Need some advice on a foxbody tuner

[MalcolmV8]

yep I have a drewtech cable I use to read/write or "flash" the final tune to the eec-v ecus when im done tuning them so they dont require a chip or QH

When I get a bunch of free time i'll be making a flashing plugin for tunerpro so you can read and write directly to the ecu

another pretty cool thing worth noting, the quarterhorse has the ability to direct flash the ecu as well, you can actually flash the ecu through the j3 port and its SUPER FAST, flsshing over the obd2 port takes about 2 minutes, flashing over the j3 only takes a few seconds, the only problem is those that have done it wont share their info and the one guy who figured it out doesnt speak english and isnt easy to get in touch with so its unlikely that will be supported anytime soon

Drewtech, that's the name. I couldn't remember it. So does tunerpro currently not support flashing the ECU or reading it? How are you doing it?

One thing I found very interesting was how Binary Editor can read in the existing tune on a car. So if someone comes to you with an already tuned car but just needs a minor tweak of something you can pull their tune, make a change and put it back without having to retune the car from scratch. I thought that was pretty cool. Is the plugin you're talking about for tunerpro to do just that?

Very interesting on flashing the ECU through the J3 port. A buddy of mine who works at HP tuners told me the way SCT flashes the ECU through the ODB2 port is so slow not so much because of the ODB2 port but the way they are doing it. Apparently if you switch something into bootloader mode (I forgot the terminology) it flashes in a fraction of the time. It sounds very similar to what you're describing.

 

[decipha]

yes with the quarterhorse you can read the tune and make your changes no problem, but the tune stays on the QH so when you pull it out your tune is out, currently you have to either write it to a chip or get someone with a cable and flashing software to write your tune to the ecu if you dont want to spend the $60 for a moates chip or if you want to use the QH to tune another vehicle, if you leave the QH in its no problem and thats usually what most do

 

[MalcolmV8]

yes with the quarterhorse you can read the tune and make your changes no problem, but the tune stays on the QH so when you pull it out your tune is out, currently you have to either write it to a chip or get someone with a cable and flashing software to write your tune to the ecu if you dont want to spend the $60 for a moates chip or if you want to use the QH to tune another vehicle, if you leave the QH in its no problem and thats usually what most do

The other advantage of the drewtech cable is if a car comes to you on say YDH1 or AMZ1 strategy you can flash it to AMZ2 and then tune it or put a chip or what ever you want to do. Where as with the chip only method you're stuck with the ECU using what ever strategy is flashed on there.
I'd love a drewtech cable but they're $500 so I'll have to think about that one lol.

 

[decipha]

Incorrect, the QH and moates f3 chips serve the complete tune to the ecu, you can swap strategys all day long, in fact, the fbfg2 strategy is originally for a 2004 mustang gt, you can run that on all 99-04 mustang v6/gt/cobra, 99-03 f-150, 99-04 crown vic grand marquis maurauder lincoln navigator blackwood continental town car, etc... Most all 99-04 fords using tunerpro, base tunes are provided to make it plug and play and jump right to tuning

and the AMZ3 tune is already setup for up to about 35# of boost with just the basic maf and injector info needed so its especially simple to tune the 03-04 cobra specifically

 

[toomanytoys]

I am using the SCT PRP to tune my 03 Cobra. Not the easiest thing for me as I'm not very computer savvy. Would running a QH with the AMZ3 strangest be better?

 

[MalcolmV8]

Incorrect, the QH and moates f3 chips serve the complete tune to the ecu, you can swap strategys all day long, in fact, the fbfg2 strategy is originally for a 2004 mustang gt, you can run that on all 99-04 mustang v6/gt/cobra, 99-03 f-150, 99-04 crown vic grand marquis maurauder lincoln navigator blackwood continental town car, etc... Most all 99-04 fords using tunerpro, base tunes are provided to make it plug and play and jump right to tuning

and the AMZ3 tune is already setup for up to about 35# of boost with just the basic maf and injector info needed so its especially simple to tune the 03-04 cobra specifically

I may have misunderstood him but that's how Adam at coretuning.net explained it to me. I did not realize the chip would provide the strategy as well as the tune.

Just for my understanding. The fbfg2 you provide for download is originally from the 2004 Mustang GT and been used to tune everything. Your AMZ3 I take it is fbfg2 with some tuning changes?
Do you by any chance have a bone stock AMZ2 strategy? I typically prefer not to start with modified tunes because then I have to sit and figure out all what was changed over stock.
I know you do this all for free, very cool. Just trying to understand it all.

 

[cj428mach]

hey cj, thanks for the gratitude I really appreciate it, it really means alot


the tuning business is a very secretive business, those in the know guard their info

I on the other hand believe the more informed the community is the better we will be as a whole, thats why Ive made all the write ups I have and posted my base tune files and definition files for free for the world to enjoy and have the support forum, etc... The greatest wealth in life is the knowledge we possess. I spend an astronomical amount of my time maintaining and doing for the DIY community that it cuts into my personal and work life substantially. Yet, I still manage to carry out a ~60-70hr a week full time job in between. Ive asked myself is it worth it and I believe it is. If I learn just one single thing in the process then that time is well spent in my opinion. And the knowledge others gain from my teachings have a moral reward. I know what I can do. I have yet to figure out what I can't. Thats what pushes me to take it that much further.

Trust me lots of guys appreciate your time and info. I mean how many people have put step by step guides out to walk people through certain parts of the tuning process. Keep up the good work as you're making it easier for the DIY guy, and that has to be gratifying.

 

[decipha]

no I didnt make an fbgi0 - amz2 specific strategy, it wasnt worthwhile since none of those stock tunes were autos so it makes it less versatile, its not a fast process going through the code to make the strats, thats why I choose to pick the newest strat and break it out

In any case, the cobras have horrible tunes from svt, pretty much anything svt puts their hands on they screw up pretty good and band aid to make run

the QH is much muxh faster to dial in than SCT, realtime tuning is far superior than having to flash each change especially when trying to get it perfected

 

[Blown_By_You]

It always amazes me the amount of energy and effort Decipha puts into helping the tuning community. I've read a lot of your write ups and use your A9L2 on my street rod, thanks for all the good information.

Decipha is my ****ing hero and a great asset to us self tuners out there.. He's tuning both my blown cobras

 

[decipha]

hey blown thanks for the vote of confidence

 

[MalcolmV8]

hey blown thanks for the vote of confidence

I think we all appreciate good people in the tuning community :beer: I know I always try and return the favor and pass on any tuning knowledge I can to other fellow tuners and races. Not a fan of so called know it all people that try to keep secrets.

 

[toomanytoys]

I have another question on this matter. When tuning with the quarter horse what maf should I use? Right now the car has a "calibrated" pro m with a air adjuster on it. Would I be better off getting a lightning maf or something similar?

 

[decipha]

you can use any maf so long as you don't peg it, what is your pro-m meter calibrated for? if your not pegging it theres no reason to replace it unless its faulty

can you describe this air adjuster? if its the plate that goes between the iac and t/b take it off and throw it away absolutely useless and can only cause harm with no good, the set screw serves the same purpose

the lightning maf isn't going to support your power

if your going to be throwing some real boost at her and making some decent power you'll want to get the best, the lmaf and the pro-m are both 30+ year old technology that use tonsil maf's, best bet is to get a PMAS HPX-E SLOT maf, do it right the first time and be done with it

here's all the info you'll ever need to know

http://info.efidynotuning.com/pre.htm

if you have any more questions I recommend cruising over to http://forum.efidynotuning.com/ there's always some action over there

 

[cj428mach]

I just wondering then Decipha would it be possible to add a knock sensor with wiring to an 03/04 Cobra and have it function with your AMZ3 tune?

 

[FORGED88]

http://info.efidynotuning.com/pre.htm

if you have any more questions I recommend cruising over to http://forum.efidynotuning.com/ there's always some action over there

Not to hijack the thread, but are you familiar with "tweecer rt" if so I'll probably be getting in touch with you.

 

[decipha]

cj... yes, but you will have to upgrade to an f-150, gt, mach-1 or any other ecu that has the internal knock hardware present, AFAIK the 03/04 cobra ecus are missing the internal knock hardware since they did not come factory equipped with them

yes, I know the tweecer inside and out

 

[toomanytoys]

The air adjuster is actually the brand name on the box. The mass air harness plugs into it and it plugs into the sensor. It has a switch on it to bypass the box (which is how I'm using it) and it has a potentiometer and a digital readout for altering the mass air signal. The mass air I'm using right now is a Pro-M 75mm bullet and its calibrated for 50 lb injectors. I bought a matched set of injectors from Venom years ago and when the shop was dynoing my car the tech said they were behaving more like 55 lb injectors. The car ran fine for years until I had ignition issues and now that the mechanical problems have been solved the car acts up pretty bad. Only when fully warmed up though. When I first start the car the a/f is spot on and the car is a beast. Once she warms up she goes haywire and the a/f drops to almost 9:1. And that's at half throttle. I would like to get this car running top notch so I can sell the motor and trans and build the turbo setup I really want

 

[decipha]

thats odd that it acts up when warm, chances are its the hegos faulty or freaking out, was the x pipe on it when it was tuned or added later?

It sounds like the tune isnt setup for the x pipe

heres the details if you want to read up on it

http://forum.efidynotuning.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=364

 

[toomanytoys]

I have changed every sensor on the car except the maf. It's got new map, ect,act and both o2 sensors. I installed a new distributor after the oem took a poop. That included new wires( Taylor 409) and plugs. I also repaired a broken bypass valve and a broken intake tube clamp. With all these changes there is no difference in the car. After it warms it's done. If I open the hood for 10 minutes it's back to business till it warms again. The last pass the car made was a 11.2 @125 shutting it down at the 1000ft mark due to a blown clutch. It burned so bad it looked like I was fogging for mosquitos. I even swapped the ecm with no change. This car has been garage kept all of its life. Could I need a new engine harness?

 

[decipha]

no it sounds like a tune issue, maybe a corrupt value in there

get yourself a QH and give me a buzz we can work through it and see whats up with it

while your at it, order the jaybird from moates too so you can read your tune off your chip