will exhaust improve driveability after a cam swap?
03-22-2004, 07:56 PM
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will exhaust improve driveability after a cam swap? Hey guys, I just finished my cam install today, and fired it up. It has open headers, and sounds BAD ***. However, it idles and drives like ****. Will I get some of the driveability back after I have an exhaust system put on it? I drove it around town a bit today, and if it stays like this, I honestly would start swapping the stock cam back in tomorrow. I went with the hotcam for driveability, I don't have 500 bucks to plunk down on a dyno tune and I know some people run this cam on the stok programming just fine. What improvements will I see once the rest of the exhaust is put on? I'm going true duals with an H pipe and flowmasters, over the axle out the back.
03-22-2004, 08:48 PM
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I don't thing exhaust will improve your idle and driveability. It will make your car a lot quiter than open headers! The only way I know of to improve driveability and idle is by getting a dyno tune.
Jimmy
Jimmy
03-22-2004, 09:03 PM
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I do think some of the poor running is from the lack of backpressure. When I had my LT1, and I did longtubes it ran kinda crappy until I got an exhaust system put on it
03-22-2004, 09:06 PM
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we installed LS1 HOT cam in son's 5.3 and were able to get it driveable and idle ( BEFORE TUNING ) we turn the idle screw uo only about 1/2 turn and begain drilling TB with letter drill going up only one size at a time, we acomplish idle one size below 1/4 ( have seen posts which state never go over 17/32
good luck Johnny
good luck Johnny
03-22-2004, 09:10 PM
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Originally Posted by foff667
haha you went the wrong route then...the hotcam is pretty lopey from what i hear
Oh its lumpy as hell!!! it sounds amazing. But the car isn't hardly driveable. I may have to pop for a dyno tune then. What about that mail order programming?
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03-22-2004, 10:10 PM
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Yup, the Hotcam definitely isn't a choice for drivability. To take it, you need programming. You can do all of the things people suggest without tuning and you'll get it to idle, but it will still be decidedly unpleasant.
03-22-2004, 11:18 PM
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Originally Posted by foff667
if you need a 1/2in+ hole drilled in your TB there are more issues than that cam wouldve done 
Thanks again foff667
03-23-2004, 07:41 AM
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When I put headers on my 5.3, I had to drive to the exhaust shop with open headers. It drove like crap and kept trying to stall out. After I had an exhaust welded back on, it drove fine again. I think the outside air was messing with the front O2 sensors since they were located right at the end of the headers.
I'd wait until I got the exhaust put back on, then make a decision from there.
I'd wait until I got the exhaust put back on, then make a decision from there.
03-23-2004, 07:59 AM
#12
yes you will gain your drivability back with the full exhaust setup back on. i drive my car with the stock cam and open headers for a week and it was a turd down low and around town due to no back pressure. once the Y and magnaflow were on it was alot better. i can bet that the untuned cam and the open headers would make your car that much more of a pain. finish up the exhaust, reset the PCM, drive a couple hundred miles and it should be a night and day difference. also as stated dont kid yourself about the hotcam being more drivable and tame then other cams. it still has alot of duration and overlap despite its slow ramps. and you will need tuning to get the best out of it.
03-23-2004, 01:25 PM
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I got my exhaust on! Head over to the external section to check it out, its BAD ***!! How do I reset the PCM? BTW it drives 1000x better now. After driving it open headers yesterday and this mornign I was ready to put the stock cam back in it was so bad. Now its totally tolerable.
