Pontiac Bonneville

litemup

oh ya, so what are the main differences between the series I and II's? Is the exhaust resinator and cool air systems going to be similar? Do you have any other sources for me?

dmckeown

Check my post #247 to constman about his 93 SSEi . Your on your own as far as being able to just order stuff , you will have to do a little engineering . When you measure your pully use calipers across the top of the small grooves that the V's of the belt run in . Eaton has a website I think .
As for the diff in 3800's vs 3800 ser. 2 the ser. 2 had lighter pistons and diff cam too allow for slightly higher rev plus other neat stuff . For more info try the Edmunds site called 3.8 to 3800 engines , someone there can help you

dmckeown

Finally , I have tried posting a mess. for the last 3 days!

refiner

I found two other companies that make CAI's both are for the GTP the tell me they won't work on the SSEi. Whens someone going to get with it and start making performance parts for the SSEi? Does anyone know if Charged Airs intercooler requires modifications to go on the SSEi? They haven't returned my call.

dmckeown

I went for a ride in my co-workers 99GTP , his mod's are nice , but the RAT 3" cat back is a little too noisey for me . I let him drive my SSEi and he let me drive the GTP , it's the only way you can realy get a feel for the performance . His would be quicker out of the hole , but after 30 mph I think my 3.25 and more free flowing Thrasher CAI would make it even , we may have to actually race soon !
He told me to check the oil level on the supercharger as it does use oil , he has topped it of a few times and he has about 30k miles on it . Must use the right SC oil , get it from dealer ! You guy's that have bought used SSEi's better check this out , you don't want to wreck that , it would be costly ! I'm still having problems trying to post , even whithout using the spell check

intense01

I sent two really good postings last week, and wondered why nobody responded. Today, I realized my posts were not posts at all, just typing exercises.

The first was a detailed comparison of the Thrasher versus the Charged Air intercoolers. The second was about custom PCMs.

I'll try to find my old notes and rewrite the posts in the near future.

intense01

Two weeks ago I spoke with Tony D. at Charged Air Systems. He has me convinced that he is the man as far as 3.8L intercooling goes. His phone number is (847) 223-0743, and his website is chargedair.com.

He told me that his GTP intercooler is already tested, in production, and will be released 1/15/01. Horsepower improvements average 10%. So a stock engine should see ~ 24 horsepower, and some of us may be able to get ~ 30 horsepower from intercooling alone.

From my perspective, I see several advantages of the CAS unit over the one from Thrasher:

1) CAS can do a 2.0 inch tall version, compared to 2.5 inch. This unit would include the same cooling core, and have the same performance gain as a 2.5 inch tall intercooler. This may help to address the hood clearance issue, but I will have to do some more in-depth clay modeling (with the hood insulation removed) before I will know for sure if we can fit this in our SSEis.

2) CAS does not require intake manifold modifications, as the Thrasher unit does. It scares me to have to mail out my manifold for someone to modify.

3) CAS includes fuel injector spacers with their kit, instead of the Thrasher method of fuel rail modification. The CAS solution seems much simpler, safer and more elegant to me.

4) CAS will have a selling price ~ $1,400 complete, compared to ~ $1,800 for Thrasher.

I plan to do some in-depth underhood clearance mapping in the coming weeks, and will let everyone know if we can fit the CAS unit under our hoods. If we can, I plan to get one on order in January.

Here I go being an optimist again. But what really excites me is that I am thinking with a 3.0 inch exhaust and an intercooler, a 3.0 inch pulley might actually be plausible. 2001 is going to be an exciting year!

intense01

Well I just learned two more things about this new site format. First, certain types of punctuation wreak havoc. Do not use apostrophes or ellipses.

Here are some examples:

don't = do not

... = three periods in a row

The other thing I learned is that when I learn something new, I still have 30 minutes to go back and edit my previous posting, before you all see how stupid I was!

intense01

Well this time the punctuation worked fine. I don't get it!

One more posting to go, and then I'll get off the airwaves for a while and let other folks talk.

intense01

Back in June I spoke with Jerry in Technical Assistance at Superchips Inc. about a PCM programmer for our cars. He told me it would be 6 to 12 months before anything would be available for our cars. Their toll-free number is (888) 227-2447.

Two weeks ago I spoke with Mike, and he said we're now only about two months out. They plan to introduce a PCM programmer for SSEis sometime around February. The unit is planned to be a hand held one-shot (no choices) device. You would plug it in to the OBDII port, hit START, and your PCM would be reprogrammed. Initial plans call for raised rev limiter, raised shift points, eliminated top end governor, etc. There would be no user fields, so we wouldn't be able to select tire sizes, gear ratios, converter stall speeds, driver greeting, Magnasteer firmness setting, etc. I'd like to encourage everyone on this list to call these folks, and make sure they understand that there's a market for SSEi's!!!

Once the initial units are out, they will consider custom units for those of us with mods. My thought is that maybe five or ten of us can agree on a common set of mods, and get them to build a custom unit for us. Maybe we could call it the Stage 2 SSEi unit (Stage 1 being for a stock SSEi), and have it designed to perform best with the some increased boost, a somewhat lower thermostat, a less restrictive induction, and a less restrictive exhaust system. What do you guys think?

refiner

I'm going to order Thrashers CAI today. Can anyone give me some tips on installing it. I also called Superchip Monday the 18th. They told me to call back in a month or two. Like intense wrote it will probably be in Feburary. By the way thanks for the phone #. They said it will cost $419.00.

dmckeown

I talked with Mike and told him I was interested in the programmer but need the one for a modified car , which I figure most of us would need cause if you are running a small pulley and CAI you will a custom unit . I like that you dont need to go to your dealer for a CASE learn as with most recalibrated PCMs
I drove my co workers 99 GTP yesterday it was a bit quicker out of the hole then my SSEi , I think , but after that pretty even , my 3.25 against his 3.40 . Also my Thrasher CAI flows better then his SLP , bigger filter and larger opening in box. He drove the SSEi , very impressed with it , said if he had the money . I think his RAT 3" catback was too loud for me

dmullert

Hi Gang!

I am now testing this new format for the first time.

Dennis D. Mullert

ezrapon

is there a formula to post? about 1 out of 5 post. Most of the time when I post it sends me to another page to log in then says i'm already logged in. Is this because of the Bush administration? I'm tired of typing in vain!!!!!!

ezrapon

of course that one worked... i give up!

snickle

Let see if this works. I have been unable to get it to work at all before today.

ezrapon

t

snickle

I think the PCM programmer even without mod knowledge would help. Change in shift points would be great. I am not sure what settings could be easily tweaked for us mod'rs. I am installing my FPR and Autotrans interceptor tomorrow. We shall see how it goes.

Intense are you ready to try the Thrahser shift kit. I think with that, the autotrans to boost the line pressure (if the new pcm does not do the) and the new PCM, these cars should move pretty good.

litemup

litemup

where do you fill up the supercharger oil at, i cant find anywhere to fill it

dmckeown

On the Eaton M90 , on the 97 and on SC 3800's the fill port is on the pulley support housing , just before it is bolted to ths super charger body , about 6" from pulley right up front . It is a black bolt , Allen head , flush in the Alum. housing , with a spot of light green Gliptol on it . I don't know if it's in the same spot on your Eaton M62 super charger , but I would think so .

intense01

I already have one on order. Getting it from Rob at Extreme Performance. I met him in Detroit last week - a real good guy.

Grand Prix guys have been complaining that the kits don't do too much. It turns out that they shipped the first batch of kits with much softer springs than originally designed. I hope my kit has the new badass springs. My SSEi needs lots of help in the shift firmness department.

p.s. - I beat a '93or '94 Mustang GT the other night. He had an SVT badge on the trunk - not sure what that meant. I cam up behind him, he nailed it, I nailed it, and almost ran into him - had to let off the gas. We must have raced five times, in all different scenarios. It was like he just couldn't accept being beaten by a 4-door, and had to keep trying. I would say we were pretty even off the line (probably half throttle for both of us), mid-range I was a little stronger, and top end I was definitely pulling on him. We didn't do a full quarter mile, but my guess is that the SSEi was about two full car-lengths faster all in all.

snickle

I put my AutoTrans Interceptor on today. I disabled teh Torque Convertor Control and set the line pressure fairly conservative. It feel a lot better. I will try to play with the settings tomorrow.

I also put my cone filter back on to make it easier to work on building my CAI. (Thanks Doug)

I am also going to order the shift kit. I think the shift kit in medium plus the increased pressure (Like the GTP Performance Shift Mode) of the ATI should be a good combination. At least until the PCM reprogrammer is ready (which should increase line pressure and change shift points).

Does anyone have the manual for the 4T65E? I would like to know the stock line pressure of the Bonnie, the GTP and the GTP in performance shift mode. I would like to set the ATI to duplicate perfoirmnce shift line pressure levels.

dmckeown

I will try again , 5th time for this mess . I made a cardboard mock up of the Thrasher CAI box just as I got it from them and cut it to fit in SSEi . Basically removed a small triangular section on passenger side of box . PCM sits on innerfender shelf where stock air box was bolted , I made Z brackets to clamp it to shelf , on top of foam pad supplied in kit . The modified air box sits on top of PMC with a inch or so gap between air box and radiator support lip . I made a bracket out of 2" angel iron , about 6" long. It mounts to radiator support using factory bolt that pertruds from support and a few self tapping screws into pass side of air box . This keeps air box in place and limits hot air from around radiator from entering CAI .

ymandj

When I started my Bonneville '96 SE yesterday and this morning my tachometer went up to 2500 rpm on idle slowly climbing up to 3000. The engine sounded very loudly. After 3-5 min I turned the ignition off and started the car again. Tachometer went only to 1500 rpm and stayed there. Is it normal? If not - why would it happen? It is cold outside in NY, could it be the reason? Is 1500 rpm normal?

dmckeown

Ymandj , my 93 Bonnie went to 1800 rpm's this morning ,if I stepped on the gas and let off it went back to almost 2500 and slowly went down to 1800 again . My wife's 99 Grand Prix with ser. 2 3800 only went to 1400 rpm and after a short time went to 1100 or so. The temp here in upstate N.Y. was about 20 deg.
Make sure all linkages are free and oiled and air cleaner / PCV valve are good , or just put in new ones , they are cheap .

refiner

Thanks for the help. Thrasher e mailed me some pictures of someones SSEi with the CAI in it. It looked good. Was it yours?

dmckeown

Refiner ,
I e mailed Thrasher some digital photos of my installation a couple of months ago so it was most likely mine . As far as I know I was the first to fit one in a new SSEi and intense is the only other to do it , also with a Thrasher unit . They do look good and I have got comments from everyone who has seen it ! If you run into the need for more detailed info then I posted my e mail is Douglas936@cs.com , because I loose one in three posting I've tried on this site

ezrapon

testing

ezrapon

let's see if the 3rd and 4th post... if this one works, the secret formula might be sending a false post 1st, then a real one... or not. Should we develope our own site??

ezrapon

does anyone know how to put together a simple site that we can all post to? That is, if this one is not fixed soon. I've been away so long, that black Ultra at the dealer is looking real nice... help!!

snickle

I'll see if I can scrounge up some space somewhare and set up a new site. I'll keep you posted

smfran

Hi Guys - I've been spending time reading the new Town Hall Help and reading posts in the forum "New Software! Your Questions Answered."
This can be accessed through the Town Hall Home Page. I have pretty much figured out how this new site works. Once you get used to it you might even like it better. Don't leave without giving it a chance! If you get frustrated, read the posts I mentioned above and the Town Hall Help. This site does work and it will be easier than finding and setting up a new one.

refiner

Got the CAI kit the other day. Like someone said the instructions look like they were printed on the cheapest copier they could find. Hopefully I can get it in this week. Maybe I'll get lucky and the temperature will get above 20.

dmullert

Hey Gang!

For the last couple of weeks I have been noticing a faint hint of rough idling when in idle or fully stopped with the engine on. I took the car to my Pontiac dealer to get it checked and according to them, the computer spits that the engine is running according to specs on the engine and on the car. Any ideas?

Sincerely,

Dennis D. Mullert

smfran

Hi pennis - I've experienced the same faint hint of rough idle. It seems to happen when idling warm. It is minor though and I have elected to just accept it.

dmckeown

Dennis (with a D) I have just started to notice a rough idle after car is warm and when its very cold out . I don't drive the SSEi much any more , too much road salt , but when I do , man does it go . If anyone asks me about rough idle I'll tell em its got a cam in it ! Saw a post some where that it's the # 4 cylinder and that GM knows about it but is waiting too see if alot of owners [non-permissible content removed]

dmckeown

After looking at my friends GTP that his buddy had modified it looked as if he loosened the two mounting screws that hold valve bracket to supercharger and moved it down . Sure nuff after e mailing him , that is what the GTPers are doing . The actuation rod is compressed more and in theory it should kick in sooner When I drove his car it did seem to have less lag , but too many diff. in weight and mods too say that helped . More info at
http://newforum.clubgp.com/ubb/clubgp/Forum1/HTML/009437.html

dmckeown

Stephen , it looks as if you got some real snow to test the SSEi in , how is it . With all my modifications mine is a handfull in bad weather , wet roads (wet not snow) and 20 deg's it spins em at 40 if you floor it . Glad I didn't go to Mass. for the holiday , it missed us , we got less then half a foot

ezrapon

I beat an old formula at a stop light today... about 3 times. It was a LT1, but had the skinny tires (means the 2:73 ratio) and an automatic. The 8 degree temps must double the HP on these little buggers. Front wheel drive and salt dust didn't hurt either. I will miss the performance when it hits 98 this summer. I hope the 3.8 gt grand prix's will catch me before the heat is back.

smfran

Even though I now love the new website including how the spell check works, unfortunately it doesn't flag misspellings in the title bar. I guess you can call it payback for the times you addressed me as smfram!!

smfran

Now that I have mastered the workings of the new web site, I think it's great. It took some time and effort but it was worth it. If you guys have any specific questions on how to navigate Edmunds.com efficiently, let me know.

smfran

Only got 3" of wet snow here. The Worcester area did get more. My SSEi with only the K+N mod handles O.K., but not great. The tires do spin easily on wet/snowy pavement, but it acts as a reminder of the power I have!

dmckeown

It seems as if ezrapon has got his Supercharger belt on tight!
What belt did you go with ? Did you get a Torx drive bit on the idler like I e'mailed you about ? 8 degs , wow , cold in St Louie . During the week before X'mass I drove my SSEi to work alot (lunch dates with female co-workers , screw the road salt) . On the commute home one day I was in the fast lane doing 75 and a new Lexus 430 was in the lane to my right , just as I was coming up on him he was coming up on a car ahead of him . He looks back at me as he starts too come out in my lane , sees me and pulls back into his lane , THEN the jerk decides to take my lane any way , goes WOT and pulls out , about foot or so clearance between his rear bumper and Bons nose , thats with me hitting the breaks! Well now , its about 10 degs and I got half a tank of 100 octane with very little Christmass spirt left in me at this moment and the only other cars mear us is the one he just passed , so I go WOT and hold it there . He ran but all us guys with modified SSEi's know what happens after you get past 75mph , PULL PULL PULL! To keep from running into him I gave right directional and took that lane . Good thing SSEi past him very quickly because that sicking fuel shut off feeling came on after I was well beyond him . His new years resolution will be to check for that little red Pontiac badge on the nose of a car before he thinks hes going to blow it away after running it of the road !

smfran

Thanks for protecting our interests vs. a glorified Toyota!
It appears that you too have mastered this new web site. What do you think of it?

refiner

Put the CAI in yesterday wasn't too bad getting it in. It makes a difference. And the sound of the supercharger is great. Thanks for the help dmckeown.

dmckeown

Steve , the new site format is good now that they have most of the bugs out of it . Used to be I lost every post that was more then a few lines long and had to get out of the site and log back into post more then one message , also spell check kicked me out a few times so I have not used that as you can see

dmckeown

Matt , glad to hear that you got the Thrasher CAI in your car , that makes 3 of us ! Do you like the looks of it ? The sound is as addicting as a 4 barrel opening up used to be to me .

smfran

Now that the bugs are gone, you can bookmark the Town Hall page and use the check messages function to tour new posts in subscribed to discussions. This site is awesome. The spell check works great and they are continuing to add new features. I was afraid that something I really enjoyed participating in was going to be lost. If anyone is having trouble, let me know and I'll help you. I hope snickle and intense haven't given up.
Doug, if you lived near here I would probably be enjoying my SSEi even more than I do. I wish I could have the same throaty sound you must get with your CAI. I'm envious of the guy across the street with his Camaro SS. When I hear him coming down the road I look out the window and admire his car. I know the Bonnie is "luxury with attitude", but I would like a more muscle car sound. I can't work on the car myself; I don't have the knowledge. I won't pay someone to do it for me. But if I had a friend I could work with, I would make the mods. So far I've done the K+N air filter and painted my exhaust tips. The dealer put on the pin stripe for me. Other than that, my car is stock.

ezrapon

Damn! I love these kinds of stories. I pulled away from a red GTP today. He had a (reversed) sticker on his windshield that said" slower traffic keep right". He rode my [non-permissible content removed] onto the interstate then quickly shot to the passing lane to pass me... I guess he didn't hear about the pulley fix and I didn't choose to slow down to tell him about it. When I had my grand national, I blew away every mustang gt, z/28, and vette in st. louis... unfortunately when the fuel shut off at 124 MPH, I was always extremely embarrassed. I now have to be aware of that same thing all over again.