camarosource

As you likely already heard, I recently spent $7000cdn on getting my original stock L98 5.7L V8 350 (with Shift Kit) remanufactured (pulled engine out, and installed all new parts, ignition, wires, etc). They installed headers as well as a Mild cam (Step 1) due to emissions in my area I've had to limit myself to this cam.

I've noticed there is no GRUNT when you floor it, and seems it just increases speed rather than Throwing you into the seat and spinning the tires as it Forcefully drives off.. In otherwords I've noticed a LARGE DECREASE IN LOW END TORQUE. The cam is doing it's job; producing a nice low idle with lope (which I was surprized cause when the car was in the shop, I was eventually told by a number of people I would likely NOT notice any difference since it's a mild cam). However the change (SOUND WISE) BLEW ME AWAY when it was started up for me.. EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED IT TO SOUND LIKE!! However performance is NOT

The car's exhaust only changed by headers. It's the same dual cat, into single 80 series flowmaster, exiting with Two straight (angle cut) 3.5" 2 Foot long chrome exhaust pipes out the back.

Here is what was done:

1 - New 5.7L V8 350 engine (Rebuilt with new Pistons, Bearings, Valves, Seals, Springs, Lifters, Timing Set, Polished Crankshaft, All new Gaskets, Including Head Gaskets, Intake, Rear Main seal, Timing Gasket and Front seal).

LIST (Parts like Motor Mounts, etc are left out of list since they have nothing to do with the engine Performance)

1 - Intake Manifold (STOCK as far as they told me)

1 - 3 Year, Parts and Warranty (60,000km Warranty) on all related parts.

1 - Comp Cam

Quote:

Model .05" Duration 1.5:1 Lift Lope Sep.

COMPCAM 08-300-8 206/210 .450/.480 112 Deg
FACTORY: 10111773 202/207 .413/.428 114.5 Deg

AS PER JEGS:


SPECS as per SUMMITRACING.COM



1 - MSD Pro Billet Distributor Cap and Rotor



1 - BEST Rated Oil Filter - WIX :


1 - MSD Wires (8.5mm) [BLUE] Heli-Core Spark Plug Wires Kit


8 - ACDelco's RAPIDFIRE platinum spark plugs (100,000KM replacement)


1 - Edelbrock (Ceramic) TES (Tubular Exhaust Systems) 1 5/8" Headers and Kit Exhaust System with Y-pipe


1 - Stage 8 Header Lock Bolts


1 - New O2 Sensor

1 - New AC Delco Waterpump

1 - New Thermostat

1 - New UPPER Heater hose

1 - New LOWER Heater hose

1 - New Intake to Throttlebody Coolant Hose

1 - New Radiator Fan Switch

1 - New Tempature Sensor

2 - New Oil Cooler Gaskets

1 - New Serpentine Belt

1 - Speedy Sleeve for Harmonic Balancer

1 - Oil Change 5W30

X - Fixed some grounding wires

Now my questions are this:

1. Is this NORMAL???? "new" engine, Added freeflowing headers (compared to air-sticken stock manifolds), and a mild STEP UP cam compared to stock cam.. and yet A NOTICIBLE DECREASE OF LOW ENGINE TORQUE AND GRUNT?

2. Could this mean the change now means the shift kit that was installed previously when the car was running stock engine is now out of tune and shifting wrong? Seems like it's shifting HIGHER up, which feels and sounds like it's strugling. If I floor it from a standstill, it seems to shift when it gets to almost the YELLOW on the tach which doesn't seem right. Shifts around 3500 normal speed. All this AFTER getting the car back. "new" engine with new parts and engine races to almost "caution" mark on the tach before it shifts when flooring it doesn't sound like something I want to do to a newly rebuilt engine..

3. Do I have to take the car back to the engine shop and mechanic because this is NOT NORMAL?? I ASSUMED I would assume a "new" engine (had coolant problems, compression problems, and 3 oil leaks), added HEADERS, and MILD step up 1 cam would INCREASE HP AND TORQUE???

I have to baby the car for least a year as I drive the car very short distances and the break in period is like 4500km (which is way more than I do in a year).

I need to know if I need to contact them, or take it to the tranny shop to see if these changes have effected the way the shift kit's shifting was tuned for.

I can't floor it all that much to see what's it's like in a higher RPM as I am told by the mechanic and engine shop that I have to let the cam and pistons SEAT or I can cause damage if I try to push the engine before it's BROKEN-IN.

Here is what the car sounds like :
PLEASE HELP.. DID I JUST WASTE ALL THAT MONEY?

onefastgta

Sounds like the tv cable isn't adjusted properly. Call them and see if they have a transmission line pressure guage to set the tv-cable pressure, or just do it yourself if you know how?

confused327

When you break in a new engine the best way to seat the rings is to do it with cylinder pressure, and the best way to develop pressure is with throttle. Do a search on here and you'll see I'm not the only one saying this. This won't cause your problem but is good information to know.

What probably is causing your problem is a need for more timing or a new tune or both. Start by setting the timing around 8-10deg, that should help if it's not there. The TV cable also sounds wrong.

What size is the intermediate pipe in the exhaust(after cats, before muffler). If it's stock you will notice a gain by changing it for a 3" piece.

irocbsa

Agreed. My first guess is severly retarded timing or TV cable issues. Can you check the adjustment on both and get back to us?

camarosource

I called the mechanic and he says he put the timing on MILD (almost stock) as he didn't want to void the warrenty during the break in period.

He did no other tuning. No chip nor fuel injector tuning.. He is now looking for someone to tune the car for me.

So the fact that when I FLOOR it it revs to YELLOW and THEN kicks to the next gear is NOT normal? When would it NORMALLY change upon flooring it? One point in was ALMOST into red..

That sounds like the TV Cable?

confused327

you would probably benefit from a little more timing.

the operating rpm of the engine depends on the cam, with the new cam the engine may need to spin higher.

what does the RPM read when it shifts? within 5000-5500 is normal. my car doesn't have a factory tach so i have no idea where red and yellow are. factory tachs are also known to be very inaccurate. i drove an lg4 that according to the tach would shift at 7k, it was stock.

you will notice a good sized increase in power with a good dyno tune.

do you have a timing light?

camarosource

When I floor it (gas to the floor), the shift takes place between 5000-6000rpm.. (Yellow is 5000-5500 and Red is 5500-7000).

fast92R.S.herritage

www.tbichips.com.........www.tpicips.com
they will sell you a programed chip for a good price.
all engine perameters have changed with that cam.
it wont run right until you get chip to match your cam!!!!!!!!
i put chip in my tbi 5.0 and gained one second in quarter without touching internals but did set timing at 2 degrees and headers tru duals now runs 14.49 with 196k miles

camarosource

This is a cam Specifically for Stock Computer's tho..

confused327

5500-5700 is a touch high but won't cause any major problems.

the "for stock computers" comment means that it will run with the stock computer, but that doesn't mean that it will perform the best.

i would try advancing the timing a little bit.

85_305

Thank you, I was just going to delve into this. But lets remember.. there is no set "formula" for breaking in a car. Do you think that auto manufacturers break in cars before they kick them out to the public? Do you think 90% of the public even knows how, or what breaking in a motor is? I say drive it like normal just like 99% of the other cars out there. But like Confused327 said, at the minimum you need pressure from throttle to set the rings. Just drive it and harp it like a Camaro should be

Now, you and your mechanic realize that MOST modern cam shafts come pre-advanced a certain ammount of degrees right? So if that's the case.. and you guys are over there advancing the **** outta it, the car is gonna run like crap.

It could also VERY WELL be your TV cable judging by this post.

confused327

my new engine saw 6k it's first night out, guess whats broke now....................


........................the transmission.

we're talking about ignition timing, not cam timing.

something i also just thought about, a lot of places that rebuild engines will just replace thge old motor with a new one. this could have happened and you ended up with some smog heads. the only way to know is with the casting number under the valve cover, if it ends with 083 they are the originals.

Rice Killer87

I was thinking that also...

If the cam range is ~ till 5000,and its shifting at 5500,then that sounds about right to me.

What is mild timing? Did he say a #? Its prob. set around 6* base and thats garbage. I noticed in the other vid it took a second to start,so I think it needs the timing bumped up a couple degrees. You set the timing on a new motor just like you would any other motor,just b/c its new doesnt mean it doesnt get full timing.

camarosource

HOLY DAMN!!!! (Trying to keep it clean ) I took the car to Mike from VF who offered to help with the car. The timing was apparently set to 6 (which was so low that the car was running really lean, and the car could not keep runing even at idle the moment they disconnected the computer from the idle sensor or whatever). They set my tranny cable which was stretched, a LOT of clicks more, and adjusted the timing to like 10. Plus they rotated the distributor a few degrees as it was apparently set wrong, and HOLY DAMN!!! I can barely drive without screeching the tires now!! Actually chirps like crazy when you are up to speed and it's shifting..

I feel like ive gone from driving those 90hp Acura V6 (rental cars during my indoor shows), to a V8! The difference is AMAZING! Hard to control I find.. Still sounds great so I'm VERY happy at this point!

confused327

Glad everything worked out for you!