A probably silly question about SCT chips..

Jacob_Royer

SCCoA Member
With the SCT chip is it possible for the user to change things (such as idle or fan speed) without sending the chip off? Basicly what im asking is the SCT chip a programer or just a chip thats been re-flashed by the tuner?
 
If I am not mistaken, you CAN change that sort of thing, but you have to have the cable to hook it to your car and download the tune.

Chris
 
You would need an SCT racer package and I am unsure if they still make them for SC's.

Now you can also get an EEC tuner and have full control of your EEC. The newer versions of this software wise are leaps above what used to be offered. WIth teh EEC tuner you can change programs without removal. With an SCT chip you need to remove it every time you want to chane something
 
Bleh, EEC Tuner. Step back to 1999...

I've got a Racer package in the mail for a family member.
 
Im going to need a tune and i want dave to tune my car when im ready but i am trying to figure out the hardware route i need to go since i might have to make some adjustments here and there which could be a pita if i had to mail a chip back and forth.
 
Contrary to popular belief as indicated above, the EEC Tuner actually is not that bad, and will easily allow you to make changes yourself. Of course if you have tons of money and can afford the racer package by all means go for it.

I have read through alot of boards on EEC tuning how everyone wants those 100's of settings, but in reality you may only work on about 10 settings to get your car running really well with mods, if the default calibration of your EEC is for your car anyway. Things like setting the number of injectors as well as the injector firing order is pointless unless you are changing your motor to something totally different.

The EEC Tuner is still well liked by alot of folks because they can do things themselves as well it being alot cheaper. The EEC Tuner software isn't the best, but options like SCTuner are out there, but I'm leary on that as the developer is unreachable, so I won't buy a license for it.
 
If you want to tune yourself then a tuner is the way to go. If you want me or someone else to tune the car then a tuner isn't the greatest thing since dyno's and tuners charge by the hour. Many people have had reliability issues with the tuners due to the fact that the tuner is actively and continually modifying data as the car runs and as such generates heat while it operates. A chip simply replaces the OE memory and doesn't actually "do" anything.

Chip = passive device
Tuner = active device
 
Sounds like a chip is the way to go.. Is it a very big deal to re-burn if somthing needs changed? say for instance we get everything lined out and I pickup a bigger TB (if you even need any change for it) and need a slight adjustment do i just send the chip back to you dave? or once its burned its burned and thats it? With a chip is it possible to get the fan to kick on at a reasonable temprature so i can un-do the low-speed fan mod? I just want to know my options going into it since i really dont know jack about tunning the car or the diffrent ways of doing it.. If I dont come out there to you dave is it basicly like this?

1 I buy the chip you send me some sort of base tune

2 I go to a dyno and send back to you the chip and all the date from the dyno pulls

3 You send back the chip properly adjusted for whats going on?

Or do i go to the dyno before the initial chip and see whats going on and a tune is determined from the data optained??

Im sorry if im totaly ignorant on this whole thing.. If i get the maf and sample tube for 42#'s in will the car still be drivable without a tune or should i just do the maf and injectors and tune all at the same time?
 
Jacob you can get a "TUNE" through the mail but isnt not the best way to do it. You can also get that tune through the mail...Do a dyno run, then send data to your "tuner" and have hiom adjust your chip. However it is also not the best way to do it. The tune should be done in person by whomever is tuning your car. You also shouldnt need a new tune everytime you bolt on a part,

I personally have the SCT racer package in which I can burn my own chips. The new EEC tuner software is very user freindly moreso then years ago and the boards are more reliable. They are not however as reliable as a chip..But with a chip you are dependant on a tuner

Personally I would suggest getting a Wide band O2 setup and learning how that operates. Then you can know when your AF ratio is unsafe and its really time for a tune.

You can get away with a slew of mods without getting a tune .At this point a wideband would be your best freind.
 
Im sorry if im totaly ignorant on this whole thing.. If i get the maf and sample tube for 42#'s in will the car still be drivable without a tune or should i just do the maf and injectors and tune all at the same time?

I believe Dave said it himself..He made over 300rwhp without a tune..And at 300rwhp he would have needed an injector upgrade
 
Ive had a few tunes on my LX done by Dave D. IMHO, its not just all about having him optimize the HP or the TQ, but also tuning the vehicle to run for the way you want to drive the car. The LX is very low HP and TQ, but revamping the shift points( Auto) has made a world of difference.
Having him tune your car, as long as it is sound in the first place, will make all the differnece. Many of the people I meet at the Shooutout and at Carlisle, and most in our local club swear by him. If you can, get a road tune, then a dyno tune. Just make sure everything works before you do this. Just kinda takes up at a lot of his time otherwise (unless he has a ton of parts you "JUST MIGHT NEED!!!!!!!!")
Just my 2cents.
BTW, for anyone interested, we are planning a spring run for tuning to Daves place in OHIO.

Matt
tbirdmedic@sympatico.ca
 
Since I had a SCT chip installed in my SCBird two years ago.
I have had nothing but problems with the motor running right.

Now I am in the processe of tring to save money for a
replacment motor.

So it does not matter if you get a mail order tune or a tune
on a dyno like I had done.

Tunes/chips do not always turn out right. And after a tuner screws
your motor up, they do not know who you are or how they
could possably made a mistake, that cost the customer a motor..

Randy
 
If you want to tune yourself then a tuner is the way to go. If you want me or someone else to tune the car then a tuner isn't the greatest thing since dyno's and tuners charge by the hour. Many people have had reliability issues with the tuners due to the fact that the tuner is actively and continually modifying data as the car runs and as such generates heat while it operates. A chip simply replaces the OE memory and doesn't actually "do" anything.

Chip = passive device
Tuner = active device
You are right about the reliability issue.I have one that only worked properly for a few months and now it causes lots of strange things to happen.I believe it needs this voltage regulator insulation fix that I've read about,but,I don't get a response back from the guys that perform the "fix".I'm saving my money for a racer package.
 
I ran 300rwhp on 38lb injectors running them 100% duty cycle. It wasn't the smartest thing but I didn't know any better and I never hurt anything. I never ran 42's without a tuner/chip.

Most SC's do not have transmission functions in the EEC. That is reserved for 94 and later only.

The important thing is to choose your injectors, CAI, and MAF to match your ultimate needs. Then a baseline tune can be done that will not need changing every time you turn around. If you are continually upgrading injectors or MAF's then tuning becomes expensive and a waste of time. Other things can be changed at will but injectors and MAF should not be changed. Plan ahead.
 
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Is a TB really worth messing with at this point? Or just a maf? Also if i get a 76mm maf what size intake tube do i need? I have a home depot plumbing isle intake now :) its a 3"
 
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