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Chipping the ECU on a Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera

The Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera was the first road going 911 to boast an Electronic Control Unit, or ECU, for engine management (Porsche also called this Digital Engine Management, or DME). This paved the way for engine tuners to modify the engine maps for increased performance from the Porsche stock configuration. By tuning the engine in this new digital way, aftermarket tuners are able to alter ignition timing, fuel mixture and maximum RPM fo the rev limiter. The following article has kindly been written by Channel P101tv member "ItsAnInvestment". He chose the aftermarket ECU chip developed by Steve Wong.

The gospel according to Steve

Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to gape in awe at the smoother running, linear torque and response curves provided through the almighty Wong chip.

I admit to being bit of geek but even the non geek amongst us should have the chip installed and working within 30 minutes. I know Steve's instructions boast a mere 20 minutes, but it takes a couple of goes to get it down to that. The instructions that come with the chip are very good, but to give you a taste of what you need to do I have put together a few pointers which should help the uninitiated.

Tools Required

Suprisingly, you only need a few pieces of of kit from your toolbag:
▶ 10mm socket spanner
▶ Pliers
▶ Non magnetic flat and cross headed screwdrivers

A Step by Step Guide

Step 1. Push back the passenger seat and raise up it as far as it will go
Step 2. Peel pack the carpet at the seat end so that its in the foot well, no need to remove it totally
Step 3. Undo the two screws holding the seat motor cover in place
Step 4. There should be a silver box bolted to the floor which is your goal. It is secured by four nuts, use the socket spanner to remove the nuts and washers
Step 5. Ease the ECU straight up and over the bolts and pull from under the seat
Step 6. The data cable has is not fragile so don't be afraid to get it where you want it; one end has a clip the other end has a hook. Hold the ECU and unclip before trying to unhook
Step 7. Take the ECU to the kitchen and use a worktop - I say this so that you minimise the chance of static from carpets etc that could damage the chip
Step 8. Flip the ECU over so that you can see a series of tabs along each side; if there are some scratch marks under the tabs, its likely there may well already be an after market chip in there

Step 9. Using a non magnetic flat head screw driver pry up the tabs, then use pliers to pull up
Step 10. Pulling off the cover should then reveal the circuit board which is in a sandwich like format

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Step 11. Using a flat blade non magnetic screw driver, prize the white posts apart, then using your thumb and finger on the cable connector blocks rather than the edges of the circuit board push apart

Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera dual layer circuit board

porsche 911 3.2 Carrera DME circuit board

Step 12. The front end of the circuit board may well be glued to the external connectors so don't try to force apart until you've taken the glue off. It might well be two push down tabs that you need to press
Step 13. Once the boards are apart, the chip is located on the bottom right of the right hand board; there is a notch in the chip and you'll need to remember which way its positioned
Step 14. Ease a non magnetic screw driver between the chip and chip holder frequently changing ends until it can be picked up using only the black body of the chip

Step 15. Holding only the black of the Steve Wong chip, insert it gently but firmly ensuring the pins are aligned to the chip holder holes. Its in when the thinner parts of the chip pins can't be seen
Step 16. Fold back up the circuit board but don't put the case back on
Step 17. Go back out to the car and re-attach the data cable, remember to do the hook first
Step 18. Test start the car and let it run for a few minutes. If it doesn't start make sure the chip is firmly seated
Step 19. Assuming its working unclip the data cable and put the cover fully on, re-attach data cable, bolt back to floor, put back seat motor cover and carpet
Step 20. Go for a drive, when the engine is at temperature ensure your idle speed is correct, it might well need a little adjustment

Steve suggests checking throttle linkages and micro switches too in his instructions which never hurts...have fun.

This guide was written with our thanks by Channel P101tv's "ItsAnInvestment" . Why not check out his P101tv Channel.

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Text Comments (10 of 10)

By: Surlysurdi

Date: 06-02-21

Rated: 0

I folllowed this article and changed my chip without an issue, just be careful prying apart the boards!

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By: AirPower

Date: 23-01-14

Rated: 0

Great article. Many thanks for putting it together. This is going to be really useful!

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By: hoffman

Date: 16-01-14

Rated: 0

Great article. I've been thinking about doing mine and was worried it might be too technical. Having read this, I'll definitely be doing it myself!

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By: pete917

Date: 04-10-13

Rated: 0

It is possible that you might see an improvement in fuel economy from a chip. But I suspect in this case you wouldn't.

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By: Blogsy

Date: 04-10-13

Rated: 0

The price sounds great to me. Sounds like the main improvement is not pure BHP, but more responsiveness and and power curve. Have you noticed any difference in fuel consumption?

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Reply by: ItsAnInvestment Date: 04-10-13

Well lets say for me the mpg was no worse than before but the fun factor was waaaaay more

By: CarreraBoy

Date: 12-09-13

Rated: 0

Great article. Im planning a chip change at some point and this is definitely going to help get it done properly. Thank you.

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By: Dave

Date: 17-06-13

Rated: 0

Ah, good point on the insurance. Did it make a difference to yours?

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Reply by: ItsAnInvestment Date: 17-06-13

No change to my insurance as it was only about a 5BHP increase.

By: Dave

Date: 13-06-13

Rated: 0

Great article, thanks for putting it together. I've been thinking about chipping my 911 but always thought it might be too technical. Having read this article I think I'll go for it!

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Reply by: ItsAnInvestment Date: 13-06-13

Hi Dave, good to hear. Send me a mail if you've got any questions. It's worth checking with your insurer first though...

By: ItsAnInvestment

Date: 04-06-13

Rated: 0

Hi Pete,

Not sure about real world numbers but the 4rse dyno suggests 5 bhp, however, primary improvements are a much better torque curve, engine responsiveness and mpg. In The round definitely worth c£200 and twenty minutes of installation. More importantly did nothing to my insurance.

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By: pete917

Date: 03-06-13

Rated: 0

Hi Ras - Nice article and how to guide. I have read a lot of good things about the Steve Wong chip. What sort of power/torque improvements are claimed/achived for this chip?

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