So I finally was able to get on the dyno with a few more issues that had to be fixed in the mean time. Anyways, I was all excited to get it on and get it tuned but I guess I was dreaming. I knew I was having a spark issue before when we were doing street tuning and it really didn't show how much it was affecting my car until we got it on the dyno. I was seeing anywhere between 3-9 degrees of knock though the entire range. So here is my pathetic results.
First pull of the day - 143 whp/145lbs
Last pull of the day - 165whp/167lbs.
If you look in my profile all my mods are listed. I obviously am having major issues. It feels like a bucking cow on the dyno, it was pretty brutle. Anyways, we know we were having spark issues but even taking away timing didn't seem to help, plus I am running about a 10.0:1 A/F so that doesn't help either. Anyways, I thought I would post to see if anyone had some insight. I changed the spark plugs to a NGK65IX but may need to go 2 step colder. Have to wait and see what happens the next time.
What was done to the tune to get the higher numbers? What kind timing is programed in? What is your plug gap?
FU Tuning
He took timing away and leaned it out a bit. Not sure about specifics on the timing. Plug gap is what they came stock from NGK. I don't ever remember the car running like this. My IAT is reading between 57 degrees and 70 degrees celcius so I don't know if that it playing a factor and all my lights are pulsating which I don't know what is up with that. There is no way I ran a 15.0 at 95mph last summer with 148hp and 9 degrees of knock. the car is a pig right now. I can try and find out some specifics from James tomorrow. James kept saying "how smaller of a pulley are you running" and I believe the pulley size has nothing to do with what we are seeing.
need to datalog misfires. Need to know what your plug gap is. IAT's seem a little low.
My 01 Z24 ran a 14.8 with 139whp.
FU Tuning
That IAT is in celcius not fahrenheit. The car doesn't pull that hard....It was a lot faster stock with just the supercharger. I'll try and find out the gap...maybe it will say on the NGK website
Well I guess we are gonna go back to the basics. Do a compression test of the cylinders, buy a new ecu, try and figure out whats going on with my IAT and my pulsating lights. Once thats done I'm gonna sell it or keep it for a winter project. I'll probably run the car for the rest of the summer and then get a new car in march for next summer. Never again will I buy a cheap car and try and make it faster. Next time I'm gonna start bigger and then build on that.
Not sure if this will work or not but I am gonna try and put up my best dyno graph that I have. I dynoed higher the pull before but they lost the info. Anyways, as you can see from the graph there is knock everwhere in the graph. Have a lot more work to go. Any help would be appreciated.
well that didn't work uploading the pic...this site it brutle for uploading pics. I'll try to figure it out...anyone that would like to see it I could send it to you. Thanks in advance.
How is the graph going to show knock?
FU Tuning
cause when it knocks the computer compensates and there is an instant drop in power. well at least that was what the guy doing the tuning told me. the curve should be completely smooth.
Matthew Jollymore wrote:cause when it knocks the computer compensates and there is an instant drop in power. well at least that was what the guy doing the tuning told me. the curve should be completely smooth.
That is not completely true. Not saying it is not knock, but to say it based off that is BS. Should of been datalogging with HPT in the runs to see whats going on. You would have seen knock.
FU Tuning
We did see knock on HPT...6-9 degrees of it.
Matthew Jollymore wrote:We did see knock on HPT...6-9 degrees of it.
Then a log file is what we need to help you.
Not trying to be an ass at all when I make this comment but the fact that you started with a cheap car is not the problem. The problem is that you seem to know very little about things you should know. For example the spark plugs. Just putting them in right out of the box without gapping is ... I am sorry there is no nice way to put it a stupid idea. You can't even begin to tell us what they are gapped at. To help you out what they should be gapped at is .050 as GM reccomends for the supercharger. Now keep in mind that is with the stock pulley. Now that you have gone down a size in pulleys you are spinning the sc faster wich brings in more air and more fuel to go with that air. Doing that just increased the likelyhood of spark blowout. So you should narrow the gap a little try .040 You could go as low as .030 without any problems but you should try and get as close to .050 as you can without spark blowout.
FORGET GIRLS GONE WILD WE HAVE GOVERNMENT SPENDING GONE WILD!
I had mentioned about the gap to the guy tuning but he must not have thought it was that big of a deal. He didn't think it would make a difference but maybe I will go get them gapped to .040 before I head back. I got my compression test done, everything ran 230psi across the board. I am getting an electrical diagnostics done on thursday to see if there is something going on there...have been having a few electrical issues lately. If I can't figure out whats up with the car the next time on the dyno I'm just gonna run it to the ground for the rest of the summer. Dad and I are taking a trip to florida in april to pick up a 350z so its not a huge deal. I just want to see the old cav be able to run on the track. I don't think my issue is spark plugs because even with the plugs that came with the kit I was still seeing the same amount of knock with them. I would imagine most places can gap my plugs so maybe I'll get that done thursday when I am at things. I may disconnect my meth and see if that makes any difference, have to get that figured out before I head back to the dyno. I still have a little bit more work to do before I go on the dyno again cause I just spent $500 tuning and I still only have 163whp. So I hope things will be sorted out buy July so I can get to the track once or twice. Bought new drag radials and not sure if I'll be able to try them out.
What are you seeing for knock wade? Or did u ever get HPT?
I don't think I am having a tuning issue at this point but rather a mechanical or electrical problem. I'll keep digging for a bit but not really wanting to spend much more on the car, hopefully will pop up in the next month.
I think you have many issues. IF you canover look spark plug gap then you can over look many things. I'm guessing you havr some ghost knock with about 2-3 degree's of real knock giving you up to 9 degree's of knock. Ld9's are known for having ghost knock.
FU Tuning
don't think you can change the gap on the NGK IX series plugs beilieve the tip is too sensitive atleast the 3800 guys were saying that for us woul donly assume its the same for all there plugs not just 3800 plugs
JBO since July 30, 2001
I was just reading online for a few minutes and saw some people with these plug in their trucks were talking about gapping them but not sure if it is safe. I'm gonna call NGK in the next day or so just to make sure it can be done with these plugs or else I may need to get a different plug. This could be a good starting point for figuring out my car.
Is there a way to get rid of ghost knock? Cause the ecu was pulling timing to try and compensate for the knock. I'm grabbing at anything promising at this point in time.
Matthew Jollymore wrote:
What are you seeing for knock wade? Or did u ever get HPT?
I do have HPT. The most I ever saw was 6 and often under WOT it was between 2-6.
FORGET GIRLS GONE WILD WE HAVE GOVERNMENT SPENDING GONE WILD!
NOTa2_4 wrote:don't think you can change the gap on the NGK IX series plugs beilieve the tip is too sensitive atleast the 3800 guys were saying that for us woul donly assume its the same for all there plugs not just 3800 plugs
The IX serious are the irridiums. What you are saying might be correct. I don't know for sure because I use the standard NGK plug.
FORGET GIRLS GONE WILD WE HAVE GOVERNMENT SPENDING GONE WILD!
I'm no tuner (yet), but I'm 99% sure that the gap can be changed. I've installed iridium plugs on many vehicles with no problems. The only reason I can think of that anyone would say they cannot be adjusted to a spec is the the inner electrode tip is very fine, and I saw someone snap the tip off while twisting the gap gauge to open the gap up. That's the wrong (but fast) way to do it on any plug, but most other plugs you can get away with it. Use the gap opener to open it, and gently tap it on a hard metal surface to close it. I set the gap on a double platinum plug just to prove that it can be done... PITA, yes... but very possible.
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'04 Cavalier
2.2 Ecotec Supercharged w/ 2.9" pulley
Charge air cooler
Poly bushings - lower control arm and engine/trans
Well I'll gap them to .040 on thursday and see if that makes a difference. I hope next time on the dyno we can get to 200whp.
So I just got my electrical system checked out to see what was up with the pulsating lights and looks like my alternator is bad. So I got a new one on the way but am thinking the s/c may have to come off to get at the alternator, doesn't look like there is a whole lot of room to get it out. So while I have the s/c out I am gonna get the 2.6" pulley put on and gap the plugs to .040. Then all I have left to look into is the meth kit to see what its not spraying from 4000-4600rpm. Hopefully one of these issues is whats causing the problem. I'm hoping to get back on the dyno in the next week and a half cause there is a sport compact weekend here on the 20th and want to be running by then. Anyways, I'll probably be back posting when all this stuff doesn't help
I'm curious what you paid to find out your alternator is dying?
FU Tuning
$20 canadain. I think canadian tire charges a flat rate of $29.99. I just went to a small electrical shop and they tested it, only took 15 min or so.
