The New Life of the 3800 "Formula"

[TopNotch]

This car seems to be doing pretty good, since I solved the disappearing ATF problem. But there's one thing I'm going to have to check when I get around to it. With the old transmission, the speedo seemed to be right on. With the new one, it reads a bit high (about 64MPH when I'm doing 60). Eventually, I'll trade VSS's with the old transmission and see what happens. On the other hand, the guy that sold me the transmission told me that it has a slightly different rear end from my old one. I don't know why an Oldsmobile with a 3800 would need a different rear end from a Buick with a 3800. The new one is from a 1995 Oldsmobile with a 3800.

[Fierofool]

While talking with different persons about Scott's car, Devilles and Sevilles with the identical engine have different final drives.  Could be tire diameter differences between cars. 

[TopNotch]

You may recall that I thought I needed a fuel pressure regulator from my problem thread. Well, I had ordered one just in case, and yesterday I put it on. It seems to have fixed a couple of problems.
Problem 1: If I stopped for a while when the engine was hot (i.e., to get gas), and then started the car again, the idle would "hunt" (go up and down).
Problem 2: If I tried to accelerate while going up hill, the transmission would downshift, and never go back into 4th gear after the climb, unless I put the car in neutral, shut the engine off, re-started it, and put the car back in gear. It was doing this occasionally on the drive home.
I read up online about problem 2, and the consensus was that the PCM will do this if it detects a lean mixture, and that a new fuel filter will usually fix it. My fuel filter is fairly new, but I was going to try changing it anyway. But after changing the FPR, the problem seems to have gone away, along with the hunting idle. I went on a bit of a test drive yesterday, and a longer one today. For today's test, I went up I-85 to exit 129, gassed up at Charlie's Race Track, and drove back home, being sure to accelerate up hills each way. Neither problem happened.
Now I think I can quit working on "White Lightning" for a while, and change the ball joints in my Ford Escape.

[GTRS Fiero]

Glad you got those issues sorted.

[Raydar]

Can you share the brand / size / widths / offsets of your wheels?
88s are difficult to do for most people, including me. But you seem to have a knack for getting it right.
Thanks.

[TopNotch]

Wheels are DDR Fusion 17x7.5, offset 38. Tires are 215-50R17 on all 4 wheels. (I like to be able to rotate.)

[Raydar]

Wheels are DDR Fusion 17x7.5, offset 38. Tires are 215-50R17 on all 4 wheels. (I like to be able to rotate.)

Excellent! Thank you.

[TopNotch]

If you have been following my other threads, you know I have a low mount alternator kit installed, and have fixed a problem with it. And I seem to have fixed a problem with the transmission modulator also.
But now I'm getting a SES light every time I drive a little while, and the code indicates a bad knock sensor. This engine has two of them, one for each bank. And I really wish I had thought to replace them when I had the engine out of the car.
I dove under the car and found both of them, and they are both rusty and look like they have been in there for ever. If the rear one is the bad one, be a real bear to replace it. It's in the block, between the oil pan and that long part of the automatic transmission that goes to the passenger side wheel. But I think I can get to it with a wobble extension and the appropriate size socket.
Here's a video on how to test these things, and the ones shown in the video look like the exact ones on my car. I have a couple on order.

[TopNotch]

I pulled out the one on the front side of the engine, and it doesn't generate any voltage at all, so I think it's bad. I'm going to try to test the resistance of the other one by measuring at the PCM connector where my chart from Sinister Performance says it goes to.

[Raydar]

Good luck with yours.
I had a knock sensor code on my truck (LM7 "LS" engine.)
There are two knock sensors that fit in two "wells" in the valley pan, on top of the engine.
Had to remove the intake manifold to replace the bad one. (Possibly it was okay, but the well was full of water. Already had the sensor. Easier to replace it, than do it over.)

Thanks for the video. I'm going to need it before too long.

[TopNotch]

They're screwed into the bottom of the block on each side of the oil pan on a 3800, so they don't get flooded, but they would be subject to any splashing.

[TopNotch]

My new knock sensors are in, and I went on a test drive that before would have been long enough to get a SES light. Not this time.
My old knock sensors. May they rust in peace.

[Fierofool]

It looks like that engine may have came from a salt zone.  Maybe he got it in Florida. 

[TopNotch]

Today I went to Ace and got some aluminum tubing to make a new vacuum line for the transmission modulator. The plastic line melted (for the 2nd time).
Aluminum tubing is very difficult to bend, even if you have a tubing bender. It tends to kink. But if you insert some flexible insulated wire of the proper diameter in the tubing, you can bend it without kinking.

[Fierofool]

Just hope that the bend doesn't crimp down on the wire so you can't get it out.