XCal2 Installed
XCal2 Installed
The Xcal2's instruction manual called for me to pull fuses that control the Electric Fuel Pump and the Electric Fans. I'm pretty sure I found the Fuel Pump fuse (actually I couldn't find the fuse, but I pulled the associated relay). However, many of the fuses under my hood (in the distribution box) did not match the diagrams in the car's manual! Like for instance, the 30-amp red fuse in the far lower-right corner of the Power Dist. Box that's supposed to control the Engine Fan (according to the manual) was not present! In fact, it was an empty socket where you could installed a socket that a fuse would fit it. And the one next to it that was supposed to be "Unused" had a fuse socket in it and a yellow fuse in that socket. WTF! I was very confused. I hope I did that right... What if I didn't? Will it hurt my engine or drivetrain..?
Anyways, I pulled some other fan-related fuses from the fuse box under the driver-side kickplate by the steering column, so I think I got most of them.
After doing my best to disable power to all the electric fans I could locate, and the fuel pump, I flashed the engine computer. It was a pretty simple procedure. The XCal2 device said that the tune was successfully installed, so I replaced my fuses and relays and went for a drive after letting the car warm up and adapt to its new settings for a few minutes.
First gear is about the same, a little better. Third gear is noticeably better.
But second gear. Second gear is nuts.
After some experimenting, I discovered that if I get going about 20mph and disengage the clutch, then rev the motor to around 4k rpm, and then smoothly engage the clutch (not fast enough to qualify as "dumping" the clutch, and not slow enough to cause rubbing/friction damage; just a smooth, swift engagement) while increasing the gas progressively, I get an insane boost of power and acceleration. Such a boost, in fact, that the front of the car really feels like it's trying to lift up off of the ground and I am pushed back into my seat, and the tires actually lost traction for a second (and I'm riding on 18" low-profile Sumitomo HTR Z II (Z-rated) racing tires with full tread).
I've never actually driven a car with so much oomph before, and now I own one. It's exciting. Given that I own an E-0, meaning 195hp stock, do you think I'm over the 200hp mark now?
[EDIT] - Oh and one more thing: I noticed that my engine is running a lot smoother now, too! More spritely and no chugging or hesitation, it reminds me more of the behavior of the snappy 4-banger in my old '95 GL. And not only that, I noticed (to my great delight) that my 1,500watt SPL amp no longer dims my headlights/dash illumination either, no matter how loud I bump. I thought I needed to buy a new battery or alternator or something, but maybe the engine was just in a coma and needed to be awakened. I would almost venture to say that this seems to have restored my engine to a functionality that it hasn't seen since below the 20,000-mile mark (it's at 102k right now). Maybe better, given the added ponies.
Definitely liking the XCal2 so far. I will play more tomorrow.
