OFFICIAL: What did you do to your Alero today?

[zzyzzx]

Recharged the A/C and started using it. I also updated my review of an A/C recharge hose that I posted here:
http://www.aleromod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34167

I hit a bad pothole on the highway while driving my Escort (my main commuter car) and broke an outer tie rod end (possibly more, I should really recheck that). I am so glad I didn't do that to my Alero. Otherwise I would still be commuting in my Escort for another week (A/C does not work in my 1995 Escort). It was weird driving a car with a loose outer tie rod end on one side only. The didn't make any unusual noises or vibrate. It was pulling to one side on acceleration and to the other while braking. It was a Moog outer tie rod end that broke. I suspect that a cheaper brand might have broken completely.

[bhxtyrant]

My first projector mod
https://thumb.ibb.co/g3RRkQ/IMG_2136.jpg (https://ibb.co/g3RRkQ) https://thumb.ibb.co/mJFK5Q/IMG_2137.jpg (https://ibb.co/mJFK5Q)

Just got to clean up the lenses put em back together and try them out with the new 6k HID kit

[Papa Rad17]

My first projector mod
https://thumb.ibb.co/g3RRkQ/IMG_2136.jpg (https://ibb.co/g3RRkQ) https://thumb.ibb.co/mJFK5Q/IMG_2137.jpg (https://ibb.co/mJFK5Q)

Just got to clean up the lenses put em back together and try them out with the new 6k HID kit

Post up when these get onto the car!

[bhxtyrant]

sure will
https://thumb.ibb.co/ciq1kQ/IMG_2138.jpg (https://ibb.co/ciq1kQ)

Tinted lenses today

[bhxtyrant]

She ended up not liking the tint so tint removed and reassembled. Waiting on my H1 HID's hopefully here on Wednesday then I can get them on the car. All in all the conversion was not as hard as I thought except getting them opened.

https://thumb.ibb.co/bBSj75/IMG_2139.jpg (https://ibb.co/bBSj75)

[zzyzzx]

Installed new wiper blades! Did it in WalMart's parking lot.

[bhxtyrant]

Got HID's and new projectors all finished! will post night time pictures later
https://thumb.ibb.co/ddFCVQ/IMG_2140.jpg (https://ibb.co/ddFCVQ)

[Papa Rad17]

Got HID's and new projectors all finished! will post night time pictures later
https://thumb.ibb.co/ddFCVQ/IMG_2140.jpg (https://ibb.co/ddFCVQ)

Looks good! I like it, other than the chrome around the hood. Tried that one time too though.

[bhxtyrant]

Looks good! I like it, other than the chrome around the hood. Tried that one time too though.

That chrome is coming off too. Looking into decals now and a spoiler maybe a body kit and new rims to give it it's own personality.

[zzyzzx]

I finally got around to fixing my passenger side mirror. The black plastic mount piece that connects the painted mirror to the car had something broken internally. I went to a junkyard and dissected a few mirrors until I got good at it, and just took the piece that I needed. Didn't want to take a whole side mirror because I didn't want to have to find one the right color, and it was easy enough to do it my way. Note: You need one of those square drive screwdrivers to complete this job. Like one of these:

https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/ProductImages/assembly/425404.jpg

I took a ton of pictures and might make a How-To at some point. The mirror was one of those spring loaded mirrors, and yes dealing with getting the spring back in place was a pain, but still doable by yourself.

[Babyblue]

Got HID's and new projectors all finished! will post night time pictures later
https://thumb.ibb.co/ddFCVQ/IMG_2140.jpg (https://ibb.co/ddFCVQ)

How much did the projectors cost??

[Papa Rad17]

How much did the projectors cost??

wheres some modded f500 car porn? been a minuet!

[Oldsman]

bought some more parts and whined about it...........lol

[Papa Rad17]

Pics or it didn't happen

[Papa Rad17]

Found out today that my alero suffered a fatal accident at the hands of the kid who purchased it from me. It was t-boned by a truck and trailer. bag deployed and totaled. Insurance hauled it off, I'm sure its a crashed cube of trash at this point. I had hoped it would still live a long happy life, but several rare parts died with it.
RIP:cry: :cry:

[tw0123]

That sucks man... Hopefully the kid is doing ok though... I wonder if it went straight to the crusher or to a scrap yard for parts... Might be able to salvage the rare parts before it does get crushed completely... If there's anything worth saving that is...

[riceralero]

i put in 2 6x9(haha) boss speakers in the rear as the left oem was blown. Bass is better and magnet is about twice the size of oem

[riceralero]

i also put on a takata tow strap that i got off amazon for 8$ a while ago. The bolt that came with it fits in the medium sized hole(believe its the middle one) thats in a metal plate thing next to foglight and below left headlight. As luck would have it, 8 days after getting my license and being legally allowed to drive, a friend from my school pulled out in front of me(without looking) and I had to swerve into someone's lawn (covered by about 2 feet of snow) to avoid them. The Slowlero got stuck and luckily, another friend happened to be passing by in a Jeep that had a winch. That 8$ tow strap was able to pull me out and both where I mounted it and the strap are fine.

[riceralero]

like the title says, Im sorry about how inactive I've become, I got a new(lol she old as dirt) truck. A 1969 Dodge D200! kinda a fun truck for a 16yo with a 383 and a dana 60 rear with 4.10 gears :lol:
thats a link to my main instagram...if you want to see more updates request to follow the instagram swimmingmachinebroke i post a lot more on there https://www.instagram.com/p/BhCjJ4QnAzA/?hl=en&taken-by=logandahlke
Anyway back to the Alero I cleaned the engine bay of grease and oils and other unknown shit using carwash soap and a dishwashing brush.... the stiffish bristles really made quick work of cleaning off the dirt and even though there is still some dirt and grime it looks really nice and paint isnt scratched.

Secondly, I took off the underhood insulation/sound deadener a while back for some long term testing and my underhood temps are a tad lower, i didnt lose too much heat in the winter and my paint isnt melting off lol..... and because i have a cold(hot) air intake, might just be my intake but you can now hear a decently load whistle of the intake!:coolio: sounds pretty badass, almost like a little turbo....hmmmmmm maybe sometime i have nothing better to do.

My SLP Catback seemed like the muffler kept sagging...I thought it was the hangers were stretched out but as it turns out the muffler was rotting :cry:
anyway i took it to merlins (have a family friend there) and now have a single pipe running from the cat straight to a reused duel exit tip....its now much louder, the drone at 50 is completely gone and the pops and crackles are nuts..most people who hear it cant believe its a mostly stock 3.4 lol

[Vader1021]

Did you test the no insulation last summer in the boiling heat?

[zzyzzx]

Drive the Alero for the first time this season over the weekend. Refrigerant leaked out as it usually does over the winter. Had the usual 30lbs on the low side. Already ordered an Oring set and new compressor.

[homegrown]

I've just been driving it, and trying to figure out how to quiet it down. By the time I get home from the office, my ears are (figuratively) bleeding. Man, I'm getting old.

[zzyzzx]

I replaced the A/C compressor and some Orings in the area where the high pressure port is. There was dried AC dye all over the place there, which was hard to remove. Ended up using a green pad on a dremal to remove it. Left is in a vacuum and will check that sometime today.

[Oldsman]

Due to back surgery........nothing will be getting done to mine for a long time

[tw0123]

That's a shame Scot... Hopefully you're doing better after surgery!!! I think your health is definitely more important than a car...

[bhxtyrant]

How much did the projectors cost??
Sorry for the late reply been a while since my last visit. They were $37 on ebay i choose them because they were almost identical to Morimoto H1 many people seem to use in alero's

[bhxtyrant]

Looks good! I like it, other than the chrome around the hood. Tried that one time too though.
Lol yes my GF wanted that on there it's now gone started peeling not long after install from the sun.

[zzyzzx]

Drove it with the new A/C compressor and so far the A/C works great. Won't know for sure for another week or so since the real issue was leakage that I suspected came from the compressor but never actually saw for sure.

[AleroB888]

Had some extra "Reflectix" insulation material, so cut a piece to the shape of the windshield, and.....

http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr299/Gflash01/Shade%20front_zpsvyknazcs.jpg

[Vader1021]

Got Dynoed today, Max HP 153.6 Max Torque 187.61
Not bad for a 14 year old car with 130k

[[ion] C2]

I've just been driving it, and trying to figure out how to quiet it down. By the time I get home from the office, my ears are (figuratively) bleeding. Man, I'm getting old.
All about that Vibrant ultra-quiet resonator and the Walker quiet flow muffler. High flow, quiet as it can be for a full 3" setup. :awesome:

[homegrown]

C2;666699']All about that Vibrant ultra-quiet resonator and the Walker quiet flow muffler. High flow, quiet as it can be for a full 3" setup. :awesome:
I don't think that'll do anything. It's reasonably quiet behind the car. I think it's the headers that amplify the noise so much.

[[ion] C2]

I don't think that'll do anything. It's reasonably quiet behind the car. I think it's the headers that amplify the noise so much.
Weird. I would not have thought a closed system would generate that much external noise, regardless of how the tubing is shaped. Guess I don't know enough about sound production, really.

The only time my car was unbearably loud in-cabin leaving me with dulled hearing when I reached work was with open exhaust ending right under the firewall.

[zzyzzx]

I replaced the front brake pads. Easiest brake job I have done in a while. Only minor surface rust, and the caliper slide bolts were NOT seized.
:yahoo:
Haven't had that happen in a while!

That, and the new parts all fit good too. Still need to actually drive the car though.

[Alero5065]

Today i put in my 1500 watt amp with my 12in terminator subs, new speakers in the front and back later today i am going to hook up my led strips and set them up to change the color to the beat of the bass

[homegrown]

Not today, but last Monday I took a road trip out to Ohio, and lost nearly all of the oil from the engine on the way. It was a bit of a nail-biter.

[[ion] C2]

I took the car to a shop a few weeks ago to install a used big brake kit, but they refused to install, citing brake lines being too rusty and safety concerns with the kit. Not sure why they don't like taking my money. If the brake lines are too rusty to remove, replace the whole shebang. Anything is possible.

So they said here's your car back, sorry we don't want to do it. Immediately on the drive home I found that shifting into 5th gear makes a terrible crunch/grind. Bad synchro out of the blue. $2,000 to R&R with new internals.

I have a well known racing radiator manufacturer building one for me to help keep my coolant temps perfect no matter what abuse I'm throwing down.

I have a Garrett intercooler, TiAl Q BOV, and a custom intake manifold to fabricate, just need the plenum holes for the runners machined out.

Progress is slow as money is tight. It's getting there.

[zzyzzx]

I passed an emissions test today.
Also noted that new brake pads, Wagner ZD752A seem to work as good as the OE brake pads.

[Oldsnut]

Car is all polished up and waiting for the Olds Club Nationals to start. Gonna be a wet one it looks like.

[1970cs]

Yep, scuba gear and 3 tow trucks pulling trucks and trailers out of the swap meet or should I say swamp meet.

3 Aleros so far.

Pat

[1970cs]

Ok I spotted number 4 driving away. A white body kit unit?
Anyways the photo all the Aleros together in the senior preservation class.

[Oldsnut]

There were 5 total at the show. Both were parked behind the Marriot hotel.

[[ion] C2]

Alero's back to being my daily. In the middle of finalizing my fuel tuning for E54 since that's what's somewhat readily available from gas stations here. Better fuel economy than E85 and basically the same octane equivalent so whatever.

Still waiting to have things tuned properly and powerfully till the new intake manifold/75mm TB/intercooler/BOV are installed. And when I have money to do so.

Even so, people always trying to race but they just can't compete. It's funny rolling around lowered, tinted, on Forgelines. People are curious and quickly find out there's more to this car than it seems. It's fun to have the afterfire between shifts too. :awesome: Boom!

[Papa Rad17]

Admins have my IP blocked at work. JASPER Engines & Transmissions so I'm not on much, but it's certainly nice to see there is some activity around here still. I still have the intrigue running strong and dreams of another 5sp alero.
Any chance you could look in to it? I can't get one via ipod, or anything that runs through our servers. Was there some bad blood in the past maybe?

Homegrown- What the heck??? On that new motor build?? and I know with my 2.2, same exhaust header back, once I switched to the 4-2-1 header from the factory manifold the sound inside the car was terrible. Never got wrap on to see if it helped. Glad to hear your still hanging on to it too.

Oldsnut/oldsnut's old lady looking good in the f500's!!! What ever happened with baby blue's franken 500?

oldsman, sorry to hear, but life happens. Can't wait to see the gold day 'finished' one day.

Ion, one day I'd like to line up the SS with you. I'm sure that I'll end up looking at those big, ugly, tail lights but hey, there's no replacement for displacement. and I don't have anything extra done, bone stock.

The intrigue is now my daily, the SS is going to sit at home for now with 2! car seats installed. I don't mind, I still love the ol car. Just changed in some fresh amsoil last week 194xxx. Damn slow leak on the coolant crossover is driving me nuts. I see a lot of alero's around, all beat to crap. It makes me sad. One day... one day...

[[ion] C2]

My turbo manifold flange to the head bolts are breaking. Sigh. Need to extract and redo using Inconel studs and nuts, and make a bracket to hold the turbo, ideally.
My boost controller bracket broke again, so I made a new alternate design and put that on.
I finally installed an air filter after years with only a stainless screen mesh (a properly sized one with adequate open air %)Bone stock doesn't mean anything - you can go buy a car that runs 10s if you have the money to. Taking a car you like and making it perform far beyond its original spec, now that's impressive. And yes, there would be no competition with the Chevy SS. Too bad I'm in Phoenix and you're in Indianapolis, unless you want to make a road trip and check out the sights and smooth roads of the southwest.

:awesome:

[Papa Rad17]

I would love to make the trip, but that's not going to happen any time soon for me. Just like that extensive work to turbo something is just a dream. So far, while there are of course things I would like to do, the SS is the first car I have been happy with from the factory, in pretty well every aspect. While it's not one I ever seen on the roads around here, I would like too more to make it my own. It's a little more difficult with all integrated electronics on these newer cars, and the price tag is higher. I'm sure in the future when money and time become more available I will get something to truly make my own. Even though my last alero was a little rough around the edges, I took pride in it and enjoyed the work I had done. But man, as nice as it sounds... I'm getting too old for some of the crap on the floor, or leaning into the engine bay all day.:lol:

[[ion] C2]

For sure. I wanted to get an SS.

I'm tired of working on cars so I try to have other people do the labor, but lately it's me again.

[tw0123]

I hear what you both are saying.... Mine's been done mostly by myself simply because i can't afford to payanyone to do the work... In turn my car is going on 7 years and still no where near done... Sigh... Eventually...

[zzyzzx]

Drove the Alero for the last 2 weeks, and in that time period I replaced the battery (which was 4.5 years old) and noticed that the lower door speaker on the right side now sounds distorted. Otherwise the car went all over town and to New York and back just fine.

[Oldsman]

Lets see......nothing has been done except for pcm work. Mainly due to my back surgery then wife had surgery for gall bladder and tumor and then to top 2018 of i had surgery again to have a tumor removed.......2018 = bad fucking year period. But now its 2019 and im working and hope to have car done sometime this year.....hope. So i wont be going to nats thanks to 2018.

However i bought tristen his first car...........an its an 01 Alero GL with 82k on it..... And yes corners are cleared already and my old 8k HID are in it. Ill get some pics this weekend.

[[ion] C2]

Finally got my manifold back after 8 weeks of it at the machine shop waiting for the surfaces to be milled flat lol. Installed it, should be good to go for once in its life with absolutely zero vacuum/boost leaks.

... and then I have to make a new manifold for a bigger throttle body sometime. Lost my welding buddy, working on finding a new one.

[homegrown]

I'm still (somewhat impatiently) waiting to get a call saying that the new motor has been installed and tuned.

[Papa Rad17]

I'm still (somewhat impatiently) waiting to get a call saying that the new motor has been installed and tuned.

wow! completely new or another re-build? Happy to hear you're keeping the car alive!
To you and Oldsman, hope all is well! Life seems to keep getting in the way of lot.

[homegrown]

wow! completely new or another re-build? Happy to hear you're keeping the car alive!
To you and Oldsman, hope all is well! Life seems to keep getting in the way of lot.
Pretty much a new build. The shop that built my hybrid motor a few summers ago did a piss-poor job. It leaked oil like a sieve and every oil change looked like someone emptied a bottle of glitter.
But this is the last straw for me.

[tw0123]

Fingers crossed this one holds up the way it should for you Matt!!! I need to get my car out again this summer, she sat on jacks all last winter waiting for my new headers to be installed...

[zzyzzx]

My key FOB stopped working, but I got it working again. Exactly how I describe here:
http://www.aleromod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35560

[zzyzzx]

Found out that the driver side mirror is now broken exactly the same as the passenger side was. I fixed the passenger side this way:
http://www.aleromod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38207

[homegrown]

Just a small teaser....

[[ion] C2]

What kind of strut bar is that? Custom?

[homegrown]

C2;667391']What kind of strut bar is that? Custom?
Years ago, I got it from a small place up in Canada called MRZ Performance. They did a lot for older j-bodies. It's billet aluminum. Probably one of the nicest I've ever seen (and I've tried several).

[[ion] C2]

Years ago, I got it from a small place up in Canada called MRZ Performance. They did a lot for older j-bodies. It's billet aluminum. Probably one of the nicest I've ever seen (and I've tried several).

Definitely is. I have all their aluminum cap covers like you do, too. It's weird how MRZ just morphed into a car dealer over the years lol.

[Young Gun]

Just a small teaser....

Did you run a pipe down below? Just cut holes down below? Looks nice!

Edit: Is the Maf in there+IAT?

[homegrown]

Did you run a pipe down below? Just cut holes down below? Looks nice!

Edit: Is the Maf in there+IAT?

The box basically just has a scoop. The IAT is pinned into the updated LS1-style MAF, which has an IAT sensor built-in. It's a bit cleaner this way, I think.

[tw0123]

This is awesome to see Matt!!!! Is the car finally back home, or at least very close to coming back home after all this time? Can't wait to hear the details of this saga!!!!

[dbral]

Nice!!

[zzyzzx]

I replaced the blower motor resistor.

[zzyzzx]

Replaced the Left Front window regulator with Ultra-Power 740630 purchased at Rock Auto. This is a repeat offender and the one that was in there only lasted a year. This time I reused the OE motor, and actually that made it easier since leaving off the motor until you have the regulator and window installed makes it possible to slide up and down the window as necessary to get everything in. I think I can use my two old bed regulator to make a good one to keep as a spare. I work someplace where I have to roll down the window and badge in at the gate, so I have to roll down the window every day, so this one that I just bought is going to break eventually.

[homegrown]

At the risk of jinxing myself, I can say that I've mostly just been driving it.
I had the parking brake and air conditioning fixed earlier in the summer (oh, and I had to replace the HVAC control unit), and I installed a dash cap (about 1/2 of the original vinyl on the dash was wrinkly and peeling) - although I don't love the look, it's good enough since I have no desire to take the entire dash out to get re-upholstered.
Anyway, I have about 6500 miles on this motor build, and everything is going well (if anyone remembers, I had to replace the fuel pump early in the summer, but that is not related to the work done at MMS). The motor is strong (it pulls hard all the way up to 7000rpm, but really comes alive over 4000), doesn't burn any oil or leak any other fluids, and I still average 30MPG.
Can't ask for much more.
Happy Labor Day to all my US friends (and a shoutout to my Canadian neighbors as well). Stay safe, everyone.

[tw0123]

That's awesome Matt!!! Happy to hear you're getting to enjoy the car again...

I finally got mine out of the shed, first time since November 2019... took it for a 200 km cruise to work and home and figured out a major issue I've been having... under wot, the car would bog and studder... i realized that the silicone 90* I've got is collapsing from the heat and extra air the sc is drawing in.... I've got an aluminum 90* to replace it, just need the time to install it!!

[homegrown]

Because my car has been running so well, I splurged and installed a new digital media head unit last night.
First time I've ever installed one myself (I know; it seems so pedestrian for most).
The fit isn't quite perfect; I had to trim the bezel a bit around the bottom inside corners. But it's good enough.

[dbral]

Nice head unit! Recently installed one like that in ours. Required a good deal of trimming behind the radio to get it to fit.

Happy to hear your car is back on the road and running well!

[zzyzzx]

I ended up installing a single DIN with the pocket below. I made a bracket to hold a voltmeter and mounted that in the pocket. Only reason I did it this way is because the single DIN was leftover from another car that I junked and I wanted an excuse (and a place) to mount a voltmeter.

[zzyzzx]

I installed a dash cap (about 1/2 of the original vinyl on the dash was wrinkly and peeling) - although I don't love the look, it's good enough since I have no desire to take the entire dash out to get re-upholstered.



Which one did you use? Can you post some pictures of it?

[homegrown]

Sure. Here you go.
I got it from Coverlay Manufacturing.
The fit is decent - although, it would be nice if they also offered a matching airbag cover. Now I just have to see if the upholstery shop can make something that looks halfway decent.
It's pretty clear where the dashcap ends, but it's not in your normal line-of-sight, so it doesn't bother me. New shifter boot coming soon.

[Oldsnut]

I bought one those covers but haven't installed it on my wife's car yet. Looks pretty nice

[dbral]

Installed powder coated caliper brackets. The red matches the hidden struts.

[OSVDreamer]

Installed powder coated caliper brackets. The red matches the hidden struts.

Love it! Should have my drilled and slotted rotors on this week.

[homegrown]

Installed powder coated caliper brackets. The red matches the hidden struts.
What - you didn't like the rusty cast iron caliper anchors?
Looks good.
I miss that car.

[dbral]

Love it! Should have my drilled and slotted rotors on this week

Thanks! Post some pictures of your progress when you get a chance

What - you didn't like the rusty cast iron caliper anchors?
Looks good.
I miss that car.

LOL, had these anchors laying around...was going to VHT them satin black until I took a wheel off and and noticed all of the suspension work you did. No wonder the car handles so well.

Matt, if you are ever in the area, feel free to stop by and take it for a spin.

[homegrown]

Thanks! Post some pictures of your progress when you get a chance



LOL, had these anchors laying around...was going to VHT them satin black until I took a wheel off and and noticed all of the suspension work you did. No wonder the car handles so well.

Matt, if you are ever in the area, feel free to stop by and take it for a spin.

For what it is, it does handle pretty well (especially considering it's on all-seasons).
You should have experienced what it could do with a properly aggressive alignment and sticky rubber (I had it on Bridgestone Potenza RE-01Rs at one point, which were pretty sticky for full-depth street tires).

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it.

[dbral]

For what it is, it does handle pretty well (especially considering it's on all-seasons).
You should have experienced what it could do with a properly aggressive alignment and sticky rubber (I had it on Bridgestone Potenza RE-01Rs at one point, which were pretty sticky for full-depth street tires).

I can only imagine how it would handle with that set-up, but maybe one day the car will at least have a dedicated set of wheels/tires for the track/autocross.
I don't have the guts or the skill to push the car to its limits, esp. on public roads but def. can say that I have not yet approached what it is capable of currently. The car acts like it is on rails compared to one with stock suspension settings.

We are certainly enjoying it and we are still noticing new surprises with it. From the gas charged hood lift struts (I should have picked up on that right away lol) to the giant (and grease-able!) outer tie rod ends, cool things keep popping up. You did one heck of a job building it

[dbral]

Did some tuning and learned some things. With the good advice/knowledge from a coworker that has 20+ years of tuning exp. and our stock GA 3.4 at home to compare things to, I was able to get the Alero running pretty well using HPtuners. Other than properly routing the PCV a few months ago, the change that made the biggest difference was bringing the main VE table back to stock-ish settings (Before and after in pic). This made a HUGE improvement in bottom end power and overall smoothness. The next best change was adding timing in the 400-1200 rpm range and adjusting the TPS voltage/throttle blade angle to match our GA's. This brought IAC counts way up and smoothed the idle with or without A/C on. I set the idle to 975 and that took away the harsh F40 6 speed idle clunking and clanking. It now sounds like a light rumble instead with the clutch out in neutral. The car feels and runs totally different from idle to mid range. It has good bottom end power now and the engine can be lugged at low rpm without issue and no more cold morning 2k idle flare....so far lol.

A weird issue popped up after all of the changes were made. With the A/C off and the clutch depressed the idle intermittently will hunt from 600-1100....but only if the car is moving. Once VSS hits 0 mph, the idle surge goes away. Have yet to figure that issue out. Does anyone know what might be going on there?

As others have mentioned here before, HPtuners does not have many tables unlocked for our cars and it seems that there is a lot of cause and effect going on behind the scenes in the PCM making it even more confusing to me. The Scanner only has a dozen or so parameters to view and log so that does not help. The LS people have all kinds of buttons to push and things to look at lol

Top table is before and bottom is after changing the VE table. Guessing MMS was trying to tune for the PCV they screwed up possibly? The tuner that was helping me just shook his head when he looked at that table.

[[ion] C2]

the idle intermittently will hunt from 600-1100....but only if the car is moving. Once VSS hits 0 mph, the idle surge goes away. Have yet to figure that issue out. Does anyone know what might be going on there?

yes

not specifically, but it's IAC related

likely due to the IAC plunger opening or closing too far and losing its position. it's a one way street on control, so that's why when you turn the key on or off (not sure which) it will command it to be fully open, or closed, for a period of time where it can be certain that it's maxed out. then it moves to its programmed position from there.

if it collides within the throttle body either open or closed too far, it will throw off what it thinks its position is.

when you're coasting down to a stop, or just driving in any other time other than idle, the IAC isn't controlling anything until the vehicle speed gets below a certain amount.

when you disconnect the trans from the engine, it's no longer resisting any surging and the engine is free to do what it will. the iac is stuck in the wrong position and your spark tuning and such is trying to compensate and control it, poorly

once speed is at 0, the iac comes in to play and the car will typically move it whatever direction is necessary and stabilizes the idle. but the car thinks the iac position is something other than it really is. regardless, it will move it as much as it takes to make it work (unless the position it needs to be is beyond the limits of the tune)

[dbral]

Okay, that makes sense and gives me an idea of something to try out too. That issue was happening again tonight. Going to have to drop back and punt with a slightly different game plan this time. The lack of unlocked tables makes things challenging.

Had a pretty good day in the mountains with the car. Found out that the increased idle rpm does not eliminate the f40 clunk when hot. Going to try the Redline man. trans fluid and see what happens.

[homegrown]

Dammit, Don - you're making me miss that car more and more.....

But I'm glad it's being good to you.

[dbral]

Hey Matt! The car is doing very well bud. Over 200k on it currently and running strong. Olds should have built an Alero optioned like this...

[dbral]

Weird. Between 20 mph and 1 mph, the pcm commands the iac to ~20 iac counts below the target then the idle surge begins as this engine does not like idle speeds below 700rpm or so. Above 20 mph or at 0 mph, all is well. With VSS disconnected, the car drives/idles normally. With the iac disconnected, the car drives/idles normally. Dunno. Maybe a left-over auto trans routine still running in the background? Not sure why this just popped up after tuning either. Maybe it was being masked by the .81v tps setting and high tb blade angle that the was set originally? Very low to 0 iac counts at times. There was no surge before the tune, only a high idle when cold and p0507 every once and a while. Going to try some more things this weekend.

[dbral]

After 2 weekends of trying i'm back to square one lol. Ended up back to cheating the system once again during the 20-1mph GM rolling idle thing by increasing the throttle blade angle at idle to blend that seam and keep a solid idle. Unfortunately, 950 is as low as i can go and still keep a few iac counts with no a/c commanded at 0 mph. Got my fingers crossed that there will not be any cold idle flare like before.

Spent a number of hours trying silly things to override that part of the OS to no avail. Spent another number of hours trying to get this engine to idle consistently @ 675rpm to give the pcm what i assume it wants to no avail. Learned a lot. Got confused even more...

There is a tiny tuner/user defined parameter rabbit hole that might help with this. There are manual trans segment swaps that can be done supposedly. I could be overlooking something too.... Maybe reconnecting the evap system might be beneficial....Maybe i should just be happy the way it is, lol.

[dbral]

With some help, we did some maf tuning a few weekends ago that cleared up a few cells with odd fuel trim issues and also further improved low rpm drivability. Basically running a stock maf setting at this point. The differences from the mms tune are shown in the photo below. Had a few 30 degree mornings with no issues/flares so far. Even more strong and stable at idle speeds now. The a/c engage/disengage is barely noticeable and the exhaust note even sounds healthier as well. Really need a wideband to go further, esp for the wot stuff.

Drained and filled the trans today with Pennzoil's version of GM's manual trans fluid. Have only put about 20 miles on it but so far so good. The smoothed out idle really helps with the f40 clunk as well.

Picking up a driveline vibration only on accel around 30-50mph. Looking into that currently. Had the LH axle out and apart today as the inboard boot was leaking. Noticed some wear in the tri-pot guts but nothing too excessive i suppose. The driveline angles look odd to me. Almost like the powertrain was welded in pivoted too far forward. Will get a photo of it up.

[dbral]

Took some measurements today and going to try and shorten and repair the LH axle shaft tomorrow. Vibration on accel got noticeably worse after i replaced the inboard boot. Further inspection revealed that the axle was not being held in place at the outboard joint snap-ring as i could move the axle back and forth about 2 inches when installed in the car. Took it apart and what i found is in the photo below. RH axle is a stock n body. LH is whatever is on car currently. Appears to be cut/modified and is def. too long. Tried to reinstall axle with snap-ring on inner groove and the tri-pot bottoms out and pops the snap-ring back out of the groove again when installing the knuckle/ball joint.

Coming up with 12 5/8" from ring groove ends to put the tri-pot at approx. mid travel with suspension at full droop. Plan is to use stock n-body outboard shaft splines/groove and G6(?) inboard. Hopefully the vibration is eliminated.

Can't wait to get the car back on the road. Recently it has become my good weather commuter and it is nice to have something fun to look forward to driving after leaving work.

[dbral]

Got as far as i could with it. Hopefully finish it tomorrow night and try it out. Ended up just shortening the current axle only as the stock N-body is a different dia. and i was having issues getting it to true-up with the other axle end. Got the ignition switch and K/N filter recharge done today. Have a fuel filter and a set of plugs still to do as well. Was hoping to get everything done today...

[dbral]

Still have more to do. Going to use some DOM tubing to sleeve the O.D. Hopefully done by tomorrow....

[dbral]

Done. Need to install and try it out. Noticed also that the inboard cv boot on the passenger side rubbed thru the engine side plastic splash shielding. All mounts seem tight/unbroken. Shielding looks properly retained. Dunno. Going to hold off on having a proper shaft professionally made until i can verify powertrain alignment. The trans outputs are about 2-3" forward of the wheel hub centerline but that might be fine or as good as it can be with this trans swap.

[[ion] C2]

definitely want to balance that after confirming it works

[dbral]

definitely want to balance that after confirming it works

For sure, have a few more things to try out first. Works fine and has fixed the major accel vibration. Guessing that the LH wheel hub only had about 1/2" of spline engagement at best

The driveline angles are way different from our stock 5 speed car and there is not a whole lot that can be done. Raising the ride height would help with one of the angles but i do not want to change the springs as the car handles very well as is. Pivoting the powertrain towards the back to help re-align the wheel hub/trans. outputs looks like it would take that other angle even further from stock.

The axle's operating angles look severe but that just goes along with having a lowered/modified fwd.

[dbral]

Got about 400 miles on the experimental axle so far and am still feeling the driveline vibration. It varies in intensity from almost none to moderate with no rhyme or reason that i can tell. Ordered new LH/RH G6 axles to swap joints with. OEM axles are discontinued and i fear that i will receive the cheap chineseium axles with the small dia. inner joints but they should be fine for testing anyway. Looks like the center bearing for the intermediate shaft is discontinued too but should be able to get a # from it and move forward with that if needed. Checked all the obvious things i can think of with no findings. Assuming that the root cause of the vibration is that there is a lot of wear on the current axle joints due to the operating angles. If the new joints eliminate the vibration, thinking that i can maybe combine the G6 stub/flange and larger OEM n-body inner tri -pots and housings for better durability.

Been trying different things to reduce the f40 clatter and stumbled upon something the other night when checking the drivetrain. With the car in gear, i was able to rotate both front tires forward and backwards over 1/4 of a turn. Lol, lots of driveline slop, or so i thought. After some more investigating, i happened to look thru a window in the trans housing below the slave cyl connection and i could see that the clutch pressure plate is rotating and stopping when the drivetrain does. Assuming that is the dual mass flywheel is allowing for that and most likely it has seen better days and it also suspiciously makes the same loud clank noise that will show up at idle speeds and when letting on/off the throttle. The DMF is still available from GM surprisingly. There are also custom single mass flywheels available. Might do an experiment on that as well before i pull the trigger on parts as the dmf is kinda expensive.

[dbral]

Both front axles came in a few days ago. Replaced the RH axle today and the vibration on accel is pretty much gone so that was a great start to the new year. Attempted to swap over the new inner joint pieces to the current LH axle as well, however the tripot side splines/dia. are different but in a good way as the new parts are beefier. Should be able to incorporate those new pieces into the next axle. Hope y'all had a good Christmas and have a happy New Year

[dbral]

Installed experimental LH axle version 2.0 today. Made the interlock on this one using a mill/lathe and it has 2 brand new joints like the RH axle now does but the vibration on accel. is def. still there. Nowhere near as intense as it was a few months ago though so i'm hopeful that i'm on the right track.

Going to try what the Fiero people do next. Prelim. measurements show that a powertrain shift to the passenger side of approx .75" would allow me to run off the shelf G6 axles. Need to get some data points from our 5 speed car to figure out how much powertrain setback is needed to correct the current axle to wheel hub centerline misalignment. The measuring tape/square method shows roughly 1 1/2 inches of misalignment that would require moving the powertrain towards the rear of the car to correct it. The vertical axle misalignment over stock is dependent on the ride height. Not sure what moving the engine/trans will do as far a handling is concerned but thinking that it would be more safe to move them backwards than forwards and it may actually improve handling a bit having the CG closer to the vehicle's actual center. Going to create some servicing headaches and going to be a pita to do as well but worth a try i think.

One photo shows the frt/back hub centerline to trans output misalignment. That, along with the uphill angle of the axles when the car is on the ground is asking a lot from those axles having to cancel out all of those angles at once. The other photo is the two "custom" lh axles lol

[dbral]

New dual mass flywheel came today. Hoping this will fix the loud clank/clunk noises at idle/neutral with clutch engaged. Also have a theory that the dmf may fix the rest of the accel vibration. If so, found a place that will make a custom LH axle center shaft and EDM the correct splines/dia to accept the common Rock Auto APVI joints. Saving powertrain shifting as a last resort.

The car has been reliable and fun for us so far. Been using it to commute to work on sunny days (100 mile round trip) Consistent 29 mpg combined.

We had a few sub 20 degree F mornings here this winter with no more cold start/warm-up issues so i'm confident that issue has been addressed. Almost 208k on the clock as of today and still going strong. Got this years first coat of wax on it about 3 wks ago. Car really shines. Need to get some good pics of it. Coworkers are planning a Tail of the Dragon trip for next month. Hope to get pics there.

[homegrown]

New dual mass flywheel came today. Hoping this will fix the loud clank/clunk noises at idle/neutral with clutch engaged. Also have a theory that the dmf may fix the rest of the accel vibration. If so, found a place that will make a custom LH axle center shaft and EDM the correct splines/dia to accept the common Rock Auto APVI joints. Saving powertrain shifting as a last resort.

The car has been reliable and fun for us so far. Been using it to commute to work on sunny days (100 mile round trip) Consistent 29 mpg combined.

We had a few sub 20 degree F mornings here this winter with no more cold start/warm-up issues so i'm confident that issue has been addressed. Almost 208k on the clock as of today and still going strong. Got this years first coat of wax on it about 3 wks ago. Car really shines. Need to get some good pics of it. Coworkers are planning a Tail of the Dragon trip for next month. Hope to get pics there.

Good stuff - I thought that the DMF was pretty much unobtainable at this point. It is a heavy piece, and I did think about moving to a SMF when V8Archie was still making them for the Fiero crowd, but I wanted to keep OEM stuff wherever possible.
Glad you're enjoying the vehicle.

[dbral]

Surprisingly Rock Auto (where this dmf came from) is showing stock along with others on Ebay and the like. This one is definitely NOS going by the GM labels on its box. It was stocked in Indiana at a Pontiac dealer in 2006 at one time in its life, lol.

I sent an email to V8 Archie a few months ago to see what options they have but they have yet to contact me back.

Spec currently has a SMF listed for basically the same price as the OEM one. I emailed their sales dept. and verified fitment with them and it seems legit. It offers a ~10 lb. weight reduction over stock. Evidently there are pros and cons to the SMF conversion thing. I have never driven a vehicle with a lightened flywheel so I was hesitant to go that route. The Subaru/VW/Fiero people have mixed things to say. I'm mostly worried about noise and drivability and those were the things that the above people had complaints about. The biggest pro to me is the longevity of the smf but we drive our cars gently so i am hoping that the new OEM one will last a while.

Yep, car is still doing great bud! Took it to work today actually. The car is rock-solid on the highway even when semi trucks are close by. That is where it really shines. Stock vehicles now feel like they wallow all over the place to me lol. That suspension set-up is on point.

[dbral]

Finished installing the new dual mass flywheel yesterday. Got to put some miles on it today and am happy with it. The vibration on accel is gone. The noise at idle is still there, just not nearly as intense. The car had a Sachs clutch plate and disc already and from what i can gather this is the OEM style set-up, so this is about as quiet as an f40 can be when bolted to an engine with a somewhat lumpy/rough idling camshaft.

[dbral]

Oil change/maintenance/wash/wax today. Wanted to drive up the mountain on the local "mini tail of the dragon" but the road is still closed from last year's hurricane damage.

[homegrown]

Nice. Looks good for being a quarter-century old.
Glad to see it's still alive and kicking.

[dbral]

Still alive and well Matt. Almost 211,000 on the clock now. Its a great looking car for sure and really love driving it. Been one heck of a fun, reliable and efficient commuter for us too.

Ordered tires yesterday along with 12mm billet spacers and extended studs for the rear wheels to see how that looks/clearance for a different tire/rim size possibly. Sticking with the 225/45's for now. There was a gagt with the 18's from a GXP Bonneville some years ago that looked good to me. Really think that Volks or Enkei's would look good too. Very difficult to find 5x115 rims in that style though.

Got parts for another f40 noise experiment/theory a few weeks ago lol. Prob. not going to help the noise but will be fun to try and have a project to look forward to as well.

[dbral]

Installed tires on the Alero today using a duckbill conversion kit for the 1st time. Works pretty good. No rim damage. Been wanting to try one of these for a while. Much better than going to the tire shop.

[[ion] C2]

Today I continued to wait for my paint job and interior to be finished. And for my RPS triple disc carbon clutch to be made (paid deposit June 2024 and said it would be a 3-4 month project when I was considering AWD, but should be much quicker since I'm remaining FWD).

:(

[dbral]

Today I continued to wait for my paint job and interior to be finished. And for my RPS triple disc carbon clutch to be made (paid deposit June 2024 and said it would be a 3-4 month project when I was considering AWD, but should be much quicker since I'm remaining FWD).


Terrible news. Any chance you might get your car back and together this year?

[[ion] C2]

I can still drive the current chassis at least. Just would like to get it to its endgame sooner where the car is comfortable, air conditioned, and easy to drive. As of right now it's a stressful experience to operate in public, but since I know the clutch is being replaced, I'm a little more slippy with it so it's not so bad to drive...