Just installed VT Stage1's today, no tune, HELP!

Gearhead91 · Jan 28, 2008

I have an '02 GT. I just spent all day outside in the driveway doing my VT stage 1 cams. (It is 35 degrees out! . I'm a dope, couldn't wait)
How should me car run without a tune?? It idles like stage 3 cams and doesn't really seem like its making more power. I know the ECU has to relearn everything since I disconnected the battery. Can the ECU eventually learn and handle the stage 1's or is it outside the stock tune parimeters?

MY MODS: CAI, 70mmTB, Elbow, Midlength headers, offroad x, magnaflow exhaust, UD pullies.

Anything helps guys!!

CobraRed_96_GT · Jan 28, 2008

idle might be kinda rough, but it should be able to handle stage 1 pretty well. Get a video maybe.

Gearhead91 · Jan 28, 2008

just found my MAF was unplugged and i drove it around trying to get the ecu to adapt. Im going to reset my computer, plug it in, and see what happens tommarow on the way to work. thanks for the reply. you always seem to be the first one to reply to my treads! thanks

CobraRed_96_GT · Jan 28, 2008

Gearhead91 said:
just found my MAF was unplugged and i drove it around trying to get the ecu to adapt. Im going to reset my computer, plug it in, and see what happens tommarow on the way to work. thanks for the reply. you always seem to be the first one to reply to my treads! thanks

yeah, that would definitely cause the problem. Luckily it wasn't too lean to cause any real problems. Me being the first to respond either means i'm really helpful or i have no life - i'd like the think it's a combo of the two.

Gearhead91 · Jan 28, 2008

haha! Well that makes 2 of us.
I do have a wideband in the car and A/f was accually kinda rich with it unplugged. It figures I take the whole top of the motor apart, unplug everything, and I forget to plug in the most obvious thing. I just hope this clears up my prob. I used the cam tool and everything went super smooth, so I know I'm not off a tooth.

MichaelsLilGray · Jan 28, 2008

Gearhead91 said:
haha! Well that makes 2 of us.
I do have a wideband in the car and A/f was accually kinda rich with it unplugged. It figures I take the whole top of the motor apart, unplug everything, and I forget to plug in the most obvious thing. I just hope this clears up my prob. I used the cam tool and everything went super smooth, so I know I'm not off a tooth.

dont feel to bad.. ive done that on my car...oh... 5 times so far? yeah its just so far over there that you tend to forget its even there LOL

CobraRed_96_GT · Jan 28, 2008

shouldnt be a prob if it was running rich before. Should clear right up now

Jim@CMS · Jan 28, 2008

CobraRed_96_GT said:
yeah, that would definitely cause the problem. Luckily it wasn't too lean to cause any real problems. Me being the first to respond either means i'm really helpful or i have no life - i'd like the think it's a combo of the two.

You and me both brother! haha!

Jim@CMS · Jan 28, 2008

Let me know how you make out!

HurricaneJesus · Jan 28, 2008

Got any pics of the install process? Was it rediculously difficult?

Serper3 · Jan 29, 2008

HurricaneJesus said:
Got any pics of the install process? Was it rediculously difficult?

thats what i wanna know..
hopefully the install whent well and you will get some pics and vids up too...

2002tbstang · Jan 29, 2008

Let us know how it goes.I just ordered my cms stage 1s last week I cant wait to get them and put them in but no money fot the tune yet

Gearhead91 · Jan 29, 2008

OK, i have to go to work right now, but i'll get back on here later and tell you how it was. I also would mind asking jim from CMS some ?'s. Later guys

COramprat · Jan 29, 2008

HurricaneJesus said:
Got any pics of the install process? Was it rediculously difficult?

http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=717166

There is a write up in 5spGT's post on headswaps.

Also some links here.

http://www.modulardepot.com/articlesp.php?aid=39
http://forums.modulardepot.com/general-tech-frequently-asked-questions/55904-degreeing-camshaft.html
http://www.modulardepot.com/articlesp.php?aid=32
http://www.modulardepot.com/diagrams/cams.gif
http://www.modulardepot.com/diagrams/valvecover.gif

02stangbang · Jan 29, 2008

im about to do the same, gearhead, and im real curious if you get any "seat of the pants" feel out of those cams. keep us informed please! i know i should go with stage 2's but im just too lazy to do the valvespring upgrade (and broke). anybody know how many ponies the stage 1's are worth?

Gearhead91 · Jan 29, 2008

The install went OK. I didn't really use any directions from anywhere because all the online articles and magazine articles all tell you a different way to do it. So me and my mechanic buddy (who got me an alldata printout for torque specs) just did it. The anderson cam tool worked great but I think it can be done without it using anything to hold the sprocket up tight. The trickiest part was the cam followers. I popped them out with a screwdriver, removed cages and sprocket, removed the cam while my friend held the tool in place. Then we bled the lash adjusters and poped them back in and set the cam in place. Torqued everything down then popped in the followers. I had to spin the motor over so the lobes were not compressing the valves to put each follower in.

As for power... its feels like it pulls harder up top but not as much of a SOTP difference as I thought. But my A/F is all out of whack so that could cause this. And the idle is still an issue. When I put the clutch in at a light, the rpms drop to like 500 and almost stall, then it over compinsates and jumps up to 1000 then drops again and so on. Sometimes it will even stall out! And at idle is definatly very noticeable. I even double checked the box to see it I got sent stage 2's instead.

According to my wideband, in the morning during start up the AF is around 10's then slowly leans out to high 14's. Then when fully warm and idling for a while, its around mid 16's. During part throttle driving, the AF is dead on at around 14.7. When the clutch goes in to stop, it will lean quickly in the 16's the quickly richen to the 12's then back up to 15's the down to 13'sand so on while it tries to find idle.This all happens in a few second spread. Then the idle will eventually even out after those seconds and settle in to an AF of around 15-16. At WOT in the highway, the AF starts at around 14 at 2500 the richens to mid 13's all the way to redline. I know a tuner will help my WOT AF. Right now I'm just worried about getting my idle figured out. They are stage 1's damn it!

As it sits right now, the damn crazy idle (along with more lope than I thought stage 1's have) is not worth the HP gain I feel. But I don't want to bash these cams because it may just be my car! Please help me out Jim! Thanks!

HurricaneJesus · Jan 30, 2008

COramprat said:
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=717166

There is a write up in 5spGT's post on headswaps.

Also some links here.

http://www.modulardepot.com/articlesp.php?aid=39
http://forums.modulardepot.com/general-tech-frequently-asked-questions/55904-degreeing-camshaft.html
http://www.modulardepot.com/articlesp.php?aid=32
http://www.modulardepot.com/diagrams/cams.gif
http://www.modulardepot.com/diagrams/valvecover.gif

Wow, that is a lot of steps.

Jim@CMS · Jan 30, 2008

Gearhead91 said:
The install went OK. I didn't really use any directions from anywhere because all the online articles and magazine articles all tell you a different way to do it. So me and my mechanic buddy (who got me an alldata printout for torque specs) just did it. The anderson cam tool worked great but I think it can be done without it using anything to hold the sprocket up tight. The trickiest part was the cam followers. I popped them out with a screwdriver, removed cages and sprocket, removed the cam while my friend held the tool in place. Then we bled the lash adjusters and poped them back in and set the cam in place. Torqued everything down then popped in the followers. I had to spin the motor over so the lobes were not compressing the valves to put each follower in.

As for power... its feels like it pulls harder up top but not as much of a SOTP difference as I thought. But my A/F is all out of whack so that could cause this. And the idle is still an issue. When I put the clutch in at a light, the rpms drop to like 500 and almost stall, then it over compinsates and jumps up to 1000 then drops again and so on. Sometimes it will even stall out! And at idle is definatly very noticeable. I even double checked the box to see it I got sent stage 2's instead.

According to my wideband, in the morning during start up the AF is around 10's then slowly leans out to high 14's. Then when fully warm and idling for a while, its around mid 16's. During part throttle driving, the AF is dead on at around 14.7. When the clutch goes in to stop, it will lean quickly in the 16's the quickly richen to the 12's then back up to 15's the down to 13'sand so on while it tries to find idle.This all happens in a few second spread. Then the idle will eventually even out after those seconds and settle in to an AF of around 15-16. At WOT in the highway, the AF starts at around 14 at 2500 the richens to mid 13's all the way to redline. I know a tuner will help my WOT AF. Right now I'm just worried about getting my idle figured out. They are stage 1's damn it!

As it sits right now, the damn crazy idle (along with more lope than I thought stage 1's have) is not worth the HP gain I feel. But I don't want to bash these cams because it may just be my car! Please help me out Jim! Thanks!

You need to get it tuned! Once you get that sorted out, you will be fine. It can make a HUGH difference.

Gearhead91 · Jan 30, 2008

Do you think SCT handheld can solve my idle problem or do I need a dyno tune from a tuner with the expensive software? I'm not sure, but I thought handhelds only changed WOT tables. Please correct me if I'm wrong

CobraRed_96_GT · Jan 30, 2008

Gearhead91 said:
Do you think SCT handheld can solve my idle problem or do I need a dyno tune from a tuner with the expensive software? I'm not sure, but I thought handhelds only changed WOT tables. Please correct me if I'm wrong

way wrong - dyno tuners use the SCT handheld. Get a tune for the cams on the SCT Tuner mailed to you

Just installed VT Stage1's today, no tune, HELP!

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...I can take it. I think.

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