Proteus and Mercedes M137 V12 (Hellen M113k config)

From Frankenstein to Proteus and everything in between
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JulianFDRacing
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Location: Manchester

Proteus and Mercedes M137 V12 (Hellen M113k config)

Post by JulianFDRacing »

A little background - Just under 12 months ago I bought a Proteus from @Simon Orchard for my 2000 S600 V12, it also had ABC (suspension) issues that I've been trying to resolve since, I've just bought a coilover kit for it so I can bin the ABC and concentrate on the engine conversion, I'm done with ABC :(

Although I had the Proteus the car still started and ran on the original ECU which was important whilst I was trying to get the ABC to work properly, doing any work on the ECU meant I couldn't continue to troubleshoot the ABC pump etc. I have been trying to get Star Xentry working with an Openport 2.0 so I can run the infamous Mercedes Rodeo to bleed the ABC struts. I didn't get that far, Xentry said it couldn't connect to ECU and the car wouldnt start, I pulled out the ECU and found the fuse box (where it lives) to be full of water, I pulled apart the ECU and found the top +12v pin looks to have rotted/burnt away, I have bypassed the connector and connected to the board pin directly with an inline fuse. As it didn't immediately spring into life I need to check some other fuses but if the pin burnt/rusted away then it will have been a bloody good fuse and I think the ECU will be dead.

So it looks like it's finally time to crack on with the Proteus conversion. This is made slightly more complicated as the M137 engine uses the same twin-plug setup as the M111, M112 & M113 engines but it uses a voltage amplifier and a bank of 12 plugs each side, the other twin plug engines all use a twin-plug with individual coils per cylinder instead of one covering six cylinders and a shared voltage amplifier to replace the individual coils.

I've bought 12 individual coil packs from the M112 engine and intend to replace the whole M137 ECM>High Voltage system and run it like the Helen boards running the M113k engine. This system is a massive issue for the M137 as the coil packs are stupidly expensive and even brand new are likely to have a very short life (12 yr material life so new old-stock is useless and you need to buy remanufactured), the M137 needs a proper fix and I believe this is how it should be done. I've also bought a couple of extra wiring looms just so I would have all the connectors I will need (I dont have any ignition side connectors due to voltage amplifier and plug banks)

I'm really going to need help on this (begging hat on), with the dead ECM the key still turn/work it just doesn't crank, to me that means I should be able to use the original key etc without having to worry about the EIS or steering lock etc, I should be able to use the original acc/ignition wiring and not have to start the wiring from the battery. I have created a spreadsheet with all the Proteus pins, BMW M73 pins (for ref) and M137 ECM pins (trying to document these from the Mercedes WIS diagrams). I can work out where the injectors and coils would connect but a lot of it is beyond my knowledge of electronics/sensors, I used to teach C programming so software/RUSefi I will hopefully be capable of learning quickly but the pins connections and configuration I would definitely appreciate a little guidance on.

Is there a particular process I should follow to start this project, I would certainly need to make available the spreadsheet people could update/advise on as a first step?

Appreciate any help on this, I think I have collected the parts I need for the project so its just knowing what to do with it all now :)

Thanks

Julian
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AndreyB
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Re: Proteus and Mercedes M137 V12 (Hellen M113k config)

Post by AndreyB »

There is at least a dozen ways to skin this cat.

I would first get the setup to crank, and then get it to show cranking RPM. I would not sweat about spark, I would have it idling on some simpler setup first.
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JulianFDRacing
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Location: Manchester

Re: Proteus and Mercedes M137 V12 (Hellen M113k config)

Post by JulianFDRacing »

I now have it cranking via RUSefi, its not attached to a button so using benchtest to test but its now cranking. I've connected crank position sensor but still working out how to test it via TunerStudio. CANBUS is connected and I can see messages from and to RUSefi. I have an issue with the RUSefi console, CANBUS messages flow when I connect RUSefi but when I turn on ignition the console almost freezes and runs like crap till I turn off ignition, after about five seconds it clears up and runs properly again. Its only with a beta version of console so will try and update that again. I've not got the fuel pump to operate yet but mainly because Mercedes hide things so well in their wiring diagrams and sometimes use the same colours in the same connector (albiet a different gauge)

Is there any way I can upload my pin spreadsheet to github so I could get someone to give it a once over when I have it reading crank pos etc, I think its either working or I have wires the wrong way around. I was too giddy with it cranking to investigate further :)
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AndreyB
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Re: Proteus and Mercedes M137 V12 (Hellen M113k config)

Post by AndreyB »

Need way more pictures!

Jimmy is the Mercedes guy :)
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augenblick
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Re: Proteus and Mercedes M137 V12 (Hellen M113k config)

Post by augenblick »

Sorry just now saw this.

https://github.com/rnd-ash/ultimate-nag52-fw/blob/main/lib/egs52_ecus/can_data.txt
This is an ok start on deciphering the CAN messages. As you may have figured out by now, EIS can function without the MB ECM; I believe Alex's setup was originally a ME2.0/1 (Pre-2000), but it might have been a ME2.8

You could upload your spreadsheet to github, I use google docs sheets for stuff I want to share.
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