Compatible ECUs for VNT control

Hi all, I have a 2000 Seat Ibiza Tdi 90hp ,WG turbo (AGR engine). It has a "038 906 018 EC" ECU.

I want to convert my car to VNT control (and of course all the hardware, turbo, N75, etc), but as my ECU requires a desolder, socket and chip change I want to keep the original ECU as a backup unit, just in case anything goes really wrong, so i'm searching the market for second hand ECUs. The logical one would be the Ibiza 110 vnt version but this specific part number isn't very common to find on sale.

I would appreciate some help in finding ECU part numbers I could use as a base for my VNT conversion , as Golf and Passat 110 ECUs are more common.

Anyway if I buy any VP ECU (almost all are MSA 15 I guess) I can just socket it and install a flashed chip with correct program, or are there hardware differences (extra sensor inputs, cables) between say a manual and an auto ECU that make them incompatible?

Some ECU numbers I found :

038 906 018 S (audi a4 110)
038 906 018 P (VW Passat 110)
038 906 018 BA (audi A3 110)
038 906 018 BP (audi A3 110)
038 906 018 BM (Golf 4 110)

From what I can tell any ECU will do even non VNT ones (like mine) as long as I replace their chip with one with the correct program?

What do you recommend?

Thanks in advance...

JC

038 906 021 JB work good with my big VNt turbo!



Dieseleux

I would just put ALH soft in your own box and use it. 018ED from Polo would be my first candidate.

Thanks dieseleux, I will try to find out more about the 038 906 021 JB ECU you used on your car, but my preliminary searches tell me it ain't very common... I can't find info about it, what car/engine is it from?

Thanks Hatemi! I want to keep my original ECU untampered and have an extra one to play with, but from what you sugest I can use about any AGR ecu and load it, as they're plentiful and cheap... ALH is 90hp VNT version right? I think for starters I prefer an ASV or AFN file with .205 injectors



Are 018xx and 021xx compatible? And what about 012xx series?

Thanks!

JC

Only ecus from same "generation" are compatible. So in your case you need 018xx ecu. You can find them from 00 and upwards Seat cordoba/ibiza, 98-99.5 Golf/Bora, Octavia... All you need is adapting the immo for the new ecu and a file from VNT equiped car. All files don't mix and match but if you try few of them you'll find the ones that do.

Real old post but got to add here that the VNT ECU and the wastegated fixed geometry turbo ecu's are different and maps not interchangeable. I am currently in the process of trying to establish what ECU part numbers are acceptable replacements for my 038906018FK VW Caddy, 038906018B (wastegated car) isn't... 038906018FD (AFN A4 TDI) was.

On Some ecu's it is possible to just swap the chips for the right programme...

In old msa15 world it was whether you had a 2d or a 3d torque limitation curve...

Just updating this... seems FD isn't a suitable replacement or having other issues with the cars wirings that I cannot pin down. I tried to place modified FK eprom on an FD with no joy and since noticed that the FD isn't reaching Boost and is giving me short circuit to ground issues with the N75 and intermittent EGR valve short circuit to ground...

Anyone shed any light?

I was hoping I could copy the FK maps over to the FD for a cheaper fix than trying to find an FK ECU .

038906018BP from Audi a3 AHF 110hp should work, it has N75 maps defined, and 110hp.
038906018J from Golf AHF 110hp engine as well.


Or you burn a chip with the data from the above ecu (plus tweaks if you want), you have N75 control, and fueling and turbo for 110hp.

Hi all, to dig up an old post:

Can anyone shed any light on MSA15 ecu compatibility please?

I have a few ECUs:

038906018P
038906018S
038906018GA

- can S chips run in a P ecu? Or does the ecu not find the correct map addresses?
- can a complete S ecu run in a P car? Or do other non-engine systems suffer?
- where is the brain of the ecu in terms of control strategy?
- do the Hi and Lo chips purely contain data, not control strategy?

Many thanks