Well, I have finally started down the sordid mod trail and have found it rife with troubles. What I am attempting is a stage 2 install, but do not have the injectors yet. I have the computer,WGA, MAP and TIP. I plan to get the injectors soon ( and many other items like an exhaust). What I did tonight is install the Map, TIP and WGA. I have read all the pros, cons and propaganda and decided to see for myself what would or would not work. First, I have read you can put a S2 WGA on a non stage car, Second, I have read that the 3 bar MAP and TIP will not work without a stage computer and will throw the car into limp home mode. So here's what I have done thus far; I installed the MAP, TIP and WGA tonight with the intent of installing the S2 comp Monday after I get it flashed at a local Dealership. I figured if the MAP, TIP and WGA are driveable and dont throw codes, I'll be good till Monday and I'll keep the boost level to a sane level using the WGA adjustment.
Well it's done now I guess. How'd it go you ask?
Glad you asked. Strange and not totally unexpected. First, The car runs ok with no codes due to the sensors. That said, all is not sublime in speedville ....yet. There remains an issue of boost control that has me a little miffed. I cannot seem to adjust the boost to any sort of realistic level with the WGA. I started out with the oft recommended 4 mimi littles o' preload. Wow! Where did this setting come from? I could not go near full throttle. The part throttle boost in second gear spun the tires right outta the chute then, as I attempted near making full throttle mayhem I saw the boost gauge go 'round to WHAT? the "M" in Autometer. Yeah no shi*. The "m"! What's that like 30 lbs? Realistically, it looks to be at least 25 and I think it'd gone higher had I kept my foot in it. So I go back to the garage, back the adjustment out 1.5 turns and try again. Still peggin the needle though not as quickly. Back to the garage again. Take it out another whole turn. Drive, still peggin. Back to garage out another whole turn, now preload is like 1.5 mm. Drive, still pegs. Garage again, now take all possible adjustment out that leaves just barely any preload. I think if I go out another half a turn, I will be at a loose fit. I drive it one more time, Ok, now maybe I can live with this. It still aint right. It is spiking at probably 23 and holding at like 21 or more. Now I dare to really put my foot into it and I am rewarded with stout pull in the lower rpms, but as rpms climb, it starts pinging at around 5 grand. Ok, here's what I wonder; first, I know that boost, spark and fuel are controlled by the computer. I am still S 0, so maybe it will act normal and even boost lower with the proper computer installed. Also, I know that I am leaning out and really need the bigger injectors and maybe that is partly how the stage 2 controls detonation, but still if I put the S2 comp in and I am still pegging the needle with boost, that is not good. I know S2 boost should not be boosting this high.
So what do you all think or know? will the S2 comp help to regulate the boost level down? Is my S 0 comp reading the S2 sensors improperly and not controlling the boost? (I guess I could put the S 0 sensors back in to see) Anyway it has prompted me to give my boost gauge a new name. It is now the BEAST gauge. I did also watch to see if the gauge is broke or acting funny. I think it is still ok as it reads 0 when eng is off and hits -22 on deceleration, so when it says "m" I believe I have "m" boost.
So I will leave it as is for now. Part throttle driveability is ok. If I get time tomorrow, I may put the S 0 sensors back in and yes I did disconnect the batt when doing all this in the first place.
Anybody have similar experiences? Is my WGA wacked? (I did buy it used) As of yet, no engine light and I have not checked for codes.

 

In a reply to myself (cause I know peeps are reading this) I will update the what's what.
Ok, been driving the car around for a few days and it drives ok, not great just ok. It still does not have the S2 computer installed, more on that in a minute. As I stated before I have the S2 WGA, MAP, and TIP in. I had to adjust the WGA down to no preload just to keep from blown the head off the motor but as is, if I keep my foot out of it it runs stronger than before 95% of the time but will occasionally stumble and sag. WOT still spiking well over 20 lbs. and over 5000 rpm getting spark knock even with 93 octane and octane booster. So for now I drive easy.
Well after calling several local dealers, I found one who said they could flash my S2 ECU. (It is a used one). So I scheduled an appointment for this morning (I work 2nd but who needs sleep) and they agree to let me install the S2 ecm in thier bay before they program it. It was raining, so that was nice of them. So I do the swap. Then they tell me I can go wait. Minutes later, they come in and tell me they can't do it because the computer has previouly been programmed for another car and it could be stolen, plus the key code wont work. They had not even tried to program it and did nothing to it. I had had this discussion with the lead tech prior and he said they wouldn't know if they could 'till they hooked up to it. I guess he hadn't talked to the sr tech who had been to the schools who told him they could not do it. I was concerned about getting charged the 87 bucks it was going to cost and had already talked it over with the lead tech who told me to bring it down. Needless to say I was a little upset. They said they werent going to charge me and they did let me swap the old computer back in. So, at this point my only option is I guess, talking to flight systems. I don't know if the dealer really cant do it or, just won't do it, but I am a little p.o'd at the waste of time and loss of sleep.

 

Cliff notes for the dense, please?

 

If the dealer told you to bring it down, then it looks like they would have known that it had already been programmed. What were they thinking? I'd just send it to flight systems....looks like it is your only choice.

I wonder why your car isn't running right with just the stage 2 WGA on it. I thought you could run stage 2 with the original ECU and not have problems???

 

First; yeah, I explained all that to the service writer on the phone, but apparently he's not as up on things as some of his techs are. He pretty much confessed that they had never done a stage upgrade to any SRT-4 or PT/GT Cruiser so I should have known.

Second; I talked to Stephanie from flight systems yesterday afternoon and made double sure there wouldn't be any trouble doing this. We even ran the numbers. She said it would be no problem and explained basically that they have tooling to do such things that even the dealers do not have so, I am shipping it out tomorrow/this morn. Except for the wait, the big plus is it will cost about half what the dealer would have charged for them to do it anyway.

Third; I don't yet have an answer for the WGA situation. I havent had the car to play with really either, since the wife drives it to work everyday. I'm guessing either the spring inside the WGA is a little on the too firm side or, because I have the S2 TIP and MAP sensors in and I still have the S0 ecm, maybe the ecm is not able to bring down the pressure like it should. The level 2 sensors may read funny to the computer. I can try reinstalling the level 1 sensors to see if the WGA starts to regulate properly. If I get time I may do that. I know now already that I will be working 7 days this week so I won't have lots of fiddle fart time with the car. It runs ok right now, so I don't have a lot of incentive to go work on it. The wife doesn't drive it as hard as I do so I feel ok letting it go 'till the computer gets back.

The big bonus to working the overtime is I will be able to get both the injectors and an exhaust system very soon. As far as exhausts, I'm looking hard at the Maxx Fabb 3 inch muffled, The Billy boat 3 or the Corsa 3. All would be turbo back. Since I am like you Word and all my neighbors drive trucks and I dont have any real world cars to listen to I have to go by the sounds on their websites. That being that, I like the B&B sound the best, but I know it will be loud as heck, but I have heard the Perrin sound byte and the MaxxFab is essentially the same as that but not polished and therefore less expensive. The Perrin strikes me as so-so for sound but it or the MaxxFab may be the smartest real world choice. Also, the MaxxFabs are priced to go right now. I dont like single tips and I won't even consider a side exit. I have not heard a Corsa, but I imagine it to be a lot like the B&B. The injectors will probably come from DeatchWerks.

So that's where it's at for now. In a couple more days I'll probably know more.

 

Got the computer back from flight systems Monday evening. Putting it in tonight.
Cost about half what the dealer would have charged. Guess I'll just have to live with the skm code.

 

Test drove. The weird boost readings have vanished as well as the pinging. Very happy. No traction in second gear now.