More progress has been made with the car but I've hit a lot of roadblocks along the way. b Sorry about the novel with only a few pics
Last weekend I hoped to have the car started up.... this didn't happen. After getting all the wiring in pretty well (not fully satisfied with my routing/looming) I hooked up the battery to crank it over. Starter engaged but engine wouldn't budge. I then tried to spin the engine over by hand and it was locked solid. I knew the engine spun fine on the stand so it had to be something with the clutch/trans. I backed the bell housing off ~1/8" and the engine spun over so something was wrong in the clutch/trans/pilot/throwout area.
I went ahead and pulled the trans out to start measurements... which pretty much sucked.... I get it out at 10PM saturday because it's a mess with the TA x-member. I have to pull the subframe loose to get the TA x-memenber out since the trans hits it in normal position. Later on I'll have to figure out a way to fix the issue.
Sunday morning I began measuring. I started with the Bellhousing alignment. It was ~.0035 off so it was in spec. Next I checked the overall input shaft length. It was good. I checked the Throwout bearing length fully compressed compared to the clutch. It was good. Finally I checked the length of the input splines compared to the pilot bearing depth....I found an issue. I still had the factory LS3 sealed pilot bearing in the crank. Talking to Monster Clutch I was under the impression it would be fine....it wasn't. The splined part of the input shaft was pressing on the pilot bearing which was loading the thrust bearing and locking up the crank. Thankfully Monster supplied the roller bearing with the clutch kit. I pulled the sealed bearing out and install the roller. Everything was good to go. I reinstalled the trans. By 5PM sunday I was back to where I thought I was Saturday at 5pm. While it was out I also redrilled the trans x-member to pull it forward ~5/8”. At least I made a little progress and the day wasn’t a total loss.
After it was all back together I started on the air intake. I purchased the Air Raid build yourself tube that is basically a big 4” plastic tube with multiple bends and straights that you cut and rebuild as you need. The also sell a ~12” straight section with a fitting for the cartridge style MAF. I mocked up the tubes and cut them out. Sanded the ends nice and smooth. Here is the end product after it was all glued together. I still want to sand it all down and repaint it but for now it should work pretty well.
Final piece I need was the oil filter and oil them. I scrapped my original filter mount and decided to get one with fittings on the side to mounting would be easier. I also picked up and Earl’s thermo. Final mounts will not be made until the fenders are back on but overall I’m happy with the routing. The filter will go behind the driver headlight area and the thermo in front of the radiator. One issue I do have is with the thermo fittings. It is made of 0-ring fittings. Apparently I bought radios O-fing fittings and they don’t seal at all. Oil is leaking everywhere with only 25PSI cranking pressure. I’m going to head to the local perf shop and find some regular fittings to replace the ones I have
After all this I was ready to start it. I crank is over and nothing…. It spins just fine but doesn’t even think to fire. I put a scanner on the car and noticed a P0010 code for the Cam sensor and a few codes for the accelerator pedal. I decided to pull the cam sensor to make sure it isn’t damaged. It decides it wants to stay where it is and breaks into pieces. I have to pull the front cover off and push the sensor in but do get it of. Looking at the sensor I also see 1 of the 3 connections is missing so think I found the issue. I grab a replacement sensor, put it all back together and try to fire. NOTHING…..
I go ahead and check spark and power while cranking. Fuse panel has power while cranking. The spark plugs are also firing. I pulled one out and arc’d it back to the engine.
Next area is fuel. I have 60PSI based on the gauge on the rail but need to see if it’s firing. I decide to pull the rail up slightly to see if fuel squirts when I cranks….NOTHING. I also pick up a NOID light kit (never heard of one before) to test the injector signal. The light never turns on when cranking.
I called PSI to chat about the harness. We go thru the basic troubleshooting and can’t really find an issue. I was worried the DBW pedal may be wrong and causing the issue due to the code since it’s not the exact same PN noted in the instructions. Tech says that since I hear the TB moving with the pedal movement there should be no issue.
Next step is to call the tuner and future out what he put on for a base tune on the ECM. Only thing I can gather is something is wrong with the VATS or some other tuning aspect. Unfortunately he’s tuning another car right now and will have to call me back after. I was due to have mine tuned tomorrow but due to the troubleshooting I still have no exhaust and am not comfortable bringing a car to the dyne when I’ve never cranked it. Until the car runs the dyne tune has been postponed indefinitely. SUCKS….
Brian Hobaugh SCCA National Tour June 2014
First Hemi 'Cuda Convertible Ever Built
Short clips: Goodguys Pleasanton autocross and pit videos
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