Well, I finally got my engine out of my Silver 2000 L to fix whatever damage happened when the #3 spark plug blew at Seattle International Raceway in October. I removed the rest of the spark plugs and found that 4 out of 8 were destroyed (I had Champions in while I was waiting for the NGKs I had ordered).

I remember reading a post that this happened to someone else during a shot of nitrous, but has anyone else had this happen without it?

I was running the JL air ram and chip on the street program with approximately 94-95 otane mix (93 octane Chevron with about 6 or 7 gallons of 100 octane mixed in). I had my Hoosier slicks (315/30R18's) on a second set of rims. I was going about 80 MPH exiting a fast corner, back on the gas, and poof, they blew. Obviously some kind of lean condition, but can I prevent it again? Are Champion plugs that bad (they had the same heat rating/etc as the NGKs everyone is running) or would NGKs have blown up as well?

I'm tempted to think that chipping these trucks may be okay for dragging, but not for road racing. Any opinions there? At SIR you get going pretty fast and with the JL air ram it has got to be getting tons of air at those speeds. Perhaps the chips lean it out too much.

Just looking for clues. I haven't pulled the heads to see if I have a bent valve or a hole in the piston.

How much are 2000 crate engines going for lately?

Thanks for any help,
Ross

 

I have heard of this before, and it was a STOCK 99 Lightning. the fellow (owner) I talked to said he had just entered an automatic car wash, and then the plug blew out, engine speed was at idle, or very low load.

1 or two things happened, cant remember which, but both indeed did happen.

He blew a cylinder head gasket. then the tech forgot to torque a plug correctly, and poof out went a spark plug.

Or, he blew the plug and the tech didn't torque the head right, and he blew the gasket. I think the first one is what really happened.

Also, this fellow said his tranny went kaput, and they got him a new one. This was before I was worried about any intercooler leak, and he seemed a little stressed about the problems he was having with the truck.

[This message has been edited by Tundra (edited 01-19-2001).]

 

Jekel: i;m sorry to hear about the spark plugs letting go! but really ive data logged that program you have up to speeds of 130mph! and the A/F and timing issues were VERY safe! you might have caused damage to the plugs when spraying..maybe not enough fuel? i'm not saying that was the case i really couldn't tell you with out being there. i do know if we run no2 we have to make sure we have the right pill set up for the no2 and the fuel..i'll be doing a special program just for no2 100 shot here shortly and it will be data logged to fine tune the program..A/f & timing will be we'll within the safe limits.. JL

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93 cobra 10.90@127.00
99 lightning (black)
e.t. 12.41 @ 110.8
best mph 110.8
60 ft. 1.79
JL superchip
JL ram air
JL Powercooler
2# pulley
Level 10 shift kit
SuperChip Dist.!
(Man i love this truck!)
_ _ _________________ _ _
JohnnyLightning Performance
E-mail: jlightningracing@cs.com
WEB:webtechnik.com/johnnylightning

 

I agree with JL... Running a lean mixture with nitrous is a hundred times more lethal to a motor than running lean without nitrous. Anyone who runs nitrous needs to run a fuel pressure cut off switch. If your fuel pressure drops below a predetermined pressure then it drops power to your nitrous/fuel solenoids. In extreme conditions I've seen it melt high dollar forged pistons....big time. I know that the Ls have a knock sensor but you can't always rely on it to pull the correct timing soon enough out of the motor. Rule of the thumb is for every 50hp of nitrous you're running you need to pull 2 degrees of total ignition timing from the motor. There is aftermarket electronics that'll do this for you.....or I'm sure JL's new nitrous program will also do it.

JL...... You need a flip chip +1 program..

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2001L, red (on order)

1998 C5 coupe, 6sp, Z51, red, ( many, many mods)

1969 Vette coupe, 496ci stroker big block, aluminum heads, 4340 crank & H-beam rods, JE 10.8 pistons, roller everything, McLeod dual disk clutch w/ aluminum flywheel, Richmond 6 spd, 3" dual exhaust, 300hp nitrous fogger, no strip time...

1985 FoToLet, work truck, 85 Toyota 4x4 (started as), Reading bed, ladder racks, 8" lift, 33 x 12.5's, Vette 350 4 bolt motor, Hooker Super Comp headers, Ford 9" rear, Toyota front diff, turbo 350 coupled to a Toyota tranfer case, 410 gears, a/c & power steering. f-a-a-s-t A/C & heat calls..... my specialty.

[This message has been edited by Undy (edited 01-19-2001).]

 

I have run mine with the R9 chip in 4 open road events at OVER 130 for many miles and have not had a problem yet,but am changing plugs for the new season.Stan

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99 Lightning,93 Lightning,89 Saleen SSC Mustang 66 GT1 Mustang,66 AC Cobra,Plus a few more!!!!!!!

 

Just wondering what your pipes were looking like. After I installed "Blastgate" ram air the pipes really cleaned up, hardly any black. I talked to Spiro about this before ordering the JDM chip, and he said no problem. Now with the chip in they are even cleaner. Does this signify a lean condition and maybe something to worry about? Is there a easy way to check A/F, and what should it be? If I wasn't so lazy I'd pull the plugs out, man that looks like a real job.

 

Thanks all for your thoughts. I wanted to be clear, I wasn't running nitrous (I don't even have it installed). I was only stating that I was very surprised I could have four plugs disintegrate without it.

As for my pipes, they are still a bit black, and the plugs that came out okay were the right color.

JL, as for the program, I'm glad you did due diligence on it with respect to air-fuel ratios at speed with the air ram. Makes me feel better about it. I'll be sending you my old chip soon for a re-burn with your new program.

Just don't want this to happen again, you know.

Ross

 

I run 100% 100-octane when road-racing with my R9... probably overkill, but no problems so far.

And how do you like the Hoosiers? How's the body lean? What 'model' hoosier are you running?

Thanks,
Dreamin

 

Hi Jekel
I have some thoughts on your engine damage.First of all, you didnt say how much fuel you had in the tank total. Do you think you could have starved the fuel pumps on some of those corners. I mean a stock L is good for about .85 lateral G in a corner,I wonder what it would do with 315/30 slicks on it? If I remember right at 1G the oil in your oil pan will stand up at better than a 45 deg angle, so will the fuel in your gas tank.
Also there's the intercooler, after a couple of hard laps out at SIR, I'm thinkin the intercooler was completely saturated and couldn't reject the amount of heat you were throwin at it.In other words your charge air temp was goin outa site. Now you add in maybe 10 more degrees ignition timing in the computer chip and 95 octane fuel and the possibility of fuel starvation off of a corner and well there goes your spark plugs.
Buy the way the last time I melted spark plugs, it took some piston with it.(Not in my truck)
One more thing, somebody mentioned the L has a knock sensor. According to Inject-Tech, the knock sensor can only retard the timing 2 degrees total on our trucks. I think Ford found out what the racers already know and that is knock sensors dont work well in a high performance situation. To many different noises will set them off (like blower whine or an exhaust pipe rattle)and they will retard timing just when you don't want them to. Anyway I hope everything goes well. Good Luck
Dale
PS. Are you going to rebuild the broken motor? Or are you thinking of selling it or parting it? (If you buy a complete crate motor)

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Black 00'
13.21 @ 105.24 so far
full weight, stock tires