after plugging in the pfc and the mounting the commander, turned the ignition to the 'on' postion, the commander booted up and the overheat exhaust light was on. in the manual it states that the ecu will perform diagnostic tests, and if a sensor is reading something wrong or bad, this light will come on.



running thru the menu on the commander (etc->sensors) none of the sensors or the switches were highlighted on the screen as shown in the manual. after starting the car up. it was idling and running just fine, so should i just ignore the exhaust overheat light, or see if i can get any codes?

Where did you get the ECU from?



Cant get any codes from the PFC unfortunatly...



I dont have a manual with me, hummm



ANYONE?!

just talked to chuck from rotary extreme, he mentioned that i have to let it idle for ~20 minutes for the ecu to go thru a learning cycle. tomorrow i'm gonna put the stock ecu back in and check if the exh overheat light comes on while the key is in the on position. it should be normal for the light to come on in the on position, just the ecu checking the sensor before startup (seems logical to me https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR )

got the pfc from rotary extreme (thanks chuck https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR

Hey Jimmy,



Thanks for the heads up on this. Keep us posted of your progress please. A lot of newbies from the group buy https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...#>/biggrin.png







I should have mine the third week of March. YES!





Tom

put the stock ecu in and check for codes



mike

If your engine is running and either the check engine light is on or the exhaust overheat is on, you have some bad sensors. When your engine is running, all the warning lights should be off.



If your key is only but engine is not running, all the lights will come on. That's the mazda factory led checking procedure to make sure all those bulbs on the warning lights are ok. This is described in your owner's manual.



Power FC does check for sensor. Go to the ETC menu and sensor check. If the sensor is bad, bad connection, short, etc, the sensor will be highlighted. I have tried it myself.



To all group buy buyers, please read your manual completely before you try to do anything. I spent $4 at Kinkos to print each one so if you are not going to read it, send it back! hahaha =P



If you ask a question that's described in the manual, I am going to charge you $4 on your next purchase for wasting papers. =P



Chuck Huang

lol Chuck.



no, the lights only came on when the key was in the on position. when the engine was running, no sensors were highlighted on the commander, so everything is cool. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/bigok.gif

Chuck,



Are there things not listed in the manual or things not described in the manual very well, that we will need to know? Or tips that would help us newbies?



Thanks for the heads up.



Tom



I WILL READ MY MANUAL TWICE BEFORE ATTEMPTING INSTALL https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...#>/biggrin.png

its all there, but they could do a better job explaining it. you have to read between the lines a bit. if you have a question just make a thread, lots of pfc users on here



mike

Hehe,



That's what I thought. Thanks Mike, any problems and I WILL post here.



Tom

you can also check the other forum. the PFC section there has a little more info.... most of the threads i've seen was how to control boost/flame thrower.



IMO, the manual isn't very descriptive, like Mike said. just read it a few times. and don't worry about the installation. it's pretty straightforward--remove stock ecu, plug in PFC ecu. then connect the commander.

ummm i am not a power fc man, but doesnt that light come on anyways when you cut the key to the on position....???? https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...R#>/unsure.png

What aftermarket products is the pfc preset for?

I was just wondering because i just got mine in today (thanks chuck)! and all i have on the car that is not stock is the catback, and i was wondering what else i can put on it before turning on pfc. i have these mods in my garage:



downpipe

midpipe

apexi intake

apexi intercooler

mazdaspeed alu. radiator

efini y-pipe

etc................................. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/bigok.gif





I was just wondering do i add these parts before or after adding pfc?

primarily i thought today of adding dp, midpipe, and intake then pfc.





tx

nathan

I believe the PFC is ready for the Intake, DP, Free Flow Cat, Cat Back. The intercooler, Radiator, and even Y-pipe aren't really going to require more fuel. They are postive upgrades but not something that you are going to have to reprogram for.



As someone told me. Get a wideband on it after your install and see what your A/F ratio looks like.



Guys, other oppinions/





Tom

From APEX, the power fc is set for downpipe, intake, intercooler, and cat-back exhaust.



If you have a midpipe, you will have to enrich the map and lower the duty cycle on the boost setting to prevent boost spike.



If you have an igntion upgrade, you might have to enrich the map.



If you have a single turbo, you have to do a lot more.



It will be safer to retard the igntion timing on the ignition map after 0.5kg/cm2 boost.



0.6 kg/cm2: retard 2 degrees across the whole rpm range after 4000 rpm



0.8 kg/cm2: retard 3 degrees across the whole rpm range after 4000 rpm



1.0 kg/cm2: retard 5 degrees across the whole rpm range after 7200 rpm



1.2 kg/cm2: retard 5 degrees across the whole rpm range after 7200 rpm



1.4 kg/cm2: retard 5 degrees across the whole rpm range after 7200 rpm



Don't run more than 0.9 kg/cm2 without any tuning.



Chuck

time to order some more parts then... https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...#>/BURNOUT.gif

So i add these pieces then plug in pfc or can i plug in pfc first

Sorry for the ignorance i just don't want to blow a perfectly good motor.





tx

nathan

So i add these pieces then plug in pfc or can i plug in pfc first

Sorry for the ignorance i just don't want to blow a perfectly good motor.





tx

nathan [/quote]

the pfc will also work fine on a stock car, you could do the pfc first



mike

just in case anyone is wondering car does not run fine stock w/ pfc. runs rich and drives like ****. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...O_DIR#>/11.gif



got pfc installed, dp, catback, car still ran like crap. then installed intake last night car now is running like a champ. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/bigok.gif



next install will be apex intercooler and mazdaspeed rad. next week but i need brackets for both mine got lost somehow anyone out there have any extras?



tx

nathan

That is quite an understatement. The PFC manual is about the least descriptive manual I have ever read. The manual for the commander isnt very useful either. Basically, just plug everything in and let it idle for a few minutes. That is about everything you need to know for a mostly stock car.