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Running the smaller pulley in winter is bad for the reasons stated as well as the fact that winter blend gas in most areas is worse for KR. Run it in the summer, and check KR on the hottest most humid day you can. If you have 1° or more through a WOT run from a stop, you need to fix the problem or pulley back up.

2.85 to 2.55 is generally about 20-25hp and about 1.5ft/lbs of torque for every 1hp gained. That's where the true problem lies, especially with the Series 1. It's the torque that kills the transmission, and you can't add a single horsepower without adding 1.5 pounds of torque each time. Call it 'torque stack' if you like. The only way to TRULY beat this is by going with a cam, and it's just not worth it on a car this old.

My first trans on the ZiLLA failed early in the Mod process, right at about 100k or so. The car was in great shape, I was second owner (first owner deceased retired man, I bought from his widow), it sat in storage for 5 years of it's life. When it failed, I had the original Gen2 supercharger on the car (Ported mildly), Gen2 throttle body, 2.2" pulley (correct 1-step down for the Gen2 setup), High-flow cat and intake. Not much more. That was prior to all my other work. I had the trans built to hold the planned total teardown and rebuild, including the Gen3 swap, ported heads, rockers, etc.

The SLEeper's trans failed at 120k in stock form. I was also the second owner (elderly couple were the original) I had not modified the SC yet, and only had a K&N drop-in filter in the stock airbox. I had played with a 2.5" pulley, but it never ran much on the car until I could get the right cable for my scanner. Please bear in mind that the SLEeper is going to be 'lighter' on the diff and trans abuse, as the car weighs in 300-500 pounds lighter than your SSEi or my own.

Keep in mind I'm also on my THIRD differential now on the ZiLLA (LSD this time, hoping it holds), the first one failed when the trans did, the second one soon after adding all the second wave of go fast mods (porting, rockers, etc).

You're in the zone. If you pulley down this spring, watch for KR on the hottest most humid day possible. Never burnout in a TURN. This is the quickest path to Differential failure. Frankly, the way you drive will be everything. Enjoy the extra power AFTER you get the car moving off the line. You just have to come to terms with the fact that your car is old, and really too old to be expecting any added power not to cost you down the line. You drive an older (most likely) because you can't afford a newer one. You'd be better off upgrading to a Series 2 with fewer miles than modding your current car.

willwren wrote:Running the smaller pulley in winter is bad for the reasons stated as well as the fact that winter blend gas in most areas is worse for KR. Run it in the summer, and check KR on the hottest most humid day you can. If you have 1° or more through a WOT run from a stop, you need to fix the problem or pulley back up.

2.85 to 2.55 is generally about 20-25hp and about 1.5ft/lbs of torque for every 1hp gained. That's where the true problem lies, especially with the Series 1. It's the torque that kills the transmission, and you can't add a single horsepower without adding 1.5 pounds of torque each time. Call it 'torque stack' if you like. The only way to TRULY beat this is by going with a cam, and it's just not worth it on a car this old.

My first trans on the ZiLLA failed early in the Mod process, right at about 100k or so. The car was in great shape, I was second owner (first owner deceased retired man, I bought from his widow), it sat in storage for 5 years of it's life. When it failed, I had the original Gen2 supercharger on the car (Ported mildly), Gen2 throttle body, 2.2" pulley (correct 1-step down for the Gen2 setup), High-flow cat and intake. Not much more. That was prior to all my other work. I had the trans built to hold the planned total teardown and rebuild, including the Gen3 swap, ported heads, rockers, etc.

The SLEeper's trans failed at 120k in stock form. I was also the second owner (elderly couple were the original) I had not modified the SC yet, and only had a K&N drop-in filter in the stock airbox. I had played with a 2.5" pulley, but it never ran much on the car until I could get the right cable for my scanner. Please bear in mind that the SLEeper is going to be 'lighter' on the diff and trans abuse, as the car weighs in 300-500 pounds lighter than your SSEi or my own.

Keep in mind I'm also on my THIRD differential now on the ZiLLA (LSD this time, hoping it holds), the first one failed when the trans did, the second one soon after adding all the second wave of go fast mods (porting, rockers, etc).

You're in the zone. If you pulley down this spring, watch for KR on the hottest most humid day possible. Never burnout in a TURN. This is the quickest path to Differential failure. Frankly, the way you drive will be everything. Enjoy the extra power AFTER you get the car moving off the line. You just have to come to terms with the fact that your car is old, and really too old to be expecting any added power not to cost you down the line. You drive an older (most likely) because you can't afford a newer one. You'd be better off upgrading to a Series 2 with fewer miles than modding your current car.

If I add the 1.8 rockers, will they help kill some of the "torque stack" ?

No, they'll increase it. They just increase lift. A cam changes the valve timing, which changes the torque curve.

If you plan on rockers, you're going to kill that car far sooner. That's another 20hp on an L67. But you can't do that without doing something with your exhaust first (you're in a far more dangerous climate for KR than I am, and KR will kill your motor along with the increased torque killing your trans), and you better already have an FWI. So you're going to spend more money to kill your car sooner. Sounds like a recipe for success to me. You have $2500-$3000 set aside for another trans? And you're sure the rest of the car will last long enough to be worth putting a new trans in it?

Your car is almost 17 years old on the original transmission. Have you even really READ my Techinfo article on modding the Series 1, or did you just skim it?

If this was 1998, I'd be telling you a different story, but the last time I checked, it's almost 2012.

willwren wrote:If you plan on rockers, you're going to kill that car far sooner. That's another 20hp on an L67. But you can't do that without doing something with your exhaust first (you're in a far more dangerous climate for KR than I am, and KR will kill your motor along with the increased torque killing your trans), and you better already have an FWI. So you're going to spend more money to kill your car sooner. Sounds like a recipe for success to me. You have $2500-$3000 set aside for another trans? And you're sure the rest of the car will last long enough to be worth putting a new trans in it?

Your car is almost 17 years old on the original transmission. Have you even really READ my Techinfo article on modding the Series 1, or did you just skim it?

If this was 1998, I'd be telling you a different story, but the last time I checked, it's almost 2012.

I read the entire tech info article.
I am not going to put rockers on it, I was just curious as to whether or not they help or hurt the "torque stack" problem.
Do the series 2 camshafts fit the series 1? If I keep the transmission extra cool by wiring a manual switch for the fans, do you think that will help it?

NOT_aerosmith wrote:

willwren wrote:If you plan on rockers, you're going to kill that car far sooner. That's another 20hp on an L67. But you can't do that without doing something with your exhaust first (you're in a far more dangerous climate for KR than I am, and KR will kill your motor along with the increased torque killing your trans), and you better already have an FWI. So you're going to spend more money to kill your car sooner. Sounds like a recipe for success to me. You have $2500-$3000 set aside for another trans? And you're sure the rest of the car will last long enough to be worth putting a new trans in it?

Your car is almost 17 years old on the original transmission. Have you even really READ my Techinfo article on modding the Series 1, or did you just skim it?

If this was 1998, I'd be telling you a different story, but the last time I checked, it's almost 2012.

I am not going to put rockers on it, I was just curious as to whether or not they help or hurt the "torque stack" problem.
Do the series 2 camshafts fit the series 1? If I keep the transmission extra cool by wiring a manual switch for the fans, do you think that will help it?

The series 2 has differently spaced ports, and cams will not work.

Wiring up a switch on the high speed fan relay/ground works great, and doesn't set off any SES/CELs. I used mine frequently, and think it's a great addition for anyone doing performance driving, or who can get stuck idling in traffic, etc.

Wiring a LOW-speed bypass switch WILL set a code, but as stated, the High-speed will not.

From what I have observed, the high speed fan bypass alone also won't be terribly effective at keeping trans temps low, although it's great at keeping your coolant fine all day long. You will want an auxiliary trans cooler if you don't have one already.

My car has the auxiliary cooler, a chamber inside the radiator for the trans., and a chamber for the engine oil.
In order to wire a bypass switch, do I need to disconnect/cut the PCM wire that energizes the high speed fan relay and then run a wire to the battery and then join the two wires with the switch ?

A separate cooler he was talking about, besides the one in the radiator.

01bonneSC wrote:A separate cooler he was talking about, besides the one in the radiator.

Yeah, I have a separate core in front of the radiator + the chamber inside the radiator.

All 92-95 SSEi's (or L67's) have the aux cooler (from the factory). It's rather small, plugs easily, and should be removed and replaced with a larger unit before ANY mods. Especially with your mileage. Put that as first on your list before even thinking about using that smaller pulley. Including a pan drop with a filter and gasket change for your trans.

The fan bypass is usually done by providing an alternate ground for the high speed RELAY under the hood, not by tapping into the PCM harness. The PCM normally controls (or provides this ground). You just tap into that wire at the relay, and run it through a switch TO GROUND in the cockpit, where you can turn it on at will. Turning your AC to AUTO will do the exact same thing, forcing both fans on high.

Is wire #473 DK BLU the one that I need to ground ? (sorry about the poor quality picture)

IIRC willwren posted a schematic in an answer to a question similar to your's. I did a search(s) and, as usual, can't find it. Hopefully you can find the post or willwren will post the link to the thread with the schematic. - BC

For your 95, yes. The dark blue wire assuming you find the right relay. Compare ALL wire colors from the schematic to the relay. I can't really see much in your photo, but it SEEMS right from the blurred impression I'm getting. You ground the coil of the relay to pull the contacts. This will only work when the ignition is on.