any updates?

 

No updates lately. I havnt really driven the car but twice since the shootout. Its got a wierd misfire issue out of boost. I just finally got a new set of plugs to see if it fixes the issue. I havnt had much interest in the car as of late. It just sits, and has been sitting for about a month. Really thinking of selling it once the misfre issue is fixed.

 

Well, what can I say, other than the car has continued to disappoint me this year. I blew a motor in april, got a new one running, tuning early summer, car was making good power, then started missing and cutting out. Tuned it for lower boost, kinda helped, but car was still cutting out.

I didnt get to take the car to the shootout, which is prolly good, cause I would have blown the damn thing up again, by the way it was running. lol

So after the shootout, the car sat, and sat. I finally scheduled an appt with Devin@Boostin, cause I got sick of trying to figure out the problem myself.

Took the car up on a trailer to boostin yesterday. After all the pre dyno inspection, tuning began. The car quickly made 583hp, 513ft lbs at 35psi on his MD. Devin was gonna make me a street tune and a race tune, both on e85. So he went to grab lunch, and came back and preceded to make the race tune.

First couple pulls, the car would break up at the top near the rev limit. When it does this, it throws the car into some wierd mode and the car would idle like crap for a few seconds, then it just goes away. Devin then swapped my spoolinup with the sparktech non cdi from Kristins car.

Car started to make a few good pulls, managed a 627hp, 537ft lbs on 37psi. I was getting excited to see this thing on 40-41 psi! Well, he turned the boost up a little, and started to make a pull when he let off halfway through the pull. He tried again a few sec later, same thing. Well now the knock sensor somehow came up loose. Being the complete pita it is to get to the knock sensor, we called it a day.

So the disappointment? Trailering my car 4hrs to boostin, 4hrs back. The trip cost me about $800, and my car sits in the garage.......again.

So now, I am forced to look into a sparktech ignition. Devin reccomended a CDI version, but I have seen so many cars making more power than me, running sparktech non cdi versions. I am gonna test the coils on my spoolinup unit as well. Might just have a weak coil on my current cop.

Devin has also questioned that the car is possibly floating valves. I was told by the guy I got it off of, they were GSC beehives. Judging the car when I got it, I am taking his word for it, as there was nothing skipped on, on the car in the mod list. I doubt he would throw GSC s2's in without the valves springs as well.

So I gotta look into the valve springs as well. So my car is tuned, not on a race tune, but on a nice street tune....as long as I can figure out this weird misfire/floating valve issue.

Devin noticed, If he didnt rev the car out to 8k it wouldnt do the misfire/stumble. But on a high rev in the 8k range it does. Which could be spark related, as well as valve spring related.

Car has been such a money pit this year.

 

Sorry to hear about the issues but you are on the right track and its good you have someone knowledgeable helping you out. Sounds like you are close to having her solid. I would take off the valve cover and take a good look at those springs you have. I vote CDI as well.

 

Yea, I will pull the cover off and take a look at the springs. I gotta make me a socket to tighten the knock sensor up tomorrow.

I know the cdi would be the best option, but for 1k, and for the fact that I see so many cars making more power than me on non cdi sparktech, and even spoolinup kits, makes me wonder.

 

I tightened the knock sensor. Took a 27mm socket and cut a section out of it for the wire. I believe I got it tightened, went and drove it around to make some pulls, knock light went crazy on two out of the three pulls, so I don't know if it still could be my ignition which I have yet to test, or maybe a bad knock sensor now??

 

at least he diagnosed a lot of stuff for you and went out of his way to swap parts for testing purposes.

If you think at all the knock sensor is not 100% then replace it. its only $70.

Make sure its torqued to spec on the block also.

 

He did swap out my spoolinup cop for a sparktech. Car started to run better, but then started showing knock on the next two pulls. He felt for the knock sensor and it was loose, so tuning stopped. When I tightened the knock sensor yesterday, my ses light is still blinking now.

I suppose I can get a new knock sensor, but i read that its not something that commonly goes wrong, not like a 1g knock sensor lol.

 

I hope you figure it out. You have a really nice setup.

 

I would love to get this thing running 100%. I dont think I will mess with it much anymore this year. Im getting to the point of just taking it back to Boostin, and just leaving it there and saying, you figure it out, call me when its done. Once I get it back then, just sell it to pay myself back for all the money ive dumped into this year.

I tested my coils yesterday, they all read the same. Matt from spoolinup says to look for one thats not consistent with the others, all mine were consistent with each other, so I am starting to rule out the cop being the issue.

I still have to look into this knock sensor, but Ive read they are not common to just go out. Id hate to even throw $80 at the car right now for a knock sensor, that may or may not fix the car.

 

Sorry to hear about all the badluck man. Dont let all these things build up to hate the car and get rid of it. If you do end up getting new valve springs, I suggest kiggly valve springs and retainers. I would do that first and see if that solves the issue instead of spending 1k or more on the spark tech.

Good luck

 

I was going to suggest leaving at Boostin and have them figure it out. Sometimes that will put your mind at ease and may start to love the car agian once its running to its full potential.

Dont give up man. I been having some issues with my car and trying to work them out before I swap in the built motor.

 

Yea, I just normally dont let anyone do anything but the tuning on my cars. I always do everything else myself, mainly for pride, but mostly cause I dont like to pay someone to work on my car lol.

 

If the car was tuned on a loose knock sensor, I'd think the tune would be problematic (not detecting knock as it should). I would think the car should be retuned with the knock sensor tightened and see if you are getting legitimate detonation.

 

Don't give up, man!

On a side note, what's the expected life of a knock sensor anyway?