STS Install finally done!
STS Install finally done! ALL -
So, after waiting about 3 years to get off my lazy butt and get this thing completed, I finally finished my LT1 STS install.
I did a few things differently than the ‘instructions’ (and I use that term quite loosely!) which came with the STS kit:
1. I ran the wiring harness from the PCM to behind the master cylinder, then down and along the route of the fuel lines. This shortened the overall length of the wiring harness by about 4 feet.
2. I covered the fuel lines with a metallic heat-reflecting tape (good from -30 F up to 227 F).
3. I custom routed the cold pipes parallel to the torque arm, up the center of the car, on the driver’s side, and then went up and into the engine compartment above the K-member and below the driver’s side cat and the steering linkage. This was done to avoid making the turbo’s cold pipe the lowest point in the front end. Given my aftermarket cats and exhaust system (via Summit) there was plenty of room to run the 2.25 OD piping.
4. I did NOT move / relocate the MAF, I made a pipe which connects the boosted air to the MAF silicone coupler, just like my CAI pipe did previously.
5. Post Turbocharger, in installed a 3 inch ID glass-pack muffler (installed “the loud way” – with the baffles opening towards the outlet side) to reduce the noise from a roar of the open / un-muffled exhaust, to a volume more akin to a mild aftermarket system. I can now drive the car without earplugs and I did not lose any boost; yes, it now takes an extra quarter second to build to full (i.e. – 6 psi) boost, but I can accept that. (I figure I’ll get that 0.25 seconds back after I wrap the exhaust system / hot pipes this weekend anyway…)
6. I took out my lighter and then installed the 2 1/16 inch dia. vacuum / boost gauge in that location after enlarging the hole with my Dremel tool; there was even a dimmer-controlled 12 volt feed there, so my boost gauge now dims with my dash lights.
7. I installed a second pass side valve cover on the driver’s side, so I could vent both sides of the engine with valve cover breathers (mini K&N units!) and have a dedicated location for the oil return line, and remove that leak-prone quick disconnect oil fitting.
8. Using brass fittings, I hard-wired the underhood 1 psi boost switch (to trip the high speed oil pump relay) vs. just splicing into any old vacuum line and then hiding the switch, like the instructions indicated!
9. I spent an entire day and replaced ALL my vacuum lines and secured every end with a mini hose clamp – zero vacuum leaks is a good thing! NOTE: There’s a rubber vacuum line below the throttle body (TB) that you can’t see unless you remove the TB; mine was (as I suspected) leaking – it was, after all, 13 years old! TIP: If you’re car won’t idle after going FI, this line might be your issue.
10. Lastly, just above my single exhaust pipe, on the bumper cover, I affixed a very small (7/16 of an inch tall by 3 inches long) “Turbocharged” sticker; the only clue that my 96 Formula might not be the “single exhaust V-6” that it appears to be.
I can’t wait to get this thing on a drag strip to see how much my ET has dropped!
I suspect the turbo has chopped off 1.5 seconds!
It’s now far too much fun to drive!
So, after waiting about 3 years to get off my lazy butt and get this thing completed, I finally finished my LT1 STS install.
I did a few things differently than the ‘instructions’ (and I use that term quite loosely!) which came with the STS kit:
1. I ran the wiring harness from the PCM to behind the master cylinder, then down and along the route of the fuel lines. This shortened the overall length of the wiring harness by about 4 feet.
2. I covered the fuel lines with a metallic heat-reflecting tape (good from -30 F up to 227 F).
3. I custom routed the cold pipes parallel to the torque arm, up the center of the car, on the driver’s side, and then went up and into the engine compartment above the K-member and below the driver’s side cat and the steering linkage. This was done to avoid making the turbo’s cold pipe the lowest point in the front end. Given my aftermarket cats and exhaust system (via Summit) there was plenty of room to run the 2.25 OD piping.
4. I did NOT move / relocate the MAF, I made a pipe which connects the boosted air to the MAF silicone coupler, just like my CAI pipe did previously.
5. Post Turbocharger, in installed a 3 inch ID glass-pack muffler (installed “the loud way” – with the baffles opening towards the outlet side) to reduce the noise from a roar of the open / un-muffled exhaust, to a volume more akin to a mild aftermarket system. I can now drive the car without earplugs and I did not lose any boost; yes, it now takes an extra quarter second to build to full (i.e. – 6 psi) boost, but I can accept that. (I figure I’ll get that 0.25 seconds back after I wrap the exhaust system / hot pipes this weekend anyway…)
6. I took out my lighter and then installed the 2 1/16 inch dia. vacuum / boost gauge in that location after enlarging the hole with my Dremel tool; there was even a dimmer-controlled 12 volt feed there, so my boost gauge now dims with my dash lights.
7. I installed a second pass side valve cover on the driver’s side, so I could vent both sides of the engine with valve cover breathers (mini K&N units!) and have a dedicated location for the oil return line, and remove that leak-prone quick disconnect oil fitting.
8. Using brass fittings, I hard-wired the underhood 1 psi boost switch (to trip the high speed oil pump relay) vs. just splicing into any old vacuum line and then hiding the switch, like the instructions indicated!
9. I spent an entire day and replaced ALL my vacuum lines and secured every end with a mini hose clamp – zero vacuum leaks is a good thing! NOTE: There’s a rubber vacuum line below the throttle body (TB) that you can’t see unless you remove the TB; mine was (as I suspected) leaking – it was, after all, 13 years old! TIP: If you’re car won’t idle after going FI, this line might be your issue.
10. Lastly, just above my single exhaust pipe, on the bumper cover, I affixed a very small (7/16 of an inch tall by 3 inches long) “Turbocharged” sticker; the only clue that my 96 Formula might not be the “single exhaust V-6” that it appears to be.
I can’t wait to get this thing on a drag strip to see how much my ET has dropped!
I suspect the turbo has chopped off 1.5 seconds!
It’s now far too much fun to drive!
Last edited by great421; May 27, 2009 at 10:47 AM.
