i think the spark map should be the same though does anyone have a site or something that will explain the basics of spark timing, or explain it to me, im just unsure of what + or - numbers actually mean and you said the cranking should be +10 right?
On the link HERE there a section under "Ignition Tuning" called "Spark Map Tuning Basics". It is actually the only section under Ignition tuning. Either click the blue link at the top of the page or scroll down towards the bottom of the page. While your at it though, go ahead and read the contents of the entire page. There is plenty of info to take in and utilize while you are tuning. It will make you feel stupid numerous times before you gain a good grasp on things.
Ignition timing is the "time" at which the ignition system is fired in relation to piston/crankshaft location or position which is measured in degrees. Timing advance refers to spark occuring BTDC (before top dead center) and timing retard is spark occuring ATDC (after top dead center) although it is also used to describe the lessening or "retarding" of total ignition advance. Ignition advance allows the air/fuel mixture to reach maximum cylinder pressure ATDC and will ideally occur by 20 degrees ATDC for dah mos horsepowers yo! So 30 degrees of timing advance means the spark is being fired at 30 degrees BTDC in relation to crankshaft rotation. There is sooooo much more to it than this, but you probably get the basic picture. So now it's easy to see why finding out the exact spark angle was so crucial. If the spark angle setting is off in MT your entire spark table will be off by however many +- degrees the spark angle is off to the true spark angle. It's now a matter of configuring a competent msq for the rest of the guys to load up just to get things running and ready for tuning.
To get everything fine tuned I am going to try and get to a dyno that tunes megasquirts. Everything is there and its decently street tuned. I just need my part throttle, cold and warm starts fixed. Getting 16-17mpg sucks! I think the place that gunfluh told me about charges around $400 for a complete MS tune which isnt bad...I dont guess....just as long as they know what they are doing.
I cant see how any shop can do a "complete" tune in one session since you cant tune for all weather conditions (namely temp). Cold starting can be a bitch.
For your part throttle use autotune. Just plug what air/fuel you want in the table and the MS will tune itself. For the other stuff find some megasquirters in your area. There should be someone nearby that can help you out.
I cant see how any shop can do a "complete" tune in one session since you cant tune for all weather conditions (namely temp). Cold starting can be a bitch.
For your part throttle use autotune. Just plug what air/fuel you want in the table and the MS will tune itself. For the other stuff find some megasquirters in your area. There should be someone nearby that can help you out.
ok I will try autotune once the car gets back on the road. Nearest MS person would be GUHFLUH which is about 2 hours or so away so aint bad. I will have to get up with him to get it figured out if he has time.
Edit: from not looking at it is autotune something extra I have to download or do I just look for it in the dropdowns?
and to hook up the spark, i know i need 2 wires. one is C2-9 (Coil control no. 2) and the other is C2-10 (Coil control no. 1), and they need to be wired to pins 25 and 27 on the ms, but which goes to where?
and to hook up the spark, i know i need 2 wires. one is C2-9 (Coil control no. 2) and the other is C2-10 (Coil control no. 1), and they need to be wired to pins 25 and 27 on the ms, but which goes to where?
You would follow the RS Autosport diagram while us 2.4 guys need them reversed.
and to hook up the spark, i know i need 2 wires. one is C2-9 (Coil control no. 2) and the other is C2-10 (Coil control no. 1), and they need to be wired to pins 25 and 27 on the ms, but which goes to where?
holy crap thats confusing
Edit: I understand it somewhat, but holy crap do you have to modify a bunch of stuff. Wow when I had the PTP piggyback it was much much easier....tell it target a/f, what boost and/or throttle percentage to autotune, how fast you wanted it to work and click save.....all in one window. I guess its just that you have to modify the .ini file and there is tons to read...I would have thought it would be more simple with the MS.
Yeah, it would be nice if you could edit those settings from a GUI. However, that is not so. It's not as bad as it seems though. Maybe the instructions are just too difficult (it's written by engineers after all...)
In your C:\Program Files\MegaSquirt\car1\mtCfg\custom.ini file
Code:
#else ; Actually only good for DualTable and MSnS-Extra.
table = veTable1Map
allowAutoTune = on
corrector = egoCorrection
xLimits = 1500, 4000
yLimits = 60, 90
zLimits = 10, 200
xRadius = 200
yRadius = 7
initialStartupInterval = 1.0
updateInterval = 1.0
proportionalGain = 0.5
lumpiness = 5
X=rpm range
Y=kpa range
Z=min/max VE entry
For example, mine is setup to tune from 1500 - 5000 rpm, 20 - 100kpa (I don't autotune boost) and min/max VE is 15-200.
Yeah, it would be nice if you could edit those settings from a GUI. However, that is not so. It's not as bad as it seems though. Maybe the instructions are just too difficult (it's written by engineers after all...)
In your C:\Program Files\MegaSquirt\car1\mtCfg\custom.ini file
Code:
#else ; Actually only good for DualTable and MSnS-Extra.
table = veTable1Map
allowAutoTune = on
corrector = egoCorrection
xLimits = 1500, 4000
yLimits = 60, 90
zLimits = 10, 200
xRadius = 200
yRadius = 7
initialStartupInterval = 1.0
updateInterval = 1.0
proportionalGain = 0.5
lumpiness = 5
X=rpm range
Y=kpa range
Z=min/max VE entry
For example, mine is setup to tune from 1500 - 5000 rpm, 20 - 100kpa (I don't autotune boost) and min/max VE is 15-200.
cool I dont plan on using autotune either in boost, but mainly want to use it for daily driving tuning....to get the part throttle and mpg fine tuned. I hardly ever go over 4k when driving around normally so I would leave my X the same as the table above. Now you said you set yours to 20 - 100kpa for Y...what does that equat to in a/f?
At idle the car is idling between 14.3-14.8 which I figure is a good a/f. Even cruising at 70-75mph the car idles in the 14's. Just for some reason I only get 16-17mpg on average now.
and to hook up the spark, i know i need 2 wires. one is C2-9 (Coil control no. 2) and the other is C2-10 (Coil control no. 1), and they need to be wired to pins 25 and 27 on the ms, but which goes to where?
You would follow the RS Autosport diagram while us 2.4 guys need them reversed.
Well it does take forever to start both cold and hot. As far as in my boost section my fuel is in the 70's and timing in the 20's. Right now when I got WOT the boost is at around 22, air/fuel 11.8-12.0. So it seems as though my idle and normal driving a/f seems fine...yet now that I think about it when I let off the gas pedal between shifts or just cruising on interstate...the a/f goes from 14's like it should be down to 11-12's as if its dumping fuel. I really do need to fix my cold and warm startups though....smells like its really rich when it does finally start
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So now it's easy to see why finding out the exact spark angle was so crucial. If the spark angle setting is off in MT your entire spark table will be off by however many +- degrees the spark angle is off to the true spark angle. It's now a matter of configuring a competent msq for the rest of the guys to load up just to get things running and ready for tuning.
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