# Calling all tuners please, help needed with FC datalogit



## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

My r33 gtr is stuck in a garage at extreme motor sport in Scotland. They are having real problems trying to remap the apexi power fc ecu! 

The tuner has emailed many times to @fc-datalogic.co.nz but he hasn't had any replies. I know there is a time difference from new Zealand to here but he's been emailing for 3days now :sadsadsadface:
So I need some advice on how to proceed. We beliveve the ecu works fine. It was installed into my car, then started up, no problems.

He is a paid up apexi mapper and apparently has the most up to date software. (he has only previously mapped the r33 gts models though)

The problem he is having is that he can't access the files on my ecu. What could be the issue? He is using the beisge file!

Cheers.


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

Mods can you add fc- datalogic to the title?


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## DRAGON (Nov 12, 2003)

Go on the FC Datalogit forum.
Also the problem you have isnt clear, is the mapper having trouble getting the laptop to sync with the ecu? Or is he just unable to save changes?


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## jabran200 (Sep 5, 2005)

Like dragon said, he needs to go on the yahoo group if he is fully registeredt he will have access. The groups is the only support he will get but it slow and very very unorganised over there, I don't see why they don't get a forum like we have here.


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

Mark at abbey has just confirmed that it's an old ecu ie extreme motor sport don't have the correct file for it. 
Looks like I'm waiting now for this Steven to get back to my tuner then with the correct file. 

Good shout for the datalogit forum. I didn't even know there was one. I'll jump on it now. 
Worse case I need a newer ecu.


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## jabran200 (Sep 5, 2005)

Not really, If it is a case of th ecu being an old version not yet supported all they have to do is send the downloaded file to the good people at fc datalogit and they willadd support


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## Nigel-Power (Dec 16, 2009)

He seems to be a muppet not a mapper.


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## MIKEGTR (Jul 8, 2005)

Nigel-Power said:


> He seems to be a muppet not a mapper.


Bit unfair - the principal of mapping doesn't change, but you can't expert a tuner to be conversant with every bit of software that has ever been released for every single ECU


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

Seems to be the new software won't work with this ecu. He simply needs the old software. It's the guys at fc-datalogit that aren't replying. If I was the tuner I'd be pretty annoyed seen as he is on there web side as an authorised dealer. 
It's just frustrating but I have no option but to wait.  I took this whole week off as well to play with the car once it was finished. Now my week is all but up and still no car.

Glen, Steven, Alice please reply to John at extreme motor sports pleeeease.


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## [email protected] M/S (Feb 16, 2002)

What was the reg number of the car you got the ECU from?

FC datalogit isnt the same as the Power FC software that John is using I am afraid;

You may need to tune the car using the hand commander the FC Datalogit boys are very very slow in replying as it is only a hobby not a full time business.

Mark


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

[email protected] M/S said:


> What was the reg number of the car you got the ECU from?
> 
> FC datalogit isnt the same as the Power FC software that John is using I am afraid;
> 
> ...


Just waiting on the the guy I got the ecu from to get back to me. 
After the money I spent on the new ecu and the time waiting I should just have brought the car down and got you to remap the hks ecu I already have.


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## professor matt (Nov 1, 2005)

ava in glasgow have the correct software


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## [email protected] M/S (Feb 16, 2002)

We have the latest software and I have seen Power FC's that we cant tune , once I have the reg no I can give a 100% answer.

Mark


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## BAD GTR (Feb 13, 2003)

[email protected] M/S said:


> We have the latest software and I have seen Power FC's that we cant tune , once I have the reg no I can give a 100% answer.
> 
> Mark


I'm coming to see you on Monday with a used Power FC to get my car mapped. Is there anything you need to know beforehand to avoid any issues? The serial number is for an R33 GTR, it came off an R33 GTR and my car is an R33 GTR?!


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## Nigel-Power (Dec 16, 2009)

Interesting that some people who have no clue about mapping are the first to post advice :chuckle:

Can't flipping map their journey home on ascooter let alone anything else.


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## [email protected] M/S (Feb 16, 2002)

*Are you talking about Abbey Nigel?*

you refering to Abbey?



Nigel-Power said:


> Interesting that some people who have no clue about mapping are the first to post advice :chuckle:
> 
> Can't flipping map their journey home on ascooter let alone anything else.





> I'm coming to see you on Monday with a used Power FC to get my car mapped. Is there anything you need to know beforehand to avoid any issues? The serial number is for an R33 GTR, it came off an R33 GTR and my car is an R33 GTR?!



Just get the serial number number that will help?


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## Corsa1 (Sep 8, 2003)

Nigel-Power said:


> Interesting that some people who have no clue about mapping are the first to post advice :chuckle:
> 
> Can't flipping map their journey home on ascooter let alone anything else.


LOL


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## [email protected] M/S (Feb 16, 2002)

Andy you scared eveyone away....LOL


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## Corsa1 (Sep 8, 2003)

LOL I don't think he was having a dig at you mark it was the scooter bit that was funny.


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## Nigel-Power (Dec 16, 2009)

[email protected] M/S said:


> you refering to Abbey?


No sir I won't dare, Abbey (as we all know) are the masters :smokin:

That was a blind bullet fired at whoever takes the shot.
















but hang on.......... you sure you know your way home on a scooter Mark? :chuckle:


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## Corsa1 (Sep 8, 2003)

LOL he always off to brighton at the weekend on it.


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

@Mark from abbey

Just spoke to the guy that sold me the ecu. Turns out he maps his own cars. He's sent me the software so hopefully all is good now.


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

It didn't work :bawling:

The ecu must be faulty somewhere 

It looks like my only option is a new ecu then for me as the datalogit lads haven't replied


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## [email protected] M/S (Feb 16, 2002)

check the power feeds to the ecu I have seen a car run on a stock ECU but not on a Power FC before.


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

the ecu itself seems ok. When we plug it in to the car and start it up it's all fine. Its only when he trys to read the data that he encounters problems  
Even with the correct software that the old user used. The guy I bought the ecu from (MobileLPG) mapped it himself. He even sent me the software which I then passed on but still it won't work.
From converstations with MobileLPG I don't think he'd ententionally sell my a faulty ecu.

I'm a total amature as well so I ain't of any help. I just need to go with what I'm told now.


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## jabran200 (Sep 5, 2005)

If you have the correct software and the ecu runs etc I would suggest trying to get someone with a black powerfc datalogit and see if that is the issue? Has your tuner tried to elimiate his own hardware by atleast plugging into a car he knows it has worked on before? 

I wouldn't be too quick to write off the ecu as it could be something else?


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## GT-R Glenn (Nov 9, 2002)

How quaint, thinking you need software and datalogic to tune a car with a pfc....
Wonder how they did it before that ap came along ?


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

I might be getting muddled up wth my words. Either way, the tuners software (latest version) doesnt work and the software LPG used doesn't work. Some fc edit version.

Extreme Performance are registered dealer on the fc-datalogit website so I assume they know what there doing. I unfortuanatley don't.

Its pretty frustrating because I'm learning everything else to do with my car but this just confuses the hell out of me.


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

jabran200 said:


> If you have the correct software and the ecu runs etc I would suggest trying to get someone with a black powerfc datalogit and see if that is the issue? Has your tuner tried to elimiate his own hardware by atleast plugging into a car he knows it has worked on before?
> 
> I wouldn't be too quick to write off the ecu as it could be something else?


yeah, he did an r33 gtst a few days before my car got booked in.


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## MobileLPG (Aug 18, 2010)

Hi Judge,

Not sure if it would make any difference but I did the mapping using an FC Hako rather than a datalogit.
The FC Hako unit does the same job as the Datalogit but is made and supplied by a bloke in Australia.

Anyway, sorry to hear you are still not getting on with it.
If you still can not get it mapped then let me know and if you want to send it back then I will refund your Paypal payment 

Regards,
Edward.


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## MobileLPG (Aug 18, 2010)

P.S I don't imagine it helps but my setup whenever I tuned that ECU was-

Toughbook running Windows XP
The version of FC Edit I sent you
FC Hako
Serial to USB drivers supplied with the Hako unit.

Edward.


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

Thanks mate. I'd rather get it mapped though. I'm paying him a visit tomorrow so I'm just going to tell him to get on this forum and have a look at all the replies. He might find something that I haven't been able to word correctly to him.

If I still don't get anywhere then Ill take up your offer of a refund. Top man, cheers.

Jordan.


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## GT-R Glenn (Nov 9, 2002)

YOU DONT NEED DATALOGIC TO TUNE THE CAR 

*sigh*


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

GT-R Glenn said:


> YOU DONT NEED DATALOGIC TO TUNE THE CAR
> 
> *sigh*


come on Glenn, I'm not as knowledgable about this as you. If you know how to help me then I'd really appreciate it.


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## wildboy (May 2, 2010)

Hand commander?


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## MobileLPG (Aug 18, 2010)

Hi,

As Mark @ Abbey said, maybe a hand commander would be an option.
Unfortunately I do not know the car it came off as I purchased it from Ebay in September 2010 for £460 and got shafted with a dead hand commander and no replies to my emails!

As I said Jordan I am more than happy to refund you, it may actually be better to do that and hunt for another one that your tuner will have an easier time with?

Edward.


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## GT-R Glenn (Nov 9, 2002)

You dont need anything other than the power fc and the hand controller
You can tune the engine with the hand controller , thats all you need, you dont need the software.
FC Datalogic just makes it easier ....
You can still adjust everything on the ecu by using the hand controller.
FC Datalogic is a fairly new innovation (by pfc standards) it enables you to be able to save multiple maps onto a pc or laptop and download them directly to the ecu.
You can also graph and plot the cells in the maps, in a visual format so as to see the entire map, which makes dips and peaks very easy to spot.
All cars which were pfc fitted, (Prior to datalogic being invented) were tuned straight off the hand contoller.
It just takes longer, as you can change multiple cells in the map by hi-lighting and adjusting, you need to do every cell individually.

In other words, you CAN tune your car right now with nothing other than the pfc / hand controller.



ok ?


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

GT-R Glenn said:


> You dont need anything other than the power fc and the hand controller
> You can tune the engine with the hand controller , thats all you need, you dont need the software.
> FC Datalogic just makes it easier ....
> You can still adjust everything on the ecu by using the hand controller.
> ...


 thanks. Input appreciated


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## jabran200 (Sep 5, 2005)

GT-R Glenn said:


> How quaint, thinking you need software and datalogic to tune a car with a pfc....
> Wonder how they did it before that ap came along ?


 If I were totally stuck I would do this as well, more features are available in the software and it makes it easier but Glenn is right.


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

Spokenn to the tuner again. We're having to abort the remap. Doing it the way LPG says would take a couple of days and cost a lot of money. Even buying a commander is risky. I'm also having to pay for the current work to be reversed now, injectors, ecu etc which is working out to be just over 300 quid. Gutted and yet another bad experience with tuning.  
Not sure what route ill take now.


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## markM3 (Jan 7, 2008)

Take it to a decent GTR tuner, that knows these cars and the ECUs and have all the software.

People who tune them and don't know their idiosyncracies (such as needing a bit more fuel in cylinder 6 etc) just end up screwing them up.


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

I went to these guys through recommendations on here. All the good gtr tuners are down south. Ill just need to bide by time. Save up again then decide what to do. Ill continue with the body work I'm doing. I understand that at least.


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## MIKEGTR (Jul 8, 2005)

JTJUDGE said:


> I went to these guys through recommendations on here. All the good gtr tuners are down south.


I don't think it was anyone off here who recommended them:

http://www.gtr.co.uk/forum/160308-mapping-rolling-roads.html

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, we live, we learn, we pay our money, but at the end of the day its better to wait and save or make that little bit more of a journey, just to ensure that you are getting someone who knows exactly what they are doing.

If I were you now I would e-mail each of the tuners, explain the problems that you have had, get an idea of price and of their understanding of your current tune and ecu and then budget into your costs the expense to take it a little bit further away - once its all done you'll be over the moon i'm sure


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

I reckon ill keep the hks fcon ecu and make an appointment with tdi north but it will need to wait until the summer. Wifes birthday next month and holiday the month later.


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

Had a look at that other thread, recommended them to myself lol. Still I don't think its the mapper, more the age of the ecu.


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## David (Apr 25, 2003)

Dont pay 300 to have your bits taken off again, spend that on trailering the car to someone who can tune your HKS ECU or the PFC


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## [email protected] M/S (Feb 16, 2002)

send me the Power FC ECU I will power it up on the bench and have a fiddle around.


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## MobileLPG (Aug 18, 2010)

Hi Mark,

I believe Jordan has decided to send the ECU back to me for a refund.

Edward.


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## GT-R Glenn (Nov 9, 2002)

Pity no one could just plug the commander in to see if it fine.
The decision to keep or not keep based on the reliablity of some flakey aftermarket software seems a bit strange to me.


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

I spoke to the mapper today and he said he wouldn't do it with just the commander. He said the commander was for tune ups and not full maps. He wouldn't be able to give me a safe map. If so then he could have sold me one as I noticed he had lots on display. 
Plus he couldn't gauruntee it would work anyway. 
I'm out of pocket by quiet a bit now. Edward has kindly offered a refund that will make it less off a loss but a loss none the less.
I'm really am at a loss. Do this, do that! I just want it bloody mapped.


Thanks for everybodys advice Etc but I'm just planning on making the trip down south to have the hks ecu mapped. It just means i'll need to leave it for a few months longer.


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## GT-R Glenn (Nov 9, 2002)

> He said the commander was for tune ups and not full maps.


He's a dork


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## Ruff McMuff (Aug 3, 2010)

I'd take the car elsewhere for a second opinion before you go pulling everything off again. Russ Paton at Performance HQ in Dalgety Bay is a very good mapper and is well known on the Evo scene. Im sure he could help you out.


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

Its to late now. I've got the car back and had the original injectors put back on for now. The new fuel pump has been left on though.

But some bad news for me again. Car won't start. Drove it home last night and it was fine. Did a cold start this morning and nothing.
All the power comes on. It's almost as if the engine isn't getting any "FUEL"
Now as I keep harking on about how little I know about engines, I'm fairly certain that it probably has something to do with the injectors or the new fuel pump!
The car has about a 1/4 tank of fuel in it.


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## andyR43 (Jun 13, 2010)

Gutted for you mate. Hope they sort out this latest problem for you.


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

I just need to work out how I'm getting the car there....AA maybe.


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## jabran200 (Sep 5, 2005)

You have asked for advice but then done the exact opposite, It would have been smarter to trailer it back to somewhere with the bits all on as you will now pay another £300 or whatever having them put on again when you get it mapped, For £300 you could have had a trailered quite a distance.


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## markM3 (Jan 7, 2008)

Try putting some more fuel in it, as some people have found an issue with replacement pumps if not installed in the cradle properly.


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

jabran200 said:


> You have asked for advice but then done the exact opposite, It would have been smarter to trailer it back to somewhere with the bits all on as you will now pay another £300 or whatever having them put on again when you get it mapped, For £300 you could have had a trailered quite a distance.


??

I had no other option. I took all of last week off from work to allow for unforseen obstacles. I didn't expect any issues to run into the following week.


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## dan-hipgrave (Nov 22, 2008)

markM3 said:


> Try putting some more fuel in it, as some people have found an issue with replacement pumps if not installed in the cradle properly.


Agree with this. If the pump ain't sitting right then a quarter tank could now be empty.


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

I'll give it a shot. 
I was thinking maybe the amount of volts going to the pump isn't enough but then it wouldn't have worked properly when I first got it back.


Should change the thread title to Judges calamity map.


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## samgtr (Aug 4, 2010)

sorry to hear about all the bad luck your having, as said above put some more petrol in, hopefully its a simple fIx


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## David (Apr 25, 2003)

Really deal sorry for you sounds like the guy you used couldn't even fit the fuel pump properly.


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## JTJUDGE (Nov 21, 2011)

so I did what you guy's said and bingo that car started. Not instantly but in a few seconds. I gave it a bit of a run and everything seems fine. I'll cold start it tomorrow and then if everything is ok, I'll drive it over to them on Tue and get them to change the position of the pump or do whatever it is they need to do.

cheers


Correction. It ain't sounding to good. I can hear a slight howling noise! Feels ever so slightly juddery as well.


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