i got tired of waiting for a CAI so i made one. took a while, but i did it! i unplugged the ecu to reset it so it could accept the CAI. i let it set and idle for a while then took it out. GOD DAMN ITS INSANE!!! it pulls ungodly harder and response time is great! but sadly after a while, it will kill almost all boost in the gears and it does in some! like it'll only push 5 maybe 10. so this is above my head. any help would be awesome!

 

The PCM can sense how much power the engine is outputting, and it is programmed to keep it at a predetermined level. It will do everything in it's power to keep the horsepower at that preprogrammed level.

 

thats what i was figuring. i wonder wat i can do. i dont wanna buy those ppc tuners due to they're 1k! any tips? i was thinking boost controller

 

Trust me, that PCM is smarter than you think, it'll do everything in it's power to retain that specific power output.

The only reasonable way to defeat it is to get reflashed.

I'd suggest HPTuners

 

hmm gotcha. ill look it up now. thankx man

 

hahaa... if you do ANY mods... you need a tune.

Awesome that you fabricated one yourself. I couldn't imagine doing something like that.. I suck at engineering.

 

u need a metal tube.. some couplers.. a cone filter.. and cut a hole to put the MAF in.. and vola intake haha

you did plug the maf back in right? lol figure i would ask

 

I got the PPC tuner.... NO COMPLAINTS!

Just be aware that with HP Tuners you have to tune the car yourself or have it tuned by someone who is knowledgeable with HP Tuners software, tuning, and turbocharged engines.

Just wanted to make you aware if what you get into by going that route.

On the other hand... I think you can get an equal or better tune that way. Plus be able to continuously tune for each mod you add. I don't have plans for much modding. I just wanted a little extra is all. So Hahns worked for me.

 

lol yea its all plugged in. it runs good, idles perfict, but craps out on the boost after the ecu finds out whats happened. before it does, i push about 3 more psi, and it goes like a bat out of hell!

 

ahh ok i had to ask.. ya never know lol..... post some pics

 

You need to get into the ECM and change the Optimal Torque Model, the Torque Based Desired Airload etc. It will only let a programmed amount of air in before it opens the wastegate and kills your boost. Also if you exceed that for more than a few seconds it kills it and runs really low timing too. It's harder to dial in that you'd think but always puts a smile on your face. The tune does more for this car than you will imagine. It'll pull about 30% harder than stock with just the tune.

 

will have to tomorrow. don't hate on it though, its so cheap, but damn it does the job!

 

if it works i could careless how hacked it looks lol.. it will help out anyother person on fabing there own tho

 

check to see if you have a P0101 history code set. I bet you do. If the system sets a soft code it goes into limp and pulls the wastgate open to kill the boost. Its a type B code so it needs to occur twice to set a light. Moving the MAF 6 inches further away from the turbo than its stock location will fix the issue if your setting a P0101. Thats what I did and haven't had an issue since.

 

i made a CAI well a short ram and idk my car seems to lose more boost when i shift like it lags.... idk if from my custom intake did my car stay the same speed or got slower? the throttle response is definately better but other then that idk

i didnt restart my ecu

 

maybe a boost leak?if ur only see 5-10psi vs 18ish stock boost,than u got a leak somewhere..maybe the coupler thats on the turbo isnt clamped down properly

and also i recommend t-bolt clamps..leak free and wont snap like the 2 dollar ones that have a scew

 

Pimp
it got richer. I bet its popping out the exhaust alot in first gear now when you let off to shift to second. I bet it also feels flat when you launch it hard for just a second. It falls on its face then takes off. Move the MAF.

 

pics?

 

lol wow dude u pinned the tail on the donkey... move the MAF closer to the filter right?

 

yep
about 6 inches closer than its current location.

 

lol thats totally what was happening! will do

 

We have every computer you could think of at the shop I work at, and we do a lot of reflashing. My boss is the computer wiz though, recently he actually reflashed a car for a local chrysler dealership.(im not sure on the story as to why the dealership couldnt do it themselves.) Anywho...Im not nearly as good with the computer **** (as far as reflashing) so Im gonna talk to him on Tuesday and see if theres anyway he can reflash my TC. Ill just let him know what the deal is with the cars computer limiting power and see if we can figure anything out with his reflashing knowledge. Its a long shot but its worth a try. Im in paramedic school right now and I dont want to spend the money on a tune. Although, the ECM tune for $300 for the sol. and sky that work on our cars seems like a sweet deal.

 

so a sky/solstice tuned ecm WILL work on our cars? if so, you just made my night...

 

Close. You've got the general idea on what it's trying to do but not quite on how it goes about doing it. The computer can't directly sense or measure power output (torque) because there is no power measurement device/sensor on the engine but it does try to provide consistent power across varying ranges of driving conditions (such as at seal level, at the top of a mountain pass, under extreme heat, etc.). So how can it provide certain amounts of power if it can't directly measure the power the engine is producing? Well the computer does have other sensors and it's also programmed with the physical characteristics of the engine. Those other sensors allow it to calculate the air mass flow going into the engine so if it knows the air/fuel being burnt it can figure out how much power the engine should be producing (since it knows the engine's characteristics such as volumetric efficiency).

That's why you can't just slap parts on the car to increase air flow or do things like mechanically increase the boost. Those same sensors will tell the computer there is more air mass than it expects to see and therefore will attempt to compensate and bring it back under control (normally by lowering boost but it does use a drive-by-wire electronic throttle and the computer also has control of that). We might be able to trick some sensors (and then the computer) to get it to work with certain modifications and try to get more power but that's not the best solution.

As it currently stands, mechanical modifications may give a very brief increase in performance but the computer has an adaptive learning capability and will try to compensate for what you've done. That means we're not going to see large gains from easy bolt-on style parts, but if you alter the stock calibration/tune in conjunction with those modifications you may see nice power gains and retain stock-like drivability.


You apparently haven't crawled around under the hood of the LNF Cobalts. They already utilize lock nut t-bolt style clamps and constant torque t-bolt clamps on the intake tract.

 

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