Software & Tuning

Select your Engine Size Tune for download HERE Password is in your paperwork.

If you need Remote Tech Support, download HERE and call tech support and you will be provided a code so that we may remotely access your Laptop.

You can also learn more about tuning the ECM by going to online forums or the facebook page

Your ECU comes pre-programmed for the approximate engine and injector size.  You will need to set up a new project before you can upload your setting from the ECU to your computer.  After they are upload, you can change/manipulate, etc, and then save back to the ECU.  Be careful as some changes to timing and fuel can create lean situations that can burn pistons, valves, etc.  Some settings in the program/project need to be set up for your engine.

Computer/ECU Adjustments

Your kit included an ECU to Laptop USB to 2.5mm cable.  Plug the 2.5mm cable into the 2.5mm female plug and the USB to your laptop.  Your Windows-based laptop will find the driver and install a Comm Port, note that Comm port as you will need to connect the TunerStudio program to your ECU.  In this section, items in Blue are clickable in the TunerStudio Program.  We recommend that you purchase the TunerStudio Program as it gives you the ability to change your dash, auto-tune (you drive and it adjusts your fuel table for you) which is helpful for the users that have an engine outside the normal.  Make constant backups of your tune that way you if you make an entry to make your engine run worse, you can revert back easily.  Do not be overwhelmed by tuning… it is like eating an elephant… one bite at a time.  We suggest you only change 1 entry at a time and test drive as make 2 or more changes at a time may cause confusion and starting over waste time and fuel.

First Time Setup of TunerStudio MS:  Open Program, Open New Project, Name your project, Detect Firmware, and add notes if you want about your engine size, cam, etc.  The next Screen will ask for a selection of options.  Input if you have Narrow Band (what shipped with your kit) or Wideband O2 Sensor.  Press Next and will ask you to set up your Comm Port

ECU Adjustments:  You can change the following settings in the ECU very easily and tailor your engine for your setup and desires.  You must first connect your laptop with the cable between the USB and the 2.5mm audio.  Open the software and create a new project (After creation, you can open existing).  Open communications, settings and set the Comm port to the one noted earlier.  Test Port and you should receive a “successful” message and press Accept.  Always make a backup of your previous settings so that you can retrieve them if the changes made are not acceptable.

The Basics:

Note:  The temp indicated will not be accurate and not reflect the actual temp, but it used to adjust your engine with these values, not the actual temp. 

Priming Pulse:  When you first turn on the switch, the ECU triggers the fuel pump to energize for 5 seconds, but it can also open the injectors to allow trapped air to escape and refill the lines after bleed-down. This is similar to a “pump” of the accelerator pedal to our Carb cousins. To adjust the priming pulse, open Startup/Idle then Priming Pulse.  The pulse is determined by temp and can be adjusted as needed.  Most engines will not need adjustment unless you have a leak in the pressurized part of the fuel system.

Cranking Pulse:  This injects fuel only while the engine is cranking and has not exceeded the “Started RPM” (400 RPMs) threshold.  After the started RPM threshold has been reached/exceeded the “After start enrichment” takes over.  If your engine if flooding during cranking (you may have to hold throttle down to clear it), you may be injecting too much fuel during start.  Keep in mind, if you press your accelerator to past 70% TPS, it will stop injecting fuel to help clear a flooding situation.

After Start Enrichment:  This injects fuel during the period after cranking pulse has ended and enters a  running state.  Adjustment of this would be helpful to add a little extra or take away fuel to achieve accelerator free starting.

Warm-up Enrichment (WUE):  This is basically Choke Emulation and may be adjusted for user preference.  To adjust, open Startup/Idle then Warm-up Enrichment.  This adds fuel to the engine based on temp and amount of choke.  100% is off, so you may actually go below 100% (taking fuel away), but not recommended.  Adjust 100-120% against temp and test drive.  WUE has a green light on the main screen to indicate the that engine is in choke mode and will stay illuminated until it reaches threshold temp (usually 140f).   If you engine stutters under load when cold, you may want to adjust the WUE either up or down.

Cold Advance:  The ECU will add timing based on the temp of the engine and is helpful during cold starts/weather.  Adjust the Cold advance by opening Ignition Settings then Cold Advance.

Accel Enrichment:  Acceleration Enrichment is the equivalent of an accelerator pump in a carb engine.  Adjust the Accel Enrichment by opening Accel Enrich then Time Based Accel Enrichment.  Do not make adjustments on this section until the engine is fully warmed as it may still have additional fuel added by the “WUE.

Timing Adjustments:  You can adjust the timing based using a 16×16 table.  This will allow you to advance or retard the timing based on load and RPMs.  Keep in mind that the timing is also being advanced while cold and retard when hot by the Cold advance and MAT based timing retard above.  To advance the timing, go the to a cell that corresponds to the load and RPM and type in the number of positive degrees and when that cell is active, the ECU will change the engine timing to match.  We set the timing to very conservative (low) on the base tune and you can increase the table values as needed.

Fuel Adjustments:  We recommend that you do this only with a Wide Band O2 sensor as leaning an engine out too much will burn pistons, valves and overheat the engine. Some may want to run leaner on highway settings, but without a WBO2, its guessing.  Richer is always safer when in doubt….gas is cheaper than pistons.

Idle Adjustments:  Getting a good idle is very important for your EFI system and your happiness.  The idle is complicated by using 2/4 TBIs but can be accomplished if time is taken.  The TBIs must be balanced first.  Adjust the idle screw down where it does not touch and the throttle blade is completely closed and then adjust the Corvair linkage between the 2 TBIs.  After zero adjustments, adjust the idle screw on both TBIs to 2 turns to start and then get a good idle (around 800 RPMs).  You may need to adjust one over the other due to get a smoother idle.  This is one of these things you may have to play with as each engine has its own characteristics due to build, etc.  If using a wideband o2,  fuel AFR in the 13.9-14.2 range since to work best.

Engine Temp Sensor:  The Engine Temp Sensor is located at the #4 Cylinder location shroud bolt and is designed to tell the ECU if the engine is cold, warm, or hot.   Exact temp is not as important as where on the scale the choke and RPM are adjusted due to temp.  If the temp sensor is relocated to the snap sensor bolt hole under the head, a different calibration will be needed. This sensor also provides reading for the MAT timing retard as well as Engine temp.

MAT Based Timing Retard:  This is designed to measure air temp, but we have re-purposed this setting to adjust the timing with the engine is hot or cold.  Using the setting we can advance the timing when the engine is cold and retard the timing to prevent pinging as engine heat increases.  Adjust the Timing Retard by opening Ignition Settings then MAT based Timing Retard.

Sensor Calibration:  For the engine to function properly, the sensors must be calibrated so the ECU will inject and time the engine.  Watch the video below as a learning session….do not follow the example settings unless you are sure of what you are doing.  The settings below are for sensors provided with the Brown Injection System.

***Youtube video on sensor calibration worth watching***

To perform this calibration, you will need to unlock the calibration tables first:

Go to Tools  and  Un/Lock Calibration

The following setting is for Brown EFI Temp Sensor only!

Go to Tools and Calibrate Thermistor Tables

Coolant Temperature Sensor and Air Temperature Sensor  (Set Both)

To set Coolant Temperature Sensor Three-Point Therm Generator

Select Ford from the Drop Down

To set Air Temperature Sensor

Select Chrysler from the Drop Down

Write to Controller and Close

Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) Calibration

Go to Tools and Calibrate TPS

Initial TPS Calibration:  We have preset the TPS to +10%-15% on the GM Scale, so you should not need to perform the initial setup of installing the TPS.  Power up the system and see what reading you get on the ADC count (should be between 1 and 30).  Rotate the shaft to check that the TPS percentage is changing on the dashboard and is smooth without jumping.  If these items indicate as stated, you can now mount the TBI ad install linkage to that TBI,  We recommend not tightening the fuel lines until the TPS calibration has been verified.  After all the connections have been made, you can now check the TPS calibration with the accelerator pedal as specified below.

Without pressing the accelerator and with the choke advance not advancing the throttle, click the Get Current on the Closed Throttle ADC Count (it will probably read higher than 0 – Approx 10-30).  Now fully press the accelerator and click Get Current Full Throttle ADC Count.  Click Accept and the window will close.  You can re-run this calibration as many times as needed.  If your TPS reading slowly advances higher without pressing the accelerator, you may have a bad TPS or lose TPS wire.   check your wiring and call Tech support if this does not fix the issue.

Lock your calibration tables after you have finished as not to change settings accidentally.

Overall strategy:

NarrowBand O2 Sensor:  The NBO2 sensor is included in your kit and in most cases will not need any modification unless your engine is outside the norms (Cams/Bored, etc).  Your engine is designed to run at 14.7:1 AFR except at idle and under load (75% or higher MAP).  The NBO2 sensor will trim the fuel flow to achieve 14.7:1 up to 10%.  If your engine is running extremely lean/rich at idle or surging an adjustment must be made.

Wideband O2 Sensor:  WBO2 is NOT included in your kit, but is available as an option and is recommended for any real tuning.  The WBO2 will adjust the fuel flow to the engine to a specific AFRs using the AFR table.   You will need to tune your engine using the “Autotune” feature of Tunerstudio to initially set up your engines VE Tables.   You basically drive your vehicle around letting the software adjust your VE tables to match the settings in your AFR table.  Once your engine VE tables are correct, your ECM will adjust the fuel from that point to match the AFR table.  You will need to contact tech support to set up your software and ECM to use the WBO2 sensor. It is advised to purchase Tunersudio software ($59) to open up the “Autotune” feature that will assist you in tuning your engine.  You can manually tune the engine, but it will take more time and fuel.

Dual O2 Sensors:  Our system supports dual Narrowband O2 (NBO2) or Wideband O2 (WBO2) sensors for dual exhaust.  To make use of 2 sensors,  you will need to install an additional O2 wire into the wiring harness and set up the software to read each sensor and adjust fuel on each bank (head).  This additional O2 Sensor wire will need to be special ordered and we will modify your software for you.

Tuning Mode:  If you use autotune, you will need to set the authority to “0” so that the WBO2 can change the VE table without the WBO2 controller adjusting the VE table also.

Links for Tuning:

Setup TunerStudio

Idle Tuning (Megasquirt, but essentially the same)

Dialing in the Start-up

Enrichment Tuning (Accelerator Pump Shot)

Ampseal Connector Instructions

Overview of Tuning – tunerstudio_presentation

Brown EFI systems are intended for off-road use only.