Surging, Stalling, And Dying After Long Tube Install
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Surging, Stalling, And Dying After Long Tube Install
Ok so i put some TSP 1 7/8" long tubes and TSP True Duals on my car. My set up is in my sig. Ok so my car has a base/street tune from a respected tuner here in socal. He told me that my tune is a break in/ cruising tune. Its basically a adjusted stock tune. He deleted the egr and i believe my air system as well. Basically its tuned to run and i can drive it if i need to but it isn't tuned for power at all. I had some issues with my build thats why it isn't fully dyno tuned.
Ok so i just put some UMI goodies on my car and i need a alignment. So i change the fuel filter because it was way over due and i replaced my alternator. So after a lot of cranking and brief starts it finally turned on. When i finally got it turned on i had to keep giving it gas to keep it running. After a little bit it finally settled down and idled.
So off i went to the alignment shop. I noticed that it was running kinda rough and surging a little bit and it would want to die at red lights. The car was also very sluggish. So i thought to myself that maybe the PCM was trying to relearn the car. About halfway there i stopped at a light and the car started gasping and sputtering. It would bounce from 1100 rpms down to 500 rpms and then it started jumping between 400 and 500 rpms. It finally died and i was able to restart it and turned it around. On the way back it still sputtered a little bit but it wasn't as sluggish. It didn't die on the way home.
So i got back home and let it idle in the drive way. It idled great and i think i found a decent exhaust leak between the passenger side header and the pipe that connects to it. Is this the issue?
Prior to the header install it had stock manifolds and y pipe and it ran awsome. It is also running rich and it backfired once when i first started it.
So im kinda lost because I'm not to savy when it comes to tuning and all i have is a code reader. So lets hear some opinions because I'm a little lost and confused.
Ok so i just put some UMI goodies on my car and i need a alignment. So i change the fuel filter because it was way over due and i replaced my alternator. So after a lot of cranking and brief starts it finally turned on. When i finally got it turned on i had to keep giving it gas to keep it running. After a little bit it finally settled down and idled.
So off i went to the alignment shop. I noticed that it was running kinda rough and surging a little bit and it would want to die at red lights. The car was also very sluggish. So i thought to myself that maybe the PCM was trying to relearn the car. About halfway there i stopped at a light and the car started gasping and sputtering. It would bounce from 1100 rpms down to 500 rpms and then it started jumping between 400 and 500 rpms. It finally died and i was able to restart it and turned it around. On the way back it still sputtered a little bit but it wasn't as sluggish. It didn't die on the way home.
So i got back home and let it idle in the drive way. It idled great and i think i found a decent exhaust leak between the passenger side header and the pipe that connects to it. Is this the issue?
Prior to the header install it had stock manifolds and y pipe and it ran awsome. It is also running rich and it backfired once when i first started it.
So im kinda lost because I'm not to savy when it comes to tuning and all i have is a code reader. So lets hear some opinions because I'm a little lost and confused.
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Not to make your tuner sound bad, but if all you did was install some long tube headers and everything is connected, then he is the problem. He must have inadvertently deleted something that he shouldn't have. A tune is not required after a header install. It helps, but will not make the car buck or surge when driving it.
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Not to make your tuner sound bad, but if all you did was install some long tube headers and everything is connected, then he is the problem. He must have inadvertently deleted something that he shouldn't have. A tune is not required after a header install. It helps, but will not make the car buck or surge when driving it.
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Then it probably isn't your tuner. But we all make mistakes sometimes. Like I said, not trying to knock him. I would check all the simple things first. Look for loose grounds or exposed wiring that might be grounding somewhere. Ensure all connections are connected. And it is possible that the new sensor you installed was bad out of the box, but you won't be able to tell unless it is hooked up again and logged like the other post stated. Make sure your plugs and plug wires are all tight and snug. It sounds like something fairly simple if all you did was a header install with 02 sensors.
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I zip tied some of the wires by the starter to the new k member so there was no risk of them touching the headers. Could something like that cause a unwanted ground?
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Fix the exhaust leak and make sure you connected the 02's correctly and see if you melted any of your wires. Car should still idle and run fine after header install.
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Excuse my ignorance but is there a wrong way to connect a o2 sensor out of curiosity? Now I'm sure we have all heard about when the PCM is relearning the car. How long does that take? A split second, a couple seconds, a mile? Or is all this a myth?
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That's nearly impossible to do on a f-body.
<<<When i finally got it turned on i had to keep giving it gas to keep it running. After a little bit it finally settled down and idled. >>>
This has nothing to do with O2 sensors. It would be in open loop and not even using them. I would take a good look at the spark plugs. I've seen a lot of cracked ones after header installs.
<<< I had some issues with my build thats why it isn't fully dyno tuned.>>>
Maybe more details on this would help.
<<<When i finally got it turned on i had to keep giving it gas to keep it running. After a little bit it finally settled down and idled. >>>
This has nothing to do with O2 sensors. It would be in open loop and not even using them. I would take a good look at the spark plugs. I've seen a lot of cracked ones after header installs.
<<< I had some issues with my build thats why it isn't fully dyno tuned.>>>
Maybe more details on this would help.
Last edited by 2xLS1; 12-15-2013 at 10:42 AM.
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The issues that prevented my car from being dyno tuned were, leaking valve covers from summit, a dead cylinder " it turned out to be a bad coil pack", my intake wasn't sitting flush on the heads, and a lack of pcv. This was my first build so there was bound to be a hiccup or two. So i put new LS3 valve covers on from GM, put all new LS3 coil packs on, swapped to a ls6 valley cover and put in a pcv system with a catch can, shaved the bottom of my LS3 intake so it sits flush now. I did all this before the new exhaust went on and it ran and drove perfectly.
When i did the header install i removed all 8 spark plugs before i removed the old exhaust but ill double check them. As for the O2's i bought the Bosh 1311's with their 2 miles of wire so there was not cutting or splicing done.
Today i was adjusting my throttle cable and i took the maf off to see the throttle body blade and when i put the maf back on i forgot to plug it in and when i went to start it it fired right up. So when i plugged the maf back in it didn't want to start. So i took the maf back off and looked at what filter i have. I have a K@N. So i got some maf cleaner and cleaned the maf. So with the clean maf it starts immediately and idles great. I also tightened up my exhaust so theres no leaks now.
So i took it out for a test drive and it drives a little better but its still surging. Like ill be cruising in second gear at 2200 rpms and it feels just like the traction control just came on. U know when ur taking off and ur tires break loose and u feel when the traction control kicks on and reduces ur power for a second then it comes back on. It feels like that. Also if i go three quarter throttle in first or second gear it will go into limp mode out of no where. The limp mode thing is random and will hit when its just cruising to. I also get a back fire every once and a while like if i rev it a few times. I know its running rich but are these issues being caused by the tune needing to be freshened up?
Any of this make sense to u guys?
When i did the header install i removed all 8 spark plugs before i removed the old exhaust but ill double check them. As for the O2's i bought the Bosh 1311's with their 2 miles of wire so there was not cutting or splicing done.
Today i was adjusting my throttle cable and i took the maf off to see the throttle body blade and when i put the maf back on i forgot to plug it in and when i went to start it it fired right up. So when i plugged the maf back in it didn't want to start. So i took the maf back off and looked at what filter i have. I have a K@N. So i got some maf cleaner and cleaned the maf. So with the clean maf it starts immediately and idles great. I also tightened up my exhaust so theres no leaks now.
So i took it out for a test drive and it drives a little better but its still surging. Like ill be cruising in second gear at 2200 rpms and it feels just like the traction control just came on. U know when ur taking off and ur tires break loose and u feel when the traction control kicks on and reduces ur power for a second then it comes back on. It feels like that. Also if i go three quarter throttle in first or second gear it will go into limp mode out of no where. The limp mode thing is random and will hit when its just cruising to. I also get a back fire every once and a while like if i rev it a few times. I know its running rich but are these issues being caused by the tune needing to be freshened up?
Any of this make sense to u guys?
Last edited by Sinister_Z28; 12-15-2013 at 09:19 PM.
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Would it stall while driving. Like buck and surge randomly?