DirtyDaveW

Just reporting. Everything is getting better but I sure have had a heck of a time.

Ever since I put on the new turbo and hotside, I've had a lot of roadblocks pop up. Mostly because I can only work on the car for a few hours each Saturday, I get some stuff partially done, Assuring myself (HA!) that "I'll remember to attach/bolt/tighten/secure <xyz> next week...". It's like when my wife leaves a garden rake in the yard, then at night when I walk the dogs, I step on it, TWAP! Nasty surprises...

Gremlin/Gotcha # 1 - Hooking up the JGS Wastegate. Using their(JGS) installation diagram, using the 'high boost' configuration I got high boost alright. Try 24psi, at which point it spat off my intercooler pipe on the road, spinning behind me. I then tried the 'low boost' configuration. Yawn... 8psi max... wtf.... So I tried the Turbosmart 38 mm diagram from my old kit. THAT's more like it. I have it moderately set for now at 13psi.

Gremlin/Gotcha # 2 - Chasing an unassailable knock retard. I'd logged/changed tunes/uploaded dozens of times, changing fueling till it was pig rich, diminished spark to 18 but it would not abate/stop getting knock.

Gremlin/Gotcha # 3 - Having tubular manifolds with nice new O2 bungs, I bought two new O2 sensors and set the tune to go into closed loop. However, it runs soooo lean when in closed loop that it stumbles while in cruise control in 6th gear at 65mph. Back to open loop..... sigh..

Gremlin/Gotcha # 4 - I have an Acceleronics Low Impedence Injector driver box with 95# injectors. Two weekends ago, I was taking the car for a drive and life was good, other than the ever present and changing knock retard. Then I hit a substantial pothole and the car IMMEDIATELY started running like it was on four cylinders...

I checked gauges and nothing looked bad except the WB which showed lean (17:1 and just "LEN"). I pulled over with it running. It was struggling to stay idling as I lifted the hood and was looking for something that disconnected. Nothing was immediately evident. I looked at the Acceleronics connectors, wondering if one had loosened and caused the dropped cylinders. As it idled, I grasped the connectors and disconnected one. The motor immediately died so I just figured,"well, that's not it" and plugged it back together.
Right then, I lifted my eyes and saw to my chagrin, the ground wire for the LTCC LS1 coil pack hanging in the air. Phock... the bolt/nut I must've finger tightened one weekend finally shook loose and off on that pothole strike. No biggie (I thought), "I'll just put that back on the ground and off we'll go". So I reconnected the ground and then went to start it. Hmmm.. It struggled to start, running rough as hell and, egads.. the stench of raw fuel. I looked up to see white smoke bellowing out of the borla tips. I jumped out, motor still running, to look to see if it was steam or smoke. <Choke> jeezus.. good thing no fires were close by. Raw fuel, evaporating. I quickly deduced that by disconnect and reconnecting the connector with power on, fried the Acceleronics box and now the 95# injecotors were locked wide open.

Panicking, I drove home at high RPM to get air in the motor and not flood the plugs. I went 12 miles and used 5 gallons of gas. I contacted Jeff at Acceleronics and asked if he thought I'd fried the box. He said he didn't think so but he'd look at it. I shipped it to him priority mail and after he got it and took it apart, he found it was cooked.

Meanwhile, since the harness is configured (cleverly) to allow you to remove the box but still hook the long wires from the original harness to the box, back together so you can still drive high impedence injectors from your stock PCM, I did so. So, I put in some 60# mototrons so I could drive the car after hooking the cables together. I kind of wondered at the time if the extra 8ft of wires (4 ft going to the box, 4 ft going from the box) would cause an extra load on the Stock PCM injector drivers but decided it must be okay....

So LAST weekend, I'm driving the 60# mototrons around, waiting for Acceleronics to ship my box back (sometime this week, only $25 bux for the repair! Thanks Jeff!) and decide after about 30 minutes to stop at the hardware store. As I walk towards the store, I turn and look at my car and smile.... After picking up a few things for the wife, I return to the car, turn the key crank... and crank... and crank... PHOCK! Now what..? I hook up my scanner and my Laptop.. hmm.. datamaster shows everythings fine... I pop the hood, pull a plug wire and set up a spark test.. Yep, she's firing. Must be fuel... I cast a dirty look at the harness where the Acceleronics box connectors sit. I get out a test light for the fuel injectors. Well damn it... they are locked shut. Every connector I pull off the injectors is locked shut (Light is on, meaning the 12 volts is grounded full time). My thoughts drift back to my concern about the load of the extra wire length. I call my wife (why that woman doesn't hate me and/or my car, I'm not sure) to ask if she can come pick me up so I can get my spare PCM.

She arrives, takes me home and I get the PCM, then drive one of our other cars back to the Z28. I swap the PCMs, reflash it with my winflash and the latest tune. I then say a silent prayer and crank.. VROOOM!! She lives! I smile for a few seconds, reving the motor in satisfaction.

I went back home, waiting for the wife to return from her volunteer work (Horse rescue place). After arriving, she took me over to the Z28 and I drove her home. Now waiting for Saturday so I can put the Acceleronics box back on and start driving the 'adventure in patience' machine again...

97WS6SCharged

Dave, you're seriously making me consider a set of ID1000s and selling my box/83's when I get around to finishing up the 24x.

DirtyDaveW

Never heard of those. Just looked em up because of this post. Interesting....
Dave

97WS6SCharged

Yeah, Injector Dynamics aren't cheap but they get some serious results. FIC also sells a set of 95 lb/hr high impedance injectors but they're also expensive.

DirtyDaveW

Got everything reconnected today. Just to make sure I was dealing with a 'known quantity', I reflashed the PCM with my early MAF Mail Order tune, just set to Open Loop only. Took her for a test drive. Honestly, even though I had the boost controller set to just 11.5psi, it felt stronger than the old turbo/manifold kit at 15 psi. This was the first time I could enjoy the setup since changing over to the new kit. VERY satisfying to drive. Woohoo!!

97WS6SCharged

Need some vids of you scaring unsuspecting passengers half to death.

MysticBowtie

Well done! You got your project finished much quicker than I was able to, so I understand the little forgotten gremlins problems!!

DirtyDaveW

Thanks It has been very frustrating to see the weather forecasting rain/thunderstorms for entire weeks at a time. I have to get some new tires out back. These Nitto's are just about completely bald now. Really torn on what to get. I lean towards 315 x 17 Nitto 555r. They're great on the street (especially because they don't squeal like regular tires) but at the track, they either spin or make me bog. I really need slicks for any real effort at the track.

Is yours altogether now or still in progress?

97WS6SCharged

I like the MT street radials for driving around.

DirtyDaveW

Hi Chris,
I'd seen those in the back of my (numerously littered around the house) Jegs catalogs. I've read good things about them but was concerned about their wear rate. Not that the Nittos are a 20K tire, at least the way I drive. I still use my car, weather permitting, on long commutes to/from Rochester from Albany (250'ish miles each way) every week for the past 3 years and, while I like the better than street tire traction, I need somethig that will not burn up in relatively short order.

You're the first person in my Power-adder fbody family to tell me they use them (M/T) on the street. How do you find the traction, wet driving and wear characteristics to be?

Thanks,
PS: Forgot to mention, I bought 315x35x17 Nitto 555Rs yesterday from Jegs. I waited too late though. I'd hoped they'd be here Sat morning but Fedex said Monday.

DirtyDaveW

I think after giving these new 315 Nittos (they replace the 275's on the car now) a try at the track, if they don't do well, I'll just order some slicks for my old 16" Salad shooters and put them on for track duty.

97WS6SCharged

I like them better than nittos. I'm actually running the SR radials 26x12-18 right now and they work great for the street (usually won't spin much past 50-60). Keep in mind I don't drive the car everyday and I don't go to the strip with them so the wear is decent. They are pretty good at autox/road events too. The SRs actually have tread throughout the entire contact patch so they aren't completely useless in the rain.



Car is a 6 speed with a 9" and a 3.50:1 gear ratio btw so your auto may be a bit softer on the tires.

DirtyDaveW

Cool looking thread design there
Maybe an option after I burn up these Nittos.
Thanks for the pic.

RealQuick

Glad to hear it is running well Dave!

MysticBowtie

Sorry for the late response Dave, I should have checked back here sooner! I went from the BFGoodrich DR's to the Nitto 555R's and was disappointed. Not with traction - I felt them equally loose under boost ;-) My problem was with the size (I have factory rims so 275/40 17's is my biggest). I thought something looked off on the car when I put the new tires on. Luckily I saved my old DR's b/c they have about 20% life remaining. The BFG's measure 1" wider on the contact patch. The Nitto's actually look thinner on the car, and now I really want to change my rims - again.... It's just $$$ though...

Thanks for asking about my car. It's all together, but I'm beyond tired of the tuning problems with the stock PCM and an LTCC with all the boost. I'm talking to Megasquirt about putting their one of their systems on the car. The temp here in Texas changes so much, that I had a tune done on a Tuesday, took it to an invitation only event on a Saturday, and (possibly) due to the huge outside temperature difference the car started missing like crazy under WOT and I couldn't compete. Check out the event though, I'll be back next year - Texas Invitational 2013 - I was one of the lowest hp cars out there! It's simulates highway street racing, but is on an airstrip. Essentially all the cars had some sort of boost, but they were mostly twin turbo Lambos, Vipers, GTR's, etc - tons of money! It was cool just to spectate!