I agree I shouldn't have to and didn't have to before (2008 was the last time I used the USB AKM cable, Tunercat) but this time, I didn't have a choice. There were none to see/change. Now it works though.

With the USB AKM cable plugged in, this is what you see....


Merely unplugging it gets you this. Notice.. NO comports at all...

 

that's ok that there are none, that means your laptop didn't come with any on the motherboard new. it doesn't have a serial printer port on it on the outside at all. It's only going to turn on when you plug in a serial device and assign a port.

 

But as I said before... I used my cable, no problem, with Tunercat, LT1 Edit and data master BEFORE AND DIDN'T HAVE AN ISSUE. Now, when I hookup the cable, datamaster and Tunercat indicate there's no ports. I had the USB drivers (Andrew from AKM sent me a CD with all the drivers when I bought the cable). Using the methodology I posted earlier (and it should be obvious by the presence of such methods on the net, I'm far from the first one to run into this) I've been able to make it work now.

 

I'd just reinstall both FTDI drivers in case some other program or update affected them somehow.

 

I got it working a couple days ago now. Thanks.

 

Yesterday, I went out with the intention of chasing down 2 problems.
1. Coolant loss (about a cup or so if it sits all night)
2. TH350 has leaked ATF since I got it back in 2003. It used to leak a few drops a day but it's much worse now.
3. For some strange reason, my perfectly functioning parking brake stopped working.

Addressing Nr 1.
I wasn't sure if it was a faulty radiator cap letting coolant into the overflow when hot but not letting it back into the radiator as it cooled or if it was something else. As in all my cases, I buy first then find out it was the wrong solution later I went a bought a new radiator cap for just under 6 bucks. As a follow up to an earlier suspicion, I again reached back to the back of the heads and wiped my hand under the banjo bolts on the steam pipe. Drivers side = Clean. Passenger side..hmmm green coolant. So out comes the ratcheting 15mm wrench and I pull off the steam pipe bolts. I immediately see the passenger side 'washers' with their rubber inset rings are torn/tattered. I grabbed two new ones from Daves 'Shed o parts' and put them on and re-installed the steam pipe.


Addressing Number 2:
Anticipating this pan gasket (assumed because it only leaks where the shifter bracket is bolted to the pan) I bought a new TH350 gasket from Jegs. So, I raise the car
up in the air about 2 feet, drain the pan into a bucket(it has the cast aluminum deep pan w/drain plug), then using my air ratchet, I take off all the pan bolts expecting the pan to just drop to the ground. Nope. Well, maybe I have to pry it? So I get my small pry bar and start prying on it. Jeesus... what did Century Transmissions do? Weld it to the transmission?! I tried for 20 minutes and that thing didn't budge at all. So... I just put the bolts back in, refilled the tranny and tested it for any additional leaks. None were introduced by all my prying. Sheesh....

Addressing number 3:
This is bizarre. THe parking brake worked fine a few days ago. I'd had the car up in the air, putting the torque arm and driveshaft back in. I'd left it engaged when I was trying to rotate the driveshaft to get to the bolts. I got out from under the car, opened the door, reached over and disengaged the parking brake. Fast forward a day or two. I drove the car then, when I got back at the house, I put the tranny in park, reach over and pull the parking brake lever. It shoots back with zero resistance and the handle is vertical. WTH? I try it two more times looking to see if the cable is unhooked or broken. No.. All looks normal. So, yesterday, while the car is in the air for the failed tranny gasket replacement, I get under the differential. Everything is still hooked up. I reach up above the driveshaft where the one cable attaches to the two cables going off to the calipers and pull on it. There's a fair amount of slack in it but when I release my grip, it snaps back into place so it doesn't appear the cable is broken. So odd... Any of you heard/seen this before?

 

Okay. Got the parking brake thing figured out and it's now functioning. I guess when I was wrestling around with the Pro-Stick shifter, my sleeve or something must've caught on this small circular spring that preloads the pawl. I was just in the car after driving it around 20 miles (Saw just under 15psi too! Woohoo!) and when I pulled into the driveway, I gave the whole apparatus another look (console is still off right now while I'm rewiring the Line Lock, boost scramble switch, etc.) and I noticed the pawl wasn't in constant contact with the toothed elipse of the parking brake. Looking up a bit further I saw that the spring was off it's detent. Put it back on and viola! Ebrake. Finally a success that hasn't cost me something.

I'm heading back to my contract site in Rochester in a few hours. I hope to get either to the track or do a video of the car next weekend.

 

Nice Dave!

 

Dave, glad to hear you are making some progress! Are you bringing the car to Rochester this week?

 

Hi Jason, no. Not until I get the T56 put back into the car. Going 3K at just 55mph for 250 miles would make for a long, uncomfortable drive to Rochester from Albany How's your car coming along?

 

I'm glad your sticking with the T56! No change on my car.....it's a long way from being finished. I am still working on acquiring the turbo parts I need

 

Yeah, Dave should go run some high 9's and then throw the M6 back in I am interested in seeing him redyno with the M6 and seeing if the head swap was worth it.

 

Updates?

 

Bought another 6 speed and SPEC stage 4 clutch kit.
Getting 'rolled off' from work this weekend so I'll have a lot of time to work on the car.

 

Try and hit the track one time before you convert back!