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tuning by exhaust

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i have my os .12tr in my drake running and it seems to be running pretty well.
now every one basicly says just have a cloud of smoke. well at full throttle it looks like there is no smoke or its just getting displaced so fast you can't see it. and also should there be a cloud while it is idling? if someone would be kind to just like fill out this small chart.
my needle settings are around what other people with this engine have recommended me and the back tire is shiny
idle amount of smoke =

moving at very low speed =

medium =

full wot =

i just can't seem to hit the spot.
also if you are wot for about 3-4 seconds does the car seem to kick it up a gear? or is that from my tuning
 
Here are the basics that will get you up and running when your settings are off:

Put the nose of the truck against something firm so it can't get away from you. If you have an EZ start, keep it running while moving your LSN one way or the other till it starts to run.
Adjust your LSN and idle screw till it idles well and will run up to half throttle. (get it to running temp before you finalize any settings) When it idles properly, throttle it to half and see if it stalls or bogs down. If it stalls, it's too lean. If it bogs, it's too rich.
Now go to full throttle. This is when you adjust your HSN. Same thing. If it bogs, it's too rich, stalls, it's too lean.
When it seems to be running good, pinch the fuel line. It should speed up slightly and then stall within 3 - 4 seconds. If it stops quickly, your LSN is too lean. If it takes longer, the LSN is too rich.
Drive it for a while and then take a temp check to make sure it's at the proper temp. If it's too hot, richen the HSN.
You will have to make small adjustments on the HSN almost daily to compensate for outside temperature and humidity.

By the way, the factory settings are for break in, or a starting point if you really messed things up. Once an engine is broken in, don't expect it to run right by going to those settings.
 
I'm not at factory and i dont have a temp sensor(it would make things much easier. i just wanna know how much smoke i should be seeing. i thought you are supposed to adjust your hsn before your lsn?
 
If you do the LSN first, you don't have to deal with the agravation of it stalling constantly while trying to get it to run WOT. After doing it the way I described it above, you might still have to tweak the LSN slightly for total performance.
You really need to get a temp gun. You can't tune just by temp, or just by exhaust. It's pretty much a combination of how it sounds, how it runs, how much smoke you see, and what temp it runs at.
When those four things are good, you have it in its' "Happy Spot".
 
well as i said.. i have it running... i dont have to worry about it stalling.. i just wanna know how much smoke should be coming out of the pipe so i know how off i am
 
If your worried about overheating....try the spit test...Spit or put a drop of water on the head of the engine. If it boils off rapidly, your to hot. If your running at a temperature that is good it will sit there for several seconds then slowly evaporate over 5-6 seconds.

But I highly recommend the temp guage....Adjusting for smoke alone will probably get your settings off but a thin white stream at wot is how mine usually shows and more of a spitting of fuel at idle instead of smoke.

Saggy
 
what about the engine kicking it up a gear after 3-4 seconds of wot? is that of any concern? it looks like it loses all its power and hits its top speed and then it just changes engine tune and rockets
 
that is the point when your transmission shifts from first to second. form the way you descirbe it seems normal.
 
ok i just wasted 2 tanks of fuel trying to tune it... i can't get anything to come out of the pipe at idle. no smoke comes out till about after 5 mph. i got more smoke coming out on the high end and its not bogging down. the low end it bogging down though everyonce in a while I'm pretty sure its rich because it stalls if i richen it but i dont want to lower it because absolutly nothing is coming out at idle(scares me) the spit test nothing happens for about 6-7 seconds and then it slowly evaporates
 
It sounds like one of the needles can still be leaned out if your water drop test is that slow.
You have to understand that it's not easy to explain over the internet when you are safe due to smoke. If we can't see it and hear it, it's hard to tell you precisely when you are at the right point. You really need to get a temp gauge, then set your idle according to temp, and routinely adjust your HSN according to the temperature and humidity on that day.
 

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