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Here is a list of things you must check and re-check before coming for a tuning appointment. Pay close attention to detail when bringing your car for an appointment.
Electrical Issues
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Wiring—The engine harness should have NO exposed wires. Also, DO NOT twist and tape wires together. Take the time to solder them!
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Codes—Do not come for an appointment if you a check engine light on.
- Exceptions to this are o2 sensor code, o2 heater code, and knock sensor code. These will be disabled at your tuning session.
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Battery/Alternator—Should be charging 13.5-14 Volts at all operating conditions. Exceptions to this are race cars running a 16V battery or a crank pulley that underdrives the alternator (i.e. Fluidampr race pulley).
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Fuel Pumps—DO NOT install the pumps if there is dirt, debris, or rust in the tank. If there is rust in the tank, replace it. You will starve the engine of fuel if you leave junk in the tank.
Grounds: Make sure you have good, clean grounds. The 3 major grounds are
- battery to chassis
- transmission case to chassis
- valve cover to chassis
Lack of a good ground can cause starting issues, ignition issues, and intermittent performance issues.
Injectors: Make sure there are no vacuum or fuel pressure leaks as a result of torn or old o-rings.
Mechanical Issues
Engine—What is a healthy engine???
Compression test results should be as follows:
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8:1-8.5:1 compression: 150-170 psi per cylinder
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8.5:1~9.5:1 compression: 170-210 psi per cylinder
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9.5:1~11:1 compression: 210-275 psi per cylinder
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11:1+ compression: 250+ per cylinder (highly depends on cams being used)
DO NOT have more than 20psi variance between cylinders. It is not ok to come for an appointment where there are 3 cylinders that have good compression and one that doesn’t. The 3 good don’t make up for the one bad.
Valve Lash
Make sure the engine has proper valve lash for the cams being used. For OEM cams, .007 on the intake and .009 on exhaust. Aftermarket cams typically require different settings. Refer to the manufacturer for these specifications. Valve adjustments should be done when the motor is completely cool.
Timing Belt
- Needs to be installed properly.
- Should have minimal to no slack. If it is too loose, you run the risk of skipping a tooth or running incorrect timing.
Oil Leaks
Some of the more common types of leaks are:
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Make sure you have secured your pipes so that they do not blow off at a tuning appointment. Use silicone hump hoses where applicable and t-bolt clamps.
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Make sure all of the bolts are tightened, in particular, the exhaust manifold bolts. This is considered an exhaust leak and you will lose power as a result.
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Make sure the blow off valve is tight.
Ignition: We recommend OEM spark plug wires/coil packs for every application. If running MSD, we only recommend using the digital series, not the analog. Make sure you have the proper coil to go with the digital 7 box.
Cap/Rotor: New OEM cap and rotor are recommended unless running an ignition amplifier box, such as MSD, M&W, etc.
Spark plugs:
B-series, D-series, H-series, and NSX:
- Pump gas: NGK BKR7E-11
- Race gas: NGK R5671A-9
K-series, s2000:
- Pump gas: NGK BKR8EIX-11
- Race gas: NGK BKR9EIX-11
- OBD-2 to OBD-1 conversion harness
- OBD-1 ECU such as p28/p30/p72/p75/p06/etc
- OBD-1 injector clips if going with aftermarket fuel injectors
What you'll need to go from OBD-0 to OBD-1 are the following:
- OBD-0 to OBD-1 converter harness
- OBD-1 distributor
- remove resistor pack if using saturated style injector
- OBD-1 ecu
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Fuel:
No matter what fuel you are tuning on, you will need to have a half tank of gas in the car for the tuning session.
Oil:
- All motor (street or race car): 10w30
- SC, Turbo, Nitrous (Street car): 10w30
- Track only cars (turbo): 20w50
Non synthetic oil should be used on all applications.
Our job is to tune your car, not fix everything that is wrong with it. We can fix it, but NOT FOR FREE.
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