Ok, here is a where I'm at. 86 TA, 305 TPI. Basically bone-stock, except removed catalytic converter. I've had the car for about 3 years or so. I know quite a bit about computers, and once I started reading a little bit about DIY PROM, I thought I would like to dive head-first into it.

After taking out my ECM, I found out that there was an ADS Superchip installed. I bought a Pocket Programmer, took the PROM out and saved the BIN, and I've downloaded TunerPro and WinALDL.

I've read the Intro to PROM Burning, Programming 101, I've got the EFI Abbreviations list, and also downloaded the $32B hac commentary and Grumpy's notes.

Just opening up TunerPro and taking a look at the 100's of constants, flags, and tables has me completely stumped. Basically the Intro to Prom Burning was really great, but got me just to the point of starting to tune. And now I don't know where to go next.

I know that reading and learning as much as I can from the boards is the best way to start, but I only have so much time.

Here is how I feel: I have a giant stack of textbooks on rocket science in front of me, but I'm just learning to read. The stuff I find that everyone else says is "a must read", I get nothing out of because it's way over my head.

I'd like to pick up a cheap laptop to do some data-logging, and need to get some chips too. But there has to be some sort of more basic FAQ or whatever to get me going from where I am right now.

Where do I start? I don't want to change things that should be left until later on. I'd like to start as simple as I can, and go forward from there.

For those of you who have started from scratch, what did you learn a lot from when you were just getting started? Any good articles, books, posts?

-Dustin

Oh yeah, what is the right ECU to use for TunerPro with my BIN? I have the 6E that came with the program, and I also downloaded the $32B from the program website, which has not nearly as many constants.

 

do something simple.

change the top speed limiter. or a fan turn on/turn off point. or something simple that your ecm supports.

start with tiny steps and go from there.

the first thing i ever changed was the injector constant. i took the crappy 22# out and swapped for reliable 24# lt1 injectors. it was nice seeing the BLM's come back closer to normal after i just changed the injector constant...

 

That's what I'd like to start from. However, I don't really have any idea what changes what. I'm guessing that would be what a hack with a commentary would be good for, but a list with what to change first and how to go about changing it would be teriffic.

Also, a lot of the numbers in the BIN that are listed don't seem to make sense to me(ex. For "Fuel Cut Off On and OFF", it has some funky numbers. It says in the ReadMe that the 6E ECU will work for tuning $32B, but will the $32 ECU work better, even with less things to change?)

-Dustin

 

for me...reading the hac's came much later.

starting with tunercat/tunerpro/etc (some type of gui crutch/aid) and make a tiny change, then a bigger change, etc. then you can move on to maybe tuning the fuel delivery a bit. start small.

i'm only familiar with $8D so can't comment about any of the codebases you're working on.

the more you read the more it will help - even if the stuff don't make a bit of sense. eventually little parts gel, then bigger parts. then you go back and read all the stuff that didn't make sense, because now it makes more sense, and you start to understand a bit.

that's when yo'ure hooked. the endless process of understanding a bit more, because there is really no end to it that I can see.

 

have you successfully datalogged? i would and did start there. develop some data to look at.

 

It takes exposure, no one that I know of, has been able to read enough to be able to go out and dial in there car without making any mistakes. You gotta read, take notes, and do. There just ain't no way around that. And even if you get totally into it, and with years of exposure, and practice, there's still alot more to learn.

Go slow, take notes, look for trends.
Start with developing a good base line so you know where square one is.

Scanning is where to start. Without that, you'll just be guessing.

 

Where in the readme did you read this (so I can clarify or remove it!)? This isn't true. the $32 ECU can only tune a $32 image, $32B an $32B image, and $6E a $6E image.

 

You will need to get a cheap laptop running windows 95 or newer and then download craig moates aldl datalogging software or turnerpro rt and an aldl cable to link to the car. AKM electronics sells the cable for around $95 and the software for datalogging is free. You have to be able to datalog before you can make changes to the bin to see what effect your changes are having on your car. First learn to datalog, then start modifying your bin.

 

Thanks for the teriffic replies so far. Far better than I was expecting, usually asking a question in a different forum nets 1-2 replies, and you have to keep pestering to get a good answer.

On the TunerPro ECU download page , under 6Ev011.ECU, the description says "1986 - 1989 F-Body, Etc. Native to 1989, but works on any '165 equipped F-Body.", which may be technically correct, but I took it to mean that it would be an acceptable ECU to use to tune my $32 image.

Also, $32 file says "86 F-Body", but $32b says "86-88 F-Body", when it should be 87-88 F-Body, right?

I have heard that I could start with a $6E BIN and use it for my '86 TPI car, even though it came with a $32 image. How would I go about this?

Finally(for now!), there are quite a few listings in the constants table in TunerPro, and I'm wondering if there might be anywhere where I could read more in-depth about what each one would do. I guess something like the Abbreviations List would explain abbreviations, only explaining what each constant is and does. Also, some flags only have something like "b1" listed(something like this), and I don't know what turning that flag on or off will do.

Much thanks,
-Dustin

 

Ah yes. I should clarify that $6E itself works on any '165 equipped F-Body (or vette). You need to use a $6E bin, obviously, and you may also need to disable the cold start injector. Plenty of info on the boards about this. ;-)

Thanks! I'll clear that up with the next web update (documentation, be it web site or help files, SUCKS to keep up with!) =(

 

One more question:

I've seen quite a few terms like ARAP, AUJP, etc. I know these are BIN images, but I don't know which years and engines they correspond to.

Is there a comprehensive list anywhere that match up these abbreviated BIN's to what they were originally used for?

-Dustin

 

I went to every link in the intro more than once. Then at each link, go to all the links they have too. And read every sticky and all of its' links too. Then you might have a clue as to what some of this stuff is.
I'm learning 8D so I can't tell you much about 6e. Except that some people end up switching to 8d. I've found reading all of Grumpy's post's helpful too. It can help ties idea's togther. Among other things. You can read the posts by all the senior guy's. Traxion, RBob, 91L98Z28 etc.
I spent 40+ hrs just reading all the stickys etc. and any current tuning posts. The tuning posts have been light lately. Hopefully were're going back around to code.

Don't forget to Bookmark.

 

I know how you feel, I updated my prom in my car with the ARAP $6E mask a few weeks ago. I have read this site up and down many times and most of it didn't make any sense until the 100th time. Yeah, I do believe a lot of information is scattered all over the place that could be represented much better in a consolidated document but it hasn't been created yet. I was planning on writing something up about my experience but haven't had the time. I'm still tuning/learning.

When I did the $32 to $6E switch (ARAP) I did the following:

- turned off VATS
- disabled my cold start injector ( by pulling crank fuse)
- copied Spark Advanced and other simular tables from my stock chip
- search of "arap long start" and fix the Crank Fuel PW Mult vs Ref. Pulse, so your car starts better, I entered 0.5 in the cells with zeros (pulse 1 - 8)
- made sure my Single and Double fire FI size @ 40 psig was the same as my stock bin

Next after testing the new bin I did some data logging (All TunerPro RT)

For the data logging I made sure my car was up to temperature so that the ecu was running in closed loop. Idled and drove around with as light of a throttle as I could at as many different speeds as I could for like 20 minutes or so, you don't want to kick in your Power Enrichment (WOT) just yet. I studied the data and made sure I knew what each column meant.

Ok, got data. Everyone says get your BLMs in order. Search on this and you'll find lots of stuff. But this is how I did it. Make sure you do this all on the same day and have a lot of time on hand, you'll get different results on different days.

I logged more data. I opened up my MAF tables in TunerPro and marked down all the calculated Grams/sec values from each table. Next I opened up my logged data in excel and purged all data that wasn't up to temperature. Then I sorted the data by the MAF column. Next I looked at my list of marked calculated Grams/sec values and for each one I found the closest reading in my logged data. At that data and data near it I looked at the BLMs. They say you should try to get it close to 128 as possible. Well I only made an adjustment if it were above 132 or below 124. Lets say around my first reading I was rich with an average BLM of 118 I would take 118/128 = 0.9218. I would then go back to TunderPro and multiply the one cell that contained that grams/sec by 0.92 and then continue on for the rest of them except for one exception. I left the highest number in each table alone since it is suppose to match the MAF scalar. The table actually ( by default ) has calculated values with table hex value / 255 * scalar = calculated grams/sec value.

I got everything within 124-132 BLM after a few runs and only changed the first 3 MAF tables in which the most changes were done to the first table. And again, do this all in the same day. I logged more data on a hotter more humid day and everything was running rich but consistantly accross the board.

Remember, I started only a few weeks ago, I'm no expert!

later

 

Yeah, there is a ton of information that you need to just keep reading and searching for. The BroadCast Code, or BCC is the 4 letter 'name' for a specific program which runs on a specific ECM. So, even though the ECM is used on say a camaro and a caprice, they will have different parameters tweaked for each application. Tunercat offers CalData, which is a database of many available BCC's and their applications.

Also try diy-efi.org for more info.

as for the definitions of all the numerous variables, if you are unsure, its best to just ask the question on the boards, people are usually quick to let you know if it truly is something you should mess with.

for the most part, you are concerned with engine load, which would be MAF tables and LV8(load variable) for 32, 32B, or 6E; or MAP for 8D, etc, which will determine the amount of fuel you need. there is alot of details to that, so its best to keep reading.

the other part of the tuning is your spark advance. you want to typically have the most amount of advance that gives you power. over-advancing gets into trouble, and not enough just makes the engine doggy. the second part of that is that higher performance mods require you to change the overall shape of the curve, ie, more spark more quickly.

good luck, its fun when you can make changes and see positive results!

 

Real good stuff so far. I agree that there is a TON of info out there, but it is difficult to find it all. That's why I used my rocket science analogy I too have been thinking about at least documenting what I'm learning as I get started, because I would say almost all people that get into DIY PROM really are coming in cold. Even guys like Grumpy had to start from nothing, so I know I enjoy reading articles and posts that are a little less "advanced" in terms that I find easier to understand. I found the Intro to PROM Burning really great, I'd like to see some more stuff in the Tech Articles maybe as a follow up to that. Also, an article in Hot Rod that I've seen referenced here called "Understanding TPI"(not sure of what issue), was also real informative reading.

Is there any good reading for more in-depth understanding of BLM, INT, and things like this, getting to know more about how the EFI was designed and is supposed to work?

Do any of you guys have different PROM's for street and possible performance applications? What I would like to do, but haven't researched much, is burn a chip for regular street use, and then also create a BIN for dragstrip use, maximum performance.

The $8D code is for Speed Density cars, right? It seems that when I read mag's like Car Craft, Hot Rod, etc., they say MAP cars are harder to make changes to, but what are the reasons that most people here like to tune MAP cars?

I've read a few different opinions on the MAF tables. They are for calculating the airflow(cfm) of your MAF sensor, right? I've heard NOT to change them because it will change the rest of your tuning, but also have heard that they should be changed in tuning your car. Which is the more accurate way to do it? I haven't taken the screens off or modified my MAF at all, and I don't plan to unless it would be the only thing holding the car back, only because of the bad things I've heard from those who have descreened.

-Dustin

 

You can get the cable from Craig Moates for $30 The Adapter for the cable to a USB port is $50

Craig Moates hardware List - Ordering page