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No Tune

Quicksight

CEG'er
Joined
Mar 11, 2014
Messages
219
Location
Ripley, WV
Hello everyone. I have a question. Please give your opinion: Which 3L swap would be best for someone like me who doesn't have access to a tune shop (I live in the country parts of West Virginia) I may be able to get a tune within the next year but not soon. Just wanted to have the best running swap UNTIL I get a tune. I've heard of some guys getting 28 MPG highway WITHOUT a tune. I have a 1998.5 CSVT. Thanks guys!

Jon
 
Most people run ported 3l without a tune. Because it uses all of the intake from the 2.5. Now if you do a full 3l or hybrid a tube is recommended cause you lose the secondaries and other functionality.
 
I finished my 3L last august and have been running it untuned just fine. It is a ported 3L and it runs great! I also didn't have to worry about blanking off any passages and such. I just had to get an alumacut burr to port the heads. I got a beautiful one from a company I special ordered from outside philly. They wanted to ship but I needed it ASAP. So they let me come to their manufacturing location and pick it up. If you port, make sure you get a burr designed for aluminum because it will keep it from clogging.
 
I finished my 3L last august and have been running it untuned just fine. It is a ported 3L and it runs great! I also didn't have to worry about blanking off any passages and such. I just had to get an alumacut burr to port the heads. I got a beautiful one from a company I special ordered from outside philly. They wanted to ship but I needed it ASAP. So they let me come to their manufacturing location and pick it up. If you port, make sure you get a burr designed for aluminum because it will keep it from clogging.


I hope this isn't a dumb question but what is a burr?
 
Well my brother (who is helping me with my swap) answered the question for me. I figured it was some sort of sanding/filing attachment for your drill etc. My swap will be happening within the next month!!! I'm so excited. My cars been down for almost 2 years now. Finally I hope to see it running again :)
 
I build/sell/ship ported 3L's to people all over the US. Most are SVT Contours and the majority don't run tunes. A tune is always recommended to eek out that last bit of hp and raise mpg.

You can run a full 3L without a tune but it will have issues (no power) down low due to the removal of the secondaries. You'll also have a CEL for the missing IMRC, but you could fool the IMRC with a spring (IMRC needs tension) if you wanted the check engine light to go away.
 
Well my brother (who is helping me with my swap) answered the question for me. I figured it was some sort of sanding/filing attachment for your drill etc. My swap will be happening within the next month!!! I'm so excited. My cars been down for almost 2 years now. Finally I hope to see it running again :)

I'm glad your brother is able to help you out. And yea a burr is like a rotary file for removing material. If you do go with the ported 3L make sure you get a carbide burr designed for aluminum. If you don't, all the flutes in the burr will constantly clog from the small aluminum particles you are taking off the head. Also make sure you get a long extended shank so you aren't constantly bumping up and nicking the head with the tool as you do your porting.


I build/sell/ship ported 3L's to people all over the US. Most are SVT Contours and the majority don't run tunes. A tune is always recommended to eek out that last bit of hp and raise mpg.

You can run a full 3L without a tune but it will have issues (no power) down low due to the removal of the secondaries. You'll also have a CEL for the missing IMRC, but you could fool the IMRC with a spring (IMRC needs tension) if you wanted the check engine light to go away.

^^ this is why I went with the ported 3L. I didn't want to have to worry about the tune right away because of it being pricey and also because I didn't want the extra work of blocking off the egr, modifying vacuum tubes, the throttle controls and other little odds and ends.

If you need any help, just ask! Haha I'm not too far away in Pennsylvania!
 
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