Can my M52 ECU be remapped for Vanos delete?

[DanThe]

Take off from another thread really, but as above, im interested in having my standard M52 ECU remapped so I can loose the vanos.
Can this be done reliably? i.e. so it doesn't keep throwing up fault codes and my MPG doesn't bottom out

Also how much work would need to go into it? Am I going to have to book a rolling road for about 3 days or anything like that?

[Jhonno]

You have to put an exhaust cam in the inlet side 1st..

Why do you want to lose the Vanos? It is normally only done to run standalone and big cams..

Mapping wont be too much hassle, same as any normal lump, probably through something like Unichip though

[DanThe]

Why do you want to lose the Vanos? It is normally only done to run standalone and big cams..

Mapping wont be too much hassle, same as any normal lump, probably through something like Unichip though

I have some lumpy cams that wont work with twin vanos heads

Unichip isnt just a remap though, also from what ive heard from various tuners it needs the best part of 1K throwing at it

If I was spending that sort of money id rather buy a MS setup that I can mess with myself

[Jhonno]

Have you spoken to Paul (shepsevo)? I have chatted to him, and 1k is a fair bit over the mark..

I will be running cams with VANOS, and that will be going to see Paul to be 'fine tuned'

What spec are the cams?! Additional lift?

[DanThe]

Well unichip is over £500 is it not? Then the dyno sessions on top, average £100 per hour?

How much do you think it will cost Jhonno?

[Jhonno]

A UniQ fitted and mapped will be approx £550-£600 all inc. depending on how long it takes.

[DanThe]

Expensive remap though..

[Jhonno]

Well.. Yes and no.. It is like mapping a standalone, but with all the safety and features (ie millions in development) of the standard ecu

Having looked into it, it is a nice option imo, considering a remap is £300 odd and it literally a flash of a generic map 99% of the time

[Andyboy]

For that sort of money you'd buy a new M50 non vanos engine loom, secondhand ECU and just get it mapped. I say a new loom because old ones seem to develop faults that can't easily be put right.

[DanThe]

That was the original plan Andy, but the engine im messing with has the crank sensor at the rear so ive now got an ECU that runs a rear crank sensor which is M52

[E30BeemerLad]

come on Dan, turbo the fecker

[DanThe]

Id rather turbo than spend £600 on a remap

[Andyboy]

That was the original plan Andy, but the engine im messing with has the crank sensor at the rear so ive now got an ECU that runs a rear crank sensor which is M52

So you're using a USA/TU/M54 type crank? Then block the sensor hole with a steel plate from a steel liner M52 and use an M50 crank pulley. Be aware that vanos and non vanos front pulleys are different. A mate of mine buit a Nikasil block non vanos 2.8 and used a 1991 325i ECU, loom and front pulley. With the Vanos front pulley it would hardly start because the timing was massively over advanced.
I take it you are using the rear TDC trigger crank in an earlier block?

[DanThe]

Been thinking about it and im just going to run it single vanos with the rear sensor

Ive also experienced the pulley difference, the first time I changed a vanos engine to non vanos, did about 2 hours of head scratching

[Andyboy]

Can you run a single vanos engine loom on that rear sensor? The rear crank trigger is smaller in diameter than the earlier front one so would it get confused?

[DanThe]

I hope so! ECU is from a 1998 E36 328i, checked with the VIN, AFAIK no E36 had the twin vanos engine? I hope not anyway

[Andyboy]

No, E36's are all single, E46's are all twin.

[Andyboy]

Forgot to add - late E36's (late 98 S/T plate) are single vanos but have the rear crank sensor.

[DanThe]

Thats how I understood it Andy