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heavy85

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Posts posted by heavy85

    LS1 Autometer Tach problems

    in Gen III & IV Chevy V8Z Tech Board

    Posted

    I hooked up the white 'tach' wire from the PCM to the Autometer. Tach was working fine with the L6. Cut both wires on the back of the tach to make it 4 cylinder. I get nothing - no needle movement at all. From LS1tech forum I tee'd a 480 ohm pull-up resistor (from 12v source ... actually tee'd into the tach power wire) into the signal wire and still nothing. No movement at all. I know it's getting power and ground as the gauge light comes on and the power & light wires are spliced together. Also verified there is continuity from the gauge green signal wire to the white PCM wire. Any suggestions or ways to diagnose?

     

    Thanks

    Cameron

    Tried for first ls1 test drive but only runs for a minute at a time??

    in Gen I & II Chevy V8 Tech Board

    Posted

    It's fixed but ... not sure why? I hot wired it today and hooked a volt meter up to the PCM out to the fuel pump. Steady 14.5V for a ~15 minute drive. Hooked up the PCM to the fuel pump and she ran fine for until I shut it off. All I did was look at the wiring to make sure it was there and correct and pulled, tested, and re-installed the fuel pump relay. Scares me 'cause it's bound to happen again since I didn't really fix anything. I'm afraid ... I'm going to keep the jumper hot wire in the car for a while just in case.

     

    Man it takes off like a rocket if you can find traction. Tops out fourth gear before you blink. I might have to go down to the 3.7 or 3.5 gears from the 3.9 that's in there now. Can't wait for the first test and tune (autox) April 6 to really see what she has.

     

    Cameron

    Why Bother With The Lsx Swaps....

    in Gen I & II Chevy V8 Tech Board

    Posted

    Clive hit it on the head. I drove my LS swap for the first time last weekend. It is comical really. I couldn't stop chuckling. Second gear I can light em up at will from any RPM. Still can't wipe the smile off my face. Took nearly a year and a half but that's because I built everything myself and did a lot of other work like a new subframe and have four kids and a demanding job.

     

    Cost (best I can remember so it's close):

     

    Wrecked '02 Z28 $6500

    Sold ~$2000 maybe more before I'm done

    Headers $460

    Exhaust $250

    K&N $35

    Intake rubber elbow ~$25

    Water lines, fittings, etc $100

    Fuel lines $200

    Driveshaft $160

    Diff flange adapter $65

    Poly mounts ~$100

    Serpentine & extra pulley ~$40

    Battery & alt wiring ~$50

    PCM flash $75

    Clutch lines $150 (dont ask ...)

    Misc crap that adds up $200

     

    So about $6,400. If you were better at parting out like Clive you could significantly reduce the upfront engine cost. Otherwise I dont see how you could do it for any less. I reused as much of the f-body stuff as possible (throttle cable, dipstick, fuel tank, wiring, etc) and did all the work myself including building the mounts, fabbing the exhaust, etc. I also am still using the stock radiator so we'll see how that holds up and have no speedo or fuel gauge yet so this is basic drivable with no frills ... other than the loud pedal!!!

     

    Cameron

     

    PS: I started swap Nov '06. Target was driving May '07. Actual driving March '08.

    Tried for first ls1 test drive but only runs for a minute at a time??

    in Gen I & II Chevy V8 Tech Board

    Posted

    Well I hooked up a fuel pressure gauge and scanner today. No codes which is odd because I was expecting fuel tank pressure sensor code at least. Fuel pressure ~60 PSI. Played with it a little and it seems to be fairly consistent that when I rev the engine as it comes back down to idle the fuel pressure starts to drop and eventually levels off to less than 20 PSI at which time it sputters to a stop. I did not try to idle for a long time to see if it would have stayed running if I didn't rev it. I'm stumped.

     

    Anyway I hot wired the fuel pump and took it for a spin for the FIRST time EVER with the LS installed. You still cannot wipe the smile off my face :). First and second I can leave two stripes at will. Third I can leave stripes without a lot of effort. I did not push it 4-6 as it was the first outing. I've never owned let alone driven a truly fast car before (other than FSAE) so this thing is just insane ... comical really ... makes me chuckle. I'm sure at some point I'll get used to the power but man this rocks. Also on a positive note there were no unusual noises, no rattles, nothing broke, no vibrations, and nothing on fire. Could not have asked for more out of the first drive.

     

    Cameron

     

    PS to Here Come Trouble - it's worth a second job to pay the gas to drive an LS Z

    LSx dipstick tube & routing

    in Gen III & IV Chevy V8Z Tech Board

    Posted

    I used the Z28 dipstick. It does not fit with the JTR headers without bending it around between two tubes and cutting off & reorienting the mounting tab. It was a real pain and took a while of trial and error bending the tube around to finally get it to fit. I would start by cutting off the mounting tab and just start bending it around until it fits then rebend the mounting flange until it touches the tube and reweld it back on. If you have more money than time I would just get a Lokar.

     

    Cameron

    Tried for first ls1 test drive but only runs for a minute at a time??

    in Gen I & II Chevy V8 Tech Board

    Posted

    i may have missed something but when you hot wire the pump does it continue to run properly??

     

    Perfectly ... at least it idles and revs good. Have not tried to drive it yet so I can't say what it does under load other than it acted fine when I pulled it in the garage.

     

    I'm borrowing a scanner and fuel pressure gauge from a guy at work so I'll hook that up this weekend and see where I'm at.

     

    Thanks

    Cameron

    Tried for first ls1 test drive but only runs for a minute at a time??

    in Gen I & II Chevy V8 Tech Board

    Posted

    my mistake. its actually 409 seconds before shut down at factory settings. hopefully that helps.

     

    Thanks for the info. Unfortunately it's definitely less than 409 seconds. Is there anything else that will trigger shutdown?

     

    Vin - I'm still not convinced it's not oil pressure as it starts up just fine it just shuts down after a few minutes ... like after it would reach some sort of 'shutdown timer'.

     

    Got the OBD port installed tonight so will borrow a scanner hopefully in the next few days and see what code I'm triggering.

     

    Thanks

    Cameron

    Tried for first ls1 test drive but only runs for a minute at a time??

    in Gen I & II Chevy V8 Tech Board

    Posted

    Need to get a fuel pressure gauge but it doesn't run rough like it's on 4 cylinders it just all of a sudden sputters to a stop like you turned off the fuel pump. If it was crud in the fuel system how would hot wiring the fuel pump fix the problem? I know some engines cut fuel if the oil pressure switch sees low pressure as a fail safe like in a roll-over but does the LS look at oil pressure for this reason? Anyone know where the oil pressure switch is located so I can check the wiring? It's a T56. Also need to hook-up the OBDII port so I can check the codes ... maybe after the kids are in bed tonight.

     

    Thanks

    Cameron

    Mechanical Engineering vs Mechanical Engineering Technology

    in Non Tech Board

    Posted

    Pretty much echo what's said above. ME will open up a lot of opportunities and higher wages ... right or wrong but that's life. School I went (Georgia Tech) to did not even have the MET I dont believe but corporate America pretty much lists ME/EE/etc as even a starting point for interviews. Go to a career fair and see what they are looking for. Talk to a school career counselor as they should know average starting salaries by major, hiring companies, etc for for school. After your first job I dont think the school matters but your school choice may help get in the door for your first job.

     

    Cameron

    CV Driveshaft?

    in Drivetrain

    Posted

    I have a Z driveshaft that uses a CV at the front end. Dont know where it came from but it fit my 240 with a R200 and 5 speed all in the stock locations. Actually now that you reminded me I am not using it anymore so if anyone's interested it's for sale.

     

    Cameron

    Tried for first ls1 test drive but only runs for a minute at a time??

    in Gen I & II Chevy V8 Tech Board

    Posted

    Well as it says there was a slight break in the weather today so last night I took it off the jackstands and today was the day. To date I've only started it in the garage a couple times for less than a minute each time. So I rolled it out of the garage & it started up just fine. Wanted to get it up to temperature before taking a drive so let it idle and after a minute or two it died. Sigh. Thought it might be too low on gas since I only had a little to put in so I dump whatever I had maybe 1/2 gallon out of the mower gas jug in it. Started right up and again ran for a minute or two then shut off. Feels like it's running out of fuel - kind of sputters for a few seconds then finally dies. So took a trip to the gas station to fill up the jug then added maybe another 2-3 gallons of gas. Again started right up then died after a minute or two. Tried immediately and it would not restart. Hot wired the fuel pump and it started and I pulled it into the garage - at least the clutch pedal seems to work good :). Several hours later rolled it back out and again hot wired the fuel pump. Started right up and ran until I shut it off, maybe 10 minutes or so. Let it get up to temperature and everything was fine. (BTW where on the stock temp gauge does the stock f-body fans turn on?)

     

    So what would be telling the fuel pumps to shut off? I had VATS programmed out and that shuts off after just a few seconds anyway. I'm stumped so any ideas what could be cutting fuel? I'm tempted to test drive tomorrow with the hot wired fuel pump since it's suppose to be nice again but really want to figure this out before I do any significant driving.

     

    Thanks

    Cameron

    Aluminum vs composite vs tubular racing seats??

    in Brakes, Wheels, Suspension and Chassis

    Posted

    Thanks guys that helps a lot. The aluminum ones look more comfy like Cary says I would just need to add a back brace down to the SFC or something since I dont have a rollbar to tie it to but that shouldn't be too hard. I was kind of stuck on the FIA thing but it seems that's maybe not as important as I thought. Also like the small profile to maximize leg and headroom. Cary - any Kirkey size recommendation for 6"2" w/ 36" waist and what specific model are you running? Also, do they require a detachable steering wheel to get in and out of?

     

    Unfortunately even with the 60-80 cars we get per autox most of the it is stock or modded street cars. Only thing I've been able to tryout was a ricer Sparco that was terrible and we have NO race shops nearby so will have to go by others experience.

     

    Thanks

    Cameron

    Aluminum vs composite vs tubular racing seats??

    in Brakes, Wheels, Suspension and Chassis

    Posted

    This is a generic question as to what are the benefits of one type vs the other not specifically one brand vs another but ultimately I'll need to pick a brand. Looking at a Kirkey aluminum for example and they recommend four mounts at the bottom and two at the back just below the shoulders. This complicates things a bit with my current set-up (no rollbar yet). Other thing I seem to notice is that the aluminum ones are NOT FIA approved for whatever reason. Is this really a big deal I'm not sure. For now it will mostly be autox and HPDE but may eventually want to hillclimb or similar ... eventually. The tubular seats tend to be FIA approved but also are at the bottom of the price spectrum. Price does not really tell me anything in terms of performance though. They seems to be a good bargain but the only one I've ever sat in was a Sparco Sprint I think and it was horribly uncomfortable. Other than price not sure what the benefits or penalties are for the tubular seats other than being FIA approved. Moving up the price spectrum are the composite seats. Not sure if this reflects manufacturing costs or do you really get a 'better' seat for the more money you pay. Obviously the $2k seats are 'better' but I'm not talking about those. I live in BFE relative to any speed shops for trying out seats so I'm forced to buy from other's experience. I dont care about looks or if it rubs the door panels or any of that crap. All I'm looking for is good support, safety, and reasonable comfort on potential ~2 hours drives to the track but mostly limited to ~1 hour at a time. I would like to stay under $500 if possible but may be willing to up that some if I can see some real value in spending more.

     

    So after all that babble I would like to ask those with direct personal experience with racing seats used for racing if you could help shed some light on the various pros and cons of the different types of seats.

     

    Thanks

    Cameron

    LS1 plugwires w/ JTR headers

    in Gen III & IV Chevy V8Z Tech Board

    Posted

    neweraperformanceparts.com [it's where i purchased my msd wires, fit just fine on my 012 ls1 w/sanderson headers].

     

    But wires for what - obviously the LS1 wires dont work? Several of my wires are touching hard against the tubes .. and beyond the metal sleeve. In other words I'm header to rubber with very hard rubs. Those socks are expensive and IMO just a bandaide that will wearout. I need 45 degree plugwires instead of straight fbody ones to fix the problem. I know they make them just can't figure out which ones to get like what part number or what car they come from. Like I said above JTR stated Mustang ones work but they dont. With so many people running the JTR / LS1 headers I cant believe nobody has found the right plugwires to use?

     

    rwwisnesky - are your Trans-Am boots straight or angled? My '02 Z28 wires are straight and hit the JTR headers very hard.

     

    Thanks

    Cameron

    LS1 plugwires w/ JTR headers

    in Gen III & IV Chevy V8Z Tech Board

    Posted

    I must be ignorant as I can find though searching what plugwires fit with the JTR headers on the LS1. All I could find is a comment that 90's Mustang plugwires have 45 end on it. Well I bought a set thinking I could shorten them but the coil end had a tiny boot that does not fit the coil. Several of the fbody straight plugwires touch the header and are going to melt fast. So what are you guys using for plugwires that fit the JTR header?

     

    Thanks

    Cameron

    My LS1 into 280z parts list/price list.

    in Gen III & IV Chevy V8Z Tech Board

    Posted

    wait4meperformance.com - for $75 tune instead of the usual $300. If you have it you can use the fbody throttle cable but only if you have a welder which sounds like you dont. Fuel injection hose if very expensive and adds up quickly. Fluids as they add up as well if you use good stuff (antifreeze, oil, tranny fluid, brake fluid, etc) if you're trying to account for every $. Battery and alternator cables. Add at least another $1-200 in crap like bolts, hose clamps, zip ties, etc, etc, etc. Air filter.

     

    Cameron

    Add one to the list of running LS1 swaps

    in Gen III & IV Chevy V8Z Tech Board

    Posted

    isn't that 02 sensor too close to the header? i thought if they were to close they wouldn't last long or something. theres a certain distance they should be at ive read the measurement somewhere but cant remember where.anybody know?

     

    That's where they were in the factory manifolds so I just duplicated that .. OK well actually one side was IN the manifold itself.

     

    Cameron

    Who races competitively?

    in Non Tech Board

    Posted

    Like John says ... if you mean competitive them count me out but otherwise here's where I've been

     

    1) a)FSAE b)autox FSP '84 GTI c) Briggs road race go-kart d) FP now EM 240Z autox but this year will add a track day and a trip down the strip if all goes well

    2) a)go to a good engineering school b)new college grad with no $ and a decent autox daily driver & a need for speed c)a few promotions later and some disposable $$ wanted some wheel to wheel action d)got tire of karting and bought the Z

    3) a)sponsors pay everything - pretty sweet deal b-d) zero zilch nada

    4) a)only one that counts plus a boatload of middle of the night practice (only time lots were clear) B) 6-8 a year c) 10 a year d) 10 a year but missed last year 'cause of the LS swap

    5) a)remember the sponsors - very little out of pocket b)pieced out of a $700 and a $400 both not running cars including race tires c) $4-5k a year and still was not even close to being competitive which is mostly why I quit d) Not sure but too much but that's mostly in upgrades like the LS, koni's, etc. Used slicks at $75 per go a long way to saving $$ & I dont travel far (<1.5 hours), and I drive it there so no tow rig. PB&J & granola bars for me.

    6) a)car in the back of someone's truck & fuel b)race tires, jack, misc tools, food & water, sunscreen, hat, etc c) see B) without jack but add in spare parts, gears, oil, & the best karting 'tool' I ever bought other than the 9.6V Makita cordless impact - an EZup d)same as b

     

    Cameron

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