SHO 3.0 in a rail buggy

[wespiece]

I have a 3.0 SHO that was transplanted into a rail buggy. The guy we got it from never got it started. It has an adapter that mates it up to a VW bus transaxle. 1st problem i found is that a stock VW starter will not turn over the motor with any kind of speed. I have ordered a high-torque starter that should be here later this week. I have hacked up the wiring harness and eliminated the CRM relay box. I have spark, and I have a working fuel pump. Not sure the injectors are firing yet, how much rpm should it take to start this motor? Right now best i can get is slow rrr rrr rrr turnover. Motor supposedly has about 130k miles on it and turns over pretty freely via socket on the harmonic balancer. Once started, i would like to continue eliminating unused wiring from the harness. Anybody have a drawing of an electrical system for a stripped down race motor? Any additional info you can provide to ease the pain of this swap would be greatly appreciated. I'm excited to get this thing running 220hp in a rail should be lots of fun!

 

[luigisho]

Looks like a fun project vehicle. Track down forum member offroad sho. He has more experience with these applications than anyone else I can think of.

 

[Off Road SHO]

Yes, the SHO motor in a lightweight buggy is a blast. The good news/bad news is the SHO motor has a broad torque curve and can spin at 6,000 rpm's all day. Most VW transaxles can't take that for very long. My buggy, affectionately called The Other Woman, uses an aftermarket transaxle from Mendeola. We call them Spendeolas because they are pricey, 7,000 for mine.

Somewhere on this site I posted a short blurb about putting an SHO motor in something else. I'll see if I can find it later. Untill then...

Tom

 

[wespiece]

Thx Offroad SHO - This will be a street buggy mostly - with semi-mild driving and no hard launches will the tranny hold up for a little while?

 

[Devin]

Somewhere on this site I posted a short blurb about putting an SHO motor in something else. I'll see if I can find it later. Untill then...


Tom

This one?
http://www.shoforum.com/index.php?threads/how-to-wire-a-sho-motor-in-something-else.115598/

 

[Off Road SHO]

Yeah, that's the thread, thanks Devin.

A 4 or 5 rib VW bus transaxle will last the longest. You'll need to add a strengthening rib on the outside on the driver's side to keep the ring gear from flexing the case outwards. They were just not made for a whole lot of horsepower or torque. I know buggy guys that have used the VW bus, but not for long. Reverse gear is also very weak, so be gentle backing out of spots.

Tom

 

[wespiece]

I count 5 ribs on the side near the drive axle - pics attached - not sure what i actually have. Do you have a pic of the rib i need to add? Thx for all the help BTW!

 

[Off Road SHO]

Don't have a pic but you need to take it apart to weld it on since aluminum takes so much heat. Are you planning on rebuilding it or beefing it up in any way soon? That would be the time to add the strengthening rib. That looks like a 3 rib by the way.

Tom

 

[wespiece]

The whole thing was just bolted together - I would prefer to not take it apart until i get it running and can at least take it for a couple rides around the block. If it is a 3 rib, how can i verify for sure? also if it is a 3 rib is that a kiss of death, meaning its going to explode the 1st time i get on the gas hard?

 

[Off Road SHO]

Well, not the first time if you take it easy. It has a lot to do with the final drive ratio beleive it or not. The lower the ratio (like 4.86 to 1) the smaller the teeth on the ring gear. The higher (like a 4.12 to 1) the larger the teeth. When we were mixing our own tranny gears we would puposely use lower tranny gears so we could use the taller final drive with the bigger teeth.

Just remember that if your wheels don't slip on the dirt/asphalt or sand, all 200 lb*ft of torque will be trying to twist really small gears in the tranny. Drive accordingly. In that video I posted above, I was running an "E" model Mendeola ( only 4,000.00) and with the super charger it lasted two seasons of sand drags before I had to upgrade to the "D" model.

Tom

 

[wespiece]

Ok I got my starter today and everything is turning over nicely. Now my problem is the injectors are not firing. I can manually trigger them by grounding out the pins on the ECU with the ignition on. I can hear the injectors clicking and even has some unburnt fuel dripping out the exhaust manifold. My question now is what's missing? What input on the ECU triggers the injectors. I have spark and my tach is bouncing when I turn the motor over with the new starter, but no fuel.
Please help make the buggy fly again. New stereo is ready to jam and lightbar is on its way can't wait!

 

[wespiece]

Ok i have another update. I now have the injectors firing after tracking down a loose ground, and i have managed to get a couple good backfires out of the motor but it still wont kick off. i have a led light hooked to the number one injector negative lead from the PCM and i can see it flashing now when i crank the motor. i have spark at the plugs. it seems there is some sort of timing issue but not sure now what it can be. any suggestions? if i disconnect the camshaft sensor the tach stops bouncing when i turn over the engine so i think the cam sensor is ok.
thank you in advance for any help

 

[itwonder]

Check the spark plug firing order. It's very easy to get wrong on the SHO. This diagram is, of course, oriented for the stock transverse installation.

 

[wespiece]

swapped the wires stuck in a couple new plugs for some that were real rusty on top and started cranking. it sputtered then tried to fire, i went about 3/4 throttle and I be damn, it started. let it run for just a minute to clear it out as i have no water in it right now. have to replace a radiator hose and we should be good to go. appreciate the help.

 

[wespiece]

hey OffRoadSho, or anybody else who has swapped a SHO - where did you put your PCM? I have no other choice - mine is in the left upper fender well. any ideas for how to seal it or protect it from the elements?

 

[wespiece]

now that the buggy is running and driving its time to change the oil. looks like 5w-30 is whats recommended. Is this ok? anybody had any better luck with performance oils vs the standard brands when it comes to bearing wear? Also what about additives like slick50 or any of the others?

 

[rubydist]

pick any good 5W30 and stick with the same brand. I prefer Mobil1 or Castrol Synthetic, but even the Walmart Synthetic is good stuff.

 

[Off Road SHO]

What he^ said.

I put my PCM behind the passenger seat in a box. That box also has the DIS, relays and fuse panel. I would not recommend this location for the DIS though, I had to run 52 wires to run my engine. Not worth it just to have a clean crosover tube.

Tom

 

[wespiece]

http://www.shoforum.com/index.php?media/albums/buggy.19/
Exhaust is done. What do yall think? looks like we sacrificed a chicken to me. Maybe we could use it as a cooker until it cools down.

 

[luigisho]

That looks crazy. I take it that terrain clearance in the rear is not an issue? Other than that question that is good home engineering.