'14 AGM 1SS/1LE Track build [COTW 11/17/14]

[jamestown]

Hey x25,

I think you might have answered this before, but your oil pressure sensor is installed in line to the setrab correct? Do you notice a deviation from the dic and your gauge before or after the engine is hot (when the thermostat is closed or open)?

I'm having some intermittent oil pressure issue which is making me want to finish installing my oil pressure gauge, but I think I'll have to install it inline as well and wondered what readings I should expect when the car is working properly.

[X25]

Originally Posted by jamestown

Hey x25,

I think you might have answered this before, but your oil pressure sensor is installed in line to the setrab correct? Do you notice a deviation from the dic and your gauge before or after the engine is hot (when the thermostat is closed or open)?

I'm having some intermittent oil pressure issue which is making me want to finish installing my oil pressure gauge, but I think I'll have to install it inline as well and wondered what readings I should expect when the car is working properly.

jamestown, I get exactly same reading as what DIC shows, and yes it's on the line to the Setrab cooler. Fluids supposedly conduct the pressure equally in every direction, and unless the thermostat almost fully closes (which does not happen on my car), you read the same value everywhere. Looks like the theory holds In short, I think it's a reliable location. Please note my sensor manifold is very close to the engine side; within 6" of hose or so.

[jamestown]

Originally Posted by X25

jamestown, I get exactly same reading as what DIC shows, and yes it's on the line to the Setrab cooler. Fluids supposedly conduct the pressure equally in every direction, and unless the thermostat almost fully closes (which does not happen on my car), you read the same value everywhere. Looks like the theory holds In short, I think it's a reliable location. Please note my sensor manifold is very close to the engine side; within 6" of hose or so.

Great, I plan to do the same. Thanks for the info.

[X25]

I finally removed the BMR engine mounts, put the diff and the transmission lines, etc.; I'm almost done!

I've run into a few issues during my end-of-season inspection:

1. BMR engine mounts:
I had an issue with the mounts back in the beginning of summer, when I realized the passenger size was loose, and the bushings were destroyed. I thought the bushings got destroyed since the engine kept banging on it. Fast forward to now, the engine mounts were not loose at all, yet the passenger side was hammered again. I think these bushings just don't do the job, at least for track use. I have my beautiful OEM ZL1/1LE engine mounts back, and I'm very happy about it : )))

Distortion on the top bushing is very visible.




2. Oil cooler adapter bolts:
I wanted to tighten the oil cooler adapter bolts while the headers were out, and broke one of them! Thankfully, it was easy to remove the rest of the bolt from the block, or else I don't know what I could even do. I had two more bolts that I've used before during my experiments, but realized these bolts were all stretched!

Take a close look at the bolts. The part of the thread that stays in the engine block is wider than the thread that stays by the oil cooler adapter. These bolts are certainly not up to task. I will talk to Michael @ ImprovedRacing and see if he has better bolts for the job, and will also look it up at my local store (Tacoma Screw) for a better alternative.

[White_SS/RS]

Those bushings are really distorted, do you have any idea what the durometer is on them? I wouldn't think that once they were torqued in place they would see enough load to mush them like that. Being loose maybe but you confirmed them being tight. Perhaps they were over torqued or misaligned? The GMPP catalog lists a separate engine mount for the ZL1 that according to the catalog is not an OEM part for the 1LE. Do you know what difference there is in them? What size are those oil cooler bolts? Those things stretched a lot!

[X25]

Originally Posted by White_SS/RS

Those bushings are really distorted, do you have any idea what the durometer is on them? I wouldn't think that once they were torqued in place they would see enough load to mush them like that. Being loose maybe but you confirmed them being tight. Perhaps they were over torqued or misaligned? The GMPP catalog lists a separate engine mount for the ZL1 that according to the catalog is not an OEM part for the 1LE. Do you know what difference there is in them? What size are those oil cooler bolts? Those things stretched a lot!

Here is the link to the motor mounts: http://www.bmrsuspension.com/?page=p...productid=1284

...MIG-welded ¼-inch plate steel with aircraft-grade 7075 billet aluminum locating lugs and 95-durometer polyurethane bushings.

Yes, they were torqued in and not loose at all, but it just can't take the beating from the engine. One issue is that the whole bushing surface is not used by the mount by design if you look at it. If the bottom of top part where it touches the bushing was circular and matching the size of the bushing, I think the load on it would be balanced and it would survive. In short, I think it's poor design.

If there are separate ZL1 engine mounts, we should consider them for upgrade. After all, they will likely be designed for higher loads and will hopefully flex less. I always thought we have the same mounts; bummer.

I am not sure what size those bolts are, but indeed they've stretched so much! Can you imagine these bolts failing in action? I'd have ZERO oil pressure. Anyhow, I will look for a replacement bolt in my local store, where I'd also learn the specs of this bolt. ImprovedRacing has not responded to my e-mail yet. Once I know more, I will also update the oil cooler how to thread.

[White_SS/RS]

Its too bad those bushings didn't hold up, sounds like you haven't had much luck with BMR bushings. As far as the engine mounts, I didnt even know there were specific mounts for the ZL1 until I noticed them on the ultimate track car chart as an upgrade for the 1LE. May be something I look into when I start my engine mods.

[X25]

Originally Posted by White_SS/RS

Its too bad those bushings didn't hold up, sounds like you haven't had much luck with BMR bushings. As far as the engine mounts, I didnt even know there were specific mounts for the ZL1 until I noticed them on the ultimate track car chart as an upgrade for the 1LE. May be something I look into when I start my engine mods.

If I knew, I could order them in advance and put them on. Now that I am already done putting the OEM parts back, I really don't want to touch it. It involves removing the headers : )

[X25]

As I mentioned before, I told Michael @ ImprovedRacing about my experience with the bolts, and he got back to me with great information. In short, they take this feedback seriously, and will change the bolts that they use in their kits!

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I have actually never heard of this happen before with other customers.

I discussed it with our engineers and the consensus was that unless there was a material defect in the bolt (unlikely since it happened with multiple bolts), then they must have been over-torqued. These are M6 bolts and the recommended torque spec is only 106 in-lb or just under 9 ft-lb.

That said, we tested a few samples to see at what torque they would fail. At 10 ft-lb of torque, there was no stretch at all and the bolts were fine. However, at just 15 ft-lbs, the bolts stretched and eventually sheared in half. This was a much lower torque figure than we had anticipated.

The bolts are stainless steel and have a minimum tensile strength of 70,000 PSI. We chose stainless for longevity and corrosion resistance. Additionally, because you are screwing the bolt into aluminum, a stronger bolt isn't always desirable because when over torqued you will strip the aluminum threads before the bolt breaks. It is generally considered preferable that the bolt break rather than the aluminum threads become stripped, since that would be more difficult to fix than replacing a bolt.

However, we also feel that the torque at which the bolts failed is a bit too low. So after some deliberation we have decided to switch to Grade 12.9 steel bolts, which have a minimum tensile rating of 170,000 PSI. The downside is that when over-torqued, the aluminum threads in the pan might strip before the bolt fails. But we are also going to add a warning and a note to the instruction manuals with the recommended torque rating for these bolts. We do also recommend adding thread locker to the bolts to ensure they don't back out. But be very careful torquing them down because as I mentioned you don't want to over-torque them.

Do you want us to send you some of the new steel bolts when we get them in?

Thanks,

Michael Ihns

I already sourced the bolts from my local store: Grade 12.9 M6x25mm @1.00mm thread. The O-rings also need to be replaced each time the adapter is removed. They are 16mm ID, 1.5mm thick, Viton O-rings. I found an equivalent O-ring on Amazon, but also asked Michael to send a few, too, in case what I found is not as good as Viton brand's.

Michael said the torque rating for these bolts (provided by GM) is a ridiculously-low 106 in-lb / 8.8 ft-lb. In GM's case, the oil cooler adapter is supported by 10 more bolts, so these bolts are only supposed to seal the oil ports; no big deal. In our case, though, they need to support the weight/tension of hoses, the adapter itself, the sensors on it, etc. I wonder if I should stop at 10 lb.ft, or if I should try 15 lb.ft. If it strips, I'm in BIG TROUBLE, but would be nice to know if 15 lb.ft is OK, (and I think it will be).

[Synner]

I think the heat generated during tracking is murdering the bushings. Although my torque solution mounts have held up fine but they do add a lot of vibes. I'll inspect them when I pull the headers this winter just in case. Good to know about those bolts, that'd be a crappy place to try and extract a broken bolt out of.

[X25]

Originally Posted by Synner

I think the heat generated during tracking is murdering the bushings. Although my torque solution mounts have held up fine but they do add a lot of vibes. I'll inspect them when I pull the headers this winter just in case. Good to know about those bolts, that'd be a crappy place to try and extract a broken bolt out of.

There are cars where the mounts are vital for tracking. On Miatas, for instance, the transmission housing flexes separate from the engine at the track, mis-aligning it, and eventually causing transmission failure if you don't have stiffer mounts. This was the reason I went with the mounts in the first place, but I think it was perhaps unwarranted. GM's own engine mounts look very sturdy, and they seem to be very well built. Mazda's own mounts, for instance, was just a simple rubber in a metal housing.

I am actually very excited about having the OEM mounts back on; I hated the excessive vibrations. If I knew earlier, I'd install the ZL1 units, but I won't bother.

[ModBargains.com]

Great looking build!

[X25]

Originally Posted by ModBargains.com

Great looking build!

Thank you!

[X25]

I finished the rest of the project, while waiting for the 20-cents-worth O-rings. I did a few improvements to the diff cooler kit and the clutch bleeder.

Routed the lines from behind the heat shield. Hopefully this will prevent any unwanted heat transfer from the exhaust.



Re-used the tabs from the discarded transmission line and it worked great!


I could even re-use the tabs between lines:


All lines connected to the diff:


Looking forward to the O-rings!