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Install guide · Can-Am Maverick X3 · Emtron

Emtron ECU.
Under the seat.

The Emtron standalone ECU goes in where the stock ECU lives, under the driver’s seat, with its ignition driver and relay beside it. Fifteen steps from our bench with a photo on every one, then the setup that keeps Smart-Lok and your gauges talking.

0 of 0 steps done
16Steps, each with its own check-off
3Parts to mount: ECU, ignition driver, relay
0:46Of video for the Smart-Lok and dash setup
Finished: Emtron ECU, ignition driver and relay under the driver’s seat
Finished: Emtron ECU, ignition driver and relay under the driver’s seat

Before you start

What you’ll need.

Tools

  • 10 mm socket
  • Drill and a bit sized for M6 bolts
  • Allen key and wrench for the M6 hardware
  • Side cutters and a razor knife
  • Marker

From the kit

  • Emtron ECU
  • Wiring harness adaptor
  • Ignition driver and relay
  • Double-sided Velcro tape
  • M6 × 16 mm Allen bolts and M6 flange nuts
  • Wire-loom mounts and zip ties

Before you start

  • Key off before anything unplugs.
  • Glass cleaner, lacquer thinner and a rag for the plastics.
  • A Windows laptop with Emtron’s Emtune software and the Ethernet tuning cable for the setup at the end.
  • Keep the stock ECU. Everything here except the cut tab and the drilled holes reverses.

The install

16 steps.

Check each one off as you go; this page remembers where you are on this device.

01

Stock ECU out

It lives under the driver’s seat.

Step 01· Done

Remove the driver’s seat

Take the driver-side seat out to expose the stock ECU.

Step 02· Done

Unbolt the stock ECU

Remove the two 10 mm bolts that hold the ECU down.

ECU bolts10 mm × 2
Step 03· Done

Unplug it from the factory harness

Press the locking clip down, then pull the locking lever back. The ECU separates from the harness.

02

Make room

One molded tab gets cut to fit the ignition driver.

Step 04· Done

Clear the clips off the molded tab

Remove the remaining clips from the molded plastic tab.

Step 05· Done

Cut the tab in half

Cut the molded tab in half and remove the half closest to the center console. Make a few relief cuts with side cutters first, then trim it clean with a razor knife. This is where the ignition driver mounts.

Step 06· Done

Clean the plastics

Clean the mounting surfaces with glass cleaner, then lacquer thinner, so the Velcro and the hardware sit on bare plastic.

03

Mount the new parts

ECU, ignition driver and relay.

Step 07· Done

Mount the Emtron ECU

Put the double-sided Velcro tape on the Emtron ECU and mount it in the stock location, as shown.

Step 08· Done

Mount the ignition driver

Set the ignition driver in the space where you cut the tab. Mark its mounting holes, drill two holes through the plastic firewall, and fasten it with the supplied M6 × 16 mm Allen bolts and M6 flange nuts.

Holes2, through the firewallHardwareM6 × 16 mm Allen + M6 flange nut
Step 09· Done

Mount the relay

Just above the ignition driver, in the upper left corner, the relay fits right over the vertical plastic tab. Get the placement right, drill one hole for the bolt, and fasten it with an M6 × 16 mm bolt and M6 flange nut.

HardwareM6 × 16 mm + M6 flange nut
04

Wire it

The adaptor harness does the work; the routing keeps it tidy.

Step 10· Done

Connect the adaptor harness

Plug the wiring harness adaptor into the Emtron ECU, then connect the ignition driver and the relay.

Step 11· Done

Route the harness in an S

Lay the harness in an “S” shape and secure it to the plastics with the wire-loom mounts.

Step 12· Done

Tuck the extra factory harness

Push the excess stock harness back into the small opening it comes through on the center console.

Step 13· Done

Connect the adaptor to the factory harness

Plug the adaptor into the factory wiring harness. Place the two large connectors in the open space, stacked one on top of the other.

Step 14· Done

Drill for the zip ties

Drill three holes: one below the connectors, one between them and one on top. They anchor the zip ties.

Step 15· Done

Zip-tie the connectors down

Use the supplied zip ties through those holes to hold both large connectors down. Your install should look like this.

Smart-Lok and dash

Pick the right data pack.

The Emtron has to talk to the X3’s own electronics over CAN so the Smart-Lok and the gauges keep working. It’s set in Emtune, Emtron’s software.

Chapters
  1. Configure

    In Emtune, open Configure, then Communications.

  2. OEM CAN device

    Go down to OEM CAN Device and choose Can-Am X3.

  3. Model year

    Select your model year by entering the number that goes with it.

  4. Data pack

    Cycle through the data pack options for your machine, trying each one, until the Smart-Lok and the RPM gauge work.

Questions

Questions installers ask.

Where does the Emtron ECU go?

In the stock location under the driver’s seat, held on with double-sided Velcro. The ignition driver and relay mount right beside it.

Do I have to cut anything?

One thing: half of a molded plastic tab, to make room for the ignition driver. You also drill two holes for the ignition driver, one for the relay and three for the zip ties.

My Smart-Lok or tach stopped working after the install. Why?

The data pack isn’t set for your machine yet. In Emtune, go to Configure › Communications › OEM CAN Device › Can-Am X3, pick your model year and cycle the data packs until both work.

What software do I need?

Emtron’s Emtune, on a Windows laptop, connected to the ECU with the Ethernet tuning cable.

Can I go back to the stock ECU?

Yes. Keep it. Everything here reverses except the cut tab and the drilled holes.

Stuck on a step?

Tell us your machine, the step number and what you’re seeing. The shop answers by email, usually the same day.

Ask about your install

Keep going

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