1G AEM EMS?

[DevilsAWD]

I know, I know, about a billion threads about the AEM EMS. I searched through many and couldn't find one that answered my specific question. Let me give you a little background before I ask the overall question.

Bought the car for $700.00.
1990 Eagle Talon TSI
bone freakin stock (even the blowoff still has the plastic cover)
Has a brand new head and performance gaskit kit ARP studs etc
New alternator
New timing belt
.........................

Ten minutes after buying the car I know why the guy was selling so cheap. out of nowhere the check engine light came on and the car started bucking violently. it was obviously fuel related because after letting off of the throttle the car would cruise normal. Called the guy back and asked if had experienced this before... he said "yep I'm purty sure it's the drivetrain somewhere" (idiot). after about ten minutes the condition cleared itself up and I drove the car home.

Started the diagnosis process. and found the capicitors on the ECU had leaked all over... great time for a new ECU!

Now here's the problem. I live in an area where computer experts are few and far between. I don't see the point in replacing used parts with used parts for this to happen again. Also I wouldn't want to pay $500+ for a DSM link and to have my used ECU socketed when I could blow another one.

I bought the car to build so a piggyback or tuning system needs to be put in eventually anyway.

I want an AEM EMS for the "plug and play" ease but am very new to tuning in general.

so here are my questions:

1. will the AEM system work on my completely stock vehicle?
2. does it come with a "wizard" that will ask base questions and set up that basic tune? or does it contain the basic tune the car needs to start and run in the first place?
3. is it really a fully contained ECU and I can throw that old junk with the mitsubishi symbol out?
4. I have seen these systems range from $1,190.00 to about $1,700.00. why the price gap?

thanks for tolerating me,

-Devs

 

[DevilsAWD]

You won't regret buying DSMLink. I can promise you that.

well I hope not becuase I just blew my load on it .

I also picked up the tubing kit for a GM MAF. I think i will visit the junkyard and find an ol grand am or other general 3 Inch MAF application.

 

[Brianawd]

Go dsmlink(ecmtunning) and never look back. Aem used to be good but as of lately they have become junk. Just two weeks ago I spent the better part of a day helping my friend tune a evo on aem. We never could get the tune right. Turns out the AEM was bad. Thats not the first time that has happened. I know some other people that have gone through 3 and 4 AEM before they got one that worked. I also know some one that got a new one and pulled the case off to find parts of the board not soldered right and stuff loose.

 

[DevilsAWD]

Go dsmlink(ecmtunning) and never look back. Aem used to be good but as of lately they have become junk. Just two weeks ago I spent the better part of a day helping my friend tune a evo on aem. We never could get the tune right. Turns out the AEM was bad. Thats not the first time that has happened. I know some other people that have gone through 3 and 4 AEM before they got one that worked. I also know some one that got a new one and pulled the case off to find parts of the board not soldered right and stuff loose.

wow... just terrible quality work eh?

well I have heard nothing but good things about DSM link.

I expect big things... so I hope everything works good . I just want to get car running again.

 

[dsmfa9nutter]

You could have went with an ostrich emulator and run jackal for speed density or add a maft for the blow-through setup and saved yourself about $400.

 

[DevilsAWD]

You could have went with an ostrich emulator and run jackal for speed density or add a maft for the blow-through setup and saved yourself about $400.

oops

too late everything is on order. I hate this waiting crap though

 

[dsmfa9nutter]

But opening the boxes is so much fun.

 

[Brutal_r3drum]

ok so how come no one is tellin this fellow dsmer to do up grades the right way... 1 he his no boost controller or boost gauge... plus i know i didn't read the last few post because i didn't like they way it was going but if he wants to get link he has to get a 91-94 ecu and swap the two wires, and get a 91-94 coil.

i didn't see the 1 thing you really need most if you want to do any tuning and that would be a wideband o2

if i was you i would do the free or cheep upgrades... you will like the performance with out having to spend all the money fixing the stuff you break...

i know that i am a newbie but i have done lots of research and have seen to many ppl do the upgrades the wrong way and spend more money than they needed to and start back at the begining...

 

[DevilsAWD]

ok so how come no one is tellin this fellow dsmer to do up grades the right way... 1 he his no boost controller or boost gauge... plus i know i didn't read the last few post because i didn't like they way it was going but if he wants to get link he has to get a 91-94 ecu and swap the two wires, and get a 91-94 coil.

i didn't see the 1 thing you really need most if you want to do any tuning and that would be a wideband o2

if i was you i would do the free or cheep upgrades... you will like the performance with out having to spend all the money fixing the stuff you break...

i know that i am a newbie but i have done lots of research and have seen to many ppl do the upgrades the wrong way and spend more money than they needed to and start back at the begining...

Don't worry about me... I'm pretty new at this stuff too. I was under the assumption that all that free stuff was something that everyone does. All the maintence stuff is taken care of. I thought the manual boost controller was always a standard thing , mah bad. the wideband I ordered the same day as the DSM link. I may be a newbie too. but I have done my fair share of reading .

 

[95GSXCO]

wow... just terrible quality work eh?

well I have heard nothing but good things about DSM link.

I expect big things... so I hope everything works good . I just want to get car running again.

The biggest reason you only hear good things is because 90% of the ppl on this forum have it. There is downsides to ECMLINK. Is it a great setup? Yes, is it almighty like most of guys on this fourm make it out to be? No.

You could have went with an ostrich emulator and run jackal for speed density or add a maft for the blow-through setup and saved yourself about $400.

1+
I would have gone this route ^ or with the EMS. It dont matter tunning is tunning it dont matter if it be link,AFC,EMS,MS,emanage. I myself dont think AEM is all that steep of a curve. Just alot more options.

 

[gsxtasy]

1+
I would have gone this route ^ or with the EMS. It dont matter tunning is tunning it dont matter if it be link,AFC,EMS,MS,emanage. I myself dont think AEM is all that steep of a curve. Just alot more options.

Really? So if you set somebody in front of a laptop with AEM on it and told them to get the car running they would be able to? While it is something you can learn, there is, with out a doubt, much more of a learning curve to AEM than most any other tuning device available to the DSM community. Granted, AEM offers pretty much unlimited adjust ability, it is still more complicated than dsmlink, hands down, understandably.

 

[DevilsAWD]

Really? So if you set somebody in front of a laptop with AEM on it and told them to get the car running they would be able to? While it is something you can learn, there is, with out a doubt, much more of a learning curve to AEM than most any other tuning device available to the DSM community. Granted, AEM offers pretty much unlimited adjust ability, it is still more complicated than dsmlink, hands down, understandably.

Regardless of how difficult either of them is, I highly doubt I'll be able to do either one without being able to read up on them before I even touch any buttons.

measure twice, cut once.

read a stink ton, don't blow your motor... right


Just a little background: my family is not an automotive family. my father died when I was 12 and my mother raised me in a home where she didn't even know where the oil went. Everything I have learned in the automotive world I have learned from other knowledgable resources. whether its a family friend with a Blown Chevelle, or an online resource like DSM tuners.

I have built old cars from the ground up. its initially where I learned to tear down, measure, hone, and eventually put back together those ol' iron blocks. Before the G8 I owned a 600 Whp Supercharged GTO. a car I did all the work on and it ran 30k miles and never blew a belt.

the DSM is a whole new beast for me. I know so so little about any of this. whether it be tuning (the gto was tuned by a company). all the electronic control stuff ( I mean why do I need 4 holes in my thermostat housing!)

but whatever the task, just know I will obsess about it until I get it right. terrible personality fault if you ask me.

 

[dylnwit]

but whatever the task, just know I will obsess about it until I get it right. terrible personality fault if you ask me.

That's a good thing when it comes to these cars. There's a heck of a lot of details, leave something out, bad stuff can happen, mess with one right, you might pick up a few horsepower while your at it.

My main two recommendations are to get her up and running, then DD it for a few weeks, best way to learn about what your car likes, what it doesn't like, and what your gauges should read is by driving it regularly. Second one is to get some form of a shop manual (like a Haynes, or make an account and get all of the 1g manuals from here, here, and here.(thanks for finding those steve!))

Take your time, do it right, keep the maintenance up, and they make for a very fun car

 

[DevilsAWD]

That's a good thing when it comes to these cars. There's a heck of a lot of details, leave something out, bad stuff can happen, mess with one right, you might pick up a few horsepower while your at it.

My main two recommendations are to get her up and running, then DD it for a few weeks, best way to learn about what your car likes, what it doesn't like, and what your gauges should read is by driving it regularly. Second one is to get some form of a shop manual (like a Haynes, or make an account and get all of the 1g manuals from here, here, and here.(thanks for finding those steve!))

Take your time, do it right, keep the maintenance up, and they make for a very fun car

Already purchased a couple manuals for my car.

and I HATE not being able to drive the damn car. I'm gonna get behind the wheel as soon as I can get it up and running properly. my wife and child will probably not see me for most of the weekend .