Interactive tuning 'log' thread!

[defiance]

Just checking interest/annoyance level...

I've got a '72 charger, 440, port injection with MS running msns-e 29q, LC-1 wideband o2, and I've never actually managed to tune it. Not problems with megasquirt, but fuel injection was just one of MANY different projects I was working on with the car over the past ... whew, what, a year now - wait, a year and a half?? wow... Anyway, I'd get started with MS, then get distracted by another project, then decide I wanted to change the way something was layed out in the system, then get started, then get distracted (rinse and repeat)...

But now, I've thoroughly tested all the different components in the fuel injection system and I'm confident that they are all working well, no noise, no reboots, it's solid. The car starts reliably with nearly default settings (all I did was set the config and cranked up the req_fuel until it started - though it's VERY far from correct), and I've got ignition set up (MSD distributor running MSD 6A to MSD coil, set 14* initial, 32* max - will probably add timing control from MS later, but not right now!!)

Anyway, one thing I've learned in my efforts thus far, even with PAGES UPON PAGES UPON PAGES of reading I've done so far on tuning, is that I am SO far from understanding the tuning process, it's not even funny!

So, with that in mind, I had a thought...

As of today, the last part of any other projects (my A/C condenser) just came in. I expect to have the A/C finished and the car 100% together within 2-3 days, and all that will be left is the MS tuning process.

Would it be interesting for me to start a thread devoted to my daily 'log' (in blog-style) of the tuning process? I know there's so much knowlege here that as I went, people would suggest things I should do, not do, or do differently, and I would LOVE the feedback... And maybe a start-to-finish detailing of the process, from the perspective of someone who is quite unskilled, would be beneficial to someone as well?

Would this be considered a positive thing, or would some people find it annoying? If it's positive, I'll start it up within a week or so (when I get REALLY started with tuning), and post probably daily until I reach a 'pretty good' point.

If people would find it annoying, though, I won't

[defiance]

Ok, I'm 99.9% done with everything else now - the only thing left is charging the A/C, but I've already vacuumed the lines down and they hold a vacuum flawlessly, so it's just a matter of plugging up the can - but I need it idling really consistent to do that. So, time for the first phase of tuning (then charge, then more major tuning!)

As a note, I'll be in class tomorrow night, so the first major tuning session will begin Wednesday afternoon @ around 5. I'll be focusing on idle, which I don't think will be too big a deal, and as soon as it's idling I'll charge the A/C and be done with that.

Real tuning, then, should start Thursday afternoon @ 5, and continue on throughout the afternoons and weekends - weather/time permitting - until it runs well enough to be a dependable daily driver.


So, without further ado, here's my 'initial' .msq file. This file idles, but seems rich - my AFR guage is going NUTS (back and forth between maxed one direction and maxed the other), and the engine idle is surging severely (between 500 or almost dying and 1300 rpms). The O2 correction is - I think - set to disable at below 1500 rpms, so I don't think that is the problem. I thought I did a log file, but now I can't find it, and it's too late now (neighbors complain any time I run the car for any amount of time after 7pm). Methodology was simply a matter of choosing the configuration options for this vehicle, using the built-in req-fuel calculator, taking some wild stabs at the AE and starting pulsewidths, as well as wild stabs at accel. Of course, I welcome suggestions! Worst case scenario, though, I'll post a log first thing thursday as I begin tuning.

[78Spit1500Fed]

You're welcome to post whatever experiences/problems/successes you may have while tuning. Don't beg for interaction and be open to suggestions. You'll have a pretty good idea how much interest there is if you watch the "viewed" count.

It's an interesting concept but I wouldn't expect much more than an "atta boy" unless you're asking a very specific question. This is a support forum after all; discussions really should be limited as such.

Good luck with tuning and keep us informed of your progress... any experience others can observe second-hand is of higher value with regards to time spent!

-Brian

[defiance]

Ok, cool, sounds good.

As for specific questions, the only one I have so far is, what sort of things cause surging? Right now my only thoughts are that the surging is self-perpetuating 'bucket' changes - in other words, the car bouncing from one 'bucket' to another, with the higher one being lean, and the lower one being ok... so, it hits the lower bucket, gets enough fuel, raises rpms, putting it in the higher bucket, goes lean, loses rpm, etc. I guess the higher bucket could also be rich, kinda flooding it a bit, but I'd think it would smoke then, and this started when I cut back fuel enough to get the smoke to stop, so...
Anyway, do these sound like good assumptions? Can anyone suggest other things that might cause surging? Thanks!

[ChevelleFan]

Surging is usually caused by a lean condition. Have you looked at what the EGO (of AFR) gauage is reading when the car surges?

[defiance]

Ok - here's a log of the surging. The temp sensors look like they're getting some noise... Not sure why, since both of them are GM 2-pin sensors, WELL grounded to the ECU ground point... :S Oh well, anyway, I don't think that's causing the surging. For some reason the log cut off right after the O2 started picking up, but it gave readings pretty much what you'd expect given the rest of the log. PW cuts back, the RPM drops severely, then O2 starts showing super-lean (seems to be about 1sec behind), then PW increases dramatically, RPM kicks back up, and O2 starts showing super-rich...

Just so I understand, why is the pulsewidth going so high?? I don't seem to have any enrichments on as far as I can tell, and as an experiment I put all the VE values at the same value and it still did it, so I don't think that's the issue either...?