Tuning a TPI motor
 

Does anyone on here, know anyone who can tune the computer or help me fine tune the L98? I know people say they are a pain. But I am sticking with the FI here. I am game to working on it myself, afterall, I did rebuild the bottom end of this thing. The car seems to run on the rich side. It passed emissions, and I've had it to the track running within a 1/10th of a second from 14.9 to 15.0 not counting the one I blew the tires off trying to stall it, (that one still ran a 15.6 once I caught the rear and got it to hook). But I know it can run a lil quicker.

When I reassembled it I put in an LT1 cam from a 97 Camaro. I know its within the limits of the computer, but its enough to need to be tuned. I still gotta do the valve seals (yes I know... I know... but at the time it seemed like the smoke could have been from the bottom end. Lesson learned, so lets leave that be.) If someone can give me a hand tuning the FI and so on that would be awesome. I think I sent Dave a PM on the subject but I haven't heard back from him.

I know a few good tuners on LI and a guy selling a laptop and tuning/chip burning software if interested for the diy guy.

Josh @ JS Performance does..

I tuned my vert and quite a few other peoples cars.

and about 6-7 years ago I built a L98 up out of a 89 GTA, LT1 cam, 1.6 rr's hooker headers, 2500 stall, 3.42 gears, 24lb inj, and port matched intake/heads. I went 13.50's @101mph

I'm gonna try to keep this as stock as possible. But who knows. Thanks to a deer trying to commit suicide with my daily driver, I had to daily drive the GTA. It did more than its share of heavy lifting daily driving, so I thought I'd give it a lil attention. While I may not go crazy with a HSR and other related insane speed goods (the 84 I've got will be the psycho car) I won't mind doing little things like a CAI etc. But based on what the car has, what its run, and how its setup right now, I know its quicker than its 1/4 mile times suggest. So maybe I'll go as far as I can go without going back into the internals (other than those damn seals).

Dave, What does the guy with the tuning setup want price wise? I may be game for that. Wouldn't mind learning how to do it myself. Maybe I'll get in touch with Josh. If all I need is a fine tuning and maybe sensor replacements to get this thing right, I may be willing to have him do a lil work for me. Just don't want to get too crazy with it.

Where are you at? Mine is setup with just a LT1 cam...for now anyway. With 3.70s and supposedly a 3000 stall with a shift kit in the 700R4. Reportedly according to the original owner, who told the story to Matt, it ran 13.9 at some point early on. I'd bet that was with slicks. As I said above, I don't want to go too crazy with this one. But I'd like to get it running better before I sell it, if I do....that was the original plan.

I'm about 3 hours south of ya. I live about 2 min from the DE border in PA.

If stuff is wrong, as in sensor replacement... Get that stuff done before you take it somewhere. More often than not, people blame the tune when stuff isn't reading right. Simple **** like setting the TPS (did you get that memo? ;) ) to .47v-51v, min idle, dist base timing (6*).. Stuff like that all adds up to a better running car..

Once that is all done.. Then start the tuning....

Tunerpro is what I use for most cars and have been using it since it first came out.

www.tunerpro.net/

For the chip stuff, if you are going to continue to screw with you car get this...

http://www.moates.net/ostrich-2-0-the-new-breed.html

But if you are going just to burn a few here and there.... Gotta get more than just that.

http://www.moates.net/gp1-package-gm...h-2-chips.html

Makes it easier when you want to burn chip and swap them all the time..

To burn the chips you'll need at least this..

http://www.moates.net/burn2-flash-n-...rogrammer.html

That will get ya through most of the stuff you need and some. I personally use moates' autoprom. I've had it now since 2004. Been working great since I've got it.

And finally you'll need something to at least see what the ecm is doing.

http://www.moates.net/aldu1-and-cabl...bl1-combo.html

That will get ya into reading the ECM is doing (and it is all done though tunerpro)

I believe that is it for now.......

I went back and forth with Josh at JS Motorsports. He said I am better off resolving the oil burning first as well. The question is do I rebuild the L98 heads or the 906 Vortec heads I have laying around. Obviously I'll have to get the intake from somewhere like SDPC and maybe do something with the exhaust manifolds as well. If I can find a set of SLP emissions legal headers then sweet. But I don't know if they'll work on the Vortec heads.

Hooker 2055 headers are emissions legal fit and flow well. They will work
On the vortecs just as any other header will. The exhaust ports are the same as any other small block.

But if ya want to stay on the cheap, just rebuild the heads you have now. Just the downfall is the car will be out of commission for a bit.

The heads cost the same to rebuild. Its a question of if I want to spend to get an intake. If the ports are the same then I see no reason why the manifolds already on the car won't work. Other advantage to doing the vortecs, is I can drive the GTA around if I want or need to and do it as a head swap when they're done over a weekend. Cost a lil more, but in the overall scheme you do get a lil more out of the motor. People have talked of having a 300 horse motor just with vortecs and a base swap. I doubt I'll get that high, but I would def see an increase in the car's performance. I'll talk to a machinist I know to see what he says. I can do the assembly and disassembly of the heads, if it will keep the price down. just need parts and an intake.