This is copied from a thread in the tech forum I started. Here's a little background info: My car is as seen in the siggy, more or less stock for the driveline. I got generic SCT tunes for the 3 octanes put on my XCALII for a little more fun before my blower install. 93 tune on 93 gas always pinged bad, no matter what I tried to do with the settings. So I was running my 91 tune with 93 gas, and it didn't ping, but it felt no better than stock. So I've been messing with it lately, trying to get it to work.
So... who's ready for the weird story??
Anyway, I'm out in the car, playing with the tune and beating the snot out of it on back roads to see if it will ping. And it always did. no matter what. I called my local shop (who loaded the generic tunes) and he said that my stock gears weren't helping because they made the lag and load on the motor worse. He also said my CAI could be leaning out the motor just a tad, but enough to screw up a high-po tune. Sounds reasonable to me. But I figured that for the immediate time, I still needed the car to run, and preferably strong. I took another blast on another set of adjustments, and noticed a boatload of white smoke coming out behind the car. I thought I was toast, like a blown head gasket. I get home, and there's lots of tranny fluid under the car, and the drain plug in the bottom is backed out like 3/4 of the way. Since I had no idea how much fluid was left, and since I had never done one in the year I've had the car, I did a fluid change with Mobil 1 synthetic Mercon. Now, here's where it gets weird. I took the car out, no pinging. And it felt a crapload more responsive and fast. I turned the timing back to what the tune was supposed to be set at, in all RPM bands, and no ping. Reduced the WOT fuel richness to it's proper setting, and still no ping. My car is like a freak now. Sounds bad, has more zip than ever, and I don't think I did a thing. Only thing I can possibly guess at is that the tranny fluid was old and had minimal viscosity left, which is why it was getting so hot it was blowing around the drain plug ( the tranny was hot and there was foamy tranny fluid under the shifter too). After enough either cooked or left, the tranny wasn't getting lubed, and was basically getting bind and hosing up my whole driveline. I know this sounds completely nuts, but it's all I got. Timing/fuel problem gone after a tranny fluid change...?
I wonder what other problems I could solve, or gains I could make, if I say... change my coolant or my diff fluid lol? I'm plain confused by this.
So... who's ready for the weird story??
Anyway, I'm out in the car, playing with the tune and beating the snot out of it on back roads to see if it will ping. And it always did. no matter what. I called my local shop (who loaded the generic tunes) and he said that my stock gears weren't helping because they made the lag and load on the motor worse. He also said my CAI could be leaning out the motor just a tad, but enough to screw up a high-po tune. Sounds reasonable to me. But I figured that for the immediate time, I still needed the car to run, and preferably strong. I took another blast on another set of adjustments, and noticed a boatload of white smoke coming out behind the car. I thought I was toast, like a blown head gasket. I get home, and there's lots of tranny fluid under the car, and the drain plug in the bottom is backed out like 3/4 of the way. Since I had no idea how much fluid was left, and since I had never done one in the year I've had the car, I did a fluid change with Mobil 1 synthetic Mercon. Now, here's where it gets weird. I took the car out, no pinging. And it felt a crapload more responsive and fast. I turned the timing back to what the tune was supposed to be set at, in all RPM bands, and no ping. Reduced the WOT fuel richness to it's proper setting, and still no ping. My car is like a freak now. Sounds bad, has more zip than ever, and I don't think I did a thing. Only thing I can possibly guess at is that the tranny fluid was old and had minimal viscosity left, which is why it was getting so hot it was blowing around the drain plug ( the tranny was hot and there was foamy tranny fluid under the shifter too). After enough either cooked or left, the tranny wasn't getting lubed, and was basically getting bind and hosing up my whole driveline. I know this sounds completely nuts, but it's all I got. Timing/fuel problem gone after a tranny fluid change...?
I wonder what other problems I could solve, or gains I could make, if I say... change my coolant or my diff fluid lol? I'm plain confused by this.
..... Me No Get.... lol
:Teh-Win: 
