SC430 HEADER INSTALL THREAD w/PICS, DYNO
02-20-06, 03:01 AM
#46
Lee - Congratulations on your tuning work...! 
Maybe i missed the point - am i right that maybe some wire of the O2-cable cracked during the installation or the sitting angle of the O2 is not correct and therefore OBDII sets these codes online?
Hmm - i rather thinking of replacing the primary catalysts with a straight pipe inside them (O2 simulators will be needed, but no problem). I don't know if this will lead to a similar gain in HP/TQ - if so it would be an easier way and together with the headers it should take the car to it's limits for exhaust tuning...
what do you think lee?
regrads
marcus
Maybe i missed the point - am i right that maybe some wire of the O2-cable cracked during the installation or the sitting angle of the O2 is not correct and therefore OBDII sets these codes online?
Hmm - i rather thinking of replacing the primary catalysts with a straight pipe inside them (O2 simulators will be needed, but no problem). I don't know if this will lead to a similar gain in HP/TQ - if so it would be an easier way and together with the headers it should take the car to it's limits for exhaust tuning...
what do you think lee?
regrads
marcus
Last edited by powmax; 02-20-06 at 03:05 AM.
02-20-06, 07:56 AM
#47
Originally Posted by Pearlpower
I pulled codes afterwords and received Pending P0130 and P0133 codes which are O2 sensor circuit and O2 slow response. Both of which I already knew of but good to know the ECU is confirming my suspicions.
02-20-06, 09:29 AM
#48
Forum Administrator
iTrader: (2)
Lee this is awesome , can't wait to see your dyno results.
Thank you for paving the way with so many things on the SC and documenting them so well!
, can't wait to see your dyno results.Thank you for paving the way with so many things on the SC and documenting them so well!
02-20-06, 10:19 AM
#49
Originally Posted by powmax
Lee - Congratulations on your tuning work...!
Maybe i missed the point - am i right that maybe some wire of the O2-cable cracked during the installation or the sitting angle of the O2 is not correct and therefore OBDII sets these codes online? Also you would need an O2 simulator to trick the computer into thinking a cat is still there. Otherwise codes will come up.
Hmm - i rather thinking of replacing the primary catalysts with a straight pipe inside them (O2 simulators will be needed, but no problem). I don't know if this will lead to a similar gain in HP/TQ - if so it would be an easier way and together with the headers it should take the car to it's limits for exhaust tuning...
what do you think lee?
regrads
marcus
Maybe i missed the point - am i right that maybe some wire of the O2-cable cracked during the installation or the sitting angle of the O2 is not correct and therefore OBDII sets these codes online? Also you would need an O2 simulator to trick the computer into thinking a cat is still there. Otherwise codes will come up.
Hmm - i rather thinking of replacing the primary catalysts with a straight pipe inside them (O2 simulators will be needed, but no problem). I don't know if this will lead to a similar gain in HP/TQ - if so it would be an easier way and together with the headers it should take the car to it's limits for exhaust tuning...
what do you think lee?
regrads
marcus
on the codes, I had to splice an extension into the O2 sensor as it would not reach the new O2 mount on the headers. One or more of my new crimps is bad causing error codes.
1TYTESC,
I am using scantool.net with the ELM OBDII interface. it works with a variety of aftermarket software out there and is the most popular. The scantool.net software is very easy to navigate so I use it often though it lacks freezing and logging.
I use other software for those functions.
I have found it indispensable in troubleshooting and adjusting items such as TPS.
www.scantool.net
Free software
http://www.easyobdii.com/_mgxroot/page_10761.html
http://techworld.dyndns.org/obd/index.htm
http://www.wgsoft.de/
For Pocket PC/Palm
http://www.qcontinuum.org/obdgauge/
http://www.geocities.com/a_ser_files/
Other software that is not free, some even have pretty accurate acceleration logging options.
I may pick this one up shortly.
http://www.myscantool.com/details.html
Dave,
Thanks for the compliments. Trying my best to help out the fellow Lexus community. I hope to see many performance mod'd 430's on the road now.
Last edited by Pearlpower; 02-25-06 at 08:56 PM.
02-21-06, 01:21 AM
#50
Update
Just a quick update.
O2 issue is resolved.
Remember above where I stated that the drivers side O2 location on the headers stretches the wires? Well, they did and pulled out 2 wires from the factory harness connector even though I did not tug on them that hard. Could have been the heat over time weakened things.
I went ahead and remade the O2 harness anyhow. A bit more flexible and heat resistant this time which=more durable.
Removed the drivers side cat and found that I could not work on the harness end as it is on the trans bell housing making access difficult from below. Lowered the car and did the work from the top of the engine compartment reaching behind it against the firewall. Cut off remaining two wires off connector and removed the tiny little pins out of the sockets, then connected new wires onto the pins, crimped, soldered, and reattached everything. Attached new wires to factory harness wires and put it all back together with some shrink tubing and heat tape.
Sounds a lot simpler than it was.
Space is tight behind the engine.
Started the car and voltage was now present.
Took the car for a 150 mile trip and things are wonderful. An Audi A8 (not sure what year) got left on the freeway after riding my butt for a mile or so. He was trying. A newer LS430 got spanked from 70 on up pretty good as well which was a good gauge of the cars performance. Car pulls very nicely from every RPM point as mentioned above. No engine light or pending codes.
So the hint here is to either make an O2 extrension or splice in some new wires in the existing O2 sensor to make things work. One more option is to loosen the harness strop on top of trans bell housing to give more wire but I am not sure how much it will give as you would need 2 inches to be safe and avoid a serious kink from the O2 sensor. Plan ahead and expect this.
Dyno to come.
O2 issue is resolved.
Remember above where I stated that the drivers side O2 location on the headers stretches the wires? Well, they did and pulled out 2 wires from the factory harness connector even though I did not tug on them that hard. Could have been the heat over time weakened things.
I went ahead and remade the O2 harness anyhow. A bit more flexible and heat resistant this time which=more durable.Removed the drivers side cat and found that I could not work on the harness end as it is on the trans bell housing making access difficult from below. Lowered the car and did the work from the top of the engine compartment reaching behind it against the firewall. Cut off remaining two wires off connector and removed the tiny little pins out of the sockets, then connected new wires onto the pins, crimped, soldered, and reattached everything. Attached new wires to factory harness wires and put it all back together with some shrink tubing and heat tape.
Sounds a lot simpler than it was.
Space is tight behind the engine.Started the car and voltage was now present.
Took the car for a 150 mile trip and things are wonderful. An Audi A8 (not sure what year) got left on the freeway after riding my butt for a mile or so. He was trying. A newer LS430 got spanked from 70 on up pretty good as well which was a good gauge of the cars performance. Car pulls very nicely from every RPM point as mentioned above. No engine light or pending codes.
So the hint here is to either make an O2 extrension or splice in some new wires in the existing O2 sensor to make things work. One more option is to loosen the harness strop on top of trans bell housing to give more wire but I am not sure how much it will give as you would need 2 inches to be safe and avoid a serious kink from the O2 sensor. Plan ahead and expect this.
Dyno to come.
Last edited by Pearlpower; 02-21-06 at 02:12 AM.
02-21-06, 02:34 AM
#51
Hello Lee - glad to hear you fixed the O2 issue!
btw. i discovered that TRD are still in development of an Exhaust Manifold for the 3UZ-FE
, but for the UCF30 - i am not sure if this manifold will fit our UZZ40?
regards
marcus
btw. i discovered that TRD are still in development of an Exhaust Manifold for the 3UZ-FE
, but for the UCF30 - i am not sure if this manifold will fit our UZZ40?regards
marcus
02-24-06, 05:33 PM
#52
Lee I was curious as how you adressed the issue w/ the cat flange fitting in the header. ther does not seem like enough to grind down the weld w/o effecting the structure. I kow you mentioned gringing down the cat tube lip. Can you grind it down and still get a good seal w/ the OEM gasket
I'm not sure I like the updated way the header primary tube is welded into the headert /cat flange
I got my headers the other day and mine is wwelded like yours vs. BA_GS400's (see pic)
I'm not sure I like the updated way the header primary tube is welded into the headert /cat flange
I got my headers the other day and mine is wwelded like yours vs. BA_GS400's (see pic)
02-25-06, 12:17 AM
#55
You bring up a very good point and one I was working on.
INSTALLATION UPDATE:
Couple of additions. I recommend buying 4 brand new catalytic gaskets as the old ones are crushed to some degree. This may or may not allow you to reuse your cat without grinding away at the protrusion on the cat that attaches to the header flange. I recommend grinding 1/4" from the protrusion anyhow. Not all of it as it holds the flange gasket in place.
The second time I removed the cat to fix the O2 sensor was the last for the original gasket on bank2 and I received an error code P0430 which indicates that the secondary O2 sensor is not reading what it is expected from the cat. This was due to an exhaust leak from a worn/crushed flange gasket on the cat and bad angle of the header flange. I since replaced gaskets and so far no error codes. Knock on wood.
But...the reason for this is that the header flange on the passenger side is not exact and mounts to the y-pipe at a slight angle allowing a larger gap on top vs the bottom of the flange. This allowed exhaust gas to leak and thus the engine code. A new gasket solved this but long term is compromised as the gasket is not sealing as well as it could be up top. If your headers are welded at the same angle get another gasket for a spare.
BTW, the post header dyno is scheduled for next week!
INSTALLATION UPDATE:
Couple of additions. I recommend buying 4 brand new catalytic gaskets as the old ones are crushed to some degree. This may or may not allow you to reuse your cat without grinding away at the protrusion on the cat that attaches to the header flange. I recommend grinding 1/4" from the protrusion anyhow. Not all of it as it holds the flange gasket in place.
The second time I removed the cat to fix the O2 sensor was the last for the original gasket on bank2 and I received an error code P0430 which indicates that the secondary O2 sensor is not reading what it is expected from the cat. This was due to an exhaust leak from a worn/crushed flange gasket on the cat and bad angle of the header flange. I since replaced gaskets and so far no error codes. Knock on wood.
But...the reason for this is that the header flange on the passenger side is not exact and mounts to the y-pipe at a slight angle allowing a larger gap on top vs the bottom of the flange. This allowed exhaust gas to leak and thus the engine code. A new gasket solved this but long term is compromised as the gasket is not sealing as well as it could be up top. If your headers are welded at the same angle get another gasket for a spare.
BTW, the post header dyno is scheduled for next week!
Last edited by Pearlpower; 02-25-06 at 08:57 PM.
02-25-06, 01:36 AM
#56
I did buy 2 catalytic gaskets I 'll buy 2 more for the other end of the catalytic. were you able to use the screws that came w/ the headers I thought BA-GS400 said somethng about they were slightly shorter on the header to catalytic attachement..
Man, your stock headers (the last 3 primary tubes) are really restrictive. Is your Pass.side header the same shape as the one you posted?
Man, your stock headers (the last 3 primary tubes) are really restrictive. Is your Pass.side header the same shape as the one you posted?
02-25-06, 09:05 AM
#57
Yep both sides are very restrictive.
The bolts that came with the headers serve no purpose. I had to use bolts from my own stock to make things work.
Also scrape away the old gasket material on the cats before installing.Another possible leak area.
The bolts that came with the headers serve no purpose. I had to use bolts from my own stock to make things work.
Also scrape away the old gasket material on the cats before installing.Another possible leak area.
02-25-06, 10:57 AM
#58
congrats Lee! Great job of getting new parts and testing them out for the rest of us. Also I had a question about the ecu being reset. You said when you installed the headers you unpluged the battery and so the ecu was reset. Do you need to reset the ecu upon each aftermarket mod added? How long does it take for the ecu to adjust to the new mods?
02-25-06, 03:11 PM
#59
Tony
I just pull the negative cable on mine, most people pull the ECU fuse in the box so that their memory settings are not lost. I just do not like any voltage in the car when I am working on it. I have found a good solid 1hr will always work. 45 minutes or below gets iffy on resetting everything.
But yes, for each performance mod, reset the ECU. I have noticed improvements this way.
I must say that driving the car is now really a pleasure as the increased power is very evident and intoxicating. The power is everywhere and I can actually feel the small of my back pressed in the seat. Never got close to that stock. This is going to be a very quick car once the gears,LSD, and TC are in.
I need to finish the airbox for the intake and then start work on those brakes that are sitting in the garage screeming my name.
Lee
I just pull the negative cable on mine, most people pull the ECU fuse in the box so that their memory settings are not lost. I just do not like any voltage in the car when I am working on it. I have found a good solid 1hr will always work. 45 minutes or below gets iffy on resetting everything.
But yes, for each performance mod, reset the ECU. I have noticed improvements this way.
I must say that driving the car is now really a pleasure as the increased power is very evident and intoxicating.
The power is everywhere and I can actually feel the small of my back pressed in the seat. Never got close to that stock. This is going to be a very quick car once the gears,LSD, and TC are in.I need to finish the airbox for the intake and then start work on those brakes that are sitting in the garage screeming my name.
Lee
Last edited by Pearlpower; 02-25-06 at 08:59 PM.
02-25-06, 06:04 PM
#60
Originally Posted by Pearlpower
Tony
I just pull the negative cable on mine, most people pull the ECU fuse in the box so that their memory settings are not lost. I have found a good solid 1hr will always work. 45 minutes or below gets iffy on resetting everything.
But yes, for each performance mod, reset the ECU. I have noticed improvements this way.
I must say that driving the car is now really a pleasure as the increased power is very evident and intoxicating. The power is everywhere and I can actually feel the small of my back pressed in the seat. Never got close to that stock. This is going to be a very quick car once the gears,LSD, and TC are in.
I need to finish the airbox for the intake and then start work on those brakes that are sitting in the garage screeming my name.
Lee
I just pull the negative cable on mine, most people pull the ECU fuse in the box so that their memory settings are not lost. I have found a good solid 1hr will always work. 45 minutes or below gets iffy on resetting everything.
But yes, for each performance mod, reset the ECU. I have noticed improvements this way.
I must say that driving the car is now really a pleasure as the increased power is very evident and intoxicating.
The power is everywhere and I can actually feel the small of my back pressed in the seat. Never got close to that stock. This is going to be a very quick car once the gears,LSD, and TC are in.I need to finish the airbox for the intake and then start work on those brakes that are sitting in the garage screeming my name.
Lee