AFM / IATS question

[Wilyb]

Guys I'm posting this all over the place to find some kind of advice...I'm copying and pasting...lol... cause I'm a hunt and pecker... need to look at my keys !! no, I spelled that correctly; I'm not "a huntin' pecker"...lol

anything, I mean anything is good... brainstorming here...

I have a JDM FE3 c/w the ECU & harness. I've pretty well figured out how to match the ECU with my BG (Protege) wiring harness. The code on the FE3 ECU FEFD-18-881C says its for a 90-92 Capella sedan.

I do not have the Capella AFM. I was told I could use an AFM from a Mazda B2600i. However,in the FE3 FSM and on the B2600i, the IATS is in the plenum. Mine has none... the hole is blocked off...

Based on what I read up above, mine may have had a VAF rather than a MAF...

How do I get around this issue? Can I get maybe a VAF from another engine say a Pro or GTR and tweak it since the IATS is included in it?

I know someone will suggest MS, but I want to install and run the engine N/A and as original as possible for now. I want to ensure the engine runs right before I go standalone. I've heard of too many horror stories about major tuning issues with an engine gone straight to standalone without a previous OEM original running history.

[Wilyb]

If you need more info or have questions I'm only too happy to respond.

I read somewhere that "it was probably discovered in Japan that the VAF style ECUs just could not pass later emissions regulations and Mazda had to move to the hot wire AFM and more modern code in the ECU to make the engine pass the emissions requirements".

This is probably the reason why my FE3 has no IATS in the plenum... good news bad news... it's probably the leaded fuel FE3, and probably the 10:1 C/R one as well...

Someone in Australia said he put the B2600I on his FE3 (with no IATS on the plenum) and it ran fine...but there is probably not a huge temp differential over there... Mine will only run in the summer, but I need to run that wire from the ECU to somewhere or I'll pull a code... I can probably ignore it for a season until I go MS...

[yunvmyegt]

why not pull out an iat from another one and pop it in, it wouldnt take long at all...

[Wilyb]

Actually, what if I grab either the IATS from the B2600 or from a Kia Sportage and install it in the intake tube like you do with MS?
All I would need to verify is that the resistance readings match or are similar to that of the FE3... I have the specs on that...

[yunvmyegt]

that shouldnt be a problem really if thats what you want to do, i just figured toss it in the afm since the wires from the bp harness already to there and it wouldnt involve cutting anything. really it shouldnt take more than 10 minutes to swap into the case if you have a soldering iron to get the main plug off the board...