[danperezsax]

Just yanking on the top of it, which is what I did, does not leave room to pass the plastic connectors, and probably not the wiring, either. This harness is very wide. I think it's gonna come down to shaving open the hole for the hood latch, or using a huge unibit to drill the firewall. There may be a way past the fender, too, if we shave open the hole behind the wheel well. I don't really know what's best, so I'm happy to pay a pro to take care of this one for me, and get a proper solution that Haltech can tell its users about. Between this and El Dominio's option, it looks like we'll finally have the heat/TPS problems licked.

 

[danperezsax]

What's going on all...? Got a 2010 2.0t w/ Haltech. Just got it back from 2 months in the shop. Drove home...(2 hr drive) car shut off on me while driving twice...in addition my abs/brake light came on. I pulled over, restarted the car and it went away. However, when I finally got home and parked it...the car won't start...the immobilized light comes on...not the FOB and not the battery...

Switched to my stock ECU and car came on just fine...is my Haltech fried?

Sounds like it, bud. That's what it does when it overheats catastrophically. You won't be able to connect your computer to it while it's like that, either. When it cools off, sometimes it may start the car for a few minutes or let you connect and download your datalogs or whatever you need, but that unit sounds like toast.

 

[danperezsax]

Why don't you ask them? LOL. I would have made a bracket to mount to if it was gonna be permanent, though the zip ties were holding fine. I don't think Haltech was planning to spend any more R&D time on our cars, though. You should email Adam and ask if you want a straight answer.

 

[danperezsax]

Yes, I did. Haltech thought that was the best solution of the ones I came up with. Could try duct tape, as well. I'm no longer running that ECU so it's a non issue for me.

 

[danperezsax]

Far as I know, a hardware kit was never in question. Just use the mounting plate that came with the Platinum Pro and bolt or zip-tie that in where you can make it fit. The harness extension, as it turns out, was unnecessary.

 

[danperezsax]

With flat shifting, 99/100 you'll make the shift in time. It goes in super smooth.

 

[danperezsax]

Yeah, once you know it can be done, it's not hard. TBH, pulling out the harness, I just yanked the plastic cover to the side and had plenty of room to pull it through.

 

[danperezsax]

Looks like I'm gonna wrestle with that plastic cover as well... I've decided to part out and go back to stock for longevity's sake, as I've burned through 2 clutches already and honestly at this point, I need money for my parts! The Haltech is already spoken for, unfortunately, but before I go, here are some mounting pics... it's more obtrusive than Ecara's solution, but very easy access for the USB hookup, and has the proven benefit (I have many datalogs) of being cooled quickly and easily by the car's A/C which blows right on it.

 

[danperezsax]

^^^ Dude, just do it, regardless, don't wait for the ECU to start acting up. A single high heat even can screw your ECU up for life, and in may not manifest itself obviously at first. Just protect your ECU and move it into the car. As far as I'm concerned, now that this solution has been discovered, this is THE WAY to run a Haltech.

 

[danperezsax]

**** me.

 

[danperezsax]

What about that little sensor plug hanging off the side of the harness? How's that gonna hook up? And what all did you have to remove to get that harness free? When I checked for play in mine, it barely moved 2 inches! I didn't want to pull it apart in case I broke it... In any case, Adam's gonna be pissed at me when he sees this... I told Haltech I didn't think that could be done. FML

 

[danperezsax]

Lolwut... *ahem* Sorry. What is that? Where's he planning to mount it?

 

[danperezsax]

Fans, yeah, but you're still seeing it over 150*, right? I had an ECU that malfunctioned past 130*...

 

[danperezsax]

Well the USB is pretty much idiot-proof to begin with. Pass the long cable they include through the firewall and wrap it up when it's not in use. However, now I can easily unplug it from the ECU while driving if need be.

I think from their perspective, they're weighing how much they've spent already on R&D, manufacturing costs and HR costs plus shipping for warranty, etc., balancing that with the cost of engineering a solution and either retrofitting all existing units, sending out new units to everyone, or R&D-ing a new Platinum Pro line, vs the cost of just building and selling harnesses and ALL of that weighed against their projected market for the product. If they're saying the unit cannot be re-engineered, I don't think they mean that in a perfect world, it is impossible for it to be re-engineered, but that they cannot afford to do it. In fact, from what they've told me, I'm fairly certain that they would pull the product rather than do that, and then we'd really be ****ed.

So, the added cost of the extension blows, but it's a necessary evil in our case, until another product comes out that does not have any issues at all.

 

[danperezsax]

I'm gonna leave it to Haltech to release details about their harness, since it's their product and their information. I will say that I have the prototype on my car, it works, no drilling was needed to pass it through the firewall, and my ECU is suspended under the A/C duct under the driver's side dash. Temps are low. I'm still in the process of finding a prettier, more permanent way to mount it and get great pictures of everything, as it's awkward as hell down there. However, I'll be sending everything along to Haltech along with datalogs of all my long drives as I've been doing for weeks and they'll be able to choose what best will make the installation guide. There is plenty of room for the harness and ECU under the driver's side dash.

Also, the measurements I sent them were extremely liberal. I could have probably done with 1.5-2" less, but that also means that this length harness could theoretically lead to many other mounting positions. Measurements on everything will be sent to them this week, and I'm sure they'll be moving ASAP to determine how best to proceed regarding harness extension production.

 

[danperezsax]

It's both, guys. Stock, you're still gonna see problems due to high ambient temps and the fact that if you idle long enough, everything in the bay will heatsoak to 180 degrees eventually.

 

[danperezsax]

This is true but tens of millions of cars drive around for years and years without their ECU over heating, under the hood. For close to $2K the Haltech should not be overheating. Plenty of people have mounted their CMD right next to their exhaust maniofld and turbo without it over heating as well. Granted the Haltech does more than the CMD they definitely should have done more to prevent heat issues. It almost sounds like they aren't actually using the case to dissipate any heat, which they should be. If they are using the case to dissipate heat then they need to perhaps look at their thermal compounds, changing material of the case, or adding more fins.

They just got unlucky with a supplier, I think. They tested extensively in Australia and Arizona, with no heat issues. Everybody with a Haltech has not reported problems, which is why I think it's a supplier QC issue... some TPSs are bad, others are not. They have not told me this, but it's what I think. They told me the internal electronics are rated to 225* or 250*, and straight up told me "just don't let the housing get past 250* or the board temp get to 200* and you should be alright." That's what they expect. Thus far, I don't think I've EVER seen my board temp break 100*...

 

[danperezsax]

That's what I mean, I've always said the throttle driver/control thing is to blame, so moving it around could perhaps not do so much, but I doubt it'll malufnction inside the cabin.

The thing is, tearing a big hole in your firewall for the cables, finding where to put it is a lot more expensive than just putting a fan on the Haltech (that and, I keep my body corrosion/perforation warranty)

This is true, but I already had to expand a hole for the USB cable. LOL. Also when it's all sealed up I don't expect there will be any corrosion to worry about. Mounting SHOULD be easy. Obviously I don't know yet, but I have found a location I think is suitable and will most likely zip tie it in so it's easy install/removal, convenient access and secure. We shall see. The harness does cost money, but the end result should be 100% bomb proof.

 

[danperezsax]

Those kind of temps are hard on any kind of electronics. I was discussing this problem with another Haltech enthusiast and he recommended that you guys get a couple washers to lift up the back of the hood. Yeah it's a cheap ricer mod.
But it's barely noticeable and will provide better airflow/cooling. It'll help evacuate heat from the engine bay.

I did that long ago... My hood sticks up like an inch and a half in back and looks terrible. It did make a very noticeable difference in the temps, though.

 

[danperezsax]

:/ didn't realize you'd cut open your ECU. I moved my fan to that side without cutting. It is a very minimal improvement over my original fan placement. Can't wait to get this thing in the car with me.

As for the ECU overheating in the cabin, that's never gonna happen. 120* is not enough to make even the most sensitive functioning Haltech malfunction. Furthermore, the hood gets hotter than the cabin in the sun... it's a big black piece of metal, conducting heat through all the other enclosed metal surrounding the ECU, inches away. Even on the sunniest, hottest day, I've never come into the car cold and seen the ECU much hotter than 108*. In the cabin, I'll be surprised if it ever heats up past 115* or so even in operation (the Haltech itself generates heat, too, don't forget!).