New muffler is in and the exhaust is still loud as hell, but much better than before. Spintech added steel wool sound deadening on the inside and a merge plate so the exhaust doesn't flow straight through like before. Very happy with the result.

Still having tune issues where the rpm's hang at about 2,500 when coming to a stop. Once I start going it levels out, but definitely need to resolve this. Hit up DJwade as his setup is very similar to mine and he is going to look over his tune and see if there is anything different that stands out. Need to get an alignment soon and then the car is ready for the track.

Got my son's power wheels dune racer extreme in for christmas and couldn't resist putting it in the garage next to the exo. Walmart has these on sale for $200 and I was pretty happy with it for that price. Already looking at modifying it with the milwaukee 18v batteries.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5c90b3260b.jpg

Still having an issue with the car hanging at a higher rpm when I am coming to a stop and then continues when stopped. Wouldn't be too bad, but it is at 2,500 rpm's. At this point I believe the lack of a clutch switch sensor is causing it.

I remember asking V8R about a clutch switch when I started the build, and I think I remember Shandelle saying some of the lfx swaps they have done had this issue. Can't remember if he had a solution for it, but I'll reach out this week. Griff had mentioned he had the same issue and had to start from scratch on his tune to get rid of it.

In the mean time, I ordered an oem camaro clutch switch since they are only $9 (GM #20995840).

Looking back at the ecu connector pin out charts, the clutch switch sensor wire goes to pin 48 on the blue ecu connector.

I need to figure out the pinout for the 3-wires on the sensor. Assuming one is power (5v?), one is ground and the last goes to pin 48 on the ecu.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...7fea81f692.jpg

My LFX Miata has a similar issue except for me it's when I am entering the hot pits and it hangs at like 2k-2.5k rpm. I end up using first gear and braking to bring it down. I was thinking it had more to do with a vacuum leak through the pcv system or something so I was going to modify my catch can system and VTA through a can instead of returning it to the intake manifold to see if that cures it.

Not really seeing how lack of a clutch switch would cause it to hang high in the rpm range. I can open up the tune in HPtuners and see if there are any settings related to that.

I have a similar issue on my lfx car as well. Usually when the car is warm and I’m coming to a red light. It hangs for a second so I usually just engage the clutch and brake to a stop while the engine settles. It seems to be pretty random. I haven’t found a way to make it happen. My car was the lfx demo car for V8R so I’m assuming they haven’t found a fix for it yet.

For me it happens every single time I come off the track and head into the pits. My guess is it's related to spirited/race driving and then coming back into the pits/red light on the street. Could be excess crank case pressure bleeding through the pcv system? Our V8 car does it as well when coming off the track. Hangs at 2-2.5k before taking 15 seconds or so to come back down.

Interesting, you both are describing the issue exactly. It tends to settle down, but for me it takes about 10 seconds. Brakes, putting the car in or out of gear and revving have no effect on it for me. Still does it regardless.

My thought was that if the oem camaro has a clutch switch and it goes to the ecu, it must be doing something when the clutch is depressed. Not sure what, but figured it was worth a test.

https://forum.hptuners.com/showthrea...out-in-neutral
This thread makes me think it might have to do with the underspeed and overspeed coast settings. (for the e39 hpt: engine->idle->rpm).

DFCO is the phrase you're looking for - deceleration fuel cut off (in megasquirt, fuel overrun). I thought about installing the clutch switch to see if it helps, but never got around to it. Looking through some DFCO threads on the forum makes it seems like it's almost black magic to get the thing to idle down without acting like a hung dashpot.

https://www.hptuners.com/help/vcm_ed...uel_cutoff.htm

Mine is arriving Friday so I will get it installed in the the next week or so.

I hope yours works! Mine did not work in my unmodified NA6 unfortunately. It would not fully engage 3rd or 6th and reverse was a complete no-go.

What didn't work about it? were there interference issues that we causing it to short stroke? i was excited about this since the feel of the modified OEM one is crap, but now I am 2nd guessing my decision.....

Mine works perfectly, but obviously in an exocet and not a miata. I've had a few people comment now that it is the best feeling shifter they have ever touched.

Yea I REALLY wanted like hell for it to work because the shifter really is almost like a piece of artwork. I'm sure I could get it to work with some modification, but I was holding off on that until I have the time.

Went to a local meet for a little bit last night with some friends in DF Goblin and LS RX7 and the peeps there took some great pics.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d391fa78da.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c1b9c87d25.jpg

Looks damn good brother!

Thanks Griff! Car still needs an alignment, but it drove really well. Was a little sketched out with cold tires and didn't get on it too much. The 3.91 gears actually do very well, even on the highway because of 6th gear. And the tires spin in 1st through 3rd if you want, but the roll-ons in this car are just insane. Very driveable all considering. Can't even imagine what yours is like with the turbo. We need to get to the track!
:skid:
And not to rub it in, but that shifter is friggin amazing! I'd be curious to see why it works so well in the exo and the miata guys are having issues.

That is hot.

Thanks! Lots of parts from you guys on the car.

Might have to snag a ride from you one of these days.

Small update but a big deal. So Griff managed to figure out the idle hanging issue so many of us are dealing with. The car is now running like a dream!

Pretty simple but fixed it immediately.

HP Tuners->Engine->Idle->RPM->Adaptive Idle->Max VSS-> change from 4.3 to 300 (mph)

Great job finding this Griff. Thanks as always Brother!

Wait - Really?

Poscats to griff.

Even a blind squirrel gets a nut now and then and hope it helps others.

For real, I'm sending him a roll of toilet paper. He fucking earned it with this.

Right on!!!! Will have to test it out next time I am around my car. Thanks for the info!!!

-Ryan

Got the car on a dyno finally (dynojet). 269whp with 250ft/lb on 93 octane with overkill 80mm throttle body, jacfab ported intake manifold and spacer, and an overkill tune. Waiting on my E85 tune from overkill for a few months now, so one day it will be here. In the mean time I'm working with Griff to get it dialed in a little more and inch closer to 300whp on 93 octane.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...2862f485f4.jpg

And for the hell of it, same car with the old NB turbo motor (FMII kit). Dynojet as well.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...fef3cc7b27.jpg

THB, seems a bit low on power. Before I installed my ported TB and Jacfab ported intake i was at 306whp on 91 and 310whp on ethanol so i should be a little higher now. Hardly anything to be gained (power-wise), at least in my experience and tune going from 91 to E85. There is some cooling benefit to the ethanol, and thats really the only benefit i can think of as mine is a dedicated track car.

I know all dynos are different and you can't compare one to another, but that's a pretty huge difference. I forget,do you have an underdrive pulley? Power steering? Did you walnut blast the backsides of the valves?

-Ryan

Didn't walnut blast the vlaves, but did use a shotgun bore cleaner on a drill and they came out pretty nice. Engine only has 12k miles on it too. Interesting on the E85. I think ThePass put down something like 326whp on E85 with basically a stock motor. Yeah, I had the same thinking this was low, but not totally sure why. No power steering or AC, No underdrive pulley either. You confirmed my thoughts that it should be around 300whp on 93. Hmmm...

My motor had around 30k and the valves were pretty nasty, even with relatively low miles.

Not sure if his number was that high, but somewhere in there. I used the same tuner as Ryan (Sean Church), same exact dyno, and Sean and I hypothesized that the lower output of mine was due to my heavy OEM flywheel and clutch, whereas Ryan at the time had the Spec lightweight one as well as Ryan's side exit/short nice flowing exhausts where mine at the time were full length 2" (should be bigger) then through a large muffler at the back of the car. So more exhaust back pressure, and more flywheel weight to throw around.

I'm using the oem flywheel and clutch as well, but my exhaust is dual 2.5" from the engine all the way out the sides and a race muffler. No cats or really much any restriction.

It's hard/foolish to compare across different dynos, but that seems in range for stock. For example, mine dyno'd at 275 on 93 stock other than tune. One explanation is that the 80mm throttle body and ported manifold don't make much/any measurable difference.

Did you run into any misfire reporting issues while tuning?

Turned on misfires in the HPT scanner per Griff's recommendation to see how the engine was doing on the new tune. Shit ton of misfires on cylinder #2 and a small amount on #5. Pulled a coil while running the HPT scanner to confirm which cylinders where what. From the front on the passenger side #1 - #3 - #5 (rear). Driver side from the front #2 - #4 - #6 (rear).

Moved coils around for test drive number one and still a ton of misfires on cylinder #2. Replaced spark plugs for test drive two and no changes. Fuck, starting to get into the stuff that is a hassle to fix. Just did a compression test and 150 psi on all cylinders. Yay! So I think we are narrowed down to a fuel issue now and I am assuming it leads to the injector since it is cylinder specific.

Anyone replace an injector on this engine before?

At this point everyone I'm talking with and myself believe I have at least one clogged injector. Found a place in Houston that cleans and flow tests GDI injectors for $25 each. Sending in the full set and will report back when I get them in. I'm using the corvette fuel filter, so that should be good enough. I can't remember flushing the lines once everything was installed though, so that seems more than likely the issue right now. Very curious to see if this fixes it.

Just got the new injectors in. Not for the faint of heart, it's a bitch.

It's late and some quick notes that might help some others before I forget...
Removing the rails can be done without removing the heads.
The retaining clips, the fucking clips. Be careful getting them off, I broke an injector by using too much force.
Getting the clips back on is actually pretty simple.
Install the injectors into the rails and wipe some motor oil on the rubber seals first.
Then install the retainer rings (u-shaped). I used the same Knipex wrench listed below for this.
Flat side of the U goes towards the rail and look closely at the injectors and you'll see how it has to align. It can only go one way.
You don't need any special $300 GM tools.
Get a big adjustable wrench (I used a knipex 8603300 I already had).
The shorter side of the clip sits just under the injector electrical connector.
Start it by hand and get the big wrench so you can put some force on the fuel rail and clip to drive it in. I was only able to get it part way on the first squeeze, and then adjusted the wrench. Did it again and then usually had to give a small tap with a flathead to get the different pieces to line up in the clip.
When reinstalling the rails, install the driver side first and bolt it down. Then remove the bolts, they will get in the way of installing the passenger rail.
Passenger rail needs to come in from the rear, not the front.

And here are all the resources that helped me. Keep in mind many of them say to do things a different way, but above is what worked best for me.

https://www.enclaveforum.net/threads...-myself.13242/
https://www.boschautoparts.com/en/bo.../gm-3.6l-buick
View topic - 2010 Fuel Injector Replacement :: Bowtie V6 - 5th Gen Camaro V6 Tech Forum, 2010 Camaro V6, 2011 Camaro V6, Camaro 3.6l, Camaro llt
https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showt...385386&page=11
Chevrolet Equinox Service Manual - Fuel Rail and Injectors Cleaning and Inspection Fuel System Fuel Rail - Engine

Got the car out for a drive and log today... no more misfires! The engine even idles better now, so there was definitely something wrong with a couple of my injectors.

I'm going to go ahead and walnut blast my valves because they are still nasty looking even after using a shotgun bore brush.

This was the most economical and simple solution I could find. You can get everything needed (including the compressor) for under $100 from Lowes and HF.
https://www.focusst.org/threads/how-...valves.119770/

I splurged and got the LFX specific adapter on ebay for an additional $30, but you could just use a piece of radiator hose instead.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevy-V6-3-...r/113725591051

Well... I was able to sort out and verify a few more things in HPTuners before I rip the garbage e39 and HPTuners out of the car once and for all in the coming days.

• The cam phasing is indeed 180 deg backwards. If you retard the intake cam in HPT, it will advance the cam on the engine.
• I also figured out how to kill DFCO completely finally
• I also found the table that was preventing me from retarding the timing on a shift...because who doesn't like shooting flames on a redline shift!

If you want the lowdown just shoot me a text brother. If others are interested, I'd be happy to do a quick write up for ya.

You rock and thank you as always! Without your help this car would be almost undriveable.

Few updates... took a bunch of pics for a couple people requesting to see more of how I cut the oem alternator bracket to fit on the driver side. Also, walnut blasted all the valves and they look brand new now. Amazing they were still pretty gunky after cleaning them prior, but just used carb cleaner and a shotgun bore brush. Lastly, I think I may have found the root to my misfire issues (hopefully). At the upper front of the intake manifold is a twist on connector for a vacuum line. If you don't press it down hard enough while installing it, it will go on fine but just slightly butt up against the lip it is supposed to go under. Never even noticed this before, but be 100% sure you press down on it with a little force to be sure the connector seats under the lips (pics below). Mine was not seated all the way.

Good followed by bad for the intake connector.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...cf6a17860f.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...01b9d31650.jpg



My engine came from a car that was hit in the front end. Don't mind the broken bolt hole in the images, that doesn't matter for the alternator mount.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...e9b5a10af2.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...979eb47098.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...30f65adc73.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...205430090e.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c9c0f19f5a.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...358b10a272.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...169c4361f4.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...96be3c1973.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...151f1f8407.jpg

Thanks for posting up the pictures @LukeG Just need to find someone that can weld aluminum

Even TIG will struggle with cast alu. I have had good luck brazing cast alu with these as long as it is not a high heat component. Ex >500 deg f

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133424122739

Thanks Griff!

Have some on the way

It finally cooled down below 100 and got to drive the car for a bit tonight. Immediately had an issue with the throttle and hopefully someone can help me figure this out.

While driving, about every 30-60 seconds the throttle would stop working (oem camaro drive by wire). Car acted as if the throttle input was just gone. To get it to work again I had to turn the battery off, give it about 15 second to reset, and then start it back up and start driving again. This has only happened to me once before and I had hp tuners hooked up and logging. Couldn't find anything of interest that would explain this in the logs. The one thing different about tonight was that I had the headlights on. I'm going to do another drive tomorrow with no headlights, but the only thing I can think of is that somehow the power draw from the headlights is causing issues with the drive by wire throttle, but that sounds a little crazy.

The battery was fully charged before the drive and the car had no issue starting back up immediately every time I turned it off.
I checked all the connectors and everything is nice and snug on the ecu and throttle.

Could a voltage dip cause the throttle to drop out? I am running the oem alternator and it does have the known issue of not reaching the ideal charging voltage. Maybe the headlights were too much to keep up? I never drive the car at night with headlights, so this is a new issue. Curious to see if it does it tomorrow with no headlights.

OEM alt is capable enough, and despite being 13.8 setpoint, should output that reliably. I suspect it'd gone into limp mode possibly from the throttle pedal - they tend to fail safe so you're not barrelling into a family on their Sunday walk by the freeway. Ours did something similar - though somewhat random at times, and despite recrimping the pedal, I finally had to give in and solder the crimps. No reoccurance since then.

Interesting.... so soldering the crimps on the connector at the gas pedal fixed this for you? I'll do it today and see what happens. Thanks!

I was going to suggest the throttle wire just like gooflophaze. I’ve been told by a buddy who has done multiple ls3 swaps that the throttle wiring is very finicky. Im guessing he had a bunch of issues with it, it was one of the few things he seemed very adamant about. Good luck! Hopefully quick fix & cools down a little more and you get to drive her!

Awesome, thanks!

I'm am 99.9% certain that this issue is caused by a DBW calibration that we are unable to run in HPT and can only be done in the GM SPS software when they install a new throttle body.....similar to the "case learn" process that recalibrates the ECU to the crank and cam sensors.

Like Goof mentioned, the whole system is a failsafe to make sure you dont have a stuck throttle body. The basic version of how it works is that there is a 5v refrence signal to and from the ECU that manages the change in position of the throttle pedal to the TB and then there is a pair of circuits that verify the current position of both. If the resistance difference between those two circuits is exceeded, you go into limp.

I think there are a few things that can cause it, but he most common instance I have seen of this issue, and I have been investing at least a dozen around the world, is when the TB gets hot and impedance climbs, the tightly calibrated threshold between the two throttle position sensors is exceeded and throws the ECU into limp. I think the issue is compounded by the fact we are normally mating a TB and ECU that were never calibrated together so some swaps have almost no tolerance at all to them and others only see the problem on the hottest of days and on the track. I think if it was a harness/connector issue, we would have seen a recall on almost every vehicle the 3.6 was installed in if they were really that intolerant of wiring variables from the factory.

As others have mentioned, the connector at the throttle is a finicky one and if those pins are not perfect they will cause a similar issue between the pedal and the ECU.

Thanks Brother! Soldered all the connector pins and will test drive later this week.

Side Note:
Will your ecu have a way to fix this and will it have the ability to control the alternator?

yes to both bud ;-)

So I have been trying to figure out how to weight the exocet. No weigh stations within 15 miles of me and I'd like to be able to do this in my garage. I also didn't want to spend $1k+ for scales. Just came across this video which looks awesome. Btw, already tried cheap bathroom scales and that didn't work for shit.

Make a trip down to H-Town and you can borrow my corner scales bud. Bout time we shake hands in person anyay!

I soldered all the pins and put the connector back together. Matched the wires exactly as they were when I took them out. Now the car has no throttle control. Just idles. No error codes in the ecu either. I triple checked to make sure the connector was seating all the way and the pins weren't moving or out of alignment. Everything looks great. Wtf?

Ordered a new accelerator pedal just to start eliminating things. Since this is now getting worse I'm wondering if the pedal sensor is on its way out. Mine only had 14k miles on it though, so that would be odd.

Does this wire order look correct?

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3573343926.jpg

Griff just happened to be in town and stopped by to look at the car. Couple things, wires are in the correct order and throttle pedal works just fine. He had me clear the error codes and the throttle immediately started working even though there was no throttle code being thrown. I'll let him go into more detail on this if he wants, but it seems as though this is a common issue on these swaps and he is working on a solution.

Edit: He also brought his scales and we got a weight. She's a fat pig... 1,805 pounds with 10 gallons of gas. Trying to figure out where I might be able to lose some weight on the car, but I'll save that for another day.

Griff was reviewing my most recent log and saw that my Bank 1 (passenger) O2 sensor was flat lining, and has been for a while now. New one ordered and hopefully this fixes the issues I have been having.

Couple big updates and fingers crossed I think all of my issues have been resolved. Thanks as always to Griff for helping me through this. He has become my moral support buddy as I go back and try to fix my mistakes and all the random parts in this build.

1. My passenger side O2 sensor was unplugged just enough that it wasn't visible from looking at it. It sits up against the hose off my radium expansion tank and it looks like it may have been just the right angle to come undone, or it was just never properly plugged in. Stupid mistake on my part, but huge issue when the ecu sees one bank of the engine flatlining. Weird part is that it never threw a code. Tugged on the wires and the plug pulled right out. Plugged it back in and the engine is running the best it ever has. Woohoo!!!

2. On the Keisler harness there is a molex connector between the accelerator pedal connector and the main engine harness big connectors. This little bastard had a lot of play in it and I decided to remove it and hardwire the wires in place of the connector. Accelerator pedal drama immediately went away and has yet to return. Code being thrown was a P2138 for future reference.

Taking the car for a drive this weekend and hopefully can start the E85 tuning.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b6fc41e0f7.jpg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...32abaa796c.jpg

Looks like you found those Gremlins! Always painful when you have two issues going on at the same time. Hopefully this weekend's drive goes smooth.

Enjoyed talking with you the other night. Thanks for the tips and info. Much appreciated!

It was great to finally meet you in person bud!

Having seen it first hand.....LukeG has built one hell of a machine guys!

For sure Brother, anything you need hit me up!

Same and thank you!!!

Car is running absolutely amazing. Need to go get another dyno run as I am very curious where it is at. It is WAY faster now that nearly all of the issues have been resolved. The misfires on cylinder 2+5 are still persisting. It is a small amount and not even noticeable while driving, but I want this car mechanically perfect and I can't rest with the misfires. Was talking to Griff and walking through it and we are both a bit skeptical of the Corvette fpr/filter I'm using. These seem to be the common go to for this swap, but everything else that could possibly be causing a misfire has been tested or replaced. The fuel system seems like the last culprit and the pump is nearly new and very capable of supplying this motor. I have no idea what pressure the fuel system is running at and I also don't think that fpr/filter combo is capable of handling E85.

Ordering a new fuel pressure regulator, gauge and 6 micron fuel filter, both ethanol friendly. Not cheap, but should add some flair points to my fuel system. Once those go in, the E85 tuning starts and then I'll get some dyno runs in on 93 and E85 for a comparo. I've never seen a direct comparison dyno for this motor on 93 and E85, so I'm curious how much of a power gain there is.