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

Question about tuning

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Old Apr 21, 2008 | 09:44 PM
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alright well after i get this opti all lined out, my next purchase i want to get is the aldl obd1 cable for my car so i can mess around with it with my laptop... but the problem is, i am a noob to all that stuff tuning wise... i am good with computers, but im not so good on car numbers and that sort of thing lol.... so, if i did get that cable,
1.) would it be worth the purchase?
2.) is it hard to understand and learn about
3.) would anyone possibly help me understand more about it, or if i post the numbers up that my car reads could someone help me to get it to run better or something like that?


i would really like to start learning more about this, and hopefully i will be able to learn about all the info in the pcm, so that way i would be able to save money in the long run, both by not having to pay anymore to have my SES light because none of the auto parts stores around here have an obd1 scanner so i have to pay a mechanic just to pull the codes, and also i plan on getting some mods that would benefit from getting a tune, and if i can just do this myself it would be great
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Old Apr 23, 2008 | 08:49 AM
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Originally Posted by squeals99
alright well after i get this opti all lined out, my next purchase i want to get is the aldl obd1 cable for my car so i can mess around with it with my laptop... but the problem is, i am a noob to all that stuff tuning wise... i am good with computers, but im not so good on car numbers and that sort of thing lol.... so, if i did get that cable,
1.) would it be worth the purchase?
2.) is it hard to understand and learn about
3.) would anyone possibly help me understand more about it, or if i post the numbers up that my car reads could someone help me to get it to run better or something like that?


i would really like to start learning more about this, and hopefully i will be able to learn about all the info in the pcm, so that way i would be able to save money in the long run, both by not having to pay anymore to have my SES light because none of the auto parts stores around here have an obd1 scanner so i have to pay a mechanic just to pull the codes, and also i plan on getting some mods that would benefit from getting a tune, and if i can just do this myself it would be great

Get the cable and download TunerCat and TTS Datamaster. TunerCat will let you program the PCM thru the flash method and the Datamaster will let you monitor your car live so you can check your nonWOT A/F and other parameters. As to the tuning, since you are new, don't mess around with too much as you can cause some issues. The best advise is call Bryan at PCMforless.com and he has a great tune that will get you some good gains and since you have the cable you can do the email tune where you load the file yourself and it's only $75, plus you can send Bryan some recordings of your car from Datamaster and he will tweak your tune for 6months for free. Here is some links to good write ups on LT-1 Tuning:

http://www.lt1pcmtuning.com/tips.php
http://redhardsupra.blogspot.com/200...every-car.html
http://www.lt1howto.com/articles/pcmtuning.htm

FYI - Take it from me the tune that Bryan will give you will be better than you will be able to get it and it's well worth the $75. Let me know if you need any advise.
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Old Apr 24, 2008 | 12:06 AM
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alright cool... yeah im def. wanting to try to learn more about it because i would really like to start putting some mods that are actually worthwhile of getting... and if i do, i dont really want to keep spendin like $100 for each one that i do for a mail order tune or whatever... like i would really like to get 3.73's and headers... and if i make enough money a torque converter and maybe a new cam and valvesprings and RR's and all the supporting mods for that... but that will come with time and $... and probably will rebuild the motor as well sometime soon... and obviously i wont just become a master right off the bat, but if i could learn a thing or two it would at least be nice to know what im doing before i am told to do it lol...
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Old Apr 24, 2008 | 07:04 AM
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From: Houston, TX
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Originally Posted by squeals99
alright cool... yeah im def. wanting to try to learn more about it because i would really like to start putting some mods that are actually worthwhile of getting... and if i do, i dont really want to keep spendin like $100 for each one that i do for a mail order tune or whatever... like i would really like to get 3.73's and headers... and if i make enough money a torque converter and maybe a new cam and valvesprings and RR's and all the supporting mods for that... but that will come with time and $... and probably will rebuild the motor as well sometime soon... and obviously i wont just become a master right off the bat, but if i could learn a thing or two it would at least be nice to know what im doing before i am told to do it lol...

The program is pretty straight forward and easy to use (tunercat). However, read up first as the things people get into trouble with are changing the timing too much or messing too much with the VE tables. From what your looking at doing not really much needs to be tweaked with the mods you are talking about unless you get some different heads or ported, and a new cam as this will greatly increase the airflow and a good tune will be best. As to the stuff you are talking about I would just talk to bryan at PCMforless and go ahead and tell him what you are doing as the upgrades down the road (once you get the tune) are only $25. The best thing that you can do with your setup and minimal mods is the gears a good stall conv and the tune as the autos (see from your sig) gain the most out of a good tune with a good shift setup.
Good luck.
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