Putting in a UDP. What else?

[Lincolnwelding]

Im thinking about ordering an underdrive pulley from SHO Source pretty soon just for a fun/easy way to really work on the car myself for the first time.

Is there anything else you guys suggest I do when I'm in there just for good preventative maintenance?

By the way the car is a '91 with 160,000 miles.

 

[luigisho]

What maintenance has bee done so far?
I would consider rod bearing replacement soon if they have never been done. I would also consider a timing belt if it's been more than 50-60k since the last one. I imagine other things like worn out suspension parts will present themselves the more you drive it.

I see you are in NY. I would gather any parts that take a while to install now and wait for some warmer spring temps

 

[jimtash]

New accessory belts for sure. Timing belt if you decide to do it is not hard, just time consuming. I will not use the Italian made timing belts like Dayco because they whine like no other. And IMO are responsible for many broken tensioner studs. Either US or OEM Japanese made belts is what I recommend.

And get this, I installed a Dayco belt on my Probe recently because the tensioner let go and chewed up the one that was on it. Dayco is all that's available locally and I didn't want to wait for a belt to ship. It whines too although not as much as the SHO belt. And this is with a hydraulic tensioner set up which will not overtighten the belt as some assume is the cause of the SHO whine. And yes, it's also made in Italy.

 

[Lincolnwelding]

Thanks for te replys fellas.

As for maintenace thats already done, its pretty much perfect. I bought it from a ford mechanic who took really good care of her. Just before I bought it the previous owner put in a new clutch, new water pump, i believe new tensioners, and changed the oil. And the 60k and 120k were done as soon as the car hit those numbers (atleast thats how it looks on record).

The timing belt is one thing I was considering when I put in the UDP because I was thinking it would be right by where I was already working. I would love to just do a complete overhall of the belts

I was also planning on changing the oil and trans fluid after winter, and throwing in some mew spark plugs and MSD wires.

The suspenion is my next area that i want to tackle because it feels really old. I was thinking about coilovers from SHO Source and adjustable endlinks and control arms.

 

[Devin]

If you don't have this info already, this link has the maintenance intervals at the bottom

http://www.shopowered.com/html/maintain/maintain_60k_landing.htm

The common advice on this board for the older SHOs is always maintenance first, as the engine itself is already very highly tuned. The front 60K would be a good thing to do if you are going for UDPs because you will already have to take off the crank pulley.

 

[itwonder]

Thanks for te replys fellas.

As for maintenace thats already done, its pretty much perfect. I bought it from a ford mechanic who took really good care of her. Just before I bought it the previous owner put in a new clutch, new water pump, i believe new tensioners, and changed the oil. And the 60k and 120k were done as soon as the car hit those numbers (atleast thats how it looks on record).

If the 120K was done, the timing belt was replaced. There is no sense in doing it again at 160K; you are just inviting trouble. I would not tear into the front of the engine; an underdrive pulley is going to have so little measurable benefit by itself that it's not worth the risk of messing something up. You might pull one front plug to check for wear, and change them only if they are worn out. Check the accessory belts tension and change if cracked or glazed. Otherwise, just keep the fluid changes up to date, and change the air filter. Move on to the suspension work. Plan on a rod bearing change before 200K.

 

[Lincolnwelding]

If you don't have this info already, this link has the maintenance intervals at the bottom

http://www.shopowered.com/html/maintain/maintain_60k_landing.htm

The common advice on this board for the older SHOs is always maintenance first, as the engine itself is already very highly tuned. The front 60K would be a good thing to do if you are going for UDPs because you will already have to take off the crank pulley.

Thanks for posting that link. Ive seen it before but its nice to know I can find it in my thread if I want to look back at it.

Im trying hard to keep in the order of maintain, beef up (support more power), and then add more power. But im not ever looking to put up huge numbers in SHO, thats what my duramax is for.

My problem is that I become overwhelmed and start jumping from suspenion one day to forced induction the next. But you know what they ... The first step is admitting you have a problem!

 

[Lincolnwelding]

If the 120K was done, the timing belt was replaced. There is no sense in doing it again at 160K; you are just inviting trouble. I would not tear into the front of the engine; an underdrive pulley is going to have so little measurable benefit by itself that it's not worth the risk of messing something up. You might pull one front plug to check for wear, and change them only if they are worn out. Check the accessory belts tension and change if cracked or glazed. Otherwise, just keep the fluid changes up to date, and change the air filter. Move on to the suspension work. Plan on a rod bearing change before 200K.

I completley understandyour view on the UDP. I wasnt looking at it in terms of "oh yeah i'll be haulin once I put in an underdrive pulley" it was more like "wow I have never put a wrench to my SHO's engine, a UDP should be a fun and easy start".

I dont have any cracked belts I just know that their old (atleast old by my standards).

Surley putting in new sparkplug wires to pretty up the engine bay isnt a horrible thing to do, right?

As for the rod bearing, i'll start doing some research on it. Although im doubtfull that i'll ever reach 200k in my SHO since its only my project/weekend car.

 

[Devin]

If the plugs are fouled, then absolutely you should change them. The reason for the 60K is mainly to keep your maintenance organized. Would changing plugs and belts at 30K hurt? Of course not. Will they make it 75K miles? Probably. So by no means are the various 60Ks hard and fast rules, they are a predictable maintenance interval that keeps things from getting old enough to fail.

The rub is that unless you have documentation, do you know if the valve lash was adjusted in the last 60K miles? Have the plug well oil seals ever been replaced?

 

[luigisho]

Rod bearing wear is more pronounced in the manual cars and you are at the point that it should be done. It's not as easy as a pulley, but it is certainly doable at home and well documented here and on other SHO maintenance sites. They've been observed to fail anywhere from before 100k to about 200 on the high side. Your car is far along on that curve.

 

[jimtash]

If you break it down to the point of pulling the pan for rod bearings, find a 3.2L oil pump and install it. By far the best oil system upgrade you can do. It has bigger rotors and flows a lot more than the 3.0L pump. And it's easy to replace if both the timing belt and oil pan are off as the only thing left are the bolts holding it to the block and the oil pick up tube.

 

[kevinspann]

I know rod bearings are a big maintenance item, but this guy is just starting to get familiar and work on his car...and you all want him to tear the whole bottom end apart.

Might as well pull the engine at that point, it would make it easier to do everything.

 

[luigisho]

I know rod bearings are a big maintenance item, but this guy is just starting to get familiar and work on his car...and you all want him to tear the whole bottom end apart.

That's true. The job is a PITA. However I would tell anyone with this engine at this mileage that changing the rod bearings is a smart move to prevent damage. No one has to take the advise.

 

[jimtash]

Yep. Sharing wisdom from owning these cars can save a lot of headaches down the road. It's up to the individual whether they follow through or not.

 

[Devin]

I did the rod bearings on my car when I had it pulled, but it was the first time I even looked at a connecting rod.

 

[itwonder]

My problem is that I become overwhelmed and start jumping from suspenion one day to forced induction the next. But you know what they ... The first step is admitting you have a problem!

How about the exhaust? If you are interested in performance improvement, I think the best place to start is with a Magnaflow Y-pipe and a low restriction cat-back exhaust. See SHOsource; not cheap, but top quality. These are pretty easy to install yourself. A locally sourced custom exhaust is another option if you have a performance exhaust shop in your area.

Then, move on to intake improvements. A SHOsource BBB kit on a ported intake is a nice, easy to install project that will give you +10 hp, or more, provided your exhaust is good. That installed, you are well positioned if you want to go to the next level of NO2, larger MAF with Tweezer, etc.

 

[Lincolnwelding]

Looking through the maintenance records and I was wrong about the water pump. It was actually the fuel pump. It also has newish cv axles and seals.

I was doing some research on the rod bearings and it's something I really want to do but I dont think I would have the tools or half the engine knowledge I would need to perform it correctly.

Thankfully I dont have the knock/oil light problem alot of people were talking about with bad rod bearings. Still want to look into it more.

 

[Lincolnwelding]

How about the exhaust? If you are interested in performance improvement, I think the best place to start is with a Magnaflow Y-pipe and a low restriction cat-back exhaust. See SHOsource; not cheap, but top quality. These are pretty easy to install yourself. A locally sourced custom exhaust is another option if you have a performance exhaust shop in your area.

Then, move on to intake improvements. A SHOsource BBB kit on a ported intake is a nice, easy to install project that will give you +10 hp, or more, provided your exhaust is good. That installed, you are well positioned if you want to go to the next level of NO2, larger MAF with Tweezer, etc.

A new exhaust is definitely something I wanted to do. Ive been told by my friends I sound like a honda from the outside. And like you said, I can actually do it myself.

I also wanted to get a new intake from SHO source and have them port it and get it powder coated by a friend. Does that sound stupid? I only wanted a new one so it would be fresh in my mind when taking the intake on and off, which isnt to hard right? Hopefully i'll be a little more familiar with my sho by that time anyways.

 

[luigisho]

Looking through the maintenance records and I was wrong about the water pump. It was actually the fuel pump. It also has newish cv axles and seals.

I was doing some research on the rod bearings and it's something I really want to do but I dont think I would have the tools or half the engine knowledge I would need to perform it correctly.

Thankfully I dont have the knock/oil light problem alot of people were talking about with bad rod bearings. Still want to look into it more.

It looks and sounds more complicated than it is. It's a lot of work but most of us didn't know how to do most stuff when we bought one of these things. If you're not that comfortable, I get it. I'm just saying we're not geniuses or born wrenchers so don't be intimidated. There's usually help available here and the 'how to' documentation is pretty good.

Taking the intake off is pretty simple stuff. I always advise people to bag and label fasteners and such, especially on the first run through, for most jobs to make life easier. Also be careful with small hoses that are pretty old and prone to cracking or splitting.

 

[Lincolnwelding]

It looks and sounds more complicated than it is. It's a lot of work but most of us didn't know how to do most stuff when we bought one of these things. If you're not that comfortable, I get it. I'm just saying we're not geniuses or born wrenchers so don't be intimidated. There's usually help available here and the 'how to' documentation is pretty good.

Taking the intake off is pretty simple stuff. I always advise people to bag and label fasteners and such, especially on the first run through, for most jobs to make life easier. Also be careful with small hoses that are pretty old and prone to cracking or splitting.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I definitely think that I should take the plunge on the rod bearings either over the summer or maybe next spring. Im lucky enough to have a truck and a car so I can drive my truck if my sho is apart for a week or however long it takes.

I'll probably gain more confidence after doing simple things. Thats how it was when I had my jeep. Although the xj engine seemed much more simple to me.