kandied91z

alright i have a 388 built engine with the largest of everything i can run. i'm having problems starting the motor without holding the pedal to the floor. my tunner says because of the lack of vacum off the cam that's the only way possible to start this beast. anyone else heard of such a thing with tpi motors and any size combo???

greezemonkey

Where is the base timing at? You`ll need alot of inital timing to start correctly if it`s a really large roller, I run 18-20 degree`s base and I still crank for a short while. Full on racing cams will move the air fuel right thru the camber into the exausht if there`s not one big bang to get it going. How much lift and dur@.50 in general does it have? Too bad ya can`t "pump it"

aklim

I thought that if you hold the pedal to the floor it will shut off the injectors? Who is the tuner?

kandied91z

just a shop in the area...

injectors should be right....they are working properly though as i have had them flowtested. as far as the fuel i had a problem of running to rick at startup so alot of fuel has been pulled. i have upwards of a 15:1 a/f ratio just to start it. i'm running 30lb svo injectors at the lowest possible setting i can adjust my fuel regulator at which is roughly around 30 psi yet gas mileage is still kind of low and it doesn't start well.

it really doesn't make much since to me??? the car seems to be running great but starting is a pain, you almost have to play with it like a carb.

aklim

My 30pph injectors would foul a set of plugs every few miles and was barely drivable till I had Lingenfelter reburn the EPROM. After that it worked fine. So, baring other issues, I would say your tuner does not know his azzhole from a hole in the ground as far as tuning the EPROM goes. If you have proper pressure (44-45 psi) and the injectors are good and there are no other issues then it must be the EPROM. I'd get in touch with www.fasterproms.com or someone who will do it on a dyno because this "tuner" doesn't seem to know how to make it work.

slayer6x6

I think the clear flood mode kicks in at about 4.25V on the tps, but im not even sure that the 3rd gens had that feature. I know the 4th gens dont.

aklim

Last time I checked a few years ago, mine did.

slayer6x6

I remember at my last job we used to hold the pedal to the floor and let the car crank for a while, then go out and start fooling with the wiper blades and then go back in and start the car up and pull it out. The other guys would look at us like we were nuts.

TheGreatJ

3rd gens do have a "clear flood mode." I don't know the specific voltage but it's easy to tell if you're kicking it in....stick a 'noid light on any given injector and crank it with the pedal floored. If you get no flashy it's in "clear flood." That should not be necessary to start an engine. The PROM has a setting for fuel mixture at startup...all you'd have to do is adjust it down. Besides...a cold engine needs a richer mixture to run right...colder fuel doesn't vaporize as quickly and therefore burns less efficiently.

I have to agree with Aklim. If your tuner knows what he's doing there should be no reason to crank the fuel pressure that far down. In fact there should be no reason to adust it at all. And the whole thing about "not enough vacuum to start it" sounds like rubbish to me. Opening the throttle all the way REDUCES manifold vacuum, as well as shutting off fuel to the engine.

aklim

I am running 24# injectors with stock +2 psi fuel pressure.

kandied91z

well i'm not really sure what to do...he's been very reliable in the past with other setups when compared to using different chips on the same combo. this one just seems to be giving him trouble but at the same time i'm only asking questions because i would really rather know how to do it myself. i hate not knowing how things work and in this area i'm clueless.....

i went by to check on the car last night and now it won't start at all........

aklim

30# would flood the hell out of the engine on a stock EPROM. ask me how I know. Even on a modified eprom with stock injectors, if you put the 30# ones in you are increasing flow by about 30%. You definately need a new EPROM. Try www.fasterproms.com because they do it over the internet and custom to your specs and they will reburn it till it works perfectly for $350.

kandied91z

i tried the whole reburn by mail with tpis and lost a huge amount of money over the ordeal. if i deal with anyone again on programming directly it has to be in person with the car. its way to easy for these companies to pull fast ones on people with the out of state sale regulations that i refuse to do it after what i know now. nothing personal with your suggestion or fasterproms directly as i haven't used them. tpis really burned me and now that i know what these companies can get away with i won't take chances.

i greatly appreciate the suggestion though, just wish there was an easier solution.

aklim

Well, fasterproms does offer a money back gaurantee which I never had to use. I don't know about TPIS. Give them a call. Either that or HiTech but they would want you to cart the car down there to be on their dyno.

kandied91z

yeah tpis had a money back guarantee as well but it was only 90 days. when you live in michigan, buy the chip in december and don't drive the car til april it takes awhile to notice things.

either way whom ever looks at it will definately have to do it with the car as it's just to easy to mask things otherwise.