Howdy!!!


Somebody please help! I have read all of the DIY sticky's and links and such and am even more confused than when I started.


I never knew when I bought this vehicle that it was going to be such a pain in the 4th point of contact just to do a little light modifications. I'm not looking to throw turbos on or supercharge the engine, I'm not trying to get 8,000 hp out of it. I just want to put on headers, an Edelbrock performer TBI intake, and a mild cam. I didn't know I was getting into attempting to reprogram the space shuttle. My camaro is just a daily driver/date vehicle for my wife and I when we get a baby sitter for our 5 wonderful children. It's not a drag car, or street racer or any other such nonsense. I'm half tempted to just replace the fuel injection with a 4bbl, at least that I can adjust without having to consult Bill Gates or any other computer geek.

My range of knowledge with computers is as follows; 1) Turn on computer, 2) type in internet address in google bar, and 3) turn off computer. I don't know the difference between a PROM, BIN, HTML, Bit, Meg, Mac, PC, CD, PCP, LSD, THC, or any other technobabble.

Somebody please help me by breaking it down "Barney Style". I am an avid do-it-yourselfer and hate taking my equipment to a shop to have work done. I want to learn this, but I can't see the difference in price of buying all of the programs and ports and connections, rather than taking it to a speed shop for the computer adjustment. But, again, I would really like to learn how to do it myself and would appreciate any assistance I could have.



CamaroCop

GIG 'EM

 

Just about none of it will make sense until you actually sit down to make adjustments.

Download some of the programs, bins, and related files, and just play with the settings without trying to actually tune your car. Start to figure out what means what. I recommend Tuner Pro (RT), I use it exclusively.

moates.net has a lot of hardware that can be used.

Just sit back and start processing the information.

Start to relate different parameters to what you understand of carbs. In a simple sense AE (Accel Enrichment) is quote a lot like a "pump shot" or "Accel shot" of a carb.

EFI really does become quite simple after figuring out how it all (or mostly) relates to making the engine run.

 

This is frustrating!!!!


I have been pouring over the information and even looking over the software. I just get more and more confused.

How can I be expected to understand any of this if the only way people can explain it is with acronyms? How many on this site would be able to understand me if I used 10-codes, signals, and state statutes in everything I type.

ex. The vehicle was 10-86 from the property at 1345 hrs, being a clear violation of 56-5-1520, we had to 10-80 and then watch the 10-50. Unfortunately the driver was 10-7 upon arrival due to signal 13 from signal 8.

Does anyone on this site, other than my fellow LEO's, understand anything I just typed?


Now I know that I may offend some one on this rant and I apologize, don't get your pocket protectors in a wad just yet. I truly am the missing link, I didn't even get a cell phone untill August of this year, my 4 year old daughter had to explain to me what a USB port was. I am just a dumb, old fashioned country boy from Texas who's only education is courtesy of Uncle Sam and the state of South Carolina, no college, no community college, just plain old high school that I finished in 1991. I don't understand this stuff, but I do want to learn. Just PLEASE someone give me a chart explaining all the acronyms and formulas and calculations involved with this.

If I am truly beyond hope, and I know I may be, then can someone reccomend a good programmer that can do this for me?


CamaroCop

 

You didn't just wake up one day and understand all about your job , so why do you expect to read a few words and get the perfect car????

 

I read a bazillion times and was confused, till I started messing with it.
Like he said, get the free version of Tunerpro first, and get you a bin similar to what you will work with, and open it and look and then go back and read parts.
I printed out the parts of articles as I was learning to work with different tables.
I really starts to make sense after a while.
We all didn't just absorb all this.
Get started and ask questions about what you are trying to do, and lots will chime in and try to help you understand.

 

Because I'm not trying to become a LEO. If I were then I would learn the lingo that LEO's use.

Since this is where to come to learn how to tune, then you need to learn the lingo of engines & ECMs.

Give it some time. I and every other person that has learned this has had the same with the learning curve. It is steep at first, but once you get going, well, it gets much easier.

RBob.

 

Like said above, experience is the best teacher. One great way to see whats happening is to use a vehicle scanner or scanning software and watch what things are doing. Under the dash you will have an Assembly Line Diagnostics Link connector. If you purchase an On-Board Diagnostics-1 cable, you can use your laptop to interface with your cars computer by plugging into this connector (dont wory, you cant hurt anything by just scanning the Engine Control Module). Once the software is set up, you will see lots of strange numbers that dont make sense. But, with the use of google and the search button here, you can get detailed explainations on what the verious terms mean. From there, you can see how things like injector pulsewidth (time the injector is open for) behave as the engine runs. If I recall, there is also a thread on here that even has the various acronyms and what they mean.

Thats how most people start out. Once you get familiar with whats going on inside a computer, it will be much more clear what you need to do when tuning things like spark advance and engine fueling. Its not rocket science, but it will require some additional skills that you dont have and take a little time to aquire.

 

Check this link out http://www.obdii.com/acronyms.html or this http://www.aa1car.com/library/acronyms.htm. First one has some of the more basic car acronyms and what they stand for. The second looks like just about every one known to man kind.

 

yea i got a total brain fart looking at it, only thing i got is a basic to good computer skills (still dont know HTML )

but get someone with computer skill and use your car skill, combine to 2 and you should be able to figure it out

once i get a laptop im going to just hook it up and "play with it" see what i can do

 

your not beyond hope, like has been said, it takes time to learn and the learning curve is steep to start with.
when i got started tuning, i already knew many of the terms used because cars are my job.
i have read pretty much every post in the stickies here in DIY PROM, many 4~5 times and some more than that.
in a few of the posts, someone said something about their eyes bleeding from all the reading they were doing, i have felt the same way many times.

because you have TBI, this is a good article to read.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tbi/...check-out.html

this is a very good article on chip tuning TBI.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tbi/...free-tune.html

follow the links in both those articles.

i know there was some talk about doing it, but i don't believe there has ever been a thread posted with what the terms and acronyms all are.
while reading, when you find a term you don't understand, do a search on it to find out what it is. use a second window to do the search with so you don't loose the page your on.
also, you can make a new text document on your desk top and copy & paste into it the terms as you find them.
if you don't know how to do this, here is how to make a new text doc and paste to it.
right click on the desk top screen where there isn't an icon and go to "New", then find text document and left click on it. now open it.
left click on some text in the thread and move the cursor to highlight the text, now let off the left button and move the cursor on the highlighted part and right click on it. now select "copy", go to the new text doc and right click in it then select paste. you should see the text you had highlighted. then save it.
as you build your data base on the terms, you'll begin to remember what each one means

before you buy the stuff to edit bin files and burn chips, RBob has an amazing piece of equipment that just may be right for you. its called the Embedded Lockers (EBL).

one thing i didn't see mentioned already, even with a stock motor, chip tuning can be addictive. the more you learn, the more you'll what to try it out.
you already have one of the warning signs, "i am an avid do-it-yourselfer"'

 

Chapter 1 of the Tuning Guide Book sticky, Definitions.

RBob.

 

My favorite is the TLA.

My wife was all happy, thinking that the BLM was named after her initials.

 

Quote:
Somebody please help me by breaking it down "Barney Style". I am an avid do-it-yourselfer and hate taking my equipment to a shop to have work done. I want to learn this, but I can't see the difference in price of buying all of the programs and ports and connections, rather than taking it to a speed shop for the computer adjustment. But, again, I would really like to learn how to do it myself and would appreciate any assistance.

I would suggest first step is to datalog the engine at idle or a steady cruise state. When I first started I used winALDL. I will suggest it may be more user friendly than TunerproRT. My opinion. You will need a ALDL cable. You can build it or buy it(Moates). That will allow you to read your sensors and determine how the engine is reacting to the mods you have done. Study up on BLM and how the ECU uses it to change fueling needs. The cam and the manifold will most likely require you to address a change in fueling.

 

thanks RBob.
that shows how long its been sense the last time i went thru the stickies, i guess i should go thru them again.
you know, it sure doesn't seem like i've been doing this for 4 years now