Here is what I have learned so far with my 70004 FiTech
Things I have learned with the FiTech Ultimate LS 70004 KIT
1. The tech support with FiTech is not “bad”: It's slow to respond and/or you have a long wait on hold to talk to someone.
a. Their RMA/Warranty department is good.
i. I had waterlogged ECU they replaced via RMA ( they are not watertight). I did want it shipped back next day air so I paid for it. It was worth it in my opinion as I wanted my car on the road ASAP and I was impatient.
b. They don’t seem to have a ton of hands-on experience with LS engines, but they go through the traditional troubleshooting steps.
c. Most of the problems they test for will be addressed further down… telling me its common issues and maybe they should have a doc posted… “Check these things before you call us”. This would probably make calling in faster.
2. Proper ground is Essential:
a. FiTech Ground to the block
b. FiTech Ground to the frame
c. Ground your frame to the engine block
d. ***Bonus*** Make sure your ground contact points are clean (no paint, dirt, rust, etc.…) and you're using a proper connector and gauge wire.
3. The whole “ECU power must be connected directly to the Battery is an opinion. I connected to the starter as the label states and I have no issues.
4. IAC: It is not difficult to set, it’s just time-consuming.
a. If its high (above 10) adjust slightly clockwise, power off until counters clear on the handheld, start engine, wait for idle then continue previous steps until between IAC is between 1-3’ish.
i. This took me 5-6 attempts to dial it incorrectly.
5. 102mm TB vs 92mm TB:
a. I previously had a 92mm TB before I purchased the full Ultimate LS 750. After a few days of running with the 102mm, I swapped it for the 92mm, set it to relearn and I feel the 92 is a better option than the 102mm at this time. *** engine stats posted below so you can compare your LS to mine.. maybe you need the 102***
6. Trans Control:
a. If it won't shift, your connector may be 180degree’s off. It will slide in and connect backward so check that.
b. Also, if it won't shift out of first, you may have it set as ‘other’ instead of 4lx0. Check that. I had it on others and had the problem of not shifting out of 1st.
c. TCC; I have not fully got this working to where I think it should be. Essentially this should be set to work with the stall torque converter you have. I have a 2600 so I set my TCC to 2400 right now. Testing this weekend! ***If anybody has advised on where it should be please let me know. ***
7. Spark Advance:
a. I read “previous comments on this and other forums and found recommendations for 1-10 and I felt that’s a good starting point. My engine ran much stronger when I changed from the stock advance to these settings. * again, check at the bottom for my engine specs to compare, what is good for mine might not be right for yours*
i. 1. 13
2. 15
3. 20
4. 28
5. 19
6. 23
7. 28
8. 22
9. 26
10. 28
8. Self-Learning:
a. It only works if your car is healthy.
i. Don’t expect self-learning to correct a malfunctioning or incorrectly built motor. If you have mechanical problems learning won't help… On the contrary it will try and compensate for it and often will make matters worse.
ii. If you are getting bad readings, good chance you have an issue. I had the driver side 02 sensor showing +7 and the passenger side 02 sensor showing -15. Obviously, I had an issue. Come to find out my passenger side header collector was leaking, and I had a crack in the bottom of that header (bottomed out pretty bad). Lucky I could run the engine on a single driver side 02 sensor and relearn.
iii. Relearn if you make a major change to your system.
1. It's not mandatory but it will be faster to make its changes as it averages out the results. When I make a major change, I relearn. What’s 2 hrs. of playing around with the car always (FUN that what it is).
9. Save your engine profile:
a. This is paramount. In case you change something too drastic or make multiple changes at one time and can’t figure out what you screwed up. You can revert to your saved profile.
10. E85:
a. I have nothing on this yet but I know I want to run it. If someone is using E85 please let me know what you did to configure in the handheld. I want to move to E85 asap. I read Austin's post on that.. and thinking to add 30% to the Engine CI is genius.
i. Everyone talks about the benefits of its higher-octane level and running cooler. This are great benefits but not why I want to run it.
ii. E85 runs much cleaner. No black carbon build up inside the engine, oil lasts longer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtz9367lCpQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOAyoCo3xXA
My Car 1970 RS Camaro
· 2002 LQ4 lower end (stock aside from cam and lifter swap)
o CAM: Howards #163765-12
§ @.05 intake duration – 228 Lift 0.604”
§ @.05 exhaust duration- 234 Lift 0.609
§ 108 centerlines
§ 112 lobe separation
o Heads: TrickFlow GenX 220 fast as cast
§ 65cc volume
§ 220cc intake runner
§ 80cc exhaust runner
§ 2.055” intake value
§ 1.57” exhaust value
o Yella Terra rockers
§ YT6645.1 1.7 Ratio ultralight roller rockers
o Headers:
§ Hooker super comp 2201 headers
o Transmission 4L60e
§ Rebuilt from a shop for 800HP (I didn’t want to cut my tranny tunnel so I went with 4L60e instead of 4L80e).
§ Monster transmission converter ( I live 30 minutes from Monster so they gave me a deal when I drove in there). 2600 stall.
o Dakota Digital Dash
§ All my gauges work and take data from the FiTech unit. Speedo, tack, temp all good.
· I did decide ‘NOT’ to use the fan1 and fan2 from FiTech unit and use the Dakota Digital fan relays and controller. My personal preference.
All good info, thanks for sharing!
What and how did you get the Fitech system to work with all your gauges? What vehicle is this and what gauges?
I have a 1970 RS Camaro.
My gauges are Dakota Digital VHX. Speedo and Tach work perfect
Just let me say this: I have had good success with my LS Ultimate standalone 70051. Do I think it makes the most HP from my combo? No I don't, but then I haven't had a chance to tune it at a drag strip or dyno even though I have been to both now. Upon installation I did the 5 basics set up ,adjusted the IAC ( I had chosen the wrong cam setting at first and had to do it over ) pulled the timing down to 26* @ WOT as I was breaking in a new engine and transmission. Then I drove it for a long while before making any adjustments. 1- adjusted accel pump for a slight bog/hesitation. 2- dfco to get rid of the popping . 3- set my wot afr 12.5 ( the ecu changed this).4- 28* timing at wot ( the ecu changed this also). I have been driving with these parameters for months now . I tried the timing settings JKhall316 had posted up there just for fun and my car did not like that ! The ecu started adjusting it as I put some miles on it.( I might put it all back to what it was before that change). IN conclusion, the ecu will/can make a N/A car run good if you haven't built up a street beast. 1986 Monte Carlo SS / 370 cu in. LS 3 top end . custom ground cam. TKO 600 5sp.
BUMP for a good thread for people starting out, like me. Got everything together and had my first start last night. Idle was ok until I tried to add some throttle, as it settled it died. I know where to go from this and a few other posts. Thanks guys.