10 second 190,000 mile low boost 3.0 build

[Vigo]

Egggggcellent.

[Ondonti]

After some grief with axles from 3.3L's getting their inner boots torn off, I got a 3rd axle installed. I had to grind some casting flash and something else off my transmission case because I couldn't massage the clamp on the axle any further down. I don't think there is a purpose for what I ground of except chrysler being cheap. Now I have almost 1/8" clerance :P

Also started using my knock mic that I made years ago. I got it all worked out on my Wife's 3 speed Spirit so I could figure out what was knock and what was not. Put it onto the Duster and with a short drive I can tell that I have too much timing at 2000 to 2500ish at medium loads. This was after draining the 87 and putting in 92 octane. I think a large cam would make that knock disappear without changing timing.

-------------------------------------
Have the Tow Dolly out and hopefully Reaper1 and I make it down to Pacific Raceways to put some passes on the car. First time down the strip with no turbo plus the heads/cams are burned valves and stock. I have a feeling its gonna be slow since I have not refined the spark map and nobody seems to perform as expected on megasquirt n/a.

Cool thing is I won't technically have to shift to 4th no matter how fast my traps are. My current rev limiter on stock old old springs is 6950-7000 or something like that which should be over 100mph on my tires and transmission.

[Vigo]

Sounds good, cant wait to hear.

[Ondonti]

During rush hour, 3.8L Taurus shuts down and dies as I have always been told it does while under moderate/high loads on hot day. Read a bunch of stories on the internet and nobody ever solves this issue regardless of how many parts they throw at it.

We solved it by Reaper1 driving the Junkyard home and me driving with 4x4 a/c and the heater on

Spirit is still sitting without transmission because I was wanting to race so bad. Would not have had this problem if the Spirit was done.

[Vigo]

Yeah, that last line was my first thought as well when i found out, but i figured no point in rubbing it in.

Hopefully you can get another chance sometime soon.

[Ondonti]

Yeah, that last line was my first thought as well when i found out, but i figured no point in rubbing it in.

Hopefully you can get another chance sometime soon.

Well driving home, Reaper1 had no problems shifting into 3rd until just around the corner from home (hot trans) and 3rd started grinding when going 2-3. I drove the car still warm and same problem. Like the synchro just decided to stop functioning.
What sucks is that if you pull it out of 2nd, then put in in 3rd, its fine. You can also go from 4th to 3rd and its fine. Double clutching its fine. Grump. This development makes the car less interesting to drive or race because I will cause damage to 3rd gear teeth.

Something about going from 2-3, the transmission does not want to change speeds on the gears. Even with an excessively long clutch depress it grinds. Slamming it does shorten the crunch time. Grinds at 2k but at 5-6k you just get little unhappiness when you force it in.

I did change the clutch cable setup, removed a bunch of washers and set back my clutch switch so the bracket is not being forced back to the firewall. It sure feels like we are getting complete release well before hitting the floor with the pedal. When sitting, the input shaft does not spin up until about 3" from the floor which should be plenty of travel for shifting...

[Vigo]

Something about going from 2-3, the transmission does not want to change speeds on the gears. Even with an excessively long clutch depress it grinds. Slamming it does shorten the crunch time. Grinds at 2k but at 5-6k you just get little unhappiness when you force it in.

Long clutch-in will just make it worse. Shifting into 3rd from high rpms would mask the problem a little because the shaft speed will fall through the speed that 3rd wants at some point, regardless of whether synchros work or not. Shifting into 3rd from low rpms (from 4th or 5th, or any gear with a long clutch-in) would make it feel worse.

Not sure what the issue is, so im really not helping.

[Ondonti]

Transmission was went through 3 months ago because all the gears were sticking or just not going in (synchros seized onto gears) after sitting a few years. I am going to try burnishing the 3rd gear synchro. Its possible it got stuck or I don't know what else. They looked good on their "stop" surface. If I had the transmission apart again I would have investigated 3-4 synchros a bit more. I know we turned around the slider hub or something like that because it was reversable and the transmission has not liked 3rd gear since. Reason for flipping that was to try to balance out tooth profiles (mix the better stuff with the not so good stuff).

[Force Fed Mopar]

Taurus problem is probably the ignition module or the multi-function switch/relay box.

[Reaper1]

Anybody have any luck with "stickier" tranny fluids? I'm usually not one for additives, but maybe in this case it might help. Though, I'm not sure what. It just seems to me the synchro simply isn't grabbing and slowing the gear down.

Something Brent forgot to mention was the fluid he is using. I personally don't think it's much of an issue, but IIRC (Brent, correct me here!): 1/4 Synchromesh, 1/4 Lucas, the rest is 10w30

As said, I had no issues shifting it all the way back to just around the corner from his house, then it ground 3rd. The entire rest of the night it did it. In my experience that I've have with specifically Royal Purple Synchromesh is that while it's cold, it's great, but once it warms up it doesn't work as well...at least in our transmissions.

BTW, as for the Taurus..yeah, I was thinking ignition module, but I couldn't find it buried down in all the BS that's in that engine bay. There is a plug coming off this dizzy, but it looks to me like it goes right into the harness. I know from experience that the older Fords had issues with the ignition modules getting too hot, but those were in the dizzy and the plug looks completely different. Something else to keep in mind is that I remember that when these cars were used in "severe duty" (aka Police cars), they used a different grill that had vents in them to help keep the engine cool. It's a very common thing to see SHO guys swap that grill in.

Is the multi-function switch box mounted up by the radiator? I thought that box was the transmission controller?

[Aries_Turbo]

I had one of those police grills in my SHO in college.

[Ondonti]

Its maybe just 2 oz of Lucus break in oil. I am a bit perturbed by how the synchros seem to stop working after having just functioned. Previously this transmission was full of an aluminum slurry from the case being eaten by the transfer shaft sleeve trying to exit. It shifted fine if notchy until sitting 3 years made the 1-2 synchros lock up. The pile of crap locked up again after I installed it and I had to run a solvent into the oil to free the gears up again. Drained that. I feel that may be the Lucas needs to go even though I think others have had no problem with this? Not sure if its forming some sort of contaminating layer on a friction surface after it gets pressure applied while shifting gears? Or too slippery (thinking more the first issue)?

I know that synchros can move too far to one direction because other things are worn. Then they don't function. No wear actually happened the 3 years it sat so I don't see it reasonable that its worn out from sitting. Maybe destroyed from sitting but not worn.

[Force Fed Mopar]

Anybody have any luck with "stickier" tranny fluids? I'm usually not one for additives, but maybe in this case it might help. Though, I'm not sure what. It just seems to me the synchro simply isn't grabbing and slowing the gear down.

Something Brent forgot to mention was the fluid he is using. I personally don't think it's much of an issue, but IIRC (Brent, correct me here!): 1/4 Synchromesh, 1/4 Lucas, the rest is 10w30

As said, I had no issues shifting it all the way back to just around the corner from his house, then it ground 3rd. The entire rest of the night it did it. In my experience that I've have with specifically Royal Purple Synchromesh is that while it's cold, it's great, but once it warms up it doesn't work as well...at least in our transmissions.

BTW, as for the Taurus..yeah, I was thinking ignition module, but I couldn't find it buried down in all the BS that's in that engine bay. There is a plug coming off this dizzy, but it looks to me like it goes right into the harness. I know from experience that the older Fords had issues with the ignition modules getting too hot, but those were in the dizzy and the plug looks completely different. Something else to keep in mind is that I remember that when these cars were used in "severe duty" (aka Police cars), they used a different grill that had vents in them to help keep the engine cool. It's a very common thing to see SHO guys swap that grill in.

Is the multi-function switch box mounted up by the radiator? I thought that box was the transmission controller?

Yeah usually around the top of the radiator. The ignition module on the newer distributor Fords is usually mounted on a fender in an aluminum heat sink (cars and trucks).

Just an FYI, I tried running 10w40 and a bottle of Lucas oil additive in a 520 once, worst thing ever. First day I drove it it wouldn't shift at all hardly, took forever to get it to go into 2nd gear. After driving a while it got better, but I changed it out asap. I now run 5w20 in everything, including the 568/OBX posi unit in the Lebaron.

[Ondonti]

P.S.
Trying to take this car racing really complicated my life. Suggestion to all. Do not let impatience lead you to ignoring some things that could result in a huge headache. I had already picked up another long flow project when I had the towing blowup.

I also would love to look at the Ford 3.8 and make it reliable since my Dad loves that car and hates trucks...but I have so many projects and testing the 3.8 to see if its gonna get stuck again would be really awkward. Never know where its gonna conk out. It did great towing and has plenty of space.

[Ondonti]

Been spending some time adding weight to the car. I have had no interest to drive it with how loud it is (while still being slow with no turbo). I got pulled over for disconnected rear light wiring a few blocks from home and the cop asked if the car was a turbo and I said "used to be" with a sad face. Its much louder with a single Ultraflow then my Holset 3.0 Spirit is with no cat and no muffler. That is just standing outside. Terrible inside.

I am getting ready to start putting in the interior parts I junkyarded a year or so ago with reaper1. I want to get the rear wiring cleaned up before I get the plastics back in place. I threw all that stuff away when I first got the car.

Kill switch install started. Using a continuous duty tractor solenoid. I always avoided this but the local track official really ruined my day last time for a relocation in a very slow car that is 1 foot from the stock location. Hiding it behind the license plate because I didn't want my car catching more attention and that seemed to be the trick for other people. I am using a "real" kill switch which is meant for a carb'd car but all i need it for is the solenoid. I used a real switch because I didn't want grief. Its heavy.

I am using B-Quiet Ultra damper.

[2.216VTurbo]

What's the world coming to when you're putting sound deadening in??

[Reaper1]

Loud doesn't always mean fast and after a while...it's just annoying. We're just getting older, I guess. LOL

[Ondonti]

I didn't get a picture of the rear wiring harnes as I was working on it but 100 or so tiny zip tires later is is no longer the spread out rat nest of wires that it has been the last 7? or so years. I had to repair the 3rd brake light wire in a few places but all others were happy. The harness is now tucked inside the driver side lower door sill plastic. This makes me very happy as I had once gotten grief at a race track about those wires being strewn about. There is a lot of extra length in them so when unbound they really spread out.

This car has never had any interior plastics in it beyond when I first picked it up. Seems weird now. I also cam up with a way to seal up my rear hatch by extending the original lip upwards between 1.5 and 3.5" upwards depending on location. The rear hatch has previously been sealed to nothing and a source of massive exhaust noise. Plugged all sorts of little holes in the chassis and also blocked off a giant hole in the lower B pillar underbody where a rusted out jack point was cut out years ago. I used dense foam to block this out as it let a lot of fuel pump noise through. My dual pumps are located about 2 feet away.

Have not driven it with the interior as the HID ballasts funked out again and the rain has been dumping for a week straight. I had done some phony DB testing with an Android App but I figure it can at least give me a before and after.
It was only ~1 DB drop from where it sat to having the dampers installed and the hatch "seal" installed less the actual seal + no interior plastics and door panels not fastened back together. I don't think that included various holes in the car being filled. The next round of interior changes would be refitting the OEM rear carpets (which weigh almost nothing). My rear floor is not the same as stock so they will hang down too far from the hatch seal area. I want to add rubberized coating to the hatch seal extension so it doesn't look so tacky (plain white plastic). I also need to convert a little rust and then seal off the upper driver rear quarter panel seam. That 1/4 panel must have been replaced because its black on the inside and I know it leaks like crazy on top where they did a poor job sealing it.

[Reaper1]

Considering I know what it looked like before, that looks GREAT! BTW, I downloaded a Db app on my phone the other day and found out that for my particular phone (Galaxy Stratosphere) the mic maxes out at 81Db. Not very useful for really loud stuff. I was kinda disappointed. Oh well...guess I have a reason to find a real Db gauge.

[Ondonti]

So all said and done, with the hatch seal actually in place and a bunch of other holes blocked off, the DB level at idle measured from the passenger seat went from 66-67 to 61-62. I only use these numbers for before and after comparison, not for claiming how loud it actually is if measured with a quality device.

Much nicer to drive in sound wise, but I remembered why I have not wanted to drive the car. After freeing up the seized transmission last summer, 2nd gear has no resistance to gear shifts and just grinds. I think the 2nd gear blocker is worn down so bad that it just gets stuck in place on the gear and does nothing. I really want a new set instead of stripping down other transmissions. I don't want to drive the car because I don't want to fix it or cause more damage without it being "worth it." Pressure plate is also annoying me as I can barely get the thing to disengage by the time the pedal hits the floor no matter how much I adjust it. The clutch pedal adjuster doesn't handle the dual diaphragm plate well and just seems worst after sitting a few years.

HID lights were not igniting because of a dollar store fuse that was not blown but not contacting well.

Doing my best to get some "worth it" transmission damage at the track. Need to figure out how I will "for safety inspection reasons" cover the power wire connection points on my breaker box and kill switch solenoid. Also need to add a momentary switch setup to my solenoid to temp ground it then keep it running with a switched power activated relay. This would avoid the solenoid draining my battery. Kill switch behind the license plate is difficult to turn with the plate on and I already drained the battery once when I forgot to either turn off the kill switch or flip the breaker box under the hood.

I think I finally need to improve the battery hold down as well. Too much wiggle for the picky Seattle techs. I really want to make some passes so I can remove the junk leaking valve cylinder heads that never belonged to this engine and start putting the fun parts back on. I really don't enjoy the backfires on startup or the lack of power up top when I can rev as high as I want to now.