I wonder what it is making all these cars do this. It seems to be a recent happening and it is getting more popular by the day. My friends white 03(babied like you wouldn't believe) just let number 3 go the other day. Its very odd. I wonder when it will happen to mine.....

 

Knock and overboost control is critical. I keep my UTEC knock controls set very high--retard after 2 counts of knock, 500 crank cycles, and stock knock threshold levels despite my noisy Wisecos. I switch the MAP overboost fuel cut from 30 psi back to 25 psi when I go from 101 octane to 91--don't trust my Hallman. The UTEC isn't great at making power, but it offers strong engine protection features.

Doesn't the AEM EMS have these features?

 

yes, my knock control features are in working order. But if the boost were to spike at an insane level w/out the fuel I'm not so sure the AEM or anything would have time to take care of it before the damage was done. Just like those cars with alky injection where the alky fails a 28 psi, they still blow.

The white car we just had blow had a stock flashed ecu.

 

i don't understand why people don't shut their cars down when afrs go lean... why woul dyou stick it in a high load gear and give it another go?

 

Doesn't the AEM have an overboost fuel cut that prevents "spike at an insane level"? On the UTEC you just set it and when you hit it it's like the rev limiter--no more fuel, no more load, no more boost. I assume the AEM MAP sensor enables the same thing. W/the UTEC you can set MAF based fuel cut too. I never thought of this, but shouldn't there also be a fuel cut based on AFR and load (MAP or MAF)? With a combination of knock, MAP, MAF, and AFR based timing control and fuel cut our engines would be well protected.

 

Yes the AEM has overboost protection. It's knock control is very good, and IMO much better than what it is offered by UTEC.

I would check to see if your injectors could possibly be the cause, as I believe you mentioned showing 93% duty cycle on the logs when being tuned.

 

Gas stations in Vegas usually have 100 octane . At least when I lived there 15 years ago.

I still haven't read of a 04 doing this, tells me that either:

1. less 04 were sold
2. there is something in common with 03 and 05 that malfunctions
3. or 04's are so slow that they are unable to blow up.

 

Yeah....I figured as much. Just to clarify, I saw the peices. I will be tearing the motor down myself and rebuilding it. No one but me touches this car with the exception of the tuner.

Well, what can I say. The major damage had already been done. It was so fast I wasnt even sure what happened. Besides, I was on the highway in the fast lane and I needed to get to the right shoulder. What would you have done? This was all in a total of 5 seconds. A quick studder in power, I let off the gas, upshift to change lanes and engine goes dead. Sure, maybe gassing it in fifth again wasnt the smartest thing to do but once again...it happened so fast.

 

It would be interesting to see the cal file and the log to locate the direct issue.

Regardless, good luck to you!

 

I pulled the cal file this morning. There was nothing in the logs. It said no data or something to that effect. I dont know enough about tuning to understand fully what I am looking at. Thats why I paid a pro to do it. No denying it though, AEM installed on 3-10-06 and the engine went boom 4-1-06. In the previous three weeks I did one auto-x and daily drove the car. Never did it detonate one time. I never saw signs of the lean condition on my AFR gauge.

I ripped apart the exhaust section of the engine this morning. I found tiny chunks of metal in the exhaust manifold. I broke one bolt from the turbo to the mani and somehow stripped a downpipe bolt. But everything else came apart just fine. It only took me four hours or so moving at a slow pace. I removed the radiator and all the intake tubing as well.

I realize now that a catch can is a needed peice. I am wondering if the presence of oil in the intake some how clogged my 5 bar MAP sensor and that is what forced the car into a lean condition. I havent pulled the sensor yet to inspect it. I had enough for one day.

 

I see more blown motors and broken pistons on AEM than any other unit. User error? Tuner error? Whatever the case may be... This is why we use Ecutek flash stock ECU with MAFTPro for speed density conversion. You RETAIN FACTORY KNOCK CONTROL which is very good.

 

Sorry to hear. I just wanted to add that on an EVO I was tuning with the stock fuel pump, I noticed a strange problem-- as the car was boosted more and more, it would run leaner and leaner. We'd let the car sit, and magically the AFRs would return back to normal. I'm pretty careful in my tuning, so we carefully analyzed this problem before moving on. Turned out it was the factory pump screwing things up. Installed a Walbro and the problem went away. I would say the fuel pump upgrade is a MUST for any EMS owner. Knock control may or may not have saved you, who knows. 13.5AFR on 91 oct and that boost is pretty severe anyway you cut it.

 

ouch

 

".... At around 5-6k rpms I felt a studder in the power"

This "studder in power" you describe, is it like a several pulses of the power fading or was it like one slight gradual fade of overal power (as if you hit a governer)?


Thanks

Good luck

 

several pulses and the powerband going flat, not making any power, not losing power.

anymore responses please post in this thread (as it is the most current regarding this subject) or feel free to PM me directly.

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=198374

Thanks

Tom