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So I finally got around to installing the arsenal of parts I had collected over the winter last weekend (Has it even ended? Judging by the snow we got here in Metro Detroit...)
If you have not seen my previous thread, I did outline a good amount of the work that was to be completed, and it just so happened I had a couple of nice days off of work. Since I bought the car last year, I've been wanting to replace the only things left that I haven't on the car to achieve the best ride quality possible, which were the struts, rear bearings, and CV axles. I love this car, it has great potential, and it will be staying in the family even after I move on to bigger and better things. Wont be taking it to the strip like some do, but my goal with this car has always been to learn as much as I can, and of course, have a blast with it. I have been skimming the forums soaking up as much info as I can, and the knowledge I have gained was astronomically helpful in making a lot of the choices that I did, and allowed me to efficiently plan the job. With my current mile total at 105k, one would assume the wear and tear would start to show its ugly face. Vibrations, bottoming out, harsher ride, just overall tired feel to the car's suspension. It seemed every week I was thinking of another component that I wanted to replace while I had all of this apart. Then, one day, came the idea in my head, "I would love it if I didn't have so much fender/wheel gap"... Needless to say, research and decision making followed on the lowering springs. When I finally decided I had everything I needed to get this car riding new at my house, I ended up having a pile of car parts taking up a good 1/4 of my basement. Lol. Here is all of the work I did:
-4 new aftermarket Bilstein struts
-New AC Delco strut mounts all around
-SSC/Canuck 1.8"/1.6" drop lowering springs
-Anti Pogo washers all around (Some may argue I didn't need these, I assure you they made a difference. Check out the Overkill website's article on them)
-AC Delco camber/caster bolts (one per strut)
-New CV Axles
-New axle seals (Precautionary)
-Moog sway bar links all around
-Moog sway bar bushings all around
-AC Delco rear wheel bearings (replaced the fronts last year w/Moog)
-New brake guide pins, hardware, and pads (replaced rotors recently as well)
-Front and rear Don Rome STB's
-High performance Royal Purple 5w30 w/Mobil 1 filter
Here are some pics of the car lowered w/ everything completed, with the exception of a few things I'll mention later in this post. Day and a half spent on this project with many breaks:
The ride is great. Sport feel, not too harsh, and on rails through corners. The only things left to replace in the suspension would be the rear lateral links. Seeing as though the new struts didn't help my light thumping in the rear, I would have to attribute this to the lateral, as my trailing arms have been replaced a few months ago with BMR's. I have 2 forward and rearward stock replacements on the way, and will be going on Monday before she gets aligned.
Yes, I did end up buying a set of aftermarket rims/tires. The old man got a deal himself for his 300c through our neighbor knowing the owner of a local wheel shop, and I cashed out with my set at $1200 out the door, mounted, balanced, wheel lock/key, the whole 9. I made sure I got a rim that weighed around the same as the stock Alcoas. Tire size is 245/35/20, current offset is +35mm. I must say, I love the way they compliment the little bit of chrome on the car, however, my initial plan was to go for the murdered look like my 98 had. I can't complain, I'm in no hurry to make any major changes. I can always get the rim's accents painted, along with professionally tinting my tail lights, maybe front turn signal lenses, and the front grille surrounds. Overall, I couldn't be happier with the combo. It changes the look of the car dramatically, while the same tire size all around will be a convenience later on.
Also ready to go is a Trans go shift kit, fluid/filter, gasket (if needed). Also have another trans pan magnet on the way from Rock Auto. Since I'm at the mileage I am, I figured I might as well do the trans service, as well as add a few preventative/performance features. I will be ordering a TEP standalone 4" cooler setup for it to make sure its running cool this summer. I have been blown away how healthy this trans has been running. Granted, the weather has been on the cooler side here in Michigan, but I haven't seen anything over 200 degrees in a very long time, and the highest I've seen it hit once or twice since owning the car was 210. The trans stays between 160 and 180 typically on my work commute, Ill even see it drop in temp if I've been driving steadily for an extended period of time. Ive noticed it act funny a few times, but it felt more like a traction issue than anything. You can never be too safe with these transmissions, so I will do what I can to preserve the life of it until my day (Knock on wood that isn't for many, many more miles).
I do have a few concerns I'd like to ask about, they are things I noticed while I was working on it. First off, while I was lightly prying on the trans case to get the left CV axle out, I could physically see the trans rocking. Upon further inspection, I noticed that the driver side mount for the trans was moving where it bolts to the trans itself. The rubber on the mount looked really worn, and if common sense serves me well, this would leave me to believe the other mounts are probably no better. I have been noticing a slight clunk when shifting say from park to reverse, and a slight intermittent vibration when driving. Will be replacing all three. Here is is:
My theory for why the trans/fluid is in such good shape; Contrary to my prior belief, I think the trans has, in fact, been replaced. No service records to prove it, but this trans has a 'GM certified part' sticker on the driver side, unless this would come from the factory??? When it was replaced, they ignored the mounts. Thoughts?
To continue, I ran into some leaky lines. These obviously are the factory cooler lines for the trans, which I plan to completely bypass and toss anyway, but is this a common issue? It did look like trans fluid when I wiped the line, but it looks pretty gross in there. Could something else be contributing to this? Its not leaking to where its leaving drops/puddles, but it was noticeable. I do apologize if these are a bit hard to see to make a determination, but anything is helpful.
Last item of concern, while under the car, I noticed a wet spot on the oil pan. This seems like a rather unusual spot to have an oil leak, and the spot is leaking from is next to impossible to make out where its source lies. Its hard to describe where it is, but it is right next to the small gap between the engine oil pan and the transmission pan. Hopefully the pics help, if not, I can take a few better ones later. Has anyone seen this before? Most of what I've read claims these motors are stout as far as oil leakage, but every case is different. This is recent, and if I had to guess, which I sure as hell hope I'm wrong, would be the rear seal. A buddy at work also said it could be that. I cannot even imagine what that would involve, but then again, everything is fixable with the right tools and equipment. I just hope its something minor, and not the real seal. You be the judge.
I want to personally thank everyone on this forum, especially members who have really unlocked some serious power in these cars, such a great tool for those aspiring to learn everything they can about the LS4/4T65e-HD combo, and cars in general. My future plans will most defiantly include a tune. My initial thought was diablosport, and then getting a custom tune done. However, the more I read about and research HP tuners, the more confidence I have that I could handle it, and unlock any more possibilities as far as tuning capabilities, and future mods. I would love to be able to run an LS7 MAF, LS2/LS6 intake, bigger throttle body, DT headers, FWI, wideband, basically everything most efficient to run on these cars, and tune it all up myself. Get rid of all the KR I'm probably getting right now, maybe even a 3" downpipe to help with that. In the meantime, Im going to enjoy all I have done for now, all I will be doing in the near future, and most importantly, having fun. I work a lot and its hard to really put in all the time I want to, but bills gotta get paid, ya know? Anyways, Thanks for putting up with the obnoxious amount of text and pictures, I always appreciate anyone willing to offer advice.
Great job, looks like a nice ride and it sound like you have a solid game plan as well as the knowledge to follow thru. My advice is don't go overboard on the mods or it will cost you a transmission for sure. Cant really tell from the pic if that is a GM swapped trans, their tags are usually silver and are defiantly documented unless someone found one in a salvage yard and did it themselves. Good luck with the car and keep up the good work. This board has slowed down some so it will be good to have some fresh posts .The real question is, who's car is faster yours or your mans 300?
Great job, looks like a nice ride and it sound like you have a solid game plan as well as the knowledge to follow thru. My advice is don't go overboard on the mods or it will cost you a transmission for sure. Cant really tell from the pic if that is a GM swapped trans, their tags are usually silver and are defiantly documented unless someone found one in a salvage yard and did it themselves. Good luck with the car and keep up the good work. This board has slowed down some so it will be good to have some fresh posts .The real question is, who's car is faster yours or your mans 300?
That is the EXACT sticker that I saw on my trans. Thank you so much for the confirmation. Is there a way to confirm a date? I didn't look at it too closely. I appreciate the kind words, I really do pride myself on keeping a solid running, clean car. Its a perfect daily and I really do enjoy driving it. The stereo upgrades I just did make it a rolling concert, as well! RE audio XXX components all around, including the 6x9's. I will keep everyone updated with the progress.
Thats a great question...haha. I've got the weight advantage, but he's got the displacement. It would be a great match for sure, lol. One day ill convince him to run me, my dad is just as adamant as I am with vehicle upkeep, although I do all the work on it. Damn suspension design is an engineering nightmare. Whole suspension replacement later and were still chasing down clunks... He's always putting something new on it. He's running a res and muffler delete, and a CAI for mods.
On more thing then I will back down. In your searches here you will read of the evils of the GM DOD system(Active Fuel Management). Don't buy into that, if it is working properly on yours then leave it alone. I DD my GXP for many years , averaging 24 MPG on my commute, it works as it should. If your car is burning oil then maybe it should be looked at, those 4 plugs will be dirtier for sure. But don't just tune it out because you think it should be or read it should be, as far as I know there are no GM engineers posting here and it was designed with fuel economy in mind.
I imagine that would be vin verified by a GM dealership as to the replacement date, if it was done at a dealership. Stereo upgrades?
My educated guess would be that it was done at a GM dealership. I briefly scanned the half *** carfax report supplied from the dodge dealer I bought it from, which revealed it had 3 previous owners, all of which had all service done at certified dealers. No further details on when, and which ones. Im assuming the factory warranty would have been used for a trans replacement, but I cannot say for sure. I will have to look into this further. At any rate, I'm happy its still running strong and intend to see that it remains so.
Yes, I run a custom audio setup in my car. My previous thread listed all my gear, but that was awhile ago. I originally was running an alpine PDX-F4 to infinity kappa speakers, paired with a 15" alpine type-r in a ported enclosure tuned to 32z. I was unhappy with the kappas, and reading car audio forum reviews on them, I found they were generally unfavorable. I am now running what I mentioned above and couldn't be happier with the improvement. The crossovers are huge, so that was fun finding a place to mount them. I also custom mounted the silk dome tweeters up by the windshield.
Much, much improved sound staging. I'm a musician, music has to sound good to me. Lol.
On more thing then I will back down. In your searches here you will read of the evils of the GM DOD system(Active Fuel Management). Don't buy into that, if it is working properly on yours then leave it alone. I DD my GXP for many years , averaging 24 MPG on my commute, it works as it should. If your car is burning oil then maybe it should be looked at, those 4 plugs will be dirtier for sure. But don't just tune it out because you think it should be or read it should be, as far as I know there are no GM engineers posting here and it was designed with fuel economy in mind.
Good to know. However, unfortunately my LS4 does burn a bit of oil. About a quart between change intervals, which for me, is 3,000 miles or less running good oil and filters. I also have a muffler delete, which DOD affects my exhaust tone. I also have a slight chatter when coming to a stop, which lets up once the DOD kicks off, because I can feel it smooth out. Granted, my worn mounts could be adding to this, because I noticed it amplified in severity when I changed my upper mount to poly. I will be getting a tune, just a matter of when and with what. I can live with a couple of MPGs less.
If it is using oil then it may have issues. do a search here for catch cans as well. Mine doesn't use any oil in 5k intervals, so I guess I'm lucky. If you are running synthetic 2 qts in 3k is expensive, probably be cheaper to fix it lol.
If it is using oil then it may have issues. do a search here for catch cans as well. Mine doesn't use any oil in 5k intervals, so I guess I'm lucky. If you are running synthetic 2 qts in 3k is expensive, probably be cheaper to fix it lol.
Issues relating to the engine internals, or are you referring strictly to DOD? I was going to look into removing it completely within the next month, seeing if there is any change, and go from there. That will tell me if the DOD is causing it. I also haven't cleaned my DOD filter, so I'm going to do that too and note any changes. My motor runs excellent, with the exception of a minor tick on a freezing cold start up. With 105k id come to expect minor things like that, especially acquiring the car with 89k miles already on it. Like I said, I don't think this car is going anywhere, my rents love it and already are wanting to buy it off me. I can't let it go yet, or for awhile, so one day maybe I will be tearing into it deeper. Lol.
Issues relating to the engine internals, or are you referring strictly to DOD? I was going to look into removing it completely within the next month, seeing if there is any change, and go from there. That will tell me if the DOD is causing it. I also haven't cleaned my DOD filter, so I'm going to do that too and note any changes. My motor runs excellent, with the exception of a minor tick on a freezing cold start up. With 105k id come to expect minor things like that, especially acquiring the car with 89k miles already on it. Like I said, I don't think this car is going anywhere, my rents love it and already are wanting to buy it off me. I can't let it go yet, or for awhile, so one day maybe I will be tearing into it deeper. Lol.
I was speaking of the DOD, not the internals. Most have the minor annoyance of the tick on cold start, mine does as well. If the DOD is problematic there is lots of post on it, most just tune it out. If you will be doing future mods and possibly a cam you most likely wont be retaining it anyway. If you have HP tuners you can do lots of things, I don't and I'm illiterate to that subject lol.
Nice car man - these things are fun to drive.
If I may ask - what didn't you like about the kappas? I just bought some
Thank you! They sure are, especially after all the work I've done, driving this car is a pleasure. I look forward to my drive to and from work.
Im sorry, I shouldn't have been so vague on my opinion, considering these are pretty expensive, well built speakers over all. For MY application, I required a higher power handling speaker. The amp I had didn't get along with them well. 6x9 coaxial's in rear really lacked overall SQ, and I tried a lot of different crossover points and well as EQ adjustments. The front 6.5 component set wasn't a bad set at all, but really lacked a good low end/soundstage with a sub booming behind you. When you get up to a certain level of bass, you gotta have the speakers to back it up. Otherwise your tone is muddy at higher volumes. I am running 1000 watts to my alpine type r, and have it tuned with the cutoff at -8 most of the time. But with these RE Audio sets, which are BOTH component sets and BOTH have higher power handling than the kappas, I can shake the garage and still hear my mids/highs clear as day. This is not to say I hated the kappas, they are great for certain applications. I just put them in a 300c and they sound like subs booming in the rear.
And I hear ya on the new members, I've noticed as well and its great. Im glad to see so many people taking interest in these cars. I really believe they are an ideal daily driver. You might say GXP's are 'contagious' where I work. Ive been telling them to get on these forums for the past year, and how beneficial they are. This was awhile ago obviously, I shouldn't have to tell you which one is mine. Lol.
04-03-2016, 07:39 AM
The latest...Have a look! 
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