PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

my 01 SSEi is fast, simple upgrades (3.7 sc pulley, chipped, truflow coldair intake, gator belts, 180 thermo, magnaflow cat back with 3" downpipe) but i want to swap the tranny for a manual or a 5 or 6 speed auto, but dont know where to look, and i am not even sure if i am even able to put a manual trans on it, i have had it dyno'd at 326hp @ 5120rpm and 330 torque @ 2450rpm, but my neighboor has a stock 07 Mustang GT and with 300/300 but he is still faster then me, if anyone has any ideas how to do more upgrades (that wont break the bank) and where (if possible) an upgraded trans or a manual trans that would be great.

That 3.7 is an odd first step. Assuming you scanned for KR? What 'chip'? There are no chips for the 2k. It's a PCM which needs to be reprogrammed and has no chip. Can we see a pic of your intake? Most 'cold air' intakes pull hot air and hurt performance, not to mention most have cheap performance looking filters that hold water. Your Magnaflow Catback did nothing for performance, only sound.

With your mods, I highly doubt your hp and tq numbers based on your mods. Are those numbers crank or wheel?

A 5-speed would be a totally one-off custom Gertrag or newer GM trans setup that would require re-programming the PCM, and a 'built' trans is something you do when yours begins failing. Set aside about $2k for when that day comes.

the 3.7 was on of the first steps i did, the owner before me did some mods but his wife made him sell the car, i know the he upgraded the injectors and replaced the pistons, rings and valve springs. The dyno was to the crank,its was only 284 to the wheels, and the chip was by GForce. On the cold air intake, what would you recommend for the air intake. if the filter is holding water can that hurt my spuercharger? cant afford to be throwing away money, i still have the factory intake with K&N in the garage, would it be better to put the factory air intake back on

Did he give/show you receipts for the engine work?

You got screwed. The Gforce chips are worthless, and do nothing. They trick the IAT into thinking the air is colder and denser, then your MAP and O2 sensors correct for it. You (or the previous owner) fell for one of the stupidest devices on the market.

Even with new pistons and valvesprings, and everything else you've stated, you have nothing close to the horsepower and torque that you were told or that you claim. We've been doing this far too long, and know what it takes to make what amount of power.

It sounds to me like you're running a mildly-modded (very mild) car from your list, producing maybe 10-15 horsepower more than stock, and perhaps 20-25 torque. You're not the first to be duped by a seller or a product, don't feel bad.

We can help you get where you want to be.

Thank you for your comments, i want to be able to reach 300hp to the wheels, what are your recomandations? so should i remove the chip, i used to have a 2000 mustang cobra, i want to be able to reach that kind of power, what are some of the first steps you recommend, and i know you have been doing this for a while, and that is why i ask for your input, should i put the OEM airbox back on insted of the coldair?

Get a pic of your CAI kit. If its like a ricer looking thing, we are gonna tell you to ditch it and get one of these...
http://intense-racing.com/Merchant2/mer ... _Induction
Yes some will tell you that you can get it for cheaper by piecing it together, but this has ALL the proper parts you need in ONE package. I wish I would have done it this way.

Remove the Gforce.

And a manual trans is going to be completely custom. IIRC someone put one in a 96-99(?) Bonneville, but dont know if that write up made it to the new site. Cannot remember what he used for pedals, or anything parts for that matter.

How are all your plugs and wires looking?

Is the coolant orange or green? Do you know if the LIM gaskets have been replaced?

Hows the front trans/engine mount look? leaking? Does the engine look like its gonna jump out of the engine bay?

Look over this....

00Beast wrote: How many miles on the car? What is your maintenance schedule? What is your mechanical skill level?

Also, before modding, please make sure everything on this list is up to date.

• 1987-2005 Bonneville / Buick 3800 Maintenance List
  
  Run Seafoam, Chevron Techron or Gumout Regane through gasoline every 5,000 miles.
  
  Grease: Ball Joints, Tie Rods Every 8-10k ( Green Grease or Amsoil Grease recommended)
  Air Filter Every 15k (Amsoil EaA, Purolator PureONE)
  PCV Valve Every 30k
  MAF Sensor Element Cleaning/TB Cleaning Every 50k viewtopic.php?f=48&t=1661
  Fuel Filter Every 15-25k (Purolator, AC Delco, WIX) http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... 45&t=23215
  Spark Plugs Every 30-50k (NGK TR55 or Autolite 605) (Never Bosch)
  Ignition Wires Every 30-50k (Napa Belden, AC Delco, Autolite Pro, NGK) (Never Taylor or Bosch)
  Oil & Filter Every 5-6k or Every 6 months (Valvoline SYNPower, Pennzoil Platinum, or Amsoil )(Mobil1, Purolator PureONE, Amsoil EaO, K&N or WIX) (Never Fram) viewtopic.php?f=45&t=214
  *Conventional Oil Every 3k/3 months(API SM/SN rating) (WIX (Napa), Delco or Purolator filter)
  Tires: Check Inflation Pressure & Visually Inspect Monthly Rotate Every 6-8,000 Miles
  Transmission Flush or Pan Drop Every 15-20k (Always make sure filter is changed when flushed) viewtopic.php?f=45&t=10193
  Cooling System Flush Every 25-50k or 3-5 Years (Peak or Prestone Mixes-With-Any Coolant Only) (Never Dexcool)
  Oxygen Sensor Every 80-100k (30k for non-heated) (AC Delco or Denso) (Absolutely never Bosch) viewtopic.php?f=48&t=794
  Accessory Belt Inspect every 15k, replace every 100k, or as needed
  Cabin Air Filter Inspect and Replace every 15k, or as needed in dusty conditions. (Note: 00+ Only) viewtopic.php?f=45&t=13626
  Evap Core Cleaning Whenever Needed (Note: 99 and older only) viewtopic.php?f=45&t=2432
  Brake Fluid Flush 3yr/50k
  Power Steering Fluid Replacement/Flush Every 100k or 5 years
  
  *Special Considerations*
  All Series II/III 3800's RPO's: L36, L26, L67 & L32, especially important on vehicles factory installed with orange Havoline Dexcool Antifreeze/Coolant: http://www.dex-cool.net/
  Lower Intake Manifold Gasket Replacement, every 80-100k (ignorance of this can allow coolant to enter your engine oil, this happening can cause irreversible lower engine damage, requiring replacement of subject engine)
  
  Series II, Naturally Aspirated, RPO:L36:
  Upper Intake Manifold Plenum Replacement, Every 80-100k (ignorance of this can allow coolant to enter your intake manifold, possible damage to occur can be hydrolock, irreversible damage to emissions devices, misfires, etc. Most times, engine replacement is required if ignored long enough.) viewtopic.php?f=53&t=1061
  
  Series I, II, III RPO Code L67 & L32:
  Change Supercharger Oil; Every 30-50k. (Intense Racing or GM Dealer) viewtopic.php?f=56&t=1690
  Supercharger Belt; Inspect Every 15k, Replace Every 100k or as needed.

5/9/2011 by 00Beast

Read over this....
http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... =53&t=3591


And once you are sure your car is in proper running condition THEN you can read this....
http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... 78#p261478

Keep in mind my advice applies AFTER you've done the basic tuneup items, ditched the orange coolant, and replaced your LIM gaskets:


3.7 sc pulley, ok. Maybe adds a little. Get a scanner and try to go to a 3.5 or 3.6 if you have no KR. You shouldn't have done it without the ability to scan though.

Chipped. We’ve covered this, it’s a $60 money flush. It’s nothing but a resistor that costs 10 cents. Remove it and throw it in the garbage.

truflow coldair intake. We need pictures of your install or a link to your actual kit. When I say most cheapies for the ricer market hold water, that's an indication that they don't flow air very well. I've seen some turned inside-out by the supercharger.

gator belts. Good choice, but do nothing for performance. As long as they're GOOD YEAR GatorBack belts, not some Gator knock-off from Taiwan or China.

180 thermo. Good choice, but does nothing for performance until your PCM is tuned for a lower fan turn-on. You'd be better with a 'wide-mouth' design with three support arms.

magnaflow cat back with 3" downpipe. Be more specific. What cat? Where did the downpipe come from? Who did the work? Previous owner or you? Opening your exhaust too far on a mostly stock setup will actually rob you of some low end torque.

upgraded injectors. Please post any numbers listed on your injectors. Going with larger injectors doesn’t add power unless your engine is already outflowing the stock injectors, which I highly doubt. If this is true, it’s hurting your performance and fuel mileage. This is a common myth spread by stupid ricer import tuners. Bigger injectors don't add power. The O2 sensor is there for a reason. Richer is also NOT more power. It's LESS POWER and far worse mileage.

pistons, rings, and valve springs. Be more specific. We need to know why. It sounds to me like he blew his motor and simply had it rebuilt. If you don't know, contact the guy the sold it to you.

Crank dyno? By who? You or him? Documentation? Pictures? I’ll tell you right off I don’t believe it. This is rarely done, and if it were done, you’d have more info on it.



The bottom line is that we need answers before we can give you any more advice. If we and you don't know what's under your hood already, we're kind of stuck without a teardown or more accurate information from the previous owner and yourself.

And keep in mind that nobody here is in anyway calling you out or trying to insult anyone. It's just that the people on this club are focused exclusively on this one engine. Some of these guys can tell you things about these motors that might surprise the engineers that designed them. And if you take their advice, you'll see REAL results, both on the dyno, and the seat of your pants. Around here, we help each other out instead of talking $#!@ like a lot of other forums.

BTW, I agree that those dyno numbers sound way off. I'm running 13.8s in the quarter with a cammed/rockered motor, and I only dynoed 268hp at the wheels. But I also showed 322ft-lbs at the wheels. The SeriesII L67 should show torque numbers considerably higher than the hp numbers. Your hp and torque numbers are way too even for the way these engines normally test, as well as simply being to high for the mods listed.