Email SDL Racer

Owner:    SDL Racer

Make:    Plymouth

Model:    Laser RS Turbo All Wheel Drive

Purchased:    8/2002 from Indianapolis, IN for $1950, $650 for transport to Houston, TX

Mileage:    75,300, ultra clean inside and out, minor rust underneath from salt on roads

Modifications:

Engine:

Exhaust:

Electronics/Lighting/Stereo:

Gauges:

Suspension/Drivetrain/Brakes:

Times:  Green are best times, yellow are second best times.

Installation History:

08-12-2002

Drove it a little to get registered, license plates and inspection, kind of scared me at first.  I am used to my daily driver (1993 2.0 Non-Turbo FWD).  Bypassed the waste gate actuator and got boost up to 24 psi.  Blew the down pipe right out of the cat and blew dozens of holes in the IC neck, a really bad shhhhhhhh noise when boosting, not good, obvious salt corrosion.  Too much boost!  Time to upgrade these "not-up-to-the-challenge" factory parts.  Parked it on jack stands for 4 weeks until the following mods could be completed.  In my down time waiting for parts, I cleaned up the undercarriage and suspension with a final coat of high-temp ceramic paint with a basecoat of brown primer.  Replaced all four brake dust covers and underneath exhaust heat shield which were badly rusted.  Broke many bolts which had to be replaced with junkyard donors.  Installed aftermarket fog lights (those blueish yellow ones) with junkyard relay and dash switch.  Created a 3 stage boost controller from junkyard fuel solenoid rack (located on firewall near brake booster with 2 solenoids on nifty factory mounting plate) with shifter mounted switch, took a lot of drawings on paper to figure out the correct hose routing between factory solenoid and TurboX controller, they work differently, one bleeds pressure, the other blocks pressure, kind of tricky, but it works.  I now have factory mode with dash switch (junkyard '90 headlight lift actuator switch, simple ON/OFF operation) turned off, TurboX mode with dash switch turned on and override mode with shifter SPST momentary contact switch.  The shifter switch is inactive when the dash switch is turned off (factory mode), a good idea for valet and friends.  It looks like a factory headlight (or fog light) switch because it is.  Who would know it controls the turbo pressure?  Guess you do now....

Modifications:

9/2002

3" Stainless turbo back exhaust with MagnaFlow muffler and huge O2 housing with optional 3" cat (undercarriage clearance)

Dejon ported SMIC

Dejon upper and lower IC pipes and TB elbow

Custom A-Pillar with 3 gauge pods

Autometer EGT, 30-0-30 boost, A/F gauges in A-Pillar

TurboX standard manual boost controller 20 psi model

Custom 3 stage electric boost controller (with sneaker switch on shifter)

KYB AGX all four corners

Type X Racing front strut tower brace

Hacked 1G MAS

K&N 1G air filter - no canister

G-Tech Competition Pro (The new graphical one with PC link)

Engine compartment after first stage of modifications

Best ET: 14.1 seconds 1/4 mile, 5.4 seconds 0-60 MPH

10/2002

Enkie RS6 16" solid aluminum wheels

Professionally installed alarm system

Kenwood KDC-519 head unit

Weighed car on race track scale - 3200lbs with 1/4 tank gas and driver

Learned how to drive the car a little better, I suffer on initial launches.

Now the car is suffering from fuel cut pretty bad.  Don't have any trouble in factory mode and not much trouble in TurboX mode set to ~17 psi, but when I hit that shifter switch and raise boost over 20 psi, about 2 seconds later, POP, POP, POP, nasty noise with that big exhaust system.  I've hit fuel cut once or twice in TurboX mode on the highway around 110 MPH and still going.  There is a noticeable difference with the shifter switch "override" mode at about 24 psi, the car will lunge forward a little, great for those close races to gain a half car length or so.  It just fuel cuts so quickly, guess that's a good thing for the engine, but I want more more MORE!!!  Next set of mods will be fuel cut related and maybe something for my initial launching problem.  Oh!  Got some Mother's Aluminum Polish and cleaned up the headlight lenses on both cars, this stuff really works.  Mostly spent this month on details, appearance and learning the characteristics of the car.

Best ET: 13.8 seconds 1/4 mile, 5.1 seconds 0-60 MPH

(better ET is all in the launch) no performance mods this month

11/2002

2G MAS with adapter harness

Dejon 2G/1G intake pipe with 1G filter adapter

550cc ball/disc style injectors

Custom DIN panel with 3 gauge position potential

Autometer electronic Fuel pressure gauge in DIN mount above stereo

SteveTek Hi-Flow Fuel Delivery System with optional -06AN fuel rail fitting (my actual parts)

B&M AFPR (Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator)

ACT 2100 pound Pressure Plate and Performance Street Clutch

There were a couple differences in the SteveTek fuel system.  First off the fuel filter specified is out of production so I ended up getting a System 1 filter with the same O.D. of 2.0", with better filtration characteristics (30 micron instead of 40 micron) and the anodized red finish matched the hose connectors perfectly.  The inner slip out rubber grommet from the stock rubber intake pipe where it meets the turbo works as a perfect spacer for the fuel filter in the stock bracket.  Second, I built the system from the front to back, I found it easier to hack the excess cable and install the hose fitting working in the trunk rather than hanging over the engine compartment (I am over 6 feet tall and working on a low car is a pain in the back).  Third, I discovered that the hose fittings are flair type and the stock fuel pump is compression type, the threads match up but the difference in styles means they don't make a perfect seal.  The fuel pump is NOT a place you want a fuel leak.  I looked all over for a better hose fitting or an adapter, but was unsuccessful so I cranked it down super tight and will hope for the best.  I will worry about this one and will check it often.  I pressure tested the system at about 80 psi with the AFPR cranked all the way down.  I was surprised the stock fuel pump is capable of almost 80 psi.  I will operate normally at 43 psi.  Other than that it was by the book and an excellent time to install those new 550cc injectors and AFPR along with the 2G mas and new intake pipe.  Engine function seems to be dramatically increased, even though I haven't actually driven it yet, it's still on jack stands waiting for other work, the engine revs up much faster and the exhaust sounds beefier than before.  O2's are better and EGT is just under 600F after 15 minutes of idle with occasional high RPM revs to scare off the neighbors.  Before EGT's were around 700F with same behavior.  I anticipate great things when it's back on all fours.  I decided to put off the 2100 clutch as my daily driver needs a new clutch anyways.  I'll order a 2600 clutch for the turbo based off advise from other owners.  I now turn my attention to a funny noise I've been having with the drive train.  I think it's a bad bearing in transfer case, but can't be sure.  I'll visit a junk yard this coming weekend and get a transfer case to swap out and see where it leads me.

Engine compartment after second stage of modifications

The funny drive train noise is coming from between the transfer case and the transaxle, can not decipher which one it is.  Drivability is not effected, just noisy, also I sometimes miss second gear during a race.  Might just be time to rebuild.  Fluid levels are full and clean in both cases.  Screw it, I want to drive it, off the jack stands and on the road it goes.  I made sure to calibrate the GTech before I headed out.  Finally caught a red light the way I want it and where I want it, time to stage the GTech, ready, green, GO!

What a rush!  GTech times are not as good as I hoped, but 0-60 is way better and over all time reflects the better launch. 

0-60MPH=4.819    60'=2.392    330'=5.928    1/8=8.887@83.04    1000'=11.483    1/4=13.670@104.12

Peak HP=246.8    Peak Torque=254.1

Like I said, I was hoping for more.  I think the car is running rich, just feels and sounds different.  I will get a couple more GTech times later on and then go get an Apex S-AFC fuel computer to do some more dial in.

11/03/2002

Well, the car MIGHT be running rich but that'll have to wait for a more pressing issue.  See if you can figure this one out.  At 75MPH in 5th, downshift to 4th, let out the clutch, floor the gas pedal, engine RPMs climb to about 6500, no pickup, after several seconds engine RPMs drop back down and the car begins to accelerate.  Figured it out yet?  Clutch.  Stock clutch can't transfer the additional power to the drive train.  I'm talking about slippin' like I'm trippin'.  THAT would explain the less than expected GTech times.  Time to order that ACT 2600.  BTW: that drive train noise seems to be getting worse and now has an additional noise like bearing clatter during shifts when the engine RPMs drop, you know that noise when a bearing is spinning fast and the load is removed and the bearing spins down extra fast as the part chatters or shimmies down to stop.  Maybe it's just the throw out bearing.  Time for some major inspection during the clutch replacement.  I now have more power than drive train and that's not a comfortable feeling.

11/04/2002

Replaced the burnt up stock clutch today with an ACT2600 kit.  You can actually see slightly shaved rivets on the clutch disk, 4 of them.  Caught this just in time.  I killed the engine the first time I tried to back it out of the driveway, needs a slight pedal adjustment, a bit too low.  There's definitely no giving with this clutch, very strong.  Since it was raining and I was curious, I dumped the new clutch once at about 4500 RPM.  All four tires spun out and then broke traction again when the boost kicked in, now that's a cool feeling.  I'll drive it cool for the next 300 miles for normal break in.  The guys over a carboyracing did the work and took a special look over the entire car for me and found nothing unusual with the drive train noise, at least nothing abnormal with visible bearings or seals.  The noise must be internal.  They did find a front lower ball joint with a stress crack or something to that effect and said I should replace it soon.  Hopefully I can get 300 miles of normal driving on it before our Nov. 17th track meet.  Next is the drive shaft rebuild to address the thub thub thub noise at heavy acceleration.

11-14-2002

Fixed the thub thub thub noise in the rear axle.  Seems the rubber molding incased in the drive shaft carrier bearings wear out over time and allow the drive shaft to wobble or move around within the carrier bearing housing and eventually rub the underside of the body during heavy acceleration.  I found two fixes for this problem.  One involves rebuilding the entire drive shaft which is a bit of work to do it right.  The other involves injecting black silicon sealant into the carrier bearing housing the basically rebuild the missing rubber.  With only 76K miles on the car I figured the second approach would suffice for now.  After drying for 3 days I took it out for a test.  No thub thub thub.  Good.  Ended up racing it around Westheimer Friday night looking for trouble.  Not exactly what the clutch manufacturer would recommend during the break in period, but it sure was fun.  Made a 2001 Corvette convertible give up after only 2 tries and sent a BMW Z3 limping back home.  Other than that no one else cared to try.  One Laser NT 1G with exhaust only thought he would try, but gave up quick before we ever got staged at a light.  Found a 2000 Supra I was willing to play with, but either they thought I was joking or they weren't in the mood and turned away.

11-20-2002

Finally got past the clutch break in period and decided to take the GTech back out.  I only ran it three times and was focusing on the 60' and 0-60 times.  I have to get better than a 2.3 on the 60'.  With initial launches at around 5000 RPM all four tires would scratch on dry pavement and again in second gear.  I would stop after that as it was daytime on city streets and didn't want to attract too much attention.  The best 60' time I got was a 2.1 and the best 0-60 time I got was 4.4, still not as good as I hoped.  The third time I ran I missed second gear and gave up.  Peak HP was only around 250 with peak Torque at around 280, but that was only a 2 gear rating and may not be completely accurate.  I need to work on the initial take off and second gear.  I will try shifting into second a bit earlier next time as I usually redline it in first.  That might have something to do with my 60' times as first gear probably doesn't take me all the way to 60'.  We plan to hit the track Nov. 24th as we did not go on the 17th due to Alex's car spinning two main bearings and an eventual engine rebuild.  I'll finally be able to compare GTech times with track times to determine GTech accuracy.  I feel confident the GTech is very accurate but wouldn't hurt to be sure.

11-23-2002

Got my Apexi S-AFC installed and mounted in the nice little spot I left for it after the fuel gauge install.  Now I just need to figure out exactly where the settings need to be made.  I was a little disappointed that the instructions gave absolutely no hints or suggestions on how to begin calibrating the settings.  Guess they figure if someone is advanced enough to actually need one of these things, they would know what to do with it.  A guy at CarBoy racing mentioned using a second O2 sensor and a volt meter to help tune in the AFC.  I rigged up a spare O2 sensor and shoved it in the tail pipe but the readings were not accurate due to thermal temperatures not being as high as they need to be for a stock O2 sensor to work properly.  That would explain why my A/F meter always reads lean for a minute or so during cold starts.  The CarBoy guy mentioned welding a second fitting in the down pipe for the second non-ECU O2 sensor.  I think I'll try that and rig up a SPDT switch on the mounted A/F meter.  That way I'll always have the ability to read actual O2's for AFC calibration with the flick of a switch.  Picture of the cockpit as I see it with everything installed.  We went out to Westheimer strip tonight looking for more trouble and found two separate Mustang GT's in our rear view mirror trying to keep up, they couldn't hang with the turbo.  Finally got a chance to play with a 2000 Supra but this little punk wouldn't play right.  He would not go head to head with me at a light and we had about 5 individual chances around 4 am to do so and he definitely knew I wanted to challenge him.  He would just let me take off and sit there, then after I gave up thinking he didn't want to play, he would zoom past me.  What a punk!  He wanted to play this "already rolling at 40 MPH" race game which is a pain in the ass because you never know when the other guy is going to go for it.  Besides the speed limit is 40 MPH and Westheimer is a notorious race strip and cops are everywhere.  I gave up on him when a Camaro SS cruised up.  We played around a little looking for a light and got one.  Now all three of us are staged, Camaro SS, Supra and myself.  Green, we all went for it and I left both of them about 3 to 4 car lengths back buy the time I was hitting 3rd, then the Camaro SS started catching up when I was in 4th and eventually passed me at around 110 MPH, then the Supra passed me as I hit 5th around 130 MPH.  Nice to know that if it was an actual 1/4 mile, I would have beat them both.  The Camaro SS definitely beat the Supra buy about 2 car lengths, I beat the Camaro SS buy about 1 car length in the 1/4.  Either the Supra isn't crap or this guy had problems.  He definitely didn't know how the game is played.  Punk!  The SS guy was cool and had no fear.  Went home after that since it was about 4:20 am and the streets were getting thin of traffic.  Now I'm going to focus on high end power as both cars finally caught me and passed me.

11-24-2002

Noticed some clunking around in the front suspension last night and decided to have a look.  Found a front sway bar linkage blown apart.  The little ball joint had popped off and the linkage was hanging by the sway bar slapping the lower A-frame with every motion.  It also looks as if the sway bar was dragging on the front drive axle some.  This must have been what the Carboy guy was talking about when the clutch was installed.  Went ahead and pulled the front struts loose and checked both front lower ball joints, they are fine, nice and tight with a smooth flow, just like I like it.  Will hit Mistu tomorrow and pick up two new sway bar links and replace both sides. 

11-25-2002

Took a stock 6 cm turbo housing from a spare 14B sitting on the shelf and put the die grinder to it removing the ridge and digging down deep to make the funnel effect of the housing as linear as possible.  Also smoothed out the edge on the waste gate exhaust on the O2 site to allow the waste gate material to flow a bit smoother as it leaves the waste gate.  Also cut a notch to allow the waste gate to open more and basically smoothed everything out and clean it up real nice.  Still got a little more work to do, but it's basically ready.  Going to order a 2G exhaust manifold to go with the newly ported turbo housing.  This should help out with top end power as the stock 1G manifold and housing are fairly restrictive.

11-26-2002

Had one hell of a time removing the old sway bar links.  For some reason they just strip out during removal.  I ended up taking the Dremel with a cut-off blade and hacked through the lock nuts to chisel them off with a screwdriver and hammer.  The new links and new lock nuts look real nice though.  Picked up a new 2G exhaust manifold gasket, new turbo housing gasket and new 02 gasket from Mitsu today.  Now to find a 2G manifold...

11-29-2002

Finally got around to putting the KYB's on the back and had another hell of a time getting the driver side strut off.  I had to use the Dremel again and literally hack it off piece by piece after I gave up with the 8 pound sledge.  While I was in there, I decided to do a little clean up on the suspension and replace the rusted out brake splash shields.  After a lot of paint scraping and steel brush work and after primer, paint and undercoating.  There's still more cleanup to do and another coat of high temp paint.  The brake lines don't seem to mount on the new struts properly so I'll have to figure out something with that.  All in all a real frustrating day, but my persistence paid off and it's looking real nice and it'll be done right when finished.

11-30-2002

While walking outside after dinner to start some brake work, I gave birth to our new mascot "Turbo Kitty".

12-01-2002

Today was all about brakes.

After all my scraping, brushing, priming and painting on the rear, I ended up with a brake line leak in the rear driver's side brake line up under the frame (rusted through).  The whole line will have to be replaced all the way up to the proportioning valve and will not be easy.  After searching the web for an easier fix I discovered a "big-brake" upgrade for the front.  Seems pre-93 AWD models have stock NT front brakes and the post-93 "big-brake" system is a simple bolt on once you have all the parts.  So, I went to 3 junk yards today looking for an AWD for the broken brake line and for some "big-brakes".  Never found the brake line, but did find some "big-brakes".  According to the website, a Mitsu Diamante '91 and up and all '93 and up Eclipse AWD and '92 and up Galant AWD use "big-brakes".  Found a 93 Diamante at the first yard and pulled the two piston calipers and brackets.  Paid $50 for both, went to AutoZone and got 2 new 10.8" (275mm) rotors for $30 each and some carbon metallic performance pads for $45.  Total investment $155 and about 4 hours on a Sunday.  Cleaned up the calipers, primed, painted and lubed.  Removed the stock 10" brakes, lightly greased the hub for future ease of removal, finished off the undercoating and bolted everything on.  This should increase braking by about 33%.

Also discovered during the clean up that one of the rear calipers (passenger side) was previously replaced with a non-AWD caliper causing the rim to rub the brake line resulting in a blown brake line.  Not knowing if this could lead to unbalanced rear braking, I nabbed one off a 92 Galant AWD just to be sure (another $25).  I've read somewhere on the web that Mitsu has two single piston calipers models, the original model is for non turbo and non AWD cars and is basically a stock caliper.  The upgraded model has a larger and stronger piston for the turbo and AWD cars.  The noticeable difference is the location and angle where the brake line leaves the caliper.   So I got the right part now and will replace it soon.  Better safe than stupid, I always say.

12-06-2002

After trying various methods of finding an easy fix for the rusted brake lines, it became apparent that the entire steel line will need to be replaced which means removing the front and rear suspension and sub-frames to access the line in it's entirety.  I have ordered all 4 steel lines that run from front to rear (R.R. brake, L.R. brake, fuel return and fuel vapor lines), the fuel supply line was already upgrade to a larger S.S. braided line.  First I had to remove the fat exhaust, then the drive shaft, then the brake lines, then the brake cables, then the rear struts, then finally the rear sub frame with suspension attached, then start removing the steel lines towards the front, then the front lower skid plates, then the radiator fan, then the O2 housing and down pipe, then the transfer case and stopped there for the day.  I'm hungry, cold and plum tired as I did this without any help.  Tomorrow I'll start on the front end.  I managed to WD40 everything I thought might need to come apart.  This picture is a sad sight.  I'll eventually finish off the undercoating I started awhile back.  See how the steel lines go between the front sub frame and the body.  It's got to come out.  That oil pan doesn't look to healthy either.  I'll most likely upgrade the sway bars since it's accessible.

12-07-2002

Okay, started with the tie rods , then the front struts, then the CV axles, the brake lines, then the power steering lines, then the steering column shaft, then finally the front sub frame with what's left of the suspension attached.  Had mega trouble with the lower rear motor mount, it's a royal pain to get to.  Had to remove the front strut brace and battery to access the motor mount bolt.  Never got the damn thing to come completely out.

12-08-2002

Decided to use a bit of brute force and yank the front sub frame out by rocking it back and forth until finally wholla!  Finally got the front sub frame out.  A picture of my new hover craft.  Now I can get to the steel lines up to the engine compartment.  Got all the steel lines out and clipped them back together to compare with the new ones I ordered from Mitsu.  You can see the front end of the lines look good, the back end is another story.  Perfect time to replace that failed AC compressor and install new P/S lines as they look rusted also.  You can actually see where a JB Weld patch and clamps have been previously installed on one of the P/S lines near the sticker.  I tore apart the front sub frame to get to all the goodies out and clean it up.  Also a perfect time for the 2G exhaust manifold and ported turbo housing since the o2 housing is off.  I already ordered new front and rear sway bars from Suspension Techniques.

12-15-2002

After about a week of scraping and brushing away rust, degreasing and washing away grease, priming and painting, the front sub-frame and rear sub-frame are ready to go back in.  Also since the dealership wanted $400 just for the A/C clutch alone, I hit the junk yard and got a compressor and clutch for $30 and swapped out the clutch and installed a new belt.  The A/C fix is now complete.  The old A/C clutch was toast.

12-29-2002

After a couple weeks off for the holidays and still waiting for the new brake and fuel tubes to arrive from Mitsu-wherever, I finally got to spend some time with the hovercraft.  Today I put the rack and pinion back together with the new lines that arrived last Friday and put the newly cleaned up stock sway bar back in with those new links I got last month.  Also managed to put the new rear sway bar in with those fancy neoprene bushings.  The front sub-assembly and the rear sub-assembly (compare old and new sway bars) waiting to go back in.  I was told that the fuel and brake tubes should arrive this Tuesday.  We'll see...

12-30-2002

Worked out a deal with Dave Johnson at Dejon Tool www.dejontool.com for an upgrade to their big FMIC.  Since I recently bought his entire SMIC port and pipe kit and have less than 400 miles on them, he will allow me to return the complete kit for a credit on their complete FMIC kit.  I have to shout out kudos to Dave Johnson at Dejon Tool.  Thanks Dave.  I managed to completely tear down the front bumper and prep for the anticipated delivery.  My car is really hurting now with nothing but a shell and an engine.  It looks worse than most cars I see in the junk yard.

01-02-2003

After four weeks of waiting for the freaking lines from Mitsu I decided to hit the yellow pages looking for any junk yard or salvage yard that has a 1G AWD car.  Started with the A's and worked my way down to M and found a place less than 7 miles from my house with a 91 AWD fully intact minus the motor, transmission and transfer case.  Only took 37 phone calls and 93 miles of driving from potential place to place to eventually find one in my own back yard.  Persistence definitely pays off.  Anyways, since it was a salvage yard and they pull the parts for you, it cost me $200.00 for the four lines due to 3.5 hours of labor to remove the sub-frames.  Finally I get to move forward again.

01-04-2003

Got the new brake and fuel tubes installed and decided to replace the stock fuel supply line that is no longer used with a AWG #3 THHN (oil and gas resistant) battery cable to supply mega juice to the rear for fuel pump and amps or whatever.  You can see the black battery cable snaps perfectly into the original harness.  From the front end to the rear end, a good looking install.  Also managed to get the front sub frame re-installed and all lines and hoses connected.  Off to the monster truck show at the new Reliant Stadium.  More work tomorrow.

01-07-2003

Managed to squeeze in some tool time today and got the front struts and brakes all buttoned up.  Also got the rear sub-frame back in, finished the tear down on the front end for the new Dejon FMIC on the way, and got the back struts and brakes completed.  Need to brush off that rotor rust before I put on the wheels.  Flushed the entire brake system with Synthetic Dot 5 brake fluid.  The engine compartment looks a bit empty, not much I can do there yet.  Had a grand ole time extracting the countless broken and otherwise stripped bolts from all the underbody rust.  You may notice a drill bit in three pieces.  The piece in the middle of the container ended up in my lip when it broke off during a bolt extraction.  Those cool safety glasses didn't do jack for this one.  Always wear protection when drilling, grinding or working with any power tools.

01-10-2003

Despite the fact that I am sick as a dog today, I managed to spend a few hours on the car in preparation for the FMIC.  Since the car is virtually complete except for the transfer case, drive shaft, exhaust and tires, I decided to relocate the coolant bottle under the fender where the old SMIC was.  I used an old bracket I found from my 1976 Buick Skylark that was holding the stereo in the dash.  It's an L shaped flat bar with holes drilled all down it.  I think I got it at Radio Shack back in the day as a universal bracket of some sort.  Anyways, I used some steel epoxy generally used to mend pipe to basically weld it onto the bottle.  Since the stock coolant bottle has no mounting brackets, this seemed the best solution.  I'm sure JB Weld would work just as well.  I used the Dremel and a sanding disc to rough up the contact surfaces and went at it.  I think it will hold well.  The L bracket fit perfectly to an existing bolt that originally held the stock SMIC in place.  Picture of the coolant bottle under the fender.  Picture of the top inside the engine compartment.  Luckily the stock wiring reached for the coolant level sensor (I think that's what it is) and the overflow tube fits quite well also.  Needed to use a longer piece of hose to reach the filler cap.  I also entertained the idea of re-installing the stock heat shields on the exhaust manifold and O2 housing.  Only needed to cut a notch out down by the oil filter where the 3" flange to the down pipe hit and drill a hole to access the EGT probe.  Not a bad fit and it looks totally stock.  An old picture of the exhaust system before and a picture after.  This will protect the power steering pump and alternator from excess heat build up and maintain the stock appearance I strive for.  Last bit is a picture to prove that I have a 14B turbo installed.  I know once I'm complete and back on the street, all the loosers won't believe that a 14B whipped their ass.  The FMIC is on it's way and I should have it from Ohio by next weekend.  I expect to hit the DSM meeting spot next Saturday night with a fairly nice car.

01-16-2003

It's been 6 1/2 weeks now!!!  (11-28-2002 - 01-16-2003)

This should be the final day of rebuild as I finally have everything ready to go.  A quick trip to the muffler shop where a Honda buddy works to use their torch to cut out the front bumper to make room for the new FMIC and the rest is bolt up.  Got the transfer case, drive shaft, exhaust and front sway bar on.  Bolted up the FMIC, installed the bumper, checked the clearance, completed the plumbing, put on the spolier, installed the headlights and mounted the fog lights, tried out all the lights, and wholla, done.

Drove it around a bit and noticed a pshhhh noise when boosting over 12 psi.  There's a leak somewhere so I'll look into it later on.

A few things I noticed right off the bat:

The rear suspension is real tight, like riding in a go kart.  Those KYB's are some tough struts and they are only set at 1 of 8.  I know for sure they will help with launches as the ass end won't dip nearly as much.

Cornering is excellent.  Those new sway bars are real tight and the car is glued to the road when cornering.  Anyone smell road race?

There seems to be a little hesitation in throttle response.  I floor it, a momentary pause and revs go up, way up, real fast!

The fog lights now being further apart really light up the road.  I feel like I'm driving a space ship or something with Sylvania Silver Star headlights and those blue-ish yellow fog lights.  The view is sort of a translucent effect as all the colors blend together and the light pattern is really wide.  Also the blue-ish effect of the fog lights light up the sides of the FMIC quite nicely.  Looks almost like I have some blue leds pointing on it.  Nice effect.

The brakes tend to fade a bit.  They haven't gone all the way to the floor, but there is a definite fade.  Will need to check for leaks and possibly power bleed them.

Boost response is excellent as long as I'm at 3k or higher.  I mean I floor it and wham, instant 20 psi boost.  Under 3k the response is not that great.

The clutch seems real hard to press.  Guess 6 weeks off, my leg isn't used to it.

All in all, I am very happy with the car.  It needs some follow-up work to sort out the few problems I noticed, but that shouldn't take any time at all.  Once I'm happy with it and give it a few days of driving to re-earn my trust with it all, I'll take out the GTech and get some new times.  I think, just by the one test drive, the times should be pretty good.  I expect 12's.

01-18-2003

Found the boost leak in the TB elbow, had to remove it and re-install it without the support bracket to the engine block.  The way the TB elbow is and the fact that it is so huge, it's nearly impossible to tighten the bottom inside bolt.  I took the die grinder and shaved a 13mm open end wrench down to fit in there and tighten the bolt.  Throttle response has returned to normal.

Bled the brakes again and now the brakes feel excellent with that Synthetic Dot 5 fluid.  Very nice response, has that "German" feel "good-n-tight".

Took it out for a spin and what a rush.  Hit 20 psi boost no problem and the new ECUView tells me that knock is real low, maybe 1 or 2 knocks as the boost kicks in and that's it.  Injector duty cycle is kind of high at 85% at 6500 RPM under full boost.  I'll definitely need larger injectors when I upgrade the 14B turbo to a Big16G later on.  Then again, I'm still running stock fuel pressure at 43 psi.  I can always turn that up a tad or two to compensate.  Probably play around with that.  I'd like Injector Duty Cycle to be around the normal 68% under max conditions.

So basically, I'm done and I'll hit the Houston DSM spot tonight and maybe get some GTech times to post.  I expect at least a half second faster ET in the 1/4 mile.

01-24-2003

Went out GTech'ing.  Upgraded the GTech firmware from v1.2 to v2.0, many new features, had to calibrate RPMs twice to get the RPMs to match the tach.  Had to calibrate the accelerometers twice as it kept reporting to re-configure due to temperature variations.  The Gtech would not save the first run, ended up with a diagnostics code and a GTech lock up.  The first run times listed are from memory, thus why they are incomplete.  The first run I launched from 5000 RPM as usual, good solid run, felt real good, might have let off a little early but the graphs didn't show this to be true.  The second run I launched at only 3000 RPM and the car bogged down during take off a bit before the turbo got up to speed, so the results are a little slower than the first run, but I wrote everything down before I tried to save as it locked up again during the save.  Will need to re-load the firmware and try again and/or call GTech about this diagnostic code.  The GTech memory reports 4810.0% free so there's definitely something up with the GTech saved run memory.  Hopefully the firmware re-load will correct this.

I was going to do a third run, but needed to get on with my day.  It's a bit scary running down the Beltway 8 feeder at 110+ MPH.  I had enough for now.  I got my half second I was hoping for (0.709 to be exact) and planted myself firmly in the 12's.  I had my AFC set to +10% across the board as my EGT's are higher than before and didn't want to lean out.  All my earlier runs are with AFC set flat.  I noticed my HP and TQ are actually lower than before, could be that I'm running rich with the AFC at +10%.  I expected higher HP and TQ with the ported 2G manifold, ported turbine housing and the new intercooler.  Most likely it's because I'm running the turbo at 17psi as I usually run at 20psi.  I think the higher EGTs are a result of the heat shield being back on the car.  I noticed that under hood temperatures are much lower now and I expect that the heat shield is doing it's job and holding in the heat which gives me higher EGT readings.  Doesn't seem to matter how rich I make the AFC, EGTs are still 1200 - 1300 driving at a normal 70MPH, before they were at 1000-1100.  Haven't seen them go above 1300 no matter how hard I push it.  My EGT probe is in the O2 collector, naturally going to read higher than if in any exhaust manifold runner.  The EGTs will drop rather quickly to 800 when I stop at a light, which is a good thing.  All in all, very pleased with the car, not so pleased with this GTech bug, but I do like the new firmware and the extras it includes like the RPM readings for peak HP and peak TQ, not to mention all the new graphs.  Will re-load the GTech firmware and get a few more runs this weekend.  Someday I will have to back up the GTech with official track times and accurate car weight.

Re-loaded the firmware, but it didn't help so I chose to delete all stored runs (although there are none) and now memory reports 100.0% free instead of the 4810.0% free like before.  Guess all I had to do was flush the memory after the firmware upgrade.  Did a BS run by shaking the GTech in my hand until it finished the run (amazingly I got a 6.34 @ 243 MPH) and saved it successfully.  Powered down and back up and was able to access the run and re-view all the data.  Re-calibrated the XYZ again to be sure and it's ready to go.  All my vehicle data is still there.

01-29-2003

Got the windows tinted today with 5% limo tint.  The picture doesn't look at that great, it was an overcast day and it rained all morning and the car is filthy and there was a smudge on the camera lens, but it's a picture for the journal.

02-09-2003

Now that I got the speed I want, time to add a little style to my ride.  Already tinted the windows, got the alarm installed and the Kenwood deck rocking.  Now it's time to take advantage of the alarm system with keyless entry and put the Kenwood to good use with some better speakers.  Opened up the door panels and installed the door lock actuators and front speakers, then moved to the back where I found a rather unpleasant surprise.  Since I already replaced the rear speakers in my 93NT with 6x9's, I figured the same for this car.  NOT!  Factory 6 1/2" speakers in the rear.  Not wanting to return the rear speakers to the store and seeing that a 6x9 has more surface area than a 6", I decided to break out the die grinder and Dremel and make a 6x9 cut out on the factory speaker mounts.  Took about 2 hours of grinding, but I got the 6x9's installed with a little help from a hammer to dent in the inside fender a bit to make room for the large speaker magnets.  Kenwood Deck and all Kenwood speakers makes for a very good sounding system.  No more popping from those factory speakers when I turn it up to 15.  Now I can go up to 25 with crystal clear definition.  I noticed now (once I go past 15) the dome light dims a bit as the music plays.  Now I can put that power to good use.  Still no boom boom, but full rich crystal clear sound.  Definitely better than before and good enough for now.

02-23-2003

Track night.  Cruised down to Baytown to Houston Raceway Park with 8 friends and 3 cars.  It was a very busy night and all the big boys were out since NHRA was running next weekend.  Only took about 1.5 hours in between runs from all the cars waiting to run and not to mention the dozen or so times the track got closed down due to explosions and broken parts.  My First run was a dial-in run at 13.5, I discovered (thanks to the GTech) that my HP drops off after 6200 RPMs and I've been shifting at 6500-6700.  My next run I set the GTech shift light to 6000 and shifted at 6000 all the way down the track.  It didn't feel like I was getting the most out of the car, but the 13.2 at the other end proved that "redline racing" doesn't mean you're fast.  The last run was completely sloppy as I was getting sleepy.

See the Headliners section on GTech Debate Resolved for more info on this topic.

The GTech continued to report 12.8, 12.7, even though the track said 13.5, 13.2.  Guess that question is finally answered.  The GTech is wrong, but at least it is consistently wrong and we all know that "Consistency is the key".  Now that I've got official numbers on my car and can now gauge the GTech more accurately, time for more power.  The stock 14B turbo is rated at 250HP and I consistently get high 240's to low 250's from the GTech, I'd say I've maxed out the stock turbo's potential.  Time for a turbo upgrade.

02-28-2003

Hooked up with Wade at www.turbochargers.com and picked up a Big16G with ported 7cm and 34mm waste gate mod.  This turbo is rated at 380HP.  With all the other mods I already have, this should be a drop in 75-90 HP increase, maybe more with fine tuning.  I'm a bit nervous as I've see the ECUView report injector duty cycles in the 90's under full boost with the 14B.  I may end up maxing out my brand new 550cc injectors with this turbo, will have to keep an eye on this.  But isn't that the whole point, more, upgrade, faster, more, upgrade, faster, more...?  At least until we either blow it up, wreck it, run out of money, grow out of it or die.  I have a feeling this will be with me until I die.  If you ever see a 70 year old man pull up next to you and stomp your ass, you'll know it's me someday in a few decades...

03-01-2003

Did the turbo swap today, compare the old and new turbo inlets side by side, compare the turbine housing inlets.  Ripped out the old turbo, radiator, exhaust manifold and plumbing.  Bolted in the new turbo.  Took a test drive as is.  Then finished it all off.  There is significant turbo lag with the larger turbo.  The turbo doesn't fully kick in until 4000 RPM with the ported 7cm turbine housing, the 14B kicked in around 3000 with the 6cm turbine housing.  Went out cruising Westheimer to hook up with my turbo buddy Wade to get a feel for what he thought about it.  I am a bit disappointed with the turbo lag and not that much noticeable increase at the top end.  For awhile I was considering swapping back to the 14B because it is more peppy and responsive at lower "street level" RPMs.  Wade and I went on a late night tuning run only to end up popping a IC hose clamp and had to limp back home barely running to get a screwdriver to re-attach the hose clamp.  He managed to do some baseline AFC settings and things were heading in the right direction, except for some real bad stuttering at 6000 RPMs.  Found out the Bosh Platinum spark plugs are NOT the way to go in turbo motors and NGK was recommended.  Limped back home and hit the web for more info on these related problems.  Also, my knock count is still pretty high under high boost, around 35.  I was also low on coolant and it was making that all too familiar bubbling sound.

03-02-2003

Topped off the coolant in the radiator and in the bottle, corrected the IC hose clamp problem and replaced the Bosh Platinum plugs with NGK standard.  Found that my platinum plugs were barely tight, maybe 6 ft/lbs.  Gapped the NGK's to 35 and torqued the NGK's to NGK spec of 18 ft/lbs.  Went for a test drive and what a difference!  I was literally able to smoke all four tires during launch on dry concrete, not asphalt, concrete, so much that smoke was coming inside the car as the windows were down and I had 3 people in the car.  Now I see the potential of this new turbo.  Got a second gear scratch also.  Ran through third and let off.  Now I am happy!  Haven't put the GTech on it yet, but my guess is at least 50 more HP and no more stumbling at 6000 RPM.  This little beast will move!  I saw knock go as high as 28 at 20psi and FIDC got to mid 90's at 6000+ RPM.  Now that I have the nags out, more tuning is in my future.  I am very happy.

03-09-2003

Can you believe it!  I got a ticket for speeding.  I wasn't even racing.  I was trying to catch up to a Porche that was showing off so I could race him.  Did the cop see the Porche?  Hell no, he saw me.  60 in a 40, no front license plate and no insurance.  Technically the officer is correct, but give me a break.  I haven't had a ticket since 1995.  That's right 8 years, no ticket.  Anyways, seeing as my insurance card expired two weeks earlier and I hadn't put the new card in the glove box because I don't drive the car that often is no defense.  I'll have to take my new card to court.  As far as the license plate bit, I had to drill two holes in the front spoiler and bend the plate to mount it since there is no steel left on the front bumper for the stock mount due to the recent FMIC ugrade.  Looks like I'll be taking defensive driving for the first time in my life to offset the speeding charge.  What  freakin' drag.  Still haven't done my final tuning or even managed to GTech it yet.  I was planning on doing that before the ticket.

03-15-2003

After mounting the license plate, I noticed the front mount intercooler was getting tore up from rocks and road debris.  I decided to remove the front spoiler and intercooler, straighten the fins and install a wire mesh to protect it better.  During the de-install phase I noticed the upper FMIC hose was rubbing against the bumper mount and nearly wore a hole through the hose.  Decided to Dremel the bumper mount down a bit and replace the worn IC hose with a new one.  Took about an hour to straighten out all the bent cooling fins and reinstalled the FMIC.  Went to Home Depot and got some "8mm x 8mm" wire screen mesh in a 100 foot roll about 12 inches wide and installed that behind the front spoiler.  Attached the mesh to the spoiler with some bailing wire strung through the mesh and through little holes I drilled in the spoiler itself.  It should hold out for a long time if not for ever.  The finished results.  It's hard to see the mesh so this picture (slightly altered) shows the mesh a lot better.  The pictures were actually taken weeks later.

03-25-2003

Another weekend gone by with lots of high speed driving.  Except this weekend Gonzo, Brian, James (on his bike) and myself all raced at speeds exceeding 140 MPH up 59 north in a mad race zigzagging through normal traffic.  There were many close calls and it took me nearly 30 minutes to stop shaking from the adrenalin rush.  Why?  I still don't know, but is was done.  Times like this always make me wonder about my T rated (130 MPH) tires.  So I hooked up with my buddy Danny at Discount Tire and picked up some Kumho Ecsta Supra W rated (160+ MPH) tires.  No more worries and they look real aggressive.  First time I nailed it at 2nd gear when leaving Discount, all four tires spun madly and the car started to swerve sideways bad.  I had to let off.  The second time I nailed from dead stop against Gonzo's Mom's car all four tires spun as usual, a little sideways action, but otherwise normal take off.  There was no sound from the tires, no squealing, no smoke, just a shhhhhh noise as the pavement shaved down the rubber.  This was on dry cement.  Four little piles of rubber left at the launch site.

03-30-2003

Now that I got the bling bling and the zoom zoom, time for a little boom boom.  Back to that 3AWG wire I ran along the factory harness during the big brake line replacement job.  Went to EPO and got an AMP wiring kit and a 4 port fuse holder.  Starting from the back and working towards the battery, I installed the 4 port distribution fuse block in the trunk access panel and the master fuse holder in the engine comartment.  Next install the speakers, box, amp and crossover.  Run an RCA cable to the head unit, install the filter, a little tuning and I now have the bling bling, the boom boom and the zoom zoom.  Bling a bling and a boom boom boom and a zoom zoom zoom on you.  Yeah!  Now I'm rocking and a rollin.

04-05-2003

My buddy Roy slid me a more powerful 400Wx4 amp instead of the 100Wx4 I already have.  Spent the day swapping it out and working on tuning it in, but it didn't offer anything more than what my good ole trusty Optimus amp has, so I put the Optimus back to work.  I'm sure it's because I have the Kenwood crossover set to cut anything over 50Hz.  At such a low frequency, AMP and woofer output isn't that noticeable of a difference, so I left the smaller amp setup as is.  No risk in popping the woofers if there isn't a noticeable difference.  Thanks anyway Roy.

On another note about the new tires.  Last night on Westheimer I raced a Camaro SS and smoked him bad.  This time the tires squealed a bit on asphalt then lunched like the space shuttle.  I had my woofer box and three people in the car and it hooked up like a rocket, so much in fact that Michelle had me pull over to throw up right after the race.  I tell you, women can't handle G forces like we can.

05-15-2003

Still getting high knock count under full WOT @ 5000+ (30-40 counts).  Searched all over the web for knock related issues.  Only thing I found that made sense was possible boost leaks.  I fashioned a piece of PVC pipe with a spray paint can top which fits perfectly over one end, threaded an air hose coupler in the side and used a intercooler hose clamp to mount directly to the turbo intake.  Set the air compressor at 20psi and hooked up the hose.  Found leaks in the turbine discharge flange gasket, BOV flange gasket, throttle body to intake manifold gasket and a lower intercooler U pipe hose clamp.  Fixed all but the throttle body to intake gasket leak as it is a real small one and it's real difficult to address as it requires the complete upper IC piping to be removed.  Knock count is significantly lower, but still present and the ECU isn't pulling timing as much and not as soon as before.  It definitely helped.

I also installed one step colder plugs to help with possible pre-detonation due to potentially high combustion chamber or spark plug temperatures.  The only draw back to the colder plugs is that ignition now stumbles at 6000+ RPMs, which is a good thing to protect from over revs.  My car makes most power at 5750-6250 and drops dramatically after that.  I make more power at 5500 then I do at 6500, so it's best to shift and the stumbling ignition is a noticeable sign for me to shift.  It couldn't have worked out more perfectly.

It still knocks (20-30 counts) at 6000 under WOT, so my work is not done.

06-25-2003

Haven't done much lately, just been enjoying the car.  Noticed allot of oil all over the engine, primarily from the white smoke coming out of the hood.  Thought my valve cover gasket went out, so I bought a new valve cover gasket kit.  During the gasket replace I noticed a small crack in the valve cover inside the spark plug wiring channel.  This valve cover is trash.  Luckily I have the spare head and used that cover instead.  After it was all done and said, my oil dipstick now pops out under high boost which sprays oil on the engine again.  Took a piece of old rubber fuel hose I had laying around and force the hose over the dipstick stopper and which now fits perfectly over the oil dipstick tube.  Now no more dipstick popping out.  Now I need to steam clean the engine again.

Mileage now at 80000.

07-13-2003

Spent the weekend looking into heat related issues.  First off, my exhaust gets hot, real hot.  I've seen it glow red late at night.  Since I already lost one alternator and under hood temperatures are always unbearable.....  ...not to mention the exhaust has leaks all down the line and rattles or resonates at certain times.  Yuk!

So I decided to hack those 2 bolt flanges off the exhaust system and go with a better solution.  Those big rig diesel band clamps work much better.  Since I have it all apart, might as well fiberglass wrap the down pipe to help with heat.  Hacked up my cat and test pipe too.  Here's the engine during the tear down, notice my extra special cardboard air filter dam.  Now the engine is all back together and ready to run.  A view under the car looking at the down pipe, ain't it perty.  Close up of the fiberglass wrap job.  Test pipe installed with the new band clamps, now that's perty.

I used my ECUView to check intake air temps before and after the cardboard air dam.  During the heat of the day, intake temps dropped about 12-15 degrees nominal.  The cardboard is a test template.  I will eventually carve out some abs plastic for a better fit and feel.  But, it works, even with shabby cardboard that doesn't fit right.

07-22-2003

We're about to go to the track this weekend, so I decided to do a Mopar MCCC treatment.  The intake before and after.  The intake was so dirty, the camera flash doesn't even show up.  Throttle body before and after.  The cool foaming action does all the work.  Another look, before and after.  It was real dirty in there.  It's still not perfect, but a hunk load cleaner than it was before.  I also pulled the spark plugs and put about 1/4 can in each cylinder and let soak while I did the TB and intake clean.  Then rigged up a mayonnaise jar with some old vacuum hose as a collection container and used the wet/dry vac for suck power.  Then proceeded to suck out the stuff.  There was some real nasty stuff in there.  This hose was clear when I started.  Now it's all back together all nice and clean inside and out.  Tons of smoke poured out when first started that clouded the sky and you talk about a funk.  Makes you're eyes water.  A close up look of the goo from within.

07-25-2003

The night before track day.  Tore down the front clip to clean out the intercooler, heat wrap the pipes and open up the fender for some cold air.  Look Ma, my head almost fits.  Now I need to re-locate that coolant overflow bottle I re-located previously when I installed the intercooler.  Since the rigged up bracket already broke, I needed to start from scratch.  I found a nifty little spot just in front of the trans that works perfectly.  Still accessible and not in the way of anything already installed.  This time instead of gluing the ghetto bracket to the bottle, I drilled holes the exact size for those plastic fender clips and used silicone sealant all up in dat biach.  No more falling off and no chance of leaks.  I can even get to the mounting bolt which just so happens to be an existing threaded hole in the frame from the factory.  Talk about a perfect fit and it's a solid mount.  Last time I'll have to move that blasted coolant bottle.  Now I can enjoy loads of cool clean air to the intake.

07-27-2003

Track day.

Visit this link in the Headliners section.

My only time slip compared to two of my last slips.  As you can see, I was well on my way to an all time best until half track.

My 60 foot, 330 foot and 1/8 mile times are all best times.  The rest goes down hill from there.  The yellow are my old bests.

Time to tear down the motor to find out what went wrong.

07-28-2003

Motor tear down...

Visit this link in the Headliners section.

11-01-2003

Now that the engine rebuild is complete, time to sort out my fuel delivery problem which caused the melt down.  Installed a Walbro 255lph fuel pump on the SteveTek fuel system.  I now cannot turn my fuel pressure down any lower than 45 psi under vacuum at idle, 53 psi base.  Way too high to properly tune.  ECUView tells me I'm hitting 90's on IDC and relatively high knock in the 20's and low 30's.  Need larger injectors to tackle the IDC issue and an external AFPR to tackle the pressure issue before I can even begin to sort out the knock issue which may be related to fuel pressure being too high.

11-15-2003

Bought the "Mitsu Kit" from Fuel Injector Clinic which comes with 650cc injectors, a DSM fuel rail with a 17mm bore and an Aeromotive AFPR.  Ordered several AN fittings from AN Fittings Inc.

11-25-2003

Installed the new fuel system today and had to make some rather drastic AFC settings.  Got down to -22 just to keep it running.  Still blows black smoke under boost and I get ignition stutter or major misfires past 5500 RPM.  Played around with AFC, thinking I was running too rich and fouling out, got down to -28 at 5K+, seems to help allot.  Still get high knock from 4500 on up.  I do not know if my settings are right.  If I add fuel past 5K it stutters real bad, if I lower fuel the stutter goes away, but I get more knock.  What the hell is going on?  With 650cc on a very high flow fuel system, it's really hard to tune.  I need more info.  I need to see what's going on inside the ECU.  Time for a data logger.

Engine bay after fuel system upgrades.

12-01-2003

Got my Pocketlogger and a Palm, found out my fuel trims were maxed at 139 across the board.  I'm running way too lean and the ECU can no longer compensate.  Used some Pocketlogger tuning instructions I found on their website and got fuel trims back closer to a normal 100.  Went out for a few late late night (1:30 am) runs and now the car feels very strong and running very smooth.  It actually feels like it has much more to give.  Now with the larger injectors, it doesn't have to work quite so hard.  All this makes me very happy.  Still got some ignition stuttering issues around 6000 RPM and a strange knock count issue starting at 4K, but the knock gradually goes away.

12-06-2003

I'm thinking the 4K initial knock issue is related to the boost kicking in real hard right around 4K.  Since the boost and RPMs jump real high real fast the ECU cannot adjust quick enough thus causing the initial knock around 4K.  The knock gradually goes down, so I know it's not a critical thing, just annoying to have it start in the first place.  If I can get it where the knock never starts, or at least low enough it doesn't pull timing that bad, I know it will only get better.  The good thing is the knock gradually goes down now matter how hard I run it which means I have room for improvement.  On average with current tuning, 1st gear knock is around 30 going down to 20, 2nd gear around 20 going down to 10, 3rd gear around 10 -> 5, 4th gear around 5 -> 0.  Sometimes I get no knock or very little (less than 10), other times it's average as stated.  Seems the slower the RPMs are raised (as in higher gears), the less knock problem I have.  Anything under 20 knock is acceptable, anything under 10 knock is normal.  Bottom line is not to have timing get pulled less than 15 degrees.  The ECU will pull timing to combat knock.  The less knock, the more timing advance.  The more timing advance, the more power you'll make.

So I put the turbo back under factory BCS control.  This eases in the boost and doesn't shock the engine and the ECU can keep up better.  Now that the turbo is under BCS control, knock is greatly reduced and doesn't hit until later on in the RPM range (where it's supposed to be) to achieve proper tuning.  Now I know that the knock I get is not related to a boost surge, but as a result of tuning.  It was just weird to start off with allot of knock and have it go away.  Knowing that the knock goes away tells me I have more room for improvement.  Now that it starts under extreme conditions I can tune for properly for maximum performance.

Another thing I noticed is that right around 5700 RPM (roughly where my ignition stutter starts), the Pocketlogs show my MAS signal flat lines at 1607 (the max the ECU can output to the logger).  Once the airflow flat lines, the Injector Pulse Width (IPW) and Injector Duty Cycle (IDC) actually start going down as RPMs continue to increase.  The higher RPM mixed with lower IPW and IDC causes lower O2.  Low O2 causes knock and now that the turbo is under BCS control, I get knock exceeding 20 in the higher RPM ranges.  Thinking I am hitting MAS over run, I decided to do some mild hacking on my 2G MAS to help airflow.  Now I've been told not to mess with a stock 2G MAS, but I have to figure out what's going on at 5700 and up.  The only proof I have is the MAS signal flat lines and when it does the car runs like crap.

On the 2G MAS there is a plastic trim piece that holds the honeycombs in place.  On the bottom smallest honeycomb, the plastic trim piece has two triangle shaped edges that over lap the honeycomb in an area that is otherwise open for airflow.  I took my Dremel and cut those two little edges back to open up about 3/8 inch triangle more room for air to pass through the honeycomb on each end.  Total airflow improvement is about 3/8 inch square (2 times 3/8 inch triangles).  Now the Pocketlogs tell me the air flow hits 1607 at around 6100 RPM.  A simple little 3/8 inch piece of plastic trimmed off increased my airflow buy roughly 500 RPM.  Now this is a real mild hack.  I tried removing the three small honeycombs and the car ran real bad.  So I left the honeycombs in, just trimmed the plastic trim to allow air to enter the honeycomb where it had previously blocked it.  Believe it or not, it helped and didn't effect engine operation at all.  My MAS numbers are slightly lower across the board and don't peak until around 6100 RPM.  Now I get ignition stutter starting a little higher than before, but it's allot closer to where I shift anyways.  At least my IPW, IDC and O2 don't start dropping until I get much closer to the end of my power band.  I still get ignition stutter to some degree, just not as bad as before.  I'm going to look into low resistance spark plug wires and possibly reducing my plug gap from .032 to .028 to generate a hotter spark.