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View Full Version : please help me and my shadow!!!



kenderlein24
02-29-2008, 09:44 PM
I have a 89 dodge shadow turbo 2.5L with everything stock. i was really looking at getting some more horsepower out of it. i found a computer chip for my shadow for $89. its called Surge Performance Chip. here is the website http://www.yourhotcar.com/prod/Surge_Engineering/Performance_Parts/Performance_Chips/Surge_Performance_Chip/17558
do you guys think it is a good deal to buy it? it claims 7-10% more hp. i was thinking of only going 12psi for now so the fuel system shouldn't be a problem right? so you think i should go with the g valve to controle the boost pressure? how hard is it to install and adjust? do you think it is worth while to make a custom cold air intake type stystem into the car. like custom making one or is it just a waste of time and money? i don't know a whole lot about these cars since i have only really worked on my 82 jeep cj7 so any information would be really helpful. i wanna get about 190-200 hp.

also another thing is sometimes when i punch it really hard it will go out a gear it will rev up real high like i put it in nuetral and i have to put it back into park then everything is fine. it doesn't happen too often but i was just wondering what you think this is from.

Big_P
02-29-2008, 09:46 PM
Do not buy that super chip. It will do more harm than good. It's bogus.

Turbodave
02-29-2008, 11:01 PM
Welcome to the site!

Stay away from that Surge chip, it's a waste of money. According to their literature it just tricks to engine into thinking it's colder than it actually is resulting in a richer mixture. A 50 cent resistor from radio shack could accomplish the same task, but even then it's not going to give you any hp. Similar items are all over ebay as well.

First thing I would do is make sure the car is in a good state of tune, make sure the cam and ignition timing are set properly, the plugs are fresh and the wires/cap/rotor are in good shape. Then I would set up a grainger valve, on your car 12psi non intercooled should be safe if you stick to premium, an air fuel gauge is a good investment to make sure it's not running too lean under boost.

After that I would recommend updating the exhaust to a 2.5" mandrel bent system if you plan on sticking with the stock mitsubishi turbo for a while. If you have plans to install a garrett or bigger turbo down the road then a 3" exhaust is the way to go. (The stock mistu's tend to get boost creep with a 3" system).

With the exhaust freed up, the next step would be cooling down the intake charge, a nice intercooler will do that. There are a bunch of options that can be made to work in a shadow like yours.

With big exhaust and an intercooler there should be some decent gains and it allows for more boost. Up to about 14psi the stock injectors should be fine, beyond that I would invest in a set of 42lb/hr ones (+20's). At that point you should be right in the hp range you are looking for and the car should be a fun ride.

As for the trans I would start by checking the fluid level, make sure it's not underfilled, also smell the fluid, if it's got a burnt smell that could indicate slipping clutches. I'm not much of an expert on automatics (I know they are heavy and leak red fluid), all my cars are 5spds.

Also some must read literature:

www.minimopar.net
and www.thedodgegarage.com (turbo database)

kenderlein24
03-01-2008, 01:06 AM
thanks a lot guys so far for all the help.Yea i was planning on getting a 2.5" exhaust cause sister's friend has a shop and he will do it for me hella cheap and i plan on just sticking to the stock turbo since it was recently just rebuilt. i have been reading on these cars for like the last past two days due to the fact that i have a broken arm and can't do much else. i think im going to buy the g valve in a few days here i can't believe how cheap it is compared to the other boost controllers i was first looking at which were 300 bucks. how hard is it to instal one of those air/fuel mixture gauges. i was also wondering if there any other websites to buy cheap parts from besides fwdperformance and turbounleashed.com? they both seem pretty cheap. one last thing is what are you guys doing to make ur shadow look better. like exterior mods.

Turbodave
03-01-2008, 01:44 AM
An air/fuel gauge is pretty easy to install, 1 wire spliced into the oxygen sensor wiring, a 12V switched power source and a good ground is all it needs. May want to consider an aftermarket boost gauge as well, the stock ones aren't very accurate

FWD and TU are both vendors and supporters of this site, both are reputable businesses and are the two places with the most parts for these cars. There isn't a huge aftermarket following for these cars.

As far as the exterior goes, not much is out there, most of us like the clean stock look of the cars. Shelby CSX body kits will fit but are expensive and hard to find.

kenderlein24
03-01-2008, 02:45 AM
ok thanks a lot. i was also wondering about BOV and is there one already on my shadow and if not can i put one one mine? is there a way to put on an intercooler to my car and how much do u think it would cost and how hard would it be. thanks for those websites i have already learned a lot.

Anonymous_User
03-01-2008, 06:39 AM
Welcome to the site. Stop. Before you make any modifications, read, read, read. You have the potential for a very hot little car. It will treat you right if you treat it right.

First things first, go to www.thedodgegarage.com click on the turbo database and read it all.

Second. Go back and read that all again.

Once you feel comfortable with that information, come back here and we'll fill in all the little details. All the information on that sight is important, but it is getting outdated, so come back here with your new knowledge and we'll get you all hooked up.

That chip you were looking at is $89. We can hook you up with a manual boost controller called a Grainger Valve for half of that price and you'll get a LOT more than 10% performance boost!!!!

turzbo
03-01-2008, 01:06 PM
a few things that dont look to bad exterior wize get a set of sundance tail lights and paint the top and bott bar and leave the middle bar non painted if not repainting the car get a can of colour match from auto store i have gone to can tire, if u dont already have the stock es wing get it, easy to put holes in deck lid open it and u can see were they should go, remove the bumpers on the doors for a smooth look (heat gun and fishing line) also remove badges if u want You can also paint the peice between the hood and windsheild ,door handles,mirrors, bumpers if not already done so:thumb: ps turbo dimmple hoods look good (es model)

kenderlein24
03-02-2008, 08:45 PM
is there a place where i can buy the ES wing or should i just go to a junk yard. my car is blue btw you think i should paint the wing black or get it painted blue to match? everyday i just learn so much more reading about these cars. i saw a G valve for 25 bucks so i think im going to order that today. wats the best exhaust company for this car. i don't mind if its loud i like to hear my horses working. i haven't seen anywhere of how to put an intercooler on my type of turbo. is all i need to do is buy an intercooler and mount it and run the houses? anyone have pictures of there custom intercooler setup?

cordes
03-02-2008, 09:18 PM
You can go to my website www.omniglht.com and then click on the SRT4 IC installation page to see how I mounted mine. I wouldn't call it ideal, but it worked well enough at 22PSI to keep the car together for the summer.

Get the wing from the JY if you must. I would just leave it alone though. It is much easier on the hatch struts with it off, and it is less weight so you can go faster.

kenderlein24
03-02-2008, 11:48 PM
now from what i read and saw i have a BOV in my air box right now. should i install a new one and if i did would i mount it in the same spot? i really really like the sound of a noisier BOV. how long did it take to put in the intercooler?

cordes
03-02-2008, 11:54 PM
when you add the IC you will be removing the J tube that goes from the turbo to the TB currently. You could use that BOV if you wanted to, but getting another one which would be loud is an option too, and probably easier for most guys. That was the first time I had undertaken an IC project and it took me a while. I worked on it for a couple of hours on a saturday, put the car all back together and the took it all apart on sunday to finish it up as I recall. You could also get a TII Rad/IC combo and use it. It would be much easier for a first install.

kenderlein24
03-03-2008, 05:24 PM
i ordered the G valve last night from fwdperformance.com for $25. the one from turbosunleashed was 43 so i just went with the cheaper one. aren't they the same part basically?

Anonymous_User
03-04-2008, 02:34 AM
Yes.

Now, before you go and install the G-valve and turn the boost up GET SOME GAUGES. Minimum would be an A/F gauge. A little better would be a Dawes A/F gauge. Better yet would be an EGT gauge. If you want the best and can afford it, get a wide band A/F gauge.

ONE OF THE ABOVE IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST HAVE BEFORE YOU DESTROY YOUR ENGINE.

overlordsshadow
03-04-2008, 10:25 AM
My Shadow has many mods to it, including looks. Check out www.moparmen.ca. Welcome to the board.

kenderlein24
03-04-2008, 01:37 PM
can i just get an A/F gauge at the local napa or kragen? overlordsshadow i really like ur shadow. what kinda rims do you have on ur shadow. very well done. is the front end all stock cause that looks a lot cooler than my 89s front end.

overlordsshadow
03-04-2008, 05:54 PM
There should be a section on my site that details the mods but I may not have gotten to that yet. The rims that are on the sit I believe are RIM 17X7's too big for the Shadow, at least with the offset they had. I have some stock 15 aluminums on there now.

cordes
03-04-2008, 09:44 PM
can i just get an A/F gauge at the local napa or kragen? overlordsshadow i really like ur shadow. what kinda rims do you have on ur shadow. very well done. is the front end all stock cause that looks a lot cooler than my 89s front end.

http://www.jegs.com/p/Innovate+Motorsports/774546/10002/-1/10625

Most of the guys love those gauges. You will need the kit. There are some other gauges out there that work well too. If you are up for it there is a company out of Australia that sells a DIY kit. Bang for the buck it through the roof on those.

kenderlein24
03-04-2008, 11:22 PM
holy shi that's a lot of money for a kit. are all of the air fuel guages and kits that much money?

blk86trbo
03-04-2008, 11:27 PM
holy shi that's a lot of money for a kit. are all of the air fuel guages and kits that much money?

Here ya go

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Product/Pr-p_Product.CATENTRY_ID:2008854/c-10101/Nty-1/p-2008854/Ntx-mode+matchallpartial/N-10101/tf-Browse/s-10101/Ntk-AllTextSearchGroup?Ntt=air+fuel+gauge

and a gauge pod

http://www.fwdperformance.com/store/Product.asp?IDCatalog=35&ProductID=248

kenderlein24
03-04-2008, 11:32 PM
blk86turbo do i need to buy anything else or just that part or just that?

blk86trbo
03-05-2008, 12:09 AM
blk86turbo do i need to buy anything else or just that part or just that?

The expensive air fuel gauge has some sort of data logging capability. I've never owned one of those nor do I know how they work, you might want to talk to Cordes about that. But I have bought the cheaper A/F gauge and it's only a few wires to hook up...power, ground, and the O2 feed. Pretty simple, and will help you monitor what's going on.

kenderlein24
03-05-2008, 01:47 AM
ok thanks a lot.

Turbodave
03-05-2008, 02:20 AM
holy shi that's a lot of money for a kit. are all of the air fuel guages and kits that much money?

The wideband kits are expensive, but they give you a lot more usable data.

The less expensive gauges use the factory 02 sensor (narrow band), and while they can give you a ballpark rich/lean readout they aren't nearly as valuable of a tuning aid as the wideband ones are.

Most of us started out with the less expensive gauges, and they are certainly better than nothing when it comes to knowing if your running rich or lean.

kenderlein24
03-05-2008, 04:20 PM
ok well i think im giong to just go with one of the cheap guages for now.

Turbodave
03-05-2008, 07:52 PM
ok well i think im giong to just go with one of the cheap guages for now.

Nothing wrong with that, it's a good way to get started.

kenderlein24
03-05-2008, 09:34 PM
man all you dodge guys are really nice and helpful im glad i found this site.

overlordsshadow
03-06-2008, 09:25 AM
Thanks. As long as ure not a ricer or a flame baiter, we are usually pretty good. Until you get too close to some of these guys, then the ribbing can start.

kenderlein24
03-06-2008, 07:00 PM
where can i get some headlights for my shadow cause mine are all faded and no light come out of them. like the headlights in overlordsshadow's signature.

overlordsshadow
03-06-2008, 07:02 PM
Those are stock headlights cleaned up, good lighting and maybe some photoshopping from my GF. Junkyards (JY's) are your friend.

Turbodave
03-06-2008, 08:05 PM
where can i get some headlights for my shadow cause mine are all faded and no light come out of them. like the headlights in overlordsshadow's signature.


Aftermarket replacements are usually pretty reasonable on ebay. Otherwise you can refinish yours to get them clear again. I usually wet sand them with 1000 grit, followed by 1500 grit, then 2000. After all the wet sanding buff them with a medium buffing compound followed by a nice glaze and they will look like new again.

cordes
03-08-2008, 01:41 PM
ok well i think im giong to just go with one of the cheap guages for now.

Another way you could go is to try and find a cheap scanner on ebay and use it to monitor knock. I don't have one since I have the CEL flash on knock mod in the calibration I run, but I believe that the worlds fastest turbo mini uses only the scanner and boost gauge as far as instrumentation goes.

kenderlein24
03-11-2008, 10:52 PM
well i put on my g-valve today and i love it. got the car dialled in at 12pounds right now. i still need to get the A/F gauge thought and a new boost gauge. ill probably drop it down to 10 until i get them though to be safe. i think i put on the g-vavle in the wrong spot though. i put it on the tube that goes into the intake inbetween the T. some guy on here said i needed to put it inbetween the wastegate acuator and the same T.