RAV · Apr 22, 2008

I know this subject has probably been done to death, but I thought I'd resurrect the question!

I want to chip my P38 to give it a tad more performance.... Yes, I know its a diesel, and if I wanted performance, I should have bought a V8, but based on what I have, what's the easiest/best way of doing it?

Is it a case of dropping it off with Superchips and letting them work their magic, or is there a box that can just be plugged in?

There are a number of options on Fleabay - I'd guess the £15 "we've got loads of these and we can give them to you cheap as we buy in bulk" chips are probably not worth the silicon in the chip as they probably just dump a shedload more fuel in the system for little or no return....

So advice would be appreciated (as would someone offering me a chip or a powerbox for peanuts!!)

Thanks

wills · Apr 22, 2008

I have the plugin style box as this came with my P38. Works really well although does smoke a little when giving it the beans!

Had I got my P38 without this box I believe I would have gone to someone like Jeremy J Fearn and taken their chipping + larger intercooler package.

As it stands Im happy with my plug-in box, ive never been sure of its brand but it has Powerlink written all over it and plugs into the injector wiring and also taps into the manifold pressure line.

to give you some idea of the change it makes, a guy in a 4.0 P38 in Oxford saw me the other day and came past me, sort of looked at me and then went racing off expecting to leave me. I kept up with him no trouble at all and he wasn't exactly hanging around. The change really is that noticeable. Ive been in a diesel that wasn't chipped and it was an interesting experience, pulling out at junctions was 'fun'!

As usual people will say the diesel is 'gutless', a term favoured pretty heavily by at least one forum member on here but to be honest, one that's been chipped like mine and others is just as nice to drive as the 4.0 petrol counterparts, you are just missing the V8 sound, then again, at least you aren't missing the money floating away into the breeze from that hungry V8.

With an intercooler upgrade I would think it would be made that little bit nicer when driving.

So to be honest, depending on how much you want to spend depends on what sort of upgrade to go with. I can definitely recommend the Powerlink box.

Let us know which way you go though!

-Wills

RAV · Apr 23, 2008

Any idea where to get the Powerlink box from? I've done a search on the InterWebNet but without much luck...

Another silly question - are there any simple signs to indicate whether mine has already been chipped? Its a 6 and a bit year old motor, so someone could have done the business already....

alan h · Apr 23, 2008

I have the plugin style box from (van aakin) on my 2001 dhse 24/26 mpg in town and 29/31 mpg on a run total diff drive 0-60 now in 18/20 seconds.

And i get 26/28 towing my caravan hope this helps RAV

RAV · Apr 23, 2008

Thats great - thanks!

Rob

ian24895 · Apr 23, 2008

mine has a superchip fitted and believe it or not it throws you back in the seat better than a td6 or td8 sport or a l322 td6 fuel economy has gone up but only by about 3 mpg round town and after having a mad moment the other night i ****ed all over a vr6 golf just cuz he was being a **** and i hate boy racers so in all i would go with a chipped ecu
ian

RAV · Apr 23, 2008

So what would give the better performance? A Chipped ECU ala Superchip, or a PlugIn Box?

Probably a difficult one to answer!!!

There seems to be a wide variety of prices for essentially the same thing - a Superchip will cost £499 but a plug in box from £270 or thereabouts...

wills · Apr 23, 2008

The thing with the plugin box is that its easily removable should you want to remove it.

The true chipping isnt as easy to remove should you want to, it also costs more because of the labour costs involved in removing the engine ECU, opening it up, removing old chip, putting new chip in, sealing it all back up, testing its all ok and then doing whatever else they do.

The only negative thing with a plug in box I think is that its exposed in the engine bay a bit, especially if you go off-road and go splashing through puddles, deep mud and whatever else - which I do and haven't had a problem so maybe Im worrying about nothing

-Wills

RAV · Apr 24, 2008

Where does the plugin box connect into? I want to take a look before I spend out any money, just in case someone has already fitted one to mine!!

That would be just my luck.....

darklordvader · Apr 24, 2008

We have a plug in chip from Rimmer Bros fitted to our 2.5 dse ,I thought it was well hidden ,if its in the engine bay where in the engine bay would I look to see what one is fitted ,it was on the RR when we bought it .

P38dseGAV · Apr 24, 2008

search dragon perfomance as i think its the bmw engine and they do a little box

wills · Apr 24, 2008

This is where the plugin style box sits on mine...

Its behind the EAS box on top of the passenger side (LH) wheel arch. It has a pressure line which T's into the manifold pressure line like so...

Then it has a line going to where the fuel injection pump is. You unplug the wire that goes from the FIP to the rest of the loom and you then plug in the box and then plug the FIP plug into the wire from the box - like so...

Any plugin box would be easy to spot as it has to sit somewhere like mine does.

-Wills

onyx · Apr 24, 2008

Hi ,i fitted a STEINBAUER power box 2 months ago to my 2000 dhse and it has made it a real drivers car plus gives me an extra 3/4 mph. There are only 2 connections, one to the screw connecter at the back of the injection pump, and then a single wire soldered to a wire at the top of the diesel filter. Took 20 mins, brought it from Ebay second hand for £75,BRILLIANT

SpudH · Apr 24, 2008

Hi Wills,

Thats actually a PSI Powerbox you have fitted. Its one of their original analogue boxes. The new digital ones don't tap into the MAP sensor line at all, they just cut into the FIP plug.
I have the same one fitted to mine. I'd be interested to hear how yours is performing. If you get a chance will you try a 0-60 and 30 - 70 in sport. Mine is performing eratically and I can't track it down. If I disconnect the MAP sensor and re connect it it goes like stink for a while but then goes back to its normally reasonably acceptable self, I don't have figures for it when it is good but it is honestly quick (faster than my 3.9RRC).
It was giving an indicated 24.5mpg until I tightened up all the fittings on the inlet ducting, MAF sensor housing and replaced the MAP sensor hose (you should try that as you seem to have the original braided hose, it leaks the same as the injector hoses). Now its generally around 27 mpg indicated. The one evening that I had full power for a full (and quick!) trip home I saw an average of 36mpg for the the same 40 mile spin. All those figures are 1/6 better than the actual calculated figures.
My figures with/without chip are 0-60 = 15.6/18.4 , 30-70 = 17.2/20.3, but I know on a good day it would be even faster.

SpudH · Apr 25, 2008

Hi Wills,

Heres a picture of the inside of the chip, I'm tol that the order of the connectors in the picture is the highest state of tune but I haven't fiddled with so can't say how noticeable any changes will be. As I sai dI think my problems are elsewhere as I seem to get an improvement when I unplug and replug the MAP sensor which then dies off. I'm beginning to think there might be a safe mode or something that the ECU is putting the engine into. I'm hoping to get my hands on an omega so I can start swapping the MAP sensor, the MAF, no.4 injector and the EGR to see if any of them make a difference.

On your one cutting out with the injector coming on, you weren't by any chance on light throttle in top when it happened? One of the guys with a 525TDs has it narrowed down to that and I think each time mine has done it has been in the same sort of circumstance. He cured it by replacing the FIP but I don't think mines that bad yet as I have excellent cold starting and reasonably good hot starting (maybe 3 sec of cranking max).

Cormac

RAV · Apr 26, 2008

Well, I've got a plug in Box on its way to me....

Won it on FleaBay last night...

Just got to figure out where the connections go! Can't wait....

wills · Apr 26, 2008

RAV said:
Well, I've got a plug in Box on its way to me....

Won it on FleaBay last night...

Just got to figure out where the connections go! Can't wait....

The big black connectors on the right go between the fuel injection pump (FIP) and the engine wiring loom - you unplug the circular FIP plug, plug it into that loom and then plug the other connector back into the engine wiring loom.

Can't quite make out the connectors on the left!

-Wills

onyx · Apr 27, 2008

The 2 connectors on the left look like they fit on the top of the diesel filter unit. My box only had one wire and i had to remove the plug and solder the wire to a specific one in the plug, it looks like yours is more advanced and is just a case of swapping them over.

RAV · Apr 27, 2008

Cool - don't suppose anyone has a picture with big red arrows pointing at the Fuel Injector Pump and the Diesel Filter Unit do they?

Diesel engines are a bit of a black art to me!

Ta!

Rob

onyx · Apr 27, 2008

Rav, the sons got my digi in france at the moment but when you pick the bonnet up the filter is to the right of the engine sitting high up with a couple of connecter blocks on it, yours will only fit one off those .

New Member

Well-Known Member

New Member

New Member

New Member

New Member

New Member

Well-Known Member

New Member

New Member

Active Member

Well-Known Member

New Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Attachments

New Member

Well-Known Member

New Member

New Member

New Member

Similar threads