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Kevin Doe
April 18th, 2008, 12:00 AM
I've been having a discussion over PMs the last day or so, and I figured I'd post it for everyone to see....



In the warmer weather is seems as if the car is bucking more at light throttle and also with no throttle. I've read your idle tuning thread several times and really tried to wrap my head around what is going on, and how all those things tie together. It would be really great if I could see the logic diagrams, but thats a pipe dream.

I see you talk about increasing the TF multiplier and and also increasing the decay rate. I hate to arbitrarily be chaning the table w/o some data to drive the change. That leads to me think that logging data while I'm getting bucking will tell me what I need to know. Things like how much to increase the mulitplier, how much to increase the decay rate, and where to change it.

My real question here is what are the right parameters to log for this. Do you have a fairly comprehensive list of parameters that I could log that will tell me the whole story. Also, can you explain how i look at the data and what I'm really looking for while its bucking. I assume I look in the region at the onset of bucking and go from there.

I get bucking both in the light throttle and no throttle regions. Usually only able to get out of it by giving it a lot of throttle for a minute, or pushing the clutch in. I have an MS4 cam for reference, so I'm sure thats dirving a lot of the bucking (not even sure if I'll be able to remove all the bucking). I also have poly motor/trans mounts, and poly diff mounts. My car is a RX-7 with an LS1/T56 and a Ford Cobra independent diff. So everything is mounted pretty rigidly and there is no forgiveness to any bucking.

Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
Kevin




In my experience, bucking at low RPMs comes from timing jumping around, incorrect timing, and incorrect IAC airflow. You can see the effects of the TC/TF by logging their pids along with IACDES_B. Ideally, you have the base desired airflow values that reference temp. Then, for off throttle, non-idle control, the throttle cracker is responsible for getting the airflow right. Throttle follower builds off the cracker when in non-idle and throttle is applied. Idle and non-idle is determined by B0107 and B0108.

Same goes for timing. If you're not in idle mode, the spark adjusters are suspended. Therefore, you're relying on your high/low and base spark tables. The table you're in (base or high/low) is determined by B5916 and B5917. Personally, the approach I took was to say - look at the base spark table for all off-throttle timing regardless of speed. That meant setting B5916 & B5917 to 1.19% and 255mph. Then, I could set decel and idle timing in the base tables and adjust the on-throttle timing in the high/low tables. Remember, you want to minimize the timing from jumping around too much when off the throttle. Therefore, getting it to idle smoothly with as little timing as possible is helpful. Then, between idle and ~2000rpm, increase it very slowly. You shouldn't need more than 35* of timing anywhere above 2K in the base table. For the on-throttle (high/low tables), try setting the timing lower than you think would work for the low rpm, low airflow cells. Better yet, experiment in an empty parking lot with the bi-di controls. Try something crazy like 15 degrees. Trial and error is about the only way you're going to find what the car likes - there no magic formula.

Hope this helps some...

Jeff




Thanks for taking the time to reply. After reading your reply and looking at my tune and various logs I think I have my timing under control. I'm thinking the issue is from the airflow being off.

I have done the RAFIG process recently up a cold startup to operating temp and updated the values in the desired airflow table. They look nice and smooth. During the bucking I see the timing movin around maybe 3 degrees during the swings, but that looks to be driven due to the rpms moving aruond. I think it seems like an effect, not the cause.

Now a few questions. When I log IACDES_B, should that be the value in the desired airflow table at the current operating temp? If not, how is that calculated?

So in the non-idle region the TC/TF are responsible for getting airflow right. From what I understand, I would want the sum of TC and TF airflow to equal the desired IAC airflow (IACDES_B).

Forgive me if these seem like dumb questions.



IACDES_B will show the final value of airflow desired from the IAC (like the name says). So, base (desired) airflow, learned airflow trims (LTIT/STIT), TC, TF, etc...

A 3 degree swing in timing is more than just a side effect. It's contributing to the problem. I noticed some light surging even when timing changed from 23.5 to 24 degrees on my car. The problem was, that little 1/2 degree change created enough of a surge to cause the next rpm jump to create a 1 degree of timing swing...which then amplified higher. It's like ripples in a pond. Once the process starts, it can grow rather quickly if you have steep changes in your timing maps. That cam should take any more than 25 degrees to idle in an M6. I'd be willing to bet you could get it done with ~23 degrees assuming the desired airflow is set up for that timing value and the fueling isn't too rich.

If you don't mind taking a look at my tune I'd appreciate it. It doesn't look like I can attach a .tun file here on a PM, so I'll make a thread out of this. I'm sure there are some others that may be interested in this information as well. I guess it can't hurt. I'll also attach a log. Its a log from a track day I did at a road course. As I was pulling off the track I was getting some throttle on surging. I didn't have the important stuff logged, but I do have timing and DYNCYLAIR_DMA, and various other parameters. The surging occurs from frame 10130 to 10170. There also appears to be some light surging from frame 65 to frame 110. I'll try and get out this weekend and log some more important PIDs during the surging.

The log file is from the april 7th BBL update, so I'm not sure you can see it if you don't have the beta software or not. Well here they are.

Also, if you notice anything else that looks odd with my tune please don't feel shy to let me know.

Thanks again.

SSpdDmon
April 18th, 2008, 01:16 AM
I'll take a look this weekend if I get a minute. :)

Kevin Doe
April 22nd, 2008, 01:05 AM
I just took a nice long log today with all the proper PIDs. I'll get it uploaded when I get home from work. I tried to hit the "mark" button or whatever its called to mark a spot on the log so its easily identifiable. If not I'll have to get the frame numbers where I was getting the bucking.

SSpdDmon
April 22nd, 2008, 01:58 AM
Yeah...totally forgot. :angel_innocent:

PM me and remind me to check it out one night this week.

Kevin Doe
April 22nd, 2008, 11:08 AM
I logged some data this morning. I think it should have everything necessary to really understand what is going on with the airflow. When you get a chance to look at the data, let me konw what you're really looking for in the data to determine what changes need to be made in the tune.

Ok, here are some breakdowns of the logs. Look at the frames I have listed specifically.

4-22-08 Bucking 1.efi
490-530
910-1010
1650-1680
2690-2840
3500-3530
3710-3790
3930-3990

4-22-08 Bucking 2.efi
960-1090

I appreciate the help. I really do.

SSpdDmon
April 22nd, 2008, 11:28 AM
Son of a....

I'm still running 7.4 and can't open the files.

During the surging, what do you see happening?

Is the IACDES_B being logged? If so, what's it doing?

What about TC or TF?

What's spark doing?

Can you post the tune?

Kevin Doe
April 22nd, 2008, 12:00 PM
I posted the tune in my first post. Let me look at the logs here. I'll make a nice dash page and post some screen shots.

Kevin Doe
April 22nd, 2008, 12:41 PM
Ok I made some screen shots during the bucking parts.
The pics are big, but only so you cans see the data properly. I hope its not an inconvience.

Here are the PIDs I logged.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l55/Kevin_Doe/RX-7/PIDs.jpg

And the screen shots.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l55/Kevin_Doe/RX-7/Bucking6.jpg

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l55/Kevin_Doe/RX-7/Bucking5.jpg

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l55/Kevin_Doe/RX-7/Bucking4.jpg

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l55/Kevin_Doe/RX-7/Bucking3.jpg

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l55/Kevin_Doe/RX-7/Bucking2.jpg

Kevin Doe
April 22nd, 2008, 12:42 PM
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l55/Kevin_Doe/RX-7/Bucking1.jpg

SSpdDmon
April 22nd, 2008, 03:09 PM
Hmmm...interesting. Timing doesn't seem to be jumping around too much. I'd suggest trying to play around with the bi-di controls to see if more or less timing would help. You could also do the same with the IAC - see if more or less airflow would help.

Aside from that, the only other thing I can think of is....it seems your AFR is pretty rich when the surging is set in motion. Once it gets going, it's like ripples in a pond. I wonder if that would be the culprit here? Before playing with the bi-di's, try to figure out why it's going rich there. If you can stop that from happening, I'd be willing to bet it will help your issue a lot. :)

5.7ute
April 22nd, 2008, 04:42 PM
Subscribing.
I am having the same sort of issue with a cam surge at 1700 rpm that I can not get rid of. Hopefully this thread might help.

dfe1
April 23rd, 2008, 12:24 PM
How much camshaft in the engine? Also, try logging air flow grams/cylinder and see if the surging is specific to a particular degree of engine load. I'm guessing that the surging will be most pronounced when load is around .20 grams/cyl.

Kevin Doe
April 23rd, 2008, 01:35 PM
I have an MS4 cam. 239/242, .649"/.609" 111 LSA

I looked and it appears that all the buckin is between 0.17 - 0.23 g/cyl. What does this tell you?

Today I tried modifying my tune, and I have updated it to this. Basically brought up the TF a bit. I also moved up the RPM Low Drive learned airflow correction. It seems to have helped with bucking. I'm still getting some bucking between 1500 rpms and 2000 rpms just cruising, but it seems much less pronounced. Looking at the logs everything is dead steady. It might just be a characteristic of the large cam.

dfe1
April 23rd, 2008, 02:17 PM
I think the issue is the camshaft. I have a 232/236/114 and the surging is only at less than 20 gm/cyl-- which makes sense because it's a milder cam. It appears the surging is caused by reversion in the intake manifold (a consequence of an over-enthusiastic camshaft). I've got it down to a very slight surge, and it doesn't do it consistently. I've logged TPS, TF and TC and timing and nothing moves, during the surge-- except air flow, which indicates flow changes without throttle movement. I'll let you know when I nail things down better.

SSpdDmon
April 23rd, 2008, 03:08 PM
I have an MS4 cam. 239/242, .649"/.609" 111 LSA

I looked and it appears that all the buckin is between 0.17 - 0.23 g/cyl. What does this tell you?

Today I tried modifying my tune, and I have updated it to this. Basically brought up the TF a bit. I also moved up the RPM Low Drive learned airflow correction. It seems to have helped with bucking. I'm still getting some bucking between 1500 rpms and 2000 rpms just cruising, but it seems much less pronounced. Looking at the logs everything is dead steady. It might just be a characteristic of the large cam.
Something I forgot to mention with your tune when I was looking....make sure if you're playing with timing, the values in the low octane table are not higher than the high octane. It looked like you pulled some timing down low on one, but not the other.

As for the changes you said you made to "RPM Low Drive learned airflow correction," if you're talking about B4514...that has no effect when you're driving down the road. It changes how fast or slow the idle trims respond. What most likely did effect your tune was the changes you made to the follower. ;)

SSpdDmon
April 23rd, 2008, 03:30 PM
Something else to try...

Copy over the high/low octane timing tables (only) from this tune and see if it helps. I pulled a few degrees.

:)

Kevin Doe
April 23rd, 2008, 04:18 PM
Something I forgot to mention with your tune when I was looking....make sure if you're playing with timing, the values in the low octane table are not higher than the high octane. It looked like you pulled some timing down low on one, but not the other.

As for the changes you said you made to "RPM Low Drive learned airflow correction," if you're talking about B4514...that has no effect when you're driving down the road. It changes how fast or slow the idle trims respond. What most likely did effect your tune was the changes you made to the follower. ;)

I may have made a mistake on the high/low timin tables. My intent was to have the low octane table two degrees less timing than the high. I must have forgot to update the low octane.

I understand the B4514 has nothing to do with the bucking. I just was pointing out that I made a change there as well. I probalby should have pointed that out.

I just bumped up the TF in the 1200-2000 rpm range another 2%. I'll dirve it like that tomorrow and evaluate. After that I'll try new timing table you provided if I"m still having isues.

What made you want to try less timing as opposed to more?

I've attached the tune I"m going to be trying tomorrow during my work day commute.

SSpdDmon
April 24th, 2008, 01:08 AM
What made you want to try less timing as opposed to more?
Think about what what is happening in the rpms down low. The idea that gets thrown around a lot is the concept of overlap and the effects it has. That's why some tuners say on cams with a significant amount of overlap, even a WBO2 can't help you because of the amount of unburnt fuel/oxygen escaping through to the exhaust will throw off the sensor. Because of this 'inefficiency' at low RPMs, I think there's not as much of a burn mixture that's actually trapped in the cylinders once the valves are closed. Without as much to ignite, it shouldn't require as much timing. At least, that's my theory.

dfe1
April 24th, 2008, 02:42 AM
I think part of the issue is that we're trying to run engines at rpm/load settings for which they're not suitable. "Back in the day", if an engine had a cam with much more than 220 degrees of duration at 50, the car in which it was installed had a 3.70+ ratio rear axle and a 4-speed transmission. As a result, rpm was always in the 2,000+ range under cruise conditions.

Reversion is another issue. Back in the 70s, some racers ran individual runner intake manifolds (no plenum) with dual four-barrel carbs. When engines equipped with these systems were run on a dyno, you could literally see a gas mist above the carburetors at low rpm (fuel stand-off). That was a result of undamped exhaust reversion pulsing back through the intake system. You don't have that with a plenum-style manifold because mixture kick-back from one cylinder is absorbed by another, but the reversion pulses are still there.

With electronic fuel injection, fuel is injected under pressure, as opposed to being vacuumed out of a carburetor, so fuel handling is a lot cleaner and you can actually drive a car at absurdly low engine speeds given the amount of camshaft installed. But again, the reversion pulses are still present and although their effects can be minimized, I'm not convinced they can be completely eliminated.

jfpilla
April 25th, 2008, 01:30 AM
Is it bucking or surging?

Kevin Doe
April 25th, 2008, 02:28 AM
Is it bucking or surging?

Ummmmmm. I thought most people used them interchangably. For me to answer that question, I'll need your definition of what each means.

jfpilla
April 25th, 2008, 04:26 AM
Ummmmmm. I thought most people used them interchangably. For me to answer that question, I'll need your definition of what each means.

Surging is sort of a rolling increase and decrease in RPMs.
Bucking is like what happens when a new driver takes off in first or you drive too slow, for the gear you are in, with a manual shift.

Kevin Doe
April 25th, 2008, 05:04 AM
Ok, I am getting bucking.

Kevin Doe
April 25th, 2008, 05:11 AM
Ok, I am getting bucking.

jfpilla
April 25th, 2008, 05:52 AM
dfe1 commented about how, in the old days, the main way to eliminate idle issues caused by cams was to raise the idle. It's not that different today.
FWIW:
B4307 looks low from 44 and up.
B4309 needs values in the 1000 and 1600 rpm lines. I would try to introduce some cruise or hanging idle and then back off.

Kevin Doe
April 25th, 2008, 06:07 AM
dfe1 commented about how, in the old days, the main way to eliminate idle issues caused by cams was to raise the idle. It's not that different today.
FWIW:
B4307 looks low from 44 and up.
B4309 needs values in the 1000 and 1600 rpm lines. I would try to introduce some cruise or hanging idle and then back off.



B4307 - Desired Airflow. I set that table from what the motor needs to stay at the desired idle speed. I used the RAFIG parameter to adjust those. If I raise those values, then the corrections (short term and long term) will just pull it back down. I don't see how this will make any changes when the net airflow will still be the same.

B4309 - Throttle Cracker Airflow in Gear. You suggest adding airflow in the 1000 and 1600 rpm cells. I'm assuming that will help with the off throttle bucking. Will this also help with on throttle bucking? I'll give it a try and see what happens.

jfpilla
April 25th, 2008, 06:47 AM
I haven't found the RAF process to be absolute. When it's set to low the car won't idle and it doesn't seem to correct. It appears to be the base airflow table.
The bucking, when giving it gas, could be caused by the throttle follower.
Some will 0 out B4312 and B4311, after getting frustrated and leave it that way. That turns off the TC and TF. I found it useful to do that to try and determine if the DAF is correct. The car should come down to idle with them off when you lift from the gas. Because of my 3600 stall it's a pain tuning the TCracker so I just 0 the parameter table to 24/23. It never surges and it's easy.

SSpdDmon
April 25th, 2008, 07:43 AM
Just to clarify, B4307 can be inaccurate and the car will still be ok. This is because the idle trims adjust to this. If you add in too much or take out too much from B4307, it may be troublesome as the ECT's change. But once things get to one constant temp, you have the allowed range of the LTIT's and the STIT's to get the car to idle correctly.

And again, TF is there to suppliment on-throttle control of the IAC whereas TC is there to suppliment off-throttle control of the IAC. Because TC is active virtually anytime the vehicle is in motion, it is wise to try and figure this table out first. TF will be added on top of this once back on the throttle.

jfpilla
April 26th, 2008, 02:56 AM
This might save some time.

The Alchemist
April 26th, 2008, 09:20 AM
just my 2 cents from the 1 "Big" cam we did recently on a LS1
1: timing is a bit too low at 23 deg as is yout idle speed.
try getting a nice idle at say 1100rpm/25 deg timing. Don't for get to adjust your throttle plate with the set screw to get the IAC counts to between 30 to 40. This helps a lot !.
2: redo the rafig once this is set up
3: closely monitor where the timing cells track to just off closed throttle and put 30 to 32 degs in these cells to support the engine once under load, this is between 1100 and about 1500rpm, after that you would pull timing gradually of course.
If your bucking is JUST off idle then I found that timing had the biggest effect on correcting it. Ie not enough timing > bucking 20 to 25 deg. Once the timing was around 30 deg the bucking stopped and the car just smoothed out and would drive at 5 to 10km/hr no problems and the lightest of throttle openings.
hope this helps.
Mike

tazinhawaii
May 11th, 2008, 12:27 PM
Doing a search for this exact topic since I'm at my wits end. I too have some pretty bad bucking at 1600 RPM and only with VERY light throttle. If I accelerate through 1600 RPM, there's no bucking and if my foots off the accelerator at 1600 RPM there is no bucking. I have roadrunner and have tried changing base spark, high/low octane spark, desired airflow, VE table in this area (1600 RPM and around .2 g/cyl). All with no effect. The logs do show about 10 degree timing swings when this happens. I tried logging every timing related PID and the numbers just don't add up either... Base spark or run spark with smoothing doesn't equal actual timing (all other PIDs were 0). I'll try adding TC around 1600 RPM, but it doesn't seem to be speed related at all (happens in gears 1-4 and I think I can feel it in 5th, but due to gearing, it's not that pronounced). Anyone find something that works who has experienced these conditions?

Derrick

tazinhawaii
May 31st, 2008, 06:14 PM
Did you ever solve your problems with the bucking?? If so, what worked?

Here's an log and my tune file for anyone that can come up with some ideas for mine... I stopped the log while it was bucking and it's pretty apparent where the bucking is occurring.

Derrick

Kevin Doe
March 7th, 2009, 03:49 PM
I had the bucking pretty much under wraps. Then I installed COS3 and seems to have made it come back. I'm working on getting rid of it again.

Highlander
July 11th, 2009, 06:07 PM
My bucking on my pops z06 is coming from idle swinging off throttle pretty much. When you put the cruise control and you get to too low TPS it will start bucking... There is no way I can make the computer vary the timing while in this situation. I had 0'd out the idle over/under tables and timing still jumps around... all tables correlate with timing on the areas and I don't see why it's swinging at that light TPS.