Engine Drivetrain 1st Gen Cooper S Gnat gets a Vi-PEC

Discussion in 'Tuning and Performance' started by Nathan, May 5, 2014.

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  1. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    #1 Nathan, May 5, 2014
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2014
    Whats a Vi-PEC you ask...

    Short and sweet - the Vi-PEC is a stand alone ECU.

    Why did you need or want that I hear someone murmuring in the crowd.

    With everything else it seems with Gnat there is a bit of a tale to tell here.

    Flash back to around to just after AMVIV 2007 when I went to So Cal right after being in Vegas for a few days. Jan had recently introduced what became known as the Jesus Head. Mine was head #2, the display model at AMVIV, I'm sure it was lovingly fondled there by many. In Van Nuys I camped at MINI Corsa whilst Danny installed the new head. There is a long story there they we won't get into now. It's on the interwebs if one was to search for it. Jan had a guy in the hills at the time that tuned the car. It was quick.

    Fast forward a few months and Jan is now doing his own tuning. A trip is arranged for Jan to come to Dallas to tune my car. To make it fun I rented a dyno at a Corvette race shop and we made a weekend of it. Lots of cars came through to receive the best tune at the time. About a year later I had Jan come out again, this time we had a BMW shop and their dyno. Things were made even better.

    Jump a year or so ahead and Mynes really starts to be in the picture with their Full Access product. This at the time did more than Jan offers. With the Full Access I could reach in and make changes as needed, not that I did, this stuff is daunting to me. I could also easily log a whole bunch of stuff too. This did come in handy in diagnosing issues later down the road. Mynes was coming out to Dallas for some MINI test drive thing with Hubie, I had Jay come out few days early. This time rented a dyno at a shop that did a lot Asian cars. That was an odd weekend. The clutch went soon after. I think the 8 gazzilion dyno runs trying to tweak things on my car helped to do that in. Oh well, I got an OS Gieken from Way out of that and a vicious sunburn from spending a day outside of the horse track at the MINI event where one could drive their cars on a parking lot course.

    Now we jump to Winter 2012. Things were not running right, Gnat went to Chad at Detroit Tuned for some much needed spa time. Interested in that story, see http://www.motoringalliance.com/forums/cooper-s-engine-drivetrain/12279-gnat-resurrection.html#axzz30takqIZt For tuning Chad worked with a guy in Greece that works with the Full Access stuff. It ran well.

    Now we get to the juicy stuff...

    In 2013 for my 50th birthday my brother surprised me with a new laptop. I pop over to the Mynes site and download the software I need. Install it and the license key I have will not work. Verify with Mynes I have the right key and ask for support in getting it working. I'm told I have the correct key and all should be fine. it wasn't, they stopped replying to emails, then I was shut out of the Mynes forums too. oh well. I can always work with Chad. It sucks I've lost this logging ability. Life goes on, the car runs well.

    On the way to MOTD in 2013 on a long stretch of driving, say about 1.5 hours in when using the cruise control I start feeling a miss now and again. I see when I feel that miss the Air/Fuel gauge is popping to the end at 24 and going right back to around 14ish. Shut off and restart the car, it goes away for about an hour and half. Then it started raining so cruise was off, the issue didn't come back while cruise control was off. Didn't happen again all week so I thought little of it. The drive home was all in the rain, didn't happen.

    About 6 months ago this miss started to happen more often. We changed the plugs, wires and coil, didn't fix. Re-calibrated the Air/Fuel gauge too just for yucks. no change. Then talking to Chad about all this I came to the decision I would have Chad put the stock tune back on my car at MOTD this year. Then bring it Jan and get it tuned again.

    In theory that was a grand plan. In practice not so much. Chad was able to return it to stock OEM original from MINI tune. Talk about pop and burble on overrun. 550 Injectors with a stock tune. HAH!

    Jan's tool could not talk to the ECU. Chad tried again, we kept seeing this message about invalid code or something after each try. It would not let us in. A new plan was formulated, Jan had refurbished Vi-PEC on hand. We'd pull the OEM ECU and put in the Vi-Pec. it just needed to be wired up to Wideband O2 sensor the Air/Fuel gauge uses. Eric at Helix did a wonderful professional looking water proof splice in the wrong wire. In his defense we were not sure if it was the yellow or brown wire. We had a 50/50 shot. it went the other way of course. Eric did ask me who did the wiring before he was in there. Told him Chad did. He went on to compliment Chad on the excellent job making it all neat and tidy. Eric was happily surprised at the lack of a rats nest.

    That night while the car rested in the Helix tent and I cruised around in the golf cart that was to later be my car show entry, Marzo at Helix thought that maybe we could totally reflash it back to stock with the BMW computer he has. That didn't work we found out later. The next morning Marzo redid the wiring. The car was now in Jan's hands. Cursing the lack of consistent internet access the car was eventually given a base tune. From there we went out driving it around tweaking on the fly.

    The Air/Fuel gauge is being a bit wonky. The O2 sensor is a few years old and has been blasted. That is next on the list to be replaced. Once complete I can start working with Jan from afar to fine tune this puppy.

    So that is why Gnat now has a Vi-PEC.
     
  2. versus

    versus Active Member

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    Interesting read. I heard your car in the Helix tent. I learned then that your car's exhaust frightens grown men. I learned now why it was in that tent to begin with.
     
  3. old81

    old81 Club Coordinator
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    Interesting, good story and it is always fun to play if you have the patience. Time for an F56 so you can have a daily driver and keep Gnat as your toy. :)

    I suggest the 3cyl, with the adjustable dampers, 6 speed, no sun-roof and some JCW bits on the inside. Choice of color is yours. :) :)

    Don
     
  4. Firebro17

    Firebro17 Dazed, but not Confused
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    Thanks for posting what is one if the best reads here in a long time. Wish you well on your tuning... It's in the proper hands.
     
  5. cct1

    cct1 Well-Known Member
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    If you have the Vipec, you're all set for the TVS....
     
  6. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    #6 Dave.0, May 6, 2014
    Last edited: May 6, 2014
    Yup, TVS time. :D:devil:

    Also with a Vi-PEC now you have the REAL FULL ACCESS to do anything you want without BMW's Big Brother ECU telling you No.

    You have been set free from BMW now 300 to 400 + WHP is easy with the right amount of funds. $$$$$
     
  7. cct1

    cct1 Well-Known Member
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    Frankly I'm surprised at the Myne's stuff, just doesn't make sense to do that to someone who hosts a website with tons of current and potential customers. Oh well, life does go on, and the Vipec opens up the entire can of worms for your driving pleasure.
     
  8. Firebro17

    Firebro17 Dazed, but not Confused
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    ^^^ Very impressive the way our host has handled his experience! It's why we stay and remain supporters. And, I really like the guy too!
     
  9. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    ^^^ yup I would have blasted Mynes by now for Effing up the car and not supporting a customer.

    But hey that the Mynes M.O. Here today and under a rock tomorrow. :frown2:
     
  10. TheModFather

    TheModFather Well-Known Member

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    Glad it worked out for you Nathan! I kinda figured you would be in the same boat I am in with a Bricktroniked ECU, Thankfully we have ViPEC so we can get rid of the problem.
     
  11. Jan

    Jan Well-Known Member
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    Get well Nate so we can finish the tune!
     
  12. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    Gonna be a bit for that. Doc said about 6 weeks before I can drive again. The bad news is my brother heard that and told the keeper of the MINI. All the keys have been confiscated from me.
     
  13. Jan

    Jan Well-Known Member
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    Bummer
    best to get well so there are many more motoring miles to do yet
     
  14. Detroit Tuned

    Detroit Tuned Well-Known Member
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    That is how we do it!
     
  15. khammo01

    khammo01 New Member

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    Is your ViPec a version 1 or a version 2?
    Does it support cruise control or fuel economy calculation?
    Does your car idle smoothly? Any other strange differences?

    Jan sent up a temporary v1 ViPec to provide an emergency tune for my rebuild motor.
    I'm getting a yoyo idle and cruise control and fuel economy calculation aren't working.
    It's mostly a street car and I use cruise control a lot so it might be a deal breaker for me if the v2 doesn't support that (or I put different ECU in the car for track days...)
     
  16. Jan

    Jan Well-Known Member
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    Gen 1 vipec will not run cruise............(what would you need fuel calcs for?)
    get on teamviewer and I'll fix the idle. We were in a hurry to get the car safe as you had to be at the track in a few hrs.
     
  17. khammo01

    khammo01 New Member

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    Hi Jan.
    Does that mean the 2nd generation of ViPec for R53 does support cruise control or does it mean cruise control is not supported on the Gen 1 MINI (R50/R53)?

    I should have time to fix the idle the week after next.

    Thanks for your help getting the car safe under the crazy time pressure. Car ran well all weekend. I took some video but I still haven't had time to go through it.
     
  18. Jan

    Jan Well-Known Member
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    cruise is NOT supported on Gen 1
     
  19. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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    He was asking if you meant gen 1 MINI or Vipec?
     
  20. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    Cruise is NOT supported on the Gen 1 ViPEC
     

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