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NA VCT timing -tuning suggestions please


adhdesigns

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Hi Everyone,

I've been mucking around with pcmtec for a little while now and I've been really pleased with the results.

I started by getting injectors right (turns out that aftermarket ones aren't actually the same as stock ones) by changing the injector slopes to match actual. 

Then new extractors and the associated changing of the AUF0061 values using LTFT data logging. Somewhere around the middle of this process the intake manifold gasket failed without me noticing - fixed that - LTFT stays within 2% between petrol fills. Very happy.

Love driving this car.

 

Now to the question....

Lately I was watching a Haltec video about tuning the VCT in a Nissan "something or another" in which they have a two stage Cam solinoid and they showed how to get the most out of that situation (trigger it after 5000rpm) and get more area under the torque curve. At the end of the video they suggested that there was even more to be gained from VCT in our Barras. Ok great, how do we do that!?

I've had a look for any info on the forums and I haven't  found much on the topic. Someone suggested there was possible power from a few degrees change -which way? The only thing that I have found is a note that Roland made in 2021 to someone who had done a barra swap into their land cruiser who was saying that torque was low - Roland suggested adjusting 

 "the VCT intake timing and set it up as per the full throttle timing at part throttle, this will remove the pseudo EGR (exhaust gas re circulation) that Ford use to dilute the intake charge. You'll make sightly more torque but you'll find that it definitely uses more fuel at cruise."

So now looking at this table has only left me with more questions. Is the highest load scale really the best timing for the cam? Or has ford limited the power output to save the engine? Can I just leave the settings below the first 3 rows and copy the top down over what is left? How can I test the outcome I only have the roadDYNO. I'm very interested in your ideas.

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Changing it at low load is a waste of fuel imo. You want your car to use frig all fuel when tootling around but when you floor it you don't care. FYI you'll use about 20% more fuel for no gain if you change it in the low load areas.

When you log it, you can see what load numbers it uses through the rpm range and at various throttle positions. It'll be along the 0.9 and 1.0 lines mostly at WOT. While you're logging, see what it is at 100kph cruise. It'll be around 0.4 load mostly. Even 50% tps will have around 0.8 load.

Have a look at the most aggressive part of the WOT cam timing. It's easy to spot cos instead of positive numbers, it'll have negative numbers up to about 3000rpm or whatever. Copy this entire row and paste it to 0.8 load, up to the highest load point. Using this very simple method you'll have the extra acceleration that advancing the cam timing provides, while still keeping stock fuel economy at cruise. As far as testing the outcome you either put it on a real dyno or use virtual dyno. You'll feel it anyway, it makes quite a considerable difference to how the car drives.

Something to keep in mind is this raises cylinder pressure at lower rpm so will tolerate less ign timing, but this isn't an issue when the knock sensors are switched on. Needless to say you have to run your car on 98 to realize power gains, anything less will have the knock sensors pulling timing non stop.

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So I had a look at one of my latest data logs

image.thumb.png.011e998e582638f37ca1060871f701de.png

and here is my intake VCT table

image.thumb.png.0c3f151c0bd4a85bbde7a5afe228729d.png

So it seems like load when I'm normally driving doesn't get above 0.6. Above that clearly I can paste the 0.9 row. Or perhaps just adjust the 0.7 row by splitting the difference between the 0.6 and 0.9 rows. It's interesting that they didn't bother with a 0.8 row. There is quite a ramp up between the 0.7 and 0.9 rows. I will try this one out today and report back soon. 

image.thumb.png.1621fbffc8c195bdd012516f1359e2c1.png

Cheers for the help Roland and Puffwagon.

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Are you logging the correct load? Those units looks incorrect. Can you see if there is another load parameter you can log? 

What edition of the software (pro?) and which osid are you using? I will get it checked to see if there is an error on our end, the units should show 0-1.0 not 1,000.

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Like Puffwagon said I was logging rpm against throttle position. The throttle position axis for some strange reason labeled itself "Load". Anyway it let me see where and how often I see the high loads and hopefully I don't throw away my fuel economy. We will see. I took it for a run today. No complaints and I'm pleased with what I noticed.

Need to drive it some more.

Cheers folks

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  • 7 months later...
On 6/23/2023 at 5:04 PM, adhdesigns said:

Like Puffwagon said I was logging rpm against throttle position. The throttle position axis for some strange reason labeled itself "Load". Anyway it let me see where and how often I see the high loads and hopefully I don't throw away my fuel economy. We will see. I took it for a run today. No complaints and I'm pleased with what I noticed.

Need to drive it some more.

Cheers folks

Did you have any further play with the cam timming? Get any noteworthy results?

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  • 6 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Bf Fairmont

You should really use your cars tables as even though you might find differences between models they seem to be like that because of the specifics of the head or manifolds that they were first fitted with. 

Interestingly the later model heads have different geometry where the engineers were trying to modify the swirl characteristics.

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36 minutes ago, adhdesigns said:

Bf Fairmont

You should really use your cars tables as even though you might find differences between models they seem to be like that because of the specifics of the head or manifolds that they were first fitted with. 

Interestingly the later model heads have different geometry where the engineers were trying to modify the swirl characteristics.

Yeah BF NA in my BA, with BA PCM,

when used a BAF6 strategy with the VCT tables from the original BA tune I started to get knock,

 

So when I put the stock timing tables for the VCT overlap the back to the BAF6 tune the the knock disappeared.

 

But since that I've also copied the tables from .9 and pasted that in .8 and .7,

Leaned out the WOT at high RPM and enriched the low RPM side

 

Between .85 lambda to .83, low RPM to High RPM at 80% and WOT had a noticeable difference,

 

But before my fuel trims were at 2% they're now at 5% so going to have to correct that somehow....

 

Newbie btw to tuning. 

 

 

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