1981 Turbo Trans-Am Project

[FormTA]

Ryan told me about this code reader.

https://www.amazon.com/obdator-Bluetooth-Scanner-Automotive-Diagnostic/dp/B074DWH8JR/ref=asc_df_B074DWH8JR/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241896598945&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=718709886295761890&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9015111&hvtargid=pla-571956337377&psc=1

It was the best $13 I spent. It gives you live data and it works great! If yiu had this you would know what your air fuel ratio was and we could compare numbers. It also gives you MPH (if you ecm had the right axel code loaded) that is another way I check my speedometer box.

[TATurbo]

Thanks FormTA.  That Bluetooth scanner would probably be step up from the cheap parts store one I use now. 

I was just dropping in for a quick update because today was a good day in the garage, and with my recent rants I figured a 'feel good' post should be added as soon as progress warranted.  So, here it is...

I'm pretty certain I got the P0171 & P0174 'Bank 1 too lean', 'Bank 2 too lean' codes fixed!
The cause appears to have been a combination of that Gasket dressing crap making its way up to the injectors AND a faulty, inaccurate fuel pressure gauge.
  Luckily, the injectors I ruined were old...For budget reasons I didn't replace them when I went over the used LS1 to install it in the car.  I had figured I'd need to replace them sooner or later, so that helps relieve some of the sting of my mistakes of A) Using non-fuel resistant gasket dressing on the sending unit gasket
and
B) Running a cheap 40Mic fuel filter. 
Injectors get expensive really fast.  I ended up going with a set of remanufactured/reconditioned stock LS1 injectors from 'Fuel Inejector Connection'.  There were a couple reasons I went this route, not the least of which was cost.  These were $299 for a set of 8.  We'll see how they hold up, but my initial impression is very good.  They were packaged nicely and they look and feel like a quality injector.  Especially next to a cheap 'knock-off', Made in China 'Bosch style' injector I checked out (and immediately returned at first sight) from PartsGeek.
The LTFT's are now better then I've ever seen them in this car. And, the car feels more responsive and peppy (At least it did tonight...I'm pretty sure these old cars have moods.) 

The other contributing factor was the fuel pressure gauge I had installed on the fuel rail...
 Similar to the super cheap fuel injector example above, for the "You get what you pay for" file:
 I had installed a cheap 'JEGS' brand fuel pressure gauge on the fuel rail during a previous fuel system troubleshooting go-round immediately during the initial engine shakedown. The JEGS gauge was showing 60+ PSI while running.  As noted in my prior post, after taking everything apart I realized this gauge never zero's out.  After taking it off the fuel rail it still indicated around 12 PSI.   My new Marshall fuel pressure gauge showed 40PSI when we initially fired the car up with its new injectors installed. 

IMG_5858 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

I could hear the idle clean up as I adjusted the pressure up to 60PSI on the new gauge.  And, as noted above, the car was running great today.

OK.  So that's the good news.  But, I have a new issue that has cropped up. 
For some reason the serpentine belt keeps popping forward one rib on the AC Compressor.
If you remember, the first indication of something funky was a noise from that area a week or two back.  That 'smacking' sound shown in the video link above just went away as quickly as it showed up.   When I fired up the car yesterday the belt (A brand new one I installed during this winter work) was 'off' by one rib.   It would immediately jump forward after resetting it. 
Today I installed new shorter belt (I had known the tensioner was running near its max range limit), and that seemed to help a bit.  It didn't jump off imediately, and checked out a couple times during a 3 hour drive.  But, alas when I checked it after the drive, it was out of place again. 
All the pulley's around there seem OK, no unusual movement or feeling in spinning them.  And they appear to be aligned.
The only thing on the front of the engine we changed this winter was the PS Pump.  That's the only pulley that has any real adjustment available to it (I could pull it further out on the shaft I guess). But, that's two pulley's removed from the AC compressor?
Whatever...I'll play with it.  We had a nice long drive tonight.  So, I'm feeling much better now.  I still have a couple things on my winter punch list to knock off.  The progress today has recharged my battery so to speak. I'll let you know what I find with the belt alignment.

Thanks again for checking in.

-Tom
 

[TATurbo]

Oh!  I almost forgot!
You guys didn't get to see's a pic of my spiffy new fuel filter:

IMG_5859 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

The filter above is a FuelLab, 10 Micron filter.  I thought a 10Micron filter was the minimum filter you'd want to use with the LS1 fuel injectors. But, now that I've looked a little closer, It looks like the 'Corvette Filter/Regulator' setup normally used in an LS Swap is 5 Microns.  Crap...Now I need to consider buying another filter. These things aren't cheap!     

Speaking of cheap...
I wanted to show you guys the cheap fuel injectors I decided to return for the remanufactured ones.  These were $22.00 ea. @ PartsGeek compared to > $70.00+ for new ACDelco 12456154's elsewhere. 
The lack of English on the box (except for the giant 'Made in China' sticker) was the first thing that made me raise an eyebrow.  But...I think this is German...Germans know engineering and manufacturing...

IMG_5876 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

So I had a closer look. I immediately noticed that these felt lighter, less weighty than the ones I took out.  Aside from how they 'felt', the plastic housing had rough edges compared to the ACDelco part. Here you can see the unfinished edges around where the plug goes:
IMG_5871 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

And, the finish of the bottom plate looks 'rougher'...Less precise in how it was put together:
IMG_5872 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

And I'm not sure what this white ring around the top inlet is...But look at the cheap one on the left compared to the used ACDelco part on the right:
IMG_5873 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

These might perform fine, but I thought a quality refurbished set might be more reliable. The ones from InjectionConnection come with a 3yr. warranty and (@ around $40.00 ea.) they split the difference in price between the apparent Knock-off's shown above and brand new name-brand injectors.  We'll see how they work out. 
For the record: Another consideration for trying to keep the injector cost down is that I know I'll be upgrading them to larger injectors after a couple of seasons (As part of my Turbo-izing plans).  I couldn't make that investment now because of budget reasons and because the larger injectors would require some tuning I think.

Anyway...On to my current issue...The Accessory belt problem:
The belt keeps moving forward over the edge of the AC compressor pulley like this:
IMG_5865 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

I didn't change anything over there on the AC Compressor bracket this winter.  And, this wasn't a problem last season.  Initially, after I noticed it the belt would jump over immediately after being put back in place.   I knew the tensioner was always running near the minimum of it's travel.  So, I installed a new belt....No changed.   Then, I thought a smaller belt, getting the tensioner more in it's intended range might help.   That seemed to help.  But, eventually it ends up back over the edge.

I didn't notice any unusual play or 'action' in the AC Compressor pulley, the tensioner pulley, or the idler there.  And, the seemed to be aligned OK.  But, after seeing these pics I double-checked with straight edge and the tensioner is definitly forward farther than I think it should be....
IMG_5867 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

IMG_5862 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

So, although I still have a couple little items from my Winter list my next task will be digging into that tensioner to see what's going on there.   

I'm sure that pretty soon everything will be ironed out and I'll have another great season of cruising and trusting my ride to go anywhere the road suggests...It's all 'part of the experience' as my brother would say.

Thanks for checking in guys.

Take care.

-Tom

[Y88 TA]

Maybe try adding a flat washer or two behind the tension pulley to shim it out towards the rad a bit.

[ryeguy2006a]

That tensioner is definitely the issue. It looks like it's bent out of shape somehow? Maybe it's worn out internally or something because it appears to be bent in a way that is pulling the belt off of the AC unit.

[roadking77]

Without seeing it in person I tend to agree with Ryan.

[sensei451]

Awesome update Tom, hope the new injectors work!

I should know this from reading your posts, but remind me why arent you using the vette filter/reg setup?

[rvanbel78]

If you are interested I have interior parts that would match your interior. I have the center console, kick panels, door panels, window sails, seat belts. I will have more in a couple weeks once I finish my interior.

Let me know.

[TATurbo]

Thanks for the input guys.  I appreciate it.    It's a little strange that I didn't see the misalignment while eyeballing things directly.  When it's seems so obviously out of whack in the pics.
This AC mount bracket is a Qwik Performance part from Vintage air.  The compressor, idler, and tensioner are all mounted on the bracket together.  The way it's put together there's not much room for trying to shim or adjust things.  I'm going to TN this week, so I won't get to mess with it again until next week.   Because the part is relatively cheap I decided to order a new one now so it'll be here when we get back.   I'll throw it on and we'll see what happens.
 
RVANBEL - Thanks for the offer.  The only thing I really need to tidy up my interior is the two big rear seat wheel-well/arm rest pieces.  Even after refurbishing mine are still a little rough.  if your's are in good shape, and you are getting rid of them, PM me. 

Sensei,
That's a good question about why I'm not using the Corvette Fuel pressure regulator/filter setup.  Initially I did have one installed.
 I forget the exact sequence of events, but right when we got the motor fired up I had a couple issues that appeared to be related to fuel pressure.  I think the first issue was that my first Walbro pump was spewing fuel out of its pressure relief valve. I probably wouldn't have known about it if that relief valve hole hadn't just happened to have been perfectly aligned with the vent hole in the sending unit top.  When the pump ran it was making a weird noise and shooting fuel out of the vent line!  It was weird...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvfpKq4QygI&t=16s

The second issue was with P0171/P0174 codes.
I tried a couple of different brands of the 'Vette filter/regulator, but couldn't get a consistent fuel pressure reading at the rail.  The gauge up there would vary from like 50 with one regulator/filter to 80 with another.  As part of that troubleshooting, I decided to install an adjustable fuel pressure regulator and separate filter.  Knowing what I know now, some of those weird readings could've been me using a crappy fuel pressure gauge to measure things.

Thanks for checking in guys.  I'll post up next week after I get the tensioner replaced.

Take care.
-Tom
 

[TATurbo]

Alright...Back from my road-trip (Which, BTW was supposed to be in the TA). 

Julie and I got into the Accessory belt issue and, Well...I'm reminded once again that I'm an amateur at this stuff...
We pulled the pulley off the tensioner and it was immediately apparent it was failing.
It looked like the bearing surface was discolored, which I think indicates overheating...

IMG_6029 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

IMG_6030 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

And look at the front edge of the tensioner itself where the pulley rides...it's all torn up...
IMG_6031 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

Curious.  How/why would it start failing like that?
We found out quickly when we went to remove the tensioner from the AC bracket.  The top bolt attaching the tensioner to the bracket was loose.  Ugh!   I thought I checked all of these when I first heard that smacking sound. Apparently, I missed the bolt that hides behind the pully.
Another self-inflicted wound and another lesson learned this winter.
At least it should be an easy fix.
I'd love to end this post describing how we fired the car up, tested everything out and verified it's fixed, BUT...

Upon entering the garage tonight after a week away, I noticed I had left one of the doors open last week.
 I suppose that's another lesson someone else might learn from my long winter.   Leaving the interior lights of a 1981
Turbo Trans-Am on for > 7 days will definitely kill your battery.  Now, I can't say this applies to -all- late second gen
F-Bodies but it might.   

Thanks for checking in guys. 

Take care.

-Tom
 

[ryeguy2006a]

Glad you figured it out Tom. Looks like it will be a very easy fix. 

[TATurbo]

OMG! 
I Went out this evening to put a couple miles on the car.  Fired it up and it immediately ejected the accessory belt on to the garage floor!
WFT is going on!?!  This is getting frediculous!

Long story short...I happen to have a second, new tensioner on hand.  The first new tensioner I installed is apparently defective.  It doesn't have as much travel as the second new tensioner? 
The second new tensioner seems to be holding up...for now.

I'm sure that'll be the last issue for a while.  LOL.

-Tom

[ryeguy2006a]

How'd you make out with the tensioner issue Tom?

[TATurbo]

Thanks for asking Rye...
The accessory belt issue is fixed.   The second new tensioner corrected the problem.  I'm about %80 sure the cause was one of the tensioner mounting bolts came loose at some point.  Running the tensioner that way caused abnormal wear on the bearing and tensioner itself. 
I should mention one other thing...What's up with Gates products?  I had trouble last year with a squeaky belt.  Replaced the Gates belt that was installed w/another brand and it went away.  Then, the Gates replacement tensioner was defective.  Finally, after fixing the tensioner we installed a new belt.  With Gates again...This belt was also noisy. It didn't squeak this time, it sounded more like a repeating 'wooshing' sound.  I put the old belt back on and it went away.   My brother had issues with the accessories on the 383 in his C3 'Vette.  Slipping and squeaking Gates belts.  Replaced with a different brand and the noise went away.
Needless to say I'll be staying way from Gates stuff as much as possible.

I've put several hundred miles on the car since the accessory belt fix and the car's been fine.  (Knock on wood).
After the past winter, it's sort of strange to not have anything important to fix, or some problem to solve.

There are just a few little things that need attention now.  One that has me concerned is an issue with the front fender decals.   They appear to be delaminating?  Whaver the white discoloration in the pic below is...It does not wash off...

IMG_6103 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

I sent a message to Phoenix Graphics last week but haven't received a response yet.

And...This nuisance with the hood tach:
IMG_6057 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

The gauges we used in the hood scoop were inexpensive Intelletronix units. The good news is they have a lifetime warranty.  The bad news is I have to pull the cluster apart.

The car's 'good' now.  However, I still think I need a tune to dial it in better and mess with the Transmission settings(I think).  I had an appointment to get it checked it out later this month.  But, I had to cancel that for budgetary reasons.

Ya know..I just realized...with my old build thread gone there's not much in the way of recent pics of the car here anymore.  I'll rectify that next time.

Thanks for checking in.

Take care.
-Tom

[ryeguy2006a]

Glad you got the fueling and accessory issues all figured out Tom.

[roadking77]

Good deal Tom.  Theres a show GMC/Pontiac show in Mcungie this weekend. I will be hitting something local, but would be a good drive for you.

[TATurbo]

I'm glad too! My first off season with an actual hobby car was frustrating.
Thanks for the heads up Kerry.  Macungie would be nice drive from here, but I have plans...We registered for a show at the Pennhurst Asylum on that day (Sunday 6-6).  I've never been to Pennhurst...But a car show at an abandoned, haunted asylum sounded interesting when I happened across it online a while back.  Plus, it had a cool name "Pennhurst Fuel and Fire Auto Show" (It it's a fund raiser for a fire department).  Anyway, I registered for it a couple months ago.  I did make a note of it for next season. It says it's the 42nd annual, so it must be decent.
Saturday, I'm going to drive over to Lakehurst NJ for Tune Time Performance's yearly 'Customer appreciation' show.  Tune Time was the shop that figured out and corrected (via tuning) the P0171/P0174 codes I had to get corrected for the drive down to TN for body and paint. 

Wow...That was way back in April 2019!  This'll be the first time they've seen it since:

IMG_4015 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

I've been taking cars to these guys for like 12 years now. I know because my Turbo'd '04 Grand-Prix was the first car I took there when it busted a valve spring 30 days after the 5 year drive-train warranty expired.  So I'm certain it was fall 2009.
 That Turbo'd 6 pulled like a train after they were done with it. Man, I loved that car!

I'm pretty sure this car came up in my original thread somewhere. So, I think it qualifies to be shared here in this re-thread...Right?
  It was an awesome family car back in its day.  It once ran 108 MPH in the 1/4.  But the quickest ET I could ever manage was 13.2x.  This would've been a legit 12 second car on drag radials!






100_1832 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

I miss the sound of the Turbo too.
SWOOOSSSHH!!!
100_2716 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr
 Is there anyone here who doesn't like Turbo noises like these?

https://youtu.be/jqQXKKPS4yw

https://youtu.be/eKrelRwPTgA

I really hope I get to complete phase 2 of my build, and get a Turbo installed on the TA.

Sorry, this is getting long.  But, I did promise a couple recent pics and I wouldn't want to disappoint 

This is from a '1st Annual Team Jennifer Cahill' Charity 'Ride & Show' in Reinholds PA 5/15/21:

IMG_6065 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

I hope this show grows. It was at a nice location and for a good cause.  A little more practice organizing things and it'll be a nice low-key early season show.

This one below is from somewhere in the Jersey Pine Barrens.   Apparently a little too close to Joint Base McGuire-Dix:
IMG_6174 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

Between just us here...on the internet...We kept on that road a little further until it turned to gravel. Shhh.

That's it I guess.  Oh...
I'll have to remember to post up when I hear back from Pheonix Graphics.  If the hood bird starts pulling up like those fender decals that'll suck.  I hope Pheonix makes good on things and stands by their product going forward.

Thanks for checking in. Hope everyone enjoys the nice weather this weekend.

-Tom

[TATurbo]

Hey TAC..Long time no see.  It's been a busy summer.  And there hasn't been too much going on project-wise.   But, I have been having some trouble the last couple of weeks that I'm trying to figure out. First...the good news!

  While this season hasn't been hassle free, we did get to a few shows.  The show at Pennhurst Asylum I mentioned earlier ended up being an interesting one.  It was hot as hell, but we ended up with a spot in the shade, the venue was quite interesting...and there were lots of interesting cars.
Here's a couple pics from the Pennhurst Asylum Fuel and Fire show.
IMG_6274 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

IMG_6273 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

IMG_6331 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr q

We got several drives in too...Here's a couple of pics from Valley Forge Park, Penn's landing, and some cemetery somewhere...

IMG_6495 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

IMG_6502 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

IMG_6377 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

IMG_6477 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

Speaking of Drives...Julie and I finished a truly epic and amazing road trip from Atlantic City NJ, to Ventura Beach CA via Rt. 66 and Las Vegas.   For that road trip we took the Challenger, which I think was the right tool for the job.  Here's a pic from the morning we left AC.   

IMG_6530 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

If you've haven't driven across this country yet, you should.  It was sooo cool.  Best vacation of all my years. I'm going to post some pics of that trip maybe in the Lobby.   As a PSA.

Anyway...back to my 'project' thread...

While the car's been 'OK', it's not running great right now.  The past couple of weeks it's been intermittently having trouble holding an Idle...Hot or cold...And it 'surges' once in a while.  Again, very intermittently.  No codes.  But the behavior made me recall the cheap MAF I had installed early on in the engine install. Unplugging the MAF as a test showed that the car ran better with No MAF.  I replaced the cheap sensor with a Delphi MAF.  It's still screwing up . 
I Checked voltage at the MAF.  It's about 1v less than whatever's at the battery. 

Watching the voltage really closely I noticed my voltage gauge acting unusual intermittently too...
In one instance, I turned on the key, pausing a second to listen to the fuel pump(FP) before cranking. I noticed after the FP finished priming, the voltage gauge showed lower than usual...Just under 11v. Car wouldn't crank...Just click, click, click.  Turned the key off, then immediately back on, and the voltage looked back to normal 12v, and the car fired right up. 
Later, I let the car idle in the driveway a little...The Idle problem was already occurring while sitting there. It was idling very low and almost stalling after throttle blips or even just coming down to idle from 1500-2000 RPM.  Volt gauge appeared normal around 14v.  But, then started reading lower, closer to 13 and the needle was moving erratically...not in large swings...Just twitchy, when the needle is normally very stable.
Keep in mind, this occurs intermittently.  I could turn the car off, and back on and everything goes back to normal.
I chased the main power wires under the hood today. I found some corrosion at the main power junction block.  Cleaned it up but it didn't help.
I figure next I'll have a close look at the main batt cables...Check for resistance, voltage drop any unusual abrasions.

That's it for now. Thanks for checking in!   Keep an eye on the lobby for my Rt. 66 Road trip pics!

Take care guys!

-Tom 

[roadking77]

Sorry to hear of the troubles.  I look forward to talking to you about your road trip. That is something I have wanted to do for a couple of years now.

[TATurbo]

No problem Roadking...I'm happy to talk about it with anyone who'll listen. I'll definitely write something up in the lobby about our Rt. 66 trip.  I'd like to encourage people to make the drive.  Aside from it being amazingly beautiful, interesting, and fun, it was sort of sad to see some of the towns along the way that have withered because of the interstate.   The places that are being preserved should be supported.

Back to my 'Project'...

I'm sort of at a loss as to why it's behaving the way I described earlier.  But my current theory is some sort of electrical issue.  I cleaned up this mess in the main junction block where the + Batt cable terminates and splits to the starter and PCM and where the charge wire from the Alt connects....

IMG_7626 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

Since then it's a little better.  It idled low when I first fired it back up, but has been better since.   However, I still see the voltage dropping once in a while.   Normally the stock volt gauge shows 14v when the car's running.  Occassionally, it drops to 13 and the needle gets unstable.  I also have the occasional situation where the starter wont crank.  I think I've noticed that the gauge shows 11V when that occurs.  Turn it off and back on and it shows 12v and cranks fine.
 I unplugged the Alternator as a test..when it's not charging and the car's running the gauge shows 12v.  So,the 13v reading doesn't appear to be an indication that the alternator is cutting out. 
I inspected both batt cables front to back, and checked for resistance over the full length.  They both checked out fine with 0 ohms resistance and no evidence of chafing or anything. And the neg connection at the Engine Block is good.
I checked all the ground straps...Engine to Firewall, Engine to front sub-frame, sub-frame to body, Rad support to sub-frame.  They all check out OK.

I think I'm going to install a better quality battery to see if that has any effect on things.

Oh...One other update...
I'm running 275-50 r17 tires on the back of this thing.   I'm happy with the look, but they would rub once in a while on significant dips in the road.  Especially if I have stuff in the trunk.
Anyway, I decided to install a set of these in an effort to fix that...

IMG_7635 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

The intent was to bump up the ride height a bit to prevent the rubbing.  What I found was that, even with the ride hight essentially exactly the same as it was before, there's no more rubbing.  I guess the air shocks don't allow it to drop as much when we hit a dip in the road.  As a bonus, I like the feel of the air shocks better than the stock AC/Delco replacement shocks that I had been running. 

I'll let you know how I make out with the idle issue. 

 

[ryeguy2006a]

Glad you are getting in there to investigate. Sounds like those battery cables are good, but I would think about something different for that junction box. I'm not a big fan of those screw type boxes. From my experience then tend to corrode fairly easy and can cause many issues. I'd suggest removing that junction box and get a set of quality terminals and a crimper to get a solid connection. Bussmann makes some junctions with MegaFuse's that do a really nice job. I have one on my car, that I take directly from the battery and most of my accessories are fed off of that.

[sensei451]

Been waiting for a TATurbo update! I am running something similar where the junction box is essentially unprotected / unsealed. While I dont have any voltage issues yet, I may update to a better solution if you find it.

Car looks great in PA summer.

[TATurbo]

Hey Guys,
 Hope everyone's doing well.   I had been waiting to post until I had something interesting to report on my 'Project'.   But honestly, it's been an uninteresting project-wise.  I was wanting to post pics of the current stance with the new air shocks.  But I didn't have any good dead side pics to share.  I'll post up some info on suspension tweaks when I get some good side shots. I CAN however provide an update regarding the solution to my intermittent low idle and surging problem.

But first...While I have your attention...
You have to sit through my slide show.  I think I can justify these in my 'Project' thread 'cause technically all of these were taken while A) Testing my new air shocks and B) testing solutions to my low idle & surging problems. 

(I wont be offended if  you scroll down directly to the low idle/surging solution section.  It's riveting!)

We've put a bunch of miles on the car over the past few weeks.
From upper Bucks County PA: PA 32 and Rt. 611 from lower Bucks County up to the Delaware Water Gap is a nice drive if you're in the area immediately North of Philly.
IMG_1915 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

Then...right on the other side of the river is Rt. 29 in NJ with similar views of the Delaware River.
But the most interesting drives we've found were the county roads in central S. Jersey. So, like South of Trenton NJ, and halfway between the Delaware River and the shore. There are all sorts of old farms and forests to explore in that part of the state.  Rt. 541 runs through a bunch of old small towns headed S. from Burlington...It's a really nice drive.  I've lived in this part of th world all my life, I had no idea NJ was so cute in the middle...

IMG_7609 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

IMG_7610 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

Speaking of small towns, I've decided my favorite Car show venues are the ones held on 'Main St.'.
For example...Ambler PA has an annual Car show on its main drag, Butler Ave.
IMG_7677 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

IMG_7694 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

And the two Pottstown 'cruise night' events I've attended this summer had some very high quality cars
IMG_7604 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

IMG_7735 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

IMG_7704 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

IMG_7707 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

I really like the atmosphere and being able to explore the businesses while checking out the cars.

Anyway...On to some more appropriate 'Project Thread' subject matter...

All those trips and shows were necessary for us to test the fix for the low idle and surging issue mentioned in my prior post...
A swap of MAF's didn't help the condition.  Close observation suggested there might be something funky going on electrically...I was seeing voltage readings that were different (a little low) when the problem occurred compared to when the car was running OK.   All the main and charge related wiring checked out OK.  Cleaning some unusual corrosion on the main power junction block helped a little.  But the problem persisted. 
So...What was the ultimate solution???

BAM!!!
IMG_7751[1] by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

That's right!  A new battery seems to have corrected the problem.  It appears as though the battery was maybe causing a voltage consistency problem? I guess?
I had been running a Champion AGM battery.  I purchased that brand because it was the only AGM battery with the right dimensions to fit where I needed it back when we first got the LS1 installed.  Given that I had to replace the Champion battery once before, and that it appears to be the cause of my recent driveability problem, I give Champion batteries 1 Star.  Spend the money for an Optima or similar quality battery from a company that is known for making batteries.  I suppose that's the lesson.

Not a very exciting ending.  But it's what I got...Thanks for checking in!

Take care everyone!

 

[roadking77]

Looks like some fun cruising Tom.  We need to set up a time and do Lancaster Co.
Glad you got your problem fixed with the battery. A few years ago I started having electrical problems with my pickup. Just small oddball stuff all electric related, but the truck always started fine. Then one day the battery was dead. Replaced it with new and all of the gremlins were gone!

[TATurbo]

Hello again TAC.  It's been a little while, but I guess that's good...Since installing the Optima battery the car's been running really good.  So, although we put a -lot- of miles on the TA this summer, there's been nothing much to talk about.   

I did have one issue come up...
While out on a sunset cruise one evening we started hearing a clunking noise from the rear of the car.  Having learned a lesson during the off-season (when something goes wrong, it's probably related to the last thing I messed with) I immediately checked my new Hi-Jacker shocks.   What I found was this...

IMG_8185 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

One of the shock bolts had backed out about halfway (I took this pic after removing it). I guess  that put a weird load on the other bolt, which snapped.  Although I couldn't get a grip on the remaining piece to back it out, I had seen a trick where people welded a nut onto the broken bolt.  Then, just put a wrench on the nut to back out the broken bolt.  Except...I don't have a welder (nor any welding skills).  The closest I could come up with was...

IMG_8183 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

Good 'ol JB Weld.  In the pic above you can see how I filled up the middle of the nut with JB Weld.  I then taped it up over the broken bolt...

IMG_8187 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

And let it set up overnight.  That worked!  The next day I was able to put a wrench on the nut and the broken bolt backed out easily.  Phew!

Speaking of those Hi-Jackers...
I mentioned earlier I'd share pics of the current stance with the Hi-Jackers installed.  So, here you go:

IMG_7840 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

IMG_7842 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

The rear isn't up much higher than it was originally, but the Hi-Jackers solved the rear tire rub.  They seem control the body motion better then the ACDelco 'stock' replacements I had on there before.  Additionally, I like the feel of these better than either the Doeschtech or ACDelco's.  So, these were a win/win.

That said, the whole ride height is taller than I'd like.   This winter I hope to get a set of coil-overs for the front.  That should let me bring the whole thing down a tad while retaining the slight rake I prefer.

I mentioned we put a lot of miles on it this season...Well, earlier today we turned over 200,000 miles on the Odometer! 
IMG_3553 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

I still remember when I turned over 100K on this car. I was driving on Rt. 130 in South Jersey headed back to King of Prussia from my girlfriend's (now wife's) house in Willingboro.  That was probably around 1992.

In celebration of the 200K milestone here are a few more pics from road-trips this season...

Cruisin' Pottstown PA...I love seeing it draw a crowd...
IMG_E8059 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

Valley Forge National Park...
IMG_8081 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

And South Street in Philadelphia...
IMG_8409 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

Those spots are all our usual haunts.   But, we ventured further out this season...

Ventnor NJ:
IMG_7455 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

Kistler Ledge, Mt. Pocono...The highest point in PA's Pocono Mountains...
IMG_8140 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

NY 97 near Port Jervis (Upper Delaware River Scenic by-way)...
IMG_8173 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

IMG_8179 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

Finally, our longest trip this season was a weekend in Salem MA!   That trip included a drive up towards White Mountain in New Hampshire, where this pic was taken...

IMG_E8016 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

And a dinner in Boston...

IMG_8029 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

Winter is almost here now.  In addition to the plans to install coil-overs up front, I have a relatively long list of little things that need to be cleaned up or touched up this off-season.  I'm still working on that list.  I guess my next post will be to document that stuff and to share anything I learn in that process.

Thanks for checking in guys!

Take care.

-Tom
 

[ryeguy2006a]

Nice trick with the JB weld Tom!!

Wished we could have made that cruise happen... Next year we will plan something for sure. Maybe cruise to Carlisle for one of the shows?

[Jack]

Very nice Tom, thats a long trip but a fun one. I like the pics with the backgrounds, thanks for posting.

[roadking77]

Great pics, and sure looks like you had a lot of fun with that car.

[5th T/A]

Tom,

Fantastic photos, I would print and frame several of them or submit for a Muscle car calendar. Unbelievable 200,000 miles, obviously you really enjoy driving it. Car looks brand new and certainly didn’t look this good when it rolled of the assembly line.

[roadking77]

For those out of the area I will attest to Toms fortitude. I live pretty close to him and these 'little' trips he is talking about are no jaunts across town to the coffee shop! He puts quite a bit of distant into them!! I have to say I am quite envious. 

[mereness]

Some great photos Tom.  Catching up with your thread gives me some incentive to dig back into my swap, maybe even restart my thread.  My build is now 3 years deep.  This past year has been kind of non-existant.

Some of those photos are definitely worthy of placing in frames.

[roadking77]

Tom, advance apologies for the hijack,
Kevin, good to hear from you. I have been wondering how you have been doing. Please repost your project we are all still interested.

[FormTA]

Hey Tom! I just received my HI-Jacker shocks. I am trying to control the jounce over bumps in the rear of my car and I was thinking about trying these and then saw you are now using them. I had KYB shocks and then some stock replacement and now these. Just curious as I know cars and suspensions are different but what PSI do seem to like?

[TATurbo]

Hey FormTA,
 I think you'll like the Hi-Jackers, but I'm really curious to hear what you think. It sounds like you are on a similar path I've been on trying to get the ride dialed in...Good luck.
If I remember correctly, I'm running like 27#'s of pressure in mine.   The more pressure you put in, the higher it'll ride.  So ride height is the main determining factor of the pressure you'll run.  After installing mine I pumped them up a little too high, then let some air out until it got to the height I thought looked good.  Then, I checked the pressure to make sure it was within the required range.  I think the instructions said 25#'s minimum. 
Please let us know how they work out for you.

Oh..one other thing...
 I have a set of Doetsch Tech 3-way adjustable shocks off the rear of my car just sitting on a shelf.  If you don't like the High-Jackers, maybe you can try these Doetsch Tech's on?  They are supposed to be good.  I didn't like them, but I'm 100% certain I did not have them set appropriately.  After I pulled them out I found the instructions on how to properly select the desired ride setting.  So, if you take them,  you'll be able to properly set them up...They probably work better that way.   I'm not looking to make any money on them, so the Doetsch Tech's could be a cheap 'next try' if the High-Jackers don't work out.  You can have 'em for a 'late Sunday..."I don't want to pack them back up to take home"' swap meet type price.

Good luck!
 

[TATurbo]

Hey everyone,
 
Winter's just about over...Thank goodness!  We had one 70 Deg. day here in Philly last week that allowed us to get the TA out to stretch its legs for a couple hours. With Spring coming next week I guess it's time for an update on the winter punch list I put together way back at the end of November.

Let's start with a couple before and after pics that will set the general feel for how the winter went...

Before:
IMG_8555 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

And After:
IMG_8558 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

BAM!  That, my friends, is a BILLET Aluminum tilt wheel lever.  Sweet right? <End Sarcasm>
   I have the matching turn signal switch but haven't installed it yet 'cause I'm still waiting for the new steering wheel I ordered in July 2021.  I don't want to have to pull the wheel off twice.

That's about how my winter's gone with regards to improvements and fixes to the TA....Nothing interesting. 

One of the things I actually -needed- to do was to correct this condition on the driver-side tie-rod end...
 
IMG_8610 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

When I got the alignment done way back when I first started driving the car the guy told me he couldn't get the alignment 'right' because the outer tie rod was too long.  It ran out of adjustment.   This winter I bought a set of quality Moog tie rod ends to replace those sort of cheap ones that came with the PST 'Front-End Kit' circa 2017.   The Moog part is the same exact size...still would've bottomed out.   Ultimately, I ended up cutting a 1/2" off the original PST tie rod end and re-installing it. Now there is room for some additional adjustment:

IMG_8622 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

Now of course, I need to take it to an alignment shop to get it reset. 

I also fixed the tach in the hood cluster.   The bar at the top of the 10's digit on the tach had stopped working leaving that position reading a 'U' instaed of '0'. 
IMG_6057 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

Not a big deal, but it got annoying enough that I finally gave in to disassemble the cluster...
IMG_8571 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

And installed a new Intellitronix 2 1/8" LED Tach:
1-IMG_3848 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

Let's see...Oh...I also installed this sweet new Hazard switch
IMG_8591 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

Umm...And, I cleaned the air filter:
IMG_8577 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

And removed the TA fender decals and sent 'em back to Pheonix Graphics.  They were showing some funky discoloration or something...
IMG_8599 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

Pheonix is sending replacements...Waiting on those too.

The one big thing I had planned for this winter was installing coil over's on the front end.  That hasn't happened. Budgetary constraints. 

So, you can see why I haven't updated my project thread at all this winter.  I haven't done anything interesting. 
The good news is that with me touching less stuff this winter I haven't run into the problem where everything I try to fix introduces another worse problem...Like last winter.  I guess that's a win!

Lokar/Lecarra says my new steering wheel will be here this week.  I'll let you know how that looks and feels if it shows up.

Thanks for checking in guys.   Take care. .

-Tom   

[roadking77]

Looks like just enough work to make some improvements and not too much to be overwhelming.

[TATurbo]

 That is a much better way of thinking about it.  Thanks RoadKing!

[TATurbo]

My new steering wheel finally arrived! Only took 8 months.

This "Lecarra Trans Am Steering Wheel 14" Diameter" in burgandy leather was a birthday gift from Julie.  (Thanks Babe!)

I was concerned about the color matching the darker 'red' used on the dash and console on these cars.   But the color couldn't be any closer to the original:

IMG_8691 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

I was also a little concerned that the grip might be significantly thicker than the stock wheel.  For some reason I've always liked the feel of the stock wheel. The Lecarra wheel thickness is very close to the original rubberized foam (or whatever the 'formula' steering wheels were made of!).  The leather wheel feels much nicer to the touch.

IMG_8691 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr 

Here it is installed:
IMG_8693 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

I obviously can't speak to how well it will hold up, but as it stands right now....For around $200.00 the Lecarra wheel appears to be a nice upgrade to the stock formula style steering wheels. 

Looking forward to putting some miles on my new wheel!

Thanks for checking in guys!

-Tom 


 

[ryeguy2006a]

Nice upgrade Tom! Looks like a much higher quality version of the original.

[roadking77]

That wheel looks great! I am with you on the grip. I have been looking forward to seeing how this one turned out. The price is great also. I would think that would have been at least twice that amount. 8 months during the winter isnt too bad, waiting through the summer would have been a killer. I am now at 8 months on my dash bezel!