1227730 ECM Step-by-step Conversion (with DIS)

[TopNotch]

I found this very good video online about the 1227730 ECM conversion:

(And he mentions our digital EGR kit.)
Edit: This is a long (1 hour, 23 minutes) video. I recommend you download it rather than trying to watch it on Youtube. There are a number of free Youtube downloaders available online, such as Real Player.

[LostNotForgotton]

Nice video. This guy must really know what he's doing 

[Fierofool]

It's gotta be one of them Yankee guys.  I can tell by his axxent.

I was wondering what had happened to you.  Glad to see you're still around.  Merry Christmas.

[LostNotForgotton]

Thanks! I'll have to work on my southern accent more so I can blend in better. I can say that my favorite band is from Athens so that has to buy me some brownie point It has been a crazy year that's for sure. Been tied up more than I would like to have been. I find that I grit my teeth more when I've been away for a while because I see posts that I could have commented on but it was already handled months prior.

I have decided to completely stripped out the interior of my 87GT two weeks ago to give it a makeover. I re-did the headliner, repainted the interior trim panels with the Fiero Store color-matched paint and steam cleaned the carpets. The only thing I haven't done is buy Mr. Mikes seat covers. For right now I'm having to settle on some cheap seat covers from Pep Boys.

I also bought (and doing new videos on) a heads-up display from Tom's digital electronics (http://www.tomsdigitalelectronics.com/new_-_heads_up_display). It seems pretty cool. I thought it was something that he designed like his digital gauges but this looks more like a generic Chinese product. Looks cool though. It's wired in and I have it working. I just have to finish calibrating it.

I also picked up the new door skins from the Fiero Store that provide a door speaker hole. I'm going to be doing a video on that install as well. I want to retain the existing speakers so I'm currently wiring in an amplifier to power the door speakers. I plan on bridging the amp to also power a custom fiberglass sub-woofer enclosure in the foot well. I molded the box for my 88 MERA but I'll probably just swap it between the two cars until I get around to making one for the GT. I think my floor sub pushes more air than any center console sub I've seen and with the passenger seat all the way back it still leaves plenty of leg room. I can't wait to finish this up and get some new videos posted. That's my Christmas present to my self. 

[Fierofool]

I can say that my favorite band is from Athens so that has to buy me some brownie point

Just 18 miles from me.  I saw them playing in their early days before even they knew who they were.  REM

[LostNotForgotton]

Wow that really goes back beyond my years if you seen them back in those early days. I became an R.E.M. fan when I was in middle school about the time Out of Time came out. It's interesting that you assumed it was R.E.M. because I could have been a B-52's fan

[LostNotForgotton]

I guess since we're on the topic of the 7730 conversion, I can't remember if I've asked this before in the past...I can't find anything but if I did ask it before, sorry. Does anyone know how to use TunerPro v.5? I've been trying to figure it out ever since I did the 7730 conversion but I can never get any readings from the car. I used the $88 3.4 F-body .ecu and .adx files and one time last summer I was able to start to get readings but it was all junk readings. For example the rmp readings were all over the place even though the car idled steadily.
I have to calibrate this new heads up display by driving a certain speed and then set it and then I have to rev the car to a certain rpm and set it. My speedometer works fine but my tachometer reads a little high so I won't be able to use that to get an accurate reading. At 60pmh my tach reads 3800rpms when I believe it should be more like 2900rpms. TunerPro looks like a very useful piece of software once you get it configured properly but it's that initial configuration that's killing me.

[f85gtron]

I watched it today. I enjoyed the appearances your kids made. My kids where bored to tears, but giggled when your kids busted into the shot.
Anyways I'm inspired to do this mod now. This may be a good time to do the ar cruise mod too.
Is the 7730 obdII?
Ron

[Fierofool]

It's OBDI.  I got mine from a Beretta with a 3.1 engine.  It does make a great improvement in the response of the engine, according to reports.  Because it updates sensor information about 10 times faster than the stock Fiero ECM.  The 85 engine is lacking some locations for sensors, like the crankshaft sensor.  An aftermarket bolt-on, mounted on the timing cover would be required.  I think the knock sensor can go on the trunk side by removing a bolt about midway of the lower block.  There are a couple of PFF people who make the harness.  Phonedawgz is one who comes to mind.

[LostNotForgotton]

Ha ha thanks. My girls really like making cameos on my videos. Her first appearance was in my hitch install video. I had finished installing the hitch and hooked up a bike rack with my mountain bike. As I was doing a walk around she walks into the shot and just starts talking up how Fieros are awesome. I reshot the walk around but found that her scene was to awesome to cut.
I do actually recommend this conversion. I can confirm that the engine is more responsive and I did notice almost a mile per gallon increase in fuel economy. It's not a large increase but an increase none the less. I absolutely love revving the engine and hitting the rev limiter. A normal Fiero ecm makes you feel like your going to blow the engine before the limiter kicks in but the 7730 makes it sound so nice. If you want to hear it just check out my other YouTube video on adding a true cold air induction. I do a before and after on that and I rev it to the limiter quite a few times. You should check out my other videos or I can post them for ya to check out.
My cruise control didn't work prior to the conversion so it'd be a bit more than just doing the conversion for me. I do feel I should make a follow up video and do the AC wiring conversion. There have been more than a few times I was wishing I had a working AC. I already have a new r134 Fiero compressor ready to install. Just gotta get motivated to do it.
Fierofull is right. It's still an OB1 ecm but it monitors more engine aspects. It is also more tunable. You can use TunerPro to change and tune the car yourself but unlike OBD2 as soon as you disconnect the laptop the car goes back to the original tune. You have to burn the tune to the chip with a chip burner for the tune to take. I have tried a couple times to use TunerPro but haven't been able to get it to communicate with my ecm. I think I just need a little help in getting it configured properly.
Overall its not a difficult conversion. If you know what your doing you could knock it out in a weekend or two. It took me 3 weekends but that was mostly because I had a lot of camera and lighting adjustments as well as taking time to explain everything I was doing. If you get stuck I can talk you through some issues

[f85gtron]

I've pinned my harness and have run into a couple questions.....

According to Darth instructions:
1) The location of serial data to aldl is a9, however, the gm published pin out showed a8.
2) D6 and d7 (injector grounds) i spliced to a12 all grounds to engine block. Is that ok?
3) Shift light location as F6, but gm shows f1
4) what's the deal with D12 and d2? For ac, when are they necessary? It said "optional".
Ron

[TopNotch]

Since AC itself is optional, any ECM inputs for it are optional. I'd have to see a wiring diagram of a car with the ECM to know what they do, however. it might be similar to an 88 duke Fiero, which cuts out the AC at full throttle via an ECM signal, and also cuts out for over pressure.

[LostNotForgotton]

I've pinned my harness and have run into a couple questions.....

According to Darth instructions:
1) The location of serial data to aldl is a9, however, the gm published pin out showed a8.
2) D6 and d7 (injector grounds) i spliced to a12 all grounds to engine block. Is that ok?
3) Shift light location as F6, but gm shows f1
4) what's the deal with D12 and d2? For ac, when are they necessary? It said "optional".
Ron

1) The location of serial data to aldl is a9, however, the gm published pin out showed a8.

Are you looking on the Fiero ECM side or some shop manual for a 7730 vehicle? In my pinout I see the serial data as A8 on the Fiero ECM which gets moved to A9 on the 7730. I show A9 as the diagnostics enabled for the Fiero which gets moved to E12 on the green clip for the 7730. These are the two pins you’d ground out with a paperclip to check the codes in service mode. I've paperclipped these pins and the SES light flashes a code 12 so it seems correct. Are you wiring it with the $88 pinout?

2) D6 and d7 (injector grounds) i spliced to a12 all grounds to engine block. Is that ok?

Yes, this should be ok. I did something similar to make it easier to run one wire to the engine block instead of having to fit multiple grounding wires through the firewall which all serve the same purpose. Since this isn't high voltage the 18 or 16 gauge wire should be sufficient for grounding multiple sources.

3) Shift light location as F6, but gm shows f1

My instruction also show the location of the TCC/shift lamp control moves from pin A5 to F6. That seems to be correct for my car as my TCC is locking up and working correctly. Maybe there was a slight difference in your year/make/model car. I would assume that F6 is the correct pin on your 7730 but I don’t know what your donor car is or maybe it’s how the ECM gets reprogramed. Since I don’t know how the ECM’s get reprogrammed I don’t know if they use a certain format for all Fiero’s regardless of the donor’s original programing.

4) what's the deal with D12 and d2? For ac, when are they necessary? It said "optional".
This one is gonna stretch my memory a little. I spoke to Darth about the AC options and he said that there are several options for AC. You could reuse the Fiero AC which I think required taking the sensors out of the compressor and using different ones that are compatible with the 7730 ECM or you could use a compressor that was compatible with the 7730 ECM. That required doing more rewiring and was a bit more complicated. What your looking at is probably the option for using a non Fiero compressor. The AC is optional wiring and I didn’t do it at the time although last summer was particularly hot and I was wishing I had done it so this spring or summer I my actually wire up the AC compressor. I have a new Fiero compressor in stock so it’s just a matter of putting it in and running the wires. If your more serious about doing the AC wiring I can try and dig up my old emails with Darth and let you know in more detail.

[f85gtron]

I'm referring to the attached image, and there is an ecm trouble tree for the 7730 That has the same pin out by gm too. Surly, Darth hasn't missed these items.  Not sure what to think of it. 

[f85gtron]

The serial data is the one that provides data to the ALDL and the diagnostics test input is the one that when papercliped, puts everything into diagnostics modes. I only have a question about the light, which works on yours, so that's answered, but what about data?  Are you able to pull down data from the 7730?
Keep in mind, these are questions I'm asking before I've installed everything.....  so I'm probably jumping the gun.

The ac appears to be stand alone, but the 7730 needs to see when the compressor cycles to raise the idle via c9?  Or is that d12?

Ron