Are there any tricks for tuning a car that sees long idle times? Yesterday I was tuning in the 105* Texas heat, and while looking through the log files, etc, I just left the car idle... probably a good 10 minutes or so, ... anyways, temperature crept up to 200*+ ( just an estimate based on the stock gauge ). Anything in the tune be used to help?

After driving for a few minutes, temps went down to normal range. Runing stock fan, new stock fan clutch, alum radiator, long tube headers, dart block, 10.8 compression.

Thanks,
Jeff

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It's not me...

1992 5.0 LX - 363 Dart Block, AFR185, 39lb Injectors, 80mm PRO-M MAF, HTM Custom Cam, Edelbrock RPM2, GForce T5, 4.10, BBK 1 3/4, 3" VRS Catted X-Pipe, A9L, Tweecer RT, BE, EA, LM-1

I'm not quite sure what you are asking. If you are having problems with the car stalling in that heat with long idle times, try adjusting the FN825A adder. If you are looking get the car to run cooler, you could take some timing out of it at idle, though unless you are running a crazy tune there shouldn't be much there to take out. I'd say bump up your cooling system with a bigger rad and electric fan would help things. No sense trying to tune out Texas heat!

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1992 Mustang LX - X275 Drag Radial Class
GUFA
410", 12.7:1 CR (9.42 dynamic)
Bullet .692/.696, 282/296 @ .050 solid roller
Brodix T1 M2 Race Systems Heads w/ TI valvetrain
Super Victor EFI intake
Holley 80mm TB
42LB Injectors
BA-2400 MAF
MSD Digital 7
NOS fogger system - yet to be installed
C-4 w/3300 stall 8" converter and transbrake

EEC Tuning by: Moates QH, BE, a laptop and my imagination :)

So, if I drive around car is at normal operating temperature and then stop and let it idle for 10+ minutes the temps rise to over 200. ( I need to datalog to see what actual value it climbs to ). Basically, when it got to 1 tick mark above the "normal" line on the stock gauge I didn't want it getting any higher, so I started driving around - within a block or two, the temp was back down to where it should be. Car will crank and start just fine when hot.

Yes, FN825a is one that I will change to bump rpms a bit to get the waterpump flowing more. ( Thanks, I totally forgot about that! ) I wasn't sure if there were any games I could play with timing to help out. So, I'll try decreasing timing. I'm guessing I could change fn112 to remove some timing when temps hit around 205. Has anyone ever put negative numbers in that function?

Not much else to do mechanically as far as waterpump, radiator, etc.. I'm using the big Fluidyne radiator, and everything I've read the stock fan pulls more air or as much air as electric fans. I believe the dart block water passages don't help either.

-Jeff

_________________
It's not me...

1992 5.0 LX - 363 Dart Block, AFR185, 39lb Injectors, 80mm PRO-M MAF, HTM Custom Cam, Edelbrock RPM2, GForce T5, 4.10, BBK 1 3/4, 3" VRS Catted X-Pipe, A9L, Tweecer RT, BE, EA, LM-1

I hear ya on the water jackets. My block is 3/4 filled, but manages to stay 200 or less idling with the electric fan on. Monster Fluidyne as well.

Bumping up the rpm can either help you or hurt you. More revs=more heat. That is unless you are in a better spot in the pump curve of your water pump (who the heck knows where that is). As in anything with tuning. Back up your current tune, try all of these things, and if they don't work, you can stick the old tune back in.

I have never put a negative number in that timing table. This may be a question better answered by some of the more experienced tuners on the board.

Good Luck.

_________________
1992 Mustang LX - X275 Drag Radial Class
GUFA
410", 12.7:1 CR (9.42 dynamic)
Bullet .692/.696, 282/296 @ .050 solid roller
Brodix T1 M2 Race Systems Heads w/ TI valvetrain
Super Victor EFI intake
Holley 80mm TB
42LB Injectors
BA-2400 MAF
MSD Digital 7
NOS fogger system - yet to be installed
C-4 w/3300 stall 8" converter and transbrake

EEC Tuning by: Moates QH, BE, a laptop and my imagination :)

I don't have enough data to confirm or not yet, but i've noticed when I drop out of closed loop at idle (playing with hego bias table) and then go to the richer open loop value, it seems my idle temp goes up.

Car wants to be richer at idle to smooth it out, but that seems to make it run hotter too.

This is just casual observation right now.

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85GT, 302 w/Dart Windsor Jr heads, Crane 2030 equiv. Performer 5.0, 75mm TB, 88mm slot MAF, 34lbs injectors, BBK shorties, 5spd converted to 4R70W with Baumann controller, 9" rear w/3.25s
A9L running A9P bin via Quarterhorse w/LC-1 WB

After doing some experimenting and reading, retarding timing causes more heat. Next time out I'll try advancing to see if that helps.

According to the stock temperature gauge in my '92

1 tick above is 216
1/2 tick above is 210
normal - 190
1/2 tick below is 184-186
1 tick below is 178-180

-Jeff

_________________
It's not me...

1992 5.0 LX - 363 Dart Block, AFR185, 39lb Injectors, 80mm PRO-M MAF, HTM Custom Cam, Edelbrock RPM2, GForce T5, 4.10, BBK 1 3/4, 3" VRS Catted X-Pipe, A9L, Tweecer RT, BE, EA, LM-1

there seems to be a modern myth with efi, in an internal combustion engine heat=power, just like back in the carb days

although the engine control is just a tad different, the engine still behaves the same

200ish temps is nothing to get upset about 260+ is where you start having issues

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http://www.efidynotuning.com/ford/

Ok.. I was probably over-reacting a bit... but after looking at the laptop and then looking over at the temp gauge and seeing it 1 tick above the normal mark, I was in panic mode! During normal driving, etc... I usually don't see it that high. At 260* is the guage pegged? Doesn't the coolant start boiling around there?

_________________
It's not me...

1992 5.0 LX - 363 Dart Block, AFR185, 39lb Injectors, 80mm PRO-M MAF, HTM Custom Cam, Edelbrock RPM2, GForce T5, 4.10, BBK 1 3/4, 3" VRS Catted X-Pipe, A9L, Tweecer RT, BE, EA, LM-1

Not to digress, but I take factory gauges with grain of salt. My tach for instance reads 200 rpm lower than the EEC and Autometer tach.

I run all mechanical aftermarket gauges because the factory ones are more dummy lights than anything. Often times the temperature across the entire gauge range is not linear.

Decipha is right...200-210 isn't bad. I got stuck with a new chevy traverse for my rental on the last business trip and the thing ran at 220 (the normal range). Chevys historically run hot to keep the emissions in check and get better efficiency.

_________________
1992 Mustang LX - X275 Drag Radial Class
GUFA
410", 12.7:1 CR (9.42 dynamic)
Bullet .692/.696, 282/296 @ .050 solid roller
Brodix T1 M2 Race Systems Heads w/ TI valvetrain
Super Victor EFI intake
Holley 80mm TB
42LB Injectors
BA-2400 MAF
MSD Digital 7
NOS fogger system - yet to be installed
C-4 w/3300 stall 8" converter and transbrake

EEC Tuning by: Moates QH, BE, a laptop and my imagination :)

water boils at 212F under atmospheric conditions, when its under pressure the boiling point raises, most radiator caps bleed off at 16psi so you shouldn't normally exceed that unless there's an issue in which case the cap will bleed off, so your coolant pressure could be anywhere in between, the flow rate also effects the heat transfer, the stewart high volume water pumps are worth their weight in gold


a couple months ago i was driving home from a friends house and my car shut off for what i assumed was no apparent reason, when i glanced over at my temp gauge i seen it was almost in the red, upon searching around my engine bay i realized i disconnected my rad fan connector when i changed my belt prob 2 weeks before that and forgot to plug it back in when i was done, in my tune i had her shut off at 250ect and i don't recall it boiling/rumbling in the rad/overflow, guess it depends alot on your cooling system as a whole

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http://www.efidynotuning.com/ford/

Ok, I'll bite... how'd you get the car to shutdown when the ECT hits 250*F? It's probably something simple, but I tend to over-think things!

-J

_________________
It's not me...

1992 5.0 LX - 363 Dart Block, AFR185, 39lb Injectors, 80mm PRO-M MAF, HTM Custom Cam, Edelbrock RPM2, GForce T5, 4.10, BBK 1 3/4, 3" VRS Catted X-Pipe, A9L, Tweecer RT, BE, EA, LM-1