CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

my holley sniper story from the start --- UPDATE : the story END'S NOW !

well i just got a wierd email from holley . its a shipping slip that looks like a purchase slip but the price is zero and it shows a touch screen hand held unit .

no other email yet from them . . . so i am guessing i get a new unit under warranty . . . would be nice to know what they found and any thing else i should do .

shipping ups so we will see how long this takes . i shipped it cheeper and faster in a small flat rate box usps . but hay its there dime just my time.
 
When I got my throttle body back there was a piece of paper in the box that gave a brief description of what they did.
 
another thread popped up on holley forum .

basic feelings is the ecm craps out you can kiss your o2 sensor good bye . thats why most of the time a repaired unit for ecm problems gets a new o2 sensor .
 
here is some fun over there .

me : I already said I DO NOT have a cable and I don't have a laptop. Not to be rude, but almost everything you've said I've already covered in my posts in this thread. But the BRAND NEW handheld is on its way, so we'll find out when the unit gets here. I thank you for trying to help though. And what's the point of buying a plug & play system that self-tunes when I also didn't know I should have a laptop/special $50 cord to use it with the Sniper, and need to know about all this special tuning stuff? This is NOT how it was advertised all over the internet/magazines/TV shows! They said "bolt it on, answer a few questions and enjoy, it's that easy." Ya right.

another member : Exactly why I tossed mine and went back to a carb. It's the misleading advertising that irks me the most.

super dork danny : Many Sniper EFI users have done exactly that.

me : Then why has my unit not learned to NOT stall after 100 miles of mixed city and country road driving?

and more me : My point is the writing on the side of the box it comes in is NOT the truth then from all i have been reading here on this site and from others first hand problems trying to get it tuned in and run correctly. Then explain #2 and #10 to me in simple english for the fact i am NOT a computer and tunning wizard? These 2 points are a stright up fabrication of the real life facts of the unit i purchased. Most of the stuff that needs to be played with i have not found how to do it easy and simple for us NON computer tunning wizard kind of people to be able to do with the handheld. You need the computer software and the program and KNOW how use it.

1212181904a.jpg
 
I'd be curious to know how many of these have been sold. I just find it hard to believe that a majority of them don't work.

I did have the ECU failure but no problem getting it fixed. Aside from that I never connected it to a laptop. I drive it on a long weekend at Blazer Bash with over 1000 miles of driving.

I honestly don't know why you keep banging your head in the wall over there. They obviously aren't going to help you.
 
I don't know if you're already planning to, but when you get the replacement handheld back from Holley, I would run thru the setup wizard again like it was a new install. If your original handheld was glitchy, I wonder if it's possible some of the settings you selected didn't actually get inputted correctly.
 
update : got my 2nd handheld unit from them and D.O.A out of the box power up only after that nothing could be picked on the screen . on/off a few times and same results for each time . i called them and 35-40 min total on phone hold time i got the guy again who i am dealing with and asked can i get your ext # and he said sorry we dont have them here you just have to wait for someone to pick up and hope its them or wait a 2nd round for them after being transferred to them . . . :dunno::doah::flipoff11:

also there on at least version 5 of these handhelds via the part # . my original unit had no -# after the main part # .

well the guy asked me a few questions and said cut the cord off it / send him a email pic of the cord off it and he would get me another going reg shipment . so i did this and then i got to thinking and also someone i was talking with said call them back and tell them next day air it . and since i had driving / stalling problems a lot and was not able to tune it i needed my nit NOW . so another guy bumped my 3rd handheld up to sat next day delivery .

well the 3rd unit is working fine for now . . . .:whistle::whistle::whistle::popcorn:

now with the help of a guy i got in contact with from another forum we have been emailing and sending GCF-tune files and data log files back and forth as he reads them and makes changes . WOW is all i have to say with the SELF tuning crap my A$$ i got more from his 1st tune than i got in 100 miles of driving time in town and highway . we are on my 3rd tune mod and this 3rd one woke it up GOOD .

i am still not sold on this / still dont trust it / not happy by a long shot with customer support help from both forum and somewhat phone in . only time will tell i guess .

1213181653a.jpg

1213181653b.jpg
 
Some efin resolve though right? So it's been since Saturday, how's she doing?
5322.gif
 
i dont drive this every single day for hr's on end . . :whistle: ........ and the guy helping me tune this so called self tuning unit is taking a holiday break so i am stuck with the tune i have now .

like i said its running . does it still have problems yes little ones .
do i still not trust it after all this crap HELL YES I DON'T .
do i still want to try progressive linkage yes since i dont drive more than 20-30% throttle anyway and under 3k at most most of the time its 2200-2500 rpm range .
would i buy another holley sniper after all of this ........ HELL NO !
if someone offered to buy this from me for dam close to what i have in it would i rip it clean off and say thanks have fun with it YEP SURE WOULD .

i am still reading up on the holley forum and f-b page and notice a huge list of comon problems they still dont have figured out after a few years of this being out there in the market and hearing all the problems.

i cant make a jump yet for a few specific reasons and 1 is waiting on the few guys here doing edelbrock pro flo 4 systems . they have a better package to sell i think with way better customer service i think so far in chatting on there forum and reading others posts .
 
truck parked outside last night and all day today . just got in to move it around and coolant temp way off . . . . there is that sensor problem popping up its ugly head .

weather channel .com shows 51* out side . my IR temp gun shows trucks body is 50* and pop hood and shoot sensor and its 48* on the sensor . handheld for sniper showing 68* before i even fire it up .

also i have been watching the temp when warm and its 178* - 183* . . . . seems kind of funny since i put in a 195* t-stat and the sniper sensor is directly below the t-stat before the outlet to the hose .

guess i need to drain some coolant and swap it out . . .. :angry1:
 
another night out and fired up this morning at 58* on the handheld and the truck is 36* with everything else outside .

looks like the people reporting 12-15* off are lucky . . and most report it when hot off that much .

i wounder how this will effect my tune sofar when i change in a good sensor ? ? ?
 
it has started to hold a high idle and show zero tps% full op temp . and if you blip the throttle it drops to the 700 rpm i set it for and still zero % tps .

also the good tune from #3 i have been driving i fell it has started to detune its self a bit and go backwards now .

man i just dont trust this pile of lie's and pi$$ pour parts quality crap .

yes i am b!tching a lot but at this point i am about stuck with it for now until spring time or it die's and i am screwed .
 
@Bent77

i just took a temp reading on the sensor and intake were its installed and sitting out all night with snow over night i got 33* at his test time.

key on engine off did not start it .

holley sensor 58* cts signal showing .= 26* off range

aftermarket used from my old tbi truck 48* = 16* off range

and mystery brand sensor from the doner body original engine tbi intake 50* = 18* off range

this leads me to believe the sniper has a bad setup or internal problems.
 
Last edited:
Ok. Last I read I thought it was reading 15* off


When the unit I had was suffering some issues, I later found the fuel filter clogged and pump suffering from delivery issues, and an exhaust leak within a foot of the O2 sensor. This was about 1500 miles into service. It took about 500 mile to run a clean tune.

Long story short, I blamed the sniper for a host of other mechanical issues
The high idle I resolved by adding a return spring to the linkage. It was unnoticeably creeping off the idle screw, creating IAC issues.
After that I was able to cover the IAC engine off, then start it and use the throttle screw to set the idle (without IAC assistance) approximately 50 RPM lower than the target. I had no issues with it after that

I chased every ground on the system and truck with DVOM to confirm my grounds were 100%. I did add a ground wire from the baseplate to the head, and was able to check the datalogs and see no RFI in the system

I understand that you're not happy with what the product said on the side of the box. But using the datalogs in the Sniper software on the computer will tell you more in 5 minutes than the hand held will

Important to that is the datalogs will show RFI issues, and if the TPS readings are advancing faster/slower than how its relating to the fuel table
 
the guy helping me tune has installed over a dozen units and he has looked at all my logs and said my system has NO RFI problems.

my exhaust is solid no leaks from manifolds down to the muffler .

i have a return spring on . and i have used a different one with same problems and stiffer pedal pull .

the temp being off 15* was the starting point and hes gotten worse . also that time i was parking the truck in the show that stays at 50*-55* all the time.
 

Latest Posts

Top Bottom