Countershaft Killers!

Forkliftguy · #1 03-13-2005, 07:18 PM

Anyone know of any draw backs in eliminating the 2 countershafts in the '01 quad 4 engine? I can get blank shafts machined here in town and also get them heat treated locally also to drive the oil pump (I think it's the oil pump that the one shaft drives). The "Blanks" would eliminate all the HP robbing rotation from the original shafts. As far as I know they are only there for people with sensitive ears who complain too much and eliminating them can add up to 18hp.

Oh, one more thing, you guys have to check out my Ram air setup, I call it the triple port feeder. I'll post picks tomorrow

Thanks in advance,
Marc

Ridenour · #2 03-13-2005, 07:23 PM

Awesome, can't wait to see those pics marc.

About those shafts - aren't those the internal balance shafts? I know they don't exist in us V'ers, because our two banks of pistons counteract each other's vibrations - but you Inline'ers need them to keep everything spinning smoothly without vibrations tearing the bearings to shreads. I'm not sure if you and I are thinking about the same part, but if it's the internal-balancer, I would deffinately not remove it. I've never heard of anyone removing a balancer for added HP, but like I said, maybe we're talking about different parts.

Forkliftguy · #3 03-13-2005, 07:37 PM

Yep, those are them. They were only introduced when the 2.3l switched to 2.4l.

Read this little blurb, it was taken from a site which for I am posting the link below, it has some pretty good ideas and mods for the Quad. GM performance actually sells the replacement blanks to do this exact job I'm talking about so that you don't have to rig an oil pump elsewhere.

Quote:

Balance shafts alone weigh nearly 21 pounds. They smooth things out considerably, but at the expense of power. Just because 2.4s pump out 150 hp max and 2.3Ls were rated at 180 doesn’t mean that the balancers cost 30 horsepower. There are some adverse effects on windage in the crankcase, true, but the 2.4L was re-engineered to boost torque at horsepower’s expense. The shafts most likely cost 15-18 horsepower. Thinking about yanking them? Not so fast: you’ll need a new oil pump drive gear at the back of your crank. Converting the 2.4 to the early 2.3 oil pump drive requires some precision machining of new oil passages in the block and the fitting of the pre ’95 2.3 oil pump and the corresponding crank drive gear, which must be shrunk onto the crank after removing the stock 2.4 gear. The oil pan and the oil pump body must both be machined down substantially to clear the pump in the pan. Extra machining is necessary to reinstall the 2.3 windage tray (which should not be forgotten in the conversion for improved oil control).

http://www.superstreetonline.com/techarticles/16138/

Ridenour · #4 03-13-2005, 08:33 PM

Hmmm.... well I'd say it sounds like a deffinately worthy mod then. It's a bit more then I would want to get myself into, seeing as how I've only toredown a 2.4 once, but you seem to know a ton about the quad four, so I'm sure you'll be able to handle it Mark

Forkliftguy · #5 03-13-2005, 08:47 PM

I have the brains......I lack the funding

My money is being tied in preping our house for sale, I need a bigger one. Once that's taken care of I'll spend some money on the GA. For now I've just been experimenting with it. I'm almost done my front bumper (I know, it's been almost a month since I started on it). It'll go nice with my custom ram-air setup. I modified the air box and mounted it in front of the rad below and just back of the license plate and ran three hoses from it to the throttle body (which I think I will install the 71mm LS1 TB in it's place). Buddy, it sounds awesome, a little louder and grunty than stock, but because of the three ports in the air box, once you hit 3500rpm you start hearing this woooooosh noise which gets louder as you climb right up to 6500 than bam it shifts and starts all over again! It sounds just like it's turbo charged! At 100klicks when you put it in 2nd(AT) and tromp on it you really feel it pull now. That Ram air made a big difference. A guess would say just above the stock six for HP.

Forkliftguy · #6 03-13-2005, 08:49 PM

Oh yeah, I jimmy rigged a scoop on it for now also.

Ridenour · #7 03-13-2005, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forkliftguy

Oh yeah, I jimmy rigged a scoop on it for now also.

BADASS!!

Man, I totally cannot wait to see pics now!

That setup you described sounds wicked. I remember the pics you posted before of the base mold, and now it sounds like it's turned out really badass. I have a WAI / shortram setup with some cold air lines and a homemade cold air box that I kind of thought was "unique" but it aint nothin compared to yours - it sounds incredibly awesome - You gotta get those on here Marc.

Forkliftguy · #8 03-13-2005, 09:17 PM

I'll have them tomorrow, the setup could work on the v6 also. If I do change to a 71mm tb (and after exhaust work) I'm thinking of making a new intake manifold out of aluminum and running two modified air boxes instead of the one, that should give me some good breathing!

Ridenour · #9 03-13-2005, 09:41 PM

^ ^ Oh hell yeh man. 71 mm is huge for a TB - that things going to be a hell of a lot less restricted then the stocker 59 mm (or maybe it was 57). An aluminum intake manifold would kick ass too - custom sheet metal manifolds are the way to go. How would the two air box setup work? two filters / lines, and then join them or what?

Forkliftguy · #10 03-13-2005, 10:00 PM

Yeah, basically. I would probably create a "y" port at the TB with the two hose from each box connecting into it. Instead of having the TB on top of the manifold like is normal on the 2.4, I would have it on the bottom so my air hose can go right in to the TB right from underneath the rad (which is where my Hose for the ram air currently run).

Forkliftguy · #11 03-16-2005, 07:47 PM

Ok, pics are ready for the intake system...

Unfortunately, my wife appears to have a fetish with parking the car right up as close to a curb as she can (you know, those people who only know to put the car in park after they hit the front tires against the curb, grrrrrrr!).

Forkliftguy · #12 03-16-2005, 07:56 PM

WTF?!
http://img85.exs.cx/gal.php?g=ga0131wc.jpg
Maybe this will work?

Ok that did work. Kinda. As you can tell by the front shot, my totally smashed my little scoop for the ram air on a curb, the scary part is is that the scoop isn't even the lowest part on the car!, I wonder what else she trashed?

Forkliftguy · #13 03-16-2005, 08:13 PM

Oh yeah

, one more thing....I'm getting a header next week and high flow cat

Ridenour · #14 03-16-2005, 08:40 PM

LoL that sucks about the curb incident - but your setup looks pretty sweet from your pics. Nice work

- let us know how the header and cat work for ya.

justin0717 · #15 03-16-2005, 09:28 PM

Man i like that, i never thought of just cutting the stock resinator or whatever it is just above the tb. Looks good i must say. Did you just cut it and then epoxy the hoses into it or what did you do? Im just curious for some ideas to get a better intake on my car.

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