Weber Alpha ignition kits

[RUSTYPUP]

Anybody got one up and running? Going to buy one for my XE tomorrow I think, unless I get talked out of it.

Was going to buy an MBE one, but it's much more money and I know the guy at my local weber dealer so thought I might as well go down that road.

Any half sensible thoughts?

[mk1mexico]

Yes, i bought a silver kit for my zetec (comes with new 45's etc)

 

Its great quality comes with EVERYTHING you will need and is available for remapping when planning further mods on the engine.

 

I would recommend one

[RUSTYPUP]

Thanks. That is encouraging. Didn't know they did one with carbs as well. Can't strtch to that, but I've already got 45s, so shouldn't need anymore than re-jetting.

[Tom]

if you only want a spark the megajolt looks like a good kit and is 3d mappable and only about 100 quid

[Fiesta Steve]

if you only want a spark the megajolt looks like a good kit and is 3d mappable and only about 100 quid

 

Can you buys these plug & play ?

[RUSTYPUP]

Does megajolt run off the crank sensor?

I don't want to run a dizzy.

[erick]

Be careful with the weber alpha kits, if you need spares at a later date there may be problems as they only keep parts for the current kits, also you have to go to a approved dealer as the software is locked.

[Fiesta Steve]

Be careful with the weber alpha kits, if you need spares at a later date there may be problems as they only keep parts for the current kits, also you have to go to a approved dealer as the software is locked.

 

I've heard of many tuners not being able to map the weber ecu. Put me off getting the kit as the standard map is useless to most people.

[105Speed]

I've heard of many tuners not being able to map the weber ecu. Put me off getting the kit as the standard map is useless to most people.

 

Thats pub talk if ever I heard it.

 

The weber base maps are excellent as weber spend a lot of time developing their maps so the units are plug and play, ok if your motors cammed up or had head work then the map will need to be tweaked but I know several people who've bought a kit mail order, plugged it in and the cars fired up straight away and driven lovely.

 

 

You are correct, only approved dealers have the software to be able to map the car, but they are all dealers who've been trained to use the software and get the best out of it.

 

Lets face it, 1 hour on the rollers to tweak an already very good map in the hands of someone who knows the kit inside out is better value that 2 hours on the rollers with a kit the tuner doesnt know because he's a DTA man and you've taken him an OMEX or whatever.

 

This can be off putting if you already have a preferred tuner.. but if you have, then buy what they recommend.

 

But dont be put off by the rumours you hear about the weber stuff its very good quality kit, Colin Macrae had it in his MkII..... so theres a recommendation for you.

 

 

 

 

As for MegaJolt, excellent value for money, but be warned there arent many tuners who will touch it.

 

I know Northampton Motorsport have done a few Megasquirt set ups now and have seen some very god results but they are one of the few that will have a go with these DIY ECU's

[erick]

Thats pub talk if ever I heard it.

 

Have you tried to get spares for ther older weber kits, it's not easy to source parts best to keep clear, there are far better engine management available.

 

If you look on Turbosport the problems with the weber kits were highlighted.

[105Speed]

When you say spares what are you talking about ?

 

 

Because if you had an ecu from any of the other manufacturers that was more than a few years old I'm sure you would struggle to get bits for them too.

 

 

What knarks people about the Weber stuff is the software is locked so they cant get into it and everyone thinks they are a mapper and they want to get in to tweak the map.

 

The reality of the siutation is, if its set up properly in the first place then there is no need to tweak the map and most people wouldnt know really what they were doing once they were into the software anyway.

[erick]

Taken from Turbosport

 

A quick warning to anyone out there thinking of buying throttle bodies and E.C.U.'s etc for their motors . If buying secondhand ones etc check spares available first because they don't sell that many kits and won't sell spare parts for them seperately . Also when they change the design of them the previous models are not catered for . The weber Alpha service and spares is fooooooking useless and mine are only 4 years old !!!!!!!! . Burtons + southern carbs have been great but their hands are tied when dealing with these plonkers . If buying new ones buy jenvey's as these are the most common and will deal direct with you . I'll probably flogg my 48mm weber alpha bodies on ebay soon as they've pissed me right off so don't bloody buy them because you can't buy the air filter trumpets anymore unless you've got 45's or less , tossers !!!!!! .......

[RUSTYPUP]

Well... thanks for the debate chaps!

I'm not going for throttle bodies or anything too fancy, so I'm hoping I won't be needing any spares. Only going to get the ECU and a throttle position sensor. My engine is stock, so I would like to think the map supplied should be adequate.

Funny how Mk1mexico thinks its brilliant and had one himself, and all the bad comments are from people who have heard bad stuff from other people. Dissatisfied customers spread the word much further than satisfied ones. Just look at the East Kent thread!!

[Fiesta Steve]

I've heard of many tuners not being able to map the weber ecu. Put me off getting the kit as the standard map is useless to most people.

 

Thats pub talk if ever I heard it.

 

The weber base maps are excellent as weber spend a lot of time developing their maps so the units are plug and play, ok if your motors cammed up or had head work then the map will need to be tweaked but I know several people who've bought a kit mail order, plugged it in and the cars fired up straight away and driven lovely.

 

 

You are correct, only approved dealers have the software to be able to map the car,

 

Which bit is pub talk, I say not many tuners can map it and you say only approved dealers...... Do we drink in the same pub ??

 

As for their base map being exccellent, i'm sure they are and would never dispute that but don't they quote 'for standard engines' or something along those lines.

 

I do have a prefered tuner, and I don't have a standard engine. I myself could very well plug and play and it might run ok but then my dizzy isn't that bad so whats the point in that.

 

I want a kit that my tuner can set up as best as is possible. So what use is a weber kit to me if he can't touch it? None.

[Tom]

yes, the megajolt is plug and play. you can get maps off the website and tinker with it yourself on a laptop. it uses the ford EDIS ignition system.

the parts you need are

Megajolt

EDIS module (tenner from the breakers found on most zetecs)

crank sensor and timing wheel (ford)

TPS for your throttle

coil

and some wiring

 

about £150 quids worth and is so simple to use

[Fiesta Steve]

Cheers Tom

[Tom]

oh yeah, you can buy the kit in bits and try and make it yoourself for cheap but the instructions aren't all that.

 

good money for a 3d mappable ignition kit

[Fiesta Steve]

oh yeah, you can buy the kit in bits and try and make it yoourself for cheap but the instructions aren't all that.

 

good money for a 3d mappable ignition kit

 

I'll pass on trying to make one myself

 

I'm not very good with a soldering iron, could I mig it

[Tom]

LOL mate. i wouldn't put it past ya

[105Speed]

Which bit is pub talk, I say not many tuners can map it and you say only approved dealers...... Do we drink in the same pub ??

 

 

The bit where you said it was 'useless to most people.'

 

Most people I know who have Alpha kits have found them to be excellent, they make good power and very reliable out the box.

 

 

So to say they are useless to most people is incorrect.

 

You are slating a product you have no experience of, just what you've read on forums which is the modern day equivilant of what you heard down the pub.

 

 

If you get something out the box, you plug it in and the car drives lovely and you are happy, what more can you say ?

 

People dont shout about them because they just work, they do what the person expected it to do.

[erick]

There are not many people who could change the base map, but for all that outlay you would think you could at least view the software.

 

At the end of the day all this modern engine management is a bit of overkill if your engine is little more than std, a good ignition well maintained and correcly set up will perform as well as this posh stuff even on most tuned engines.

[Fiesta Steve]

There are not many people who could change the base map, but for all that outlay you would think you could at least view the software.

 

At the end of the day all this modern engine management is a bit of overkill if your engine is little more than std, a good ignition well maintained and correcly set up will perform as well as this posh stuff even on most tuned engines.

 

Exactly my point Erick !!

 

Standard electronic ignition performs fine on standard engines. So the weber kit is overkill and would expect most of these kits to be put on modified engines.

 

Therefore the kit is useless to most people. Who on earth wants to spend all that money for a 'base map' for a 'standard engine'. Not me. That kind of defeats the whole object of buying an engine management kit in the first place.

 

I'm not knocking the product at all, i'm sure its base map works supurbly on standard engine and even mildly tuned ones. I'm also sure its very reliable just like £10 worth of Mk2 Fiesta electronic ignition from a scrap yard.

[erick]

In the next few weeks someone i know is having there Weber alpha kit set up by a local dealer, at the moment it's on the base map running very poorly [well it's running like a bag shit] the kit is a few years old so should be interesting to see how he gets on.

[RUSTYPUP]

 

At the end of the day all this modern engine management is a bit of overkill if your engine is little more than std, a good ignition well maintained and correcly set up will perform as well as this posh stuff even on most tuned engines.

 

I agree that it is a bit of overkill for my application, however there is no room to run the original distributor and I do not want to spend out on a manta dizzy (belt driven!) as I don't think that is very pretty or a great way of overcoming the problem.

[Guest MK1gaz]

I've got Weber Alpha full management on my mk1 escort and they won't let D.I.Y. mappers at the software because they may destroy their engine by setting it up wrong etc . There's no point in buying a product and then not having it working properly so they set it up for you to the best settings on your particular engine . They only charge the same hourly rate as a normal carb tune etc would be and you leave with your engine running on the best available settings . Ring southern carbs + injection on 0208 540 2723 or look on www.southerncarbs.co.uk for info . They are very nice helpfull blokes down there as well