Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 M3W ECU Cracker

I have a lead on an ECU expert that claims they can find the lock code on any ECU and open it.

We know Morgan has left us high and dry on this & won't help. I've had 5 Morgans over 40+ years and the Factory just don't seem to care that we Owners are trying to keep them on the road for a long time.. Why not share the unlock code if the S&S version is no longer produced?

IF I can get him to find out how to crack the original EOM ECU unlock code would TM people be willing to buy for a solution if it works?

I have an unlocked ECU, I paid quite a bit to get it when I did the 569 cams and other things several years ago. I also have a spare "locked" ECU with a stage 1 map on it that would probably just about run the 569 cams at a push, so personally I don't have a great need for an ECU unlocking code. It would be good to have the option though. Now that Morgan have ceased production and the M3W is moving into "heritage" territory it would be good if they released the codes anyway, they are not going to make money out of it now, rather than someone have to break the code.

The other problem is that you need to have someone who can make use of having the unlock code, they need to be able to work S&S Protune 2 on a dyno and make use of the map access. There seems to be a real shortage of people who can operate Protune 2, as nobody else uses it, although it is similar to some other systems. I and a number of other unlocked ECU owners, have tweaked maps that are derived from dyno runs or generic maps but you really need an experienced dyno operator to make full use of the access and that is the problem really, not so much getting the access code.

Planenut....all excellent notes and comments! This person has written custom ECU codes for racing bikes, HD's, even S&S engines. Seems he is an expert. I HAD 569 cams to put in my engine, but the lack of anyone here nearby in the States made the reprograming and customizing impossible. Sold them to a nice chap in your neck of the woods.

It will be interesting to know how much the unlock code is likely to be.

As I understand it MMC are not legally allowed to release the code any more and may not even have it. This is due to the EU regulations which mandated that all vehicle manufacturers ECUs are fully locked to preserve the homologated emissions standards. Even post Brexit the UK still adopt this ruling.

It's also worth pointing out that the tuning files changed around 2017 so a pre 2017 map will not work on a post 2017 ECU. The EU4 ECU is likely to be different again.

Planenut makes a good point about the difficulty in tuning an unlocked ECU, however it is possible to get copies of the stock tuning map for standard and 596 cams.

Chris99, Interesting info on the evolutionary regulatory aspects of automotive design and control. Thanks for posting.

I certainly think that access to a way through the security on the ECUs would be a good thing.
As Chris says, it's likely that MMC's hands are tied on this and even if they have the ability to get passed the locks they have kept it very tight and I'm pretty sure that if anything had made it out of the back door then we would be well aware of it by now.
I have absolutely no idea how much it might cost to crack the code, but am definitely interested.

I would be interested too...but as Planetnut states, for any of these ECU's to run 100% correctly (including the Emerald unit) they really need to be tuned on a rolling road....

Agreed in an ideal world you would dyno tune to your actual car but an unlocked S&S ECU will run fine on the standard map or, if it has 569 cams on one of the Stage 2 maps that can be got hold of. I have copies of these for both pre and post 2017

Chris - agreed - they do run fine - but they do not run perfect - there is always room for improvement....

I’d be willing to join this party if it becomes a reality. I am on a list to get the Garage 56 ECU when it’s in stock again, however I’ll likely hold out until this situation plays out. I’ve got the Garage 56 stage one exhausts (ran out of material to reweld on the Brooklands exhausts) :-) and on startup it’s not happy…takes getting running to settle down.


Thanks AZ for ferreting this out!!

Will