I have a Vortech kit with 7 lb pulley. The day after installation, the fuel pump went out. The day of pick up after I replaced the fuel pump with a new welbro, it wasn't hitting boost (maybe 1 or 2 lbs) and so I took it to my tuner. Turned out to be a loose s/c belt so he tightened it. The next day, the s/c belt broke. Drove it back home, and the next day the serpentine belt broke. My tuner came and fixed it in a Target parking lot (great guys). I drove it for a couple days and the clutch started slipping. Got a new clutch, drove it 1 day then decided it still wasn't driving right and I wanted to get it tuned. I got the AEM EMS, 750 cc injectors, smaller pulley (9lbs). While my tuner was street tuning it, it started to blow thick smoke so they ended up remachining the head and I got a new 3mm head gasket. They spent a couple weeks tearing the car apart and building it back. I picked the car up and then the next day that I drove the car it started to stutter at about 4k -4.5k rpms. It feels like it doesn't have any powerband and it just refuses to hit boost. No CEL anywhere but nothing is EVER right. Not anybody's fault, my tuner is great and I have a nice group of support in my local s2k community but now I'm just considering going back to N/A.

I can't understand why it's giving me trouble although I've checked everything, I have the EMS working for me and the car was driving amazingly when I first got it. It was hitting VTEC strong (5k rpms) and 9.1 lbs at 9100 rpms thanks to the EMS. Then after about 100 miles it just started to struggle. Any suggestions?

 

CEL light will not come on with the AEM EMS. jus for a heads up
so maybe somethings wrong

 

Check your plugs, they may have gotten fouled....

Also.. I am sure your tuner is great, I myself have heard many good things so far about 2nerwrks, However... any company who is dealing with Forced induction cars, or any cars at that, which need to be tuned after a "major change" such as supercharger, fuel pump, engine managment, cams, ignition, timing, should not be "street tunning" the car PERIOD. That is unsafe, can/will cause damage, or engine failure due to all the NEW UNKNOWN SETTINGS/VAIRIBLES

OUR BUTTS ARE NOT DYNOS ITS THAT SIMPLE, you do not need to feel anything or see how a car pulls on the street, before the tune, the tune is the part where all of that is put together, the car should have been taking off the jack stands after the job was complete and put on a dyno and tuned using a wide band, on the rollers THE RIGHT WAY.

I am posting this not as a bashing, but as a wake up for alot of people that are not informed correctly by some tuners who just refuse to do things the right way, no matter what reputation they have.

But what do I know

 

Funny, I've never heard that. What are your credentials, mikescws2k?

j/k. Thanks for the feedback Mike. I'll talk to my tuner about it when he calls me back :-)

 

well, I hope everything works out, it just frustrates me to no end when I hear of stuff like that happening...

Wish I had credentials.. call it common sense I guess... either way, I hope you understand where I am coming from in your defense, with all the new settings and fuel and blah blah blah.. its insane to even attempt that.. ill shut up now. lol...

 

Cheryl,
From what your describing about the "sputtering at 4k and the feeling of no power band" is what I experience in my old ITR. My issue was one of the spark plugs in only One of the cylinders was fouled, because of water.


It could be oil, or something else... but do check your plugs as that could be a cheap easy solution.

 

Yeah people on this forum say it all the time and it is so true: there is no substitute for the dyno tune...

 

Well there's your problem. You need to have a talk with your tuner. If the motor is toasted, you'll need a bottom in addition to your machined head and 3mm gasket.

 

Mike is correct in no street tuning before car is on the dyno. There are a lot of people that have been (lucky) when only street tuning the car. Ask any of the top tuners and they will 99% of the time send the car to the dyno first. Not saying that you can't street tune a car (for I have done this one my old eclipse) but it is not a wise choice.

Good luck and hope it is just the plugs or something else that is simple.

-Chris

 

Too many variables and too many hands in the pot seemed to have ruined the stew.

Did you buy the vortech kit used?.... bad pump + bad belt + street tune + machining the head = too many variables.

I would have trouble shooted the belt problem to make sure that was the problem before going with the EMS. Either that or replaced the clutch and left the 7lb setup to see if that resolved the problem.

Replacing the belt, the pump, the EMS, the clutch, the headgasket etc etc... = headaches.

JMO

Tim