Tuning Ecoboost with PCMTec

[Flattop]

Not happy with where my "pro tune" is going, so considering DIY with PCMTec. I see threads on folks tuning Coyotes with it, but haven't found anyone tackling an Ecoboost tune. So has anyone looked at the Eco tune on PCMTec, or actually done a tune?

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[K4fxd]

I don't see any ecoboost engines in the files but it might be under a different name.

@Rolls should be able to answer this.

 

[mejohn50]

Their website says they support 6th gen Ecoboost.

@K4fxd I believe they have the engine named “2.3L Duratec GTDI”, of which there are hundreds of calibrations in the strategies repository for S550.

@Flattop I’ll give you the same advice I’ve given elsewhere on this forum, just a bit abbreviated.

This will not be an afternoon or weekend project. You will have to dedicate time and effort to it if you want to be successful. Additionally, specifically on the Ecoboost, there are many unintuitive things that are difficult to solve. Not impossible, but if you don’t take the time to understand the logic you’ll be stuck trying to figure out why it isn’t doing what you expect. This will require lots of the sequence where you adjust one thing, flash, data log, review the log, adjust again or adjust something else, flash, data log, review, etc etc etc.

I‘m not trying to discourage you, I just want to make it clear that this isn’t as easy as changing a few tables and going on your way.

 

[K4fxd]

I believe they have the engine named “2.3L Duratec GTDI

@mejohn50

I wondered about that. Which is why I said it might be named something else.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Rolls]

I don't see any ecoboost engines in the files but it might be under a different name.

@Rolls should be able to answer this.

We support essentially every ecoboost from 2015-2023. If we don't support it let us know and we can have it added very quickly. Send in a support ticket here https://support.pcmtec.com

• Mustang S550 15-23 2.3T/3.7/5.0
• Mustang GT350/GT500 5.2
• F150 15+-20 2.7T/3.5T/5.0
• F150 20+ 2.7T/3.5T/5.0*
• Explorer 15-23 2.3T/3.0T/3.5
• Bronco 2.0/2.3 Sport/3.0*
• Focus ST 2.0L C346
• Taurus 5th Gen 3.5L Turbo D258
• Focus ST 2.0L C346
• Focus RS Mk3 2.3L Turbo C346
• Focus RS280/RS350 Mk3.5/Mk4 2.3L Turbo C519
• Focus 4th Gen
• Puma 1.5L
• Escape/Kuga 1.6L C520
• Transit Connect 1.6L V408
• Transit Connect 1.6L 2nd Gen V408
• Modeo 4th Gen 1.5L, 1.6L CD391
• Lincoln MKS 1st Gen 3.5L
• Lincoln MKS 2nd Gen 2.0L
• Lincoln Aviator 2nd Gen 3.0L
• F250 Super Duty 4th Gen 7.3L (Limited support)

Full list here:

https://support.pcmtec.com/kb/article/37-pcmtec-vehicle-support/

 

[Flattop]

They have the stock tune for my 2015, and now have the FP tune for it. My starting point is looking at what Ford changed between the two. I suspect the Focus RS files may be useful as well.
Having all the parameters available but not being able to see how the firmware uses them presents a significant learning curve - I was hoping someone else might have made some progress.
I needed an engineering project for retirement...

 

[Rolls]

They have the stock tune for my 2015, and now have the FP tune for it. My starting point is looking at what Ford changed between the two. I suspect the Focus RS files may be useful as well.
Having all the parameters available but not being able to see how the firmware uses them presents a significant learning curve - I was hoping someone else might have made some progress.
I needed an engineering project for retirement...

You can ask questions on our forums and we will do our best to trace the assembler where possible.

 

[engineermike]

…Having all the parameters available but not being able to see how the firmware uses them presents a significant learning curve - I was hoping someone else might have made some progress.
I needed an engineering project for retirement...

Therein lies THE challenge of tuning an OEM platform. The logic can be rather complicated so figuring out how it works by trying different constants and logging the results can get you where you want to go, but it’s time consuming and tedious. If you have specific questions post them here or on Pcmtec and limk to here. I can try to help.

 

[mejohn50]

I was hoping someone else might have made some progress.

People have made progress, but the nature of this platform is such that you’re going to need to do a lot of leg work yourself and ask specific questions. Unfortunately, there is (currently) no good single consolidated repository of information. There are books and videos that are coyote specific, but they're glorified settings guides at best and the Ecoboost has its own set of challenges that aren’t present in the coyote.

Looking at the FP calibration compared to the OEM one is a good place to start.

 

[S550HPP]

Unless you have $10K+ or burn on a new motor consider hiring an experienced pro simply because it's such a complex challenge learning what not to do on other people's motors is priceless, and knowing what works worth the spend.

 

[Rolls]

I agree. Unless you are doing this as a hobby to learn and have some kind of engineering or IT background a tuner will always be cheaper. Especially once you buy all the required equipment along with any unexpected destructive R&D testing.

We are always upfront with this as we don't want people buying the software expecting it to be magically easy. Other packages may seem easier however it is akin to sticking your head in the sand. The parameters are still there, they simply hide them.

 

[Flattop]

I've spent the last 40 years as a space systems engineer, so despite the lack of documentation this isn't out of my comfort zone.
There's good info in Cobb's documents, and on the HPTuner forum. I've sent a few months digging through the stock calibration and figuring out pieces. My approach will be to maximize use of Ford's software, rather than turning things off, working around it, or fighting it.

 

[Rolls]

How did you go in the end?

 

[Flattop]

I decided to take tuning it myself with PCMTec. I should probably document some of that here, since there isn't much that I could find online about tuning an ecoboost with PCMTec - maybe save someone else from making the same mistakes. And hopefully someone can point out better ways to do some of this.

My goals in doing this are probably different than someone else's might be. My car is now primarily an autocross car, driven to/from events, with occasional daily driving. Due to SCCA rules and classing, I ended being most competitive in CAMC, which puts me up against all the V8 Mustangs and Camaros. I can hang with the early GTs, but competition in my region includes a supercharged GT, Dark Horse, Mach1, and the occasional 1LE. My suspension is dialed in pretty well, but even though I've been running the Ford Performance tune, I clearly need more power.

Since I'm running a 2015 eco, I have to allow for the crappy block, rods, pistons, and head gasket, so maximizing power anywhere and everywhere isn't in the cards. The FP tune has a torque peak of about 400 lb-ft at around 2300 rpm, then declining to about 200 lb-ft at redline. To avoid scattering engine parts around the course, I'm going to limit torque to that 400 lb-ft, but try to hold there as far out as possible. That will help acceleration on the longer straights, which is a weakness in my current setup.

I've spent hours looking at the differences between the stock tune and the FP tune with the PCMTec compare feature. There are dozens/hundreds of changes, but the main things appear to be raising temp limits and advancing timing in the borderline spark tables in the optimum performance mode. No boost changes. Makes sense, as the stock tune requires only 87 octane (although it will still advance timing with higher octane), where the FP tune requires at least 91. I always run 93, so there should be room for more spark advance.

Despite all the sensors in the engine bay, the Ford tunes are basically models of how the engine work. Lots of models. Models on top of models. And lots of inferred values derived from those models, as there's not a sensor for everything. And limits on everything. Lots of limits. Limits on requests, limits on outputs, limits on all sorts of intermediate values. So to do this right, the models need to know anything that has been changed in the engine, and some of those limits may need to be raised.

Side note: the factory manual has lots of valuable info on sensors, ranges, etc. Two books by Greg Banish, "Engine Management Advanced Tuning" and Designing and Tuning High Performance Fuel Injection Systems" have good basic info. "Maximum Boost" by Corky Bell also provides good basic info. None will give anywhere near enough info to tune an ecoboost engine, but they're the best background info I've found so far.

Stay tuned for the next episode.

 

[Flattop]

Given that the tune is a collection of models, and models need to reflect the actual hardware, environment, etc, updates to reflect changes I've already made seemed like the place to start. I don't believe air filters, intake tubes (before the turbo), or spark plugs significantly affect the models, so I'll ignore those. The 170 degree thermostat replacing the stock 180 degrees may allow me to turn the fans on earlier and flatten out the temp rise, but I'll save that for the future as the end state will probably be the same as the engine heat soaks.
So that leaves the larger intercooler, the wastegate actuator, and the exhaust to deal with.
The intercooler is the easy one. Parameter auF51754 defines intercooler volume, with stock being 4.48 L. Aftermarket suppliers don't seem to publish volumes for their products, so I asked company that made mine, and did get a very rough estimate. I measured the outside tube dimensions, made some estimates of wall thickness and end tank volume, and came up with my own estimate of 7.2 L. If I have the front end of car apart again maybe I'll take the IC off and measure how much water it holds for an accurate number. So what does all this accomplish? I don't know. It may be used in air pressure models, maybe in thermal models, maybe not at all. Without seeing the actual software code, there's no way to know. Results of any changes to that value are probably buried by a multitude of other variables, so I'll call it good and move on.
The wastegate actuator and exhaust get far more complicated, particularly as they're interrelated to some extent. I would always recommend making one change at a time, figure it out, observe the results, then do the next thing. But I already had these done, and didn't want to undo either. I've discussed some of the WGA details here: https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/wastegate-actuator-measurement-data.214481/
Parameter auF51856 defined the pressure at which the WGA cracks open the WG. Stock is 9.3 psi, the Turbosmart WGA with 12 psi springs opened a the expected 12 psi. auF51857 converts pressure to a normalized wastegate position. Stock value is 0.1074 cm per inHg. My measurement equipment isn't that precise, but I got about 0.05 cm per inHg. In theory, I believe those two parameters should account for any WGA spring change, but once again I'm not 100% percent sure what the software is doing with them. In any case, we're trying to control the wastegate, and the whole boost control system is drastically affected by the exhaust change.
My exhaust setup is the JBA midpipe and exhaust. This leaves the stock cat in place, cuts off the 2.5" pipe a few inches after the cat, and provides a 3" path from there to the exhaust tips. While the cat likely causes some backpressure, getting rid of the rest of the stock downpipe with it's 90 degree bends, significant reductions in diameter through bends, and 2.25" coupling pipe to the rest of the exhaust, made a huge difference. The turbo spun up noticably quicker, and with the stock WGA and tune, I got overboost DTCs anytime I floored it. Now I have to fix the overboost problem the right way (in the tune), not with a WGA that opens 2psi early.

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