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Tuning a Commodore VL?

Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 3:38 pm
by benk
Has anyone done any tuning on VL's (I know they don't run Delcos) I have a mate that is turboing a standard RB30. He bought another car that had an aftermarket turbo kit fitted to the same engine and the motor was stuffed and we pulled the head off and had torched the pistions :shock:
I was thinking that it has had a bodgy tune and was wondering if it was posible to have a look at maps ect. or dose anyone know who or where I can find out how to do it

Re: Tuning a Commodore VL?

Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 4:19 pm
by Jayme
Yep, ive done some... so this was running the stock ECCS computer? easiest way to tell if its got a tune is to see if the EProm is socketed or not. those computers have it soldered direct to the motherboard, to tune them you have to solder in your own socket. well you dont HAVE to put a socket in it but there no point soldeing the eeprom back in and out every time :P.

anyways, how much boost was it running? the MAF on a VL cant handle much more than 12psi of boost before it maxxes out and stops delivering more fuel... might have leaned out if it was wound up too high? usually they put rising rate regs to get around the MAF limitation and run up to 15psi or more.

Re: Tuning a Commodore VL?

Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 4:43 pm
by benk
As far as I know it was running the stock computer (we haven't got that far yet). Not sure how much boost it was running, he brought it as is not running as he only wanted the turbo setup to put onto his motor. I will check the computer out when I get back in town to see if it has been modified. By the looks of the pistons it was running to lean so may have been over boosted or the timming advanced to far

Re: Tuning a Commodore VL?

Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 4:53 pm
by Jayme
best thing to do if U are doing a turbo conversion is make sure you are running an actual turbo computer (has a big daughter board for the knock control) faiing that, run a turbo bin and turbo injectors on a stock computer. but keep an ear out for knock and dont advance the dizzy too much.

Re: Tuning a Commodore VL?

Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 7:27 pm
by benk
I will check it out when I get back to town then I will know which direction to go in

Re: Tuning a Commodore VL?

Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 5:22 pm
by benk
I take it that the knock board is the floating PCB in the top RH corner?

Re: Tuning a Commodore VL?

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 8:29 am
by Jayme
yeah, on the turbo one, its got a floating pcb with a ribbon cable linking to where the eprom normally goes on the mainboard.

Re: Tuning a Commodore VL?

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 2:31 pm
by benk
Well the 2 computers that I have here are both the same and I know one is a standard one. So I think that he must have ben running the turboed engin of the standard computer :?:
It dosn't look like anything has been modifided in either one (or he's done a real good job soldering the chip back in :) ).

Here is a piture of the computer, which chip holds the maps ect?

Re: Tuning a Commodore VL?

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 2:55 pm
by Jayme
Yep, its a stocker - which will work ok for really low boost setups. ideally what you want to do is put a stock Turbo bin on it
VL_RB30ET_Turbo_Man_(3TM)_Fuel.bin
VL TURBO BASE BIN
(16 KiB) Downloaded 396 times
then use turbo injectors (which flow more) and it should run nicely. beware of pinging tho coz it wont be running any knock contorl - especially if you are turboing a non turbo motor (higher compression) then you may want to wind the dizzy timing back a little.
VL Computer.JPG
VL Computer.JPG (156.24 KiB) Viewed 6880 times
so what I usually do is snip all the legs off the chip with a pair of fine tipped snippers, then desolder all the legs separately, then place in your socket, solder both sides, then use a 28 pin eprom same as you use in commodores.

you also need to remove the smaller 24 pin EPROM directly to the right of the 28 pin one, its maps overshadow the 28 pin one. leave the pins there and just snip it out. you need to leave the htrough holes connected to both sides of the mainboard.

see the little jumper above the 28 pin EPROM marked J4, you need to connect it up as the little yellow mark shows - this will allow it to pull maps off only hte 28 pin one.

Re: Tuning a Commodore VL?

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 2:59 pm
by Holden202T
Jayme wrote:so what I usually do is snip all the legs off the chip with a pair of fine tipped snippers, then desolder all the legs separately, then place in your socket, solder both sides, then use a 28 pin eprom same as you use in commodores.
when i did the one i have i used a solder sucker and braid and removed the chip without cutting :wtf:

never again!!