30 Jul 2010
LS1 Tuning with EFILive

Ok - so new vehicle, a functional LS1.  Car has longtube headers, ported MAF, a giant K&N setup, and true dual exhaust (3 inch through an X pipe, dumping before the rear axle)... and it has the stock 98 TA tune.  That won't do.

I've claimed several times on this site to be an idiot, and that applies here as well.  I ain't an expert on this, but I did drive past a Holiday Inn Express earlier today.  I have the level of experience one gains by doing this once.

Obviously the first step was to do the basics -- turn off EGR and AIR, disable CAGS, disable the rear O2 sensors, disable all the emissions that might later throw a code.  That's simple stuff; I did all that on my old Z28 as well.

This EFILive document details how one does a Calc.VE tune.  Next step was to calibrate the MAF.  That was relatively easy -- it worked out to roughly a 10% boost all the way through.

Next up needed to install the wideband O2 sensor (an Innovate LC-1 that I've had in the box on the shelf for five years now).  A few interesting learnings from that -- and the reason why I actually added an update for this work -- follows.

Per the instructions, red goes to a switched 12v source; black goes through the calibration button and through the LED, then to ground.

Blue and white go to vehicle ground.  They do NOT connect to pin D of the Flashscan.

If you have a FlashScan v2, you can use the WO2AFR1 and WO2AFR2 PIDs.  If you have a v1, like I do, those PIDs don't work -- you have to use EXT.AD1 and EXT.AD2 to get the raw voltages, and BEN_LC11 and AFR_LC11 (for connection to pin C) or BEN_LC12 and AFR_LC12 (for connection to pin E).

With the LC-1 itself - a few things there, too:

If'n you get lost, or confused, don't be afraid to go hit the EFILive forums.  They're very helpful.

I still have work to do; I haven't done anything that involves full throttle tuning (hell, I've floored the car a whopping twice in the whole time I've owned it; not convinced yet that I trust the car enough to beat on it).

Go back to the previous day (4 Jul 2010)