LT1-LT4 Modifications 1993-97 Gen II Small Block V8

turbo tuning

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Old 08-24-2007 | 02:03 PM
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Default turbo tuning

what ar you guys using to tune after turbo install? can you do a 2bar and rewrite the ecu like the ls1 guys? my wife found a lt1 camaro i thought about buying it and throwing on my turbo i have. but i ned to see if its gonna cost tons to tune the thing. tuning my tahoe is a breeze with hpt.

i currently have a Moates APU1 AutoProm if that helps.

Last edited by 4.8T; 08-24-2007 at 02:22 PM.
Old 08-24-2007 | 02:56 PM
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There are two packages out there for an LT1, LT1Edit and Tunercat (now sold by Jet, the bastiches).
I am told Tunercat has more flexibility. I use LT1edit, and there is no 2bar capability AFAIK. It is also very limited in its capability.
With LT1edit, you have to have a seperate scanner. I use Autotap, which has its own issues, but functions adequately enough to do your tune.
If I had it to do over again, I would have purchased Tunercat. LT1Edit has zero support from the company selling it, and has not for years. Users have formed their own mailing list so we can help each other out. Not sure if Tunercat has such a support group.
Both packages are VIN locked, and you have to pay extra money if you want to use it on more than one vehicle. (read GREED.)
Either way, a turbo on an LT1 is an awesome thing. I really like mine, and I suspect you would as well.
Best of luck.
Old 08-24-2007 | 07:36 PM
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well i've been told that this car is chipped already so that might make the process easier for me. the motor is locked up i guess. he said there is water and oil mixed on the dip stick. a guy bought it and had it for two days blew it up and brought it back. i figure if i can get it for 1000 bucks it would be worth it for a toy. so how do you compensate for boost if no 2bar? so far i have read that the maf maxes out fast. whats the hp limit or lb of air limit does it take to max it out?
Old 08-24-2007 | 07:41 PM
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oh yeah and its a 95 z71 auto
Old 08-24-2007 | 08:11 PM
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The 95 has an EEPROM, not a chip. It is also an OBDI car. I am told it is easier to tune than my OBDII Formula.
The MAF is good for over 500 hp, which is more than the LT1 can take without grenading.
I am running 400 rwhp at 7 pounds of boost, which is about 450 hp at the crank. This is within the limits of the LT1 bottom end. It is very peppy.
If you are lucky, all the guy did was blow the head gaskets. Worse case, he cracked the block.
Since you know how to tune with HPTuners, it won't be that much of a stretch to tune with Tunercat. There are user forums for Tunercat, I am told.
Best of luck.
of course you meant z28, since the z71 is a truck.
Old 08-24-2007 | 09:22 PM
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oops yeah z28 lol. what can i say i'm a truck guy. and my cousins z71 rear end went out so i have that on my mind too. so you basically just tune the maf to add the extra fuel at a certain htz instead of using a 2bar speed density type tune? is it easy to change injector sizes with tunercat? so if he messed up any pistons or rods whats a good cheap upgrade for them? i'm not building an all out car its just a toy for the wife. she has always wanted a camaro. so 400-450 would be about perfect until later on down the road when i have the pockets for a bigger badder build. i figured it was a eeprom i ment "chip" but forgot the quotation marks lol. so my autoprom will work great for this. what size turbo are you running?
Old 08-24-2007 | 09:53 PM
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to use 2 bar you treat the kPa in tunercats (which is NOT VIN locked btw) as % instead of as actual kPa so 100 kPa is actually 100% of 2 bar, or 2 bar. a 2 bar map maxed out is the same as a 1 bar map maxed out so they will drop in place for the most part, the catch is with 2 bar your resolution is halved and 3 bar its 1/3rd of what it would be with a 1bar map.
Old 08-24-2007 | 09:57 PM
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Originally Posted by koolaid_kid
The 95 has an EEPROM, not a chip. It is also an OBDI car. I am told it is easier to tune than my OBDII Formula.
The MAF is good for over 500 hp, which is more than the LT1 can take without grenading.
I am running 400 rwhp at 7 pounds of boost, which is about 450 hp at the crank. This is within the limits of the LT1 bottom end. It is very peppy.
If you are lucky, all the guy did was blow the head gaskets. Worse case, he cracked the block.
Since you know how to tune with HPTuners, it won't be that much of a stretch to tune with Tunercat. There are user forums for Tunercat, I am told.
Best of luck.
of course you meant z28, since the z71 is a truck.
95 has flash ram not an EEPROM EEPROM == electrically erasable programmable read only memmory and is a "chip". flash is not "chipable" (though you can desolder and put in a socket to make it chipable as mine is) it is reprogrammed through the use of an aldl cable.
Old 08-24-2007 | 10:06 PM
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Thanks, LIENUS. The effect of a flash ram (random access memory) (which is also a chip, if you wish to get technical) versus the EEPROM is the same. You can program it through a port. Versus chip solutions where a chip would have to be replaced, normally a ROM (read only memory) which is burned once and cannot be changed. Almost all chips use SMT (surface mount technology) because it is cheaper. Having spent the last 15 years in the electronics industry, I have seen many changes and improvements in the technology, which is why all electronics have shrunk so much. But thanks for the correction on the type of memory used in the PCM.
And as you stated, the board can usually be socketed so the chip can be replaced. Up to the number of times that the socket was designed for, of course. Not totally sure what chipable, means, but ok. Perhaps you meant removeable/replaceable?
And you are correct, for an OBDI car Tunercat is not VIN locked. For OBDII it is, which is what I had incorrectly assumed at the time.
Is there a place where he can go to get more info on Tunercat?

Last edited by koolaid_kid; 08-24-2007 at 10:40 PM.
Old 08-24-2007 | 11:02 PM
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so i just install my little zif socket thin right? what i have is what the early 90 truck guys with tunercat would use or like the honda guys might use. a little socket thing that you put in place of the stock piece then you put the eprom into. i think its something like 27 pin or so i would have to count again.

LiENUS
do you go ahead and use a 2bar map sensor or just make the computer think the 1bar is a 2bar? so its not as hard as i first assumed to tune these for boost? tommorow i'll take pics of what i have it might help to understand.
Old 08-24-2007 | 11:18 PM
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No, there will be a port on the inside of the car. On mine, it is just to the right of the steering wheel, under the dash. You purchase the ALDL cable, which plugs into it. On the 95, I think they came in two flavors. An OBD1 style and an OBDII style. You would have to find out what type it has first. Then you can purchase the cable online. I'll try to find the site for your. IIRC, for the OBDI cars, you can purchase the software in pieces, then use the parts you need. I'll look for that as well; I remember going there and being jealous because it was cheaper and not VIN locked. IIRC, it also has scanning capabilities.
You will need a computer, people normally use a laptop.
Old 08-24-2007 | 11:19 PM
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AFA how to repair the motor, you first need to find out what is wrong with it. Once you do, I suggest starting another thread to find solutions to that.
Old 08-24-2007 | 11:26 PM
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Here is the only link you need. It also tells you how to tell which connector you have. It has a link to tunercat and other software.
http://www.aldlcable.com/
Please note, if you go speed density you loose the benefits of the maf. The debate as to which is better is endless. The maf does give the computer more flexibility, however. Your choice.

Best of luck.
Old 08-24-2007 | 11:58 PM
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Make it MUCH easier for yourself and run Megasquirt. There are 3 and I believe 4 bar MAP sensors available for it. It is not a direct swap but anyone with some electrical knowledge should be able to wire it up correctly. As a positive, it gets rid of the opti completely.

Check it out at www.diyautotune.com
Old 08-25-2007 | 11:01 AM
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Default 2 bar sensor available

I asked the question on a newsgroup that I belong to. Here was the response:
Yep, 3 bar as well. I can’t remember where I last saw them, maybe from the late great Lingenfelter’s site. JFGI, you’ll find them.
Old 08-25-2007 | 04:30 PM
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Summit has Accel 3 bar sensors for sale as well as 2 bar.



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