confab

Their website doesn't give a very good description. I guess they just assume everyone knows this stuff?

Will it fit my 85? I see 86 listed.

Is the 85 different?

I gather it is a piggyback device from looking at it. Like a tuner.

What can you do with it?

anesthes

The '85 is a 1 year only ECM, with limited calibration options.

I'd personally re-pin the harness to a '165 ECM (86-89) and use that. The ARAP code used on the 1989 vette is a good starting point.

The Ostrich replaces the ROM chip inside the ECM/memcal. This allows you to change calibration in real time. (i.e, while the car is running).

Mike Davis wrote a nice article on swapping the '85 ECM to the '165. I'd look into that if I was you.

-- Joe

ZCarr

I have a question. I bought the setup and will be using it in the near future. Do I have to download a bin file of the original tune or do I plug the original chip into the Ostrich?

BlueTwoToneCorvette

I have the Moates APU1, it's a do-it-all tuning solution. I have used it to read/burn chips, datalog, and emulate my chip. I have not tried linking it to my wide band O2, the tech guy told me that was difficult but possible.

I have an 85. It has a 870 ECU with a 24 pin chip. It can read this chip but not burn it. I had to add a G2 chip adapter so that I can use the 28 pin chips from the 165, because that is what the APU1 can burn. I don't know if the Ostrich is the same.

I am learning tuning on the 870, but plan on moving to the 165 at some point. The main problem with the 870 is you only get a datalog packet every 1.2 seconds, where the 165 gives you one every .1 secs. So you get a poor picture of what your ECU is doing in an 870.

confab

I was just looking at that, actually.

When you say "emulate" This means it runs on place of the chip, but you can make real time adjustments to the tune?

anesthes

Usually reading the original prom isn't a concern because most of the broadcast masks are published over at diy_efi, so most people just download the stock bin and tune it.

However, again, the 1 year only '85 ECM isn't as popular so I'm not sure how much digging one must do. I wouldn't go out of my way to try and read your stock chip though.

I can't think of any real logical reason to keep that ECM in the car, when the '165 is a straight forward swap.

I don't even do much with any of the stock ECM's any more. I use Megasquirt on my stuff, but you can still build a mean street car using a '165 and a Ford MAF.

-- Joe

BlueTwoToneCorvette

Yes, exactly.

BlueTwoToneCorvette

I couldn't find the bin for the 870. The mask is available. I wanted to start with my bin anyway, and I knew it was stock. When you download a bin you find somewhere, you don't know what's been done to it.