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Vashon
Samba Member
Joined: September 23, 2012
Posts: 200
Location: Vashon Island
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 Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 2:56 pm Post subject: Any comments on the Gowesty EFI engine management system? |
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| This summer I bought a secondhand ultra low mileage gowesty 2.2 with Gowesties new engine management system for a price I couldn't refuse. I am going to put this engine in my van soon and just have some reservation about the new efi system. I know and understand the digifant system and have a complete system with mostly all new parts or at least well functioning Oem parts including a shoebox ecu monitor. However I see and like the logic (sans hyperbole) of the new system by gowesty and like the ability to use obd2 diagnostics and of course it is already installed on the engine.I realize Gowesty has put alot of time and effort into their system but am hesitant regarding so many properitory parts and relative short track record on the retail market. I posted a while back on the long on running technical thread about the gowesty managment system but got no replys. So I am asking the collected wisdom of Samba on this. Is new really better regarding engine management? |
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4Gears4Tires
Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2018
Posts: 3051
Location: MD
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| Posted: Fri Oct 18, 2019 5:12 am Post subject: Re: Any comments on the Gowesty EFI engine management system? |
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Here's my 2 cents, based on reasoning that isn't 100% analogous but hopefully it's still useful:
| the only important part of this post wrote: |
| I think it's most probably a great system but it's really effing expensive. If you got it for a great price, you're lucky and I would run it. |
Here's my meandering back story and reasoning. I have a decent bit of experience installing and street tuning Megasquirt on BMW e30s. Megasquirt is cheap and easy. Years ago, I had a really bad misfire at 4000rpms on one of my e30s that it seemed nothing could fix, i replaced every single thing in the engine compartment, besides the block and head, 3x. After talking to one of the masters of the e30 world for a bit that had a similar issue we figured it had something to do with the square wave signal for the cps, old engine harness wiring insulation, and body grounding harmonics. His solution for his race car was a brand new engine harness. AWD e30 engine harnesses were NLA, I didn't feel like hacking up a brand new RWD e30 engine harness when a complete Megasquirt set up was the same price. I installed Megasquirt with a base tune in about 2 hours and it completed fixed my issue. Thousands of dollars, hundreds of hours, wasted and the final fix was 2 hours and $800 including wideband and gauges. And the car ran better than ever! If you've never experienced the switch from AFM/CPS based to MAP/CPS/vTPS, it's really an amazing thing. The throttle response is instantaneous and a healthy performance bump with good tuning.
So, both of these are not complicated motors. The Bosch Motronic that BMW uses is a very good system. However, what BMW considered top of the line 80s engine management can be replaced by a $300 diy kit you can assemble yourself now. You can consider it a lateral step if you get really technical about it, because you'll lose some things like fuel vapor recirculation, you have to do your own tuning, or whatever. But it's a big step in the performance direction.
Now that the backstory is out of the way... 
I totally see it from GW's perspective on their price. It's a small market, they've done a lot of research and development. I've read their back story on it. It's a plug and play solution. It comes with a new throttle body, sensors, fuel injectors, a full built very nice looking engine harness. It's a great piece of kit and I wish I had it. I don't disagree with their price, but $3k is a decent bit of cash. Sure, it's totally worth it if you are trying to get all the horsepower potential out of a built waterboxer. For $3k you can do a lot of of other mods, including a subaru motor swap. But if you already have it, I think you'd be doing yourself a healthy disservice to not use it.
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Last edited by 4Gears4Tires on Fri Oct 18, 2019 1:23 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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jimf909 
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7473
Location: WA/ID
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| Posted: Fri Oct 18, 2019 7:31 am Post subject: Re: Any comments on the Gowesty EFI engine management system? |
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For reference, here's the 18 page thread the OP mentions (it has a few rabbit holes)...
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=583219
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| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
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Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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