A couple of ?s about ME after install

[turboost]

1. Is it OK to leave the wastegate solenoid wore connected if I'm not going to use it for a shift light. If not why?

2. Why is the scanmaster reading faster? It updates about 3x's a second.

3. It is running rich according to O2s, 780-860 all the time. Is the O2 not a good way to monitor the engine with the ME? I am running on TW 1, the offset is at 0 and I have lowered the cruise fuel and idle fuel. The O2s are perfect at the top of 3rd just weird that I am drowning the engine driving around town. Thanks for any help.

BTW the inj are Lucas 42.5

 

[Steve Wood]

1. you can leave the wastegate solenoid connected but you cannot use it for boost control.

2. Steve used the ScanMaster fast update software that repeats the O2 more often as well as a couple of other items. You are probably seeing the PulseWidth and timing displayed as well but not seeing iacs.

3. 780s-820s are usually a good range under boost. If you are driving at a steady speed the cruise should be near 000 on the o2s.....you may have to drop the cruise number from the default a bit. did you remove both screens from the maf? I usually set my idle around 780.

Don't confuse wot readings with normal driving numbers...they are a different function altogether. Did you read the instructions? Set the fp correctly? Set the iacs as well as remove the screens?

 

[VIN7]

If you leave the solenoid plugged in, make sure you have the hoses run "tuner style". Otherwise, you'll be seeing 100% dc at your shift points If you leave the hoses connected to the solenoid, just unplug the connector, it won't throw a code and solenoid is normally closed so it will be peusdo tuner style.
Mike

 

[Wes]

i dont use the wastegate solenoid and while i was working on my car one time one of my friends unplugged the wastegate solenoid and i didnt know about it ...then my car threw a code ... it was for the solenoid unplugged.....how do you control boost with a me ...do you use a bleed valve ?

 

[Steve Y]

Hi,

Did you remove the screens as S Wood mentioned?

Did you read the directions concerning cruise fuel adjustment?
Take 6 numbers at a time out till it gets a little hesitant and put some back in.

FP 46 pounds.

Keep us advised,

Steve

 

[BLACK6PACK]

I use the modern musclecar Boost Commander for my boost control. It overrides the shift light signal that the ME chip produces. Just don't forget to turn the boost commander off or you will blow big black clouds out the back.

Steve puts the Fast Update Code in the chip for the scanmaster, something Red refused to do for me.

BTW Steve Y, I moved the offset to zero and about chit when I saw the o2s at 050 on the scanmaster at cruise. I then remembered Steve W, talking about his being near zero, so I didn't worry too much. What are your EGTs at cruise with that low of an 02 count.

 

[Steve Wood]

I just drove my GN 325 miles to leave it at the farm. I run 75# injectors on this car with the MaxEffort. My cruise is set to read 000 on the O2s. I got 21 miles to the gallon. My egts were around 1100-1175.

Remember that the stock o2 sensor is a narrow band switching device that is really only meaningful at the mid point. It is totally non linear and the readings are pretty much meaningless. That is the reason us ol' guys rant when someone starts talking about that magic o2 number.

I did not have my wide band o2 plugged in but I doubt that it was running all that lean.

I have been running my ME's like that for many years. Once I did manage to get a blue top version so lean that I could hear a little skip in the sound at about 80 mph. I added six numbers and drove it that way for a long time before I moved to larger injectors.

I have three cars, all with ME's, and have run blue tops, red tops, 009s, 50s, and 75s#.

I have a Translator, a coneless factory original maf, and a rebuilt maf. All work like a charm. I have tried several different chips in recent years to see how they compare but nothing compares with an ME for sheer performance and over all drivability. The ME is not made to pass strict emissions testing. It is a performance chip designed to be a poor man's dfi. It is telling that the GSCA has never let it compete with conventional chips but only in the DFI classes. One came in second this year-a long way behind Jason but ahead of all the other FAST equipped cars. Several ME cars are in the nines on stock mafs. I suspect some of those will pick up at least the 60 hp that Red claims on the 4" maf when they go to the "No Maf" ME.

The ME was the originator of the open loop idle, the lean cruise provision, adjustable launch fueling, maf lock, etc.

Lean the thing down to zero and have fun with it.

 

[BLACK6PACK]

Thanks for the response steve. It was usually running around 900-1000 egt before I leaned it out. I saw 000-050 as I was cruising and was like ! My EGTs were in the 1100s also. I didn't know if that was a safe #. I was talking to a Mustang guy with a vortech and he asked what egts i was running 1300s? I said no around 1650* and his mouth dropped.

It sounds as though I'm starting to get this thing tuned in. Now if it would stop raining so that I could actually drive this beast. We haven't had a day without rain in over 30 days. The texas people think they are getting rain, something like 9" in 3 days. It isn't uncommon to get 4" in an hour here.

 

[Steve Wood]

yeah, weather has been nasty...some of us Texas people got 24" tho....problem is that it is not raining far enuf west to fill up the lakes, tho. South Texas and West Texas just don't have any water.

 

[turboost]

I did not set the IAC, I have 1 screen removed, and I still have the wg solenoid connected (it hasn't thrown a code, can I just leave it connected?). I am running on TW 1 and I have lowered the cruise by 12, the offset is 0, fp is around 42 and I am still running around 800s all the time. The car idles perfect and the car runs good just wondering why I can't bring my o2s down. Any other suggestions? Could the IAC not being set to zero or the 1 maf screen cause that big of a problem? I would really like to know if I can just leave the wg solenoid connected b/c I am getting 20psi with it and a hd actuator. Thanks for the help.

 

[Steve Wood]

You have to use the chip correctly. That means you have to remove both screens or the calibration is screwed up all the way thru. You might get by with ignoring the iac but I don't know why you would ignore the instructions that come with the chip. This is not a conventional chip. It is an user programmed chip that has no resemblance to a conventional chip.

Further, as pointed out above, the wires to the solenoid do not control boost. You can leave them connected to the solenoid but you cannot use the solenoid to control boost. You must run it tuner style, or use a bleeder, or a controller like the Boost Commander with ecm input removed, but the hose must be removed from the solenoid.

 

[azgn]

the wastegate solenoid is not functioning if you have a ME chip.....you are running off spring pressure....it would prolly work better if you just remove the solenoid, loop the compressor and wategate, and set your boost with the wastegate arm length

you could stick a bleeder in line if you want...then wouldn't have to mess with the arm

 

[TurboDave]

Originally posted by BLACK6PACK
Thanks for the response steve. It was usually running around 900-1000 egt before I leaned it out. I saw 000-050 as I was cruising and was like ! My EGTs were in the 1100s also. I didn't know if that was a safe #. I was talking to a Mustang guy with a vortech and he asked what egts i was running 1300s? I said no around 1650* and his mouth dropped.

It sounds as though I'm starting to get this thing tuned in. Now if it would stop raining so that I could actually drive this beast. We haven't had a day without rain in over 30 days. The texas people think they are getting rain, something like 9" in 3 days. It isn't uncommon to get 4" in an hour here.

I don't know a thing about the ME, but I can address your cruise EGT figures. Before I went to this version of Extender chip that has lean cruise, I was seeing 1100 degrees on a flat highway, cruising at 65mph. That was consistent accross several chip varieties.
Now, with lean cruise kicked in, I see around 1150 EGT in the same conditions, so the lean cruise is working. Have never checked my highway mileage though, so checking it now would be meaningless. My cruise O2's hover in the 20-50mv range (020-050 on SM2, sometimes 000).

 

[BLACK6PACK]

Thanks, TD.

Turboost, I would be careful with the WG solenoid being hooked up. If you hit the rpm that the ME chip is set to turn on the shift light, it will probably do some wierd things because it will send a signal to the WG solenoid that it doesn't understand.

 

[Steve Y]

Was wondering why you did not remove the screen as the directions indicate?

That will cause it to run way overrich at less than wot throttle.

Steve

 

[turboost]

I forgot these things have 2 screens. I removed 1 of them a while back and failed to remember the other one. I did remove it and the o2s are jumping around more now. I'm just going to keep working with the settings this weekend when I have time and see what I can get out of it.

I would like to say that this is one hell of a product! I was skeptical at first but am amazed now. There is so much you can do with these that the possibilities are endless...and it gives me something else to play with! One of my friends was pretty amazed that it didn't have the off idle stumble as do most of the 009 chips. I would recommend this to anybody who wants to have control of there car and get maximum benefit from there combo.

 

[Steve Wood]

the code is killed in the ME for the wastegate. You can just let the connector dangle if you don't use it for a shift lite.

The o2s at idle should be relatively steady. They will rise as the sensor warms up and then they will be fairly steady altho they will drop with prolonged idle....yet another sign that the factory o2 is fairly meaningless for the most.

It is a great 009 chip but then it works well for all the injectors Steve Y sells it for.

 

[Steve Wood]

Also, set your iac as suggested..it will stabilize the idle and probably the o2s.