Ever wonder where to mount your TXS Tuner so that you could see the beautiful AFR readout? Ever wonder how to do it *without* it looking tacky? Yeah, me too… I searched the net high & low and came up with nothing for the Z (the Subbie guys have all the fun!), so I thought I’d try to find a way to mount it in the Z that looked professional. It involved cutting up the passenger side dashboard, so I took a deep breath and took the plunge~

Since I already had an AEM AFR Gauge, I wanted to read the AEM from bank 1, and the TXS Tuner from bank 2. This way I could see what each bank is doing independently of one another.

 

First, I connected the TXS Tuner to the UTEC to make sure they could talk to each other. I heatsinked the Mosfets and CPU inside the TXS Tuner because I noticed it’d get pretty warm after it had been running awhile.

 

Here’s how I decided to mount my TXS Tuner. I zip-tied it securely to the right side dashboard mounting bracket (it’s very sturdy). I also coiled the excess length of serial cable and zip-tied it to the top of the bracket. I’m not sure why that bracket is so rusty…. The car is barely a year old…. Hmmm, nothing some black paint can’t fix. :-)

 

Then I modded (*cough* cut up) the passenger side dash to accommodate a tinted Plexiglas window. I made the window a little larger so that the driver's field of view can still see the AFR readout. I used epoxy plastic weld to secure the Plexiglas in place.

At the bottom of the passenger side dash panel, I hard mounted the 9 pin serial port (that the laptop uses to access the UTEC & Tuner), also using epoxy plastic weld to secure it in place.

 

Next I painted the TXS Tuner flat black to make it even stealthier behind the tinted Plexiglas window. That way only the display is visible and not the whole Tuner itself. (I painted that rusty bracket black too) Lol~ :-)

 

Then the serial cable is connected to the hard mounted serial port. Don’t forget the cigarette lighter connection!

 

Here’s what the finished product looks like all put back together. I know it looks like someone's knee might hit the plexiglas window, but it really is out of the way and won't get hit.

 

i actually just removed the cup holder completely and its support bracket and mounted in the opening it use to occupy.

by far your way is a lot more finished and professional looking. good job, i love a chick that can do her own work!

EDIT: your right the set up does get hot, it actually melted my serial cable adapter and 6pin cable together and the cable in like two other places. i had to go to radio shack and make a whole new set up since turbo xs use 20 year old technology.(most people told me to look in an antique store to try and find a new adapter)

 

Wow very cool, I wish this would work on a G, I have no idea where else to put this thing...

Great idea!!!

 

Very cool gothchick!

Ahntuan,

Stuff the tuner up in the dash. it fits in a space up by the right passenger side air vent. That's where I put mine. Then, I used a dynotune A:F gauge, and send an output wire from the tuner to the gauge. that way, the tuner is out of the way, but I still can monitor the A:F via a normal 52mm gauge.

 

Looks good..I have an off topic question.

Do you notice any any significant variations in the A/F ratio between the 2 banks when you drive the car?

Thanks

 

Yeah, I notice bank1 and bank2 AFRs do fluctuate in relation to each other (sometimes as much as .5 ~ .7 of an AFR point) when the ECU is managing the engine. Also when the ecu is managing the engine, the AFRs bounce around alot.

When the UTEC takes over, the AFRs between bank1 and bank2 are much more in synch with each other, and they don't bounce around at all.

 

And I thought my EU install was ghetto!!

J/k that's very nice! I'm a little apprehensive about slashing up interior pieces

 

Hhhmm..interesting. Does anybody know why this happens? I thought that it would be the opposite.

Also, is a fluctuation of .7 of an AFR point a significant factor that will affect making power or potentially cause engine failure?

Thanks

 

the stock ecu more than likey has individual cylinder control and is constant making lots of adjustments. that's what you are seeing.

 

Yeah, the ecu does control individual cylinder adjustments. I was playing around with a Consult II and could see and manipulate individual cylinders with it - Turn a cylinder off, then turn it back on, etc - was way cool!

But (me personally), I think the ecu is pretty sloppy at holding the optimal tune the engine is supposed to run... To that end, I *really* love my UTEC. I just wish the Tuner was more "mounting" friendly. :-)