Automotive tools have changed over the years, and for the high-tech crowd, the most important tuning tool is a laptop computer and a new crop of electronic engine and transmission management tools.

One very cool toy for Ford enthusiasts is the TwEECer from STKR Software. The TwEECer is a box and connector that allow you to tap into and tune a Ford EEC-IV or EEC-V engine management computer. This is big news for EEC-IV guys, because they’ve previously been unable to see a real-time display and datalog the EEC-IV computer. The TwEECer features CalCon software that allows you to observe, in real-time, what any of the sensors in your car are seeing, up to 16 channels at a time. These can be vehicle speed, RPM, temperature, oxygen sensor voltage, mass airflow sensor voltage, timing advance, or any combination of these or many more. You can record the data and play it back later to evaluate your current tune-up. Then, using the supplied Cal Edit software, you can crack into the engine management computer and change variables to improve your tune.

In our case, we are running a Ford fuel-injection system that has been retrofitted into our ’62 Ford by Windsor-Fox performance Engineering in Apple Valley, CA. We swapped in a 351 Ford crate motor and added lots of aftermarket parts like headers, an Edelbrock upper and lower intake manifold, a Comp Cams roller camshaft, a 70 MM throttle body, 24# per hour fuel injectors, and a PRO-M mass air meter. Nothing on this engine can be considered stock. However, the engine management computer is from a stock 1993 Mustang. Although the Mustang computer is tuned to run an engine that is 50 cubic inches smaller with an entirely different intake, cam, and exhaust system, the car ran OK. Now that we have the TwEECer, we can reprogram the computer to match the parts we have installed. The TwEECer allows you to have 5 different tune settings on board at once and switch between them just by turning a dial.

To use the TwEECer, you simply connect the TwEECer to the ECM’s J3 service port. Then, you connect the TwEECer to your computer with a USB cable, and connect the selector switch with the supplied phone cable. The selector switch stays with the car and allows you to have 4 custom tune settings on board, with the fifth position being the stock program in the ECM. You load the CalEdit software into your computer, download the stock ECM’s tune into it, make your modifications, and then send the custom tune to the TwEECer. The TwEECer then overrides the ECMs burned-in code.

Examples of items we changed right away are the engine cubic inch scalar, which tells the ECM the size of the engine its running. Just type in the correct size, send it to the TwEECer, and your system is updated. Now our stock 302 computer is starting to better handle the 351 under the hood. Next, we modified the mass airflow sensor profile to match our aftermarket PRO-M sensor… the TwEECer’s CalEdit software comes with many popular mass airflow sensor profiles, so you just select the one that matches your setup.

One of the problems we were having is a surging idle. Using the TwEECer and the CalEdit software, we were able to set the parameters of our specific engine and eliminate the surge. We also had a knocking issue at part throttle because of our EGR system. The factory ECM was adding a large amount of timing at part throttle while driving, and it was making our car knock. Again, we were able to reduce the amount of timing advance the computer adds in this situation to eliminate the detonation.

It is true that a mass-air type fuel injection system is capable of adjusting its own tune, but only if the base data programmed into it is correct. It is very popular to build stroker motors, but you should let the ECM know that the engine size has been increased to fully take advantage of it.

The TwEECer also lets you tune the factory ECM to handle power adders like blowers and superchargers. You can compensate for larger fuel injectors, and you can increase the fuel injector pulse width to deliver more fuel for forced-induction engines. You can also adjust the timing at any rpm under any load situation to keep the power level up and the detonation down.

Here is where you have to be careful, however. Ford has a whole team of engineers that wrote the calibrations for these ECMs, and realistically, you are not going to be able to just plug this thing in and make drastic improvements. It takes a lot of research, tweaking, trail and error, and testing to dial in your car. There are hundreds of tables, scalars, and functions you can play with, and changing the wrong value can make your car undrivable. That is the beauty of the 5th position on the TwEECer being a pass-through, you can always return to the stock calibration just by turning the knob.

The best way to tune is using a chassis dyno and a wideband oxygen sensor, but the TwEECer lets you see the air/fuel ratios calculated by the ECM. The Ford system likes 14.6 to 1 air fuel ratio, and now you can recalibrate your ECM to hit that number regardless of the hot speed parts you have added.

The TwEECer manufacturer has set up a great online forum where you can get tech assistance and tuning advice for your own project. We have only scratched the surface on how this device works, but we are going to do a full dyno-tune session on an upcoming show to see if we are able to obtain the best air/fuel ratio and best tune using the TwEECer.

SOURCE

TwEECer - Slower Traffice Keep Right
STKR, LLC
6311 Holly Canyon Ct.
Katy, TX 77450
281-579-0102

DISCLAIMER: Demonstrations and procedures contained in the V8TV show or website may not provide all necessary or relevant information. Applicable local laws and regulations may vary and should be checked before any project is commenced. Be sure to follow all applicable safety procedures. The Men's Channel and V8TV Productions, Inc. make no warranties, expressed or implied, as to the completeness, accuracy, or practicality of any such demonstration or procedure or any information with respect thereto contained in the preceding program.

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An example of one of the functions you can manipulate in the CalEdit software.
 The TwEECer allows you to manipulate hundreds of scalar values to custom tune a calibration to match your specific vehicle, regardless of the madifications you've made to the car.
 This screen shot shows the dashboard display of the TwEECer RT's CalCon software program. This software allows for real time monitoring and data logging of up to 16 channels of engine and vehicle functions.
 
Closer view of the TwEECer RT's dashboard shows some of the data logging in action. You can customize the different channels the TwEECer RT will log in the Cal Con setup area, and save them for quick reference.
 Here are the components that come with the TwEECer RT. The module on the left connects to the J 3 service port on a Ford EEC. The small box with the dial stays mounted in the car and allows you to change between four custom programs and the stock setting.
 

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