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Advice on mods

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 3:03 pm
by woops
I'm just looking to you guys for a bit of advice.
I have a starion engine in my sigma wagon at the moment with a few mods.

list as follows
battery relocated to back
L300 multipoint
VR4 Injectors
Haltech F9A computer
XF Falcon throttle body
2 inch intercooler piping
TC06 turbo
Turbosmart PB BOV
Pod Filter
Custom cold airbox
L200 Dizzy running static timing
Surge tank in engine bay

Only put out 109Hp ATW which could do better but it was only on stock boost and an old computer.

I'm pretty sure that i've either blown a head gasket or sracked a head. Bubbles in the radiator tank and sounds and feels like it's running on 3 cylinders. I have a spare head so parts aren't really a problem. This is giving me an opportunity to do a few mods while i've got the head off.

I intend on respraying the entire car while i'm doing all this but i'm thinking of doing a couple of mods while i'm at it so i'm not cutting into already resprayed metal to put the new intercooler in.

At the moment i'm looking at changing to a sonata manilfold to put in a 450x300 intercooler with 2.5 inch piping. Will be putting on a td05 16g turbo on later but not yet.

I'm just wondering if you guys think it's worthwhile to change to a sonata manifold and get the XF throttle body adapted to it. Or should i try and get a custom plenum mated to the L300 lower manifold to get the forward facing throttle body and avoid all the custom work required moding the sonata manifold. I was also thinking that if the head is off then i may do a little work on getting the flow improved.

I'm assuming that porting the head and the manifold change could change the tune characterics of the car enough to make the current tune unsuitable so i may hold off until i have everything aranged to bolt all straight on.

I intend on changing the turbo to an TD05 16G later on but that is easy enough to do without having to effect much else.

Anybodys thoughts and opinions would be appreciated to if it's worth it to change everything from what it is at the moment.


Current setup looks a little like this, old pic but you can get the idea.
Image

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 4:54 pm
by Alspos
How much time, patience and money do you have?

If you really are set on replacing the intercooler, then the sonata makes more sense and you will have a lot shorter pipework. Also less modifying than making a custom plenum to suit the L300 bottom runners.

If you are happy with the cooler you have, simply fix and retune, you should get some fairly good numbers from it.

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 6:58 pm
by DKshauno
starions mainly blow the head gasket in #4 into the water jacket and crack the head in #3 between valves , pull the head and find out, it might just be the head gasket.