looking to do some free mods on an ls1.... never really looked into one until a few days ago. its an 02 camaro ls1 with headers, y pipe, and a lid.

I know coolant bypass is usually a good start. is it true on the ls1

i want to replace the thermostate (160) and hook up a manual fan switch

any thing i should know or not do or somthing else i can do.

what guage wire should i run for the switch? and is the ls1 reverse flow, do i need to bleed the cooling system?

 

from what i have heard the coolent bypass really doesnt help that much... maybe 1 or 2 hp but i guess what ever you can get right?

The 160* stat i dont see why would would do it. Our cars are made to run at ~200* so leave mine. I guess for some it is more of a mental thing knowing that your motor is cooler.

As for the fan switch i am not too sure i have not read much.

hope this helps

 

yea srry... i no close to nothing about ls-1's. i do tons of work on tpi tbi and carbed engines. i jus came across a ls1 and wanted to tweak it a bit. i know thats one of the first few things i do to mine (as well as every other respected 2nd, 3rd gen has done USSUALLY)

 

ONLY gain 1-2 hp for spending $16? Do the math, how much would it cost to get an extra 50hp? Every littlebit helps, plus it is so easy, why not. With all the "freemods" you could gain maybe about 10hp!

 

ummm.... so was that sarcastic??? well is there any thing that can be done to a ls1 to help it out with out taking it to a shop. only thing i dont like about it is the fact that every mod i instal or can install (big ****) i then need to take it to a shop to have them tune the dam thing

 

Not every mod requires tuning. especially not the free mods. Now a Cam/heads, anything that drastically changes the internals of the engine or transmission will require tuning, but you can generally get away with leaving boltons untuned untill you do the bigger stuff. Is it an A4 or an M6?

 

its a A4

 

Call me silly I have done all the free modsd I can, as well as have it tuned. And yes I want that extra 1,2 3, horse power that I can get. The tune I had done was the best money I have spent yet. I also had headers and a ORY. I can tell you when you start doing stuff like free mods to get whatever you can get it doesn't stop. You always want more, you go to the track and want more..LOL But I also got 3rd place in sportsman class and felt pretty good about that. It just depends on what you want to do with your car. There are some poeple on this forum that just want the car to run good. Some people spend a lot of money and get them running great! I am in the middle, I can't spend 3k for heads,cam right now but want to get the best time I can get at the track. I was pretty happy with my times last weekend.I was knocked out by a 2001 corvette. He had after market exhaust and a kn filter. He was running 13.9 and I was running 13.59 so I felt pretty good about that. So it's really up to you man do whatever you want to your car just remember it never stops.

 

so wut free mods have you done and would you suggest???

 

I've done the TB bypass and I couldn't notice anything, like they said maybe a couple HP but if you're in a cold climate make sure you put it back to stock during winter. On your MAF there's a screen in there to straighten the air across the sensors, it's not needed since our air flows straight into the engine anyways from the front of the car, just simply push it out with your fingers, but DON'T touch the sensors, they're very delicate. Underneath the air lid and filter cut a hole into the plastic leading right in front of your radiator, it will draw up some fresh cool air, but it makes your cleaner get dirty really quickly so make sure you clean it or replace it, just check it more often than normal. You can port your MAF and throttle body but I haven't done it, just be careful with it. If you look down your Trottle body the butterfly doesn't open up a full 90 degrees, you can grind down the stop a little to let it open more allowing more air to flow through, but make sure you don't go past 90 degrees or else your butterfly won't close. it will be stuck open! Not good! if you look into your Throttle body there's a tube sticking down into the air streem, about 3/4" thick. This is for your EGR. You can take it out and trim off the tube flush with the top of your throttle body for a more straight flow into your manifold. I haven't done this either but it is very simple. Or simply just eliminate all emissions on your vehicle, take out the AIR and EGR and Cats but I don't recommend it, You will have codes coming up and either have to reprogram the computer or deal with it another way. More trouble than what it's worth unless you're going for all the power you can possibly get. I think that's pretty much it, there's a website for all this too with instructions do a search on here or someone might know it. It's installuniversity.com or universityinstall.com or something of that sort. Have fun. Oh, you can paint or sand and polish your calipers too, I heard that add's 7 or 8 horses too hehe, I actually want red calipers, but I want the aftermarket ones, I don't want to paint them.

 

yea the 160 degree thermastat def dosent do anything. like mentioned before... our cars are made to run at about 200 degrees and thats when they preform the best. when it runs colder its actually harder on the engine... thats why i always let my car warm up first before driving....

 

http://www.gmhightechperformance.com...ls1/index.html

List of all free mods and how-to's