Supercharged 2001 Tacoma Issues

so I bought this truck with the supercharger already installed, it has 55000 miles on it and it was installed at around 2k. I didn't know the world of hurt I was getting myself into until after was all said and done. I suffered from pinging (supperrrrrr bad) so I started researching and my nightmare started. I bought the urd 7th injector kit and installed it, still a lot of pinging in the low end. My afr is about 11.5-11.8 at wot around 3300rpm and up but around 12.5-13.5 till then.. I am not really sure if that's where it needs to be as I used the coveted Search a button but it seems everyone has different opinions and they're never concise. I am still getting a lot of low rpm high gear ping, and a lot of it. I'm at my wits ends with finding help on this or someone to give me any info. I've searched but can't really find any fixed except to tune the whole thing which I am pretty scared to do. I can't even find a shop in Las Vegas that is willing to do it. Just so this is clear, I've changed all the bells and whistles: high pressure fuel pump, colder plugs, 170 thermostat, cleaned the tb, aic valve,and I run 91 octane, changed the supercharger oil, and I know I'm forgetting stuff.... I need someone to throw me a bone here... I need a fix, a Toyota guru, or Jesus Christ to descend from the heavens to fix this. I am about to be driving this A LOT, and can't afford for this to grenade.

 

First, dumb question, dont take offense, your sure its the engine pinging, right? The double cardan joint on the driveshaft can make a super similar pinging sound. Second dumb question, your running premium, right?

Ill assume both are yes. Just have to confirm, new member and all. welcome to TW! What is your location? Are you a mile up in Denver, or sea level?

Check out this thread, Gadget from URD makes some recommendations, and it may shed some light. http://www.customtacos.com/forum/13-performance/84186-afr-calibrator-target-afr-gadget.html

Finally, you will benefit from a tune. The software is floating around here on TW and many times even just a default URD/Gadget tune can make a world of difference.

 

I would try to open up the R4 software on a laptop and pull a little bit of timing out of the RPM range where you are pinging.

 

^^ This

The issues you described are EXACTLY what I was getting. Pinging between 2-3k RPM's in 3rd gear+ when floored.
I installed the Split Second software (PM me, I can provide) in an older laptop running windows 7. Takes a bit of test driving after adjstments, but I was able to eliminate pinging after 2.5k RPM. Still more tuning to do, but at least I got rid of half of it.

It sounds like you're getting good fuel, just need to retard the timing down low. It's a bitch... I know. I didn't want to do it either and was about to pay a tuner here in So CA $750 just to do it on his dyno, but you can certainly do it yourself.

 

None taken! Haha the pinging only happens under load or in low rpm high gear. I live in Las Vegas so I'm closer to sea level lol. I read all the stuff about the tuning and my head starts to spin haha don't really know where to start here. Doesn't the aic come with a urd tune downloaded to it already? I guess I can try tuning it just scares the sh** out of me.. I could screw up a wet dream haha

 

Yes, the URD 7th injector PCU comes with a base tune that works for "most" applications. Like you however, my truck hated the base tune and I had to go back in and fine tune it.

 

Please don't tune these yourselves! It's math skills that are above most of us, change one cell in a map and another changes on its own because it's a black art. One mans name Shawn Church/ Churches tuning in Ca, comes to mind after tuning my Subaru he was telling me Toyota of Japan had a 1000+ hp Camry and they couldn't barely make her run, Church took that job and made the engineers from Japan bow down! I've had a few tunes and if you call him he's truly the best, imo he said he has thirty years of education and tuning under his belt. Long story short you can't really replace a proper tune from someone who knows how far they can take her safely w/o blowing up, and he can tune for a daily driver or if you want to pull HP like a boss. Do it right once or it won't end trust me.

 

I live literally 10 minutes from Churches, thanks for this advice as I was about to contact him.

So is he familiar with the Split Second software, or does he use his own on these SuperCharged Tacomas? I was just wondering if I should bring my laptop with the Split Second software for the appointment or if he has everything needed already?

From what I understand, it's $750 just to start on a proper dyno tune? I tried calling but he wasn't in at the time to talk.

 

On my vehicle he tuned open source with his own ecu cable, he might do split second, if he doesn't have it I'd be surprised, but bring you're software and what you've done so far too.
He was 500 for an open source dyno tune with a drive around, and tuned to my street liking, mind you this was a Subaru. I am sure he'll tune it for you, you should be ready with all of you're tuning hardware and make double sure it's hooked up right. If he says 750 for a Tacoma jump on it! no one better understands tuning imo. He tuned a caddy cts-v wagon that smoked a Ferrari! He has 300 hp Honda civics laying around totally n/a, point is he's a badass. Schedule an appointment with one of his guys for early morning but mechanically go through you're truck with a fine tooth comb beforehand. He'll more than likely tune it himself as toyotas are not his employees usual. I talked with him about the 1000 hp Camry from Japan he did ecu work on, and feel he is the best if Toyota used him for their racing project. I hope he dyno's you're ride, I want to see the numbers. There's one more guy with a mustang 500 dynocell it's a roller dyno, he's phattbotti tuning right up the street if Shawn Church can't do it.

 

Thanks man... Thinking I may have to pony up and get the Guru tune!

 

Right on! He can definitely get her ironed out, his work is great!

 

X2, Shawn at Church's is a legend. I haven't taken my truck to Church's but know people that have- I suppose I'm a little cocky and feel I can street tune my truck to where I want it, save the dyno bill.

One thing I don't like with my s/c'd rig is the tranny loves to hold low gear. I've been meaning to tighten/tweak whatever to assist with more aggressive kick downs. Boost, lower than 2k rpm, 5,000+ lbs to move, no motor is going to like that. I even thought of using a vacuum tank and solenoid to force-keep the bypass valve open below a certain RPM.

Also a little note I took from a Shawn tuned aem fic was the timing map being rpm/air flow, not rpm/boost. Was racking my brain on it and I'm thinking it addresses street ping vs freeway ping, as I ping much more on the freeway where rpm and boost at x cell might have different levels of air flow affecting ping. Tuning by actual air ingestion vs boost pressure in the manifold maybe addresses this- fuel map is still boost dependent.

Sidenote I did some street tuning on my split second/ Freddy emu combo and happy with the results.

 

Sounds like you need level10's valve body upgrade, that will give you the correct shift pattern back when spooling. I totally get you between street and fwy after a tune.. Shawn had to pull timing to drop my knock around town but on the dyno it didn't knock at all. That's good you ironed out the fwy tune maybe tell him about it and he can get you to a better middle ground for both street and fwy. How many hp did you get from his tune?

 

Did Shawn use his own software? Did he use the Split Second hooked to your 7th injector or?

 

The engine will never enter closed loop with a 170 thermostat

 

Shawn used his own software and laughed when I asked him if he needed a tactrix cable or the definition for my Subaru. As for seventh injector no offense but when my truck gets supercharged it's getting meth instead lol. I believe the ping and knock on these supercharged trucks is more related to octane grade and heat soak not fuel starvation. Methanol takes care of bringing octane numbers up plus lowering temps, we can't legally add intercoolers to a CA legal truck so I've been slowly building my truck to be fully prepared for all that boost and tuning she'll get once supercharged. I will work with some pretty big names in Ca to totally figure out how to get the 5VZ fueled right once the charger is in my hands, I'm gonna go for 500hp, the build will get posted when I do. I passed up a 5VZ fully built n/a from LC at 500hp because it needed a standalone ecu.,Ca no likey! There is hope though for stock ecu improvement as an undisclosed denso employee that built ecu's for denso was talking of replacing the caps in our computers allowing for more power and drivability which is working well for the Lexus tuners. I think I could add a jet where the seventh injector goes and add methanol via this route and hide it from not passing a visual, we get roadside smogs round here it's bad!

 

To make big HP S/C'ed on the 5vz, you need much wider pulleys/more ribs, and a much bigger blower, the TRD blower is on the smaller scale/already maxed out for the 5vz and the belt is always on the brink of slippage at any PSI above TRD stock.

Water/meth injection with any brand x,y,z water/meth company such as devil's own, AEM, snow etc should be more than enough to not even have to retard timing.

When I run e85 one can even advance timing.

I'm tempted to put a water/meth kit back on the truck, but its nice to just be able to throw pump fuel into it and drive off, no extra fluids. tunes, failures to worry about etc.

 

Chain drive for the supercharger! Now that would get us there, just dangerous mad max style. Why'd you pull off the meth you're truck did it start loosing teeth and getting saggy skin?

 

I lolz'd for real hahaha- my meth setup was a little janky- tapped the windshield tank for it, that started to leak, I had a dual nozzle system where one nozzle was in the intake pipe, another where the 7th injector would go but that is in a vacuum area- I had a devil's own solenoid inline with it but that still was not preventing the engine from slowly sucking water/meth out of it. Mounted the pump behind the bumper and I didn't do a good job- just all around rushed and janky. I want to just keep it simple this next time around, get an off the shelf kit like AEM or Snow, put a big tank under the truck somewhere, mount the pump in the engine bay- I have a MIG now so no reason I can't do a better job this time around- maybe get a progressive kit, maybe even something simpler.

I like the idea of a heavily modified S/C setup that still gets you back-doored through carb haha. We have an "easy" option to make good power, the CXracing turbo kit, but no carb (and also doesn't look 4x4 friendly with how it routes the pipes). If there was an off-the-shelf bolt-on larger S/C and wider pulleys kit, it would be very very tempting for me. Would be extra nice it came with an internal water/air intercooler like the new trucks have.

 

Snow methanol progressive injection kit will help as it raises octane to 115 and lowers temps by 100 degrees, win win
Texas ace has lots of info
I'm running snow injection stage 2 progressive with 2" pulley that hits
10 pounds on a good day at 6500 feet, zero issues, daily driver