Grumpy Bear

Shhhh....I have ten cents worth of Scotch Tape talking to me. Yard will have to wait. ​

Window tint appointment confirmed. Next Tuesday. Below graph is the grill block work in progress. Tank fill now has three points and tracking 0.29% high but individual points both sides of the set point. Low signal noise. This is good. Todays fill at the pump showed 12.788 gallons. The Scan Gauge 12.80. Still I'll finish the six point set just to be sure.

Giving the last post more thought, I think splitting the distance on the same run on the grill block test was ill advised. Some of the fuel used is in bringing everything to temperature. That said the gain would then look more impressive than in actuality it was. It also means I’ve uncovered yet another possible fuel saver. Preheat. So…. Today I repeated the grill block test backing speed down to 50 mph again as that is the speed I have a marker for. One result does not a trend make but it did return a value that is in excess of the marker plus one standard deviation. Thus even on one result I know that it has a positive effect I just can’t quantify it…yet. And it can only get better with speed increases. The grill opening is sized, one must imagine, to accommodate the largest motor fitted to this platform and meant to cool the largest payload permitted on the hottest day on the steepest grades. Meaning that this little V6 on its worst day couldn’t possibly use the available opening. Even so I’ve been monitoring the water temperature and the transmission fluid temperature. Water shows no change to any meaningful marker. It doesn’t warm up any faster. It doesn’t peak any higher and the stable running temperature is a rock steady 206 F. Air temperature test range so far has been 84 F max, 64 F min. That said I haven’t cut into the usable portion of the opening yet. No need to get greedy though. FYI it takes 7 miles to warm the water to thermostat open and about 5 more to reach a stable temp. Transmission takes 35 to 40 miles to heat all that fluid. Which, by the way, seems to be about 5 F cooler with the grill blocking in place. (top half of the grill only). Should be able to collect a second data point tomorrow. Ryan, the guy who will be tinting the windows, and I evidently miscommunicated. I’m half deaf and he speaks quietly. I’ll get that fixed tomorrow as well and get a firm date for the work. Kind of glad it happened. I’ll be looking at adding the infrared/UV block to the front glass at some minimal increase in tint instead of the visor.

Bar Keepers Friend and a white Scotch-Brite is wonderful on Stainless Steel like the step bars. Just say’n. I mentioned last night that that calibration run was made in two segments but I didn’t finish the story because I didn’t know then what to do with the information it generated. I do now as I see an opportunity. It was very windy yesterday during the run and raining. NNW wind 25 mph with 40 mph gusts. My test circuit is laid out to put such factors to work against each other. Runs a box run both ways. Anyway after the first half of the run I got this idea to tape off the top section of the grill opening above the badge. This took long enough, 15 minutes or so, for the Scan Gauge to go to sleep resetting the “this trip” average which had been 25 mpg and small change. Running the route a second time under the same conditions the “this trip” average was a bit over 27 mpg for a tank average I posted in the last post. That’s an 8% shift between the two trips. That said I’m going to rerun the 50 mph test with this modification so I don’t have to ABA a second set of data points AND I can still gather my fill data points without interruption. It won’t be as significant if it shows up at all but it will be a few thousand miles less work. I had been looking at a few grill inserts anyway as a styling exercise. If I can make it pay for itself…why not…right? Hopefully I’ll be seeing the window tint guy today to find out where I am on his schedule.

210 miles split in two run segments but only one fill. Raised speed to 55 mph. 26.23 calculated mpg. Scan Gauge showed 26.2. Does not have hundredth resolution for this function. That’s .13% maximum difference but the possible correction is coarser than that. Variation may also be higher than this. As I suspected. I need more data. Fill was 8.005 gallons. Calculated usage was 8.04 gallons. -0.44% difference. Will continue to track the error without adjustments. Need a standard deviation to make any further progress on this adjustment. This may be as good as it gets without burning down nearly full tanks to create greater correctable error. That’s two in a row under a half percent on the fill and not more than a tenth of a mile per gallon difference between the scan gauge and the hand calculation. It’s a long way from the nearly 10% factory error. Having my six cycles in at 50 mph with a standard deviation of just .84 mpg driving a total 1489.9 miles and using 50.8 gallons this point in nailed in at 29.33; +/- .84 mpg. Time to bump up the speed. Today’s test will not be entered into the 55 mph data but will be entered into the fill variation data as I was also playing with some other ideas that may affect the averages. Two days in the rain and it was a pig. Spent the majority of the day cleaning the outside.

Logged a 331 mile trip today. That concludes six fills over 1,500 total miles that have reduced the Scan Gauge to hand calculation delta fuel charged vs calculated fuel used from 6.5% to 0.3%. The meter adjusted each fill on that fill. That is a really small sample set. So these are rough adjustments. It’s been both sides of the fence with the last two or three calibration adjustments made at ½ of the error value and still moving +/- the actually charge amount. First three or four initial adjustments were full value corrections. Hammer moves. Then tugs of half steps and now….taps will be made. On to step two. Next step is to verify the amount the fill varies from the calculate usage. To do that I will record six samples, calculate the median for six fills actual charged volume vs those samples calculated fuel use median volume. Make a correction based on the standard deviation. Then rinse and repeat for six cycles or until the correction is coarser than the error. Why bother? One mpg sample, even several averaged is a broad axe with a huge amount of standard deviation making it a roughing tool. Statistics are used when you’re looking to pick the fly crap out of the pepper shaker. A scalpel. If I know the system well enough I can see what effects what without being head faked by signal noise. You might be surprised what you can learn with statistic data mining.

First off, Thanks Daryl. Determining the cost effectiveness of using an octane booster I over complicated. My bad. It isn’t about MPG it’s about CPM…cost per mile…and it seems that even the cheaper to use higher octane pump fuels used solely for the purpose of fuel efficiency are also a non-starter. At $2.19 a gallon for 87 Octane and 29 mpg the cost is .076 cents per mile. For 89 Octane trading at $2.49 per gallon (locally), to break even, it would have to increase mileage 13.7% to 33 mpg. I have no indication that is likely. That was obvious in just a few runs that netted no statistically significant data. 4 mpg was a pretty lofty goal for the input variable. Fact is in three test circuits the result was in fact zero plus or minus. Even though there was an observable decline in the amount and duration of knock sensor related retard. While the Scan Gauge has the ability to do performance testing, like 40-60 mph transit passing times, quarter miles and so on I haven’t an interest. That said octane improvement for the sake of power is a completely different animal with an entirely different cost analysis and/or considerations. Like keeping the pin in that grenade. I have made mental note as I am not fully sold on the idea of letting a knock sensor and AI determine the safety of my power train. That needs more thought. I have zero experience with current GM ECM reliability. Maybe it just fine. It’s been working in my Harley for over a decade without complaint. They use even a cruder system to detect knock. Spark quality. Other news. The tint isn’t done yet. No idea what the holdup is but it isn’t on my end. I’m getting antsy. I ran a length of belting up the cab corner to see if this was a blind hole or what. It’s or what. Belting went three feet up the side of the cab. I ran out of belting. What, GM, is that about? It isn’t factory coated either. The seam seal will proceed along with a good dose of wax deterrent rust proofing. Looks like a designed failure to me. I’ve laid out a two way 110 mile rectangular closed course to test ideas on that is SPA friendly and environmentally canceling and as goof proof as I can make it.

DeeZee gate assist added today. Pretty straight forward install. Not quite as smooth in operation as they show in the video but good enough to do what it says it will do....assist. I will keep my hand on it thought when in use.

Why yes I am RT. Thanks for noticing. Now if my wife would. Oil, gas and chemical; Operating Engineer/Stationary Power Plant Engineer. Basically a perfector of processes, equipment, procedures and methods. An impossible task. I thought of it as “the relentless pursuit of improvement”. I can make it better, just never perfect but to the boss it looked like magic. Perfect! Truth is, almost anyone can do it, just most don’t have an interest nor the inclination. What they have an interest in is the finished product and getting you to do it for them. LOL. For me, I enjoy it. Perfecting a thing. There is something about solving a puzzle that brings joy to the process. The harder the puzzle the more joy there is in the result. Clint Eastwood’s movie Grand Torino; everyone wants the car. No one wants to do what it takes to preserve the car. A thirty year old car, or boat or asphalt tile kitchen floor for that matter that looks new isn’t the result of not using it but the result of caring for it in use and knowing which things are built well enough to care for to begin with. That Ford truck commercial. “98% of all Ford Trucks ever made are still on the road today.” What, only 2% of them made it home? It’s about the percentage of people willing to learn what it takes and taking the time to do it. It’s also about the percentage of “things” made today that with care will last. Sad but….adds difficulty….

There are no mixing instrucitons on the bottle or on the Lucas website. Just says treats up to 25 gallons. That said Volvo speed lab tested this product and gave some information and direction. Added to 25 gallons of fuel the mix ratio is 200:1 and the effect about 2 points. Perfect. For $12 a tank I can turn 87 into 89 or 48 cents a gallon making local $2.20 gas $2.68 a gallon which is between local pricing of the 89 and 93 grades. Add two bottles and I get 92 octane for $3.16 a gallon 92 while I can buy 93 pump for $2.78. Basic this is a non-starter. That said I tried it anyway as the money has been burned. The goal was fuel efficiency by dialing in more timing by limiting the knock sensor retard. Over the 400 mile test loop the result was....zip...nada...ziltch...nothing. Volvo noted steps of 100:1 and 50:1 with increases at each step becoming less as the mix richens making 50:1 the limit. Just additional information. That doesn't mean I give up on the octane idea. I will test in increments of octane on pump gas. That will take some time to decipher.

Fuel average for the last thousand miles and change has been running 29.22 mpg with a 1 mpg over and under. All miles highway with a 50 mph self-imposed limit and staying off the Interstates and local freeways as much as possible. These are baselines to reference for other speeds. MPH is within 1/2 MPH against the GPS now. The corrections are in whole percent. I ran 100 KPH. Made the correction in metric then reselected MPH. Finer correction adjustments possible that way. Fuel economy is the hardest match to make as fill varies some from fill to fill. That said the fill gallons reset and correction also displays in percentage so I’m making corrects based on that value and making much faster progress. Current calculation mileage and Scan Gauge computed mileage are now within a few tenths and still reading a bit high. I’ve also lied to the computer telling it we have a 25 gallon tank. The only thing that effects is the estimated time and miles to empty. The trucks gauge is off a bit too reading less fuel that it has by a gallon or so at half a tank. Miles driven (odometer trip) within 1 mile at a 200 test distance against the GPS. So a ½ percent and shy. So it would read 4 miles shy in a thousand. That will change with tire wear. Both the Scan Gauge and the trucks odometer are but a few tenths of a mile apart as far as I can tell at the same 200 mile range. Scan Gauge does not read finer than whole miles. Tire rotation done a bit over my 5,000 mile target. Tread wear even over the set and across each face. Baseline 35 psi seems on the money so far. Time will tell. Finished the paint seal finally. Got the box clayed and sealed. 1.) Finish shaving the body. (Done) 2.) Finish the paint sealing (Done) 3.) Seam seal the fender seams and cab corners. 4.) Finish and touch up the undercoating. 5.) Tire rotation and balance checks, oil change. (Done) While this was being done we weighed a tire/rim unit with balance weights and TPM. Less wheel cover 68 lbs. Making rim weight about 32 pounds. 6.) Window tinting 7.) Paint clear chip masking 8.) Gate Assist (added) 9.) Scan Gauge Install (Added and done) 10) Instrument calibrations (Added and in process).

Tail Gate assist came today. Install likely tomorrow. Maybe a photo when done and this filthy truck gets a bath. The boost is a scheduled experiment. Back in the day the cost didn’t make sense so I’ve never tried it but with a dollar spread in gas top to bottom it ‘may’ make sense now at about half a buck a gallon to use the boost. They use to put blend instructions on the containers. X ounces per gallon per point of octane. Not anymore. It’s a crap shoot. That said I have the instrumentation to ferret it out. Coming soon. Effectiveness and cost analysis.

Knock sensor induced spark retard output was programed as an X-gauge replacing the non-functioning AFR. Why on earth, I asked myself, would that be part of the GM coding? It won’t trip a code and it isn’t logged (stored) data as far as I can ascertain. What it is, is a generated delta signal without a home that Linier Logic harnessed. The ECU map says X degrees is the target. The Knock sensor says Y is preventing knock. The difference is the voltage delta expressed in degrees of offset. At least that’s the logic that makes sense. Regardless, what it says is the map is too aggressive for the octane or the “conditions” are outside the tested mapping signal outputs. Know what that is, right? Opportunity knocking (pun intended). http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/180309-43-litre-v6-ecotec3-and-gasoline-octane/ Googling same netting this post #7 on this forum. How cool is that? Too bad that 91 around here now carries a $1 a gallon penalty.

“… to improve safety, reliability, longevity, economy, utility, and if anything is left over…then maybe some old school tastefully done curb appeal”. I’m quoting a line in the first post of the thread as a reminder and a mirror. “Buying things you don’t need…with money you don’t have…to impress people you don’t like”. It was my mother’s take on materialism. Smart girl. There are also just unwise buys. Like $10 plastic factory body plugs. I should have found the “Dorman Products” part. A set of eight for under $4. There are items that pay for themselves such as the Scan Gauge and the Line-X products. Provided you keep the truck long enough to make it pay. Scan gauge, for example, pays for itself in one year if I drive only 9,000 miles a year and gas is $2 a gallon base on a conservative 4 MPG improvement which I can do falling off a long and driving 60 mph. The Line-X products are harder to quantify. I’ve about $1,500 total for liner, rustproof and undercoating including the wheel wells. Say it adds five years to its life and on average untreated I get about 15 years from a vehicle. Current cost $30,000 and a life ratio of 4 to 3 that’s $10,000 I didn’t spend for the $1,500 I did. Saves then $8,500 per truck. You know prices won’t stay put for 60 years. Fact is, that’s the point. I’m 63 and wont’ be buying another so it’s done when it’s done. Maybe we will finish together. I’m going to add comfort to the list. Longevity – Reliability – Safety – Economy – Utility – Comfort - Looks

20 to 24 mpg is what people are reporting at fueleonomy.gov for the 2015 Silverado 1500 4.3 Ecotec3 for highway driving. A bit shy of the EPA 24 on average. It's a common complaint. Not meeting the EPA numbers. On this 450 + mile calibration cycle the trucks meter showed 33.5 mpg. The un-calibrated out of the box Linier Logic Scan Gauge II showed 32.1 mpg (photo) and the calculated mileage was 30.15 mpg. Yes, I drove nearly the entire distance at 50 mph slowing for town and construction zone lower limits. One trip to 60 mph for about a mile to get a second data point for the mph corrections. The trucks meter is 11% happy and the Scan Gauge 3%. I entered the correction at fill up to reflect the actual fuel used VS the calculated use. I'll do the same for velocity and distance checked against both mile markers and GPS. I know they are real close as it has been radar checked. Lacking a decimal the two gauges seem about 1% apart reading the same sometimes and 1 mpg different others. Over the distance there was under 3 miles difference with the Scan gauge showing the lower value. 1% is the minimum correction that can be entered. Closer numbers indicate Pepper is 25.6% over EPA. Earlier post number was based on the meters shown difference and the assumption is was closer than it was. That a given it's still 37% higher than the government reporting average and 6% better than my previous best hand calculated numbers. I am not unhappy with this. I'll continue to tweak calibrations until it's as close as I can get it and repeatable over several cycles giving me a tuning basis. I'll continue tweaking my driving as well. I did attempt the AFR X-gauge install and while it took the coding it failed to produce a working output. 5800 miles on it now and needs a cleaning. Been raining every day for some time now. I am not a true Hypermiler. There are many things I will not do. Like draft within 200 feet. I like my trucks finish. Windows up, air conditioning and vent fans off on a muggy 85 degree day. I like my comfort. Buying half worn out tires second hand or tread shaving to reduce rolling friction. I like my safety. Dead sticking. I don't lag lead drive the speed set point and am on cruise control when I feel it is most efficient which is most of the time. What I will do is bargain hunt. There is a low TPS/MAP fuel cut off that can be tricked on down hills of sufficient grade and when entering small towns or approaching stop signs. There's a sweet spot combination of TPS and MAP that keeps the AFM engaged longer and/or more often. I correct tire pressures when there is more than a 10 difference in the days peak temperature. I don't over inflate. It rides rough enough although Iowa does have better roads than Illinois on average.

This scan tool works by giving eyes into the ECU which in turn reprograms your noggin and right hoof. Hopefully. The second test was during some pretty poor weather. Raining pitchforks and hammer handles with a nice tropical breeze tossed in for good measure. 31mpg and change for a 175 mile loop. Air temperature was 15 degrees cooler which in turn lowered the running pressure in the tires a few pounds. The instructions have a long term calibration which requires inputting the actual fuel loaded vs the fuel used. I will keep on this until I have a better set of numbers and report back from time to time. It is a longer term endeavor. At this point what I know for sure is: Tool use has improved the result. Comparisons between the scan tool and trucks read out say the tool is much, much closer to the real number. Now we fine tune. Tool readings are closer than all dash displayed information. That said the fuel information screen is the most out of whack. Tach is very close. Water temp is also good. Speedometer is dead nuts to the scan tool and my Tom-Tom GPS measurements and a local traffic radar. I’m going to add the X-gauge AFR meter to the display in the next day or two to replace the MAP gauge.

Geezer Mode is Hypermiling I’m told. Hum. New term very old practice. Was part of Dad’s basic driving instructions 45+ years ago. I was going to buy a Range Technology + unit to put old girl in V4 mode a larger portion of the time. I’m pretty good at extracting big numbers…I thought. Six decades later and I still get “schooled” from time to time. I looked at allot of data display systems and a good number of them are add on to chips or other forms of ECM management alteration software. Not what I wanted. Not now anyway. Scan Gauge II is what I bought. Did the install and calibrations and off to market we went. I mentioned getting schooled right? What felt like light throttle and is compared to many was costing me about 3.5 mpg. Yea, First use has upped the mileage from 28.5 to almost 32. Recall the EPA number is 24 highway. TPS signal drop of just 3% which is almost impossible to detect by tactile sense. That's a dead on 33% increase just as the packaging says. 12% better than my best effort to date. Off to do some more testing. Back later with some photos. http://media.gmc.com/media/us/en/gmc/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2013/May/0516-gmc-pickup-aero.html While I’m out give the above link a read. Right from the GM wind tunnel. Ordered a DeeZee gate assist today as well.

Caveat Emptor. Slept on this painted trim idea. Gave it a look in photo mockups. Realized that these areas, grill, door handles, bumpers et cetera that are now in easy to maintain black plastic are some of the most high wear areas on a vehicle. Bugs, stones, rings, fingernails all on the assault. There are additional 3M clear protector items to cover them which is already in the works for the hood, front fender edges, lower door area and door handle cups at a cost of a couple hundred dollars. ​Buying the parts pre-painted from GM cost more than what having them painted would cost. Having them painted isn't cheap and has the truck out of commission for some time. Overlays for some of the work is possible. Mirrors and handles attached with tape. Not liking that idea either. So to do the project would cost me dearly. To protect the project almost doubles the cost. To protect the work defeats the intended result. I like the current look as does the wife. She actually prefers it to the 2016's look which in the end is much as Matt suggested. If I paint them there is no going back. If I overlay them ???? If I buy replacement items I store the old or sell those? ​Personally one item did agree with my eye. The part between the grill and bumper is begging for it. I'll look into it.

Painted trim? Yes Matt, I will play with that idea. Interesting. Chrome however I don't see happening. Polished metal perhaps but chrome isn't what chrome was. Especially on plastic. Most of it I see is pealing. I was thinking, in fact, of removing the chrome from the Bowties until I saw one today. Black tie on the black grill. Didn't hide it like I thought it might. Looked awful IMHO. On another note. Took a 250 mile trip today. Go see my son, enjoy the day, et cetera. Collected another piece of data exploring driving style vs mpg and computer vs hand calculations. Trip netted 28.2 mpg miles/fuel and 31.1 mpg GM meter. Drive style was gezzer mode. In other words keeping the AFM in four cylinder mode as much as possible. This about the third attempt at this mode on three different circuits I have laid out. 28.2 - 28.8 mpg. In my "Just Drive" mode it's returning the EPA claimed 24 ish. Read that 24 - 25. Understand that I live in a semi rural area where everything is 15 miles to any town of size from here. Even the smaller hamlets are 2 to 5 miles away so city driving is rare in the EPA sense of the term. So what is gezzer mode? 55-60 Interstate. 50 primary roads. 45 secondary roads and limit in construction, church and so on areas. Easy acceleration and braking at a distance. In J"ust drive It mode" is legal speed limits. Around here that is 70 mph interstate, 55 primary and secondary. Moderate acceleration and still I brake at a distance. I can see the sign. So gezzer mode is worth nearly a 20% increase. I don't drive like that with the wife aboard. Does that require and explanation? I have two products I've taken an interest in. Range AFM + and the Black Bear Performance TCM flash. I don't need a tune. I need the AFM to stay on a higher percentage of the time and I need the transmission to shift correctly. That active torque management drives me crazy at light throttle and low loads where is acts like slipping Powerglide. I'm thinking with a few tweaks I can get about 30 mpg with a more aggressive driving style. Keeps the Mrs. and I both happy. If anyone has real world results from either produce I would love to hear from you. Lastly. To torment the wife I stopped a took a snap of Pepper in 2016 trim. I think it's pretty. The wife likes Pepper better.

WeatherTech no drill mud flaps 110035 Front, 120035 back. They fit over the factory protectors. 20 minutes tops. T-15 Torx bit and Allen provided. Silverado off tailgate. Done last night but there is the photo. Visually I think this takes some "space" away between the truck and earth. A visual drop if you will.

Got the Silverado off the drivers door today. Rubbed out and sealed. Did allot of reading both on this blog and the videos they pointed to. Distilled down I was on the right path and preaching to the choir here. My bad. There is a great deal to be said for technique. Floss for instance sawed works much better than drawn. A soaked WD-40 rag held a few minutes on the remaining tape really eases removal as does pulling the edge of the tape up and back 45 degrees. Getting as much of the tape off as possible before using the Goo-gone or Mineral spirits saves tons of rubbing. There is nothing better than good oblique light. Perfect-It II on a microfiber rag is still king for removing the ghost. Which is glue in the recesses of the orange peel. Keep at it until the ghost is gone in low angle light then wax or seal. This one took half the time the passenger side took. Late add. I know I said the tailgate badges would stay. The Silverado is now gone. Wife isn't happy but.....I like it. Bowtie remains. Did I mention that the paint is so thin on these things now that Victory Red is really more tangerine? About a half dozen shades lighter than Dads truck and at least that many lighter than the touchup paint.

They tell me my no drill Weather Tech mud flaps came in. (Sigh). Work is piling up. Those storms last night were tornados in Indiana. Hope everyone there is safe, well and warm. Current work list: 1.) Finish shaving the body. 2.) Finish the paint sealing 3.) Seam seal the fender seams and cab corners. (missing plugs installed today) 4.) Finish and touch up the undercoating. 5.) Tire rotation and balance checks, oil change. 6.) Window tinting 7.) Paint clear chip masking

Fender plugs came it today. Paid the fiddler for the fender work and replaced the missing plugs. Rained today and as I work outside a rather dull day. I did make it to Johnsons tinting to make the appointment for tint and a clear bra, door handle protectors and still guards. Of course I want what he ain't got so it's ordered and on the calendar for first week-ish of September. 3M Ceramic tint with a the highest percentage of UV and Infrared locking. Limo black back light and 6" visor. Darkest legal tint side glass.

I rode in my late brother-in-laws Baja competition half ton about 25 years ago. I expected to be beaten like a ball bearing in a coffee can mounted in a paint shaker as he traversed 3 foot moguls at 100 mph crossing the Arizona desert. Instead I could have been drinking a cuppa tea. A co-worker drag races his. Back half four link. I wouldn't haul a sack of peanuts in it but it will haul the mail. Just not around corners. Lonnie shows his. Real trailer Queen. Local body shop runs his asphalt circle track and his brother road races the shop truck when he's not shagging parts. Stadium racing is popular and people even pull with them. What they are designed to do isn't often what they end up doing. This is a daily driver with the accent on "drive". I'll figure it out. I found Addco (re-found) . I used these guys decades ago to sort my gymkhana Corvette. Didn't know they were still in business.

Removing the SILVERADO badges from the doors. Dental floss or fishing line separates the letter from the panel without denting it or marring the paint. Fingernail to peal the tape off. A wood popsicle stick would work too. An old cotton tube sock & Mineral Spirits gets the glue off. Perfect-It II then reseal the paint. I like the look but more importantly it makes cleaning and waxing easier. That was my main goal. For now the tailgate badge and lettering stays.