Looking for a good tuning guide/book

[th3fr4nchi5e]

Hey all! Havent checked in on the forum in awhile but have played around with TunerPro and learned how to read and burn chips and the basics. I have bought a real time tuning interface from Moates and a bunch of other stuff for my tuning needs and burning and such. I have changed things like fan turn on/off temps, speed limiter and knock sensor turn on temp but would like a better understanding on what to look for with datalogging once I start changing other things and further modding. I drive a 1995 Buick Riviera S/C with OBD 1. What I am looking for is a book that would walk through the basics of tuning that would be best fit for my application. Something that will help me know what I can do with spark and fueling to dial in my tune. If it is something that goes over basics and continues into more advanced tuning that would be great! Any suggestions are greatly appreciated or if anyone has one they want to sell, feel free to DM me!

Thanks!
Dave

[dave w]

The books I started with are old, and there has been many improvements made in both hardware / software for tuning.

The books I started with, more than 10 years ago:
Chevy TPI Fuel Injection Swapper's Guide by John Baechtel ISBN 1-884089-12-7
How to Tune & Modify Chevrolet Fuel Injection by Ben Watson ISBN 0-7603-0422-X

Neither of the books above are a good match for a 1995 Buick Riviera S/C with OBD 1. The books above give a good explanations of sensors and error codes, for someone looking to learn the basics.

The 1995 Buick Riviera uses a MAF sensor, which is not as common as the MAP sensor used on most OBD1 engines. The MAF in the 1995 Buick Riviera is a frequency type MAF with a diaphragm, very different from the SBC TPI MAF that uses a heated wire. I have not found tuning information on the frequency type MAF.

dave w

[th3fr4nchi5e]

Thanks for the reply Dave. Im sure alot of it I will have to just learn as I go but would like a little direction on what to expect and gain a little more confidence in where to start!

[steveo]

i searched a lot when i first started, but ended up figuring it out myself, and i can't imagine how much more steep of a learning curve it would have been if i didnt' have a bit of a hobbyist background in control systems and electronics (which lets me make some pretty safe assumptions about how something should work)

it is hard as a beginner for sure, and even more of a pain if the platform you're working with isnt' very popular

many of the beginner tutorials out there are incomplete/useless/out of date, but there are a few good writeups on forums (especially this one) as a starting point. the rest of the tutorials are more advanced, for someone who already knows how to tune.

[dave w]

Thanks for the reply Dave. Im sure alot of it I will have to just learn as I go but would like a little direction on what to expect and gain a little more confidence in where to start!

In an effort not to over-simplify, an engine needs fuel - air - spark to run ... adding more fuel - air - spark will increase performance. A measurement system is needed to know how much fuel - air - spark to add, to avoid engine damage.

If you post the original stock .bin file you started with, I'll post back a few screen shots from the original .bin file to help with tuning.

dave w

[th3fr4nchi5e]

Thanks Dave. Here is the .bin File and .adx file Im currently using.

[dave w]

I've attached a few screen shots to start the discussion of tuning.
A few key words:
LV8
MAF
Frequency

I don't have experience with a Supercharge Buick V6. In my thinking, the .adx file needs to be updated. The MAF frequency vs. grams per second will need adjustments when making performance changes to either the engine or a .bin file. In my thinking the injectors are controlled by the grams per second of air flow measured by the MAF sensor. In my thinking, when the supercharger goes into boost more air is flowing through the MAF, which outputs a higher frequency to the PCM. The PCM will increase the injector pulse width with a higher MAF frequency.

I don't have experience to know what happens to performance of a supercharged engine when adjustments are made to the MAF frequency vs. grams per second. I'm wondering where the BLM system is in the Buick supercharger PCM? In my thinking, making adjustments to MAF frequency vs. grams per second with BLM's would be ideal. I'm wondering what would be recorded in a data log if the Z axis was configure for BLM with X / Y axis set up for MAF / LV8.

If I only had a Supercharged V6 car to experiment with.:rolleye:

dave w

[th3fr4nchi5e]

Thanks Dave! What am I looking for when adjusting the MAF tables? If that is controlling the injector pulse width as well, wouldnt it already be compensating for and airflow changes Ive done the the car? And I know LV8 is a measure of load but Im not sure what is considered a high value or low value? I assume you will want a richer AFR with high LV8 values and a leaner or more normal AFR for lower values? So if there is no table that uses BLM in my PCM, would you recommend I tune the MAF frequency table by monitoring BLM after changes are made?

Dave N

[dave w]

Hi Dave,
With you help, I was hoping to get a data log with the .adx set up to record BLM vs. LV8. I think there is something similar in the older MAF style TPI .adx for recording BLM vs. LV8? I don't know enough about the supercharged V6 to feel confident about making adjustments.

dave w

[th3fr4nchi5e]

Oh, gotcha! I will try to set it up to read that way or find something similar from what can be read. Will play with it soon and record what I come up with!