Post-Tune Maintenance
Oil Change Frequency
Check your oil level regularly and often! Check the oil pan regularly for dents or cracking. Oil consumption is a major issue on the EJ20/EJ25 engines. Driving your vehicle with low oil levels can result in spun bearings. Here is a general guide indicating how often it is recommended to check your oil levels:
- Turbocharged: ~3000 km
- Normally Aspirated (N/A), Supercharged: ~5000 km
- Track Cars: After every race!
When your engine is tuned for higher levels of power, you may find that the OEM oil pan is not able to provide adequate oil supply to the engine. Upgrading to a Killer B Motorsport oil pan will provide a more reliable supply of oil, especially if you intend to drive your car out on the track. This performance oil pan is made from welded aluminum, making it a lighter and stronger part than OEM while keeping oil temperature in check under more extreme conditions.
Spark Plug Change Frequency
If colder spark plugs were installed on your vehicle, make sure not to start and stop your engine when cold. Once your vehicle is started, let it run until the engine is up to normal operating temperature. If you do not allow the engine to heat up, be prepared to replace the spark plugs more frequently then described below:
- Turbocharged Street Car: approximately every 3000 km
- Turbocharged Race/Track Car: Largely dependent on the vehicle set up, driving style. Spark plugs require a change after each racing weekend.
- Normally Aspirated (N/A): approximately every 3000km - 8000km
- Supercharged: approximately every 3000km
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General Issues
When your vehicle is in for a custom tune, we will do our best to address any major issues which could affect engine health and performance before tuning your vehicle. However, it is up to the driver to properly maintain vehicle health over time, and to have issues repaired or resolved as soon as possible to prevent any major damage to the engine or its constituent parts. Some important issues to look out for include:
White Smoke
A coolant leak could be the culprit of the white smoke. Leaks can stem from issues such as: a blown headgasket, dropped sleeves, turbo failure, turbo seal failure, or head lifting under load.
Blue Smoke
Blue smoke is a symptom of burning oil. Oil leaks could be caused by: failing turbo seals, cracked rings on pistons, leaking valve stem seals, a cracked vale guide, or PCV system failure.
Engine Is Overheating
There are many possible causes of engine overheating. Overheating could be attributed to a blown headgasket, issues with the radiator or the coolant system, or a stuck thermostat.
Misfire or Ignition Issues
Ignition issues can be caused by bad spark plugs, loose spark plug wires, ignition coil failure, ignitor failure, overly lean AFR (Air Fuel Ratio), slipped timing belt, or problems with grounding.
FAQ - Other Issues
"My car ran great for some time after tuning... but now I'm noticing problems."
Have any modifications been made to the vehicle since the tune? Any changes to the set up will affect how the vehicle runs, and the car will need to be re-tuned to accommodate the changes. If nothing has been changed, some possible causes for reduced performace could be: a change in fuel pressure, battery voltage, grounds, timing, loose wiring/sensors, or poor electrical connections.
"My car was tuned at a certain boost level, but the boost reading has changed."
Changes in boost level can often be attributed to changes in temperature. If your car was tuned during the summer, when temperatures were warmer, boost creep commonly occurs during the colder winter months. Alternatively, if your car was tuned in colder temperatures, it is common to run less boost during the warmer seasons. Vehicles with manual boost controllers are more prone to these issues than those that run electronic boost controllers.
"I noticed the AFR (Air Fuel Ratio) on my wideband has changed since the tuning session."
It is possible that the fuel pressure has changed. Another possibility is that your wideband sensor could be failing. Some sensors are prone to failure under high backpressure or high heat conditions. It is also possible that your engine management system is not correcting air temperature.