Tuning

[Steve Wood]

Guess I am going to have to get it in gear and write the section for tuning on my site.  Some are damned and determined that it is some mystery.

[Zap]

Seriously, put together a book and upload it to Amazon.com. Nobody is more qualified to do so.

[Steve Wood]

I spent two weeks writing ten pages for one of my friends....I need an editor.  I am not literate like you.

[Steve Wood]

Most of the so called tuning issues that I see turn out to be a car that is not running properly because something is not right rather than being a true tuning problem.

[SuperSix]

Maybe something explaining these theories as being incorrect? Due to somehing else affecting the tune, aside form just a bad tune?

[Steve Wood]

I have been trying, but first, one has to be able to recognize something is wrong with the car.

I started a page on engine running but not correctly...an d got distracted.... also having a hard time trying to figure out some organization

[TRICKSIXPA]

Get It done Steve I wanna blow my engine up!! To organize everything really you should just look at it like a Newbie would. Everybodies first question is what do I need to get.
How do I hook these parts up and then how do I use them? Anyway question I have about tuning is if my Milivolts are in the 850-880 range at warm idle. Getting KR
when I get on it after 15 lbs. I took some fuel out on my TT alky chip now the millivolts are in the 640-780 range. Question is am I just masking a problem on my car by doing this or will this work. I'm getting good fuel pressure pound for pound
the only ifs is my stock MAF sensor still reading the way it should.

Stefan

[Steve Wood]

At the most basic...tuning is running the most boost that you can with the least fuel at the highest timing...and it is pretty much that simple-particularly with modern chips that are pretty close to right on default.

I find that an idle 02 somewhere around 789-820 on a warmed up engine is pretty much in the ballpark.  Now, those numbers don't relate to the same numbers under boost because the sensor reads differently under pressure and high temp

Also, I find that modified engines with bigger cams need to be toward the  higher end of that idle range to idle better, particularly when the engine or weather is cold.

Now, when spraying alky, I find that the engine is more likely to show timing retard when the mvs get up to about 840, but it often goes away when some fuel, or alky, is taken out.

I think this is a rich detonation phenomeon but it often looks a bit like false detonation on the log.

Altho I have run some very low o2s spraying dual nozzles, I think it is safer to run somewhere around 760-780 at wide open throttle if you have no timing retard.

If the maf is reading 4-7 at idle and you are seeing it ramp up to 255 at wot, it should be good.

Alky is a bit of balancing act.  You want enuf at wot, but not too much too soon when you stand on it.

[ULYCYC]

Maybe we can all give Zap a tune-up

[Steve Wood]

I am not inserting a scantool into his brain's rear orifice.

[TRICKSIXPA]

Okay so this explains a little bit. I am running a 212 Comp hyd flat cam. Prior to the Alky system I had no issues what so ever.  TPS is .40 to 4.73 with the car off. I'll take a look at the numbers for the MAF I know idle # are between 4-7 don't really look at them when driving.  I only changed the fuel pump because I had no idea of what was in the gas tank. My Millivolts where still in the 870-880 range in 3rd gear but I always have let off the gas when I see any KR. After I took the WOT fuel out dropped it down to 126  since it's running good in first gear I did not add to 1st on the chip. Power logger is on my wish list but daddy is probably getting a set of 15x8 from santa this year.

Stefan

[Steve Wood]

yeah, High o2s like that usually cause problems....go tta get some fuel out.

That cam will probably liike a bit richer idle to get it as steady as possible.

I would guess  the maf is okay because one that is not will usually cause a lean conditon if reading low.

PL makes it easy to see the data trends as well as look as several parameters at one time for clues.

It is a lot easier for us old guys that have been looking at the SM for over twenty years to figure out

[Zap]

[Zap]

With regards to tuning, it has been my experience, from years of reading tech posts, that many out there do not understand simple automotive basics. A good understanding of electrical troubleshootin g, for example, seems to escape most. Though not difficult, many seem unwilling to learn the basics before they "try" jumping to the advanced

[Steve Wood]

yes, the basics apply to all cars...and I never understand why some don't understand the basics of electrical troubleshootin g, but, then they grew up in a different world from me....at least my son learned to solder....need ed talent building rc trucks and such