I have a 1988 formula 350 and it idles at about 1000rpm when warming up then drops to about 500-550rpm and its got a nice rumble to it and feels strong but just seems really lopey for a stock L98. Anyone know if that is the correct idle for these cars, this is the first i've owned.

 

1000 seems high for cold idle, but if it drops to 500/550 thats about normal and I would not mess with it.

 

^Agree, but I dont think 1k/rpm is too high of a high-idle. That sounds about right until the car is warmed.

 

alright thanks guys, the car has had a rough life. After being stolen and racked up with 138k miles it finally ended up in my posession only to be wrecked after loosing control in a busy intersection. So i've been overly caustious since then making sure every nut and bolt on that car is in pristine order. I just fixed the ECU chip and it had been bypassed so i never knew the actual ECU controlled idle. Fortunetly it goes to the bodyshop monday or tuesday to have the strut tower pulled out about and inch and new suspension and tires put on. Then a fresh coat of black paint and silver decals with a custom interior and accel stealth ram hehe. Gotta be careful this time around though.

 

^Nice Good plans, let's see some pics afterwords!

 

Actually, it's a Holley StealthRam... (Says the guy who's had his HSR for over 2 years without installing it yet...)

Definitely! Sounds like it's gonna be nice when it's done...

 

He said he's installing an Accel Stealth Ram, why do you think he is putting in a Holley Stealth Ram

And on a side note, YOU better get your Stealth Ram installed Mr. V8Rumble!!!!

 

haha sorry about that...there are too many "ram" aftermarket intakes. I meant to say Accel SuperRam, it seems like the best way to retain a fair amount of the stock powerband characteristics, while allowing it to breath a bit further up into the RPM range. That will be one of my first mods, just as soon as the money starts coming home....

 

A superram/stealth ram will really wake up your TPI; that **** would have been in a LONG time ago if it was me

 

Heh - there's a funny story that goes along with that...

I bought the HSR because I knew that the stock TPI intake was the biggest hindrance to making good power on an L98. Naturally, about the time I got it, I thought "Hey! This would be the perfect time to install a cam too, while the intake's already off!!" So I started saving for a cam... (I'm building my car w/ cash only, I was burned once by credit card debt, it's NOT gonna happen again...)

Just about the time that I get most of the money for the cam, I realize "Wow - it'd be really stupid to buy a cam now, then get good heads, & have to buy another cam to take advantage of the heads..." So I kept the cam money, & put it towards saving for good heads instead...

Finally got the heads 2 or 3 months ago, & I pretty much have the cash for the cam now, so there's light at the end of the tunnel - but I'm having a hard time picking the exact cam that'll do everything I want while still passing emissions, being driveable, etc... I'm very probably going to be buying the DynoSim engine modeling software from Comp Cams to do some iterative testing before making the decision...

(And naturally, now I'm thinking "Hey, this'd be the right time to get a full-roller valvetrain setup!!" Not to mention the faint, seductive voice that whispers lustful things to me about forged pistons & a stroker crank... - Somebody please HELP me break this cycle of addiction!!! )

But that's how you go two-plus years between purchase & installation!

(Sorry for hijacking the thread!!)

 

Ahhh I see LoL. Same thing happened to me basically. I only meant to change the valve stem seals on my 305, but that lead to wanting to put on my new carb/dist. and intake manifold. Then I'm like, "ya know the engine has 197k on it, and I KNOW i will never have it this torn down again, so lets cam it!". Then it dawned on me; doing all this stuff will kill the factory rings/seals. So I upgraded those. Then, while I'm at it, why bother putting the factory oil pump back on? Heck.. why even put ANY oil pump on, right? ( <--- Just kidding )
So ya.. it sprouted for me too

 

you know im glad im not alone on that. I want an Accel superram...yet i find myself going well the heads need work, and then hey why not an LT4 hot cam setup and 1.6 valvetrain, and then why not have everything ported, and hey ill need headers, and exhaust, and then a tranny build and B4C valve body package...I know the addiction now that i have a muscle car lol. But hey would you want it any other way?

 

Heh it's horrible though ya know?? I mean... I just wanted the ****er to be on the road but I ended up with a garaged 300+hp car instead
Meh... wanna buy it?

 

My L98 idles 1000 cold, 750 warm in park.