Help me Trick out my engine.....Please!!

[Dezzy6996]

Is there anyone out there that has any idea if there is a performence chip or fuel mapping program for the 3.4 litre 99 rand am engine.

I have already added a cold air intake and an IAT chip! If there is no chip is there any sugestions on how I can boost performence?

Thank you
Dezzy

[Ridenour]

Welcome to the forum. First of all, there is no "chip", but DHP makes a reflashed PCM for the 3.4. It's available at www.pfyc.com

Second of all, lose the IAT resistor. I can go into an indepth explanation of why you shouldn't use it, based on first-hand-experience and an engineering explanation, but I don't feel like typing that much right now. So if you really want to know why you shouldn't do the IAT sensor override, let me know. Otherwise, just take my word for it.

Third, I see you're wondering about other performance options. I'm assuming your young, and don't have much money, so here's some cost-efficent upgrade options, (seeing as how you already have a CAI).

1) Custom shop-done exhaust
2) FFP underdrive pulley
3) DHP PCM

This is assuming your on a limited budget, and are a relatively inexperienced modder. That, with your CAI, would bring you up to about 190 hp at the crank, with a cost of somewhere around 700$ for all 3 mods. If you want more info, or want to know about more expensive / complicated mods, let us know.

[icemike89]

Im not testing your knowledge ridenour,but I think tha a CAI,PCM,exhaust,and a FFP pulley will get you more than 15hp to the crank.You could see probably 10+/- hp from just intake and exhaust.

[Ridenour]

Well I was assuming he was 170 stock. So that'd be a 20 hp increase. Actually, if you do the math with the typical increases:

CAI 0.04 % increase
PCM 0.03% increase
Exhaust 0.05% increase
FFP pulley 0.05% increase

Cummatively, those mods bring you up to 200 hp through the math. So I was deffinately wrong. But I'd say it'd probably be more like 195, to 200 max. So it'd be more like a 25 to 30 hp increase over stock.

[Dezzy6996]

Thanks alot "ridenour" I took your advise and scrapped my IAT sensor but I would still like an explanation as to why there are no good just for my personal knowledge ( that is if you don't mind).
With the underdrive pulley is there any other conversions that have to go along with it due to the increased belt speed.


This is my first new car conversion I'm a heavy equipment mech and am used to tricking out older muscle cars in my spare time so the switch to all this electronics is proving to be a difficult one so any info that anyone could offer would be greatly appreciated

Thanks alot
Dezzy

[nighttraincp]

i had my 04 se1 dynoed. i have a custom 2.5in str8 pipe exhaust from the cat backand a cold air intake. results- 171hp at the wheels and 223hp at the crank.

[malibugtp]

i call BS, u got sheets

[nighttraincp]

yea i do. as soon as i find them again, ill post em. or would u prefer i post em after a put my chip in???

[malibugtp]

both b4 and after

[xeroinfinity]

it is possible to hav over 200hp, at the wheels, but it would require more than just a CAI and large exhaust.
For example, you need a 62mm TB, ported intakes and headers. Along with the CAI and custom exhaust. I know this for fact, because I hav all the above mods, and then some, and I'm only at around 220hp@ the wheels.
Or go the cheaper,and riskier route, use NOS 75-100 shot.

The problem with over 200hp is, your transmission will slowly crap out and die. Just some words of advice.

OH YA, 170+-hp @ the wheels is stock for the SE.

[nighttraincp]

i blew my first tranny at 3500 milez, blew the gearz thru the casing 500 milez after they rebuilt it wile doing a nuetral drop, and i blew it again doing donutz at 38000 milez.im tryn 2 find a place 2 help upgrade the tranny, but i havnt had any luck so far.

[xeroinfinity]

Originally Posted by nighttraincp

i blew my first tranny at 3500 milez, blew the gearz thru the casing 500 milez after they rebuilt it wile doing a nuetral drop, and i blew it again doing donutz at 38000 milez.im tryn 2 find a place 2 help upgrade the tranny, but i havnt had any luck so far.

If you threw the gears through the case, then they didnt rebuild that one. Are you even talking about a GA or some other vehicle? My GA wont do neutral drops, ETC... Unless I turn off the ETC, which I try not to, because they are crapy.

Good luck on beefing it up, about the only thing I know of is to use a tranny kooler to prolong the life a little. Have heard about some performance clutch/band packs that may work, but I havnt checked into it myself, but I will soon thats for sure.

[nighttraincp]

itz an 04 grand am se1.i waz able 2 do a couple dropz, but i dont even try ne more. after i threw the gearz, they had 2 put a new one in. i got 1500 milez left b4 i have it broken in again. i alwayz said u kan find anything in chicago, but i havnt been able 2 find a good tranny placy 2 do the work. im also thinking about popping a 350 in. i saw a 97 ga with a 350 at nhra nationalz that waz pulling 8.7 in da .25mile. it waz rwd, but im thinking about going awd.

[Ridenour]

Originally Posted by nighttraincp

itz an 04 grand am se1.i waz able 2 do a couple dropz, but i dont even try ne more. after i threw the gearz, they had 2 put a new one in. i got 1500 milez left b4 i have it broken in again. i alwayz said u kan find anything in chicago, but i havnt been able 2 find a good tranny placy 2 do the work. im also thinking about popping a 350 in. i saw a 97 ga with a 350 at nhra nationalz that waz pulling 8.7 in da .25mile. it waz rwd, but im thinking about going awd.

Well sorry to dissapoint you, but I'm pretty sure that GA doing a 8.7 1320 was only a fiberglass shell GA ontop of a dragster frame.

Oh, and have fun converting your GA to all-wheel drive

[Ridenour]

Originally Posted by Dezzy6996

Thanks alot "ridenour" I took your advise and scrapped my IAT sensor but I would still like an explanation as to why there are no good just for my personal knowledge

Sure thing Dezzy.

Well first of all, I really hope you scrapped your "IAT resistor" and not your "IAT sensor", cause that would be bad .... your car kind of needed that

As far as why to abort the resistor, I'll try to explain:

Your intake air temperature sensor measures the temperature of the incoming air into your engine. It measures it in "pulses" several times a second. Thus, the PCM is able to adjust the air to fuel ratio accordingly, due to colder air being denser / having more oxygen, the engine needs to use more fuel to keep the ratio correct. The reason you have more power in the winter, for example, is because your engine is recieving cooler air (and more fuel) and thus is packing more air / more power into each piston stroke, do to the air's higher density. Well if you unplug your IAT sensor, your PCM will set the default intake air temp to 32 deg F. Installing the resistor only prevents a CEL light from being displayed. When your PCM thinks the air is 32 deg, it will increase the fuel accordingly. This is suppose to "increase power", but in fact 99% of the time, you'll just be running rich, and can actually lose power. Our engines run slightly rich naturally, so this is even a worse idea for our 3.4's. And with the resistor, say you drive in the winter, and it's 10 deg one morning, you would actually be running lean, which can be very bad for your engine. So all around, there are a very few temperatures / conditions where the IAT resistor might rich-out a lean spot in the spark map and gain 1 or 2 hp, but for the most part, it can rob power, and even potentially cause problems in extreme cold. Some engines have had more success with this mod (such as leaner-running engines), but our engines sure as hell aren't one of them. I tried out the mod, and ended up removing it for the above reasons. I think I kind of covered everything. Let me know if you have any other questions.

By the way, XI, I thought 170 was at the crank, not the wheels? I'm pretty sure that's at the crank stock.