[ElDominio]

Thanks for all what you are doing!

No problem!

Looks Boomslangy!!! XD

My updates:
Since my Haltech doesn't shut off when it overheats, it just starts acting strange, I switched the case to one that DOES fail under overheating. The client told me the ECU Temperatures NEVER went over 153F with the ambient temp sensor in the car reporting 101F (Puerto Rico Summer), Haltech never had any of the weird idle/fuel trim issues either. Again, it looks extremely promising.
Now mine, using the heat shield he made himself using the aluminum exhaust shield the car brings from the factory (remember, hes using my casing with the fans and I'm using his with the heatshield), climbed to 173F again, and started having the odd throttle/idle/FT issues.

So, TL;DR, fans are doing their job, overheating Haltechs stop overheating with fans.

Let's see how the extended works!!!

 

[cris90]

how r u going to get all thos ires and harnes through the firewall?

 

[danperezsax]

Drill baby, drill! I think.

 

[ecarca]

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.

Both options seem to be reasonable.
At the end, a 10°C ambient temperature difference (from 28°C to 38°C) makes the difference between a working ECU and a overheating ECU under the hood, with temps (based on intake) approaching 80°C at idle. So if it' s inside of the car the ECU should be working fine even if the heats comes from inside since it will be in an environment less than 30°C, which is a 50°C difference!

 

[Red Raspberry]

What would happen if the car was sitting locked up in the sun? It gets over 120F in the car and might heat soak the ECU.

 

[ecarca]

What would happen if the car was sitting locked up in the sun? It gets over 120F in the car and might heat soak the ECU.

I thought about this too but I think it wouldn't be the case at 120F but I might be wrong

 

[ElDominio]

The car might even get to 120F, but before you turn it on, you'd probably let the heat out, and after that you'd turn on the A/C

I tried yesterday just for testing's sake with my friend's unmodified Haltech, we put it on top of the strut tower with the hood open. It got to about 147F.

Most of the case was cold, but towards where the e-throttle driver is (like the middle), it got pretty hot to the touch.

BTW I've been trolling a certain thread on HGCC, please don't stop taking me seriously because of it lol

 

[ElDominio]

Before anyone goes cutting up their Haltechs, let me test some more Haltech before giving a definitive answer on my fix.

I recently tried inverting the power cables on my Xbox fans and consequently fried them, so let me get some new ones and continue testing.

 

[Rspecwhite]

When I get my haltech back from repair , I'm gonna put it in an insulated enclosure fed by a small fan that is pushing in outside air.

 

[ElDominio]

new fans, since I burnt up the Xbox ones

Now one is push, one is pull. I made sure to seal up all edges nice and airtight, let's see how this configuration goes.

rspecwhite: the thing is, I think the throttle driver is to blame, and insulating the Haltech will just aggravate the problem, since it will be harder to liberate the heat it produces :/

 

[CrookedH]

TLDR but has anyone cracked one open to see if they have heatsinks on the chips and VRs?

Sucks you guys spent so much on "THE" tuning solution for the 20T only to have these issues. Being in Texas with 100*+ for months on end I certainly won't be buying a Haltech anytime soon.

 

[ElDominio]

TLDR but has anyone cracked one open to see if they have heatsinks on the chips and VRs?

Sucks you guys spent so much on "THE" tuning solution for the 20T only to have these issues. Being in Texas with 100*+ for months on end I certainly won't be buying a Haltech anytime soon.

Yes, there is a heatsink on what I suspect is the the throttle control circuit/driver/whateveritis. The only thing is that everything is packed so tight, it's really thin, and it's literally a piece of aluminum (or some metal that looks like it) with no fins.

 

[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!).

 

[Nate2.0T]

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.

 

[ElDominio]

:/ 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!).

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)

 

[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]

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.

 

[ElDominio]

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.

Nice, nice!
The more the merrier!! !XD

 

[Nate2.0T]

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.

Have you had any issues with rain getting in? I was thinking about doing this myself but it's monsoon season in Florida...

 

[CrookedH]

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.

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.