How to Tune Idle in aem series 2



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How to Tune Idle in AEM Series 2”

Final Project: Technical paper



Vlad’s Performance Engineering

4/26/2013

By: Vlad Yevtushenko

AEM Series 2 Idle Tuning

Table of Contents

Abstract………………………………………………………………………..……pg. 3

Glossary…………………………………………………………………….………pg. 4

Getting Started………………………………………………………………….…..pg. 5

Pre-tune steps……………………………………………………………………….pg. 6

Tuning Idle……………………………………………………...…………………..pg. 7

Works Cited………………………………………………….………..……………pg. 12

Three reviewers…………………………………………….………………………pg. 13

Professional review……………………………………….………………………..pg. 14

Abstract

Every individual owning a vehicle with the AEM series 2 ECU or something of similar nature runs into a problem or two almost guaranteed. Most of the complaints that are heard include either the vehicle not starting or poor idle characteristics. The OEM manufactures are great at getting the car to start and idle, but once you start doing modifications to your car things are not so easy. This article will focus on solving one of your major problems. Extensive research has been done to ensure that the idle tuning process goes as smooth as possible, and makes your experience a pleasant one. AEM user manuals, EFI University documentation, and extensive personal experience on my own vehicle have been done to ensure the most accurate and helpful information is included. After the research was combined and translated for your understanding I was able to present to you a “how to” document on tuning idle in your AEM Series 2 equipped vehicle.



Glossary

AEM- Advanced Engine Management. Performance company based out of California.

Boost- Pressure above atmospheric that can be achieved by a turbocharger or supercharger to increase engine performance

Dynamometer- Tuning tool that allows a vehicle to be strapped onto it to simulate road conditions. The dynamometer is a useful tuning tool because it can also display power and torque output.

ECU- Electronics control unit. The brains of an automobile

Tuning- Process of programming an ECU to operate an engine efficiently and properly.

RPM- Rotations per minute or engine speed.

VPE- Vlad’s Performance Engineering

Getting Started

Before getting started on the idle tuning process we have to make sure all the needed sensors are working properly. In order to have a good idling car you will need an idle motor, coolant temperature sensor, air temperature sensor, O2 wideband sensor, and throttle position sensor. The idle motor is what allows air to enter your engine while your throttle plate is closed. Tuning idle without an idle motor is possible, but you can achieve much better results using one. The coolant temperature sensor tells your ECU how cold or hot your engine is. This is important because on a cold engine you will want your idle RPM to be higher and slowly drop the RPM when the engine warms up. It is also crucial because a cold engine requires more fuel to operate and after it is warmed up a leaner air fuel mixture can be used. One of the last sensors you have to check is the intake air temperature sensor (IAT). This sensor tells you the temperature of the air your engine is breathing. Once again colder air is denser air and requires more fuel than hot air. The last sensor you have to check is the O2 sensor. It is preferred that you use a wideband o2 sensor in order to get more precise displace of air to fuel ratios (AFR). AEM sells the wideband sensor and gauge for a very affordable price. You will need to install this sensor according to the instructions and make sure to connect the proper wire to your ECU so that the air to fuel ratio is displayed on your gauge and your ECU. This will allow the ECU to make corrections based on the AFR. The image to your right will show you where to look to ensure proper operation of the mentioned sensors. The displaced channels can be found by clicking the “Idle” tab found at the top. If the values next to said sensors make sense and change according to temperatures outside you can assume they are working properly. If you suspect one of the sensors are not working properly refer to your owner’s manual and get the problem corrected before proceeding.

(AEM Electronics et al., 2013)



Pre-tune Steps

Ensure your vehicle starts and somewhat runs before tuning your idle. If your vehicle does not start please refer to the “How to tune startup in AEM Series 2” document before proceeding. This document can be found by contacting VPE.




Start by going to the tab at the top of your screen called “Wizards”, then “Set Throttle Range Wizard”. A dialogue box named “Set Throttle Range Wizard” will pop up. You will be able to see the voltage from your TPS sensor along with two buttons named “Set TPS Volts Min” and “Set TPS Volts Max”. See the picture below for reference.

Next, we will look at the “idle options” table. This table will have to be set up correctly in order for your idle to function properly. I will go over most of the important options you have to set, but the other options can be explained by the help window found in your software. This window can be found by clicking on the option you are interested in and then clicking “help” at the top proceeded by “tuning explanation”. Let’s start by looking at the image below. The first and second items listed refer to when your engine should be idling. The current settings tell the ECU to idle anytime it’s above 400 RPM and below 1700 RPM. Aside from that criteria the ECU also needs to see the TP position as less than 2.3% and turn off the idle function once the TPS sensor reads over 2.3%. This value needs to be set 1 or 2 percent above your normal resting idle position which can be found in your “idle channels” window with your foot off the throttle. The “Idle FB Min”, and “Idle FB Max” options are what tells your idle motor how much control it has. The -16.4 value is the maximum percentage amount the ECU can take away to maintain your target idle. The 34.4 value is the maximum percentage amount the ECU can add in order to maintain target idle. The next two options are set to -100, and 100. These options are the RPM you are allowing the target idle to be off by. So if your idle is set to 1000RPM and your engine is actually idling at 1050RPM the ECU won’t make any changes. Once your actual RPM and your target RPM are off by 100 RPM or more than it will take the necessary actions to correct it. For a heavily modified engine 100 is a good value to use. Most factory engines you can use 50 or 75 for a more precise idle. The rest of the options are related to the speed of your idle correction and can be further explained via the AEM software in the help menu. Those values can be left alone unless you run into idle problems in the future.



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