Tuning - CEG Archives

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I have had my 3L up and running for 700 miles now. I never got a tune from brenspeed, but I have had derek get my car to the point where it was driveable. I have the PRP and a wideband, but I had a HUGE flaw in my tuning plan...I have no KNOCK SENSOR!

As it is I do not know much about tuning and I intend to really read up on it once I get done with school, but I have finals and cannot dedicate any time to this. Basically I need some advice to make my car a bit more driveable.

The idle is WAY off. I have datalogged and the programed idle is 720, but mine is doing it's own thing at about 920-970. The revs drop pretty well until it hits about 2k rpms where it will sit for severel seconds before kinda settling at 900rpms. All my vac lines are good, but I am thinking this may be that I put the TPS on a little wrong.

What I am worried about mainly tho is getting power out of this engine without a knock sensor! Is there a way for me to get standalone aftermarket one datalog with it as an analog 0-5v. I really don't know much about knock sensors so I am really very lost.

I know have just created a long azz post with several diff issues...sorry about that.

Originally posted by mapoftazifoshoâ�??¢:
I put the TPS on a little wrong.

It's either good or bad. Asking questions instead of OC is good.

Originally posted by Todd aRRRRRRRRR.:

Originally posted by mapoftazifoshoâ�??¢:
I put the TPS on a little wrong.

It's either good or bad. Asking questions instead of OC is good.

Ok I just took it off and it cannot go on the other way soo...that is fine.

u know, you could have a bad tps??

Originally posted by Rickson:
u know, you could have a bad tps??

Brand new TPS.

Originally posted by mapoftazifoshoâ�??¢:

Originally posted by Rickson:
u know, you could have a bad tps??

Brand new TPS.

hmm. well it goes one way. My buddies tps went bad when we removed it from his throttlebody. When we went to reinstall it, his idle was high like yours.

Well i guess next step is order a tune

Originally posted by Rickson:

Originally posted by mapoftazifoshoâ�??¢:

Originally posted by Rickson:
u know, you could have a bad tps??

Brand new TPS.

hmm. well it goes one way. My buddies tps went bad when we removed it from his throttlebody. When we went to reinstall it, his idle was high like yours.

Well i guess next step is order a tune

Well I have a tune. I just need to change some things. I really need to call Brent at Brenspeed because he was supposed to give me a tune or two .

Originally posted by mapoftazifoshoâ�??¢:
I have had my 3L up and running for 700 miles now. I never got a tune from brenspeed, but I have had derek get my car to the point where it was driveable. I have the PRP and a wideband, but I had a HUGE flaw in my tuning plan...I have no KNOCK SENSOR!

As it is I do not know much about tuning and I intend to really read up on it once I get done with school, but I have finals and cannot dedicate any time to this. Basically I need some advice to make my car a bit more driveable.

The idle is WAY off. I have datalogged and the programed idle is 720, but mine is doing it's own thing at about 920-970. The revs drop pretty well until it hits about 2k rpms where it will sit for severel seconds before kinda settling at 900rpms. All my vac lines are good, but I am thinking this may be that I put the TPS on a little wrong.

What I am worried about mainly tho is getting power out of this engine without a knock sensor! Is there a way for me to get standalone aftermarket one datalog with it as an analog 0-5v. I really don't know much about knock sensors so I am really very lost.

I know have just created a long azz post with several diff issues...sorry about that.

Don't worry so much about the knock sensor. Leave all the settings on it stock until you get the tuning close to done. If you find that you are loosing too much power during the dyno tune due to the knock sensor retarding the timing, THEN would be the time to adjust sensitivity. Right now is NOT the time and you will want it to work at the level that the OEM tuners felt was safe.

Take your PRP and load up a copy of your stock tune.
Go to the knock sensor settings and check mark all the boxes related to it. Then select "save selected values" from the file menu and call the file "stock knock.val"
Next: Load the current tune you have and then load the value file over top of it. You should then see all the stock knock sensor values put back in. Save your file under a later name. This way you aren't fuken around trying to get back to stock and missing something.

Get with me in PMs with some specific details and then I can give you some specific help.

Unless you want to publicly talk about it.

As far as the idle speed, it sounds very much like too much air leaking past the throttlebody. It may be a gasket. If it is an aftermarket TB then you may need to check the throttle shaft as they can tend to leak around the shaft to the bearing.

See the thing is...I have an SE and the car does not have a knock sensor at all!

Sounds like you need to adjust your idle air table.

Originally posted by mapoftazifoshoâ�??¢:
See the thing is...I have an SE and the car does not have a knock sensor at all!

I have a knocklite just sitting in my dresser drawer.. add a 30 dollar bosch sensor and you are good to go.

Originally posted by Dr. Frankenbarge:

Originally posted by mapoftazifoshoâ�??¢:
See the thing is...I have an SE and the car does not have a knock sensor at all!

I have a knocklite just sitting in my dresser drawer.. add a 30 dollar bosch sensor and you are good to go.

I'll do that!

that's right!

Well, why not add one to it? I'm sure the pinout on the PCM has room for a knock sensor to be added.

Originally posted by warmonger:
that's right!

Well, why not add one to it? I'm sure the pinout on the PCM has room for a knock sensor to be added.

So when You say that...do you mean there might be the lines for it in my harness and I could just splice into them?!

Originally posted by warmonger:
that's right!

Well, why not add one to it? I'm sure the pinout on the PCM has room for a knock sensor to be added.

That doesn't mean it's in the firm ware for the ECU to recognize.

Your not alone. My Cougar never came with a knock sensor either.

Most of them did but for some reason mine didn't. Doesn't have a connector for it in the wire harness either. According to Ford every single Cougar should have one. I'm not sure how mine got missed then.

So what did you do for tuning!?

I had it dyno tuned with the Apexi S-AFC. I recently installed a innovative wideband kit to monitor the air/fuel and it's still running great. I installed a SVT ECU before the 3L swap though so it has that as the base tune. I'll be picking up the new supercharger kit from Thomas Knight to mess around with so I'll have to pick up a Pro Racer Package before then.

Originally posted by Blackcoog:
I had it dyno tuned with the Apexi S-AFC. I recently installed a innovative wideband kit to monitor the air/fuel and it's still running great. I installed a SVT ECU before the 3L swap though so it has that as the base tune. I'll be picking up the new supercharger kit from Thomas Knight to mess around with so I'll have to pick up a Pro Racer Package before then.

I have the wideband and PRP, but I figured that in order to really get my timing perfect I would need a knock sensor to be safe.

Now that your posting about it that gets me a bit worried. I guess I'll play it by ear and see what other car people have to say.

Originally posted by MapOfTaziFoShoâ�??¢:

Originally posted by Blackcoog:
I had it dyno tuned with the Apexi S-AFC. I recently installed a innovative wideband kit to monitor the air/fuel and it's still running great. I installed a SVT ECU before the 3L swap though so it has that as the base tune. I'll be picking up the new supercharger kit from Thomas Knight to mess around with so I'll have to pick up a Pro Racer Package before then.

I have the wideband and PRP, but I figured that in order to really get my timing perfect I would need a knock sensor to be safe.

If you get your timing perfect you won't need a knock sensor.

Well, you've got the PRP setup and if you add two wires to the ECM plug at the correct pinout specified by the manual you can at least test to see if it is available to be turned on.

I'm pretty sure that the capability will be there because it would cost too much to just pull it out for a couple of cars I'd think. If not, get an SVT PCM and convert your harness to it if you can get one cheaply and easily.

Otherwise use the external knock sensor system.