The N18 engine equivalent in the 2014 Peugeot RCZ R runs 270 bhp fresh from the factory,

Having seen the gains Themis made on his N14 using the RCZ-R turbo
I had been keeping my eye out for a second hand turbo for a while

Well one day I got lucky and found a turbo,
even better also a whole RCZ-R engine attached

My first very big hurdle is I need a car to get this project moving,
most likely it will be a coupe or roadster in grey or blue,
Plans for the rest of the car include upgraded lsd & clutch, some street coilovers, possibly ohlins
Brake upgrades, lighter wheels with Ad08r tyres

I am looking to build a roadcar that's capable of serious performance, but keeping day to practically, think sunny day cruiser, might make the odd track day/afternoon once or twice per year,

I'm assuming I will need a N18 JCW as a base car,
or will a facelift n18 Cooper S do the job,
I will be aiming to re-purpose the factory ECU rather than a standalone
So before I try and reinvent the wheel,
has anyone done anything like this before ?

Any advice or pointers gladly appreciated

 

why am I following this route......?
Some info from digging around.....

The RCZ R has a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine
However, this new EP6CDTR engine has a reinforced engine block, specific turbo and exhaust manifolds, stronger conrods and new forged pistons developed with Mahle Motorsport (the last 20 Le Mans winners have used Mahle pistons).

And this....

Peugeot has announced a 300hp Bimota special edition of its RCZ R coupe. Built in tandem with the famous Italian bike maker, the car features a raft of upgrades over a standard RCZ R.
First up is a new exhaust system and bypass valve for the turbocharger, which is what helps raise the normal 266hp RCZ R up to the 300hp special edition.

Seems to me like some low hanging fruit without building a engine from scratch myself
Stage one would be to get it in and running, then add supporting mods like bigger intercoolers
And see where we end up,
Happy to consider simple head porting, hybrid if it helps or water meth injection, if need be,
not looking to achieve much beyond 300whp
but equally needs to be significantly better than a manic stage 3 remap to worth the pain

 

good luck on the build... wish I had the time, patience, and know how to tackle something like this!

 

Sounds like a good plan to me. Make sure to keep us all updated with the progress

 

It would probably be best to get the ECU from the RCZ-R, because even the Mini has different ECUs for the N18s depending on the HPFP layout.

 

Here it is

 

That looks familiar

Where did you find the engine, btw? Edit: oh, you're in England. Nevermind.

 

This is a rcz-r ecu according to eBay listing

 

Very cool idea though I see a couple of issues. Probably solvable ones though.

Problem 1:
The MEVD17.4.2 DME was never used by Mini. Meaning it will be expecting and sending different signals than those the other ECU's in the car are expecting to see. Also the Mini N18 JCW DME is out. The engine you have looks to have the Continental HPFP which uses voltage to control fuel pressure. The N18 JCW was not released until later and uses the Bosch fuel pump and MEVD 17.2.7 DME. The physical drivers on the motherboard to control the HPFP are different as the Bosch pump uses pulse width modulation to control the pump pressure.

Possible Solution:
Use a 2011 to March 2012 N18 MCS model that use the MEVD 17.2.2 DME. If you purchase a vehicle in that year model range with Continental fuel pump you should be able to use the existing wire harness and DME. Don't feel bad about having the Continental pump. While it is a bit more failure prone than the Bosch, it can actually flow more fuel. At least until someone makes an interal cam for the Bosch with more lobes.

Problem 2:
Sensor compatibility will very likely rear its ugly head.

Possible Solution:
The following sensors will probably have to be changed unless the P/N's match the ones on the vehicle. Intake/Exhaust cam position sensor, fuel rail pressure sensor, low oil pressure sensor, MAP/Temp sensor, vanos solenoids, wastegate solenoid, thermostat housing possibly. On the N18 the oil pump pressure is also controlled by the DME so I'd check connector compatibility. If the connector is the same you should be good there. I'm probably forgetting a few but check them all one by one.

Problem 3:
Tuning will be off. Instead of 10.5:1 compression your looking at 9.2:1. Specially designed 9.5:1 Mahle pistons with 1.2mm head gasket. Your timing will be retarded compared to what the engine needs resulting in less efficiency (lower torque and more unburned fuel in the exhaust). I believe the RCZ R also uses slightly bigger injectors meaning a richer mixture. The DME will adapt by adjusting fuel trims but that's not ideal.

Possible Solution:
Adjust the DME maps related to injector duty cycle and timing. Since Bosch is not very forthcoming with injector flow rates it may take a few attempts to get it right. One thing you can do to make that a bit easier is send one of the new and one of the old injectors out and have them flow checked at 1500 psi at various duty cycles.

 

Never mind. It's late and I'm being an idiot. Just open the RCZ DME and do a boot read to copy the fuel and timing maps. Doh! (Face palm)

 

Thanks Tigger
You have given me lots to think about
Currently I haven't any plans to get hold of the Rcz ecu
(It didn't come with the engine)
If I understand you correctly will I have to open it up to get the fuelling ?
Or could I reach out to an ownersclub and get somthing Via obd port ?

 

This might interest someone
Look how thick that head gasket is

English language (accent) longer version

 

Kinda want that front heatsheld(or something like it) that goes over the valve cover lol,
Maybe a weekend fab project

 

I'm sitting here with popcorn. I might be doing this next if you have success, so I'm cheering you on

 

You might need to invest in a popcorn machine

As I'm trying to find a suitable project car to put the engine into

Looking for something with a expired N18 engine, is proving tricky

 

If you were a little closer, you'll find what your looking for.


*searchesclassifiedsforpopcornmachine*

 

Looking at more cars over this winter, as prices are dropping
More accidents so possible low cost rebuild options might pop up

But it's looking most likely that I will have to pay full retail price
As the combination of lightning blue and hk sound seem very thin on the ground in the uk

Last chance saloon will be the end of lease plans that might arrive march time

this will be a live project by Easter

 

Hello Folks!
Are there any news on this topic?
I had the same idea, did some internet research and finally found this thread here. My knowledge about the EP6CDTR 270hp engine is very small because the engine seems to be very rare and is uncommonly discussed in german/english Peugeot Forums (You can't even find a engine unit for sell here in Germany). Some major points I'm wondering are about the electronics and the mechanical fitment into the R56 Series Chassis. Do you meanwhile have some straight plans how you can solve this challenges- and would you share your solutions?

Thanks in Advance,
N14

 

Sorry

Project is on hold for as I recently purchased a nearly new jcw n14, with 2850 miles and a years mini factory warranty ,

It may come back to life over time, if I have bigger issues with the n14,

The options I considered so far were all based around n18 platform
1) rcz-r Ecu
2) stand alone or challenge ecu
3) Reflash of oem ecu

I'm assuming by your forum name of N14, you might be looking at this from a different direction?

 

Anyone try using the intake from the RCZR +MAF adapter; as a CAI solution?

 

To use RCZR intake there should be RCZR turbo since the cold side OD of this turbo is supposed to be bigger.

 

That's what silicone couplers are for. I don't scare easy..
*adapt**overcome***etc

 

BTW is there any intake tube option for JCW R56 turbo except alluminium ALTA pipe? As I understand Forge has one only for MCS turbo. Is it possible to draw on Forge pipe on JCW turbo securely?

 

Nice to hear, have fun with the JCW! Please keep oil level and chain tensioner in mind, then you'll have fun for a long time. I also recommend using BASF Keropur regulary to prevent against coked injectors.

Yes, you're right. The Car is equipped with an 2008' N14 Engine, so there will be more problems to solve. I'm not scared about wiring, but i believe a huge problem could be the compatibility between an N18 ECU and the other controlling units inside the car. If i install a used N18 ECU with the CAS that belongs to it or if i install an N18 ECU with Immobilizer Off Software the Engine might fire up. But that does not mean that the Car will run properly, regarding communication with the rest of the car. Additionally the Problems Tigger2011 mentioned before. I heard some rumours here in Germany, that some tuners have managed to install a N18 into a prefacelift Cooper S Chassis, but it's hard to find more information about this.

Using a Stock RCZ-R ECU might bring more Problems, i believe there also will be some software adaption necessary to get it working, so you can take a N18 ECU anyway. Nevermind that the car would go without any software adaption.

Whatever, i think more research will be needed to say if this could work or not. Maybe a good starting point for studying is the '10 Cooper S, which is a Prefacelift Model that is equipped with an N18 Engine (and MED17.2.2 i believe, but not sure right now)

 

Sorry for Repost, where can i find this?