Exhaust

[bkathsalero]

So I had some driveability issues with my car. TRIED EVERYTHING!! even cut the cat and resonator off thinking it might be plugged, ended up being a coolant temp sensor. So now I have extremely loud straight exhaust!!! so was wonering ideas anyone has to fix this. I like the loud just not the bubbly truck sound. Would a glasspack fix that? or should I get flowmaster delta super 40 mufflers with dual tips? I want the deep throaty sound on a budget build. Any help would be awesome

[[ion] C2]

turbo it

[worknprog.99]

yes straight piped with a turbo is a nace sound

[bkathsalero]

If only I had the money, but mostly the knowledge of a turbo system I TOTTALY would. But it’s all custom for the 3.4

[[ion] C2]

as it is with everyone else's engine... besides the manifold, everything is pieced together. and now you can get a manifold off MPRacing, so, no excuse. (besides 2 bar tune capability)

[bkathsalero]

see I'm not afraid to admit I have no Idea on turbos, my knowledge of cars is all OE like drive ability and crap like that due to the fact of being a mechanic, and at this shop we don't do custom work due to my bosses paranoia of liability.

So I'm guessing I would only be able to run 6-8psi on a stock bottom end? SO is a bov tuned to the pressure I'm guessing? Then with the ricers in my town talking bout wastegates and blah blah blah. Don't know how to reduce lag, guessing its the turbo you choose, and let alone what turbo to choose. Being my personality I would buy the biggest and the baddest and blown my motor to smithereens!!! And I have no Idea what a 2 bar tune is either. I'm aware I could quick get on to google and search to sound smarter than I am on this subject but then realize I still don’t know what the hell I'm talking about. So I would say a turbo would be bad in my case in less its a direct bolt on. My ignorance on this subject would most likely prove fatal for my car

[[ion] C2]

Originally Posted by bkathsalero

So I'm guessing I would only be able to run 6-8psi on a stock bottom end?

think power not pressure, stock parts can only take certain amount of power before they bend or break. bigger turbo flows more at the same pressure level than a small turbo at the same pressure level.

Originally Posted by bkathsalero

SO is a bov tuned to the pressure I'm guessing?

Not exactly. The blow off valve just needs to be closed when you're boosting and open when you let off. Some have stiffer springs in them so they don't leak under high pressures, but those stiffer springs can prevent the air from escaping at lower boost. I had to take one spring out of my BOV so it would actually open. The only time you need to mess with the BOV when it comes to boost level is if it's leaking when you're on it.

Originally Posted by bkathsalero

Then with the ricers in my town talking bout wastegates and blah blah blah.

The wastegate allows some of the exhaust gas to bypass the turbo, so it doesn't spin it faster. It controls how quick the turbo spins, to control boost level.

Originally Posted by bkathsalero

Don't know how to reduce lag, guessing its the turbo you choose, and let alone what turbo to choose. Being my personality I would buy the biggest and the baddest and blown my motor to smithereens!!!

Yep it's all about the sizing. Trims, A/R, ball bearing, all matter when choosing. A small A/R turbine will spool up really fast but will be choking itself at high RPM because the turbine can't flow as much exhaust as it needs to in order to spin faster. Ball bearing allows the turbo to spool really fast because there's such little friction in the rotating assembly.

Originally Posted by bkathsalero

And I have no Idea what a 2 bar tune is either. I'm aware I could quick get on to google and search to sound smarter than I am on this subject but then realize I still don’t know what the hell I'm talking about.

Bar is pressure. 1 bar is what the stock sensor reads, -14.7 psi to 0. A 2 bar sensor can read -14.7 psi up to +14.7 psi (boost). And a 3 bar would go even higher into the boost range. In order for it to run right say at 8 psi, you'd need a 2 bar sensor, and the tune would need to be able to read and use that sensor so it can add the correct amount of fuel and everything else that's based off intake pressure.

[bkathsalero]

see some of that suprisengly made sense, but when raising the fuel output under boost I would need larger injectors correct? and the thing is I have no knowledge of what turbo to pick out by a/r, ball bearing, etc. what wastegate or what bov, So i would be taking shots in the dark and have a wtf turbo system with this MONSTER HKS that sounded like a jet taking off, but only pushin 2psi . Maybe someday I will make enough money to have like john hailey build me one, or gain the knowlegde to make my own, but I dont think that time has come. But I appreciate the help Ion

[Atmosphere]

A turbo'd 3400 sounds like fun. I don't have the cash for something like that though.

My plan is to do a single-piece, mandrel bent, stainless steel catback (2.25 inch?) and terminate into two Super 40s (or 44s... I'm not sure what the difference is) with dual outlets on each. I suppose a high-flow cat could be used too, but not sure what effect on performance/sound that would give.

[bkathsalero]

/\/\well maybe someday we will need to meet atmosphere as it sounds like your going down the same path I'm headed for exhaust, I plan on 2 1/2 back

[Atmosphere]

Would 2.5 inches be more ideal for a stock motor? All I really plan to do is plugs/wires, polished intake, cone filiter (WAI), and maybe some small aesthetic stuff.

[meadus101]

this is why i love my 2.4 Just throw on a Supercharger and not have to worry about wastegates and bov's.

[Atmosphere]

I'd like a totally unbiased answer... what's the difference in performance between our two motors?

I know the 2.4 gets better mileage, especially if it's a manual. I know the 3.4 has more horsepower, probably a higher top speed, and is only available in an automatic.

[Blktrax]

Originally Posted by Atmosphere

I'd like a totally unbiased answer... what's the difference in performance between our two motors?

I know the 2.4 gets better mileage, especially if it's a manual. I know the 3.4 has more horsepower, probably a higher top speed, and is only available in an automatic.

Besides the Manual/Auto debate and fun to drive factor, the biggest issue is WEIGHT vs. torque divided by the gear ratios.

Keep in mind, LA1, and LD9 motors are Cast Iron Blocks, vs The L61 is all aluminum.

In a straight line, stock to stock, manual LD9 vs. manual L61 vs. auto LA1, very, close, I think the torque of the LA1 is enough to get out front. However in the corners, the weight bias, and the need for faster shifts, and the gear you want when you need it, the manuals are going to be quicker.

The I'm lazy Wiki Info....

The LA1 3400 ("E-code") was a bored-out version of the 3100. It retained the OHV layout of the previous engine, and was first utilized on the 1996 U platform minivans and appeared in a car for the first time in the 1999 Pontiac Grand Am and Oldsmobile Alero. A 92 mm (3.6 in) bore with the same 84 mm (3.3 in) stroke brought the displacement to 3.4 L (3,350 cc/207 cu in). Like the LG8, the LA1 featured numerous common parts with the similar GM High Value engine family. Power was up to 170 hp-185 hp (127 kW to 138 kW) and torque was 210 lb·ft (285 N·m).

The LD9 Twin Cam was a 2.4 L (146 cu in) Quad 4 variant with balance shafts, debuting in 1996. Bore was decreased from 92 mm (3.6 in) to 90 mm (3.5 in) and stroke increased from 85 mm (3.3 in) to 94 mm (3.70 in) for better torque, and power was increased to 150 hp (112 kW).[1] This engine received a minor update halfway through the 1999 model year that eliminated the EGR, increased the compression ratio from 9.5:1 to 9.7:1, and switched from low impedance fuel injectors to high impedance

The L61 Ecotec, Displacement for the 2.2 L engine is 2196 cc (134 cu in) with an 86 millimetres (3.4 in) bore and 94.6 millimetres (3.72 in) stroke. Compression is 9.5:1 or 10:1, delivering 135 to 147 hp (101 to 110 kW) and 142 to 152 lb·ft (193 to 206 N·m) of torque. The Ecotec line is manufactured in Tonawanda, New York, Kaiserslautern, Germany, and (for Saturn) in Spring Hill, Tennessee. The L61-powered Saturn Ion replaced the Saturn-powered Saturn S-Series.