2004 Silverado 5.3 BTR NSR Cam problems

[LETHAL_LSX]

Hello guys, hope everyone is doing good. I have some issues that I'm really hoping you guys can help me sort out. I have a 2004 Silverado 5.3 with a BTR NSR cam. 224/230 .500 .500 112 LSA. Daily driver. Has a built trans with transgo vacuum modulator and Circle D 3000 stall. 3.73 to 4.11 gear swap. I have had the truck tuned locally several times and have had nothing but problems ever since. It feels as if I have gained no power, and the truck falls on its face half the time. The transmission shifts violently under throttle, like frame rattling hard. The truck never wants to idle consistently. Sometimes it idles okay and sounds good, sometimes it idles like it doesn't even have a cam. If you shut the truck off and crank it right back up it struggles to find an idle every time. When weather is cold, truck will die on startup almost every time if you don't give it back. My A/C doesn't want to work hardly at all with the cam. If you crank truck up with A/C on, it will stumble and just keep cycling the A/C. If you turn A/C on while driving, the truck doesn't want to run and has no power at all. Stumbles on take off. Truck runs best and has most power on a cold start when weather is nice. No power at all when hot outside. When pulling up to a red light the truck surges violently. I could really use some help from you guys. I have spent so much money in this to have such a miserable driving experience. Local tuner sais tune is fine. The truck runs so bad I don't even like driving it which is bad for a daily driver. ANY HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!

[Evo8john]

I suggest posting a log as well as the tune. It will help us figure out what is going on.

[RDF1]

My experience with that cam in a 5.3 and a 5.7 was it was really weak in the lower rpms and didnt pickup hardly any power in the upper rpms.


But from the problems you describe, your tune needs a fair amount of work. I cant look at it here at work tho. ill check it out tonight.
Do you have a datalog of it?

[awest623]

Ok I am by no means a professional tuner, this is only my second post on this forum so take that for what it is.
We really need a good datalog to see what exactly is wrong, but I did see a couple of things that stood out to me in the tune.

Probably want to worry about idle before your shift preferences. So for now I returned the transmission line pressures back to stock and 50% stock TQ management.

Non idle related changes: enabled close loop and stft, enabled knock sensor DTCs, enabled maf dtc, stock TCC duty cycle

Idle related changes: cranking VE returned to stock, cranking fuel tables returned to stock, adjusted idle spark advance from stock tables, stock idle adaptive spark

I'd recommend working on the VE table some, there's a couple valleys in there.

Also, your spark maps look horrendous, but I ain't touching that without seeing a scan file

Try this config out and see if it helps at all.

[LETHAL_LSX]

Let me start off by saying thank you to everyone that has replied. Unfortunately I have no data logs at the moment because I simply cant afford to pay for data logging right now. I am new to HPTuners and am learning all of this as I go. I've seen lots of informational stuff on tuning for a camshaft and have used comparison files for similar cams as a reference and it seems to me that all of my tables are "weird". I'm hoping you guys that actually know this stuff for sure can help me. Thanks again!

[LETHAL_LSX]

Thank you sir! I will check it out!

[awest623]

Ok, stop for a minute. Hp tuners has it's own scanner. You really should invest in a wideband but you can tune part throttle with the fuel trims.

What you need to do to start with is use the built in scanner to make some logs. You'll need to setup these channels at the minimum:
Throttle position
Idle desired rpm
engine rpm
vehicle speed
intake air temp
engine coolant temp
Mas airflow frequency
mass airflow
barometric pressure
Intake manifold absolute pressure
cylinder airmass (if supported)
timing advance
knock retard
knock learn factor
equivalence ratio commanded
fuel system #1 and #2 status
STFT #1 and #2
LTFT #1 and #1
Injector pulse width avg bank 1
O2 B1s1
O2 B2s2
Trans current gear
Trans shift mode
Trans performance mode

Take it for a short drive with the scanner running and post the results. Try and make smooth throttle inputs and stay out of power enrichment. Vary engine load. Preferebly get a log with your original tune and another with the one I edited

[awest623]

We can guess on the tune all day long. But without logs it's just a guess. If you want to make power and be safe you have to log. Otherwise there's no way for us to tell what's going on. It could be crazy lean with 20 degrees of knock retard, but without a log we can't tell.

[LETHAL_LSX]

Thank you for replying. I have the VCM scanner and all of the channels active but it doesn't give me the option to log a file and save it. I think this must be because I don't have the $250 "pro" service

[awest623]

No need for the pro set. Connect your computer to the truck thru the dongle, then click on the connect button in the scanner (blue car button). After you connect, add all of the values. Most of them should populate automatically. Click the record button to start recording (red button). To stop recording press the square stop button beside the record button. Then to save use the save button (second from the left).
Capture1.PNG

[awest623]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEBvufxAvqM

[LETHAL_LSX]

Okay thank you. I will take it for a drive real quick and post the results

[LETHAL_LSX]

Okay I changed the speedo calculations for 33's and 4.11 gears before the drive and the tranny seems to be doing a little better. Everything else still the same. Truck was having one of its "better" drives because of ambient temp. I am attaching a copy of the tune with the new speedo values and the log file from going around the block.

[awest623]

So when you're logging without a wideband, you have to enable close loop. The first changed file I posted didn't have it enabled. But it looks like you're still using the original tune anyways. Try this one.
You also need to be logging knock retard and knock learn factor.Black Truck K Tune awest 2 .hpt

[LETHAL_LSX]

Okay here's another log file. I had to leave knock sensors disabled because I got circuit codes with them turned on, although I've replaced them before. Hope this one actually helps you lol. Thanks again for your help

[awest623]

Great. Definitely need to get the knock sensors sorted out, can't tune spark or PE without them. But on the upside your fuel trims don't look too bad. A little rich down low but that's a good thing. How's the idle feel now? Bearable? Trans? Can only ballpark the idle until you get the MAF dialed in. Really need a wideband to do it right. Do you know how to adjust the MAF and VE tables?

[5FDP]

People tune spark and PE without knock sensors all the time. PE is a set and forget table, you are asking for a air fuel ratio and you use the wideband to see if you are meeting the commanded value. If it's lean or rich, you make adjustments to the airflow model.

Spark tuning could be done on a dyno. Stay conservative on the timing and it will be fine. Low to mid 20's will always make good power.