Syn

I think I might need to have my tune slightly revised (Flashpro, done by Evans and it has driven great for the last 1.5+ years by the way). I have noticed that on rare occasions when I am attempting to hold a steady speed in a lower gear at high RPM the engine seems to be sputtering a bit and it jerks as if it's perhaps not getting enough fuel. I can see how something like this might go missed during the e-tuning process because it's not a normal scenario at all, and it took me this long to even really pinpoint the issue. But I wanted to get opinions and see if anyone would agree it's the tune or if it might be an actual issue with the car.

At 100% throttle the car pulls hard all the way to 8500 with absolutely no issues. It is smooth as butter--far better than the stock tune when the car was stock.

At partial throttle the car seems to be a little bit "jerky" at the 6500-7500 range but only at very low throttle input such as 10%--if I give it anything more than just a bit of gas it smooths out and drives fine.

At just enough throttle to maintain a constant speed around 7000-7500 rpm the car will start to jerk/sputter and has trouble holding a consistent RPM. I tested it on the way home tonight in 3rd gear on the highway and it was wanting to ping between 7100 and 7400 at one point when I was just trying to maintain speed. I only did this for a few seconds because if it is a tuning issue I didn't want to cause the car to be fuel starved for a prolonged period.


So I'm asking for any advice/opinions. I have no problem with having the tune addressed and spending a bit of money to get it done, but I don't want to bother with it if I'm going down the wrong path entirely. If anyone would be willing to look at Flashpro datalogs to see what you might think I'd be willing to log some and upload. And again I can't say enough about how great my e-tune has been over the last 1.5+ years--I just happened to uncover a small issue with a very rare combination of circumstances.

Syn

Awesome! Wow, now THAT is customer service. I was hesitant to post on the forums because I didn't want it to seem like I was in any way dissatisfied with my tune (quite the opposite actually, it's been phenomenal)--I just wanted to make sure I was on the right path before contacting you guys.

When I get some time this weekend I'll be sure to grab some logs and send the info your way. Thanks again!

Wael El-Dasher

In cases like this, the first thing I check are the plugs. What spark plugs are you running? If you could take a photo of the plugs they tend say a lot about your A/F mixture. You could also just replace them since you have them out and see if the issue goes away.

Syn

I don't think it's the plugs but it is a possibility. I'm running the stock NGK model..I froget what # it is off the top of my head. They were replaced last May and only have about 10,000 miles on them which is nothing for a platinum plug. It's something I'll look into if I can't get it resolved with altering the tune. I'll post back with whatever results I end up with.

Wael El-Dasher

For what it's worth, I've had similar symptoms when I ran the stock plugs. I spent a lot of money on fancy iridium plugs, different temps...etc. In the end I found that copper plugs resolved my issue. I was logging my A/F and couldn't find anything to indicate lean or rich mixture. Once I replaced the plugs with regular copper plugs and went one step colder than stock, my ignition issue went away. I believe I have an extra box in my trunk somewhere. I'll check on what NGK model they are and let you know. They weren't fancy plugs, just spent a lot of time finding the NGK model number on the internet then went to a local parts store and got them. They were cheap too.

My car just didn't seem to like platinum plugs. I'm not a big fan of platinum plugs even during my RX-7 days, so I should get that bias noted for the record, so feel free to dismiss my suggestion based on my biased opinion.

Your case might prove different, but like I suggest since it's a very easy thing to check and won't cost you anything but some time one evening, take a look and check them carefully. You'll need a long ratchet extension, the correct size plug socket (get a good one, like Snap On, it's worth it) and a ratchet to remove it and a torque wrench to install it.

Obviously you can run a quick log and check your A/F mixture. If you don't have a wide band O2, you can get a very rough idea using the OBD II loggers that are very cheap. You can check your 0-1V readings and it should give you an idea. I wouldn't recommend tuning with the OBD II O2 log though, but for an overview, it's acceptable in my opinion.

cheers

Wael