Look, I declared right away what experience I had so anyone reading my post can decide based on that experience if they want to continue reading my post or completely ignore it. Everyone was warned and I claimed nothing beyond what I really am.Originally Posted by MikeM173
My "long" post contained some clear information and some fundamental strategy. Short posts while giving something to start with leave many people with just enough information to be dangerous and not enough to keep from getting into trouble. I will stick to my long posts and to each their own. I am not forcing anyone to read anything.
I and I will stand by my strategy to start with a stock tune and change things one at a time, in small increments, noting how it affects things by logging. Start with AFR (PE table in this case), richen it up, to keep things safer as you move to the next step. Then on to air flow (boost using the various PID tables I mentioned). Next timing, adding it in slowly a few cells at a time logging/noting effects and watching for knock.
All the other tables can be changed, but really don't need to be changed, or not by much and should be saved for last in my opinion. I just think if you are screwing around with optimum spark at the same time as spark for example, the prop gain and max gain at the same time as WG duty cycle as another example, you just end up making too many changes at once and it gets confusing for new tuners on this PCM.
I do thank you and the other experts for the information, but it is at times (even after reading all the bibles which I have done) confusing. And the many short and vague posts I have seen from some on here, I don't think help by being purposely short and vague. If you want to make it short and vague to save your time or hold back specific knowledge you don't wish to share, then that is fine and certainly your choice. But I don't agree that it helps anyone new who is learning. It just gives enough information for someone to begin trial and error in some tables that might very well be dangerous to be modifying, and they don't have enough information on what they actually do, what approximate changes have a how much effect, etc.....
I ran into one situation for example that more detail in another post would have been helpful: was getting quite of bit of KR one time out driving, and then none at all the next. Noticed my actual timing seemed to be different that what I thought I should be getting from my main spark tables. Turns out the temperature correction table adds timing at low temps and I was noticing this because warm days I did not get it and there was not knock, and cold days I was getting extra timing from this table and it was causing KR. I hope by my long winded answer right here someone will benefit from this and not have to discover it on their own (didn't see that in any of the bibles, btw). I have at least 1/2 dozen more examples like this that I could share that I did not see in any of the bibles or short/vague posts either.
I do agree (just by my example above) that the factory tune might not be "great" in all areas. But for the sake of getting a smooth idle for example (if you do't mind the factory idle characteristics), I stand by my statement "don't fix it if it ain't broke". You create a lot more work and even by statements I think I saw from you or one of the other experts on here, might end up with an idle that works well under very specific conditions but not all (ie: might not work if you drive up into the mountains at high elevation). Not saying never touch the tables or cells of tables that affect idle, but it is hardly necessary if you are not inclined and not dangerous if you don't. Optimum spark is another I could put into this category. To each their own though.
Lastly I will add that I think no one should be touching or tuning if they do not have a quite good grasp of basic tuning theory outside of any of these PCM tables and values (these are just a means to ends to affect the physical engine anyway). IE: If you don't know what might cause high EGT's and what those might do to your engine for example, don't touch it. (along with a ton of other basic tuning theory).
/end of rant and my second long post.
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