Thunder_Lloyd
Active member
Great info Josh. Keep up the good work!
The tuning has been a lengthy but necessary process. A huge shout out to WyoSyclone and everything he has done to help me. The man's wizardry with the factory ECM has been a huge blessing. All the datalogging that I have done has enabled him to catch a lot of things. We have dealt with a whole array of problems. I had spark break-up that led me to making a better ground for my MSD box and ditching the NGK UR6 plugs in exchange for Autolite AR24 plugs that Wyo had suggested. We encountered knock early on in the tuning that had me re-adjusting the exhaust and looking for anything touching or rubbing that might be setting off the knock sensor. Wyo had discovered that my injector voltage was dropping off during WOT pulls and I performed his mod to fix this issue (Wyo will be posting this repair soon). We then dealt with what appeared to be poor grounding issues causing a glitch in the datalogging during WOT. I cleaned every ground connection that I could find and we seemed to have dealt with that issue.
The TH350 trans and it's different gearing caused it's own unique challenges in that a different timing and fueling strategy is necessary because of the different loads it's puts on the engine at different times compared to the 700r4 so you can't simply use a BIN for a truck with a stock trans. 1st gear in particular is much taller. The Royal Purple Octane boost that Wyo had suggested allowed us to dial in a little more boost and timing than we would have been able to use otherwise. The work that he did to cold start, idle, cruise, tip-in, and WOT have all made this truck run so much better than it ever has. I think we are up to 24 different updates to the tune. That is something you simply cannot have with an off the shelf BIN. We have a good and safe street tune now and will begin adding Alky and tune for that as well, we will start turning up the boost and see what she will do. Looking forward to it!
Thanks again Rob!
Hey Sy2623,
We haven't started using the alky yet. But, we started maxing out the 50 pounders at around 15 pounds of boost on pump gas but keep in mind that is 15 pounds with a 62mm turbo so it's making more power than a stock set up. I'm running a th350 trans so the ECM isn't able to keep track of what gear I'm in, that particular system has been disabled in the tune.
I think timing is at 15 degrees right now. We should be able to get some more out of it with the new injectors before hitting the knock threshold, especially with the Royal Purple octane boost on top of 93 pump gas, we should be around 96 octane. The taller 1st gear won't allow as much timing out of the hole as a 700r4 but I can post back with what we are able to squeeze out of the truck before hitting knock and before using alky. My truck has been a little more knock prone than some of the other trucks on here which could be a limiting factor. Could be due to one of the following:
1. The engine has been noisy since I first bought the truck. I don't know the full history of the vehicle, I am finding new aftermarket parts the further I dig into this thing all the time. I have cut the oil filter open, didn't find anything. I also readjusted the lifter pre-load on the comp rockers, sound didn't changed though. Sounds like valvetrain noise. I may do some lifters in the future. This could be upsetting my knock sensor. I know the main bearings love to get hammered out on these things so hoping it's not that, but with all this datalogging and WOT operation the noise has never gotten any worse and I have great oil pressure.
2. The widebody injectors could have been rubbing. There is a GM TSB about widebody injectors making a knocking sound on Sy's and Ty's when the housings contacts the intake manifold. The pics of my injectors in the classifieds section would indicate that they were probably rubbing.
3.I have a torn driver's motor mount. I tried to run the engine torque limiter rod that everybody has but I couldn't use it. The previous owner cracked the alternator bracket and I epoxied it. It holds the alternator fine, but I don't trust it to hold the engine under load. So, I am running an old school chain from engine to frame on driver's side, I could be picking up some harmonics through this.
4. I have a 3" downpipe that is wrapped so it gets close to the frame as does the rest of the exhaust pipe all the way back, I gotta watch interference between the cross members and the pipe and readjust to make sure nothing hits anywhere.
Hope this helps bud!
Truck looks great!Truck is running and driving. No issues. Shifts amazing. Feels like I'm driving a standard...a clutchless standard lol. Very firm and strong. I tested the trans brake, works beautifully. The ratchet shifter feels great too. I am now working with Rob to fine tuning this thing. One step forward, two steps back with this truck, always. But, I feel like things are finally headed in the right direction. More to come later.
View attachment 1864045
And the fact that you're spinning it to 5200rpm is really taking the injectors to the edge