Need help with Megasquirt 331 HCI

Lawbreaker5.0

Member
Feb 20, 2009
543
2
18
Texas
So I'm very new to Megasqurit so please bare with me. My 331 with Trickflow 185s, stg 2 cam, and tf intake is having problems. it has great power but it sometimes feels like its gonna die, catches its self and then shoots off like a rocket. I investigated some issues with the engine and noticed the guy before me was using stock pushrods, so i added 6.7s thinking that would help and it didn't do much so every one is saying you need a tune. i bit the bullet and got the LMR Megasquirt and wide band kit. Megasquirt is installed and the wide band is close ( i need to hardwire into power and ground ) and then wire it into the MS

So i had the hardest time getting it to even start. I played with some settings and ended up changing somethings back to speed density (previously MAF) and i got it to start. The idle surged pretty heavy so i turned the set screw on the TB a few turns. and could get it to at least stay on and run around 1400-1500. i went to set the timing to make sure MS is reading what the car is actually doing and I'm off. So in megasquirt i had it set to 15 degrees on fixed timing and on the car it was running 12 degrees. The only way to make the both match was to put the trigger angle at -1.80. Car matched what the engine was producing. Turn the MS off and turn on to error (dizzy angle negative).

Also when i get the error is it normal for the fuel pump to cycle a few times? Thanks in advance.

Oh and the car idled pretty darn good before the mega squirt. had a slight surge but you couldn't even hear it unless you were really listening to it. If you need any MS files let me know. i'm not sure i even know how to find them but i can look.
 
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Done correctly your trigger angle should be 10* this means the distributor is set at 10* mechanical just like with the stock ECU. The timing table in megasquirt is the total timing. that is the purpose of the trigger offset.

Are you trying to use a dial back timing light?
 
Done correctly your trigger angle should be 10* this means the distributor is set at 10* mechanical just like with the stock ECU. The timing table in megasquirt is the total timing. that is the purpose of the trigger offset.

Are you trying to use a dial back timing light?
Nope just a regular timing light. Should i be taking the spout out when setting the timing? I've read prior that you keep it in, but my buddy swears that "follow manufacturers" means to take the spout out
 
NO. you can set the mechanical timing to 10* with the spout removed but the trigger offset angle must be set with the spout in. If the car will not run with the spout out you can have your friend hold the pedal to the floor to shut the injectors off and crank the engine, this will ignore the ECU command and cause it to spark at the mechanical advance.
 
NO. you can set the mechanical timing to 10* with the spout removed but the trigger offset angle must be set with the spout in. If the car will not run with the spout out you can have your friend hold the pedal to the floor to shut the injectors off and crank the engine, this will ignore the ECU command and cause it to spark at the mechanical advance.


So I'm not sure what you're asking me to do. I know the trigger offset adjust the timing to match the engine. . I"m saying the only way it matched the correct computer reading was to put a negative trigger angle which obviously isn't correct or i wouldn't get the error message. I'm tempted to turn the distributer by hand and see if that helps. So for example. If MS is set to 15 degrees and the car at 12, just spin the disturber until it reads 15 degrees as well.
 
in the post above i told you how to set the mechanical timing. The trigger angle is used to match the commanded timing [fixed value] to the output value [ what you are reading with the timing light] If your distributor is not set with the correct mechanical 10* offset the pip window may end up in the wrong spot and force an odd value into the trigger angle [ what you have now]
 
Well i don't know what i did but i was able to get the timing to match the car without any trigger degree.

I can't for the life of me get it to idle. It surges bad. I messed with a few things in idle control and changed the Hz to a higher one and that just made it worst (a buddy with a MS said his is set there. I also tried messing with the fuel table (another suggestion from a buddy) making the numbers on the left column under the circle higher. It didn't do much if anything
 
The trigger angle should not be 0 if that is what you are implying... but I digress..

Do you have the wideband installed yet?

The hz on the idle valve needs to be set to 92. The ford bosch style valve works best set at that frequency. The ms2pnp needs the idle valve set to inverted 100% =closed to function normally.

You wont get a steady idle until you get the fuel and timing worked out.

I do tuning classes to get guys like yourself setup and ready to tune there project.
 
A91what has gotten my car running pretty good and we aren't even done yet.

I had to invert me IAC valve in tuner studio like he said. Car would idle high before that. I feel your pain getting the timing set up correctly. I fought with it for a while. I went to fixed timing 10°.

What kind of vacuum are you reading when at idle ?

The beginning process will make you want to pull your hair out....but it's all worth it. Steve can help a bunch. He's on youtube under Steve VanOrder megasquirt tuning. The best way is to inbox him. He works magic quickly and you get to watch everything that he does. There are things he had to see my car doing in real time to make adjustments. This was all over wifi and a takeover of my tuning computer.

I also have 331 with trickflow heads, a stage 3 cam, and turbo.

There's a bunch of info out there but it's easy to get confused at first.

Trust me...once you see him work magic on your car it will all start making sense.

20190926_190636.jpg
 
The trigger angle should not be 0 if that is what you are implying... but I digress..

Do you have the wideband installed yet?

The hz on the idle valve needs to be set to 92. The ford bosch style valve works best set at that frequency. The ms2pnp needs the idle valve set to inverted 100% =closed to function normally.

You wont get a steady idle until you get the fuel and timing worked out.

I do tuning classes to get guys like yourself setup and ready to tune there project.


The trigger angle was set to 0.

So Today I decided to start with the basetune and make the adjustments with my engine size, injectors... etc Well I had even more problems today. It would start and rev at 2k then drop all the way down and die. i saw the at idle was set at 132hz open loop. I switched to closed loop and set to 90hz, 62hz and 32hz. NO huge success there. I went in to the timing settings and tried messing with them. Originally the timing was set at 20 use table so i changed it to fixed and the trigger angle was at 14. It wouldn't run there either. Tried 0,5,10 nothing helped idle. The only way i could keep it running was giving gas. I did get my wideband installed today and is reading correctly i believe. I still can not get the AFR gauge on Megasquirt to read. I tried calibrating the AFR table but under the wideband selections i did not see my innovate MTX-L plus. just some other innovates. I chose one and I overall never could get it to work.

I didn't see a physical description on how to wire the wideband into Megasquirt. I followed the LMR video and ran the yellow wire into slot 21 but i'm not sure if thats correct or not.
A91what has gotten my car running pretty good and we aren't even done yet.

I had to invert me IAC valve in tuner studio like he said. Car would idle high before that. I feel your pain getting the timing set up correctly. I fought with it for a while. I went to fixed timing 10°.

What kind of vacuum are you reading when at idle ?

The beginning process will make you want to pull your hair out....but it's all worth it. Steve can help a bunch. He's on youtube under Steve VanOrder megasquirt tuning. The best way is to inbox him. He works magic quickly and you get to watch everything that he does. There are things he had to see my car doing in real time to make adjustments. This was all over wifi and a takeover of my tuning computer.

I also have 331 with trickflow heads, a stage 3 cam, and turbo.

There's a bunch of info out there but it's easy to get confused at first.

Trust me...once you see him work magic on your car it will all start making sense.

20190926_190636.jpg

I'm not sure how to check vacuum, are you referring to a manual gauge or one thats in Megasquirt. Ill message Steve, I'm sure its something simple but for the life of me cannot figure it out.


Edit: how to you message steve on youtube? i don't see a message icon or his email address?
 
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The trigger angle should not be 0 if that is what you are implying... but I digress..

Do you have the wideband installed yet?

The hz on the idle valve needs to be set to 92. The ford bosch style valve works best set at that frequency. The ms2pnp needs the idle valve set to inverted 100% =closed to function normally.

You wont get a steady idle until you get the fuel and timing worked out.

I do tuning classes to get guys like yourself setup and ready to tune there project.


How do you sign up for tuning classes?