My 2004 was given the complete TVT 250 treatment. The flash, the injectors and the CA induction. I also have the Sprint Booster.
What an improvement. However I have noticed a black carbon (not smoke) in the exhaust tips and around the edge of the pipes. In addition to this there are specs of this black soot (carbon) on the paint above the tail pipes. It is easy to see on the alabaster white. It isn't oil. Just a tap of the finger removes it.
The car runs great. Maybe it could run better, I don't know. It has gobs of power.
Is there anything I can check before taking it to a dealer. Injectors? flash correction?
Although I wasn't concerned so much before it seems to be getting a bit worst. Has this happened to anyone else with or without a TVT install.
Any helpful info would be greatly appreciated.

 

I have a question, will a dealer work on it if the engine has had mods? If you are talking warranty I seriously doubt it. I know my dealer wont mess with a car that has had engine mods. They would send you back to the person who did the mods. I'd be real careful with that one.
Pat

 

You should contact them.. Post what happens here, I just sent my payment to them for the TVT265 ...

 

have the tvt 265 as well. just replaced the exhuast for a magnaflow setup and did notice the black soot. i wonder if tvt has seen this thread yet?

 

I was reading somthing about condensation in the tailpipe, especially in the colder months. I have been behind cars that appear to have water dripping out of their exhaust pipes.
This could be what causes the black soot specs on the back of my car near the tailpipe. Probably happens when I first run the car in the morning. The water is mixing with the black soot and comming out with the exhaust.
Still I don't understand the excessive carbon (soot) in and around the tailpipe.
I will contact Anthony and see if the computer program is setting the fuel mixture a little to rich with the larger injectors.
I do know this wasn't happening before the 265 change.

 

I would like to see the combustion chambers after using this kit for an extended period of time.If carbon is building up at the very end of the exhaust system, I can only imagine where else it is building up. It would be a good idea to check the AFRs under normal operation, I don't know how I feel about this kit now.

 

I have had black soot around the tail pipes since day one when I bought this car (Aug 07). The car has always run great, and gets an average 23mpg, so at this point I'm not too concerned about it. I added K&N filters, Magnaflow muffler and Borla tips in effort to help her breath, but I still get **** around the edges of the exhaust tips. Wondering now if someone upgraded the injectors before I bought the car ?

 

The TVT250 doesn't run as fat as your sooty tips would have you believe. The whole MB tri-valve design was built for emissions regulations. It's essentially a lean burn car. Hardly dropping below 14:1 AFR even at WOT from the factory (talk about red hot exhaust temps).

IIRC, Anthony said he was shooting for the typical optimum 12.5:1 AFR during WOT, but found that was too rich for lean burn motor design. He found the car's WOT performance to be best at something more like 13.3:1.

So the TVT kit is actually LEANER than typical for a tuned car... And yes, I saw an increase in soot on the pipes as well. Just clean them good.

 

This is actually a GOOD thing, as it is indicative of an optimum stoichiometric ratio, aka the engine is operating at a very high burn efficiency.

Most blame it on simple condensation, but notice most newer vehicles will do this, even in the summer time.

 

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...t=top+tier+gas

Above is the threads on this subject. I have to use Shell 93 to keep the black stuff on the pipes to a minimum.

Email or PM TVT directly. Anthoney just finished the International Auto Show in Boston, yesterday, so he is busily heading home today I would assume.

 

Stan I was having problems with Exxon in terms of that sulphur smell. I switched to Texaco (both 93 octane). It was less with Texaco during the summer. Now that winter is here in Maryland the Texaco does not leave any sulphur odor upon heavy acceleration.
I wonder if the change in formula grade 93 for winter made the difference.
The above thread isn't working.

 

Mine's been in winter storage for 2 weeks now, but I'll have to run over and take a look now. How many miles after the conversion did you notice the carbon? Do I need to put some kind of clear cover over the bumper to protect the paint?

 

Basically what we have noticed is that a lot of these problems arise from poor catalytic converters. I think the problems is amplified after the addition of the tune. We have noticed customers running just the injectors, and no tune, do not experience this. Customers with the tune and usually 04 or early 05 cars do experience the additional soot.

It runs about .5 leaner then stock in our tune. This is basically all the information I have gathered at this point. We removed our rear cats and the problem has never come back and I drive the car like I stole it.

 

My car has the black soot from when I bought it new. So not a biggie in my opinion

 

I reloaded the shortcut for the "top tier gas" thread. It works now.

 

Thanks, I will check it out.

 

I am due for my MD emissions test by Dec. 17. Hopefully it will pass. It would be expensive to replace those cats. I realize 4 cats is overkill and like TVT I would like to remove two of them if they were bad but my extended warranty would be no good and is it against the law in Maryland. Even though I would still have two cats left is there a grey area to deal with legally. What about the exhaust sound afterwards. Are cats covered by the warranty? I will have to read my warranty papers. If the cats are bad and if they were covered by a warranty would they try to get out of it by claiming the conversion caused it. I know for a fact it didn't. Still how could I prove that it was pre-existing.
And if they did replace them would they change the $1200.00 TVT computer information back to stock.
I know Anthony from TVT and he is an honest guy to deal with. If this did happen I beleive he would do a new fllash without charge.
I want to make it clear the TVT 265 kit is more bang for the buck in terms of power then doing some serious mechanical modifications that would cost thousands and thousands more. I knew the risk when I had this done. No regrets. This Limited is now a VERY POWERFUL and lightning fast performer. Gobs of power when needed. I apologize for making this so long. I did not want to make it sound like the TVT mod was responsible.

 

Of course we'll flash back for free. As for the warranty info, I wish I had some deffinate answers to that. It seems everyone treats the warranty differently.

 

passed the MD emissions yesterday with no problem.

 

When I went for mine (Md emissions) last summer #1 the guy doing the test couldn't fit in my car and he had to get his supervisor to move my car then it takes them 20 minutes to try and find the hook up.
Glad your car passed inspection.
Pat