Can I get a solid tune from say an outfit like PCM For Less through the mail if I call and give them the engine spec? Or is it necessary to have the chip done on with the car at the place?

1990 modded L98

Cam, heads, exhaust, intake changed.

 

You can do a mail order but with more mods the way to go is have it done in person to really get the most out of it. Fine tuning is where its at. Just my .02

 

jsup, you'll get there by mail order. talk to alvin. he'll get you about 90-95% of the way by sending you the piggyback chip with a first crack tune. do you have a laptop computer? you'll need an ALDL cable to connect the laptop to the ALDL linkup. Download TTS Datamaster-- alvin prefers this engine analyzer. you'll make a couple recordings - a 20 min. run with normal driving, another with several runs where you floor it past 80%. you email alvin the files, he;ll review them for any adjustments to fuel and timing. he'll send you another piggyback chip with the finer tune job, you send him back the one you had. you go thru the recording process again. i only had to go thru 2 "iterations" and we were done.

PCMForLess is the way to go. there's another guy on this board who's a "tuner", but I would run in the opposite direction. PM me for details of you care to know. its ugly.

by the way, i think your setup is almost identical to mine. you've got speed density. this is an important component in how you tune it. he might even pull the tune he first did on mine and send it to you for the first crack, who knows.

i wouldn't waste $500-$800 on a specialzed dyno tune when you can get it done this way for $150. he wont charge you for iterative tunes. you'll end up like 97-99% of the way there in the end. the difference between alvin's experienced work and a ripoff dyno will be negligible, and the price differential is huge. use you money smartly.

 

If you could provide a log from datamaster, Alvin could get it running good for you. Thats the problem with our OBD1 cars. Try finding a guy who knows how to burn chips and has a dyno to dial it in perfect that lives in your state. Mail order is what most end up with. What I did is went to local dyno with the chip and sent the info from the wideband back to help the tuner dial it in. All the hard work and money you put into this and you now have to rely on a tuner to bring it all together. They got you by the *****.

 

bob, jsup won't have to worry. alvin is our resident expert. he'll be in good hands, as you know.

i only wish i has understood this when my engine fried the first time around, i could have avoided one helluva lotta pain and saved alot of money. paying for 2 engine builds ain't fun at all. the 1rst guy who screwed everything up should be hung for his lack of tuning. i wasn't smart enough in those days to verify his tune by sending the chip to someone first who can read it and evaluate. i believed the hype, and his word. jsup won;t haver to have the chip verified first, because alvin is a real professional who lives and breathes this stuff-- that other guy does tunes as a hobby to fund his racing habit. there are alot of reasons not to go to this mystery other guy, and go straight to alvin with no worries.

 

How's this cable look? Is $70 too much?

http://tunertools.com/proddetail.asp...D2%2Daldlobd1u

 

yes, way too much.

there's another site you can try other than the one i gave you in the PM, dammit it escapes me at the moment........

try giving a yell at www.thirdgen.org -- lots of members there with OBD1, and i'll bet dollars to donuts you'll get several offers. try here as well, in the C4 tune section..........

USB or serial port in your laptop? mention this when you ask.

 

Thanks. I ordered the chip today. $250. If anyone wants my old one, it's $125. Still have the original receipt and such. Cost me $250 at the time.

 

Alvin did my chip and helped big time with some bugs I had to work out.

 

Thats the one! Are you going to use Datamaster?

 

I downloaded Datamaster. After I get everything set up I'll run Datamaster and send Alvin the files for his review.

 

**** up just be double sure you downloaded the correct s/w analyzer.

i take it you're not squeaky-cheap like me, i loitered thirdgen.org and got my cable for $15. its a serial-port version, as the cheap laptop i bought was $50 on ebay, it was older and had only a serial port, no USB.........i take it your laptop has only USB input, so you got the appropriate cable?

 

Datamaster doesnt support the '85 ECM. Neither does TunerPro RT. Is there one that does?

 

demon, post your question on the C4 tune section.....and/or go to thirdgen.org and post your question in tech section.....tons of experience there.

 

Yep, USB only. I'll probably use it then sell it on the forum. I have no need for it after the chip is tuned.

It pays to be my friend. Every time I upgrade people I know get things real cheap/free.

 

you may want to keep that cable anyway. its very useful to capture data and have it analyzed if you're experiencing driveability issues sometime down the road (not chip-related) -- like tps issues, 02 sensor, etc. really, i would just keep it.

be your friend and save money? sign me up, when do we start!

you made the right decisions and are well on your way. congratulations!

 

Thanks, it's all a learning curve and I am trying to do it right the first time.