LittleBlue! 102 Posted July 9, 2019 Author Share Posted July 9, 2019 (edited) Sooo.... I bricked my factory ecu over the weekend. $30 for an ECU is not bad but another 4 credits are needed to tune the new ecu. I have 2 I haven't used but I need to buy 2 more for another $100. Tuning these torque based ecu is not coming easy but I made good progress before the scanner disconnected while writing a tune. I get the ecu on Sarurday and I'm going to start documenting the tuning process on YouTube. I will post videos from here on out to document the make it or break it stage. Have a great day! Edited July 10, 2019 by LittleBlue! thismarks 1 Link to post Share on other sites
thismarks 65 Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Sorry to hear about the brick. Just ordered most of the remaining parts for my turbo project. I'll be hopefully working with Calculated Chaos in NH on the tune once things get moving. Gt17 turbo has water cooling so... A few extra parts had to get ordered. I will split off and create a second post with details to hopefully give more insight on boosting the 1.4l spark. Shinobi777 and LittleBlue! 2 Link to post Share on other sites
LittleBlue! 102 Posted July 13, 2019 Author Share Posted July 13, 2019 Happy Friday! Big day for getting things back on track. My new ecu is installed and the car is back up and running. I actually ended up getting a sonic ecu but was able to write my spark file onto the ecu. It ended up saving me 2 credits so I saved $100. Time to start tuning the torque tables. Shinobi777 and thismarks 2 Link to post Share on other sites
LittleBlue! 102 Posted July 15, 2019 Author Share Posted July 15, 2019 Today was a very successful day as far as progress on driveability. I noticed the ecu was pulling a lot of timing and this was causing the pedal response to be non existent. I tinkered with a few spark tables and raised the minimum spark allowed to 5 degrees. The delay in throttle response is almost entirely gone now. I think I should be able to continue to dial in the air fuel ratio at partial and full throttle now. thismarks and Shinobi777 2 Link to post Share on other sites
LittleBlue! 102 Posted July 20, 2019 Author Share Posted July 20, 2019 (edited) While trying to tune my VE table I noticed my intake temps were a bit high so I finally finished my intake. I think I will get a nice edge for the opening but I like it. Intake temps are nice and cool now. I have made a lot of progress on tuning the car. Today I drove around dialing in the fueling and the responsiveness and power has been consistently improving. Edited July 21, 2019 by LittleBlue! thismarks and Shinobi777 2 Link to post Share on other sites
LittleBlue! 102 Posted July 26, 2019 Author Share Posted July 26, 2019 I wanted to replace the ebay blow off valve I bought with an aftermarket one from Forge designed for the Cruze turbo. It's for the prior generation Cruze and is not controlled by the ecu. I'll hang on to the stock one it replaces as it can be controlled by my stock ecu. The new one is controlled by a spring and can be changed. I have two springs that cruze and sonic owners report seeing up to 22 psi on. Not sure what this little thing will see but I'm going to try and get it as high as I can with E85. I also removed the bypass solenoid that is also controlled by the ecu. I have to do a bit of research on vacum lines for the set up because it is all foreign to me. My plan is to figure these lines out and reinstall the turbo to see what kind of boost it can build. I will link to some of the data logs and tunes once things are starting to dial in. Shinobi777 1 Link to post Share on other sites
zamlawls 11 Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 Dang. I havent been here in awhile. Glad to see you are still tinkering around with the turbo, and it seems like you are just about finished. LittleBlue! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
LittleBlue! 102 Posted August 2, 2019 Author Share Posted August 2, 2019 17 hours ago, zamlawls said: Dang. I havent been here in awhile. Glad to see you are still tinkering around with the turbo, and it seems like you are just about finished. Haha yeah, I have been tinkering for quite some time now. I took everything apart to make some final tweaks and I'm in the process of reassembly. I have a few minor parts ordered but after that I should be back to tuning. I'm hoping to see what kind of boost this thing can make as soon as possible. Shinobi777 1 Link to post Share on other sites
LittleBlue! 102 Posted August 3, 2019 Author Share Posted August 3, 2019 This morning I made a lot of progress on rerouting the exhaust. I still need one straight piece to connect the two sections but the hard work is done. I also received my section of charge pipe that will be replacing the section where the cheap ebay blow off valve used to be. Last item to gather is some vaccum hose and we're back in business with a base tune and improved system Shinobi777 1 Link to post Share on other sites
LittleBlue! 102 Posted August 7, 2019 Author Share Posted August 7, 2019 (edited) Almost done with the new exhaust. It has much more ground clearance than before which was my goal. I still need to put in a spot for the wideband but that should be no problem and then I will finish welding the seams off of the car. I couldn't help but start the car up early this morning before work and it sounds so much better! I fixed a few areas that had exhaust leaks. Last item to grab is vacuum lines and possibly a battery charger as this process has been draining the battery and my charger needs an upgrade. Hopefully, I can drive around this weekend and post a video of the current status and tuning process. Edited August 7, 2019 by LittleBlue! Shinobi777 1 Link to post Share on other sites
LittleBlue! 102 Posted August 12, 2019 Author Share Posted August 12, 2019 Road testing the rough base tune. I just took a little spin around the block to check fueling. There are still some really rich areas where you can hear it backfire. It's coming along though. I'm still thinking about taking it to get tuned on a dyno but I like to tinker with it too. Shinobi777 1 Link to post Share on other sites
zamlawls 11 Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 pretty cool man. you can really hear that thing spool up. LittleBlue! and Shinobi777 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Shinobi777 7 Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 This is one of the few builds I've followed on a forum (and YouTube) where the person actually follows through with the plan. I'm very glad you've made it this far. Makes me happy knowing I'm not the only one messing around with these lol. LittleBlue! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
LittleBlue! 102 Posted August 15, 2019 Author Share Posted August 15, 2019 I wouldn't call it a daily driver quite yet but I drove it 15 miles to work this morning. A fairly uneventful drive. I have upgraded the spring in the blow off valve to hold boost higher. At this point, I'm planning on scheduling a dyno tuning session once my bonus comes through. Fingers crossed. Stay tuned! Shinobi777 1 Link to post Share on other sites
LittleBlue! 102 Posted August 16, 2019 Author Share Posted August 16, 2019 (edited) Day 2 of driving the turbo spark to work. I put in a new tune and filled up on e85 before heading out. Still seeing backfires at about 4200 rpm but it is getting better. I had a video but removed due to error on my end. Better videos to come. Edited August 28, 2019 by LittleBlue! Shinobi777 1 Link to post Share on other sites
LittleBlue! 102 Posted August 16, 2019 Author Share Posted August 16, 2019 I installed a T-fitting in the intake manifold (white plastic T in picture) to hook up as my vacuum line for the blow off valve and my boost gauge so I know what the pressure is in the intake manifold. Unfortunately, this manifold absolute pressure sensor is not set up to read above atmospheric pressure and the ecu (e78) does not appear able to monitor above 1 bar (atmospheric pressure) This is not an end all issue but it does make tuning for boost a bit of a challenge (especially for a newbie like me) On a positive note, I hooked my boost gauge up and confirmed I am making boost. I'll post a video showing the guage while I drive but on the way home I think it was around 5psi. This was at 4,000 rpm or below and there are some areas where I may be leaking boost so that number should go up. Happy Friday! Shinobi777 1 Link to post Share on other sites
LittleBlue! 102 Posted August 17, 2019 Author Share Posted August 17, 2019 I finally ran the wideband wire and boost gauge vacuum line through the firewall. I like the placement of the gauges and do not miss the loose wires. Shinobi777 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Shinobi777 7 Posted August 26, 2019 Share Posted August 26, 2019 (edited) On 8/16/2019 at 7:06 PM, LittleBlue! said: I installed a T-fitting in the intake manifold (white plastic T in picture) to hook up as my vacuum line for the blow off valve and my boost gauge so I know what the pressure is in the intake manifold. Unfortunately, this manifold absolute pressure sensor is not set up to read above atmospheric pressure and the ecu (e78) does not appear able to monitor above 1 bar (atmospheric pressure) This is not an end all issue but it does make tuning for boost a bit of a challenge (especially for a newbie like me) On a positive note, I hooked my boost gauge up and confirmed I am making boost. I'll post a video showing the guage while I drive but on the way home I think it was around 5psi. This was at 4,000 rpm or below and there are some areas where I may be leaking boost so that number should go up. Happy Friday! https://www.summitracing.com/parts/nal-12592525 Good news..as far as the MAP sensor goes at least. Summit Racing sells the GM 3 bar sensors. Edited August 26, 2019 by Shinobi777 Grammar LittleBlue! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
thismarks 65 Posted August 27, 2019 Share Posted August 27, 2019 Good progress! Its great to see your still making headway. I'm still working with placement as there is very little room to fabricate a non-header attached turbo in the 2017. Shinobi777 and LittleBlue! 2 Link to post Share on other sites
LittleBlue! 102 Posted August 28, 2019 Author Share Posted August 28, 2019 On 8/27/2019 at 7:36 AM, thismarks said: Good progress! Its great to see your still making headway. I'm still working with placement as there is very little room to fabricate a non-header attached turbo in the 2017. Room was definitely an issue for me as well, I had to get an aftermarket radiator fan to create some space for my set up. True confession I removed the AC compressor and lines too. It's not ideal for a daily but I don't regret it too much. Windows down and turbo spool works for me Right now, I need to address a small oil leak where I tried the turbo oil feed in. I like the oil filter adapter you ordered so I might have to explore that or another T fitting. Once that's addressed I will be back to daily driving, logging, and tuning. Best of luck on your project, I'm excited to watch your progress! Shinobi777 1 Link to post Share on other sites
thismarks 65 Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 I will keep you in the loop. I will know soon if that adapter will work out. I am starting the project this weekend to make the room for things. I'll check to see if the adapter will work and note any modifications that need to be made if necessary. LittleBlue! and Shinobi777 2 Link to post Share on other sites
LittleBlue! 102 Posted September 5, 2019 Author Share Posted September 5, 2019 I finally fixed the last oil leak this morning. I kept thinking the issue was where the hose met the fitting but all I had to do was tighten the fitting on the other end a bit. A bit hard to reach with a wrench so I'm assuming that was a contibuting factor. Super happy it was an easy fix and I was just lazy and not really tackling the issue until now. Shinobi777 and thismarks 2 Link to post Share on other sites
LittleBlue! 102 Posted September 21, 2019 Author Share Posted September 21, 2019 (edited) While reading the HP tuners forum I came across a reference to a YouTube channel, Goat Rope Garage. I've watched a few videos that have been incredibly helpful and relevant for the 2014 Chevy spark ecu. Today, the host of the show announced an option for an hour session of one on one tuning for $75. I signed up today. You also get access to videos and can send files to have him review and provide feedback on throughout the month. Another great deal is $15 a month, you don't get the 1 on 1 hour session but you can watch the videos and send in your files as well. He also has a bunch of free content that has been really helpful. Anyways, I'm hoping to learn a ton. Edited September 21, 2019 by LittleBlue! Shinobi777 and thismarks 2 Link to post Share on other sites
LittleBlue! 102 Posted September 21, 2019 Author Share Posted September 21, 2019 Prelude owner to Chevy spark owner: "Is that thing turbo'd?" I got a kick out of this encounter while I was data logging today. thismarks and Shinobi777 2 Link to post Share on other sites
LittleBlue! 102 Posted September 21, 2019 Author Share Posted September 21, 2019 (edited) On 8/25/2019 at 8:45 PM, Shinobi777 said: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/nal-12592525 Good news..as far as the MAP sensor goes at least. Summit Racing sells the GM 3 bar sensors. I'm going to ask about this during my tuning session. The sonic and cruze have the same ecu and turbo so I think I may be misinformed on what is possible. Maybe the stock setup is sufficient or I can add the MAP sensor you mention. To be continued. Edited September 21, 2019 by LittleBlue! Shinobi777 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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