Best upgrade path to 1.1.x

[Benzmac16v]

Finally have my car running well enough to screw with it again!

Seeing as the upgrades from my 1.0.73 to 1.1.x are pretty significant, I like to tinker, and I have been told multiple times to upgrade by the guy who got me into VEMS.  So I think it is time to upgrade, but I have a few questions.

First off, what version would you guys recommend? and what is the best way to get there, with my current settings, maps etc?  Also, what will I have to set up from scratch?  I would assume there is a way to get my Maps, output settings and some of the basic settings pulled right over, but I have been told that Acceleration settings, and some idle settings I would have to set up.  Thats all fine, I just want to know what I will need to do before I do it.

Thanks,
Jim

[gunni]

First is save your config using vemstune.
Also download mattias´s config and use that to fill in the blanks you´ll get.

To fill in a specific window of information just drag´n drop his file on the window and the screen will update with those details.

[Benzmac16v]

I tried this once last summer.  Then VEMSTune could not read my 1.0.73 firmware so I couldn't get my config off it.  However, I may have just missed something...

Jim

[Benzmac16v]

So the new versions of VEMSTune work with 1.0.73 which is cool.  However, there were a few glitches with that.  The PW gauge was reporting over double my maximum PW while driving (which behaved normally).  The Duty Cycle gauge reflected this with a duty ration over 100%.  Also the ignition advance gauge was totally off, reporting a value of -53° at idle...

At any rate, I got home from work and tried upgrading the firmware (1.1.74), which seemed to go just fine.  The I loaded up my old .vemscfg from 1.0.73.  There were a few warnings about missing constants and tables that I ignored for the time.  Then I went back and tried to fill them all in using Mattias's config file.  I am pretty sure I got everything.

Then I went to start the car, and I was getting some nasty backfire and it was shitty, wouldn't start.  I opened up the ignition table and noticed an extra column in front.  It was for a huge rpm (on the order of 14k) and had very large advances in the bins.  So I reimported that table from my 0.73 config file, and all was well, at least for my table.

Try to start again and it BARLEY starts.  Pulling a vacuum of 80-90 an rpm down around 500-700 and holy god did it STINK of gas.  So I then checked out the VE table and all the basic settings to make sure everything was in order (and I did remove the fuses before upgrading, so the engine wasn't flooded).  Try again, same thing.  Played with the ignition advance a bit, same thing.  Turned off all the enrichments I could see, same thing.

Unfortunately this car needed to run in the morning, so I had to stop here (only about an hour of playing with it) and revert back to 0.73 inorder to have a working car.  I needed to cut early as I have had firmware upgrades go south before due to my computers ability to turn itself off arbitrarily and I wanted to make sure there would be time to get everything going.  Fortunately the downgrade went fine.  Then I uploaded my 0.73 .vemscfg and the car fired right up and worked just as it did before.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Jim

[mattias]

Jim: Never ever do such an upgrade without confirming with a strobe light that the ignition fires where and when it should. You have to set up the "trigger tooth reference table".

The new VemsTune is not supposed to be used to tune and work with 1.0.73, only use it to upgrade.

[rob@vems.co.uk]

Yes, think of it as a new install that you have some of the settings for.

[Benzmac16v]

ok, well that was kind of the point of this thread.  What will I need to set up that I cannot pull from my previous config or mattias' config?

Jim

[mattias]

Basically you need to do some fine adjustments, but it's a must to setup the "trigger tooth reference table" and a check-up of the primary trigger settings.

[Benzmac16v]

Ok, tried again today and it worked!

Spot on with the Trigger tooth Reference Table.  Car starts and runs just fine.  My idle instantly got better (although not perfect).  It also made the IAC int value actually change properly.  In 0.73 it would stop changing about 2sec after entering idle (under 1500rpm, 0tps).  Now it continues to change with oscillations, which made it much easier to tune.  That with the actual IAC duty cycle was very nice.  Idle is MUCH better now, although not quite perfect.  That was done in about a hundredth of the time I spent in 0.73 tuning idle, so I am happy about that.

Also, can someone explain the new accel enrichment tables? (The last 3 under the Tuning menu).  As well as the purpose of the Trigger Tooth Ref Table...

Thanks,
Jim

[Benzmac16v]

So I just had one of those, oh shit I'm an idiot moments...  I have been having some odd hesitation problems, stalling at idle when I shouldn't and general shitty running until the car is under load, when it starts to run good.  I had a long drive in traffic so I was just thinking about stuff and I realized I am using a dial back timing light on a wasted spark ignition system so my numbers will be double what they actually are... Might explain my idle issues, seeing as I am idling at something around 2-6° instead of the 4-12° I thought I was...  Also might explain why coming off of idle sucks so much...  Dont have the car for the weekend, but I will make the adjustments later and see what happens. 

Another odd thing, that I think is unrelated to timing and new in 1.74 for me, is a fuel cut at 20% tps.  It is exceptionally annoying when I am slowing down/trying to go slow as above 20% is more than I want, then I hit a hard shut off and the car jerks around a bit.  However, I checked my idle settings (IACV and spark)and it is enabled at 1% tps so I have no idea what is causing this, any ideas?

Thanks,
Jim

[mattias]

Check your overrun fuelcut settings.

[Benzmac16v]

Well, checked my overrun settings, 1500rpm for both, with a pressure of 15kPa.  It should be above/below 1500 and dependent on my tps settings for idle.

Jim

[rob@vems.co.uk]

Having the two at the same value will cause issues.

[mattias]

Set cut to 2000, resume to 1500 rpm to begin with. Tune those later according to your driving habits.
If you ask some people, you should set cut to 25500 rpm so it never cuts fuel from releasing the throttle - that lets you tune the lowest load sites in the table.

[Sprocket]

I turned off over run fuel cut and bloody hell, did I get some awsome backfires on over run Tuning the VE table ended up with very low numbers in the mid to high rpm, obviously deep vacuum needs much less fuel (Alpha N)

Bottom 'over run' line on the VE table is still important for a good transition to idle without stalling, especialy if EGO is pulling out loads of fuel Either set EGo off on lower rpm over run or set VE table leaner to start with. It took me some considerable time to work that one out.