Exhaust Help Please. = )

Hi, I have a 95 9c1 5.7L caprice. Do the 95 9c1s come with true duals from the factory? I went to a exhaust shop today to get true duals and he said I already had them, i just needed louder mufflers. Also, what is the best mufflers to go with? My friend has a 93 with TURBO 2s and they sound great (the same guy did them).

Also, my car has been running rough every once in a while. Can someone help me figure out what it is? I think it is the exhaust but not sure. Here are the symptoms:

When I first hit the gas, or when I take my foot off the gas, i hear a slight rattling in the left tailpipe. it is not that loud and just sounds like a small piece of metal is broke in the tailpipe. Earlier today, the same muffler sounded really bad as if the car was missing, but only from one tailpipe. It sounded as if I need plugs, but that sound only came from the left pipe, the right pipe sounded fine. Another thing I noticed, is that when I stopped on a hill and took my foot off the brake, the car kept jerking forward as if the motor was missing instead of slowly easing forward like it usually does. Also, while revving the engine from under the hood, I could not here any missing or any other weird sounds. I think that if it was the motor missing, you would hear it from both tailpipes instead of one, right?

The '95 has a full, independent dual exhaust with no crossover. A misfire in one bank would not likely be heard in the opposite pipe.

Personally, I'd forego the optional exhaust work and start tracking down the misfire. You may be spending money on plugs, wires, an Opti cap and rotor kit, injectors, valves, or other items. I doubt the exhaust is causing a misfire.

Thanks for your reply blue bowtie. You are so right. I got my exhaust done yesterday and it didn't stop the problem. The only thing the guy did was cut the mufflers and tips off, then added turbo II mufflers and humongous tips for $125 :) . Car sounds great now but I still have the misfiring problem. The only thing that puzzles me is that it does not have this misfiring problem all the time. I think it just does it when it gets hot. If it was my plugs/wires, wouldnt it misfire constantly instead of every once in a while?

Also, there may be a cause for this problem. My temperature gauge needle is usually always close to the redzone but rarely ever goes into the red. When I first bought the car in july from NJ, I drove it straight to Oklahoma City. Made it there with only two problems... the radiator cracked and the compressor died. (same thing happened to every 9C1 caprice that i have bought :banghead: So, I got a brand new radiator put in but the temperature is still not as low as I would like it. I asked the guy that did the job why the temperature was still sort of high and he told me that it was normal temperature for those types of cars. There has to be some way to get my temperature lower... am I right? So, I test the car out before I leave OKC, and it doesnt run hot but is still on the verge...

Later that week, i drive home to Mississippi and had the thermostat changed. I bought the $10 one from Advance Auto. I asked them was there a type of thermostat that would lower my temp and he said that is the only one they carry for my car. I also got the plugs changed. I really wanted to get the distributer cap, wires, and plugs but the distributer cap/rotor is $200+ ! Wires, plugs and paying someone to do it would be about $200 also. My friend looked under my hood and told me that one of my spark plugs was behind my alternator/starter (cant remeber which one) and would be hard to get to without taking it off first. He also said that my distributer is somewhere at the bottom... He has a 9C1, I think it is a 93 though. He swears he can dust me... YEA RIGHT lol.

These are the things that I have done to my car so far:

New radiator/thermostat
plugs (not quite sure if the guy even put them on...)
Tie rods, ball joints, idler arm, center link, rear upper control arm, etc
compressor (havent gotten it charged yet)
air filter
tranny flush
mufflers/tips

I may have left out a few things. What else should I do? Also, what brand do you suggest that I get? My main concerns right now are the temperature and the misfiring... keep in mind that the misfire only comes from the left exhaust only. There is just a small ticking that seems to be coming from the same side of the engine but can only be heard if you put your ear by the engine and rev it a little. Sorry for such a long post, but i just wanted to let people know what is going on with the car. :)

The misfire can be intermittent with weak wires or weak insulation of the Opti cap.

The temperature on my '94 rarely gets above the bottom of the "normal" range. Make sure the thermostat is a 180ºF design, which was the OEM temperature for thermostat opening point. The GM p/n for the correct thermostat is 12555290 (180ºF) or AC/Delco p/n 131-100. They are relatively easy to change.

Make sure the cooling system is clean, the expansion tank remains full, and the air is purged from the system. You might want to do a full flush while changing the thermostat.

The fans and air diverters should be intact. Depending upon the options, your 9C1 might have a thermostatic fan instead of twin electric fans. If so, verify that the fan shroud is installed and intact, and that the fan clutch is working properly.

The temperature gauge on the dash is not a precision instrument. If you connect a scanner, you can read the actual temperature (in degrees) as reported by the CTS instead of the gauge sender. Variation in production tolerances between the senders and gauges can result in varied indications on the gauge. Still, an indication nearing the "red zone" is usually well above a normal temperature range.

ok, so I definitely have a temperature problem also. So, should I get another thermostat?

I'd recommend it, but it may not be neccesary. Sometimes after thermostats are exposed to overheating they can become inaccurate, or stick a little when opening and closing. Some ways you can tell if a thermostat has been damaged is if the engine runs unusually warm, OR if the engine runs warmer than usual, then drops to running colder than usual, then rises back up to warmer than usual over and over. I've seen both scenarios before. One was from a defective thermostat, but the last one was actually from the engine overheating.

If it is the engine overheating, what do I need to do??? I found out why it misfires every once in a while. I took it to one of my mechanics and he looked under the hood a little, then he started wiggling wires. Sure enough, the misfire got worse when he wiggled a certain wire. This wire is on the driver side of the engine... the same side that the misfire is coming from. Do you guys think that wires will solve the problem? he says if changing the wires solves the problem, I really don't have to change the dist cap. What do you guys think??? I found a cap at autozone for $140. That is the best price I have gotten so far. = )

Also, what brand wires should I go with??? Autozone brand or a different brand?

I found out why my car gets so hot and why i have a small water leak. My water pump is leaking. Can you guys tell me if I should go with the OEM pump or is there another type of pump you guys suggest?

I've had nothing but good luck with the "cheap" $20 water pumps available at my local auto parts stores. I bought one for my Caprice a few years back, and reused the same one on a different engine with no obvious problems. OEM isn't a bad idea, but some parts just don't seem to make a difference.

I do remember a while back there was a discussion here talking about light switches and how cheap ones are so bad compared to OEM ones. For the longest time the delay on the windshield wiper motor hasn't worked in my truck. I replaced the whole unit and still the same problem persisted. It turns out the switch that was replaced in the steering column for the wiper control a couple of years ago is shot. It figures, the OEM one lasted 16 years problem free, and a no-name barely even made it to 1. Same thing about OEM oil filters as opposed to other brands as I just found out. So it depends. I guess you live and learn what you can cheap out on and what you can't.

Yes, OEM can't be beat for electrical quality. About the absolute rock-bottom worst out there, in terms of quality, is the crap that Wells puts out there. Wells parts are available through Autozone. I tell you this so that you know where to avoid getting electric components.

Thanks guys. Pete, what store did you buy one for $20? I checked with Advanced Auto and theirs is $107 for an ACE Brand water pump. Also, is there anything else I should get changed while getting the pump changed?

How do you guys feel about dropping the transmission pan for a filter/fluid change? I got it changed a few months ago but I couldn't find anyone that still drops the pan. i really don't see the point of changing the fluid without changing the filter and cleaning the pan, etc. Why doesn't anyone drop the pan anymore?

Pete, the LT1/L99 engine uses a different style pump than Gen I small blocks, and are more expensive ...

Pete, the LT1/L99 engine uses a different style pump than Gen I small blocks, and are more expensive ...

I am getting my water pump and cooling sensor changed tomorrow. My car comes with a 220 degree thermostat that I got installed a few months ago when I got the radiator done. I bought a 180 degree thermostat today. Should I leave the stock 220 thermostat in or go with the 180? My mechanic said it is best to leave the 220 in, what do you think silicone. What are the ups and downs of going with a lower degree therm? My mechanic says it may not be a good idea, but I dont see why not. I'm thinking cooler is better, he's thinking if the manufacturer says use a 220 degree therm, that is what i should do. Your opinion will be greatly appreciated.

I am getting the cooling sensor changed also since it was only $15 and a reman water pump was $50. What else do you suggest changing?

First, it's not "silicone", which is a silicon-based synthetic rubber/oil. It's "silicon" (note the lack of 'e') which is the most abundant element. Its oxide (SiO2) is found in natural form most often in the form of quartz, or sand. It is used in the manufacture of glass, as well as semiconductors, which are found inside your computer (as well as other digital and/or analog electronics). As I have spent my entire lucid life around them, the first part of my 'handle' reflects that fact. '212' refers to the temperature (Fahrenheit) at which water boils. Think of boiling water in a glass container.

Speaking of boiling water, you should run whatever your car specs to run. Your computer is programmed to operate the engine at its optimum operating temperature - so if you run the 220 (if this is what the factory calls for), then all is good. If you run the cooler temp thermostat, the air/fuel mix may not be optimal for the computers' programming, and you will witness increased fuel consumption and a possible malfunction indicator lamp (the check engine/service engine soon light).

First, it's not "silicone", which is a silicon-based synthetic rubber/oil. It's "silicon" (note the lack of 'e') which is the most abundant element. Its oxide (SiO2) is found in natural form most often in the form of quartz, or sand. It is used in the manufacture of glass, as well as semiconductors, which are found inside your computer (as well as other digital and/or analog electronics). As I have spent my entire lucid life around them, the first part of my 'handle' reflects that fact. '212' refers to the temperature (Fahrenheit) at which water boils. Think of boiling water in a glass container.

Speaking of boiling water, you should run whatever your car specs to run. Your computer is programmed to operate the engine at its optimum operating temperature - so if you run the 220 (if this is what the factory calls for), then all is good. If you run the cooler temp thermostat, the air/fuel mix may not be optimal for the computers' programming, and you will witness increased fuel consumption and a possible malfunction indicator lamp (the check engine/service engine soon light).

thanks, and sorry about the "e". I will leave the 220 in there then since that is what the manufacturer calls for.