Tuning Edelbrock E-Street EFI

[Kaspar 21]

I've got the Edelbrock E-street EFI installed on my '69 Mustang and it's running quite rich. I'm having a hard time tuning it, simply because there is a lot I don't understand.

So I'm running a '69 Mustang 302 4V engine with a Edelbrock top end kit 2091 (performer heads, RPM Performer Intake and camshaft) .

It's running alright, but it's just very rich. I've let it self-learn for a while and been driving all kinds of streets and speeds.

I'm not sure of what I should set the AFR to, in order to get it to run more lean? I would think it would self adjust this, but it doesn't seem to get less rich. Just can't find any place to get help on tuning with the tablet, so if you know something, please share it :-)

[rwcstang 201]

never used the kit, but have you tried calling their support line? usually, this will help.

[T900enforcer 0]

I have a '65 with a 289 in it and installed an Edelbrock E-street EFI in Feb. of this year. The initial load that the system directed me toward was for engines with 350 ci and below. After loading that and going through some of the learning process my car was running very rich. The selflearning process limits the learning to +/- 25% of the base map that is loaded. It turns out that version 1 of the software really doesn't have a map for small displacement engines. After talking with Edelbrock about this they sent me version 2 of the SW along with a map for my 289.

 

I loaded that map and the car runs much better and is not too rich. The two remaining problems is that the car is hard to start when it is cold (i live in NorCal so its really never that cold) and the car surges when running in partial throttle after an acceleration. I am still going back and forth with Edelbrock with these two issues.

 

Edelbrock has been fairly responsive on these two issues but I have not made any real progress in the last couple of months. From my perspective these EFI systems are indeed easy to insatll and get running but a fair ammunt of work needs to be done to get them to work as well as the manufacturer and Car rags say.

 

Good Luck

[1969_Mach1 333]

Definitely sounds like software issue.  I have wanted a fuel injection system but cannot afford it.  I never messed with these aftermarket systems.  But they appear to be "speed density" type systems.  These rely on intake manifold pressure (vacuum) as one of the inputs to determine fuel curves.  That's one of the reasons car manufacturers only used speed density systems for a few years and switched to Mass Air Flow systems. Mass Air flow provides a more direct input to determine fuel curves.  Speed Density systems are much more limited to engine changes than Mass Air Flow systems.  Can a scan tool be attached to this system so you can see data in real time?  It's usually helpful to see data like O2, injector pulse (if that is what Edelbrock calls it), temps, MAP (manifold absolute pressure), TPS, RPM, in real time.

[Rip Rock 13]

Isn't there any way to manually program afr settings? Say idle at 13-14.0 afr and cruising at around 15 afr and wot at 11.8 or so.

The higher the afr # the leaner it will be. I have never used edelbrock efi before.

[Kaspar 21]

It's been a while since I started this post, but I ended up having very close contact with Mark Honsowetz from Edelbrock, who really took his time in adjusting the system software to get the best performance. We tried out different maps and then also did some manual tuning to the afr until it was just right. A big part of it was also to drive a lot and let the system learn. Took longer than I thought it would. But not it works perfectly. It starts every time and runs very smooth. See if Mark from Edelbrock may be able to help...

[T900enforcer 0]

I am in contact with Steve Mitchell at Edelbrock concerning my issues. In the beginning the response was excellent but now it has slowed to a snail's pace. When Edelbrock sent me the map designed for a 289 they also sent Version 2 of the ECU and tablet software which has a far superior user interface over Version 1. Version 2 also includes a data logger that logs 17 differnet parameters 3 times a second. This log is stored in the tablet and can be downloaded onto a computer. The format is ".csv" and can be read using Excel.

 

The problem that I have is that when communicating with Edelbrock about my issues the only data they want is a video of the digital display screen and they completely ignore the log files. Was  this your experince as well or did you have a better method of communicating informatin to them? I find that taking and editing videos is a difficult and time consuming process.

 

When i went into this I did not expect the process to be painless but I feel this is going past what is reasonable. How long did it take for you to finally get a system  that operates correctly?

 

Thanks for any info you can provide.

 

T900

[barnett468 418]

.

you can also try a wide band afr but i would set my ignition timing curve for optimal perf first.

[Kaspar 21]

I did also record videos of my tablet running the bad performance, which was helpful for Edelbrock to analyse, so they could send me the proper map. After they sent me the right map it was pretty easy from there on. They checked up (on their own initiative) with me after some days and guided me to manually set the AFR settings even better. 

 

And then I would say giving the ECU time to learn worked well. Eventually I ended up setting my AFR to 14.3 for idle and 12.7 for WOT. I can check later if you want. Also about the map. Though I have a 302 with Edelbrocks Performer Top End kit...

 

I think I still have a long thread of email correspondence with Edelbrock about all the settings and I'd be happy to email them to you, if you give me your email.

[Footcutter11 23]

Those are the AFRs I run.  I have boost, so a little tuning under load will be necessary.

[Kaspar 21]

What kind of boost do you have Footcutter11?

[Footcutter11 23]

What kind of boost do you have Footcutter11?

Limited to 20PSI.

[Rip Rock 13]

Those are the AFRs I run.  I have boost, so a little tuning under load will be necessary.

Isn't that a bit lean? I always run my stuff around 11.7-11.8 afr under boost. On my n/a Cleveland I tuned for 11.8 as well to be on the safe side.

[1969_Mach1 333]

I have no experience with making adjustments based on AFR's measured in exhaust streams.  I know from the GM training I went through a long time ago that 14.7 was ideal for a stock late model engine.  What I wonder is when you guys are measuring AFR's in exhaust streams do you account for camshafts with large amounts of valve overlap?  The overlap introduces unburned fuel charges and oxygen into the exhaust stream.  These affect the O2 readings, thus, not a 100% true indication of what is going on.  Seems to me other means of tuning should also be considered and not rely only on what the AFR measurements are.

[Footcutter11 23]

Isn't that a bit lean? I always run my stuff around 11.7-11.8 afr under boost. On my n/a Cleveland I tuned for 11.8 as well to be on the safe side.

Don't know yet.  Starting richer is always a safer bet.  I am however, running only 25deg of timing.

[Footcutter11 23]

I have no experience with making adjustments based on AFR's measured in exhaust streams.  I know from the GM training I went through a long time ago that 14.7 was ideal for a stock late model engine.  What I wonder is when you guys are measuring AFR's in exhaust streams do you account for camshafts with large amounts of valve overlap?  The overlap introduces unburned fuel charges and oxygen into the exhaust stream.  These affect the O2 readings, thus, not a 100% true indication of what is going on.  Seems to me other means of tuning should also be considered and not rely only on what the AFR measurements are.

Sometimes you gotta go with what ya got!

[Kaspar 21]

I don't really like suction cups, nor the mount that came with the E-Street tablet, so I made a solution today, that works well and is super discreet.

 

So I took off the dash, and mounted a steel plate on the inside of the part just below the speaker facing towards the console. Then I had some big strong magnets, that I attached to the tablet with velcro (with 3M stick on, on both sides), wrapped the magnets with the same color vinyl as my interior and snap. Now the tablet snaps on magnetically to the dashboard. It's super easy to put on and take off, but still sticks when throwing the car from side to side. 

I took some photos I've attached here. I forgot to take photos of the backside of the dash, but I just removed some of the foam on the inside and mounted a steel plate I bought in a local tool store. The magnets are two big round ones I had lying around. That's why the cover for the magnets is oval.

 

 

[Footcutter11 23]

Nice!