BBK SSI,AFR 165, koeo #96, Koer #12 + 13, + Sluggish

[Marlboro_Man]

Whats up stangers? Long one here so please bear with me.

Went to help a local guy from SBFtech.com tonight to see if i could help get his car running right.

He installed a BBK SSI intake, AFR 165 heads, 1.7 rr, BBK 70mm TB, 155lph fp..

He said the car was running like crap and had even backfired a couple times. I started by checking the wires (good), fuel pressure (I set it to 40 wot), Then i restabbed the distributer becuase we where unsure if it was a tooth off or not.

Got it running and i set the timing at 13* spout out. It had 17-15 inches of vacuum (stock cam +1.7's) at idle and was surging a little. We took it for a drive and he said it felt like it was running better , however it kept dieing when he would clutch in off the gas to stop.

Go back to the house.

I Went to set the idle and found the IAC was loose a little, It was hitting the bbk intake manifold and wouldnt seal properly. Out comes the air grinder. Got the IAC on good and set the idle screw to about 1100rpm IAC dissconnected (because it would die as soon as i disconnected the IAC at any rpm below that). Recconected the IAC and set the TPS to .99vdc (from 1.6v before) and the idle came down to about 900. Dissconected the - battery cable for ten minutes. Then took it for another drive, this time it didn't die on us at all, and really seemed to be running good.


So now there aren't any backfires or stalling and the car seems to be running good however it is sluggish (he said it felt like it did stock).

I pulled the codes and got...

KOEO---- 96
KOER---- 12 / 13
SEFI---- 9


The code 96 really stumps me, however when i disconnect the vacuum hose from the regulater it seems to take forever for the pressure to get to 40 .

The codes 12 and 13 I suspect is just a bad or dirty IAC.


A little more info on the car....

1989
Full weight VERT
T5 trans
stock 2.73 rear gear
bbk shorty headers
C&L maf and inlet tube
19lbs injecters
stock bottom end
AFR 165 58cc
BBK SSI intake

Probably other stuff i'm forgetting


The only other thing we are unsure about is the valve lash. He set it and says it is the first time he has done it (I've never done it) and he is unsure he did it perfectly. It doesn't have really loud sonds coming from the valve covers though. If the valve lash is set incorrectly would it cause a significant loss of power?

There is also a LOUD whistling sound coming from the top of the upper intake manifold, it goes away with about 2000rpm of throttle, but before that it is quite loud. He said he never noticed it untill i set the idle.

Thanks ahead for all the help!

 

[Viking88]

The whistle is probably from the bbk throttle body. I have one and it whistles loudly between 900 and 1200 rpms. As long as your checking things out you might as well readjust the valves to eliminate that.

 

[jimilane]

The whistling is the throttle body. I have the same one. You can send it back to be modded by BBK if it whistles. I don't know what the mod is, probably grinding somewhere. I haven't sent mine back. I have a LOUD Vortech supercharger. It overides the whistling pretty much.

Jim

 

[Marlboro_Man]

I have the same throttle body and NO whistle.

Thing about that is I listened all over the upper intake manifold with a piece of hose in my ear and it sounds to be coming from the driver side top of the upper manifold!?!

And I would adjust the valves but i've never done it before and don't know how.

 

[jimilane]

Setting the valve lash...

You aren't really setting a "lash", unless you are running a solid lifter.

If you are running a hydraulic lifter, you are setting a preload on the lifter. That means you turn the nut to "zero lash",(where the pushrod spins), then preload about .030 of an inch on the lifter. I set the .030 with a paperclip between the piston of the lifter and the 'clip/retainer. Some lifters have a tighter preload tolerance like about .010. I have blown the retainers off those setting them at zero lash for cam break-in. If you don't have the intake off, then you will have to go by what AFR says for setting your "lash"/preload. They will say how many turns on the nut that will give you the correct preload. You really don't have to be as accurate like you do with the solid lifters. I don't know what thread is on your rocker studs, so I can't tell you how many turns is .030.

But to answer your question, no, it won't matter with the hydraulics as long as you get close to the right preload, +/- 1/2 turn, but the solids will matter, you will hear considerable noise if they are set too loose.

Code 12 and 13.....

Make sure you turn the key OFF after each test. If you run the KOER test after running the KOEO, with out turnning the key to off, you will get these codes.

After setting/doing anything, turn the key off. Then you can run the tests. Believe me, I have been there the past few weeks.....

Code 96...

I got this one time when my fuse for the fuel pump was falling out of the fuse panel.

Hope this helps,

Jim

 

[jrichker]

Code 96 – KOEO- Fuel pump monitor circuit shows no power - Fuel pump relay or battery power feed was open - Power / Fuel Pump Circuits. The fuel pump lost power at some time while the ignition switch was in the run position.

Look for a failing fuel pump relay, bad connections or broken wiring. The fuel pump relay is located under the Mass Air Meter on Fox bodied stangs built after 91. On earlier model cars is under the passenger seat. On Mass Air Conversions, the signal lead that tells the computer that the fuel pump has power may not have been wired correctly. See http://www.stangnet.com/tech/maf/massairconversion.html

To help troubleshoot the 96 code , follow this link for a wiring diagram for 87-90 models http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/images/fuel-alt-links-ign-ac.gif

for 91-93 models see http://www.autozone.com/images/cds/gif/large/0900823d80195960.gif

Look for power at the fuel pump - the fuel pump has a connector at the rear of the car with a pink/black wire and a black wire that goes to the fuel pump. The pink/black wire should be hot when the test connector is jumpered to the test position. . To trick the fuel pump into running, find the ECC test connector and jump the connector in the lower RH corner to ground. http://www.mustangworks.com/articles/electronics/eec-iv_codes.html for a description of the test connector. it. No voltage when jumpered, check the fuel pump relay and fuse links.

86-90 Models:
Using the diagram, check the red/black wire from the fuel pump relay: you should see 12 volts or so. If not, check the inertia switch: on a hatch it is on the drivers side by the taillight. Look for a black rubber plug that pops out: if you don't find it, then loosen up the plastic trim. Check for voltage on both sides of the switch. If there is voltage on both sides, then check the Pink/black wire on the fuel pump relay: it is the power feed to the fuel pump. Good voltage there, then the fuel pump is the likely culprit since it is getting power. No voltage there, check the Orange/Lt blue wire, it is the power feed to the fuel pump relay & has a fuse link in it. Good voltage there & at the Pink/black wire, swap the relay.

91-93 Models:
Using the diagram, check the dark green/yellow wire from the fuel pump relay: you should see 12 volts or so. If not the relay has failed or is intermittent. Check the inertia switch: on a hatch it is on the drivers side by the taillight. Look for a black rubber plug that pops out: if you don't find it, then loosen up the plastic trim. Check for voltage on both sides of the switch. If there is voltage on both sides, then check the Pink/black wire on the fuel pump relay: it is the power feed to the fuel pump. Good voltage there, then the fuel pump is the likely culprit since it is getting power. No voltage there, check the Pink/black wire, it is the power feed to the fuel pump relay & has a fuse link in it. Good voltage there & at the dark green/yellow wire, swap the relay.

 

[Marlboro_Man]

Thanks Jrichker!

I'm going to look into the code 96 some more next time i go over there.

Would any of these codes cause the pcm to go into a limp mode? Could they be the cause for lack of power?

OR

Do you guys feel there are other problems in the combo leading to the lack of power?

I understand it's not going to be a beast of a car with the stock cam, 2.73 gears and with the stock H-pipe + muffs, However i would think with a good intake and a set of AFR 165's it would pull better then it did.











(Seriously , not to poke fun at the guy at all) I think my car OFF the bottle would absolutly smoke his AFR headed car and that just doesn't seem right, In fact it pisses me off and i just met the guy lol.

 

[Marlboro_Man]

Any more ideas?

 

[jrichker]

No limp mode on any of the codes you posted. A loss of fuel pressure while driving would cause a power loss. Clear the codes and recheck after a week. Sometimes the 96 code is a result of tinkering with the car rather than a serious fault

 

[Tonys96Cobra]

Maybe its just me, but it sounds like kind of a mismatched combo. The AFR heads and SSI intake are both going to want to rev a little to make max power, and hes not going ot get that with the stock cam. But I think the real hold up is the 2.73's and the fact thats its a heavy vert. Just my .02

 

[fidstang]

Any more ideas?

What is the intial timing set to with the spout out?

Go back and readjust the pre-load on the lifters.
It's really simple and we can walk you through it.
To tight and you can lose power.
Don't need that when you have a stock cam and 2.73 gears
Gears are the biggest killer here, the stock cam doesn't help. But the torque should be great with the stock cam, BBK intake and volicity friendly 165's. He should have around 250whp with the stock exhaust and combo of parts. So, if it doesn't feel healthy with torque, the chances are it's a combo of missadjusted lifter pre load and timing not dailed in.