I need some help understanding certain nGauge gauges

[Dragster]

I finally got around to loading my Lund tune today (car has Kooks 1 3/4 green catted headers, Roush CAI (no insert), and Borla S-type catback), and I was going through some of the gauges. I wasn't sure what the "best" things to monitor on a newly tuned car would be, but I selected lambda 1 & 2, Spark, and KnockR. Could someone explain to me what values I should be looking for? I know lambda should be around 1, but what is an acceptable range? It went to 2 (and the gauge went red) on decel with no throttle input. Is that normal, similar to seeing air/fuel go to 20? What exactly are Spark and KnockR measuring? Sorry for all the questions, but I'm still a little paranoid as it's the first car I've tuned since my 03 Cobra!

Thanks in advance for the help!

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[JAS550]

Seeing lambda go to 2 is normal during off throttle. That's because you are no longer delivering fuel to the engine. Spark is just showing you commanded timing and KNOCKR is showing you if the ECU is advancing or retarding your timing. If the ECU detects knock via the knock sensors then the engine will retard timing (shown as a positive value on the ngauge).

 

[Derek@Lethal]

Also, Dragster, it sounds like you are viewing the 4 pane screen. There is a 6 pane option if you touch a pane then arrow right, should take you to the 6 pane screen if you want to monitor more parts. You can also set the LED's to illuminate to custom values, some of the default setting for the LED's may be a little off or just not match values you want.

 

[Dragster]

Thanks for the input guys, I appreciate it! Any other suggestions on what I should be monitoring? I haven't tuned a car since my 03 Cobra, so I'm still slightly paranoid... I'm going to send them some datalogs soon just to make sure everything checks out.

 

[West TX GT]

I have looked about twenty times and still haven't found the KNOCKR gauge. Do I have to request this or update it? I figured it came with the latest updates.

 

[JAS550]

I have looked about twenty times and still haven't found the KNOCKR gauge. Do I have to request this or update it? I figured it came with the latest updates.

Rescan your gauges and make sure it's set for Ford 2008 and up.

 

[beefcake]

yep, get a full scan in

 

[Dragster]

Forgive me if this has been covered before, but how do you check to see that the car is currently running a tune? I thought I saw it under one of the menus, but the file name is long, and I don't know if that is stock or not. It said my tune loaded, but I just wanted to double check for make sure there are no issues.

 

[West TX GT]

Rescan worked. Thanks guys!

 

[Dragster]

What are the expected or "safe" ranges for lambda and knock? I've only noticed positive knock once, when I almost stalled the car because I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing, and the car bucked. Otherwise, it's all been negative, and I've seen spikes to around -5. Lambda seems to hover around 1, though it goes to 2 off throttle. I don't recall seeing a whole lot of change here. I'm also monitoring spark, and I don't really have a reference for what this number means. I've seen it anywhere from single digits to 40 or so. Thoughts or advice? Thanks in advance!

 

[Brent Dalton]

Lambda should be around 1 during normal drive conditions. It should drop to around .85 during WOT.

 

[Derek@Lethal]

KNOCKR is just the knock sensors adding or removing timing based on what they are hearing. I'm not sure there is a "safe" limit as they will do what's needed to make the most power but aso keep the engine healthy. Lambda is another way to read air/fuel ratio without having to worry about what type of fuel is in the tank, essentially. Here is a good video where Jay Meagher explains AFR vs Lambda...



SPARK is total timing being commanded. This number changes based on what table the car is in depending on certain driving and environmental conditions and what the knock sensors are saying to the PCM. Typically, on 93 octane, safe total timing at WOT and in the higher RPM will be around 27-28 degrees in a naturally aspirated Coyote application (or whatever your tuner is comfortable with). There are a lot of factors that will effect this number, but 27-28 is a good number to have that will make good power and is still safe.

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