MaxxECU - Share Your Setup

[Jotronic]

There was a thread started previously that was addressing the modernization of our cars, but it got shut down. Hopefully, this will be a thread that can grow and evolve as I've decided to commit to the MaxxECU route for my restomod. It has been a mind boggling deep dive into my options and I nearly pulled the trigger on a Vitesse unit just the other day but decided I wanted to get rid of the DME and KLR altogether.

My plan is to order the Race version so I can take advantage of BT and connect it easily and quickly with a PnP adapter for my existing harness. A quick wideband weld onto my stock exhaust to help with fine tuning and then start adding my go fast parts that I already have in storage. I do have a tuner that is fairly local that is experienced with MaxxECU so I'm good to go on that front, but hopefully the base tune will be good enough to start with.

To be added soon:
Evergreen RaptorX
Lindsey Racing fuel rail
Remote 3.0 bar FPR
80lb injectors
Fabspeed turbo back 3" exhaust with 200 cell cat

Anything I'm missing or does this seem solid?

Share what your own setup is so we can have an ongoing thread of knowledge and support.

[Bergerac]

I would seriously consider a new harness, Bas is making them for the Maxx ECU if you can't do it yourself. You can take full advantage of what the ECU can do then and you won't be chasing intermittent faults from a crumbling 35yr old harness.

You will also need to look into your crank trigger options as well, 60-2 is working well for me

[Jotronic]

I would seriously consider a new harness, Bas is making them for the Maxx ECU if you can't do it yourself. You can take full advantage of what the ECU can do then and you won't be chasing intermittent faults from a crumbling 35yr old harness.

You will also need to look into your crank trigger options as well, 60-2 is working well for me

I didn't mention that I am going to get a new harness for sure. I have the issue of needing this to look as OEM as possible (I have my reasons) but I can't get a clear answer if there is a legitimate downside to using an adapter that works with the Motronic connector vs. using the standard MaxxECU connector with a new harness designed for it.

[944m3]

Could Lindsey’s harness be used? Price isn’t that bad. They are not terminated on the ECU side so would be just a matter of using the provided wire terminal and plugging into the adapter. Or am I missing something?

[Bergerac]

I didn't mention that I am going to get a new harness for sure. I have the issue of needing this to look as OEM as possible (I have my reasons) but I can't get a clear answer if there is a legitimate downside to using an adapter that works with the Motronic connector vs. using the standard MaxxECU connector with a new harness designed for it.

Use the Maxx connectors, the less connections the better. I'm sure you could ask someone like Kroon to make you a harness and leave the ECU end unterminated. That's probably the closest you'll get to OEM without paying the P tax, if you can even get a new harness from the dealer.

[Jotronic]

I didn't mention that I am going to get a new harness for sure. I have the issue of needing this to look as OEM as possible (I have my reasons) but I can't get a clear answer if there is a legitimate downside to using an adapter that works with the Motronic connector vs. using the standard MaxxECU connector with a new harness designed for it.

Use the Maxx connectors, the less connections the better. I'm sure you could ask someone like Kroon to make you a harness and leave the ECU end unterminated. That's probably the closest you'll get to OEM without paying the P tax, if you can even get a new harness from the dealer.

Harnesses terminated with a Motronic connection like OEM are available. Like I said, I have my reasons for wanting to go this route.

[SirLapsalot]

You haven't given much detail regarding why you "have your reasons" for keeping an OE look with the harness, so if you can give more detail, that might help...

For example, is it to allow easily returning to OE when selling the car so you can keep the MaxxECU for the next car? Or something similar?

Either way, just keep in mind if you want to use the full potential of that ECU you'll need various inputs/outputs that are not present on the factory Motronic harness. In fact, to even use the ECU period you'll have inputs not present on the OE harness. So you'll need someone make a custom OE style harness terminated to the Motronic connector (assuming there are enough pins on the motronic connector for the additional inputs/outputs?)

If that is your plan, I don't see any reason to be worried about a using an adapter harness between the Motronic connector and the MaxxECU. As long as it's professionally made, should be no real downside. It's common place in many of the plug and play standalone ECU swap kits made for cars a bit newer than ours.

[Jotronic]

You haven't given much detail regarding why you "have your reasons" for keeping an OE look with the harness, so if you can give more detail, that might help...

For example, is it to allow easily returning to OE when selling the car so you can keep the MaxxECU for the next car? Or something similar?

Either way, just keep in mind if you want to use the full potential of that ECU you'll need various inputs/outputs that are not present on the factory Motronic harness. In fact, to even use the ECU period you'll have inputs not present on the OE harness. So you'll need someone make a custom OE style harness terminated to the Motronic connector (assuming there are enough pins on the motronic connector for the additional inputs/outputs?)

If that is your plan, I don't see any reason to be worried about a using an adapter harness between the Motronic connector and the MaxxECU. As long as it's professionally made, should be no real downside. It's common place in many of the plug and play standalone ECU swap kits made for cars a bit newer than ours.

I didn't share the details because they don't matter. But, I'm in Canada and if I want to move back to the US and take the car with me, a non-Motronic connector running to a MaxxECU would be a big red flag that would most likely prevent the car from being legally admitted. You could say I'm hoping for more of a stealth approach in this regard, which has been done with VEMS as an official offering. The adapter is already on the market with EMS-shop.se offering MaxxECU and an adapter for owners that still have the Motronic connector. I'm getting a new harness regardless and if I get this from EMS then it is pinned to run wasted spark and comes with a base tune. I'm still not convinced I'm going to go this route but i'm very tempted.

[grandmas951]

I'm very tempted by this setup too. @Jotronic did you end up buying/installing it?

[Jotronic]

I'm very tempted by this setup too. @Jotronic did you end up buying/installing it?

Good timing. I ordered a new OEM harness from Kroon which will be here this coming week. Behind that I have a MaxxECU Race with some tunes, injectors and assorted supporting pieces including an adapter to plug into my new OEM harness. Combined with my RaptorX turbo, Fabspeed 3" exhaust, etc. I should be good to go. BUT, I also have some chips coming to slap into my F9 DME. This is going to be an opportunity to do some A/B testing that I'm going to document on my YT channel and my Insta.