bump...

made my work day alot better...

<-----worked today

 

Recap since last tune:

So, been about 10k miles on this motor and have not had too much trouble. Still don't have the nitrous tuned, but looking to do that soon.

Resolved an issue with a valve cover leak. I installed the JWT oil pan spacer and have a small leak with that, but will probably reseal during next oil change.

Had been getting a P2A03 code, but realized this is probably due to an exhaust leak in the headers at the slip fit collector and the most medial primary tube. This is right before the 2nd O2 sensor, so the I'm getting unmetered air through there. Looking to unbolt the exhaust and refit it and weigh my options on sealing that up. Trying to avoid welding or crimping tubes. All advice welcome.


Plans for the next year:

Weight reduction
-seat swap for some cheap, lightweight, reclineables
-interior panel removal (maybe AC delete)
-CF hatch

Performance and reliability improvements
-integrate GM TB w/ Cosworth
-port Cosworth manifold
-look into Nismo/Frontier FD
-bushings overhaul
-upgrade OEM sways
-vented oil catch can
-N2O tune
-Stillen engine torque damper

Cosmetic upgrades
-paint
-door handles
-wheels
-tint

 

I am not ready to strip my car yet, and the GM TB is a great option, but I want to keep cruise control too, gears are a great idea, and bushings is on my to do list, but alotta work and $$, I am glad to see you are happy with your setup too

 

Yeah man. I have a daily and a garage, so I don't feel like I'm giving up much by stripping it down.

I have to do some research, but these things are on my radar. Baby steps, but I'll get there.

 

I am 100% with you on baby steps, It is running well now, so I am slowing down, enjoying the car, and upgrading where I can, but no rush anymore

 

Cool stuff. What GM TB?

 

Great to hear that your car is running well.

Not a full resolution to the P2A03 but I removed my secondary o2 sensors and disabled them thru osiris since i use those location for my wideband. For me, the code only occurs at the warm up stage of the vehicle so I am not concerned about them.

I like your list of mods and second the
-look into Nismo/Frontier FD
-bushings overhaul

I did those to my car last year and love it. One other thing I liked a lot is the poly transmission mount that z1auto sells. It's a cheap mod that makes a big difference in feel. I saw this the other day, you might be interested. http://g35driver.com/forums/steering...ngs-cheap.html

 

Yeah, I have the codes disabled and I didn't notice a difference in performance either way, but I'm sure the physical change of sealing the leak would help the performance a little.

I'm wondering if it would affect the behavior of the exhaust pulses, vacuum at WOT, and high RPM power..

 

I wonder if Fontana Nissan really stocks these pans...

https://www.fontananissanracing.com/...an___Pump.html

 

You might have better luck with GTM. I know they are working on a pretty badass NA car with one right now.

http://www.gtmotorsports.com/product...cat=563&page=1

 

Interesting, I called Dailey Engineering a few months back and priced out what it would cost and I believe it was signicantly less than GTM's listed price.

That looks like the same setup, too.

 

It feels like it has been ages since you have been in! Glad to hear the car is running well.

 

^I'm actually going to be in Spring House, Pa with my job sometime soon. Hopefully, I can bring the car in and have you guys tune the nitrous.

In other news, I picked up a Godspeed (a.k.a. Stillen, even came with their instructions) engine dampener for 40 bucks shipped. I noticed the engine seems a bit louder from more vibrations being transferred into the cabin. That piece combined with the solid motor mounts should make for a pretty secure engine with minimal torquing.

Install wasn't too bad. Moved out the power steering reservoir, a ground connected to the timing chain cover, and then just bolted it in and reattached everything. Matches the red Samco radiator hoses already in the engine bay.

 

Just picked up a Walbro 255lph GSS340 fuel pump w/ install kit for 84 bucks shipped on Ebay.

From this company: www.streetrays.com

 

We could have done that or better for you buddy.

 

^Haha. It was an impulse buy. You guys are going to have to help me when I go FI.

 

Well, I ran into my first significant issue with my car.

I'm not sure what prompted the issue, but two days ago my car threw a couple codes:

P0014: Exhaust valve over advanced or performance (bank 1)
P0174: Lean code


Background:

My car sometimes had a cold start chatter that was described as normal or typical of many VQ motors. I am unsure of whether this is related to my issue, but it actually started to get better in the last few weeks.

About a month ago, I sealed up an exhaust leak that I had in the SG headers. The leak had been sealed and I did notice more frequent backfiring during engine braking. A few days ago, I noticed that the idle had been getting a little rough and it seemed like top end power dropped off a little, though I have no way of verifying that.


The final straw:

I was driving on the highway during when it was raining and I felt the car bogging a little bit. I thought maybe the Injen was get saturated and I probably should've stopped, but I kept driving because I didn't have long to go. Stopped the get gas, turned the car back on and it threw an SES light. I got to my destination and let it idle. It was fluctuating, sounding like trash, and I heard a few knocks in a row. The knocking occurred like 5 or 6 times and hasn't really come back since. I don't know if that would be a stuck valve or what, but I've yet to tear anything apart.


Hypotheses:

exhaust valve sensor/magnet retarder

timing chain slipped or vtc sprocket took a poop

I'm hoping this a sensor issue, but the knocking makes me think otherwise. I don't think it's rod knock because it only happened a few times. Maybe the TC slipped or a tooth on the sprocket broke. I thought maybe the MAF got wet, but I switched the MAF out with no improvement. What's interesting is that the car drives/sounds normal above 3.5k. I drove the car home and averaged 30mpg in 5th gear at 3.5k. I didn't really rev it any higher because I figured I was doing enough potential damage at that point.

**Yes, I know how stupid it was to continue to drive it**

It seems like it's the low rpms that the car just bucks and it difficult to drive until you get to 3.5k. I was getting a P2A00/P2A03 code because of the headers and maybe the leak, too, but those were disabled and the car had been runing great for thousands of miles. For a time, the low end was very weak until I did a throttle body reset.I'm wondering if sealing the exhaust leak would require a new tune because the unmetered air was eliminated. It seemed like the car started backfiring at that point, whereas before I was dealing with ghost revs while shifting gear.

I am not driving the car right now and will likely need to take a few things apart. I'll start with seeing if there is any metal in the oil pan and then test the sensors before taking off the timing covers and getting into internal stuff.

Once I figure out what needs to be done, I may decide to throw in some new parts or do a 180 and just start parting out and moving on to a new platform. While I do have a spare engine w/ only a few thousand miles on it, I'm not sure I want to swap the parts over. This could end up in an impulsive FI rebuild or a pretty epic part out.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year, guys!

 

Sorry, hope it's just a simple fix.

 

^Me, too. Glad to see your car up and running. I know that's been quite the battle. Nice torque numbers. I think you still have more power to unlock. Hopefully, I can contribute some research to your build if I stay with the VQ.

 

Thanks. As long as I can get power without any more NVH I'm in. I am at the limit (with the cutout shut) for daily driving.

Thanks