Uberoo Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 I am doing a EJ22 swap on an 81 hatch.I had the ecu mounted where the spare tire used to sit inside an ammo box.got everything all together and I wouldn't start because there is no power to the ignition relay.While its apart I can change some things. originally to seal up the holes in the ammo box where the harness ran through I used lots of expanding foam.It would have worked just looked bad and was a real PITA the get the harness out.the harness came out the back of the box close to the firewall,so not that ugly but noticeable if you looked at it from the side.Anyway I am asking for any suggestions on how to seal the ammo box(at least enough to not leak for a couple minutes submerged).I know that subaru=/ submarine but when your offroading in tracks made by large trucks and your in something relatively small like a lifted Subaru-water tends to go over your hood..then if you get stuck in said hole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamus Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 I'm sure there will be better suggestions, but I'm always amazed at how well hot glue does at sealing electronics. If the holes aren't too oversized that it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red92 Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 originally to seal up the holes in the ammo box where the harness ran through I used lots of expanding foam. Did you use a closed-cell foam? A lot of the expanding foam out there is the open-cell type, which will absorb and retain water... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maozebong Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 I'm sure there will be better suggestions, but I'm always amazed at how well hot glue does at sealing electronics. If the holes aren't too oversized that it. this^ epoxy sealing for the ecu would be the best bet, and you could get it out of the ammo box, being that the whole board is ideally completely sealed. pack some epoxy in the back of the connector for a little extra waterproofing, and dielectric grease in the front side of the connector. undercoating or liquid electrical tape for the backside of the connector would work pretty well too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamus Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Just thought of another thing to add. One of my other hobbies is RC(radio control) and there is a product called corrosion-x that buddies of mine claim is good for waterproofing electronics. They claim they can completely submerge electric RC with the components coated in it. I also like liquid e-tape/plastidip for rc electronics but you would need a lot for an ecu I would imagine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 the ammo box also is where the relays and ignition amplifier live.kinda hard to water proof those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88Subi4x4 Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Spend the extra time and do it right....just mount the ecu in the stock location. way cleaner and works much better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 (edited) the stock location for the ecu is lower than if it was mounted where the spare tire used to sit.plus it would be difficult to effectively waterproof the ecu,relays, and ignition amplifier while fitting behind a dash that never even was designed for a computer.the car is an 81 hatch.On my last car was an 84 gl and I tried to fit the ecu behind the dash and it was VERY tight.Not to mention that the old plastic was super brittle and most of it on the dash was destroyed in the effort to remove the dash.On this car because the dash is physically smaller,older,and in better condition than the dash on the 84 I opted to put in where the spare tire would sit. Edited April 2, 2012 by Uberoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstaru Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 The dash is exactly the same as the other dash.EXACTLY.And when you remove them properly , they do not get beat up.Take and remove your glove box door, a ton of room back there.TONS really..... Using an ammo can inside the engine bay may have been done before, but in my opinion , kinda dumb.Its still the engine bay people.The cabin is less likely to be penetrated by water, and has more ability to house alot more relay/electrical/sensitive stuff in a safer manner. cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 when I put the ecu in the other one I mounted the computer in a tupperware container that was a little bigger than the ecu.that was mounted in the dash where the glove box went.I had to modify one of the HVAC hoses for it all to fit.it was a mess and it was only good for splash protection. before that I had the ecu stuffed up into the dash where the driver side speaker went held in place with lots of zip ties.After drowning the ecu and the motor I started to looking into waterproofing all that stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88Subi4x4 Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 The dash is exactly the same as the other dash.EXACTLY.And when you remove them properly , they do not get beat up.Take and remove your glove box door, a ton of room back there.TONS really.....Using an ammo can inside the engine bay may have been done before, but in my opinion , kinda dumb.Its still the engine bay people.The cabin is less likely to be penetrated by water, and has more ability to house alot more relay/electrical/sensitive stuff in a safer manner. cheers Yes dash is the same, mine fits perfect in the stock location. yeah and almost all my relay/electrical stuff is inside protected from the elements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted April 4, 2012 Author Share Posted April 4, 2012 if the dash is the same how come the instrument cluster from the 84 phsyically wouldnt fit in the 81 dash? the 84 instrument cluster was 2 inches taller and 3 inches longer than the space available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbrat Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 if the dash is the same how come the instrument cluster from the 84 phsyically wouldnt fit in the 81 dash? the 84 instrument cluster was 2 inches taller and 3 inches longer than the space available. then your '81 is a DL or STD with a smaller instrument cluster, but the physical "dash" is still the same length with the same mounting locations... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbrat Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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