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YASVT (Yet Another Sixteen Valve Turbo) - now 16V Whiteblock (LS)

Speeeeeeaking of eejits, I drove it the other day. Somewhat cooler weather, and it was acting all glub glub rich, too much fuel! So of course I set about driving it around some, doing a bit of autotune, doing a bit of smoothing, got it all running nice and clean again. Then... I happened to notice I'd left the IAT sensor unplugged after removing the cold side piping to refit that BOV. So basically it thought it was -100 bazillion degrees air temp.


*SIGH*

That did remind me though, the IAT has always unwaveringly said '70 degrees' - and I'm pretty sure it's not a wiring issue - because if I unplug the sensor it goes full cold, and if I touch the wires together (briefly, hopefully that's not bad, ahem) it goes waaaay hot. So it seems like the fixed resistance is coming from the sensor itself. I bought another one, we'll see if that works.

What are the odds it needs a pull-up resistor? Is the sensor meant for 5v or 12v? What does MS want to see.
Dumb questions and I'm sure you've already considered that, but worth asking.
 
Dunno. I was lay as hell when doing that part of the LS swap, I just got a DIY Goldbox and a prebuilt harness. Not the cheapest thing in the world, but it was ridiculously easy to slap together. Just had to add a few wires to the harness for things they didn't include (gauge sensors, starter, alternator). Started on the first try. w00t.

I'd like to think it's configured properly for the IAT sensor, but maybe it's just some small detail that escaped their attention?
 
Dunno. I was lay as hell when doing that part of the LS swap, I just got a DIY Goldbox and a prebuilt harness. Not the cheapest thing in the world, but it was ridiculously easy to slap together. Just had to add a few wires to the harness for things they didn't include (gauge sensors, starter, alternator). Started on the first try. w00t.

I'd like to think it's configured properly for the IAT sensor, but maybe it's just some small detail that escaped their attention?

This sounds like a Kenny question.
 
if it's 70 all the time it's in failsafe mode, i.e. the sensor is bad or the wiring has an issue. ms2 stuff has that baked in, I thought ms3 didn't though. I'd have to go look at one of the cars to see, perhaps post hurricane tomorrow if I think about it.
 
*lamest update ever*

All I did was start it up and back it out of the garage. Lol, I'm late getting it out of winter storage this year. I've been busy doing random other things.

Oh, I did get another toy:
YbRdEu9h.jpg

(not my garage, my garage is a ****ing mess)

It's sort of a (somewhat) 'turbobricked' Miata. An '04 Mazdaspeed (factory turbo version) with a bored block, forged Wisecos, H-beams, bigger turbo, 3" exhaust all the way back, running on MS3 (A PnP DIYAutotune box). Running conservative low boost (10 psi), dynoed at 220 at the rear wheels. Sways, coilovers, Wilwoods up front. Loads of fun. It came with a hardtop and no soft top, I got a soft top frame from the junkyard and a new canvas top and wrestled that on today.
avPiDGGh.jpg
 
:lol:

I've been making a little stack of parts to bolt onto it.
- Wilwood brake kit for the front (waiting on the last bits)
- boxed front lower control arms
- pondering something else other than the stock perches/IPD springs/Bil HD's... but probably won't right now

The fuel map shows it's currently at the limits of what the DW300 can feed on pump gas (ski hill forming in top right corner, not a good thing for sure)
- new gas tank
- dual pump setup
- hose/fittings/filter/etc for AN10 fuel supply (using the old AN6 supply line for the new larger return)
- so I can start running E85 and raising the boost
 
After not doing any of the stuff on my to do list for... a long time, I finally felt the urge to start tinkering with it some. So I put the dual fuel pump setup into the tank.

New cheap RockAuto tank.
M0zR43ih.jpg


And a hole saw:
jFG2JY4h.jpg


And I got lazy and didn't take pics until it was done.
yqLRSpmh.jpg


Two 300lph pumps. One will run all the time, the other will run when boost gets above 4-ish psi.

AN8 lines from each pump joining together to AN10 to a single filter and up to the engine, where it splits into AN8 lines going to each fuel rail. Then a single AN8 return line.

I'll just pull the fuel pump off the stock sender unit and leave it there for vapor recovery and gauge sending.

The current DW300 pump was running out of flow at higher RPM and at current 6 - 7 psi of boost, the upper right side of the fuel map has a big mountain built on it trying to make up for the sagging flow. This will certainly take care of that. And give me plenty of overhead to switch to E85 and raise the boost some. Because... Hell I don't know, 550 hp is still a bit of a handful, and it's not like it will really get any faster in the lower gears.
 
Hey that looks familiar. Aeromotive told me not to let it it sit for too long with fuel in the tank or use any chemicals like Seafoam or that baffle will break down into a huge mess.

Also if you ever figure out a check valve that holds pressure in the system like the OEM stuff I’d be interested to know. Mine still has to be primed at least twice before it will start without stumbling and sometimes cutting off. I tried a couple from Vibrant and both let the pressure bleed off almost immediately. The ball in one of them even rattled louder than the exhaust so I finally gave up and just removed it.
 
Yeah, I pondered that baffle a while. The fitment in the skinny top portion of the tank. Interference with the stock swirl pan. Stories of the foam dissolving into mush. And I decided to just not use it.

It remains to be seen how much of problem that will be at low fuel levels. If it really is a big issue, I'll probably pull the tank and rethink things.
 
Those fittings won't fit like that in the car. There is a structural support which will foul them. Its my one gripe about that aeromotive unit. I wish the fittings came out of the top.
 
Hey that looks familiar. Aeromotive told me not to let it it sit for too long with fuel in the tank or use any chemicals like Seafoam or that baffle will break down into a huge mess.

Also if you ever figure out a check valve that holds pressure in the system like the OEM stuff I?d be interested to know. Mine still has to be primed at least twice before it will start without stumbling and sometimes cutting off. I tried a couple from Vibrant and both let the pressure bleed off almost immediately. The ball in one of them even rattled louder than the exhaust so I finally gave up and just removed it.

http://www.radiumauto.com/Universal-Check-Valve-Kits-P1872.aspx
 
Those fittings won't fit like that in the car. There is a structural support which will foul them. Its my one gripe about that aeromotive unit. I wish the fittings came out of the top.

I was going to say this exact thing but I thought maybe there was some cutting involved already...
 
Those fittings won't fit like that in the car. There is a structural support which will foul them. Its my one gripe about that aeromotive unit. I wish the fittings came out of the top.

I verified the top clearance, but certainly haven't finalized the clocking or fittings attached to it.
 
Lame update: After a long while of not doing anything, I did some troubleshooting. Went to start it, no crank, no click. After some fruitless wire tracing I just jumped to the end and multi-metered the wire after unplugging it from the terminal - 12.7 volts when the hkey is in the start position. Plugged that wire in and tried thumping it while mthe key was put in start, nothing. I guess it's a bad starter.

Yeah....

Ordered another starter, lol. At least that's not too bad of a job in an LS, two downward facing bolts.

Still a too-stiff clutch pedal, still a somewhat vague shifter that comes out of gear way to easily on some geats (the Volvo rubber boot pushes it out), still no fuel tank and dual pumps installed, still no Wilwood brakes, still no Ford 8.8, no E85, no increased boost PSI's.

Motivation has been lacking on this for a while. I sort of blame the Miata.
 
Umm work on my car or drive a turbo miata? Hardly seems fair to the Volvo. :lol: But you know that beast will be making you smile again. Nothing wrong with rolling slow to get there. We've been getting great Fall weather. Hope you are enjoying it as well.
 
I did put a new clutch on the Miata, and a new rollbar (it had a single hoop HardDog HardBar, I put on a HardDog M1 HardCore with 4 mounting points and some diagonals). Which, despite the persistent imagery in the naming, wasn't all that hard. (lol) And some FM chassis rails and butterfly braces.

The Miata's clutch should have only had about 12 - 15K on it, since the guy I bought it from put a new one on when he rebuilt the motor (h-beams, forged pistons, lots of other goodies), but when I tried upping the boost a little, it slipped, and when I turned it back down, it wasn't long before it was slipping at base boost as well. I kind of think the guy didn't pick the right clutch, turned up the boost, it slipped, he turned it back down and ended up selling it? Anyhow, it's got enough clutch in it now. Should be good for 300-ish HP.

New LS truck starter still sitting in a box next to my desk at home. I need to get that in. But now we're in the middle of tearing out our kitchen for a redo, and that's sort of some important functionality for a house, so getting that done in a reasonable amount of time is taking priority.
 
Finally got a break in the non-stop kitchen project (waiting for grout to set), so I set about putting the new starter in. Nice thing about LS motors is how the starter bolts in. Two vertical bolts, easy to get to from below. As easy as starters get, I'd think.

So took off the old starter. Moved my homemade heat shield over (it sits pretty close to the 3.5" downpipe) and put the new starter in. And... still no crank. WTF? I redid some diagnostics, 12.4 volts at the starter wire when the key is in crank position, 0V otherwise. Why no crank?

One of the first drives I did with the LS involved the dipstick catching on fire. It was one of those flexible hose style dipsticks, and it sat a little too close to the header. A little burning plastic and oil dripped down onto the starter wire and damage it and the terminal. At the time, the part that plugged into the starter looked 'ok', even if the retaining clip was melted off. And the wire was good, other than missing some insulation. I wrapped it some electrical tape, put it in a heat sleeve, and worried about other things (like the spark plug wires that kept burning up).

And, I guess, the terminal finally decided to stop working. After snipping it off, I could see it was really sprung out where it was supposed to press onto the starter terminal. More of a matter of wondering why it had been working at all. Along with a little wondering why it had been working, but decided to stop when no one touched it. And kept on not working even on a different starter. A multimeter would read 12.whatever volts because it was angled slightly, making contact.

So... new wiring pigtail ($12 at Autozone, joys of working on Chevy stuff, parts are everywhere), cut, splice, heatshrink, and crank crank VROOOM. Oh yeah, I had the downpipe off for access, I guess I'll put that back on before I drive it.
 
Took it on my 'Miata' loop yesterday. Company holiday luncheon, I played hooky instead. 125-ish miles of mostly twisty hilly two-lane country roads.

It just... for some reason, makes me tense to drive it. Not sure why. The Miata is just plain fun to blast around, the Volvo corners well, is fast as hell, but somehow, I'm just not at ease as much. I guess I need to take it autocrossing a few times and get more used to driving it at/over the limit. Where I won't go into a ditch if I overcook it.

I guess a few lingering issues I need to figure out somehow:

1) The shifter sucks. CD009 style (JK40C) with a top-mount from CBF Performance with an offset lever to put it in the right spot. It has some rotational play, which wouldn't be a big deal if it didn't have the offset lever, but with the offset, that rotation turns into side to side movement at the knob. 6 gears in a small area, with a bit of slop. Argh. And it pops very easily out of 5th, just the slight pressure of the Volvo rubber shifter boot pushes it out if you're not on the power. That shifter detent is also part of the shifter kit (stock spring loaded thing, interacting with their new part on the shifter rod). So... can't really use 5th gear to cruise along. The shifter is by far the biggest joykill of driving this around. It's enough to make me think about ditching the CD009 and putting a worked up T56 or TR6060 in it. I just want a nice precise shifter that actually works. And driving the super duper excellent Miata 6-spd trans and snick-snick-snick shifter just makes this piss me off even more!

2) Had some weird issues with hanging high idle. Let off going into the corner and it wouldn't always engine brake, idling at about 2K or so. And inconsistent. Engine braking or slight push? WHO KNOWS? It gradually got worse until I power cycled the MS and it was better behaved. Annoying. I don't have A/C on this, maybe I should disable the idle control and just set it with the throttle position. I tend to overuse engine braking in corners (staying in a lower gear) and it really annoys me to have to find out if I'll need to use the brakes or not corner by corner.

3) Clutch is annoying as well. It's a "800 hp" LS clutch, and it's stiff. And the engagement point is pretty high (my fault for not adjusting it) and pretty abrupt. It's a bit much on a long fun drive with lots of shifting. I think a smaller bore clutch master might help this. Lower pedal force, stretch that engagement point out some.

4) Engine (LH8 aluminum 5.3 with a T76 turbo, LS3 intake, and LSA cam) just seems a bit lazy off idle and at low RPMs. It pulls 5 psi at 2250 rpm, hits full boost at 2800 RPM and goes like stink when in boost. But I just can't help but think it feels lazy off boost. Almost enough to make me think the cam is off a tooth or something. Probably not too hard to check by taking a rocker cover off. And maybe I need to think about some other sort of cam? This isn't going to be a high RPM screamer, I'd like low end torque and a fast spool, and I'm OK with a low(ish) redline. Maybe it just needs a good professional tune. I used a canned configuration that came with the 'Gold Box' MS, and tweaked it a fair amount on the fuel side, but really haven't touched the likely very conservative ignition tables.

5) Related to above, slightly pondering a better suited turbo of some sort. I have a dual ball bearing 'T76' eBay cheap turbo on it now. I just wonder if something with a bit smaller turbine housing might spool faster and be more fun to drive. It's fun now, but there's just a bit more 'off boost/on boost' feel than I want. I was OK with that light switch feel on the 16V B230, small motor, lots of boost (20 - 22 psi), yeah, there's not a lot of middle ground. But with 5.3 liters I'd like it to feel more powerful off boost, come quickly into low boost (like 8 - 10 psi) and not have that light switch feel.

But all in all, fun drive. It didn't catch fire, the dipstick didn't pop out and put oil on the downpipe (like it did last year, bbbbRRRRRAAAAAAPPPP!!!! wait is that smoke, FfffFFFuUuUFUFUUU oh it's just the damn dipstick).
 
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Took it on my 'Miata' loop yesterday. Company holiday luncheon, I played hooky instead. 1250-ish miles of mostly twisty hilly two-lane country roads.
1250 miles?!?
1) The shifter sucks. CD009 style (JK40C) with a top-mount from CBF Performance with an offset lever to put it in the right spot. It has some rotational play, which wouldn't be a big deal if it didn't have the offset lever, but with the offset, that rotation turns into side to side movement at the knob. 6 gears in a small area, with a bit of slop. Argh. And it pops very easily out of 5th, just the slight pressure of the Volvo rubber shifter boot pushes it out if you're not on the power. That shifter detent is also part of the shifter kit (stock spring loaded thing, interacting with their new part on the shifter rod). So... can't really use 5th gear to cruise along. The shifter is by far the biggest joykill of driving this around. It's enough to make me think about ditching the CD009 and putting a worked up T56 or TR6060 in it. I just want a nice precise shifter that actually works. And driving the super duper excellent Miata 6-spd trans and snick-snick-snick shifter just makes this piss me off even more!

There isn't much better than the snick snick snick of a Miata transmission. I also struggle with the shifting of the CD009, mine doesn't pop out of gear, but we do get a lot of missed shifts. I finally got my serialnine tail mount shifter this week, hopefully it will get better.
 
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