Product information

An unlocked GEMS ECU programmed to suit Morgan +8 vehicles, guaranteed to improve the driving characteristics thanks to correction of the fuelling and ignition maps to bring them back into line with what you would expect for a Morgan. Morgan themselves never changed these parameters, so from the factory your Morgan is running on a Range Rover fuel map. Not only that, it's also expecting an automatic gearbox to be coupled to the engine. As you can imagine it's a long way from what it should be with so much less load applied to the engine. While you will gain torque, power, throttle response and economy from this upgrade, don't confuse this with one of the many 'power chips' on the market - this is a correction chip and brings the fuelling and ignition in line with how it should have been from the factory. Of course, we can also take into account any engine upgrades you have applied, and ensure the gains from those upgrades are fully realised by ensuring the fuelling remains correct for the extra airflow. Simply tell us about any upgrades you have and they will be taken into account.

Please note this price includes a £60 exchange surcharge, which we will refund if you send us your ECU.

Another thing to note - Morgan often got their GEMS powered vehicles to pass emissions tests by disconnecting the knock sensors, which puts the ECU into "safe mode". We recommend re-instating the knock sensors to ensure the ignition timing remains correct. There are three states these left the factory in - Knock sensors present and connected, knock sensors present and disconnected, and knock sensors missing and disconnected. Where the sensors are not connected, the wiring is always present in the engine loom, but is often very well hidden behind tape (after all, a customer would rightly question disconnected plugs flapping around in the engine bay of their brand new sports car). Please see the pictures above detailing where the knock sensors should be fitted on your engine. Please select from the menu above if you need knock sensors supplied - we supply second hand genuine Lucas sensors as we have yet to see a faulty one.

We recommend the use of an unlocked ECU on GEMS powered Morgans as it eliminates a fault caused by the wiring of the Morgan (also present in Defender 90 50th models). When Morgan built the wiring loom for the dash board they placed the alarm signal/Engine check light wire in amongst all the other dash wires. When the ignition is first turned on, the alarm code is sent down the alarm signal wire at the same time all the dials boot up and set themselves. This causes an amperage spike which in turn often disrupts the alarm signal. In turn this means that the ECU does not receive the correct commands to allow the engine to start. Normally a second try of turning the ignition on results in the engine then starting, however we have seen many Morgan’s come in over the years where this issue has become a major factor of unreliability. With an unlocked GEM’s ECU this issue is removed.

On some ECU's we send, you may need to to swap the back cover to the original that was fitted to your vehicle as some came with extra brackets etc. This is a simple case of removing 5 T20 screws from each ECU, swapping the covers over and putting the screws back in. If you are sending your ECU in exchange, we will complete this process for you before sending the ECU.

RPi Advice

• We recommend upgrading your ignition system with Magnecor plug leads, please select from the drop down menu above if you wish to add these to your order. The benefits of Magnecor can be found in the ignition section of our shop.
• Installation is a simple process of removing the original ECU, plugging this one in and turning the key.
• A fitting and tuning service is available at our workshop in Horsford, Norfolk. Please enquire by email at info@v8engines.com. We also undertake any other Rover V8 based work from exhaust systems to full engine rebuilds.
• For home installations, full telephone and email support is also available for any questions you may have before, during or after the installation.