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FITECH EFI TUNING tips, info sharing, ideas, settings, etc...

1M views 3K replies 189 participants last post by  Josephqatarcarguy 
#1 · (Edited)
Chris had an excellent idea about posting up tuning info, so figured we could have a thread, dedicated to just that.

Feel free to copy and Paste this little cheat sheet, and add and post your info:

ENGINE SIZE:

FITECH SETUP USED:

ENGINE VACUUM:

CAM SETTING (1,2,3, or 4) AND YOUR CAM SPECS:

IAC COUNTS @ idle and cruise

TIMING CONTROL: Y/N?

IDLE RPM:

TARGET IDLE AFR:

ANY ADJUSTED PARAMETERS AND WHY?:
 
#2 · (Edited)
ENGINE SIZE:
439ci BBC

FITECH SETUP USED:

GO EFI-4, 600hp NA setup w/timing control option

FUEL SYSTEM:
Tanks Inc. tank,
stock 3/8" steel line for feed,
3/8" line for return,
GPA-4 pump (255lph)

ENGINE VACUUM:
7-8" in gear,
11-12 in Park

CAM SETTING (1,2,3, or 4) AND SPECS:
2 runs the best on my car,
233/243@.050, 107lsa

IAC COUNTS @ idle and cruise
6-11 in Park, wide fluctuation in gear and at cruise

TIMING CONTROL: Y/N?
No. Using MSD w/10* bushing
44 degrees total by 3000rpm,
34 degrees initial,
Full Manifold Distributor vacuum

IDLE RPM:
880

TARGET IDLE AFR:
13.6:1

ANY ADJUSTED PARAMETERS & WHY:

-Added 15 to LOOP rate up and LOOP rate down IAC settings (IDLE CONTROL), which (when revved, or warm started) allows and helps get a quicker return down to my commanded idle rpm.
~Default settings gave me a "hanging idle".

-Subtracted 12% of both AFTERSTART and WARMUP fueling in all temperature settings.
~This seemed to cure the cold and warm starting issue I had of idle being real low, for roughly 10 seconds, then "catching up" and idling fine.

-I had played with DFCO (Deceleration Fuel CutOff) settings before I started having all the FCC issues, and had it working quite well. Unfortunately, I didn't write down what I did, and when I was forced to do a total relearn, I will have to start over.
~Sometimes, set at it's default settings, when letting off the gas from highway speeds, the car feels like it wants to surge up and down, which gives a "freight train effect"...tweaking the DFCO to your tastes, and the car's habits, will eliminate that.
I had mine set to where if letting off the gas from highway speeds, it would turn off the injectors (as it's intended to), until I either gave it throttle, or the car was down near maybe 20-25mph. This change really just saves some gas, and does away with the surge you may or may not get. I get it, so will revisit the tweaking again, once weather cooperates.

- RE:TIMING CONTROL.
I was told specifically by FiTech's owner, Ken Farrell, that if your timing/distributor/advance curve was working good, then more often than not, you'll have lackluster results in trying to be smarter than your distributor is, and "making" a new curve. I have decided to not use the function. What I have has worked great, so why mess with it.

There's also a very odd reason that the MeanStreet EFI setup doesn't have Timing Control, but DOES have A/C IDLE CONTROL...
The GO-EFI4, like I have, uses 6 of 6 wires in it's 6 wire connector. The MeanStreet, minus the Timing Control, simply had the room for the extra wire for the AC Idle Control...lol. Personally, I'd love to see that AC idle control on every FiTech setup, even if it's a single wire with a male/female spade connection to use it.
 
#3 ·
ENGINE SIZE: 406 sb

FITECH SETUP USED: Meanstreet

ENGINE VACUUM: 6/7"

CAM SETTING (1,2,3, or 4) AND YOUR CAM SPECS: 4 it has a SR 262/269 @ .050"/ .630" net lift Rowdy in my lil engine.

IAC COUNTS @ idle and cruise 8/9

TIMING CONTROL: Y/N? NO

IDLE RPM: 1k

TARGET IDLE AFR: 14.9

ANY ADJUSTED PARAMETERS AND WHY?: Nothing yet

I need to do the adjustments Bob made to have Idle return quicker.

Bob, when you subtract , you move the toggle to the left ?
 
#4 ·
I need to do the adjustments Bob made to have Idle return quicker.

Bob, when you subtract , you move the toggle to the left ?
I believe so. It should be self explanatory once you're on that screen/section though. There's too much action going on in the shop today, or I'd go power it up and look, but most settings are pretty easy to find and change...

Just make sure to SAVE after any changes...It's not like a tuning software program, like my HPTuners, where you can make dozens of changes, and save the file...this setup seems to need the info saved, as you change it.
 
#5 ·
I set mine up like yours with the settings you posted and it really helped the cold start!
I did the loop thing also seems a lil better.
"Seems" to come down quicker.
Here's a pic where it started...then added what you did to both.
 

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#6 ·
I just received my EFI-8 1200 hp unit and I noticed that my secondary throttle blades open a fraction later, and the secondaries also don't open 100%. So those just getting their FiTech units may want to double check as I think their testing may have been rushed and didn't QC each one as they should.
 
#8 ·
My Secondaries were the same on my Meanstreet, rather simple to adjust.

Another observation I made was rich smell of Fuel when initially opened, thought it was just the plastic, but when changing the Inlet Port location had fuel drip out, would assume part of the quality control is to test random Units.
 
#7 ·
Cool!
Keep us in the loop.
I think your going to be happy.
I just got my neighbors truck off my lift and went to put my Nova back in the garage and just reached through the window, let it prime and twisted the key!
Lit right off.
Kinda cool, with a big (to me) cam and starts like my wife's LS3.
Thanks for the heads up on the linkage.
 
#14 ·
Question on wiring power to a EFI-8 1200HP. What gauge wire to use from Bat to unit? Also are you running the fuel pump wire directly to the in tank pump and using the internal relay? I will be using a Aeromotive Stealth 340 Pump. They said to use 14 gauge wire to the pump. I'm new to the EFI scene.
 
#15 ·
I have my positive lead going from FiTech harness right to 12 volt alternator stud, and extended the factory Orange lead back to the in tank pump...but I only have a 255lph Walbro.

According to FiTech's owner, you absolutely can run a relay to get adequate power back to your bigger pump. I'm not 100% sure of the factory FiTech orange wire's gauge, but mines soldered and heat shrink tubing'd, so should be fine in my case. If you need larger wire than what it comes with, I'd use a relay.
 
#16 ·
I went right to the battery with the red wire EXCEPT I installed another fuse.
Being an Electrician, we protect the wire at the SOURCE!
I also used the orange wire to feed the 400lph walbro pump.
I shortened it to about 2'and attached it to a 10 gauge orange back to the pump and I also ran a 10 gauge black from the pump to the neg of the battery.
I know it's overkill...but it's an electrician thing! :D :thumbsup:
 
#17 ·
Not a Chevy, but the more info the merrier. Just got mine buttoned up last night and went driving today

ENGINE SIZE:
493" BB Mopar :surprise:

FITECH SETUP USED:
Go EFI 8

FUEL SYSTEM:
Racetronix 255 and 340 in tank in parallel. Running on 255 for now, will stage 340 in I open the bottle

ENGINE VACUUM:
~7in at idle

CAM SETTING (1,2,3, or 4) AND YOUR CAM SPECS:
Setting 4 so far.
260/266 @ 0.050, 110 LSA

IAC COUNTS @ idle and cruise
~6 counts at idle

TIMING CONTROL: Y/N?
Not Yet. MSD, 18 initial, 34 total

IDLE RPM:
870

TARGET IDLE AFR:
14.0

ANY ADJUSTED PARAMETERS AND WHY?:
Increased IAC loop down to 20 to help resume normal idle after flare up.

Dialed in PWM for fuel pump, was only able to ~60% at idle before I started to loose pressure. I may play with the fuel flow breakpoints.

Will need to mess with cold start a bit, seems to take 2 tries to fire. I have started to lean out idle and cruise, but I have a whopping 30 miles on it so far...so I imagine things will improve still. When I tip in slowly, I get a small hesitation. When I stab it quick, its fine. Might need to tweak the Accel settings.

Its a shame you cannot record everything, you have to launch the logger of the screen you want to capture at that time.



WIRING:
I ran 10g for both battery and fuel pump. The fuse inline for the pump is 30A. Whatever was on the harness seemed a bit small. Maybe OK if running 3ft to the FCC, but not to the trunk.
 
#19 ·
I have tweaked the idle setting to have 9-11 IAC counts in gear, off idle response seems improved. Also leaned out part throtle and idle a bit more

I logged some more miles, but noticed some of my fuel learns were maxed out, so I decided to modify the Cam VE surface based on the long term fuel adaptations.

What I did was find the "Cam4" VE surface that I was running, then find the 3D LT Fuel_1 Adapt surface that is populated from the fuel learn values. I interpolated the Fuel Learn Surface to match the breakpoints of the VE surface, then just multiplied the VE surface by the adaptation percentage. Areas of the Fuel Learn that are 100% either need no adjustment, or have no data to base an adjustment off of. I hand smoothed the surface in these areas with no data.

This should help speed up the learn process, as well as make the car a bit smoother when I transition to a part of the map that has not learned yet. So far it feels much better, and my fuel trims are now +/- 5% down from +/- 15& or more
 

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#23 ·
Excellent info! Thanks for sharing.

VE = Volumetric Efficiency for those of us who are still dabbling in the basic settings. ;)

If I ever get my transmission back, I may be able to do some datalogging and tuning too. :crying:
 
#26 ·
I'm here from the Corvette Forum where there are no tuning FiTech specialists over there. Everyone is looking for tuning help and there is too little.
I phoned and talked to Ken last week at FiTech and told him he needed a better manual with an extra couple hundred pages of tuning.
He said it's a work in progress. That means nothing coming down the pipeline in the near future.
Which is why I'm here. I have found this site to have the guys that are keen on setting up their EFI's as best as possible.

Here's what I have:

ENGINE: 496 Cu. In (427 stroked) Aluminum ZL-1 block.

FiTech Set-up: Go EFI 600

Fuel System: was FCC now Tanks Inc. w/Walbro 255lph in tank pump - just finishing set-up.

Engine Vacuum: full manifold not ported 11.5-12.5 psi.

Cam Setting: 4 was at 3 - not enough VE at 3 position. better at 4 but still need some more VE.

IAC steps: 6-10 at idle.

Timing Control: off for now - till I figure out how to tune this TBI.

IDLE: 900 rpms

Target Idle AFR: 13.80

Any Adjustments: IAC is right now but I fought with it for a while; Decel IAC was adjusted to -37.5; MAP fuel (I think - was adjusted down to 10 from 38.5 - eliminated the off idle surge at 1500 rpms when your foot is off the gas pedal.

Just finishing my gas tank install hopefully tonight or tomorrow.
I had the same problems as rel3rd (Bob) with my FCC. It keep failing on me constantly. Shipped it back - got it back a week later - installed - ran good for a day. Then it started to surge, backfire and fall on it's face. Sent them a video. Then a couple of days later sent them a data log. Then a few more conversations with FiTech. Finally they agreed to take my FCC back - still waiting for a RMA number which means they will accept my part and refund me.

Now I know they have had some problems with these. But as was mentioned earlier the ones that seem to be trouble free are the ones that don't scream out a lot of HP. If anybody is pushing over 450 hp and there FCC is working I would like to here about it. I did see that thread about the FCC.

Tonight all I have left to do is make a line from my steel fuel line by the engine to the throttle body about 2.5 ft. I'm going to practice my tube bending technique and build a steel line to the throttle body. If I fail this back to the soft hose.

I'm hoping after reading what Bob went through and how good it works now it will be the same for me as well. Fingers crossed. I will try and detail some of my high and low points on this install a little later. Hopefully it will help some of you guys.

More to come.

65-StingRay
 
#27 ·
Welcome Wayne.

Rather that doing the steel line (stainless is recommended), have you considered just doing PTFE?

BTW, I may be asking you a lot of questions when I finally get my EFI back from FiTech since you're the only one in Edmonton that has installed one so far, that I know of.
 
#28 ·
Chris, I did think of using a soft line of some kind. But I have the 3/8'' steel line at home already so I thought I would work on my bending technique. Like last night after work went into the garage and started bending up the 3/8''. Everything went well until the last bend and she kinked on me after I let the bender slip it's position on the last 90*. So today back to Napa to pick up a little more tubing and go and bend the tubing correctly this time.

I have a lot of learning to do on the efi system. It's not like there is a book out there that you can look at. Something like my Holley book for tuning carbs. I need one for efi.
I could have my engine dyno-tuned but that's way to expensive. Although, Roger at Custom Automotive Specialties said he could do it for me. I will try on my own till I fail or make it happen.

Chris do you ever go to any cruise nights in Edmonton: the Wendy's in Millwoods on Wednesdays or the A&W on 137ave on Thursday night or the west end. Let me know maybe we can hook up one time. I usually go the the Wendy's on Wednesday nights.

65-StingRay
Wayne
 
#33 ·
I'll post this hear because Bob has a 71 and recently did a gas tank swap. Can someone verify what all these lines are? Particularly the one in the top right.

I think front left to right it's feed line, return line, 3 vents, and unknown.

I can see where they go to the tank, but where do the 3 middle lines and the far right line go towards the front of the car? I'd like to remove them all if feasible.

 
#39 ·
I'll post this hear because Bob has a 71 and recently did a gas tank swap. Can someone verify what all these lines are? Particularly the one in the top right.

I think front left to right it's feed line, return line, 3 vents, and unknown.

I can see where they go to the tank, but where do the 3 middle lines and the far right line go towards the front of the car? I'd like to remove them all if feasible.
Mine all went to that emissions "item" that is behind the rear seat. I can't remember what it's proper name is, know it's emissions related.

Since I have nothing else emissions related on the entire car, I simply disconnected all hoses from that area, and only use the ones, including venting, included with the new tank setup.

I already had a vented gas cap, and ran the TanksInc vent valve around and over the tank, bolted in behind the rear valance. Never a venting issue, and never any "hiss" when removing the gas cap.

Hope that helped.

Sorry, I might be cheating a bit...I open up the excel files in a program I use for plotting data at work. Its pretty powerful, and overkill for the FITech recordings, but I am better with that than I am with Excel...


Good luck! If there is anything I can help with, let me know.
Yea, you're definitely cheating a bit, LOL. I was under the assumption that these graphs and charts were accessible from us average Joes...;)
 
#37 ·
ENGINE SIZE:
385 13:1 Compression Running E85

FITECH SETUP USED:
Meanstreet

ENGINE VACUUM:
5-7 @ Idle

CAM SETTING (1,2,3, or 4) AND YOUR CAM SPECS:
#4 .600 lift, 246/254 @ .050 Hydraulic Roller

IAC COUNTS @ idle and cruise
6-7 @ Idle

TIMING CONTROL: Y/N?
No

IDLE RPM:
800

TARGET IDLE AFR:
13.5

ANY ADJUSTED PARAMETERS AND WHY?:
Just running in shop so far
 
#40 ·
OK this morning I had the first fire since changing from the FCC to the Tanks Inc EFI. She started right up - had to tighten 1 coupling a little to stop a small drip.

Didn't change any of my previous settings. Had a couple of short drives and pushing it a little harder each time. Then it happened again as in the beginning with the FCC. I'm getting 1 or 2 pops out the side exhaust whenever I shift from 1st into 2nd into 3rd. It also happens in the garage whenever I rev my engine over 3500 and let off the gas a couple of pops out the exhaust.

I'm not sure what I need to change to stop those backfires. I have adjusted the AFR ratios a little richer and that seemed to quite it down a bit but still pops. Never popped with a carb. ever.

Here's a few pics of my handheld screens maybe someone can spot something here: 1st one is my AFR in the efi tuning section. The other 3 are just basic sensor operation. But if there is something here that someone can tell me what to change I'd be grateful.

65-StingRay
Wayne
 

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#41 ·
Wayne, I can't see the pics on my phone, but we're you the person who had changed the IAC LOOP settings due to a hanging idle before? If so, maybe try lowering it back a little and try it again? If not, disregard.
 
#45 ·
Fuel press. gauge on and reading 58 psi. I pulled 3 plugs this AM and all of them were a little lean so I'm going to play with the AFR settings. From what I understand from some fellows is to adjust rich first then go to lean after if need be.

I had that problem originally but I also had FCC issues - fuel starvation, falling flat, hot fuel because of location. So now I've eliminated one problem but still dealing with this.

65-StimgRay
Wayne
 
#46 ·
In that pic the battery was showing a low voltage but it is usually around 13.6 volts. I was at idle in the garage and was doing some tuning and it got a little hot - alternator was hardly charging.

Anyway I richened up the AFR in the 3000 range and the pops are reducing a little but still present. I don't know how far to go so I will check the plugs again after a couple of more tests.

65-StingRay
Wayne
 
#47 ·
Trigger a datalog when you are inducing the pop, then plot target AFR, AFR, and any other fuel items onto a chart. The displayed AFR on the screen has a filter, so it is slower responding. Trying to look at everything at once in addition to driving can be a bit challenging.

I had a slight pop on decel the other day, but I am really leaning out part throttle cruise.
 
#48 ·
I've been checking on different forums trying to get info on Fitech tuning. On the Pontiac forum they seem to lessen the ex popping by adjusting the Decel open IAC to some where between -10 and -30. I think one of my Fitech call's I was given the same info of setting it to -30

Called Tech support and Bryce said to play around with fuel cut, no specific numbers but to raise MAP value that fuel cut returns injection. Also stated that EFI will pop out the ex and is normal.


I haven't got to confirming these change because it's been raining the past couple of days and looks like weather may break this weekend

Larry
 
#49 ·
I know Wayne has a stick car. Are you other guys getting popping with stick or auto?

I've never had, or heard a pop in mine, ever, but it's a sissy stick, aka automatic, lol.

Exhaust popping on decel is NOT NORMAL, but can surely be tuned out.

My daily driver truck, is tuned via HPTuners. I have the Decel Fuel Cut Off (DFCO) pretty aggressively to try and get a little better mileage. It definitely burbles and gurgles (like popping) on decel, when in DFCO mode...I'm thinking that must be what's happening, at least in Wayne's case.

Possibly having the DFCO in play for too long, and when it dumps some fuel to re-wet the cylinders as it's coming off/out of DFCO mode, it causes a pop due to the excess fuel.

I'm thinking maybe since I have an automatic, the DFCO related RPM drop isn't as severe, so not noticeable, or maybe not even there on my car???

Does that make sense to anyone?
 
#58 ·
I agree 100%. I used to get some popping out my exhaust on decel when I was first tuning on mine. (auto) Very annoying/embarrassing. While I run another system, where I don't have DFCO enabled, I think what it might boil down to is simply getting more data in those very-low kPA cells for the computer to learn from. I believe it is a rich condition for the particular RPM/kPA area and then the fuel is igniting in the exhaust, just as Bob says.

When you're getting these auto-tune systems first established, you want to drive in a way to hit as many of the cells in the table, as much as you can. More data = better learning. I've found long/steep hills to be very helpful, as you can easily vary/hold the load going up, and hit all the decel areas coming down. Run down the hill in 4th/top gear and come all the way down to 1000rpm before sliding in the clutch. Make another run down in 3rd or 2nd, to get the decel values for 3000+ rpm. Repeat as needed. It should eventually get tuned out.

-Dave
 
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