Hughes book , in there is a 1965 photo of his real dashboard Corvair turbo with a bunch of air craft gages being filmed on 8mm. Inspirational to me in 1988 when I was an 18 year old looking at being an automotive engineer, and now, I'm doing it 24 years later as a civil engineering technician.

Using my Explorer in Fjordland and Coastal Otago, while doing my normal State Highway stuff, I could get 12 of the 103 potential data forms on the fly with a stock eec five, and a full download of all info as csv files.

For example, just the ignition ramps on the Exploder were facinating.

My son and I got a solid and massive 36.5 degrees of advance on a 63 deg F ambient day, at 2006-2074 rpm, 25.1 to 27.8 % TPS loaded up in overdrive 5th gear.





As TPS was opened under throttle, it dropped down to about 33.5 at 30.2% TPS, and could suddenly plumet to 17 degrees total lead when loaded more at those revs, such as an incline. So you know that Ford really optimised those ignition ramps to allow the EFI to run lean or rich as appropriate to vehicle load. The difference in 10 degrees F in ambient temparature and a 3% incline up Te Anau took only 3 degrees off the advance at 2000 rpm.

It's this ignition first facet that I'm looking at. On the day we data logged, we had about 4400 pounds mass all up, and it was able to do a flat 17 second quarter at 83 mph in that trim, and later I got 16.7 at 86mph at 4034 popunds.


We got 23.2 US imperial mpg at a 52 mph ave for the 509 mile State Highway audit trip, excluding my makeshift 402 m/Quarter mile drag strip test just outside Dunedin. Imagine 205 hp in a car weighing 2600 to 3300 pounds, five speed gearbox, EFI, and stock log head.

Once the US and Australian 4.0 SOHC ignition, gearbox and fuel tables are copied into a smog 3.3/4.1 liter log head setting, then the 33 to 70% lighter US 200 and 250's bodies they came in should be able to log 28 to 35 US miles per gallon at 60 mph averages, while being able to do 16 sec as a 165 hp 3.3 in a 2600 pound Mustang, or 205 hp 4.1 in a 3300 pound Granada/Monarch/Maverick.

Compare this to the stock US hp of 85 and about 98 for the 1978 S-shell Fox and X-shell, each unable to break 19.8 seconds over the 1/4 mile. To improve power by 80 to 107 hp net, or 95 to 91%, with no loss in economy, but probably a gain, well thats what a Megasquirt system could do with the right ignition, cam and gearing.

We know that every 1960 to 1983 Ford six was so inefficent due to production and later emissions contraints, but EFI allows everyone here to get the benefit of almost 100% more power with none of the disadvantages.

rocklord":1dvo4iv3 said:

Is the 4.0L Explorer engine you mention the SOHC, or overhead valve (OHV) unit?

Ford had a 4.0L OHV engine that they used from 1990 until 2000 in US Rangers, Aerostars, and Explorers; basically a Cologne 2.9L engine. Since it was in early 90s vehilces, the EEC IV fuel injection was OBD1; OBD2 wasn't installed in the US Ranger until 1996.

You may want to look at these early EEC IV, OBD1 computers for this engine since it is OHV and its programming may match our 3.3L and 4.1L closer.

Just a thought.

Click to expand...

After a year of thought, I've decided to do just that...use an entirely stock 3.0, 3.2, 3.9 or 4.0 EEC IV electronic control module (ECU) or central processing unit (CPU) on a 3.3 or 4.0 tuned to the stock 120 to 232 hp they had.

One of the issues with any EEC system, is the ability to reprogram the whole set up is limited to finding a J3 or ODB II plug in to either solder in a Moates or Quarterhorse chip burn or SCA reflash to the ECU. Ford protect their intellectual property by creating a fragmented file packing stratergy to eliminate the easy copying of Dearborns binary code for the ECU tune they submitted for the 50,000 mile Federal Vehicle certification. Yes, you can burn an image or reflash if someone has defined the bin number for common Mustang 5.0's or DOHC 4.6'S OR 5.4'S or the Coyote 5.0, but not if its a less common 5.8 or 4.0 which hasn't been cracked by a programmer. Same applies with our Aussie EEC IV and V programs on 3.2, 3.9 and 4.0 in line OHC engines...no one has broken into every bin number ECU and no one has a chip that reworks any given computer.

When I data logged the SOHC 4.0 engine, I untapped the ignition ramps under load but not all the fuel stratergy. Since the SOHC 4.0 is OBDII, it has to be either rejigged to suit a full house 4.1 non cross flow with a cam, compression and exhast, or the 4.1 has to copy the ignition, compression and air flow ofthe Cologne V6.. It can't do that easily as the 4.1 is long stroke, small bore, small bore spacing I6, while the Cologne is a short stroke, big bore, large bore spacing engine with a different rod length to stroke ratio, and different rocker ratio.

There is a lot to it, and so I've decided to use my stock triple carb adaptor and run the factory port EFI injectors on an Offy style intake with the stock EEC i6 or V6 4.0 throttle body, and start at about 215 hp and use a non OBDII 4.0 EEC V from a 1998 XR6 automatic, and the EEC IV XH Ute 4.0 196 hp 5-speed XR6 tune. The Aussie Fords splits the power train, body control and engine control computer functions with a really basic code reader, and I can hack between it and the 1998 SOHC 4.0 unit with its 5 speed auto and the last Aussie market EEC IV for the 162 hp 4.0 OHV 5-speed Mazda manual gearbox.

The 221 HP 1998 XR6 automatic (AU Falcon) used an engine tune which transfers to any 1988 to 2002 3.9 or 4.0 engine.

The 196 hp 1998 XH Falcon 4.0 Utility was the last X-shell (1960 Falcon/1971 Mustang 1969 Maverick/1975 Granada based leaf spring body) and used a dumbed down EEC IV

The 205 hp UR model 1998-2000 SOHC 4.0 XLT Explorer auto I have has been partly hacked into already.

There was a 160 hp 5 speed manual Aussie and New Zealand market UR ohv XL 4.0 Exploder, like this



Lastly, the Aussie 250 block can be converted from 3.3 to 4.1, and cross flow to non cross flow with just the crank and rods and piston dish to allow total tune variations. Igntion can be Duraspark I, II, or EDIS6. With the stuff I've got, I can use the base tune from four basic EEC units, and use a Quarterhorse to switch to a new 200 or 250 EFI tune.

Fascinating! Do you have a wide band installed and do you have any way of logging the Exhaust Gas Oxygen content to see what Ford was doing at the different speeds and loads?

No, not yet. What I do have is an old exhast gas analyser which I calibrate some heated O2 sensors in addition to a link to Fords stock o2 sensors. It drops out of range only on occassion in unloaded situations, so I'm happy that I'm in ball park.

You might want to consider one of the offerings from here.

http://www.wbo2.com/

Peter makes a good product. He's been in the business for some time and support is very good. I believe that even his basic systems have some form of data logging capabilities.

Great, thanks for that. 8)