ThePanduuh '09 SS/TC Sedan Build Thread
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02-11-2018, 12:48 AM
#27
So looking back on this, I had way less research under my belt and I went a completely different route than anticipated. So I'll do a mega-update post.
2017
> Exhaust
Ended up getting a Turbo XS FL a while back and slapped it on right away. It sounds beautiful at idle and sounds even better once the boost kicks in.
> 2nd sedan
I bought a SECOND SS/TC Sedan in a "non running" condition and ended up flipping it. It needed all new cam gears and to be retimed as well as new OEM spark plugs, some sensors plugged in, and CEL removed. And it ran perfect before I sold it. I made out well enough and learned more about these VVT cars as I've only seen the non-VVT cam gears in the past.
imgur link: https://imgur.com/a/MiVCe
> I tried retros, hated them, they were annoying to deal with, so I sold them.
Ended up going with "OEM style" headlights and they were POS so I bought OEM ones for a lot of money.
> YYZ, FE5, KONI, Sphericals, and more
Got a solid deal on a set of FE5 struts with YYZ v.1 springs and Koni shocks, so I bought them for $400 and refreshed them with new paint before installing them. I also did new ebrake cables (the ones that connect to the caliper), new FE5 control arms with Powell Spherical bushings, new OEM trans fluid, new OEM sway bar bushings, and a better exhaust clamp.
> Powell v.3 Air Oil Separator/PCV Relocate
Alas! My first really significant mod! This kit was pretty interesting to install, and the cleaning the valves process was probably the most "in depth" thing I've done personally so it was a learning experience for sure! Super satisfied with this mod and it will pay for itself in the long run.
> GMS1 sensors and GMS1 Tune
Since I cleaned the valves and added the Powell kit, I figured it was time to get more power. So I put on the GMS1 sensors I got from ZZP on black friday 2016 and headed up to East Stroudsburg, PA to BYT Tuning to get GMS1 flashed for a fraction of the stealership price. I'm satisfied with it for now, as I don't want to push the motor till it blows.
> ZZP Catted downpipe and upgraded exhaust hangars
Did a downpipe. On a turbo car. Need I have an explanation? Catted for emissions (LOVE PA). Upgraded Torque Solutions exhaust hangars to reduce vibrations in the exhaust and prevent it from hitting some heat shields.
> New clutch
Ah, about that time. The stock 110k mile clutch finally **** the bed. Replaced it with an OEM flywheel which I found for $200, and a whole new OEM LNF clutch kit. All new everything. Also did new OEM axles and Timken hubs in the front while I was there. Definitely worth it as my axle was clicky.
> Paint Correction
Managed to borrow a dual action buffer for a weekend and 3 stage corrected the car. Compound, polish, blacklight (glaze), then Jet Seal to protect. Looked good. Then it got overspray and I had to reclay it and it got swirly again. Soft paint. So I've given up hope of it being "perfect" and willing to accept it'll be "good."
> Got all 4 wheels powdercoated
All 4 wheels freshly powdercoated a light silver to look factory fresh and free of curb rash.
2018
> Future plans
Ordered ZZP's LNF Intercooler kit on black friday, which with my $50 downpipe credit only cost me $569 shipped to my door, a steal! I got OTTP Stage 1 Mounts, front mount and rear spacer for $90 brand new. Since I'm taking my bumper off for the IC, I ordered some new fog lights with bulbs for $40. I have plans to replace my roll pin when I do the IC kit because mine has some slop and I'd rather fix it now before I'm stranded on the side of the road. And most recently, I ordered GM Performance Pedals and installed them. They're glorious. Oh and TPMS sensors because the light comes on sometimes and it's annoying. Powell Hardcore bar coming when I get the ***** to spend $300 on it.
Imgur link of all the previous stated mods, as well as the parts pile: https://imgur.com/a/MYveZ
2017
> Exhaust
Ended up getting a Turbo XS FL a while back and slapped it on right away. It sounds beautiful at idle and sounds even better once the boost kicks in.
> 2nd sedan
I bought a SECOND SS/TC Sedan in a "non running" condition and ended up flipping it. It needed all new cam gears and to be retimed as well as new OEM spark plugs, some sensors plugged in, and CEL removed. And it ran perfect before I sold it. I made out well enough and learned more about these VVT cars as I've only seen the non-VVT cam gears in the past.
imgur link: https://imgur.com/a/MiVCe
> I tried retros, hated them, they were annoying to deal with, so I sold them.
Ended up going with "OEM style" headlights and they were POS so I bought OEM ones for a lot of money.
> YYZ, FE5, KONI, Sphericals, and more
Got a solid deal on a set of FE5 struts with YYZ v.1 springs and Koni shocks, so I bought them for $400 and refreshed them with new paint before installing them. I also did new ebrake cables (the ones that connect to the caliper), new FE5 control arms with Powell Spherical bushings, new OEM trans fluid, new OEM sway bar bushings, and a better exhaust clamp.
> Powell v.3 Air Oil Separator/PCV Relocate
Alas! My first really significant mod! This kit was pretty interesting to install, and the cleaning the valves process was probably the most "in depth" thing I've done personally so it was a learning experience for sure! Super satisfied with this mod and it will pay for itself in the long run.
> GMS1 sensors and GMS1 Tune
Since I cleaned the valves and added the Powell kit, I figured it was time to get more power. So I put on the GMS1 sensors I got from ZZP on black friday 2016 and headed up to East Stroudsburg, PA to BYT Tuning to get GMS1 flashed for a fraction of the stealership price. I'm satisfied with it for now, as I don't want to push the motor till it blows.
> ZZP Catted downpipe and upgraded exhaust hangars
Did a downpipe. On a turbo car. Need I have an explanation? Catted for emissions (LOVE PA). Upgraded Torque Solutions exhaust hangars to reduce vibrations in the exhaust and prevent it from hitting some heat shields.
> New clutch
Ah, about that time. The stock 110k mile clutch finally **** the bed. Replaced it with an OEM flywheel which I found for $200, and a whole new OEM LNF clutch kit. All new everything. Also did new OEM axles and Timken hubs in the front while I was there. Definitely worth it as my axle was clicky.
> Paint Correction
Managed to borrow a dual action buffer for a weekend and 3 stage corrected the car. Compound, polish, blacklight (glaze), then Jet Seal to protect. Looked good. Then it got overspray and I had to reclay it and it got swirly again. Soft paint. So I've given up hope of it being "perfect" and willing to accept it'll be "good."
> Got all 4 wheels powdercoated
All 4 wheels freshly powdercoated a light silver to look factory fresh and free of curb rash.
2018
> Future plans
Ordered ZZP's LNF Intercooler kit on black friday, which with my $50 downpipe credit only cost me $569 shipped to my door, a steal! I got OTTP Stage 1 Mounts, front mount and rear spacer for $90 brand new. Since I'm taking my bumper off for the IC, I ordered some new fog lights with bulbs for $40. I have plans to replace my roll pin when I do the IC kit because mine has some slop and I'd rather fix it now before I'm stranded on the side of the road. And most recently, I ordered GM Performance Pedals and installed them. They're glorious. Oh and TPMS sensors because the light comes on sometimes and it's annoying. Powell Hardcore bar coming when I get the ***** to spend $300 on it.
Imgur link of all the previous stated mods, as well as the parts pile: https://imgur.com/a/MYveZ
02-11-2018, 08:32 PM
#29
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Join Date: 02-23-13
Location: IL
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nice work on getting back to life....
I also have a sedan g85 no sunroof and been buying parts so this spring i'll be busy..
here are coilovers i will be installing come march/april.
image img
I also have a sedan g85 no sunroof and been buying parts so this spring i'll be busy..
here are coilovers i will be installing come march/april.
image img
02-22-2018, 06:01 PM
#32
I recommend the zzp ic kit cause then you don't have to reuse your stock couplers. it's pricey, but cutting stock pipes sounds like a one way trip.
Why opels? E47/E85? If staying 93 you stock fueling system should be enough. and now there's LT1 fuel pump that can support E better than stock HPFP. Opels seem more and more useless unless you're running into big boost issues.
10-28-2018, 10:43 PM
#34
almost 3 years since purchase, update
Well, old motor finally let go, kinda.
Doing a pull, in a NLS mood, did it a couple times, then tried again and pop. Pull into the wawa, smoking a bunch, hmm.
Limped it to 06cobaltss/ss house, cyl 4 plug is oil and fuel, cyl 1-3 is white. sitting there, plugs out, pissing fuel in. Injector stuck open.
I got 3 codes, fuel pressure sensor, cyl 4 misfire, and something else.
Long story short, she got towed home.
Compression test showed good numbers (above 150) on all 4 cylinders. oil on plug and blow by to me meant something worse was wrong.
Ordered:
LDK crate from Jeff, turbo and all ready to drop in
flywheel & pressure plate bolts
timing chain bolt fix
break in oil
O2 housing gaskets
revised pcv hose for the valve cover to intake tube
some other misc less important stuff.
same week I ordered, the stuff shows up. new LDK is pretty.
Important to note about swapping over LDK to LNF car: O2 housing transfers over, even if new turbo, coolant banjo above left radiator hose needs to transfer over because the bleeder port is not on new LDK (the hose that connects to the tank).
that's all I can think of that was special. LDK needs the block off plate, we all knew that.
Swapped it in, I'll skip the process but it was not something I'd like to do again lol. O2 housing studs (downpipe side) were junk, needed to be retapped and used bolts this time instead of studs (thanks dad for doing this tedious procedure in the car).
First start was awesome. Sounds smoother than it ever has. Even for opels with no tune (working on it) still buttery smooth at idle.
I'm planning to keep it relatively conservative again. 20psi to prolong turbo and have fun with it as a daily. I pulled my old one off with 0 shaft play. Trey Burton has it now, sold it to him for a really good price.
Car is unfortunately not driving yet. I pulled an overthinking me like always and swapped out the bleeder block. Which took the clutch pipe seal with it. I got the old seal out with a pick and think I poked it too hard. New seal at the dealer hopefully fixes it. it's leaked out all of the fluid. I hope (really hope) I don't have to pull the trans and swap out the whole clutch pipe and slave. I did the clutch flywheel tob clutch pipe about 10k miles ago.
Tore down the old motor today to find some interesting things. 1) the whole motor was mint. No signs of wear anywhere. Pistons are fine, bearings are fine, ringlands were fine, cams showed some signs of wear but it had 126k miles... 2) the powell separator didn't do much if anything. Oil still ended up in the PCV galley, a puddle. The crankcase never had vacuum. Dipstick was pressurized, which meant that the oil wasn't draining into the dipstick. I found (my fault), the line from the turbo to the separator was loose. Not that loose, but loose enough to leak and possibly cause a problem. That said, I'm not recommending nor using the powell v3 kit anymore. IMO, it's a bit pricey for what it delivers. Keep in mind I was stock turbo stock head stock block if I got any more stock it would be stock charge pipes, intercooler, and intake tube. And when I installed the separator, all 3 of those were stock. 3) injector 4 was the only casualty. Stuck open, I blew through it.
I have attached an imgur album with pictures of the old motor, showing the crank and bearings, and showing the new goodies.
It's a daily, with intentions to autox MAYBE HDPE if I get the opportunity to do so with similar noob drivers.
Feel free to ask questions about whatever, I did the swap in about 15-17 hours total with help from 06cobaltss/ss and my dad.
Imgur album here: https://imgur.com/a/dTpmh2n
Full youtube video here:
Doing a pull, in a NLS mood, did it a couple times, then tried again and pop. Pull into the wawa, smoking a bunch, hmm.
Limped it to 06cobaltss/ss house, cyl 4 plug is oil and fuel, cyl 1-3 is white. sitting there, plugs out, pissing fuel in. Injector stuck open.
I got 3 codes, fuel pressure sensor, cyl 4 misfire, and something else.
Long story short, she got towed home.
Compression test showed good numbers (above 150) on all 4 cylinders. oil on plug and blow by to me meant something worse was wrong.
Ordered:
LDK crate from Jeff, turbo and all ready to drop in
flywheel & pressure plate bolts
timing chain bolt fix
break in oil
O2 housing gaskets
revised pcv hose for the valve cover to intake tube
some other misc less important stuff.
same week I ordered, the stuff shows up. new LDK is pretty.
Important to note about swapping over LDK to LNF car: O2 housing transfers over, even if new turbo, coolant banjo above left radiator hose needs to transfer over because the bleeder port is not on new LDK (the hose that connects to the tank).
that's all I can think of that was special. LDK needs the block off plate, we all knew that.
Swapped it in, I'll skip the process but it was not something I'd like to do again lol. O2 housing studs (downpipe side) were junk, needed to be retapped and used bolts this time instead of studs (thanks dad for doing this tedious procedure in the car).
First start was awesome. Sounds smoother than it ever has. Even for opels with no tune (working on it) still buttery smooth at idle.
I'm planning to keep it relatively conservative again. 20psi to prolong turbo and have fun with it as a daily. I pulled my old one off with 0 shaft play. Trey Burton has it now, sold it to him for a really good price.
Car is unfortunately not driving yet. I pulled an overthinking me like always and swapped out the bleeder block. Which took the clutch pipe seal with it. I got the old seal out with a pick and think I poked it too hard. New seal at the dealer hopefully fixes it. it's leaked out all of the fluid. I hope (really hope) I don't have to pull the trans and swap out the whole clutch pipe and slave. I did the clutch flywheel tob clutch pipe about 10k miles ago.
Tore down the old motor today to find some interesting things. 1) the whole motor was mint. No signs of wear anywhere. Pistons are fine, bearings are fine, ringlands were fine, cams showed some signs of wear but it had 126k miles... 2) the powell separator didn't do much if anything. Oil still ended up in the PCV galley, a puddle. The crankcase never had vacuum. Dipstick was pressurized, which meant that the oil wasn't draining into the dipstick. I found (my fault), the line from the turbo to the separator was loose. Not that loose, but loose enough to leak and possibly cause a problem. That said, I'm not recommending nor using the powell v3 kit anymore. IMO, it's a bit pricey for what it delivers. Keep in mind I was stock turbo stock head stock block if I got any more stock it would be stock charge pipes, intercooler, and intake tube. And when I installed the separator, all 3 of those were stock. 3) injector 4 was the only casualty. Stuck open, I blew through it.
I have attached an imgur album with pictures of the old motor, showing the crank and bearings, and showing the new goodies.
It's a daily, with intentions to autox MAYBE HDPE if I get the opportunity to do so with similar noob drivers.
Feel free to ask questions about whatever, I did the swap in about 15-17 hours total with help from 06cobaltss/ss and my dad.
Imgur album here: https://imgur.com/a/dTpmh2n
Full youtube video here:
Last edited by ThePanduuh; 10-28-2018 at 10:49 PM.
10-28-2018, 11:06 PM
#35
You my fwiends are probably the first one I hear say that Powell's system doesn't work. I've asked plenty of people to see if they can check to see how it's doing on keeping everything clean and no one seems to say lol so with you and someone else that's makes 2 that the system Powell makes isn't really working as advertised and price is really expensive
10-28-2018, 11:11 PM
#36
You my fwiends are probably the first one I hear say that Powell's system doesn't work. I've asked plenty of people to see if they can check to see how it's doing on keeping everything clean and no one seems to say lol so with you and someone else that's makes 2 that the system Powell makes isn't really working as advertised and price is really expensive
10-29-2018, 07:09 PM
#39
might be another one with trans job if the damn clutch pipe seal doesn't fix my problem. I was super overkill and overthink and tried to bench bleed my TOB after it's been used, I've always thought it was weird and different than what I was used to. that's why I swapped out the bleeder block too. Well it's ******* me this time. Hope I don't have to pull the whole trans just to do the clutch pipe and TOB...
10-30-2018, 12:34 AM
#40
New Member
might be another one with trans job if the damn clutch pipe seal doesn't fix my problem. I was super overkill and overthink and tried to bench bleed my TOB after it's been used, I've always thought it was weird and different than what I was used to. that's why I swapped out the bleeder block too. Well it's ******* me this time. Hope I don't have to pull the whole trans just to do the clutch pipe and TOB...
10-30-2018, 08:48 AM
#41
Did your v3 have a check valve installed? I drove 10,000 on mine after installing it at 30,000 miles and it was much cleaner than what I saw at 30,000 miles. But when I installed it I also changed the pcv valve. At 30,000 miles I had oil everywhere and the valves had tons of buildup.
10-30-2018, 06:51 PM
#43
Did your v3 have a check valve installed? I drove 10,000 on mine after installing it at 30,000 miles and it was much cleaner than what I saw at 30,000 miles. But when I installed it I also changed the pcv valve. At 30,000 miles I had oil everywhere and the valves had tons of buildup.
10-31-2018, 09:58 PM
#44
Quick question for those subscribed, I changed the clutch pipe seal (one that connects bleeder block to clutch pipe) and filled the brake fluid reservoir WAY past max (about 1/2" from the top) and fluid was still leaking, so TOB...
But then I went out tonight, still leaking, but not lowering the fluid level? I think there might just be a puddle in the bellhousing? Anyway, ordered a TOB and clutch pipe and I plan on swapping it out this weekend.
But then I went out tonight, still leaking, but not lowering the fluid level? I think there might just be a puddle in the bellhousing? Anyway, ordered a TOB and clutch pipe and I plan on swapping it out this weekend.
10-31-2018, 10:26 PM
#45
Quick question for those subscribed, I changed the clutch pipe seal (one that connects bleeder block to clutch pipe) and filled the brake fluid reservoir WAY past max (about 1/2" from the top) and fluid was still leaking, so TOB...
But then I went out tonight, still leaking, but not lowering the fluid level? I think there might just be a puddle in the bellhousing? Anyway, ordered a TOB and clutch pipe and I plan on swapping it out this weekend.
But then I went out tonight, still leaking, but not lowering the fluid level? I think there might just be a puddle in the bellhousing? Anyway, ordered a TOB and clutch pipe and I plan on swapping it out this weekend.
11-02-2018, 01:17 PM
#48
It was all that seal. Part number for future reference is 92249426 it cost me $5.30 from my local dealership. That's just the seal, so if you don't want to spend the $13 on the clutch pipe to rip the seal off, you can buy the seal separate. Bled it last night with my dad, felt MUCH better. Much more pressure. Assembled fuse box, started car, felt great, grabbed about where it did last time, all is well. Took it out for a drive this morning, man it feels weird to drive a drive by wire car and power steering and a shifter with so much throw.
And then I smelled fuel. And when I took it to the driveway, a puddle. Rear fuel line kicked the bucket, so I gotta fix that. Need to do it in a pinch because my dad is going to have hip surgery this coming week and the car is supposed to be done and out before then so he can have the garage to keep his truck out of the weather. May just do a temporary fix for now (rubber line) and fix it right come spring with the OTTP line kit. Still not sure, he hasn't seen the damage yet.
But I'm really happy I don't have to do a trans job this weekend.
And then I smelled fuel. And when I took it to the driveway, a puddle. Rear fuel line kicked the bucket, so I gotta fix that. Need to do it in a pinch because my dad is going to have hip surgery this coming week and the car is supposed to be done and out before then so he can have the garage to keep his truck out of the weather. May just do a temporary fix for now (rubber line) and fix it right come spring with the OTTP line kit. Still not sure, he hasn't seen the damage yet.
But I'm really happy I don't have to do a trans job this weekend.
11-06-2018, 08:47 PM
#49
Big update: It's done! 
Found out my fuel line finally kicked the bucket. Took the car out and smelled fuel and took a peek and sure enough it was leaking in front of the drivers rear tire. Bought the OEM fuel line and replaced it next day and it's finally done! No leaks, runs smooth as butter, and feels great! So happy the car is finally done I can stop driving my NA Miata as a daily. Still on break in, I put 150 miles on within the first 2 days, no boost. Plan on changing the oil after 1000 miles. I'd like to keep it out of boost for most of the 1000 miles, I've been revving to 6k every once in a while to help make sure the rings are good.
I suspect the fuel line caused the issue that killed my injector. I suspect that a small piece of rust made it through the fuel line to the HPFP and got stuck in the injector, holding it open. From the pictures above, you can see that the block, bearings, pistons, everything looks good. I'm [hopefully] trading all my stuff for HPTuners so I can tune the car once it's fully broken in. A little about the Powell V3 kit: I am posting the pictures I took of my intake valves while tearing down my block. I'm not hating, bashing, or advising for or against, but I'm not running the kit on the new motor. I found, upon disassembly, that the line from the turbo to the separator was loose; finger tight in fact. I do not recall that ever being so loose and even while in the car, that fitting is so difficult to get to, it's damn near impossible to get 2 wrenches to tighten it. So to ensure the new motor is 100% good, I plan on just running the stock PCV system and cleaning valves every 50k miles (that's a large enough interval I should only have to do it maybe 1 or 2 times before the whole car is junk).
Sorry for the poor quality, they're pretty deep in there and with gloves and the urge to get the whole thing torn down I took "meh" screenshots of the video I was doing (camera died halfway in). It seems as the Powell separator did "okay," but you have to remember I only had the setup on for ~15k miles. Which is 1/7 the time I cleaned off before.
https://imgur.com/a/7fzqai0
Found out my fuel line finally kicked the bucket. Took the car out and smelled fuel and took a peek and sure enough it was leaking in front of the drivers rear tire. Bought the OEM fuel line and replaced it next day and it's finally done! No leaks, runs smooth as butter, and feels great! So happy the car is finally done I can stop driving my NA Miata as a daily. Still on break in, I put 150 miles on within the first 2 days, no boost. Plan on changing the oil after 1000 miles. I'd like to keep it out of boost for most of the 1000 miles, I've been revving to 6k every once in a while to help make sure the rings are good.
I suspect the fuel line caused the issue that killed my injector. I suspect that a small piece of rust made it through the fuel line to the HPFP and got stuck in the injector, holding it open. From the pictures above, you can see that the block, bearings, pistons, everything looks good. I'm [hopefully] trading all my stuff for HPTuners so I can tune the car once it's fully broken in. A little about the Powell V3 kit: I am posting the pictures I took of my intake valves while tearing down my block. I'm not hating, bashing, or advising for or against, but I'm not running the kit on the new motor. I found, upon disassembly, that the line from the turbo to the separator was loose; finger tight in fact. I do not recall that ever being so loose and even while in the car, that fitting is so difficult to get to, it's damn near impossible to get 2 wrenches to tighten it. So to ensure the new motor is 100% good, I plan on just running the stock PCV system and cleaning valves every 50k miles (that's a large enough interval I should only have to do it maybe 1 or 2 times before the whole car is junk).
Sorry for the poor quality, they're pretty deep in there and with gloves and the urge to get the whole thing torn down I took "meh" screenshots of the video I was doing (camera died halfway in). It seems as the Powell separator did "okay," but you have to remember I only had the setup on for ~15k miles. Which is 1/7 the time I cleaned off before.
https://imgur.com/a/7fzqai0