This page is static, though, and only put here for your convenience. Go visit Rafe Jaffey's comments on IntegraLS's WebSite for his latest observations.
<comments snipped - go to Rafe Jaffey's comments on IntegraLS's WebSite for the full story>
For those who are interested, here are some installation highlights.
The main problems to report are:
Baked on intake manifold gasket (took 3 hours to remove).
TPS lead had to be extended about 10 inches. No way to avoid it. JR should include extenstion in the kit.
O2 sensor lead had to be extended by peeling open the wiring harness to gain slack and then rewrapping it.
Small coolant fitting on passenger side of intake manifold interfered with the mounting nut that passes very close to it. I had to remove the fitting and grind down one of the six sides of its hexagonal portion and then reinstall it with the ground down surface facing the stud on which the nut mounts. Also, below the same stud, the casting curves from vertical to horizontal too close to the stud. The nut catches on the curve and doesn't seat completely. I had to file the casting just below the stud to ensure that the entire nut would make even contact.
I get the same resonance at 4500rpm that many others have described.
The engine vibration visibly increases in amplitude around that speed and
there's an associated increase in sound at the same time. Discussed the
problem with Keith at JR. They're going to look into it.
Some recommendations for anyone considering doing the install:
Make sure you have teflon tape on hand, there's none in the kit.
You'll need some extra wire to extend the harness to the TPS.
Clean up the JR intake manifold before you start. Mine had machining burrs around the intake ports and a few other spots. Remove burrs, then wash it out and blow clear with compressed air.
Remove the intake manifold from above. I had to remove the manifold support bracket from below, but I was able to remove all of the nuts that attach it to the head without working under the car. This enabled me to leave the converter installed and do a lot of the grunt work from above rather than under the car.
Remove the strut tower brace, it's in the way.
Install the SC and manifold assembly without gaskets, sealants, etc. to verify fit, clearance, proper routing of wiring, ps hose, etc. so you can easily make adjustments as needed *before* the whole thing is installed and you've got a bitch of a time making changes. You can attach the SC to the manifold for test fitting before you install on the engine as you'll only need to use some of the mounting nuts. When you really install the assembly, you've got to follow the directions and install the manifold by itself so you'll have access to 3 of the nuts below. The SC blocks these nuts making it impossible to access them once it's installed.
Before you start, read all of the instructions carefully with a service manual on hand and visualize all the steps while looking at the engine. There are some ambiguities and minor mistakes which will become evident once you see what's going on.
When you bend the metal fitting on the main water pipe the stud which keeps the pipe from rotating will break off. Mine did and left a pinhole in the pipe. I had to remove it and use silver solder to plug the hole. Beware! It's impossible to get a replacement in any reasonable time. There are none stocked anywhere in dealerships or warehouses in the US and apparently never have been.
Solder connections and cover with heat shrink. They will definitely last longer.
You might need some extra 1/2" heater hose and a couple of extra #10 hose clamps for the oil cooler.
Protect the wiring harness from chafing as it passes around the SC tensioner
bracket. I zip tied on a 2" piece of heater hose, which I split open, around
that section of harness.
Last Updated: 11/26/1999