Lumina 96' V6 to V4 conversion

[symmcom]

Hi all,
I have been visiting this site for sometime now. This is my email as i couldnt find any info anywhere about one issue. I would like to convert my V6 to V4 without taking it to the shop. I have read quite a few gas saving articles on the net where they mentioned mileage can be increased by convert V6 over to V4. No kits required!!! I have been madly trying to find some instructions on it. If anybody has slightest clue how to go about it, please reply....

[jeffcoslacker]

You're joking, right?

[symmcom]

ummm... no i am not joking..

As i said i read about it in some articles and i am no expert auto mechanic. They said "NO KITS REQUIRED" for V6 to V4 conversion. I figured they werent talking about replacing the engine itself. isnt there any way to disable fuel flow and electric flow to certain cylinder? Pardon my ignorance...

[jeffcoslacker]

You could, but you'd have to have a provision to relieve compression on the non-running cylinders too so they wouldn't create a drag on the running cylinders and make the motor shake...that requires tricky mechanical valve manipulation...but the most glaring issue is that the ECM would never accept the inputs of what it would read as two misfiring cylinders, throwing the engine management system into chaos...

Got any links to such a system? I could see where it could possibly be done with an older vehicle, but not with an OBDII managed vehicle....

[dwalmop]

I would think if it were easy enough to have a positive outcome (think of it as a return on investment) it would be a widely known procedure and it'd be done all the time.

[travelair]

Well, Chrysler does this on their new Hemi's so it's not really an off-the-wall idea. You could just leave out two spark plugs to resolve the compression issue but you would have to somehow "hack" the engine computer and do some major reprogramming.

[maxwedge]

Are you suggesting driving with two plugs removed? I hope not!

[travelair]

Originally Posted by maxwedge

Are you suggesting driving with two plugs removed? I hope not!

No. That does remind me of a funny story about a redneck who made an adaptor that threaded into a spark plug hole and had an air hose connection on the other end. The idea was to be able to inflate the tires by using one cylinder as an air compressor.

Talk about a "blow out" waiting to happen...

[john51md]

Originally Posted by travelair

No. That does remind me of a funny story about a redneck who made an adaptor that threaded into a spark plug hole and had an air hose connection on the other end. The idea was to be able to inflate the tires by using one cylinder as an air compressor.

Talk about a "blow out" waiting to happen...

Tho i have never had such a thing, i ages ago saw that setup, even factory made setup for that , dont remember where now, been a long time. But off roaders used to use it.Till onboard air compressors became the norm. Nothing wrong with it "in a pinch" if you had nothing else, and knew what you were doing.

[bigtimmy45]

Originally Posted by travelair

No. That does remind me of a funny story about a redneck who made an adaptor that threaded into a spark plug hole and had an air hose connection on the other end. The idea was to be able to inflate the tires by using one cylinder as an air compressor.

Talk about a "blow out" waiting to happen...

back in the late 60s and early 70s my dad had his own mechanic shop and he had one of those gismos you thread onto a cylinder spark plug home to emergency inflate a tire - key word is emergency - as soon as you could, you needed to take it to a tire shop and have tire fixed properly and correct air installed

[cadgear]

Well, considering the newer 3900s can half-ass themselves at highway speeds, and the majority of GM's 3100 series 60V6s can do it too (in a sense, I believe it's an emergency overheat mode), I wouldn't see why it's not feasible. With the 3100s, all you should have to do (purely theory) is trick the PCM into thinking your engine is overheating severely...mind you, this'll make your PCM think it's armageddon, but I think it'd do the half-off deal. You'd have a V3, essentially, but I would not, repeat, would not recommend doing it. It reminds me of the "25 HP Increase" 'chips' that modded the IAT sensor to read cold..the O2 sensor made up for it instantly so it kinda defeats the purpose.

Wouldn't hurt to do some more research into it. After all, if it's in the PCM's programming to run on three cylinders, why not exploit it?

In all seriousness, I doubt it'd work that well. The 3100 has a low output to begin with, I think taking the hit on half it's displacement would show itself in mileage and wear-n-tear on all components. You gotta remember, the 3900 has VVT...something we Lumina owners lack.

Just a brainstorm.

[jeffcoslacker]

When they go into overheat limp mode, the ECM altenately shuts down injector dwell to half the cylinders, 720 degrees later it shuts down the other three, allowing them one "rest" cycle while the cylinders are cooled by the intake air charge without combustion, then the other three get a break, back and forth like that...but I think it also richens the mixture for further cooling of the firing cylinders, so I would imagine that between that and having to wring it's neck to get any reaction out of it, fuel economy would be awful...

Acceleration is dismal and the top speed is 60 mph in that mode (for the V8, may be lower for the V6 I don't know)...

I drove the new Impala with the variable displacement V8, it's seamless...much better than the dreaded V8/6/4 that Caddy tried to push on us way back when...great idea, but technology was way behind what it needed to work well...

[richtazz]

I think what you are referring to is a gimmick similar to the fuel line magnets that "align" the fuel molecules. Everyone and their brother has their own theory on improving mileage. There is no way without a reprogrammed PCM (And I doubt the existing PCM would/could accept such radical reprogramming with existing components) that this could be done and actually work. The person pushing this spins a good yarn that makes logical sense to the common man, but isn't applicable to the real world. The PCM controls the cylinder shut down on the new GM and Chrysler vehicles that offer it, and there is no way a DIY could mimic how it's done. Just shutting off 2 cylinders would cause WAY more problems (vibration, lopey idle, parasitic drag, lack of power, etc...) than any theoretical gains (smaller displacement, 2 less cylinders using fuel, etc...) turning a V-6 into a V-4 could produce.