Car falls on face during hard launch at strip
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 484
Likes: 10
From: Albertville, AL
Car falls on face during hard launch at strip Went to strip last night with hopeful intentions to break into the 11's. 00 SS has done several 12.2 passes with SS3600, SSRA, LS6 intake, LT's, MSD wires, NGK's, duals, dynotune and DR's.
Only changes I have made to the car since my last passes are: drag pack(reduced 60lbs), new Denso o2's, removal of exhaust heat shields(7lbs) and removal of front sway bar.
Good 6-7 second burnout(555r's) and I staged. I stalled up about 1800 like I always have done and dead hooked. However, the car instantly falls on its face. I was stumped. I got on it a bit after coasting down the strip a bit and everythings seems fine. Still got a 2.032 60'. Spectators said that there was a spark that came from under the front end of the car behind the front wheel.
I looked under the hood and under the car and everything looked in order. I wrote it off as a fluke and tried another run, but got the exact same result. Dead hooked and fell on its face but still got a 2.070 60'. Once again folks said there was a spark from under the car.
I've made 13 previous passes with this car and I have worked my way down from 13.6(stock) down to running 12.2's with a 1.70 60'. I've never experienced anything like this with this car.
Any ideas?
Only changes I have made to the car since my last passes are: drag pack(reduced 60lbs), new Denso o2's, removal of exhaust heat shields(7lbs) and removal of front sway bar.
Good 6-7 second burnout(555r's) and I staged. I stalled up about 1800 like I always have done and dead hooked. However, the car instantly falls on its face. I was stumped. I got on it a bit after coasting down the strip a bit and everythings seems fine. Still got a 2.032 60'. Spectators said that there was a spark that came from under the front end of the car behind the front wheel.
I looked under the hood and under the car and everything looked in order. I wrote it off as a fluke and tried another run, but got the exact same result. Dead hooked and fell on its face but still got a 2.070 60'. Once again folks said there was a spark from under the car.
I've made 13 previous passes with this car and I have worked my way down from 13.6(stock) down to running 12.2's with a 1.70 60'. I've never experienced anything like this with this car.
Any ideas?
Last edited by rybern; Oct 29, 2016 at 07:56 PM.
Start with what changed. A spark just behind the front driverside tire also happens to be around where one of those new o2 sensors sit. Could a wire be damaged and causing it to arc against something? A bad o2 sensor at the point of a hard launch could cause it to stumble and then self correct.
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 484
Likes: 10
From: Albertville, AL
Start with what changed. A spark just behind the front driverside tire also happens to be around where one of those new o2 sensors sit. Could a wire be damaged and causing it to arc against something? A bad o2 sensor at the point of a hard launch could cause it to stumble and then self correct.
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 484
Likes: 10
From: Albertville, AL
Teching In
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
check for knock retard if you are getting burst knock when launching. it could be a shorting issue but i would do a datalog first and check. My friend had this same issue, every time he launched hard it would fall on its face dead and then pick right back up. He asked me to watch him launch and i saw a shower of sparks come out from his left fender well on launch. His pos battery post had been hitting the fender liner when he would launch shorting out the entire system and blowing holes in the liner.
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 484
Likes: 10
From: Albertville, AL
check for knock retard if you are getting burst knock when launching. it could be a shorting issue but i would do a datalog first and check. My friend had this same issue, every time he launched hard it would fall on its face dead and then pick right back up. He asked me to watch him launch and i saw a shower of sparks come out from his left fender well on launch. His pos battery post had been hitting the fender liner when he would launch shorting out the entire system and blowing holes in the liner.
This also means that my car is now doing better than a 1.70 60' because I never had this problem before these changes.
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Wow whoever tech'd your car at the track needs a refresher. We DQ guys at autocross for battery hold down problems b/c of this kind of thing, or worse.
You can get or make a strap that goes from a bolt just behind the headlight, over the battery, and down to the bolt hold. You can make it with some 1 inch wide aluminum bar from the local hardware store. Year 1 makes the same thing but $25 for it is crazy.
https://www.yearone.com/Product/1982-02-camaro/bhfblk
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...ml#post2283784
You can get or make a strap that goes from a bolt just behind the headlight, over the battery, and down to the bolt hold. You can make it with some 1 inch wide aluminum bar from the local hardware store. Year 1 makes the same thing but $25 for it is crazy.
https://www.yearone.com/Product/1982-02-camaro/bhfblk
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...ml#post2283784
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Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 484
Likes: 10
From: Albertville, AL
Wow whoever tech'd your car at the track needs a refresher. We DQ guys at autocross for battery hold down problems b/c of this kind of thing, or worse.
You can get or make a strap that goes from a bolt just behind the headlight, over the battery, and down to the bolt hold. You can make it with some 1 inch wide aluminum bar from the local hardware store. Year 1 makes the same thing but $25 for it is crazy.
https://www.yearone.com/Product/1982-02-camaro/bhfblk
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...ml#post2283784
You can get or make a strap that goes from a bolt just behind the headlight, over the battery, and down to the bolt hold. You can make it with some 1 inch wide aluminum bar from the local hardware store. Year 1 makes the same thing but $25 for it is crazy.
https://www.yearone.com/Product/1982-02-camaro/bhfblk
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...ml#post2283784
Thanks for the link to the strap. I'm going to make one from AL.
Last edited by rybern; Oct 31, 2016 at 09:29 AM. Reason: clarification of battery hold down.
