Am I on the rev limiter or do I have an issue?

[Amelio]

Ok so I finally got to the track to tune for the first time and fortunately during a Buick event I was at Reynolds this past weekend and was able to make 8 passes......I was have boost issues which the car did not want to make more than 10psi and resulted in a 13.40 to 13.90 @ 100mph

After 4 passes like that I finally got the car to 15psi a 12.3 @113 and as the car was about to cross the line I noticed the engine light flash and I though it was odd for it to hit the limiter????? I made a few more passes around the same boost level (still have a boost issue) and the same thing the light would flash and it felt like the car was on the limiter....

I should have stock gearing but this has not been verified...and I am running a 26" tire my stock rpm gauge is not working and I was never able to get a look at the scan master to see my rpm.....

My very last pass I was able to get an 18 psi pass (thanks to a fellow member...Thanks Shawn!) and the car ran a 12.0 @115 and still the same thing on the limiter?????

So with that said;

What is the factory rev limit set at?

The chip is not anyone's...it was tuned ....the rev limit can be set through the chip correct?

And once I verify my gear what rpm should I expect....my combo is in my sig?

 

[Razor]

Tell me that after looking at the list of mods you have on your car you dont know who/whats chip is in your car. Especially racing the engine with an unknown chip.

This is like pulling the pin on a hand grenade and expecting wonderful things to happen.

Be lucky you still have an engine. Why dont you just spend the 85 bucks and get a chip from someone like TurboTweak Home and that way you know what you have, how much timing it has, how much fuel, etc etc etc.

First mod on these cars is scantool and chip. First.. before even doing an air filter. Second mod... read and learn about the car.

To answer your question, rpm limit is set in the chip. If your hitting the rpm limit is cuts fuel off cuasing a lean condition= blow a hole in the motor. You dont want to hit the rpm limit, the flashing check engine lamp can be many things, your scanmaster can tell you the trouble code if thats whats happening. But not knowing who's chip it is.. your really SOL.

Sorry for the tone, just see too many think the cars are like a 69 Camaro with a Holley carb you can beat to death. They are sensitive cars, that need to be treated as such or big big repair bills will follow very very soon.

 

[Amelio]

LOL.. no offense taken.

The chip that's in the car was burned wile on a dyno it has very little timing due to it being a street tune. The car only had about a 1 to 1.5 degrees of knock and that was between shifts. There were no codes set, the car made nice clean passes.

I have thought about purchasing a chip from TT but also thought if the car is running good and no knock then why???? I know there is more performance in it but this was the first time at the track with this combo.

calm down Razo I am not a newbie....I do not know it all but I have a pretty good clue

 

[Razor]

No problems.. who burnt the chip. I mean they would have to have the proper equipment to do so.. I know of only a handful of people that "really" know what they're doing.

Unless you had Eric from turbotweak at the dyno burning the chip.. who knows.

I have burnt 100's of chips myself for these cars.. still have the equipment to do so. And have made mistakes early on that have cuased goofy things to happen. So your flashing SES light is all possible if the wrong number went in the wrong slot. Not saying thats the case, but very well if the guy who burnt the chip wasnt 110% there. And when I say goofy.. these are chips that the car ran great until you happen upon particular circumstances.. certain rpm, certain coolant temp, etc.. line the planets just right... weird stuff.

Thats why I only trust a select few guys when it comes to proms and these cars. I mean a very few. Eric, Bob B, Steve Y, and Red. Less than a handful

 

[Amelio]

I hear ya and I agree.

Time Matherly tuned my car on an MD dyno with the correct equipment, he is very big in the Mustang world (LOL I know I know) He is very good with tuning just about anything..... but I do see your point since I do not know all the little in's and outs I would not know if someone else does.

I trust him because he has one of the quickest cars in his circuit and record times...grant it it is not a Buick but he is good.

I may buy a TT chip and try it out....I have never seen my SES light flash on the street except when the car rip's the tires real bad and then I would expect it to be on the limiter and that would be normal.

If the light flashing in the top of third is some sort of issue I may just purchase another chip and go back to the track and see what it does.

 

[Razor]

See its like this. To make a chip either you are modifying a stock image or your modifying an existing image.

If your modifying an existing image, you need to pretty much be sure your only changing the correct parameters, but that the tables havent been moved around. Meaning you have created all the MAF tables, timing tables, emmissions tables, accel, decel, enrichment, etc etc etc.

If your modifying a stock image, then your basically re-writing the entire chip. Let alone all the patches the current chips do with adjuctable timing, adjustable fueling, open loop idle,etc etc etc. You cant get a chip like Erics and modify it. As he knows where he put his crumbs and how to get back home.

One issue is with an aftermarket DFI and getting a car to go fast. Another thing is the eeprom on these cars. A lot of older tuners used tuner cat to make changes.. but tuner cat left a lot of areas that needed to be addressed.

Not taking anything away from your guy, but after tuning hundreds of these cars... they are an acquired taste.

Good luck with it..

 

[Razor]

Wanted to add.. I have tuned these type of cars on an engine dyno and on a track. The chip cars react radically different under both conditions. This is why you dont see a lot of dyno use with these cars.. more of a curiousity than anything.

So more than likely your trips down the track have been off tune. Even tho it worked on a dyno.

 

[Amelio]

Well put I understand and hear you loud and clear!

Thank you for the info if there is one thing I have learned about these cars over the years it is that they really are in a league of their own and very tricky. You have made a strong point and I do agree with you and I am going to take your advice and get a new chip....as I have had thoughts in the past you just confirmed it.

Thanks much!

 

[Razor]

My pleasure.. you should look into an alky kit if you do a lot of playing around on the street. At 22 PSI your car should run low 11's.

It makes the chip process another one of those. As there are three types. 93, alky, race. The alky chips are higher timing and the car really responds well.. the race chips are high boost high timing. The chip maker needs to know what your doing with it when he burns a chip.

All the mods in the world on these cars.. you give them octane.. throw some more boost.. they wake up like there's no tommorrow.

 

["More Boost"]

what is the stock rev limit on a stock chip?

 

[Amelio]

should be 5600.......I just installed a TT chip last week rev limit is at 6200 which will work well with my roller cam good to 6k

 

[Razor]

You know what happens when you hit the limiter... it cuts off fuel.

Big boost.. cuts fuel off.. motor leans out.. bad things happen. :wink:

 

[Eric Stage I]

Julio and I learned years ago about rev limiters with alky:smile:. None of the TT alky chips have a rev limiter in them. If it's a street or race chip, then it will still have a limiter (unless the customer asked me to remove it).