tune question
tune question hello ls1tech fam. what r you all doing for tuning of pcm's. vendors reflash pcm's for base tunes to get the lsx swap running, where do you go from there? as i drive the converted vehicle i noticed black smoke from the exhaust with black soot landing on the pavement, as i press the throttle. as i drive the vehicle, it hesitates and the excelleration is not crisp like the wife's 'burban. help me out. thanks in advance.
Do you have tuning software? If not are you willing to buy the software, a wideband O2 sensor and spend a ton of time learning? About $1000.
If not, find a local tuner with a chassis dyno and have him dyno and street tune it for about $450 - $500 and you will be done.
If not, find a local tuner with a chassis dyno and have him dyno and street tune it for about $450 - $500 and you will be done.
The House is Rockin'
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,577
Likes: 0
From: Under a moaning senorita
if your willing to drive, id take it to EFI ALCHEMY in jacksonville. its worth the drive.
here is there site http://www.efialchemy.com/
here is there site http://www.efialchemy.com/
tuning pcm so basically i can attempt to retune the vehicle myself,(is it hard?) with the software and other intagibles or have it dynoed and tuned by someone? what about those hand held tuners they sell, diablosport? can i have the pcm retuned by a mail order? im guessing this reflash the vendor performed was to get me on the road. must all ls swaps get retuned/adjusted/dynoed for the real world or is there some vendor that can have it on point the first time? this is my first time at this.
The House is Rockin'
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,577
Likes: 0
From: Under a moaning senorita
you can have it tuned by mail, but i strongly suggest to get it dyno tuned. forget the hand helds, major waste of money!
ohh, also forget about tuning it yourself. leave it to the professionals...
ohh, also forget about tuning it yourself. leave it to the professionals...
TECH Resident
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 781
Likes: 0
From: Taxme, Ohio
I hope you realize that a handheld tuner isn't likely to fix your car from blowing soot out the tail pipes. You can adjust the injector flow rate but if you are suddenly seeing black soot, you need to uncover the cause. In other words, take it to a qualified mechanic unless you are willing to live with the problem for a while.
Tuning is quite technical and nobody learns how to do it in short order. The Predator is a good performance tool and not cheap but it is limited to a relatively short list of adjustments. With anything easy to do comes the limitations. I've owned three handhelds, including the Predator and haven't lost money on any of them. You have something to sell or trade when it is all said and done, unlike paying someone to tune your car.
If you want to learn how to tune, read through the tuning portion of the forums first. Research O2 wideband kits. Then buy and install the one you settle upon. Learn to use and understand it; get comfortable with wideband terminology. Understand narrowband stoichiometric 14.7 AFR (1 lambda) and 0-5 volt wideband AFR. Then, research the tuning suites. Get a grasp on their licensing and support by frequenting their forums. Get familiar with knowledgeable posters who seem helpful and ask a few questions when you have educated questions worth answering. Think about owning a laptop for tuning purposes. Then after spending a good chunk of change on a wideband kit and the tuning software of your choice, you will be on the right track to do a little tuning of your own.
If you are anything at all like me; at that point you will understand why professional tuners get so much money for their efforts.
Tuning is quite technical and nobody learns how to do it in short order. The Predator is a good performance tool and not cheap but it is limited to a relatively short list of adjustments. With anything easy to do comes the limitations. I've owned three handhelds, including the Predator and haven't lost money on any of them. You have something to sell or trade when it is all said and done, unlike paying someone to tune your car.
If you want to learn how to tune, read through the tuning portion of the forums first. Research O2 wideband kits. Then buy and install the one you settle upon. Learn to use and understand it; get comfortable with wideband terminology. Understand narrowband stoichiometric 14.7 AFR (1 lambda) and 0-5 volt wideband AFR. Then, research the tuning suites. Get a grasp on their licensing and support by frequenting their forums. Get familiar with knowledgeable posters who seem helpful and ask a few questions when you have educated questions worth answering. Think about owning a laptop for tuning purposes. Then after spending a good chunk of change on a wideband kit and the tuning software of your choice, you will be on the right track to do a little tuning of your own.
If you are anything at all like me; at that point you will understand why professional tuners get so much money for their efforts.
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^^^^ you said "Think about owning a laptop for tuning purposes". should you get a laptop ONLY for tuning purposes, or can you put the software on an everyday laptop?
sorry if this is a dumb question.
sorry if this is a dumb question.
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TECH Resident
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 781
Likes: 0
From: Taxme, Ohio
You would not need to dedicate a laptop to just the tuning software.
I'm wondering since you have a Lid, does your car have a permanent air filter that you oil? I ask because of the super rich condition indicated by your exhaust. If the MAF sensor elements have been coated from oil or have gotten dirty; that could be one reason your engine is running as it is.
I'm wondering since you have a Lid, does your car have a permanent air filter that you oil? I ask because of the super rich condition indicated by your exhaust. If the MAF sensor elements have been coated from oil or have gotten dirty; that could be one reason your engine is running as it is.
