What's good?

I'm not sure what I should do here. I have a custom order tune from Ion for my current set-up. I also have TunerCATS for the car and have been playing around with the tune because it's extremely rich. Within the week, I'll have a dual pyrometer and dual a/f ratio guage set-up operational in the car so I can make small adjustments until I get it close enough to not waste hours on a dyno. But eventually, it will be dyno'ed. I'm thinking sometime around late October more than likely unless we decide to pull the heads for some work. Anyways, my issue at hand is the tune file itself appears to be for an Automatic. I'm not sure though. It has all of the automatic's table inside of the tune, whichvis why I think I'm right. Either way, does an actual M6 tune contain those same tables or is the list shorter and less complicated? I would assume it should have some table for CAGS and whatever else is spefic to the T-56, too?
I would like to recieve a couple of tunes from other members today. If you can e-mail me or post some links to your tune(s), I would really appreciate your effort. I have been trying to find a place or way online that is trustworthy to share/download custom tunes without any real luck. I'd like to create some sort of site to eventually host the tunes and provide a breif description so people know what they are getting and could choose the closest matching tune.

I'm looking for a stock obd1 lt1 m6 tune, preferably from a Camaro but I think a Firebird or 'Vette tune would work. I thought I read somewhere that TunerCATS comes with a stock file but I don't know where to find it. Is there any issue that can come up from flashing a 'Vette tune onto an F-body pcm? Also, I'm looking for a tune for a CC306 w/ bolt-ons, OBd1, and M6. I want to compare other people have done to get a good tune for the 306 with what I currently have. My e-mail address is Bradley.Templin@live.com


Thanks guys.

 

In Tunercats go to Tables -> ECM Switch Table -> Checking/unchecking the Automatic Trans. Option will enable and disable the associated tables and parameters.

Why is it running rich? Is it not going into closed loop? MAF or speed density tune?

 

It's a MAF tune. Seems to run worse whenever I do disable the MAF so I know my VE tables still need work. What tables should I be mainly focusing on if at the first the tune is okay but as the computer learns, it gets worse and worse? I know I have a couple issues to get solved with the car before I start really pounding on her anyways. I have about 200 mileso a fresh rebuild and already have a nasty lifter tick, I believe. I did get a chance to datalog the car for awhile yesterday so hopefully I can get that posted sometime today and I plan on relashing the valves with her idling one last time and see if I can't figure out this tick. With my luck, I'll be ripping the intake back off her and putting in a new set of lifters. I also need some advice with my pyrometers. They are located behind the O2 sensors on both sides, but they never get past 650-700*. I was told that I should relocate the probes to the 1st primaries about an inch from either head to get a proper reading. What would you guys do? Thanks.

 

How do you know it's rich if you don't have a AFR gauge?
If it's running "extremely rich" and going into closed loop, the trims are probably maxed out or something. Look for post-MAF air leaks, etc.

Here's the basic concept for MAF tuning.
You can use the long term fuel trims (learned from the o2 sensor's readings) to give you feedback allowing you to dial in the fueling.
Adjust your fuel injector constant until your fuel trims are dialed in when cruising. Your trims may be off at idle and above cruise RPM, if so make the appropriate percentage corrections to the MAF tables... but don't change anything here until ALL other issues are solved or you'll be chasing your tail for days, also save an unmodified copy of the tune so you can revert if necissary.

 

Ok, I have 2 sets of guages on the car right now. L/R EGT but I'm pretty sure I don't have the probes set in right location (They're behind the 02 instead of at the head in the primaries). I also have L/R NARROW BAND A/F guages but I understand that unless it's a wide-band a/f, I can't rely on thier readings due to the fact of valve-over lap and fresh air with unburnt fuel can escape the combustion chamber and give false readings to my 02 sensors. Thus, creating a false lean condition, at which point, the PCM will dump more fuel when it doesn't really need to. As of RIGHT NOW, I don't have any accurate way of determing the A/F Ratio. I'm just basing my opinion off the facts I can reasonably assume. If I'm idling at a light or wherever, you can smell fuel after a few seconds, even moreso when the cutout is open. If I stand behind the car, I can definatly smell unburnt fuel. There's also a ton of black carbon build-up forming in the exhaust and I only have about 200 miles on the set-up. I consistently get 9.2 to 9.8 MPG. That is with my original tune from MadZ28, and 3 "re-tunes" from myself. For the "re-tunes", I'll explain what I mean later on in this post.

I've tried to figure out a way to host my datalog csv and txt files along with the tune I'm using, but I don't know of a FREE way to do that. I can e-mail them to anyone willing to look it over and give me some good advice. Or if you know of a easy way or can host them, let me know. I'd like to get these online.

My BLM's consistently go straight to 160 and stay there. I've pulled roughly ~20% of the fuel out from my "base" tune with no major effect to the BLM's. They never go down. Am I right that since they are so high, that I need to be REMOVING fuel instead of adding it? I would like to get them back to 128.

As far as post-maf sensor air leaks, I did have a rip in my intake elbow when I first put her back together, but that has been taken care of. I also don't have any exhaust leaks other than a slight hiss from the e-cutout but that's all the way back by the rear axle. I also had a couple vacumme hoses that needed replaced and those have been taken care of now too. I've been up, down, and all around on this car and pretty much know all of her "current problems".

Like I said earlier, when we bought the cam; we bought a tune from MadZ28. So I have been assuming that it should be realitively close to what we need to be running. Ion's cam used to be a CC306 and has tuned many of these cars before. I don't get why this one is so f%cked. I don't remember what a "regular" 306 LSA is, but I know mine is 114. That's the only difference from a 306 and the cam I have. Honestly, 20% should of been enough to lean her out somewhat, in my opinion. I started with my base file that I pulled from the PCM that Ion had sent me b4 I got TunerCATS and a cable. From there, I uploaded a backup copy into my email and started with removing 5% less fuel. Loaded that onto the car and let her idle for a good 20 mins and went on a drive. My A/F guages still showed "mostly" rich conditions and the BLMS were still maxed out at 160. Gas mileage seemed to stay the same too. I did feel that she started to have a little bit more power though. Also, I didn't notice as many pops and backfires from the exhaust. So when I got to my sisters house (~45 min drive on the new tune) I went ahead and edited it once again before I left. That time, I took an additional 10% out. So basically, I'm now at 85.5% of my original tune. She still loads up on fuel and backfires/pops out the exhaust; The BLM's still go to 160; and I can still smell unburnt fuel. I don't have any cat on the car for now (That will PROBABLY change here soon.) so I can understand the smell somewhat, but even my gas mileage is horrible and the A/F guages still read a little to extremely rich most of the time (the other times, it's bouncing all over the place from lean to rich which is "normal" from my understanding of the limited ability of our 02 sensors). She has picked up a noticeable amount of power, doesn't seem to stall out as often, revs smoother, and just generally runs better.

From time to time, I do get a bunch of weird codes that pop up out of nowhere. I can be running down the highway in 5th gear, don't change nothing about the way I'm driving [verified by watching the tps, luckily I usually have a decent co-pilot ;-) ]... and she'll bog out of nowhere. During the bog, it revs down about ~150-250 rpms maybe more and then go right back to where it was. The SES light will turn on for 20 secs and go away. When it does, I get codes 16 (Lo-Res Failure), 18(Not used?), 36(Hi-res Failure), 41(EST Open), 42(EST Grounded), and 48(MAF Failure). Also, sometimes when it dies from stalling it sets ALL of those too. Are these systems linked together someway? Like, can 1 mess up and happen to set the others too is basically what I mean.

And to get this out of the way too: Here's my current parts list from the motor rebuild.

'95 Vented Opti conversion when the cam went in during the rebuild. Roughly ~200 miles ago.

New vented opti to engine harness pigtail. I have tested it using my multimeter set on ohms to make sure it wasn't a piece of junk. 0 to 0.01 ohms through each wire. I also tested from the PCM to the end that plugs into the opti with the pigtail attached to the harness. Tested out fine when I checked it.

"New" '94 M6 Engine harness. The tranny was out of my old '95 but of course my harness wouldn't work with the '94 so we got the correct harness to work on the car. This went on it about ~20 miles after the engine went back in. It did have a couple pigtails missing when we checked it over. The coolant temperature sensor in the head needed spliced and maybe 1 other thing if I remember correctly. Either way, just had to use some of my other harness and we got the "new" one in and working. I do remember taking the time to check for any breaks, cuts, splices, or any other weird crap and used my multimeter once again to check EVERY wire.

02 Sensors (They have been extended with the use of 02 prefabbed extensions.)

Plugs 'n Wires of course

I have 2 fully functional and CLEAN throttle bodies. Along with a spare MAF, TPS, MAP, AIT, IAC, and ICM sensors w/ coils. All of have been tested within acceptable specs and I probably have ATLEAST 2 of everything I've just listed.

Oh yea, I definatly have checked and cleaned the IAC passage. I do have an airfoil on the car right now but could it be hurting my driveability since it covers the opening in the lower middle and the only airflow through it would be co,img from the IAC itself opposed to that and the intake system? It encloses that passages once it's installed right?



Okay, and my last question:

What would happen if I had a EE_B pcm and flashed a EE file to it? or even vice versa? Can you fry the pcm or just get a real messed up tune?


Sorry for the 50 million questions. I'm just new to the tuning game and feel like it's beating me at the moment. I can't stand that. This thing should be running like she's brand new and instead all I have is a slow pos. If I didn't have a clutch, flywheel, set of lifters, fuel pump and who knows what else to buy next for the thing, I would just buy another PCM and take her to the dyno... Too bad.

 

Not running a cat will cause horrible hydrocarbon smells.
I built a quick-change V-band cat delete pipe the other day and the exhaust smell was so bad I put the cat back in, and my car is tuned and running at 14.7 in closed loop.

A BLM of 160 means the engine is wanting to run lean and the PCM is correcting by adding fuel (above 128 = pcm is adding fuel, below 128 = removing fuel).

160 is the maximum value (+25% I believe it is), so you need to lower your fuel injector constant by at least 25% (by telling the PCM that the injectors flow less, they will be held open longer and therefore deliver more fuel).
What injectors do you have? If your fuel presure is ok then setting your injector constant to what the injectors are advertised as should put things very close.

Also check your fuel pressure and regulator; the fueling system requires proper fuel pressure regulation to function.

 

Thanks Mike. I have a clutch issue to work out before I can take her back out anyways so this thread might die for about a week or so. Either way, after I get her moving again; I'll start over with my original tune from Ion and just take 25% off the injector constant like you said. After that, I can log it again and see where I'm at. Hopefully, it will yield some better results in the long run. Heck, I might even just go 35% and add fuel back in if I need to, as long as that's okay?

 

It is better to be a little rich then lean... adjust values a little bit at a time. Do you have stock injectors?

It might be better to see if the MAF calibration tables where modified instead of trying to "trick" the PCM into thinking it has injectors of different values.