4-RUNNIN' FREAK

I searched and really didn't come up with much that I can use.

I finally picked up a laptop to play with and I am already playing with the FTC.

I have to connect on COM4 and it keeps telling me to check the power to the unit. I checked and all is good it seems. Connections are soldiered. I will play with it some more in a bit.

I can get the map up with all zeros on it and I played with a few and it seems to have more power right away. The truck runs fine now with no codes or anything since 2 weeks after Gadget tuned it. I had a problem with a few CEL codes that have cleared and never came back. I read posts that people here can smoke the tires when all I can do is chirp them once in a blue.

A few questions just to start with.
1. Under options/system settings, what do I change the view to? Gauge pressure, absolute pressure, vacuum/pressure, or voltage?
2. Under options/system settings, what do I change the "application" to? Additional injector controller or programmable signal calibrator. I am guessing the latter.
3. Do I have to change any other settings? Engine settings is 6 cyl 4 stroke.
What about in output settings and aux input settings? Should I make any changes there?
4. Under "fuel maps" I have one blue highlighted box at 5.2 PSI and 500 RPM's, What does that mean? All the values are showing zero as of now.

I am going back outside to play again.

Thanks for any help and sorry for being a PITA .

4-RUNNIN' FREAK

ImageShack isn't working well right now, so this is the only pic I have at this moment of the cell values.
I'll post more when it works again.

FilthyRich

if Gadget tuned, then why mess with it??

4-RUNNIN' FREAK

Cause a lot of people are telling me there should be more power for what mods I have and plus what I read on here from people with basically the same mods, they are able to haul some butt and smoke the tires
. I can just keep up with stock 4Runners.
I am able to beat an '02 Taco 2.7 with just an intake and exhaust by 2 car lengths.

Gadget was tuning 2 other trucks that day and I didn't want to short someone out of a tuning. He made it perform waaay better thta what it was, but I think there is more to be tapped for the ammount of gas I use. I am taking it more or less as a platform to work from.
I really don't want to go down south again on a 3 hour trip just for a tuning. That time I was able to go to Washington DC for some sightseeing and then to Ashland, VA since I got that confused with Ashland, NC.

FilthyRich

haha Assland, VA. I went to college there. I met Gadget In mD and My truck w/ out IPT work, but everything else ROLLS. w/ 285s. I can cruise at 100+ and piss all types of cars off. granted it is a 4500# ish truck. i think it is fast for what it is.

Gadget's tuning is a science and I trust his work.
maybe we should have a meet in Pa or MD?????

4-RUNNIN' FREAK

Here are more pics of what numbers came out of the truck.

4-RUNNIN' FREAK

Yeah, I wanted to go to Ashville, NC. I saw shows about that town and it looks nice. At least I went to a decent buffet in Ashland for like $25 for 2 people. I'd never see that here unless it's one of those dirty Chinese buffets.

I'd be up for PA for a meet

I had to drag my G/F with me the time I went to see him and I learned from that. She is just not into cars. I keep trying to talk her into letting me do some basic/easy stuff to hers, but NOOOOOO.

About the IPT VB, I wish I went stiffer since you can always kinda go back. It is broken in now and you can't even really feel the shifts. My friends can, but I don't really notice anymore.

4-RUNNIN' FREAK

I keep getting a message when I attempt to connect on COM4 (the only port that will let it try to connect) and it keeps saying " Error communicating with ECU. Check connection and power to the ECU."
Is it referring to the trucks computer or the FTC?

EDIT: Let me add I am using a 9 pin serial connection to a USB. It says in the help part under system requirements " One available com port, the serial connection may also be made through a USB to serial or PC card to serial adapter".

jc1kz

ecu is the trk computer.....

4-RUNNIN' FREAK

Kinda figured that. This is the type of crap I hate.

I'm gonna fix 'er till she's broken this time.

4-RUNNIN' FREAK

I wasted almost 3 hours with the serial to USB plug and took it back to Radio Shack. I go to exchange it and he asks where the installation CD is. I tell him it was already opened and that there was no CD in there. The guy exchanges it right there on the spot.

I come home and try it again with the CD, and it advised me not to try to run in on XP which I did anyway. (It said it may cause a problem with XP running which it did not)

I am giving up. :cry: It runs and I don't want to blow the engine up, so I'm now done with this pipe dream.

I am going to delete this thread soon as it is of no value.

midiwall

Ummm... the Rat Shack adapter has been known to have a lot of issues.

If you want to keep trying this, then let us know and I can recommend some other USB->Serial adapters that work really well. I use one with my Powerbook and an older laptop that's fine.


Also... what do you think that you changed that "gave you more power right away"? Something in the fuel or timing map?

And, if you changed those values, especially from looking at a map that was all 0's, then there's a possibility that the map that's in the FTC is somewhat corrupted. Did you first save the original map before trying to make changes?


Please don't delete the thread. ANY experiment - no matter what the outcome - provides valuable data for others.

rimpainter.com

^It sure does! (Mark knows this thread is just pushing me closer to the SMT6 )

midiwall

nah... The problems that he's having and the questions relate to the SMT line as well. That the importance of leaving this thread intact and working through a solution to get a solid connection between the laptop and the FTC-1, and then the FTC-1 and the ECU.

It's all good... there's no "failure" in something like this, it's just data covering the other side of success.

4-RUNNIN' FREAK

Well thanks for letting me know others have had problems with the Radio Shack connection. Let me know of some others, and maybe I will just go and pick one up and play for ha-has. I don't like the price on some of the adapters I saw in RS, $100, $119, $125. I was shocked at the $40 for the wire I picked up the yesterday.

I would like to try some more, but I think I kinda talked myself out of it. It works fine now, and if I go playing with it, I'll probably blow the engine up.

I don't believe I changed anything, since there was no connection made. It just started to ping when I went to drive it, and it really never pings anymore. Maybe that will change once the hot weather gets here. When Gadget tuned it, I noticed it right off the bat and was getting 21-22 MPG on the way back from VA. I am still convinced they have different gas.

I didn't change any values in the map, those numbers are what it just spit out at me after I clicked the auto-fill button. I thought I did something since I had a ping and it just felt like there was more oomph at around 1,500 RPM's, but she is temperamental and will perform great with nothing more to ask for on some days, and then like crap other times. Even after I shut it down after it's been running like a champ, it can still go to crap.

Fuel prices are coming back down......time to waste more gas

midiwall

okay... well, if you decide to try again, I've been using a Keyspan USA-19QI for 2 years and it works great. It's been 100% reliable on Win 98, 98SE, 2k, XP, Mac OS 9 and OS X.

I'm not sure if it's made anymore, the Keyspan site shows that the latest work-alike is the USA-19HS.

Buy.com shows them for $34.43 with free shipping.

4-RUNNIN' FREAK

So, I am about to go down the Jersey shore and I need gas, and it's been running well on mid-grade fuel, so I filled up with that since I was just going to be cruising. I am hoping this is the fix for my issue.

I started throwing codes again , and I doubt I did anything with the FTC since I never made a connection.

P0300 - Random/multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0440 - EVAP emission control system malfunction
P0441 - EVAP emission control system purge flow fault
P0446 - EVAP emission control system vent circuit malf(unction)

I don't remember these exact codes last time, but they were close and it turned out being my front cat, which was replaced with one from a Landcruiser.

Anyone have a clue what to check? Think it may be from the mid-grade fuel?
The other day when I said I heard it ping a little was also probably from the mid-grade fuel, since I was going on a short road trip the next day.
I have cycled between mid and premium for the last thress tank fills.
Before that it was all premium.

EDIT: conditions were 65 degrees and rain on and off cruising at between 75-85 MPH.
Also, the problem I ahd awhile ago with it cutting out is back. It did it a few times, and when I was passing a truck, I had my foot on the floor and it cut out just as I was passing and it cut out and I held my foot on the floor to see if it would kick back in, and it didn't until I took my foot off the gas.

rimpainter.com

Did you top off the tank? EVAP problems can be caused by that. Not sure about the misfire problem...sounds like knock-sensor issues but my understanding is that the knock sensor only works above 3K RPM. At least that's what Brian at URD told me.

4-RUNNIN' FREAK

Thanks.

I did not top off the tank. I filled to about ¾ on the gauge while the truck was running. The CEL codes came maybe an hour into the trip.

Can you explain the topped off vs. not topped off and EVAP issues?

4-RUNNIN' FREAK

I just saw a post for flashing cruise control light and remembered the the CEL was flashing like it has done in the past leading to the replacement of the front cat. Usually cats get messed up from too much unburned fuel, correct?