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LS1 not making power

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Old Apr 20, 2013 | 11:06 AM
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I'm posting this here because I have no idea what is wrong with my car, it drives perfectly fine under normal driving conditions shifts fine no hesitation the idle is fine. But when I floor the car it feels like it has 200 horsepower or less I just got the transmission rebuilt about 3 weeks ago and had a 3200 stall converter put in and it seems like it revs up real slow when under WOT I took it out to the track the other night (1/8 mile) and ran a 14.35 at 37 MPH because when I floored it it flashed to 3200 like it should but then it just simply didn't go anywhere it wasn't spinning or anything and it just stopped at 3200 until I let off the gas and drove it normal I have videos I'll try and get off my phone to show you all exactly what it is doing, after I got back from the track it would go from a stop at WOT but it felt very slow, any help is appreciated guys thanks
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Old Apr 20, 2013 | 11:20 AM
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View My Video
View My Video

both of these are under WOT
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Old Apr 20, 2013 | 12:21 PM
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Check the mass air flow sensor
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Old Apr 20, 2013 | 12:31 PM
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Might have been a bad tranny rebuild if it just started to do it after. converter not tight?
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Old Apr 20, 2013 | 01:30 PM
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Have you scanned for any codes or anything? With that stall and gears you should have no problem running 8.0-8.2@85ish in the 1/8th. Was the car a dog like this before they did the transmission? I can't see what they could mess up during a transmission swap to make the car a dog? Even if they left the O2 sensors unplugged the car would still run pretty strong. I would just do the basics, change the plugs/wires, change the fuel filter, etc etc. I would highly doubt that there is no check engine light if the car runs that bad.
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Old Apr 20, 2013 | 02:05 PM
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It won't rev past 3200? Like you're hitting the limiter? Does it still accelerate forward even tho it's stuck at 3200?

I would NOT race it anymore until you figure out what is going on. Hell, I wouldn't drive it.

On my old L98 Trans Am I had back in HS, it would accelerate really rough without the RPMs climbing - it got stuck around 2000. It accelerated. But weakly. Turns out the TPS sensor was bad. It read whatever the stated value from GM was for the RPM range 0-2000, but at 2000, it read infinity on the ohm meter. It simply went bad. We replaced that and all was right.
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Old Apr 20, 2013 | 03:05 PM
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Originally Posted by mannyman84
Check the mass air flow sensor


That's not a bad idea. If they pulled the trans with the intake tract in place
they may have pulled or ripped the boot.
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Old Apr 20, 2013 | 03:59 PM
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where is the maf and o2 sensors located so I can check them? I checked the throttle body and it opens completely
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Old Apr 20, 2013 | 04:13 PM
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found the maf didn't see any problems there
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Old Apr 20, 2013 | 05:03 PM
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throwing codes for knock sensor and egr sensor
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Old Apr 20, 2013 | 06:13 PM
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Failed/corroded knock sensor(s) are common, and are a very likely culprit. If you have the means to datalog, monitor the knock retard. If you're seeing more than a couple of degrees here or there, you've found the problem. Or you could just pull the intake manifold and replace the sensors regardless and see if it works.
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Old Apr 20, 2013 | 09:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Marc 85Z28
Failed/corroded knock sensor(s) are common, and are a very likely culprit. If you have the means to datalog, monitor the knock retard. If you're seeing more than a couple of degrees here or there, you've found the problem. Or you could just pull the intake manifold and replace the sensors regardless and see if it works.
how do I data log a knock?
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Old Apr 21, 2013 | 07:24 AM
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Originally Posted by peteggl
how do I data log a knock?
With a scanner capable of datastreaming.
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Old Apr 29, 2013 | 11:19 AM
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well I replaced the knock sensors and it is still not making much power at all, I also found out the egr and rear o2 sensors are deleted so that leaves me back to nothing in stumped any more ideas?
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Old Apr 29, 2013 | 11:54 AM
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the temperature always seems to go straight to 210 degrees and sit there without the fans ever engaging also Is this normal?
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Old Apr 29, 2013 | 05:57 PM
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does it go to 210 right away after starting the car cold? if so..thats not normal but stock ls1 runs around 220* i believe and the primary fan should come on around 210.

btw opening the throttle body by hand doesnt mean the throttle position sensor is reading correctly to the pcm.you need to have someone scan the car with test functionality of the sensors to pinpoint the issue more.
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Old Apr 30, 2013 | 04:08 PM
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it goes to 210 within about 10 minutes of getting in the car if it hasn't run that day and if it has ran that day it's usually already there or almost there
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Old Apr 30, 2013 | 04:18 PM
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Just a suggestion but if you run into a dead end and can't figure it out, you live in Easley, there is an f body specialty shop there called hawks third generation, only people I let touch my car, ever. If its something you can't fix take it to them, they'll get you straight
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Old Apr 30, 2013 | 05:10 PM
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last time I took one of my cars to hawks he decided to put a $1,000 fan switch on my car without telling me that had absolutely nothing to do with why I took my car up there and then didn't fix what was actually wrong with the car , needless to say I don't plan on going back
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Old Apr 30, 2013 | 05:19 PM
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First sorry to hear you had a bad experience, but when you take a car to a shop its ultimately your call what goes on your car and responsibility to be clear on the problem, I've been doing business with them for over 5 years and I know they don't just throw parts on a car that aren't needed. But considering you didn't know where a MAF sensor and O2 sensor are at on a car I can see how you could've been misleading about what the car needed
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