706 replies to this topic

[Exmantaa]

Ah ok; I have run my LSJ engine always on the bare minimum reading on my dipstick (halfway the metal bottom part), as that corresponds with ~6 litres in my sump. Still reads the same as begin 2015...

[leevx2.2]

Ah ok; I have run my LSJ engine always on the bare minimum reading on my dipstick (halfway the metal bottom part), as that corresponds with ~6 litres in my sump. Still reads the same as begin 2015...

Same here i work on the principle as you don't want to much oil sloping about on track or it will just throw  it out .

[CHILL Gone DUTCH]

Are we saying that a 6 litre oil change is sufficient and then make a note of where it is on the dip stick I use that as a max marker

[ultimate]

We are all using the Saab dipstick in the Saab engine here in Germany. Mine is the only one that is using much oil. But I didn't have dip-stick blow...

[JG]

Really pleased it seems to be fixed This thread does confirm to me that for our cars, the CS z22se SC 'stage 2' is still the best compromise between power, cost, reliability. When cylinder 4 does melt on mine, I'll just exchange the engine for a reconditioned z22se for about £3.5k. I suspect Martin has paid rather more than that in this process.

[JG]

Or £760 http://engineeredeng...se-2198cc:37263

[fiveoclock]

I'll just exchange the engine for a reconditioned z22se for about £3.5k. 

My factory engine was only £1850

[JG]

I think that's what I meant actually. A new engine used to be £3.5k. At 2k it's a no brainier.

[CHILL Gone DUTCH]

Really pleased it seems to be fixed This thread does confirm to me that for our cars, the CS z22se SC 'stage 2' is still the best compromise between power, cost, reliability. When cylinder 4 does melt on mine, I'll just exchange the engine for a reconditioned z22se for about £3.5k. I suspect Martin has paid rather more than that in this process.

👍 Well done stage 2 has always been the £ for£ compromise Keep up the good work

[Kieran McC]

 

I'll just exchange the engine for a reconditioned z22se for about £3.5k. 

My factory engine was only £1850

 

Is that crated or recon ?

Edited by Kieran McC, 30 December 2015 - 02:27 PM.

[JG]

That's not what I said chill . Not only is the best £ for £, it is also the best compromise for performance and reliability. That's different.

[fiveoclock]

 

I'll just exchange the engine for a reconditioned z22se for about £3.5k. 

My factory engine was only £1850  

Is that crated or recon ?

Some recons come in a crate surely. That was from Vauxhall in a metal frame actually

[MartinS]

[font="arial, sans-serif;"]Just to clarify, my car was fully run in before I took it to Zandvoort and no one told me I shouldnt take it there.[/font]

[font="arial, sans-serif;"]It was fully run in, had had 3 oil changes and had done 1300 miles and was about as fully mapped as the Dutch software could do at that point. On track it wasn't bad, a sort of slightly weedy ecotec.[/font]

[font="arial, sans-serif;"]I had previously cancelled Spa as it had only done 600 miles at that time.[/font]

[font="arial, sans-serif;"]I had been told by various people that my later troubles must be the cat and I 'did' listen, to the extent where I took the whole system off twice and had it checked , each time it looked immaculate, but was obviously degrading I can only assume from the inside outwards?[/font]

[font="arial, sans-serif;"]It could be that my original cat failing may have caused my ecotec to die, we will never know, but it had a great innings. I only replaced it with the Saab thing as I had one, that was a big mistake on many levels, firstly as I loved my Ecotec and dont believe this engine will ever match it for pure driveability, secondly, I am not a tuner and dont have the mechanical skills many on this forum possess, this caused everything to take longer to resolve.[/font]

[font="arial, sans-serif;"]It seems just as per my question on page 18 of this, that the dipstick was a problem. On my car, it need a vx ecotec dipstick to be right. We know this only now, as I had never had a known amount of oil in my car. The one time it was accurately measured in was at the start but it lost oil on the way home due to an oil seal problem and after that during the next two oil changes, 5 litres was put in then it was topped up until on the 4th mark on the stick (around 1 litre over we now know). I have been running at the 2nd mark on the Saab stick but, once Lee had measured in the correct amount it wasn't even showing on the Saab stick but, was on the 2nd notch of the Vauxhall one. [/font]

[font="arial, sans-serif;"]Only mileage will now show if this has all worked, but I feel confident that Lee and Mat have resolved many problems a there's no doubt after all Matt and Lees efforts this is as good as this engine could be.[/font]

 

[font="arial, sans-serif;"]I have now just driven the car home, in not the best conditions (70mph winds and damp roads) so not the best test drive but initial impressions are -its a tad noisy (Lee your ears must have got used to a lot of noise over the years!) for me without a cat I think an inline silencer will have to go on at some time. [/font]

[font="arial, sans-serif;"]On the 50 mile drive home  it feels less powerful than the ecotec below 4000 (I guess stage 2 cams and being a 2.0 doesnt help) but then goes bonkers, but you do have to keep it on the boil (and hang on!), it doesn't blip as well as the old engine strangely, and I would say that on a wet day the old car as it was, would be all over it, as it is now, on a sunny dry day this one will be the quicker car. [/font]

[font="arial, sans-serif;"]Once it gets nicer out there I will have more chance to get used to it and discover fully, its new talents.[/font]

 

[font="arial, sans-serif;"]Its been a long saga and much like in awards shows I would like to take this chance to thanks (in no particular order) the following VX individuals who helped sort it all out finally. (Though Back on track and many others also gave much appreciated help and advice).[/font]

 

[font="arial, sans-serif;"]Chill, your a star, thanks for all your advice and help along the way. It kept me sane.[/font]

 

[font="arial, sans-serif;"]Frank. I met him at Zandvoort, and along with Stefan (top guy as well) they helped with an exhaust and Frank has been helping me ever since.[/font]

 

[font="arial, sans-serif;"]Matt, thanks for offering to sort my car with Lee, and thanks for all your skills in getting that Saab thing to finally work in my car. Top job, top bloke.[/font]

 

[font="arial, sans-serif;"]Lee.  Amazing efforts, hes done so much to my car with Matt, all over the Christmas period and has just kept at it, doing all he can to solve its issues. To the very end he did more than he should have, even offering to bring it a 100 miles to me. In the end I persuaded him to meet half way and even then, he'd bloody well cleaned my car!!!  [/font]

 

[font="arial, sans-serif;"]Next step, some track days, sort out the National hotel and try to enjoy this thing again.[/font]

 

[font="arial, sans-serif;"]Tally ho.[/font]

Edited by MartinS, 30 December 2015 - 03:36 PM.

[Matthew Bentley Racing Ltd]

Throttle issue is base dutch throttle settings. That can be tweaked to your liking. Your next trackday I will be at, me or Chill can do some logging to make sure we have no mapping issues, and either of us can change the throttle characteristic to your liking.

 

 

[CHILL Gone DUTCH]

Sounds like a Anglesey track day is in order 🤔

[oakmere]

I very much doubt CS changed the throttle map so I would just set the throttle map to the N/A base throttle map and try it or ask Peter for the CS settings.

[Chris P Duck]

I very much doubt CS changed the throttle map so I would just set the throttle map to the N/A base throttle map and try it or ask Peter for the CS settings.

I thought most "choosers" set a more aggressive throttle map to make the car feel quicker?

[leevx2.2]

Sounds like a Anglesey track day is in order 🤔

Yes please

[Matthew Bentley Racing Ltd]

It's tricky. On the Harrop cars I like the nonlinear throttle map because it makes balancing the car in the middle of the corner much easier. With all the torque of the Harrop a few percent throttle change can unbalance the car easily. But it does hinder heal and toe down changes, you have to give the throttle a real stab to gain revs.

[Exmantaa]

@Martin, I think the most difference you feel now is not the 0.2 litre difference, but the change in camshaft profile. There is already quite some difference between the standard caravan-pulling 2.2 cams (low end torque!) and the stock GM LSJ cams. And you have stage 2 LSJ cams in the engine that peak some 500-900rpm higher... (and these seem not really like to go below 2k on OBD-ecu. It's a cam for more top end!)

 

I once did a dyno test with Stefan; a bog stock 2.0LSJ with M62 against his standard Stage-2 2.2 engine. You clearly see his caravan puller owns me below 3K, but above that the different cam profile of the LSJ starts to shine. (on track I rarely are below 4K...):

 

 

So yes; it will feel like a lesser engine at lower rpms. I could probably bump the low end a bit more with ignition there, but it really starts to shine above ~4K.

It justs needs to rev...

 

(And if you really liked the old behavior more for the road; drop some standard LSJ cams in. Or even go back to the Z22SE cams.)

Edited by Exmantaa, 30 December 2015 - 11:29 PM.