Can i start my new engine without a tune?
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2011
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Can i start my new engine without a tune? Going to be putting in a lq4 390ci engine into my 2000 Camaro SS. In putting in a cam and headers and ory. My question is... Can I start it and make sure that it runs properly before I take it to get it tuned? It would suck to set up an appointment get there and it not start or blow up for some odd reason. So can I just start it to make sure everything is ok without a tune?
In my opinion, if you're running stock injectors and you've got a decent size cam, it may start and idle with a little pedaling. If you've got bigger injectors, don't run it very long. Best bet is to ask your tuner after providing him with all the details though.
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Joined: Nov 2005
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As long as the cam isn't too radical and you've hadn't changed injectors, the car should start with maybe some throttle being required to keep it alive. Once it kicks into closed loop, it should "run" but you should be careful and just baby it.
You haven't said anything about the injectors - if you have bigger injectors then don't even start it without a base tune! It will be very rich and you could wash the rings very quickly... If it has injectors that match the tune in the car, you are fine to run it...
