Thread: Final Ignition Value

It works fine. You just have to click back on the main screen in order for it to take affect. Otherwise, if setting it through the diag menu works, roll with it.

I tried that..clicked to the main screen, which put the idle window in the background, and uploaded changes..didn't do anything. I got the diagnostics window to work fine though.

I think the confusion is from all of the different responses. Listen to Dave or John and ignore everyone else, they know what they are talking about.

In short, put it in timing mode, look at the Final IGN value in the software, then make that value match the timing on the crank pulley. This way the ECU knows that the mechanical timing is at X* when it is saying it is at X*. The 15* comes from the DE base timing which is what the software is based off of. After base timing is set you can change the ECU to idle and 5* or 50*, it does not matter. Mechanical and ECU timing are not the same unless calibrated / timed correctly.

OK guys .. you are making things WAY over complicated here.

When I get a chance I will put something together with screen shots and maybe even a walk-through for how to do this.

(BTW: I said it multiple ways because it was apparent that what I said before hand didn't get through .. if you actually read it and follow exactly what I said it certainly does make sense.)

Also, I suggest only using the "SET TIMING MODE" on the tune screen and NOT in the tools section menu bar. That way when you make the change it happens instantly after you hit upload.

You are welcome to give me a call when you actually have the car in front of you and I can walk you through OR take control of the laptop to help get it synced. This literally should take 5 mins MAX to accomplish.

your instructions are perfect.. if the guy reading them knows what the date screen is. I thought it was a generic term for the GUI... didn't realize what it actually was, and as you can see from my screen shot, now I know exactly what the "Data Screen" is.. also, if it said "Final IGN value" instead of "Final Ignition Value".. it would have been easier to find while I was scanning anything and everything for those words.. I am very literal when I can be, hence scanning the entire GUI for "Final Ignition Value"..

the complications arose from dude telling me to change the base value and another guy telling me how it is calculated.. that is all great info. But this thread was clearly for the purposes trying to find the Final IGN value, in plain engrish.... Nothing more. Once we got on the phone, everything was great. You should clean up the crap out of this thread if you can.



I think the bolded line could be changed for clarity for tuning newbs to say something like:
"Go to "Logging" -> "Data Screen" and search for the "Final IGN" field. There you will find the value for the Final Ignition."
if it were written like that, this thread never would have been made.

There is a lot to learn when starting to tune, knowing what everything means is the first step. If you read through the manual he explains everything in plain English. If you read "final ignition value" you should know you are looking for "Final IGN". It will take a few times going through the manual to understand if you are not familiar with tuning. I dont think the manual needs to be changed, it is very clear on what it says. It is not his fault for you not knowing what you are doing, he wrote the manual, which im sure took a long time and you are expected to read it and understand what you are doing before changing anything.

I don't consider setting my timing to the tune he sent me "tuning"... I write technical instructions for a living... Obviously not on cars... As stated previously, I have no intentions to tune the car myself. I had help and they didn't follow either.. I'm not knocking John. Tech manuals are tweaked all the time to enhance user performance. Setting timing would be the first thing anyone using this program would probably do. So at that point, everyone is a newb to the software, and wouldn't know what the Data Screen is. Capitalizing "Value" made it look like part of the field I was supposed to be looking for.

I, must admit, have read the manual and I still dunno wtf I am doing to be honest..... I am reading more about tuning and hope to learn more for the new year! THankfully, i am stock and slow so that makes it easy.

The NismotronicSA documentation is a reference that explains how the systems work and the parameters and tables used to tune all aspects of engine operation. It is not a general engine tuning document, as those are already available from a number of sources. You would still need a pretty good understanding of how the related systems (like fuel, engine cooling, ignition, etc.) work to be able to diagnose issues and separate tune errors from other system problems. For example, if your fuel pressure isn't steady, or your cooling system doesn't hold a proper engine operating temperature, or there are electrical system problems, or you have an intake or exhaust leak, or a sensor problem, or ........... well, you can see how comprehensive a general tuning document would need to be.

Once you have a general understanding of how the engine and its supporting systems operate, NismotronicSA gives you powerful logging features that help pin-point the cause of problems and separate tune errors from mechanical/electrical problems.

Dave

I didnt mean to be a dick about it, just frank. It needed to be said, Dave explains it the best in his post below. Dont think that i even understand everything but i have read the manual several times and other tuning documents to help me understand what i am changing and why it needs to be changed. Honestly i am not sure how people can spend 1-2 hours on a dyno and say they have a tune. To get a motor to run correctly it takes time and multiple changes to get a true good tune.