should i have tuned it

fast97gt

Active Member
Jan 2, 2007
1,082
2
49
north carolina
well everything was going great after the pi motor install in my 97gt, it ran excellent, drove excellent, the best fuel mileage the car has ever gotten. no enlys the question, should it have been tuned, the engines an 2005 x-interceptor motor with 30k some od miles (the car hit hard in the drivers rear so the county junked it), never smoked never nocked. everything bolted right up with in reason, and some miner adjustments. i used all my stock fuel management components, (injectors, tb, fuel rails, etc). i have all sensors hooked up no problems there, also havent had no cel lights since the install. now the reason i asked, the only other person i let drive my car is my wife, and thats very seldom. i started the car let it run for about 10mins before moving it like every morning, she hops in backs it to the turn around then i notice its running very flat, im thinkin thats not right. so i let her go, as im listening as she drives off it sound like its nocking a lil, she gets to the end of my road and she calls me says the car just died. she gets it started turns around, she tells me when she shifted to 2nd then to 3rd it wouldnt excellerate. i figured that was knocking rattling noise, the car loading up when it wouldnt excelerate. she leaves in the 300 i take the stang up and down my road and nothing happens. the tank is between 1/4 and empty. our turn around is a downwerd incline, could all the fuel run away from the pump? or am i just a dumb a** and need to put some gas in it and drive, and should i get it tuned.
 
I blame the gas. Mine did something similar last week, less then 1/4 tank and it has been sitting 2 or so weeks. It didnt shut off but it bogged and started missing. Next thing I know, all better. WTF? I've noticed this in small engines and next time your at the pump see if your gas contains "10%" ethanol. If it sits to long it separates, water/ethanol/gas once it shakes up it combines and everything is ok, but for the first few min. you might only be sucking up water and ethanol. I know what your thinking there is no water in my gas tank. Actually ethanol draws water so any moisture from the heat/cold in the tank pools in the bottom, and having little or no gas in the tank magnifies the effects. In small engines like bikes and scooters a good shake or rocking before the ride is all it takes. A good tune never hurts, but i dont think it is needed in this case.
 
Unfortunately you'll be hard pressed to find a gas station that doesn't have a 10% blend. I only know of ONE gas station in my area that sells gasoline that's 100% ethanol free. It's a Sunoco, so if you can find one of those you may be in luck if no ethanol is a company wide procedure...
 
If it is a manual, it may be the driver. Maybe your wife shifted too early and "lugged" the engine. Check her driving style to make sure....Just my 2 cents since I've seen how some people work a stick shift.
 
Yea her driving style is spot on, she drives just fine. Shifting between 2500 and 2700rpms, its very hard to make a pi car lug with 4.10s especially after its rolling. I won't tell her bout you thinking she can't drive, that way she won't be offended:)