I just installed the hydra on my 05 sti and there car does not run. I have went over my work and checked the vaccum lines, plugs, injectors, everything. I unhooked the hydra and plugged in the stock ecu and even that didnt make the car start. I have perrin injectors, big maf intake, full exhaust, and e-boost controller. Please give me any info on how to make the car start. Thanks

Then it's NOT an ecu issue. Check your harness and everything else you have installed along with the Hydra and give it a try.

I checked the harness, its installed correctly. The bottom arrow of the diff. setting on the dash is also flashing and the car has never done that before.

I had that issue with my ecutek flashed ecu. You get a flashin CEL and a flashing lower diff light. For me it meant the flash didn't take. Another symptom is that when you turn the key you will not hear the fuel pump prime.

What did you change besides the ecus? Cause it sounds like something else is messed up.

Did you have a base startup map installed in it (Hydra)?


Also, was the eboost working with the stock ecu? Or did you do that and the other mods all at once then install the hydra?

If so I'd unhook the eboost for now and see if that may be wired incorrect, or not suitable for the hydra.

I agree with mullet. What changed other than injectors and ECU?

Tell us the steps you took to get to the point where you tried to start the car, and what happened when you tried to start it. Just make a list of the installation events.

Very definitely unplug the eboost and plumb up you stock boost control solenoid, or alter PWM Map 4 to not use the stock boost control system. (I do not recommend eBoost unless you wire it in to the Hydra (Phil only knows). You are running a speed density system with excellent boost control for all but the biggest turbos).

Is Big MAF using the stock Denso MAF sensor. The Hydra references the stock MAF for intake temp only, but ignores the MAF signal.

ps I doubt car will start with big injectors, it's almost twice the fuel. If it did start it would be a smoke fest and probably a fire hazard.

mine would start on the stock ecu w/ the 800cc injectors but it was a mess to say the least.

If it won't start with the factory ecu then it could be a million things. This so far has been the root of all recent problems and all started after one or more of these was resolved. Focus on the items not related to the Hydra since your car will not start with the factory ecu:

These apply to cars with no damaged sensors, coil packs, or spark plugs, and that start with OEM ECU (just try them anyway ;) )

Car cranks and makes no attempt to start:

General wire taps into ecu harness where a wire may me not be passed through in the Hydra.
Defi Link, gauges, tachometer wire taps in OEM ecu harness
Water Injection wire taps in OEM ecu harness
Turbo Timers
Alarm Systems with start disable

Not enough battery Voltage:
Less than 10.4 Volts while cranking will result in the car not starting. Monitor Voltage while cranking with Hydra Software.
Charge or replace the battery
If this only occurs when below freezing or colder temperatures
Replace battery with more cold cranking amps
A tell tale sign of not enough voltage will result in no RPM reading (monitor with Hydra software) while cranking the car

Fuel Map too lean:
Add fuel to the "cranking Enrichment" and or "Start Primer" maps

Fuel entry and return lines to fuel rail reversed:
These are the lines coming out of your fuel filter

Main Fuel map may not be appropriate for injectors:
Injectors with low response times such as PE may not be delivering enough fuel under low fuel pressure and voltage
Increase the values in "Main Fuel" Map by using the "Injector Change Trim" feature under the "Tools" Menu

Not enough battery Voltage:
Less than 10.4 Volts while cranking will result in the car not starting. Monitor Voltage while cranking with Hydra Software.
Charge or replace the battery
If this only occurs when below freezing
Replace battery with more cold cranking amps
A tell tale sign of not enough voltage will result in no RPM reading (monitor with Hydra software) while cranking the car

Crank Triggers Incorrect:
This is rare but if the crank triggers are wrong the Hydra will not see 2 syncs of the crank and therefore will not attempt to start
A tell tale sign of wrong triggers is no RPM reading (monitor with Hydra software) while cranking the car


Car tries to start or does not stay running:

Coil pack Wires reversed:
Car may start with OEM ecu but will not with Hydra
White connectors always in front, black in back

Fuel Map too lean:
Add fuel to the "Post Start Enrichment" map under the coolant temperature areas where car stalls
Increase the idle under "select/settings/ISC" and increase the "Min PWM" to around 40-50 to idle the car higher. This will keep the car running so you can asses how lean the AFR is. If after the car is warm, and the AFR is leaner than 14.7, the "Main Fuel" map is too lean.

Main Fuel map may not be appropriate for injectors:
Injectors with low response times such as PE and others may not be delivering enough fuel under low fuel pressure and voltage
Increase the values in "Main Fuel" Map by using the "Injector Change Trim" feature under the "Tools" Menu
Car does not start when cold
Add fuel to the "cranking Enrichment" and or "Start Primer" maps under the coolant temperature trouble range

Not enough battery Voltage:
Less than 10.4 Volts while cranking will result in the car not starting. Monitor Voltage while cranking with Hydra Software.
Charge or replace the battery
If this only occurs when below freezing
Replace battery with more cold cranking amps
A tell tale sign of not enough voltage will result in no RPM reading (monitor with Hydra software) while cranking the car

Good luck!
Phil
www.elementtuning.com

Wow!! Thanks Phil.

Now, 1fastSubie tell us what you did. Don't be shy only half of us bite.

Ok guys I hooked up my labtop to the hydra and turned the car on and the hydra software said that the ecu was not connected. I made sure everything was hooked up and still it gave me the code 30001. I decided to try the stock ecu again and the car actually started up but was a mess.

Are you sure you have the coil pack leads correct? Double check both sides, with white in the front and black in the back. If it sounds like it's back firing out the exhaust on the stock ecu this could be the culprit.

With the "big" maf and modified injectors your STI should start and run normal on the factory ecu.

Thanks,
Phil
www.elementtuning.com

Did you touch the coil packs? Maybe change the plugs? We can help a lot more if you tell us everything you did.

The fact that the Nemesis software cannot connect to the ECU could be a serial or serial-usb problem and have nothing to do with the Hydra's installation.

Okay, the only thing i did was install the injectors and big maf. I never touched the coil packs or plugs . I started it up this morning and took a little drive around my neighborhood and the car ran fine. The car was warmed up so I turned it off and hooked up the hydra again. I went to turn the car on and it would not start witht he hydra installed. There ws no backfiring or sputtering with the stock ecu installed. Everythign workes fine until I hook up the Hydra.

i would run your boost line around the passenger window to the engine bay just to make sure it not getting pinched off some where. that will prevent the car from starting. just a thought

the vac line that goes to the hydra works fine and is def not pinched because when i hooked up the stock ecu that line was not hooke din a dn i could hear it sucking air.

Phil,

Does the immobilizer key on the 05s mess with the startup?

can you up load the map from the hydra at all?

Nope I cannot load it at all. I really wish I could figure out whats wrong with the ecu so my car can get running again.

maybe theres not a map in the unit, thats doubtfull but i cant think of anything it could be if you havent touched anything else on the car. but even if there wasnt a map you should at least be able to pull up a template.

check each pin on your wiring harness and hydra connnectors... you might have pushed one out of the way of the pin hole

How do you know the computer can connect to anything?

Do you have a Serial-USB adapter. So far the only one I have seen that works is the one from I-Concepts. PDA Serial to USB converter.

Maybe your Hydra came without a map? (Doubt it if you bought it from Phil)

Check the coil pack leads.

The only serial adapter I have is the one that came with the hydra. Im pretty sure it has a map though. I didnt touch the coil pack leads at all so nothing should be wrong with them.

OK - So right now it fires up with the stock ECU, just not with the Hydra? If so... does the car at least cranks? If it does.. as Phil said: Add fuel to the "Cranking Enrichment" and or "Start Primer" maps.

Wait... you said that you couldn't upload the map from the Hydra?

If you have not been able to upload any Hydra map how did you calibrate the throttle (or O2 sensor if you have one). Borrow a computer or drag you desktop to the garage. :-)

I'm not sure how the Hydra would react to "idle" if it does not know what 0% throttle position is.

i think the car would start even w/ out the tps being set due to the cranking enritchment. ???

Whether it "would" start or not he should be following the installation procedure to the letter.

I do not understand the Big MAF installation at all, the Hydra only uses the MAF for temp assessment. Having the Big MAF is an expensive unnecessary part, unless there is some other MAF-based management system in the picture.

True! - And NO, it will not fire up with TPS in 0%

the tps is supposed to be around a value of 30 or so at rest.

1fast sube did you get this figured out yet?

DId you find out the immobilizer is killing the ignition cause it doesn't see the stock ECU or is that a non-issue?

No I have not figured this out yet. Phil wrote me an email and said that my problem might be the immobilizer because my car is an 05. he is talking to his engineer about the problem but hasnt gotten back to me yet.

Same prob I'm having on an ECUTEK flashed ecu on my 05.

The ecu the key and the integrated unit are all tied together somehow.

If there was a way to eliminate the need for this loop we'd be good to go.

I'm trying to figure out the wiring also.

I know I hope this gets figured out soon I wanna see how the hydra works. First they change the lug pattern on the 05's now this damn immbobilizer.

Tell me about it brother. I foresee even more BS immobilizer type stuff being implemented into pretty much the whole auto market.

All these anti chop shop measures don't benefit the tuner market for sure.

I've spent two hours on it tonight no headway whatsoever.

Just got an email from Phil and he gonna come by my house and switch my harness and make sure that there were no tuning issues. So hopefully it will be up and working in no time.

Any updates bro?

I'm still waiting on the new harness so hopefully early next week I'll have it tested.

Thanks,
Phil
www.elementtuning.com

All resolved and we now have Element Tuning Hydra STI for the 05 model.

I actually also had my 05 Legacy 5AT running on the Hydra :)

Thanks,
Phil
www.elemenettuning.com

Congratulations!!! That was quick work.

I have many 05 customers so it was a priority. The user posted a review

First off I just want to thank Phil of Element Tuning for making a great product and having great customer service. I was having problems with my hydra because i have an 05 STI and the immobilizer system was causing the car not to start. But Phil personally found the problem, made the new harness, and came out to my house to fix my hydra and make sure everything ran fine. The car pulls very hard with no hesitation and the difference is just amazing. Spoolup is instantaneous and the sound from the Perrin big maf is loud and can definitely hear that turbo spooling. I am very happy with my setup and my car has never run better. I've owned a UTEC before on my old WRX, but I am more pleased with the hydra and would reccommend it to anyone.

Mods:
Element Tuning hydra
Stromung 3 inch catback
Invidia 3 inch downpipe
Perrin mod injectors
Turbosmart E-boost Controller
Perrin big MAF short ram

Thanks,
Phil
www.elementtuning.com

glad you got your car going, and Phil is definately the man! He spent more time w/ me on the phone than my girl does. lol edit: car stuff of course ;)

I think I want one now...

Phil,

Kickass customer service Thanks!

I look forward to receiving my Hydra soon.