This is one of my first post so excuse or correct any errors I may committ.

I have recently added a vortech unit to my S and would like to know how to tell if the black box is really working?

The kit uses the stock 7.5psi pulley and I have no other mods at the time. I have wired the black box up and driven the car for about 300 miles with no cel, but I know how wired connections can become a problem.

If there is a malfunction or connection problem will there be a cel? If the car is running lean will there be a cel? How safe is this unit to run without a tune?

I have researched this and found many members who never tuned their stock kits and seem to have no problems. I would get the car tuned but am currently trying to upgrade the pulley and would like to only have to get the car tunned once, unless I really need to. (cheaper to get tunned than repair the engine).

I also have a a/f ratio gauge (auotometer) and the gauge reads rich until boost, then the led's gradually fall back to the middle of stoich (yellow) as more boost builds, but stays out of red. I know these gauges are unreliable so I will be ordering a wideband next week. Should I get the car tunned now or get a wideband and watch a/f with that until I get a new pulley and then get it tuned?

Thanks for any input and sorry for all the questions, I just want to be safe about this.

 

If the MAP controller was wired incorrect, you would get a MIL as soon as you went into boost, so I think that should be okay. As for the timing controller, I'm not too sure there is an easy way to see if it's working... What was you going to tune it with?

 

If the car starts, no Check engine light is on, and the engine pulls to redline the "black boxes" are working