1996 Tacoma Supercharging help.

Hi everyone, I’m working on supercharging my 1996 Taco 3.4 4x4 auto and I have a couple of questions. I’ve read through the forums and Ive gathered I need a 1997 computer. My stock computer is 89661-04230 “9/1995-9/1996” and I picked up a 89661-04420 “6/1997-10/1997” and the wiring and pins do not match up. I crossed reference from Toyota and I see that there is another computer available 89661-04321 “1/1997-6/1997” any insight if this is what I’m going to need? Any other suggestion on what I need to make the TVS1320 supercharger and urd 7th injector kit work. I have an IPT trans valve body and upgraded torque converter with a trans cooler and trans temp gauge. Il be installing a AFR wide band, egt temp and fuel pressure gauge. Thanks again Jon

 

I've never been big on this 1997 ECU thing, can you refresh my memory why they say it? Is it a MAF limit of the older ECU's? Is it that they think it runs leaner than 97+?.

IMO the ECU shouldn't matter if you run a PROPPER piggyback. Propper meaning it can tune for closed loop 02 signals like the URD kit. Is there some kind of o2 feedback issue even the URD can't address with the older ECUs? I know with the AEM FIC they have to make a "high level drive" feature for the early model Toyota widebands, but the narrowband stuff should be pretty consistent. Is this a MAF clamp needed and the URD doesn't have that feature?

 

A lot of people running the supercharger on the 95-96 Tacos have said that you need a 97 ecu and others have said they didn’t. I guess im not really sure. I reached out to Gadget at URD and he said “You can use a scan tool and watch the spark timing. When you go in boost at high RPM and if your spark timing drops way down like -4 degrees you have the issue.

You will need an ECU from the identical truck you have and plug that in.” Aka a 1997 ecu.

I don’t know if I have the issue since I’m still working on the truck and the supercharger isn’t installed. I just want to have everything lined up if I do.

 

What's so special about a '97 ECU? IIRC there were about 4-5 different ECU pinouts for the 1st gen, but that includes the 3 various engines

FWIW I hated every second of trying to tune my URD (actually rebranded Split Second) fuel/timing calibrator, but I was always running a turbo not a supercharger so YMMV. You basically need a WOT bypass switch that tricks the factory ECU into thinking it should enter open loop whenever you have positive pressure, rather than when your foot is to the floor, for it to be practical. Otherwise your fuel trims get thrown all over the place. Also you can only retard timing, not advance it, which the factory ECU can do anyway.

 

I wish he knew why some 5vz's HELLA ping more than others- I know through some random post years back he actually looked into this but they couldn't figure out what the issue was- be it some variance at the plant/parts making some have higher compression, tolerance issues etc. My 5vz is the type to start loudly pining at like .5 psi of boost, no exageration. I have to run very rich air fuels and pull so much timing in low gear low RMP boost that I essentially do not make any more power there than un-boosted (I can "unboost" via a boost bypass I made [there is a post here about it]). I'd love to swap or rebuild my current 5vz to be like these magical one's some have here that don't ping (at least audibly) even without EMS and running stoich in boost.

Was part of it the fact you have to power cycle the thing for every change made? AEM FIC was pretty awesome in that the changes you made to the map was written live. EMU you have to select 'export' but still you can do that live (engine running). Chasing trims is a pain but then on the 01+ wideband equipped trucks the OEM ECU is so fast that as long as you have a skewer skewing the o2 signals in boost you will be running great air fuels, there isn't some kind of long delay if coming from say a +15 STFT to then resulting in a -12 STFT transitioning into boost. Basically, I haven't really had to dig in deep and 'perfect' my trims to be as near zero as possible, I can dirty street tune and get by. Oh right its when you then transition from closed loop to WOT with funky fuel trims... the EMU has a closed loop mode with aftermarket wideband input so if you put that in the typically open loop ranges of the OEM ECU, the EMU then corrects for that. Telling you, the EMU was (I say was cause you can't get them anymore) the pinnacle of piggybacks.

That would be awesome, something that would just fool the ECU to do that without it also affecting things like timing and fuel etc. Like a low level ECU software hack not good enough to tune fuel, timing etc but just change the open loop threshold to be way lower. Or something simpler like suddenly changing a coolant temp output to an open or some high setting. I wouldn't want to do it with TPS cause I imagine that would affect fuel and timing at the same time.

 

@1997tacomav6 has a Haltech ECU and had the original Magnuson charger. Now he has the new one.

 

If your location allows it get the Haltech instead. The URD 7th injector is garbage.