Opinion on what my motor problems are/ who to use for tuning?

[dorifto_240sx]

im pretty new to the website but i thought i'd ask a question since im having trouble...

Ive been working on a ka-t project for the last 10 months....first time i built the motor we had problems and had to get the cylinders re-machined.

Turbo : Turbonetics t3/t4 dual BBInjectors : RC 750ccPistons: WisecoRods: EagleHead: re-machined...but cams and valves are stock.

While the car was on the dyno the first time....it was running smooth. One piston melted....im assuming and being told that its from running too lean? and stock radiator for first hour of tuning made coolant boil. then got koyo.

2nd attempt.....The pistons are now Wiseco 90mm overbored from stock specs (due to problems and all the machining). All of the rest is the same....but now i have an immense amount of blow by and the timing is backed down to zero and the tuner is dumping a lot of fuel....and still had some problems with detonation for a while...

after it started running smooth again we ran it up to 5000 rpm but it had a lot less horsepower than the first tune and the boost was kicking in almost too early.... he let off the throttle...the car died and never started back up again

we checked compression

1st cylinder: NONE2nd cylinder: NONE3rd cylinder:130 but weak4th cylinder: barely any

I would guess either head gasket or valves.....could the tuner be the problem that im encountering?

And generally....where would you recommend for bay area tuningi want a solid tune.

Any helpful imput is appreciated-Thanks

[Chris28]

What are you using as far as tuning goes? Being on the dyno is usually a good sign, but if you are using something like an SAFC to tune then that's not good at all. If you melted a piston and your coolant is boiling then I'd say you are running extremely lean. What is your air/fuel ratio in and out of boost? A solid tune in my opinion would consist of a mail order tune (enthalpy, jwt, I think efi specialist is a no go for a while) then get an SAFC and a reliable tuner to make small adjustments to the rom tune so you can get peak power output safely. Also invest in a wideband AFR gauge, it lets you know what is going on with your tune.

As far as the compression goes it sounds like you popped a head gasket. What does your oil look like? Have you done a leak down test yet? If you do that and see bubbles coming out of your radiator then it's definitely a head gasket.

[dorifto_240sx]

My bad for not putting in what im using for tuning.

I have Haltech EX6 because i wanted to have a really good setup and i was guided in that direction.

I have coil packs as well if that may make a difference....

I dont currently know the air/fuel ration for in or out of boost as of right now but i find out tomorrow when i get to see the map again.

oil is fine....havent checked coolant yet though.

thanks for the help.

[Chris28]

Hmmm I'm not familiar with fully stand alone units, but there are members here that are so I'll let them chime in with help on that.

Check your AFR's, they should be a little under 12 in boost, and around 14.7 out of boost. Idle might be a little higher, but not too much higher. If your tuner knows what he is doing all he would have had to do is load stock KA fuel map and compensate for the injectors, and pull the timing a bit in boost. Hopefully you get it worked out though, it seems like you have put quite a bit of money into this project.

[dorifto_240sx]

Thanks Chris for your imput and help.

i went to the shop yesterday and found out that the pistons had begun to melt on the sides and melted pieces were stuck to the cylinder walls....running hot and extremely lean i guess...but the AFR was above 12 in boost.....so im not sure what the tuner was doing.

We've come to the conclusion that i need someone else to tune the car. Changing the block to start with maybe a 10mm overbore because this block is maxxed out right now. i have put more than i'd like to admit into this project...but it will hopefully work out in the end.

Im having a tuner for Falcon come up from southern california at the end of this month. Which sounds very promising....

thanks again

[sorrowfulkiller]

get a damn tuner that knows how to tune your engine management!

I would have that f***ing guy pay for s***. You decided to use his services (which you paid for) to successfully tune your car, he should own up to his mistakes and pay for atleast new internals. If not then get a lawyer involved.

[dorifto_240sx]

thats why i posted the thread. lol. to see if anyone knew of a reputable place.

the problem i had was i believed he was a good tuner and knew what he was doing when i allowed him to put it on the dyno....

the tuner and the shop that built the motor are separate...but know eachother well. the shop has offered free labor on the rebuild, a new block for free and a guy who tunes cars produced by Falcon to tune it this upcoming time. so im at peace with the shop, they've treated me really well.

the "s*** causing destroyer of engines" that called himself a tuner has been removed.

ill post pictures and maybe a dyno sheet when its done. had almost 350hp to the wheels at 4500 rpm the first time around...

[sorrowfulkiller]

bwahahaha!!! serves him right.... now I'll take my leave, as I can't help to find you a good tuner