Going into open loop at low load -- worn engine?
 

First off, I'm really loving my new ScanGauge -- I'm learning all kinds of things about my car/engine that I might not have otherwise. :)

Right now, I'm using it to tune my accelerations. I had been keeping my revs low and my throttle as light as possible in all conditions, but have been reading here and elsewhere that it's more efficient to "pulse" at higher engine load (something like 60-90%) to reach cruising speed sooner. My issue is that even once the engine is warmed up, it appears to go back into open loop whenever I take LOD over 18% or so. Is that a display/calibration artifact of some kind, or does it indicate that my engine is making a lot less power than it ought to be? For reference, LOD is about 2-3 and TPS is 0 at idle with my foot off the throttle.

The reason I bring up a worn engine is that I noticed a tendency of my car to slowly inch down inclines when parked in gear. Especially once I started pumping up the tires to their max rather than placard. A buddy of mine said he had an old car that did the same due to worn rings. I wouldn't be surprised if my 234,000 mile EJ22 is in the same boat.

After all that background, do you folks think it would still be worth targetting a 50+% engine load when accelerating, or is it more important to stay in closed loop at all times?

Thanks!

Do a dry/ wet compression test, next purchase a leak down tester. Now that you know your engine is still good use your parking brake on hills.