Originally Posted by
Jim Blackwood
As much as I appreciate the basic tuning advice I'm a little beyond that. The biggest problem with starting by tuning the VE table is that you first have to start the engine and then run it long enough to warm up, hopefully without washing the cylinders down in the process. Then you need numerous restarts in order to make changes to the table. The engine is a well broken in fresh build but with all this rich idling I'm starting to see blue smoke. I have to do something about that over-rich idle during warm up.
Yes, I understand that changes to the VE table will affect literally everything. Yet first it is necessary to get there. Now my ignition tables are just about right, certainly close enough for a Small Block Buick. I could build one of those in my sleep. After fueling is done I can fine tune that map. I've studied the instructions for using STFT and LTFT. My first datalog does not show the engine getting warm enough for closed loop but it wasn't running very long. I was hoping to lean out the idle before doing that. Up to this point my efforts have been perhaps not the best and that's why I'm asking for advice.
And yes, the engine was running under MS-II and running well. However I've not found MS to be particularly reliable. (over a period of nearly 2 decades)
So here's the sequence. Cranking may or may not produce immediate fire off. If it doesn't, a second turn of the key does. Then the engine settles down to a fast idle on the whatchacallit, PWM idle air thingamajiggit. (I know what it's called, give me a minute) Then it leans out and slows down to the point where it pops and crackles, begins surging and tries to die. If I nurse it past that using the squirt bottle the idle goes rich and it smooths out to a nice idle but it's puffing black smoke out the tailpipes, and I expect it'll run like that until it reaches operating temperature and maybe beyond. That's just not good for the engine.
What I want to do is lean that out. I'm GUESSING there are 2 ways to do that, with the main VE table and with B3605-commanded fuel in open loop. If that's correct, which one would you guys suggest? In MS I'd know what to do but this is quite a bit different.
I'm also not sure it is entering closed loop. I have a TPS error and a new one on order. Also a CKP error that I think I've corrected. But before testing again I want to lean out that rich idle. Yes I realize I will have to come back and re-tune it after the VE table is right. I'm less worried about that than I am about wiping out my rings.
Jim