The first thing to do is make sure the engine is in tune with no abnormalities. Abnormalities could mean it has a rod knock.. Spewing oil out the breathers.. blowing steam out of the exhuast.. etc.. Or lots of miles on the original plastic timing chain. As with rev'ing and racing an engine to its potential there are risks involved. Hopefully below the information contained will allow a properly operating motor to achieve its potential.
The use of a scanmasterII, direct scan, turbo link, etc to confirm numbers is my second step. I'll list a set of these numbers which are Turbo Buick specific. And the setup of these numbers is "my" rule of thumb. And i'll only be listing those adjustments I feel are specific.
TPS(throttle position sensor) = .38-.46 at idle. Typically mine is set at .42-.44
IAC(Idle Air Control) = 15-30 at idle. Any number above zero will do. Tho I like a little room.
MAL(Malfunction codes)= zero
BLM(Block Learn) = Long term fueling adjustment. This one is what can make or break you. Any vacumm leaks or issues will show up with increased numbers. Depending on chip will range from 105-150, or 90-160. If your at the end of one of those ranges or close to it.. get working on this first. I wont get into what it takes correcting this condition in this thread. And careful with "open loop" chips that lock the BL at 128 at idle. Target is +-10 from 128. I like to see +-5 from 128 at idle.
Lastly. Fuel economy and oil. These typically can tell a lot. If the car is getting great gas mileage, more than likely its ok. Likewise if the oil is clean and doesnt smell like fuel.. I hope this makes some sense.
Next is make sure there are no drivability issues, ie stumbles.. runs rough, black smoke out the exhuast, etc. You get to a light.. car doesnt shut off.. etc..
Now if you've made it this far, more than likely the chip, injectors, MAF, etc are in order.
Note, a new Walbro 340 or XP pump with a hot wire kit should be on the vehicle.
Then, we'll work on low boost tuning. This can vary from car to car as the amount of modifications/engine work/altitude/etc can affect how much boost one can run on 91-93 octane fuel by itself.
As the car comes up on boost the motor should feel silky smooth without any hesitations. And the knock readings should be at zero. Any issues at this point.. stop and work on them. So lets say the car runs 16 PSI(hypothetical number) and does so cleanly without any trace of knock retard. If so.. your light years ahead.
Make it so far.. The hypothetical number stated(16 psi) can vary from 13 PSI on one car to 22 PSI on another. And once you increase boost from that number.. the knock starts appearing on your scantool. Or increase timing from that number. If so.. this is whats to be expected.
So now the motor is running cleanly at mild boost and we wish to increase this. The options of higher octane gas, alky injection, and use of an octane boost(ie xylene) will allow the added boost.
I will try and do this in separate parts. And what I have found makes the transition into alcohol injection as smooth as possible.
The use of a scanmasterII, direct scan, turbo link, etc to confirm numbers is my second step. I'll list a set of these numbers which are Turbo Buick specific. And the setup of these numbers is "my" rule of thumb. And i'll only be listing those adjustments I feel are specific.
TPS(throttle position sensor) = .38-.46 at idle. Typically mine is set at .42-.44
IAC(Idle Air Control) = 15-30 at idle. Any number above zero will do. Tho I like a little room.
MAL(Malfunction codes)= zero
BLM(Block Learn) = Long term fueling adjustment. This one is what can make or break you. Any vacumm leaks or issues will show up with increased numbers. Depending on chip will range from 105-150, or 90-160. If your at the end of one of those ranges or close to it.. get working on this first. I wont get into what it takes correcting this condition in this thread. And careful with "open loop" chips that lock the BL at 128 at idle. Target is +-10 from 128. I like to see +-5 from 128 at idle.
Lastly. Fuel economy and oil. These typically can tell a lot. If the car is getting great gas mileage, more than likely its ok. Likewise if the oil is clean and doesnt smell like fuel.. I hope this makes some sense.
Next is make sure there are no drivability issues, ie stumbles.. runs rough, black smoke out the exhuast, etc. You get to a light.. car doesnt shut off.. etc..
Now if you've made it this far, more than likely the chip, injectors, MAF, etc are in order.
Note, a new Walbro 340 or XP pump with a hot wire kit should be on the vehicle.
Then, we'll work on low boost tuning. This can vary from car to car as the amount of modifications/engine work/altitude/etc can affect how much boost one can run on 91-93 octane fuel by itself.
As the car comes up on boost the motor should feel silky smooth without any hesitations. And the knock readings should be at zero. Any issues at this point.. stop and work on them. So lets say the car runs 16 PSI(hypothetical number) and does so cleanly without any trace of knock retard. If so.. your light years ahead.
Make it so far.. The hypothetical number stated(16 psi) can vary from 13 PSI on one car to 22 PSI on another. And once you increase boost from that number.. the knock starts appearing on your scantool. Or increase timing from that number. If so.. this is whats to be expected.
So now the motor is running cleanly at mild boost and we wish to increase this. The options of higher octane gas, alky injection, and use of an octane boost(ie xylene) will allow the added boost.
I will try and do this in separate parts. And what I have found makes the transition into alcohol injection as smooth as possible.