Introduction A substantial portion of the folks that contact us these days aren’t totally new to tuning.  The vast majority have worked with other tools before.  HP Tuners, EFI Live, Diablosport, SCT, Sniper, Cobb are some common names I hear.  I’m going to lump all of these tools together (even though they’re very different) and […]

Intro This is intended to provide a brief overview of the steps required to get up and running tuning an OBD1 GM vehicle.  It is deliberately vague.  Instead of providing an exhaustive guide here, there are a series of links to smaller tasks and explanations.  94-95 LT1 vehicles are going to be an exception not […]

We Do Classes! We’re starting to offer classes on a more regular basis.  We’ll do our best to keep this page updated with all planned classes. Future Events None planned at this time!  If you want to organize a group of 10-15 students, contact us. Past Events Learn EEC-IV/V Ford Tuning – Baton Rouge, LA […]

Learn to Tune Fords in Comfort! We are going to be offering a three-day class on tuning Fords with QuarterHorse in March 2015 – weekend of 3/28/15.  Come enjoy Baton Rouge before it gets too hot to be fun!  Classroom instruction will take place in the Moates Event Center around the corner from Moates HQ.  Street […]

Introduction Calibrated MAFs are something you are almost guaranteed to run into sooner or later tuning EECIV Fords.  Although largely an artifact of yesteryear when tuning tools were not available, “calibrated” MAFs will work just as well as any other if you understand them.  Few of the websites out there will really give you the […]

Another Fall Class! We are going to be offering a three-day class on tuning Fords with QuarterHorse in Fall 2014 – Friday September 26 to Sunday September 28th.  This is the same format class previously offered.  Street tuning and dyno instruction will take place on a dyno in the Fairfield, OH (northwest suburb of Cincinnati). […]

Introduction We probably get 20 emails a week of the form: “Dear Moates, My name is ________ and I have a _________ Ford.  Can I use your products to tune my car/truck/van/etc. ?” Identifying J3 Port ECMs Our Ford products (F3 chip module, Quarterhorse) will work on pretty much any ECM that has a J3 […]

A New Class! We are trying out a new class for 2014 – a 3 day class centered around Nissan vehicles using the Nismotronic product.  The class will feature two days of classroom instruction and one day of hands-on dyno instruction.  The class will be held at J-K Tuning in Carlisle, PA May 23-25, 2014. […]

Intro All electronics will fail with age.  A significant chunk of the failures are due to electrolytic capacitor failure.  These components are virtually guaranteed to fail eventually, even under normal use circumstances.  There are even calculators that can help you estimate how long a given capacitor will last! So why do manufacturers use these components […]

Another Fall Class! We are going to be offering a three-day class on tuning Fords with QuarterHorse in Fall 2014 – weekend of october 11th.  This is the same format class previously offered.  Classroom instruction will take place at the  Classroom instruction will take place in the Moates Event Center around the corner from Moates HQ. […]

 We’re offering another class! We are going to be offering a class on tuning Fords with QuarterHorse November 15th, 16th and 17th in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.   There will be a mixture of classroom instruction, live in-car demonstration of logging techniques with street driving and dyno tuning and techniques.  Classroom instruction will take place in the […]

We’re offering another class! We are going to be offering a class on tuning Fords with QuarterHorse October 25th, 26th and 27th in Milford, Ohio (East side of Cincinnati).  There will be a mixture of classroom instruction, live in-car demonstration of logging techniques with street driving and dyno tuning and techniques.  Classroom instruction will take place […]

Tuning: Why bother? The rise of electronic engine management allows for the running conditions of an engine to be rapidly and precisely adjusted.  Before we talk about anything super technical, it’s worth examining some really basic stuff like, “why should we bother tuning a car in the first place?”  “What can we reasonably hope to accomplish?” […]

We decided to try to make a lot of the material that was covered at the tuning class 4/20/13 + 4/21/13 available for all of our users. The material here is designed to be comprehensive. It is designed to be followed in a specific order. There will be links to more information on selected topics […]

Thank you NOLA Motorsports Park for hosting us for the First Moates 4/20-4/21 Ford EFI training! The quality of the facility, students, participants, and support staff all worked together to yield a ‘class act’ of a weekend! We all had a great time, and everyone learned something. Group discussions, generous facilities, and a rich diversity […]

A lot of the questions we get either via email or on the support line boil down to, “how do I program a chip?” You asked, we deliver!  This tutorial is going to picture the BURN2 but it applies equally to the BURN1 and APU1/AutoPROM as well. Step by step: Get out your burner and […]

Introduction The hardware portion of the NEMU tuning package requires installation in an ECU to be functional.  This install is NOT for beginners, although it is not extremely difficult with the correct tools.  This article will walk you through the install from start to finish with lots of pictures along the way.  If you still […]

Introduction One of the most common modifications that require recalibration of the ECM are changing injectors and changing Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensors. For the rest of this article, we’re going to assume that you’ve already read the articles explaining basic MAF operation and a model for injectors.  We’re going to discuss how to properly […]

Introduction This article is being written to answer the most basic questions about what to shoot for when tuning an engine.  This is not intended to be absolutely what you must do – it’s intended to be a starting point for those who don’t know any better. Prerequisitites This article will assume you have read […]

You will need bridge J1 on the back of the ECU. Add C49 & C50 and C91 & C92 on back C49 & C50 –> .004UF (Digikey part number 399-1230-1-nd ) C91 & C92 –> .00001UF ( digikey Part Number 399-1192-1-nd ) Add the 74hc373 SMD chip. (MFG part# SN74HC373NSR, Digi-Key Part Number 296-8310-1-ND) Add […]

This article provides a full overview of options and procedures for Ford-based tuning solutions. Everything is discussed, including year/model coverage, hardware compatibility, software licensing, cost breakdown, and tuning strategies. Read through this evolving article if you’re interested in Ford EEC tuning.

Introduction / Prerequisites Before you read this, make sure you have read Theory: Alpha-N, Theory: Mass Air Flow and the FordOverview.  Although not essential, it wouldn’t hurt to have at least read about Speed-Density operation as well.  This page will assume you have read and understood these pages.  This is a somewhat complicated topic and […]

Introduction As stated in our overview of MAF systems, one of their main weaknesses are air leaks.  Whenever air can enter the engine without going through the MAF, weird things happen. There are two principal kinds of leaks that wreak havoc on MAF systems – constant leaks (like a unplugged vacuum port) and mechanically induced […]

This is Keebler65’s old guide. Some of the chipset and software info is a bit dated, but the techniques are good. ECU Chipping You need to add a few additional components to the original Honda ECU. It requires some soldering skills and should not be attempted unless you have soldered before. (Chances are you know […]

Hulog/Hondalog Installation of Honda-Based USB Datalogging Tools There are two tools available for datalogging on Honda ECUs from www.moates.net and they include the HULOG and the HondaLog. HULOG: The HULOG comes in a plastic enclosure and ONLY requires a pin swap if it is an older unit. All the new units come with 1:1 connector […]

G2 G2 TBI-Style 2732-to-29C256 Adapter Installation Instructions:Here is a pictorial depiction of a G2 installation in a TBI-style ECM. It shows the following: 1) Disassembly and removal of stock socket body. – Take note of the ‘stock’ 2732A chip orientation. Your 2732A chip will probably be in a little plastic holder. – Try and overcome […]

Introduction If you’re completely new to burning chips, you may want to take a look at the Beginners’ Guide before reading the rest of this article.  You will probably still need to read this guide in order to choose the correct programming parameters unless you’re in the situation where you’re programming a chip that is the […]

Introduction What makes engine management tricky is that even the best theoretical models fail to accurately represent physical behavior in certain situations.  All engine controllers would use the same logic and procedures for running the engine 100% of the time if there was a perfect engine control strategy.  Instead, most engine management schemes incorporate several […]

Introduction Before you read this, you should already have read the articles on Injector Theory and Speed-Density.  This article will not make much sense without the background information in those articles. First, vocabulary: ECM, ECU, Engine computer : used interchangeably to mean the computer operating the fuel injectors and running the engine RPM : Revolutions […]

Introduction Be prepared to do a lot of reading in the numerous side links on this page.  More information that is beyond the scope of this overview will be available. “Mass Air Flow” (MAF, for short) is a method of measuring airflow into an engine in order to supply an appropriate amount of fuel and […]

Introduction If you do not have a strong background in physics and chemistry, be prepared to do a lot of reading in the numerous side links on this page.  This isn’t intended to be a brutal presentation of the topic, but theoretical concepts are necessary in order to be able to understand what is going […]

This is going to be rather brief because Alpha-N is rarely used as the primary strategy for engine management today.  You should at least know what it is because it is often used as a “sanity check” for primary control strategies. Alpha-N is also sometimes called “TPS maps” because the only sensor that is used […]

Introduction Understanding your fuel injectors is one of the most important things you can do to ensure that fueling is appropriate for your engine.  First, some vocabulary: ECM, ECU, Engine computer : used interchangeably to mean the computer operating the fuel injectors and running the engine AFR, Air – Fuel Ratio : the ratio between […]

Our Philosophy: We are a small technically-oriented outfit that focuses on product development not fancy packaging, phone support, and marketing.  We bring you high-quality, value-priced products aimed at self-starters willing to read documentation, learn independently and most importantly try things on their own without someone providing guidance every step of the way. About Moates.Net and […]

Versions This is the documentation for the Nissan Boards.  At this point, there are only one version of the boards, 1.1nm  As future revisions to the board are produced, this page will be updated. Applications These boards are designed for S13 and B13 applications.  They will NOT work with S14a ECUs that have a 20×2 […]

94 and 95 were also kind of odd years for GM computers as they transitioned toward OBD2. There are several groups of ECMs. 94-95 LT1,LT4,LTx: These can be tuned via TunerCATS ( link ) with the $EE definition and an ALDU1+CABL1 (94 – square ALDL style connector) or ALDU1+CABL2 (95 “D” shape OBD2 connector).  These […]

Lately, we have been getting a lot of questions from people with 96-97 GM vehicles looking for a tuning solution.  Unfortunately, these are transitional years where the electronics are incompatible with either the earlier and later computers that are well supported. There are a few solutions for people with 96-97 computers: -Convert to a 94-95 […]

(eventually this page will have more information) Basics When we talk about “OBD1” GM vehicles, we mean vehicles made from (approximately) 1986 to 1995.  These cars used several different types of engine controller – some have one injector for each cylinder (Tuned Port Injection, or TPI along with the LTx motors) while some have fewer […]

(eventually this page will have more information) The main product that we make for 98+ GM vehicles is the RoadRunner emulator that allows realtime changes to be made to a LS1 ECM. The RoadRunner is designed to be used with either EFI Live or TunerCATS software. EFI Live is a comprehensive tuning software package that […]

“I have a Ford.  What do I need to tune my car?” is an email we frequently receive.  Hopefully this page will provide some answers. We also often get asked, “Can I use your product to let me put _______ on my engine?” The answer to this is very simple: our products let you tune […]

A Word of Warning This article was accurate as of the time it was written (2009) but things may have changed.  At Moates.net, we rely on information from our users about what works and what doesn’t work.  Please investigate on PGMFI.org and elsewhere to confirm the information you find here!  Things may have changed and […]

Many Nissans can use our tools to reprogram their factory ECUs. Types of Nissan Computer Trivially chippable Nissans fall into several categories: 28 Pin EPROM (VG30DETT 300ZX Twin turbo, KA24E 240SX, RB26DETT R32 Skyline GTR, …) – If you see a 28 pin EPROM inside the ECU, this is your application.  Ostrich 2.0 works in […]

Honda ECUs have a Diagnostic Generation, Model and a Board Revision. The diagnostic generations are OBD 0, OBD I, and OBD II. Examples of the model are  P28, P72, etc. The board revisions are 1980, 11F0, and 1720. Diagnostic Generation (OBD 0, OBD I, OBD IIa/b) From top to bottom: Knowing the generation of your […]

Summary Only certain Hondas can be tuned using our hardware. In short, these are any vehicles that run a B, D, H, or F (Accord) series engine with a distributor and can run an OBD I ECU. Whether they accept these ECUs natively or via an OBD II to OBD I or OBD0 to OBD […]