Notice: Study Break!

Phew! Been diligent and posting a lot of new content so far this year but unfortunately I need more time to study!!

I'm on the last leg of my masters in engineering and I need to write a minor thesis... So unfortunately, I will be redirecting my writing to that for a little bit!

There has been some interesting developments of late and I would love to share it; I'll just have to keep notes on it for now until I get a bit more time to post it up!

Feel free to keep commenting and asking questions! I'll definitely have time to read them and respond!

So in the meantime, gambatte with your builds and tunes and enjoy the challenges of the tuning journey!

Tuning: AEM FIC Fuel Map Steps!

A grateful reader has commented on the closed loop tuning post and asked about putting down my tune to help visualise the map better with numbers.

I really don't want to screen shot my tune as it's super tempting to just plug the numbers in and although it would probably work, it will certainly be different to what you need because my setup will be different!

So as a compromise, how about we go through the steps of setting up a base fuel map! That way you can set it up yourself and adjust it according to your setup as well as being able to visualise how the numbers go in the cells!

Let's have a look!

Boost Breaking Brake Booster Benefits?

 

I was chatting with a colleague of mine about turbos and he asked ".. so if you have a turbo, doesn't boost prevent the brakes from working?"

I was like.. what?

TECH: PLX Devices SM-AFR

After my Innovate LC-1 wideband failed, it was time to get a new wideband... But because I was on a budget, I couldn't get another LC-1... So a cheaper alternative that I found was the PLX Devices SM-AFR.

Let's have a look at it!

Uh Oh: ...No Wideband?!

One sunny day,
I was cruising along,
with the wind in my hair,
doing nothing wrong....

At the corner of my eye,
I just don't understand..
I know that I'm not high...
..but what happened to my wideband?!

It seems my wideband readings are stuck. Whether I accelerate or decelerate, it seems I'm at a AFR of 10 LOL.

As I drove home the readings slowly went down until the gauge began to flash; which meant the AFR was lean at 0.. or there was no signal.

The first thing I checked was that the sensor was still physically in the bung at the exhaust, which it was. The next thing was to see whether the gauge was broken. I connected up the AEM FIC to my laptop and brought up the gauges. In my setup, I had another sensor feed from the Innovate LC-1 to the the AEM FIC, providing it wideband info for the Universal Exhaust Gas Oxygen (UEGO) readings. Yup, looks like the sensor or the LC-1 was buggered.

So I took the Bosch sensor out of the bung and proceeded to calibrate the LC-1. I held the button to begin calibration but the LED never lit up. Weird. I connected up the LC-1 to the laptop to see what is going on and... Fail. It wouldn't connect. After several attempts the LC-1 continously would not connect the computer...

Looks like the LC-1 has failed.

Well, not a bad run. I ran the LC-1 for nearly two years. But still, I didn't expect that component to fail...

Ah well, so it is time to get a new wideband computer... But which one? This unfortunately has happened during trying times so I can't blow away moneys away for an expensive solution, so I need a cheaper alternative. After looking around I found the PLX Devices SM-AFR!

Let's see how it goes!

Theory: MAF Sensor Placement!

One of the major contributors to abnormal and erratic fuel trims, I believe, is Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor placement!

So let's have a look at this interesting topic!

Tuning: Re-tuning with a Temporary MAP Sensor - Part 2

So after rewiring the AEM FIC and adjusted the maps, it's time to test the map.

Tuning: Re-tuning with a Temporary MAP Sensor - Part 1

Alright! Now that the wiring is complete and the signal from the Boost sender was successfully identified, now comes tuning.

Tuning: Fuel Trims!

Following on from Closed Loop Tuning, here's a bit of a spill about fuel trims! Modern factory computers are pretty clever and can automatically adjust the motor's tune in response to an array of environmental variables. There are a number of articles out on the interwebs about fuel trims but I'll have a whack at explaining it!

Let's have a closer look at fuel trims, what affects it and what can you do to help smooth it out on your tune!

Modification: Re-wiring a Temporary MAP Sensor

Well, as the inbuilt MAP sensor in the AEM FIC decided it would go and eat some cookies, I'll need a new reference load to tune the FIC.

Uh-Oh: AEM FIC MAP Sensor Died..

I decided to go for a nice drive to grab some groceries and after returning to the car with my rations it wouldn't start.

Uh-oh.

Tuning: Closed Loop Tuning with O2 Maps

Oh the bane of piggybacks.... Closed loop tuning using the O2 map. The most finicky of settings! I can't promise to solve all your problems, but hopefully give you some insight and some 'gambatte' with regards to this challenging issue.

Uh-Oh: Suddenly Lean!

It was a cold winter morning and surprisingly the car took a bit of time to start. After a few cranking attempts it started the car up and I went on my merry way in search for foods. After hearing the BOV whoosh a few times I started to notice something flashing in my peripheral vision... It was the AFR gauge..

Uh-Oh: Stalling on Deceleration!

 Uh oh! I swapped out the included Zage BOV with a fresh GFB Deceptor Pro BOV! But during deceleration, the little monster sometimes stalls..!

What the heck is happening here?!

Tuning: Piggy Back Tuning Issues, MAF vs. Fuel Map

Last time we talked about setting up the MAF map and adjusting it so that the MAF sensor plays nice with the AEM FIC. The way the AEM FIC works, and how most piggy backs work, is by fudging the signals to and from the factory computer to make the motor run in the way you want it. The reprocussion of this is that you will pretty much never get an accurate tune (when compared with going full standalone) and a good example of this is fuel adjustment via the MAF and Fuel Map.

So let's have a look as this little dilemma.

Tuning: AEM FIC MAF Clamp

Happy New Year everyone! Let's get back into the little problem with the MAF map! Earlier I found out that the original MAF map that I made up wasn't working because of the increased intake diameter. Here's the steps I took to correct it!

Tuning: Charting the Map!

After some teething issues I finally found out why the car wouldn't start! It was because of the increased size of the intake that the MAF sensor was now mounted on.

So before we go and adjust the MAF map, let's have a look at plotting a tuning course by checking out some basic maps!

Project-T: Back to the Future!

Let's do some time traveling! Since I've been posting about Project-T, I've actually gone ahead and done a lot more that I can write! In fact, it has already been around about TWO years since the little monster has been boosted!

So here's a fast forward post to get you up to speed and the conclusion of Project-T! ...But don't worry, I'll back track after this post so you can see all the crazy happenings once you've boosted your monster!

After Boostworx worked their magic, I've maintained the lil'Sportivo with K&N oil filters and Castrol Edge Sport fully synthetic oils (5W-30). I've simply been tuning the car and using it as my daily drive. Lots of LOL things have happened, to be posted in due time, which could help out others in similar situations.

Other than a bargain second hand Go Fast Bits (GFB) Deceptor Pro Blow-off Valve (BOV) which I scored on eBay, and a replacement wideband computer, no other major mods has been done!

To date here's the current specs of the monster:

Fried Rice BANZAI Toyota Echo Sportivo

Engine and Drivetrain:

• 1NZ-FE, turbocharged with Zage TDO4HL-32G @ 0.5 bar
• ??? HP (un-dynoed)
• Zage Intercooler
• Weapon-R Secret Weapon Pod Filter
• GFB Deceptor Pro BOV
• K&N Oil Filter
• Stock Drive Train

Wheels, Brakes and Suspension:

• Stock Sportivo Spec

Electronics:

• AEM FIC Piggyback Computer
• Innovate LC-1 Wideband Controller (...like I said, some craziness has happened)
• PLX Devices SM-AFR (I'll talk about this on another post...)

There's some newer pics of what I've been working on recently on my Instagram (friedricebanzai), so feel free to check that out too!

Although Project-T is now deemed COMPLETE, I still have lots of war stories to tell about from tuning to maintenance... The fun never ends with boost!


 
 

Project-T: Teething issue...

Wow, Boostworx was busy when I put the little monster in... After about a week or so I got a call that the team had put together the last bits! But a slight teething issue... The car won't start..!

TECH: Memorable Techs for 2012

What a year 2012 was! Lots of things for me... Getting married, new responsibilities at work, Project-T and all the little things that make up the year! On the Tech side there has been some pretty cool things that popped up in 2012 in the automotive scene, let's have a peek at my TOP 5!