Grim Reaper

As some of you are aware, I recently have had the opportunity to play with the ARAP bin on a 5 Speed 305 1LE car. The ARAP bin actually worked VERY WELL though we found that it caused the engine to idle to slow and the Fan Operation is not set to Normal. Also, we found Higway Mode needed a bit of tweaking and the spark is quite aggressive (47 degrees at part throttle). But we found the high spark advance worked very good and we encounter no knocks while test driving.

In making the ARAP work, I had to modify TunerCat's 6E TDF as some of the constants and tables that I use on the 8D SD calibration are not available on TunerCat's 6E.TDF.

So I have modified the 6E TDF (called 6EX TDF) and it should be available to valid 6E users who want to try this TDF. Here are some of the changes I made to it:

Switches:
Added - N.O. (normal operation) Fans. This is necessary to change on the ARAP to make the Fans work properly. The way the ARAP bin works as is, will cause your fans to work when the A/C is OFF and turn OFF when the A/C is ON. Just set this switch on and this will make the fans work properly.

Constants:
Base Timing. Useful if you are not running 6* of Base Timing. You need to adjust this to agree with your REAL base timing to make the ecm and scan tool work properly.

BLM Max and BLM Min. You need this if you want to lock the BLM to 128/128 so you can use the INT value for fine tuning.

TCC Unlock Prevention Speed. Stock it is set to 75 mph. I find locking it sooner will give you better gas mileage and avoid the TCC locking/unlocking on "rolling hills" which can be quite annoying.

TABLES:
Desired Idle Speed vs Coolant. The ARAP bin is designed around an automatic which makes it idle too slow for a standard. This table allows you to get the idle speed up (or just adjust it if you wish to run a cooler T-stat or whatever).

Knock Attack Rate and Knock Recovery Rate. I find these useful in controlling the knock retard.

As for making the ARAP work on a 305 5-speed car, you need only do the following: Set the Transmission Switch off to indicate a Manual Transmission, adjust the Fuel Injector constant and reset the Desired Idle Speed vs Coolant. Works very good.

For Manuals, I noticed that you can adjust your shift light though those constants are not defined in either the 8D or 6E TDFs (yet). But this seems to be desireable to my friend (Karl) and something you may wish to play with.

I will be doing a article on Highway Mode soon and I will do it for both 730s and 165s (based on the ARAP bin). If I get a chance to play with another buddy's car (Keith) that has no EGR, I will see if I can include some considerations on running without an EGR.

Grim Reaper

Oh, I almost forgot. Just e-mail TunerCat for the "experimental" 6E TDF that you heard from Glenn at www.thirdgen.org and they will e-mail it to you.

Please, do not ask me directly for this TDF. The 6E TDF is TunerCat's property so you must go to them DIRECTLY for the experimental version.

Kevin91Z

iTrader: (1)

Glenn, I emailed TunerCat before about the shift lite stuff, and was told there was not enough interest in it for him to add it, but I was welcome to use the Editor to add it myself. So I did.

My $6E has the Normally Open Fan Request Input, in the Constants table, is that the same as the N.O. Fans you mentioned?

I'm surprised at all this stuff in the chip that hasnt been mapped out in TunerCat yet.

------------------
1991 Camaro Z28
5.7L 5-Speed (originally 305)
13.23 @ 107.62 MPH
Southern California
Member: SoCal 3rd Gen F-Bodies
Webmaster: SoCal F-Bodies
-=ICON Motorsports=-

Like a ROC 89

Can you make the ARAP.bin file that you modified available? I would like to see the changes to the part throttle spark and highway mode tweaks....I have a 350 auto

[This message has been edited by Like a ROC 89 (edited May 20, 2001).]

MikeT 88IROC350

Good work Glen. I am very interested in some of those new parameters that you describe. In particular, the Base Timing, BLM max/min, and TCC Unlock prevention speed.

I think the others parameters are allready in the latest TDF from TC. IE, the fan request, idle speed vs coolant, and knock tables.

I will be emailing them ASAP with a request for the new TDF. Also looking forward to that article on highway mode.

------------------
Best ET 14.413 @95.57 without
pulling valve covers or manifolds.
Also with stock 2.77 rear end!!!

gsf-87IROC

Some of the stuff you mention Glenn are already in there....the Knock Attack Rate and the N.O. Fan request...you musta stared with and old version...I think the 6E is at like Q now...

Thanks for the work though...some of the other stuff I am interested in seeing. I asked about the Base Timing...but they said that the 6E def file is maxed out right now until they release the next version of Tuner Cat which is in beta testing as I type...

GregF
87 IROC

Grim Reaper

I just noticed that I accidentally used an earlier version of 6E instead of the most recent. On Version P (I don't have Q yet), the TCC Unlock Prevention Speed, BLM Max/Min, and Base Timing are still not defined. Also, on Version P, the Desired Idle Speed vs Coolant wasn't defined.

Some or all may not be defined now on Version Q, but if any are not, you can still ask for 6EX as until TunerCat release the new Beta Version you are limited to a maximum 50 constants. Once Beta is released I will modify 6E to include the BLM Threshold values. I did this to my 8D version so I would use more of the BLM Table instead of just a couple of cells.

I also found this useful if you need a higher idle speed due to cam and a manual transmission. If you don't adjust the BLM threshold for RPMs, you loose an entire column of values.

Also, I found defining the IAC Learn Temp vs Coolant Temp a useful constant.

There are also other switches and constants that I have found useful too, but until Beta is released, we are all limited to the 50 Constant limitation.

The good news is, that TunerCat is not sitting on their duffs...they DO listen to use users and ARE constantly improving their product. I just wish other Software Developers would be as concerned about their product.

P J Moran

I agree! At first, I was reluctant to pay for the software, then the additional TDF, but now I feel differently. They've done right by me and I'm happy to support their efforts.

BTW, they're at rev Q, now. I wonder what happens when the get "past" Z? At the rate they're going, it won't be long.



------------------
'87 IROC 5.7l TPI - original owner!

Grim Reaper

If anyone has any other "requests" for modifications to the 6E TDF, just post them here. I will be revising it further (Full English and Full Metric) either today or tomorrow based on the most recent version, plus the few constants and tables that I listed above that are not in it.

I noted some people are interested in the "Shift Light" for manual cars and I will be adding it to the experimental 6E that I will be re-submitting to TunerCat. Soon the 6E will be as well defined as the 8D - even better as soon as the new Beta Version of TunerCat becomes available with its ability to support a larger number of constants.

Grim Reaper

I should add, that I do NOT work for TunerCat in any fashion. I am strictly a hobbiest that is too impatient to wait for a new Version of a TDF to become available so I cam make the changes I want to my BIN.

I am just sharing information on useful changes I have made to a TDF and TunerCat has agreed to make these "experimental" TDFs available to registered users that want them.

You might wonder "Why didn't TunerCat not make these constants or tables available in the first place"? I cannot answer for TunerCat, but I can say that there are a LOT of tables and constants available in the eprom that are NOT defined in the TDFs because many of them are not really useful in tuning. I have yet to find a need to modify the "baro correction table" in the 8D eprom, though I know it is available. I think a lot of it has to do with "user feedback" from us to explain why a particular table or constant is useful for tuning.

[This message has been edited by Glenn91L98GTA (edited May 22, 2001).]

james_fearn

How do you know what a particular table is for? Are they labeled in the bin file in hex form? I'm just curious as how they are labeled or marked or how easily they are seen in the available editor tunercat offers.

James

Grim Reaper

FIRST TO ALL:

I was just informed that there is an error in my experimental 6EX.TDF for the TCC Unlock Prevention Speed. I made an error in the definition of the Constant in the TDF.

IF you have used my 6EX.TDF and modified the TCC Unlock Prevention Speed, you MUST SET IT BACK to what it originally was - 128 (which is what it originally was). Then get the NEW 6EX.TDF from TunerCat which has the TCC Unlock Prevention Speed properly defined. Now you can set your TCC Unlock Prevention Speed to what you want.

I am terribly sorry about this error, but that is why it is called "experimental". You can test until you are blue in the face, but occasionally something slips by. Please accept my apologies for any that are inconvienced by this.

MikeT 88IROC350

OH NO!!! I burned a chip with the first rev of $6EX. I saw the default TCC prevent speed of 128, and changed it to 60. After I burned the chip, I got the email from TC talking about the bug, and they attached a new $6EX, with the default speed set to 76.

Am I in trouble with this chip I just burned? I assume that speed that I changed is off quite a bit!!! They told me that this constant is the "value which speed must drop below before the TCC will unlock". So if you are cruising above 76, with TCC locked, and you punch it, will the TCC still unlock? What would be a decent speed to set this prevent?

Grim Reaper

The "error" will not do anything drastic. It accidentally hit a value in the Startup Spark Advance Decay Rate vs Startup Coolant Temp. The worst it will do is cause your idle to be bit erratic if you try starting your car from -4*C to +8*C (which is rare in summer). It will only exist during the first 3 minutes while the engine is warming up. Just use my older version (as it affects the wrong address) and just set the above setting back to 128.

Then you can use the new version to properly set the TCC Unlock Prevention Speed to what you want.

Yes, you are basically correct in that having the TCC Unlock Prevention Speed at the stock 76 mph, means that the TCC can unlock (under certain conditions) below 76 mph. I like mine set somewhere between 40-45 mph to prevent the TCC from unlocking to maximize both performance (less slippage) and gas mileage (again, less slippage).

MikeT 88IROC350

I drove my car today with that chip, and I didn't see any problems. Tonight I burned a new chip, using the revised version of TC's $6EX tdf that they sent me last night. I changed some stuff around anyways!! I put the TCC unlock prevent speed at 53, just to see how it works. I can always change it if I don't like it!!

Thanks GLENN