3.75L Build thread

[DocWalt]

You did kinda grab it from the wrong end...

[aaronatstate]

FYI that true timing column only applies if you are running the 1g crank position sensor. If you are running the 2g sensors, the timing reported by the ecu is correct. I wrote that equation for true timing back when I did the first testing with Gatecrasher almost three years ago because of the latency differences in the different sensors.

[futurevr4man]

good thing i am running a 1g crank angle sensor . i actually didnt know that though, thanks

kenny, that is not the wrong end. its easier on the snake and for snakes that arent as long as me, its a safe way of doing it as well. most people squeeze behind the head too tightly and end up injuring the snake pretty badly.

[futurevr4man]

hey all,

i wanted to update this thread for a while now. just to keep the few people who give a crap about my build in the loop

i have not been very active lately, but i have definitely been lurking. i have some big plans in my near future. almost everything i am wanting to do is to fix an issue in one way or another.

current issues:
1. my exhaust manifold is leaking where the flange meets the head. the rear exhaust manifold to be specific. this causes my turbos to spool at different rates, which causes a really annoying surge. on top of that, it makes a mess in the engine bay, and more importantly, it throws off my 02 signal (wideband and narrowband) and that causes my car to not run so well. its also really hard to tune when you cant trust your wideband signal...

2. i will be switching to ecu controlled boost. i tried to nitpick gregs brain a bit tonight, but i think a lot of people have consistently bugged him with things and he didnt seem to be too willing to shoot the crap about it. hopefully i can find a solenoid that will be up to the task of the airflow and rpm's i will be pushing. i dont know of anyone that is doing ecu/load based boost with any kind of setup that is much past stock... if there is, please direct me toward them, as i would like to throw some ideas back and forth!

2.1 i will probably run a manual boost controller for a bit. i have given up completely on my dsbc. it worked SO well with my actuators (stock style wastegates), but it is not up to the task with these external gates.

3. i am tossing around the idea of getting my turbos redone with some billet wheels. i called MTC 3 times, left messages each time, but have still not gotten any kind of response. i am a bit disappointed there...

I have a couple other, maintenance related, things that i will be doing as well... nothing exciting there though.

i fully admit that i have made a lot of mistakes... too many to really even remember... on my car. i have learned so much though, and continue to learn more and more every time i work on it. no one warned me (and apparently i didnt have the foresight to realize) that with a big build like this, even changing a leaking rear valve cover gasket can mean pulling the entire engine... true story. turbo sits above the valve cover, but cant come out with engine in due to the angle of the manifold to make it fit, so i have to pull the whole thing.

i will say that i WANT to change my clutch to something really nice, but i dont think its in the books right this minute. plus i would kind of like to see how far i can push the current one. its a spec stage 5 (yes, i know all of the downfalls), but im hoping i got lucky and got one that is good. if i didnt, its not THAT hard to drop the trans.


if youre still reading, you may be wondering if i ever took my car to the track or anything. no, i didnt. there are a lot of reasons, one of the biggest being that i just didnt want to... but i also moved away, have no tools, and the car has never run quite right which always bugged me. also, if i get a good run in, i will be looking at an 11 second pass at minimum, and most tracks will kick me out for that. if im going to get kicked out, i want to run a GOOD number, not just an 11.xx (no offense to those that think 11's are really quick or anything). BUT i did take it down the dragon at BRG and HOLY CRAP!! i was so impressed! i had no idea it handled so well! i need to get one of the more experienced people to drive it sometime to see if its better than your average VR4. it didnt push AT ALL. zero understeer. really very neutral, and nearly perfect in my opinion.

and lastly, i am planning to paint my car this summer. there are a lot of variables when it comes to my money though, so that may still get pushed out further. its really getting under my skin though. i will be painting the engine bay when i pull the engine this spring for sure. any recommendations for a color with a white car? i feel like black will look out of place... i have been trying to find pictures of other white cars and their engine bays to decide.

TL;DR:
- pulling engine to fix exhaust manifold leak
- switching to ecu controlled boost
- maybe billet turbos
- wish i had more money

hope my e-family is doing well. i miss talking to a lot of you guys. i will be getting a laptop for x-mas so hopefully i will get on more! between work, and the gym during the week, there isnt a lot of time. then the weekends are shot from partying LOL. usually sundays are for recovery though, so maybe... hahaha

[Greg E]

i tried to nitpick gregs brain a bit tonight, but i think a lot of people have consistently bugged him with things and he didnt seem to be too willing to shoot the crap about it.

No, I will always have ginger love for you. I'm just swumped with chrome customer service tonight and this new O2 sensor patch thread I'm typing up.

That said, I know people who are in the midst of trying it, but no one has posted anything yet.

[Greg E]

Here is my setup installed. The harness has been modified to use the FPR solenoid as the boost solenoid. More info to come on this later.

http://www.3sgto.org/tuning-engine-e...flash-ecu.html

[kywhitelightning]

The dsbc has a switch on it for internal and external gates. Did you change that when you switched turbos?

Jeff

[kywhitelightning]

Also, Brett claims to have a new board on his Clone to allow an assortment of different BC soleniods straight off the ECU.

Jeff

[futurevr4man]

yeah, i flipped the switch. the controller just isnt up the task... i tried it in 2 variations even... the one they recommend, and then a setup with top port open, and bottom port with boost pressure to control boost (like an actuator setup). if i hasnt flipped the switch, and that fixed everything, i would be so pissed hahahaha. i have pulled my hair out trying to figure it out.

the car just straight up has some issues. the engine needs to come out, and i need to take my time and go through it and fix them. the exhaust manifold leak is really whats killing me. i never thought the flanges would be warped or i would have checked it prior to putting the engine in. hindsight's always 20/20 ya know?

[futurevr4man]

and to greg, i have read that thread. i will be actively keeping an eye open for some other setups... i could be way off on this, but i doubt the stock solenoid is up to the task. the airflow i am pushing is just so high compared to stock. maybe as much as triple when im up at 8000 rpm's