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Tuning 1.3 JTD 66kW with tuning box fitted

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Tuning 1.3 JTD 66kW with tuning box fitted

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OzGP

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Oct 31, 2009
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I've just installed a Racechip tuning box to my Australian market Punto 1.3JTD. It was a very quick and simple operation. I discovered to my disappointment that the 129 Euro tuning box does not appear to have any adjustments on it. For that it appears you need to buy the 229 Euro Racechip Pro. I'll confirm that later (awaiting a response from Racechip) but I unscrewed the box and it was all one piece without any adjustment screws evident.

Anyway, after the install I went on a short drive to get fuel. I unplugged the Racechip on the way there and then plugged it in on the way back.

It was a short drive but you can tell the difference - even though there is still lag evident it is more responsive and the shove in the back at around 2000rpm is stronger. It revs out more willingly on full throttle too. Basically a little more everywhere. It is not like night and day, but there is a definite improvement. There is also some smoke from the exhaust at full throttle.

I'll update this post every once in a while. I know some on this forum hate tuning boxes but I couldn't take the chip tune option, so this post is for the information of others in markets where the tuning box option is the most feasable. Cheers, Phil.
 
OzGP said:
I've just installed a Racechip tuning box to my Australian market Punto 1.3JTD. It was a very quick and simple operation. I discovered to my disappointment that the 129 Euro tuning box does not appear to have any adjustments on it. For that it appears you need to buy the 229 Euro Racechip Pro. I'll confirm that later (awaiting a response from Racechip) but I unscrewed the box and it was all one piece without any adjustment screws evident.

Anyway, after the install I went on a short drive to get fuel. I unplugged the Racechip on the way there and then plugged it in on the way back.

It was a short drive but you can tell the difference - even though there is still lag evident it is more responsive and the shove in the back at around 2000rpm is stronger. It revs out more willingly on full throttle too. Basically a little more everywhere. It is not like night and day, but there is a definite improvement. There is also some smoke from the exhaust at full throttle.

I'll update this post every once in a while. I know some on this forum hate tuning boxes but I couldn't take the chip tune option, so this post is for the information of others in markets where the tuning box option is the most feasable. Cheers, Phil.
Click to expand...

TMC Motorsport are a registered forum trader, we do the Value Tuning Kit for this car and most other Fiats for £115 special offer to forum members, that price includes postage and VAT. I would hope with our unit there would be no smoke and a noticable increase in power.
 
OK the tuning box does have adjustments - they are at the opposite end of the connector. I unscrewed the connector end and the end plate and circuit board are of course attached so as the whole assembly pulled out I didn't go further. This morning I pulled the lot out and discovered my error. I've increased the settings and I'll see how it goes and report back.

As regards the exhaust smoke, I am unsure to what level it has increased as I have not driven on a trailing throttle and floored it at night (with cars behind with headlights on) with the car standard, only with the tuning box fitted. I have driven plenty of standard common rail diesels that smoke when driven in this manner though. So yes, it could be down to the tuning box entirely, or not. I'll try it again with it standard when I get the time.

When I researched this aside from one other Punto owner here (thanks vagosofron) I couldn't find any clear recommendations for a tuning box. There are so many out there and they all claim to do the same thing.
I hope it may be of help to others the input I give, whether negative or positive for the tuning box. Cheers, Phil.
 
I've just ramped up the settings to '5' (maximum is 7) and it is much better. Now the turbo lag is much less than when standard - it is responsive down low, and goes like a rocket in the mid-range. No evidence of exhaust smoking in daylight anyway.

Have also fitted a K&N airfilter so some of the improvement in response I'd put down to that.

Even just cruising it's amazing how little throttle input I need compared to before. Just keeping up with the car taking off ahead in traffic required a big bootful of throttle, but not anymore.
 
Yes max is 7 and i have it on 5 also. Where do you have the left switch?I have it on 3.
Cheers!
 
Both are on 5. I am noticing with windows down and reversing that I can smell the exhuast fumes. I might peg it back a little. FWIW, the fuel consumption seems to have dropped according to the trip computer (but I want to do a tank-to-tank fill to confirm).

Yet the thing I really like is not haing to use 1/2 throttle travel to get anywhere. Just cruising along you just use minimum throttle input.
 
I said I'd update for better or for worse... well today, the tuning box is not looking so good.

Has been great over the week with ambient temps up to around 25 degrees C. Pegged back the left dial to '3' and left the right dial on '5'. Only some smoke on full bore acceleration, otherwise not noticeable at all and very responsive everywhere, but the nicest thing was its driveability in traffic etc.

Today it's about 35 degrees and it's lost its verve down low, it smokes like crazy on part throttle acceleration under load and after doing that and stopping at lights, at idle it's a bit rough. I even stalled it taking off, which I haven't done since before the tuning box.

So until I get time in investigate, this tuning box does not appear to be a set and forget unit for hot climates at least. I will try pegging the settings back. Maybe I'll need a summer setting and a winter setting. Hmmm....
 
OzGP said:
I said I'd update for better or for worse... well today, the tuning box is not looking so good.

Has been great over the week with ambient temps up to around 25 degrees C. Pegged back the left dial to '3' and left the right dial on '5'. Only some smoke on full bore acceleration, otherwise not noticeable at all and very responsive everywhere, but the nicest thing was its driveability in traffic etc.

Today it's about 35 degrees and it's lost its verve down low, it smokes like crazy on part throttle acceleration under load and after doing that and stopping at lights, at idle it's a bit rough. I even stalled it taking off, which I haven't done since before the tuning box.

So until I get time in investigate, this tuning box does not appear to be a set and forget unit for hot climates at least. I will try pegging the settings back. Maybe I'll need a summer setting and a winter setting. Hmmm....
Click to expand...

It sounds as if your tuning box is causing over-fuelling at idle, this is very dangerous you need to correct this straight away or you will end up with long term engine damage!!
 
It sounds as if your tuning box is causing over-fuelling at idle,
Click to expand...

It could be, but it only happened after giving it some thottle and getting smoke and then stopping (at traffic lights). The idle become normal after a few seconds. The stalling was because of a lack of low-rpm torque that somehow went missing, even though it was there before at the same settings on the box.

I opened the box (which felt almost too hot to touch, although Racechip claim it's meant to operate up to 120 degrees) and pegged back the power setting to '1' and the cut off setting to '3'. Went for a short drive (only 2km return) but it seems to have recovered to 'normal' operation again, with ambient temps of about 35 degrees, inlet air up to about 45 degrees (was getting into the 50s before).

So except for some exhaust smoke at full throttle at around 3500rpm, it behaved itself. While response doesn't feel quite as crisp as the higher settings it is still better than standard and better than it was when playing up at the higher settings. I think.

I'll see how I go with it set as it is but I must admit this experience has made me a little wary of the tuning box set-up. I am not sure what cause the hoo-ha with it today, maybe the heat? What I am tempted to do is to get the tuning box 'tuned', if that is possible at all.
 
OzGP said:
It could be, but it only happened after giving it some thottle and getting smoke and then stopping (at traffic lights). The idle become normal after a few seconds. The stalling was because of a lack of low-rpm torque that somehow went missing, even though it was there before at the same settings on the box.

I opened the box (which felt almost too hot to touch, although Racechip claim it's meant to operate up to 120 degrees) and pegged back the power setting to '1' and the cut off setting to '3'. Went for a short drive (only 2km return) but it seems to have recovered to 'normal' operation again, with ambient temps of about 35 degrees, inlet air up to about 45 degrees (was getting into the 50s before).

So except for some exhaust smoke at full throttle at around 3500rpm, it behaved itself. While response doesn't feel quite as crisp as the higher settings it is still better than standard and better than it was when playing up at the higher settings. I think.

I'll see how I go with it set as it is but I must admit this experience has made me a little wary of the tuning box set-up. I am not sure what cause the hoo-ha with it today, maybe the heat? What I am tempted to do is to get the tuning box 'tuned', if that is possible at all.
Click to expand...

If something electronic is heating up like that i'd be removing it right away, you don't want to end up with an engine fire.
 
OzGP said:
That's happened to you, has it?
Click to expand...

Far from it no, but electronic units should not become so hot you can't touch them, that sounds really dangerous and i'm just suggesting you get it checked out rather than have a possible engine fire.
 
One question...in what place have you put the box in the engine bay? Because if there is to much heat around it that could be it!
 
It was up against the right inner guard, cable-tied to a part of a wiring harness, just above what I presume is an ECU. I've moved it down and forward, just above the right side member, so it's now closer to the engine but closer to airflow, I hope. I've wound back the settings a few notches too.

The box wasn't too hot to touch the other day but hotter than I'd expected, nearly too hot to touch - if that makes sense. I still don't know if it was the heat that caused the weird behaviour but it's all back to 'normal' now - good response down low, a decent shove in the back in the mid range. Perhaps not quite as sharp as before I turned it down though. I need more than the couple of km I've been able to drive it in the last few days to see what's really going on, and preferably in the heat again. We got 42 degrees the other day, that would've tested it!
 
I didn't want to open a new topic so....does anyone now if there is possible to get the chip from the engine bay IN the car? Somewhere near the fucebox maybe? I think the cable is long enough for that.
Cheers.
 
why? so that you can change the settings on the chip from inside the car? yeah i reckon it will be possible, butit could be alot of hassle, and i personally dont know how you would do it exactly. theres like a holder in the case in front of the fuse board isnt there? if you know what i mean. it could fit in there.
 
That is exactly why;)
Yes i understand, and that's not what bothers me. My problem is how to bring it in!
 
Sorry not a response to your query vagosofron, but just a quick post to say my Racechip problems seems to have been sorted out.

I did 100km last week with settings on 1 and 0 (power and cut-off respectively) for the last month, and it was fine - so I turned it back up to 5 and 3, where I had it set before.

It still gets a puff of smoke if you give it a bootfull at middling revs but otherwise not an issue. A brand new Discovery 4 3.0 TDV6 I drove last week does the same thing, so it's not like all modern diesel's don't smoke.

The probs I had before seem to be heat related, and with the box now cable-tied to a loom near the right frame member it seems to not get as much heat.
 
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