2g build

[952g63t]

Still doesn't idle with MAF plugged in. When I unplug the MAF it sits right at 500-750 rpm. Reading 10.5 on wideband, then after like 5 ish minutes it started reading around 14.5.

Temp held steady once it was warmed up.
Still have good oil pressure.
No more coolant loss.
No more CEL.

I'm leaning towards a vacuum leak somewhere. I just need a long weekend to try and figure this out.

I don't know if I should be happy it started or go curl up in corner somewhere.

 

[JAX2Ganey]

are you sure your ECU is good?

 

[952g63t]

are you sure your ECU is good?

100% sure? No. Thing is, it ran perfect the first time I turned it over. Something else is going on, its either the knock sensor wiring or a giant leak somewhere from my intake to my throttle body. I replaced the knock sensor, and rewired the harness end connection. From what I understand it would retard/advance timing if it was wired wrong, but wouldn't necessarily cause a condition where it idles with the MAF unplugged versus it being plugged in.

Need to make a new boost leak tester. It has to be a vacuum leak somewhere.

Damn this sucks...

Yep. Looking good.

Thanks Primer,

It will look even better when I get the damn thing running!

 

[952g63t]

Went ahead and ordered a new MAF. I've read every single post on this forum relating to MAF issues and it really is the closest thing I can compare my issues with. What are the odds that the used MAF I bought on tuners was also bad? I would say enough to warrant questioning it and trying a new one just to be sure. If this doesn't solve my issue then it has to be my ECU. I did inspect my ECU when the idle issues first started, and it basically looked new.

Seriously going to be pissed if it turns out to be my MAF.

You know what though F-it, I knew getting into this project carried the potential of many frustrations. I chose this platform because of the performance capabilities and I always loved the 2g body type, I mean the thing just oozes style imho.

I should know Monday evening what the results are.

 

[952g63t]

I put 5 gallons of fresh 93 in it and smacked my MAF with a screw driver a few times, the SOB fired right up and idled like nothing had ever happened.

Need to bleed the brakes tomorrow morning and then I'm going for a F'n ride!

This is my happy dance...

 

[buhay6]

right on man! good to here there's finally success.....*fingers crossed*
I'm hoping I can do my happy dance in the next decade.

 

[952g63t]

HOLLY SH*T this thing is FAST! WTF
I am on cloud 9 right now.
Thanks for the help everyone

 

[952g63t]

2nd oil change yesterday, oil was much cleaner than the first change. She's been running great, good wideband readings and still idling like a dream. Finishing up final assembly of things like interior and body kit. Working out some small bugs here and there. Windows aren't rolling down, sunroof does work though. Already checked the fuse, might be the relay. Also, not getting a good boost reading from the "P" port on the tb. Tested it with a low setting on my compressor and it was reading fine from that. Will end up T'ing off of another line somewhere.

Need to get her registered and inspected next weekend. Should have some new pics and maybe some video soon.

 

[Roberti 2G]

Glad to hear you got her running all good.

 

[spyderdrifter]

So in post # 113, you have the coolant overflow tube (left side of water neck) routed to the nipple on the right (for turbo). You obviously don't have the factory turbo, but why route the two together when you should have the overflow bottle?

 

[952g63t]

So in post # 113, you have the coolant overflow tube (left side of water neck) routed to the nipple on the right (for turbo). You obviously don't have the factory turbo, but why route the two together when you should have the overflow bottle?

Indeed spyderdrifter, my lines were looped in that picture. I've since blocked the turbo coolant line and re-routed the red coolant hose. Its on my list of things to do to get a proper overflow system in place. I had recently hooked up my coolant overflow bottle and the damn thing leaked like it had been shot up by a 12 gauge.

Thanks,

 

[952g63t]

Finally took her out tonight on the highway. Damn she can move, only got up to 75 though. I'm nervous as hell driving it but everything seems to be working great. Starting to pick up on little things like when the wastegate opens up (pretty quiet compared to my exhaust) and the rev range the turbo likes to spool up. Btw, it spools up pretty quick after about 4000-4500 rpm, and the power seems to just go on for ever

Still have a few bugs to work out. I cant get my boost gauge to work. I tried running off the line from the FPR because the P port wasn't working, but to no avail. I tested it with my air compressor so I don't know. Might be a small kink in the line? Battery has been dying over night since I installed a new head unit. Not sure if its the cause so I unplugged it to check in the morning. I plan on eventually getting a regular car battery or at least something that is meant for a vehicle. Also, my damn alternator belt started squealing. I figure it has something to do with the small and sometimes dead battery I am using, plus the alternator is probably not in the best condition either.

Overall, I am happy with the performance.

 

[952g63t]

Break-in has been going well. Finally bit the bullet and installed the replacement window for the drivers side door. PITA!...

Currently using a gatorade bottle as an overflow rez. Seems to be working well enough at least temporarily.

Did have a near disaster yesterday. Right when I pulled into my driveway I noticed a strange scraping sound coming from my engine bay. I parked and popped the hood to take a look. One of my power steering bolts (top bolt next to the pulley/belt) was literally being backed out by the pulley. It must have been on its last few threads before being ejected into the belt system. So lucky I caught that before it fell out. I torqued it back down pretty tight. I'll be watching that closely...

My oil return line has a small kink in it. I need to figure out a way to reinforce the hose where it bends to ensure good oil flow back into the pan.

Still fighting with a key off power drain. Coincidentally I noticed this drain when I installed a new stereo, and an interior fuse panel circuit that keeps tripping 15 "AMP" fuse(s). Cannot for the life of me tie the two together. Stereo sounds like crap too, sounds like an old mono tape player from the 80's.

EDIT: The stereo thing was fixed by regrounding. Still looking for the key off battery drain.

Still need to install a horn, finish installing the interior panels, and re-attach the body kit, etc.

 

[sirbow2]

dyno or video?

 

[952g63t]

200 mile oil change done today along with some header wrap, re-torqued the head studs, fixed the oil return kink, and did a boost leak test. Held 10 lbs steady for 15 or so minutes and then blew my intake coupler off when I tried 15 lbs. I am happy with those results for now.

Its been running great. The ONLY thing I am working on fixing is the cold idle. Because I have a FIAV bypass, It idles low until it gets warmed up. I believe ecmlink has a function that allows me to modify the cold idle settings. Link will probably be the last big upgrade for a while. I am more than happy with 10-15 lbs of boost right now, its plenty of get up and go for a daily driver.

 

[952g63t]

After I got home from work (drove the CRV) I decided to take the gsx to the auto wash because I had been trying out wet sanding a few areas and needed to get some of the residual crud off. Was feeling restless so I went for a drive to air dry things. On my way back from my little outing I had a nice wide open section of country highway to stretch her legs out so I dropped her in to 3rd and mashed the gas pedal. Hit 4th gear in max spool and then........

No, it wasn't my motor blowing up... I hit fuel cut. It was pretty funny actually, immediately I thought I had broken something but soon realized that it was because my fuel pump threw in the towel. I let off the gas as soon as it happened and babied her back home. It almost felt like it drove smoother somehow from that point forward. Not sure what to think about that.

I guess ill be upgrading some more parts soon I'm thinking ECMLink, a wally 190 and some oem evo injectors. Any recommendations? I need low z right? I still want to keep it modest, but hitting fuel cut in 4th gear is not what I had in mind with this build.

Btw, I fixed my boost gauge.

 

[IrishBeatdown]

I guess ill be upgrading some more parts soon I'm thinking ECMLink, a wally 190 and some oem evo injectors. Any recommendations? I need low z right? I still want to keep it modest, but hitting fuel cut in 4th gear is not what I had in mind with this build.

Get Hi-Z if you can. They tend to idle a lot better than Low-Z and perform better overall. They are also a little more pricey, but if you can afford them, I would go that route. Fuel injector clinic injectors are also always a good bet for DSM's

 

[ChrisP]

@952: Damn, this is like Dejavu! I get so inspired looking at this build. Especially if you see how it all started out and what you have now!

Big up on finally getting your test drive! When I got my 96 GST, I drove it home from where I bought it (couldn't drive more than 40 as it wouldn't boost and it was overheating!!!) thought to myself:"what the hell was I thinking???" and got so demotivated as it felt like an endless shopping list of repairs and replacements. However, after that first test drive... It changed everything!!! .. but I too have a long way to go still...

Good luck with future progress!!! Keep us up to date!

P.S. Loving the white wheels in your profile pic. It goes really well with the red.

 

[Dsmkauai]

Man you've gotten so far with this build, Get supporting mods before you blow something up bro!! I mean you spent all that money on the mani and turbo, but you don't even have a setup to handle what it can put out. Its great your turbo is rated for 600+hp, but what good does that do when you have a fuel system and tune for 210hp??? Just something to think about bro, as your right foot is itching for more boost!! Don't worry we all got it hahaha!!

 

[952g63t]

Get Hi-Z if you can. They tend to idle a lot better than Low-Z and perform better overall. They are also a little more pricey, but if you can afford them, I would go that route. Fuel injector clinic injectors are also always a good bet for DSM's

FIC seems to be a good choice, thanks for the info. I'm thinking 560's will be sufficient. As it turns out, after I fixed my boost leaks I boosted up to 20lbs! I am still getting use to my MBC adjustments

@952: Damn, this is like Dejavu! I get so inspired looking at this build. Especially if you see how it all started out and what you have now!

A few times I almost considered throwing in the towel, probably more so last fall. I am glad I stuck with it. Being able to complete a project like this is a big win for anyone who has never done more than change their oil. Its different when you can actually drive & experience the results of your hard work. Couldn't have done it without this awesome forum! Btw, the image w/the white rims was taken by the original owner like 15 years ago. Randomly came across them on google images one day.

Man you've gotten so far with this build, Get supporting mods before you blow something up bro!! I mean you spent all that money on the mani and turbo, but you don't even have a setup to handle what it can put out. Its great your turbo is rated for 600+hp, but what good does that do when you have a fuel system and tune for 210hp??? Just something to think about bro, as your right foot is itching for more boost!! Don't worry we all got it hahaha!!

Yeah, I am walking a tightrope right now. Fortunately my A/F's have been good in boost so far. I have since turn down the MBC and am planning on some needed fuel system upgrades. 15lbs is my max right now.

Thanks for the feedback,

 

[IrishBeatdown]

FIC seems to be a good choice, thanks for the info. I'm thinking 650's will be sufficient. As it turns out, after I fixed my boost leaks I boosted up to 20lbs! I am still getting use to my MBC adjustments

You won't be sorry for getting the Hi-Z's. I have 1200cc Delphi Low-Z's and I do not like them at all Probably the modification I least like about my car at this point. It's on the to-do list to be rid of them soon. I'm liking your build thread, I'm going to try and keep up and see where you go with it. Looks like you are on the right track.

 

[Dsmkauai]

I bet you wot at 15psi your a/f doesn't look good, meaning on the lean side. Most can't even get past 15-16psi on a 16g and stock fuel system, without fuel cut!! I would seriously get something to tune with bro, so you can log and see exactly what your ecu is doing. Also I wouldn't get any injector smaller than 850's this way you have room to grow before you need to change again.

 

[952g63t]

I bet you wot at 15psi your a/f doesn't look good, meaning on the lean side. Most can't even get past 15-16psi on a 16g and stock fuel system, without fuel cut!! I would seriously get something to tune with bro, so you can log and see exactly what your ecu is doing. Also I wouldn't get any injector smaller than 850's this way you have room to grow before you need to change again.

I thought the same thing, but according to my gauge it holds pretty steady at 11:1 in boost. I need to do some additional testing to confirm, but my A/F is what I am usually looking at other than the road in front of me. I was wondering if maybe someone had upgraded the pump or rewired it at least but i've seen no evidence to support this. Injectors also look to be stock, green midsection, etc. For what its worth, I am fairly certain that when I hit cut i was pushing 20lbs.

 

[952g63t]

Finally installed a proper battery and (JM Fab) mount. Looks much cleaner. Alternator went out on me during the battery upgrade so I went ahead and threw on a reman from Beck Arnley, seems to have done the trick. Wrapped my O2 housing to try and reduce the ambient heat the Alt sees. O2 housing was missing a damn bolt to the 4-bolt hot side. After inspecting and tightening the others I came to the conclusion that I used the wrong type of crush washers, or at least needed to retighten them after the first few heat cycles. Checked my manifold bolts and a few other things.

 

[952g63t]

What's up tuners,

Car has been running great. I've been practicing some self control and have kept my boost to wastegate only/10 lbs. Its been running a little on the warm side but has not given me any issues as far as over heating. Ive been using a OBDII logger on my phone to monitor the temp. Its been showing 200-220, usually sticking to 217 at the most during highway cruising. I think I will end up switching to the mishi 3 core rad and 2gb bumper, along with a few other cooling mods.

Engine upgrades are put on hold until I upgrade my suspension setup. My shocks are just not holding up in the rear. I am looking to upgrade to some basic coilovers within the next couple of weeks. Nothing crazy, just something that rides smooth and won't break the bank.

Other than that not much to report. Having an issue adjusting my alternator tensioner, its maxed out but it still squeaks on cold starts. Not sure why I have run out of room to adjust the tensioner bolt. Took my silencer off the exhaust, seems to run better without it.