Strange trouble with BloodRaine

[Electrofied]

So over a week ago I seem to have a grounding issue in BloodRaine, I got shocked one day when I touched the body... not good.

Being that I had to get home that evening I head out and make it home with no issues.

Next morning I pull out of my garage and get to the end of the driveway and she cuts power (I am just coasting as normal) and the steering gets hard for a split second as the engine almost dies then she goes right back to normal.

On the way to work I get a Cam/Crank sensor code... GREAT! I get to work with no other problems, hook up StarScan and see the same code. So I clear it and set the Relearn CAM/CRANK option and no code... cool all is good right? Nope, not at all.

I take off shortly after to run errands and hammer herr out into the street as normal... I get to 3000RPM with my foot mashed and she loses power but sounds like I have open exhaust ports on the driver's side in the engine bay. No, not open headers, I mean like I have no headers or anything else.

So I throttle back and everything is cool and normal. In my mind I am thinnking I must have fried the PCM and the possibly the front CAM sensor.

In addition MDS is trying to kick on and then slams back off shuddering the whole car pretty hard... Now I keep her in 5th gear to keep the MDS from activating.

So I assume that it is a wiring issue with my aftermarket stuff that other companies have installed.

On the next available day I completely rewire all of my aftermarket items with seperate power and ground leads.... Drive the car, same sound, same loss of power, and an intermittent cam sensor code.

Now I replace the Cam sensor, install a new PCM with a B&G flash with MDS delete since I am installing stage two cam and heads in a couple of weeks and think yippee this should do it... Nope... Now I just hear that roaring open exhaust port sound on the driver's side in the engine bay and no power after 3000RPM, actually, I should say much less than normal power.

I have had our techs look at it but not open her up since the heads and cam will be installed in two weeks and they are busy working on customer's cars... they have no idea until they get in the engine... PLUS I AM NOT THROWING ANY CODES.

I have checked my headers and they are tight and torqued... SO WTF???

My guess, and that is all it is is that it is something in the valvetrain. Bad lifter, etc...

My Setup

• Stock heads
• stock cam
• Dynatech LT headers w/cats
• Dub intake
• B&G PCM (Issue started with stock PCM)
• MDS Delete (Issue started with MDS active)
• TB Spacer
• 5w20 RP Oil

Summary
Symptoms in the beginning

• -at WOT around 3000RPM roaring sound from engine bay on driverside sounding like open exhaust ports
• -at WOT around 3000RPM greatly diminished power from what it should be
• -MDS trying to activate then kicking back off making the whol car shudder and jerk(Prior to installing MDS Delete)
• -Cam Sensor code (Prior to replacing the front cam sensor)

What I have tried
Fixes and current condition

• New PCM deactivating MDS getting ready for heads and cam
• New front Cam Sensor
• Checked for header and exhaust leaks
• Checked for signs of blown gaskets etc...
• NO CODES WHAT SO EVER (Driving with StarScan on)
• STILL at WOT around 3000RPM roaring sound from engine bay on driverside sounding like open exhaust ports
• STILL at WOT around 3000RPM greatly diminished power from what it should be

Has anyone experienced any of this?

I will not be able to get into the engine until the week after next... our techs are booked and my heads are being ported.

Thank you,
Electrofied

[FOHN_JARGO]

Loose or broken bolt on a connecting rod? What about a broken exhaust header?

I hope you find out the problem and can fix it. Cheaply.

Good luck.

[Electrofied]

That would suck... Thank you...

Come on guys, I am not too proud as to ask for some input... CAM??? Funky??? ETC....

[Cam]

Wow, right off the bat it sounds like you slipped a link on the timing chain, but damn bud, I gotta think about this some more. I doubt that is the problem.

[Electrofied]

WEll, the good news there, I think, is at least I will be in there when I do the cam in another wekk and a half...
Now please explain how in the heck that would happen...

Thank you CAM... I knew my CAM Light would get you here... nana nana nana nana nana nana nana nana CAM MAN!!!

[lafrad]

Check your EGR valve. Unplug the EGR motor thing, it will throw an engine light, but may shed light on whats going on.

Do you have the abilitly to check the Manifold Pressure at idle? make sure its "high". Also, drive around a bit and verify that its doing what is expected.

Check your PCV valve and make sure its not clogged.

verify that the ground strap from the engine to the body is connected.

drive around a bit, and visually inspect the stock catalytic converters... if either the front header or cat is glowing read hot, you may have a plugged cat. (seen this exact behavior with a plugged cat on a Dodge Ram.)

[lafrad]

Okay.. I see you have aftermarket cats... well, inspect those instead ;-)

[Electrofied]

Okay, whoa... a clogged CAT. First off, I have little experience with issues like this so please forgive my obtuse forthcoming questions... how does a CAT get Clogged?

I am running Dynotech CATS on LT headers too,


Thank you very much,
Jason

[lafrad]

I have no idea on the "how"... i can venture to guess something like "Bad gas" or "foriegn material on the substrate", which would cause lots of particulates to pile up on it,
but, if you restrict flow of the exhaust, you will reach a certian RPM where it just physically can't push the exhaust past the cat converter anymore.

This could also affect MDS. Because the 2 cyls work rather hard in MDS mode (on that side of the engine), the cyl pressures would REALLY climb if they couldn't get the exhaust gases out...

The more I think of this, the more I think this may be the case.

If the front O2 sensors are in the headers, maybe just pop the cats out and drive around to see if you still have this problem.


Question: If you let the car cool off completely, start it up, go drive a bit... does it drive better *right off the bat* then get worse as things heat up?

[Cam]

OOOOOOO good point Mike, that would explain a lot, plugged cat and maybe a split seem on the housing. Worth checking J.

Skiping a tooth on the timing set is damn near next to impossible with how it's done. You would be having other problems. Like I said, it's the first thing that popped into my head. I'd rather hear your verbal explanation. I'll call you tomorrow, I gotta hit the road for the rest of the day.

Later bud.

[lafrad]

skipping a tooth on the timing set would make the idle SUCK...

A plugged cat won't really interfere with idle... only when the gas volume through the exhaust reaches its "max flow" would you have issues.

[Electrofied]

Thank you for the info...
No, she drives the same warm or cold.
Engine temps are normal.
I will start checking the EGR and PCV tonight hopefully as well as run open pipes. YAY!!!

Thank you,
Electrofied

[Electrofied]

I have pulled the driver side CAT... Waht do I look for?

I held it up to the sun and I can see through all of the corregated little holes. The CAT substrate is loose though inside the CAT and I do not remember seeing new CAT's where you can shake the substrate and rattle it.
However, nothing fell out of the CAT, no pieces, nothing.

Input?

[lafrad]

Is the substrate blackend? how do you see through them, is the pipe straight through on the other side?

Did you try going for a spin with the cat off? (LOOOOUD) and see if you can get above 3000 rpm?

[Electrofied]

I called Dynatech... I asked them to describe symptoms of a bad CAT and they pretty much went down my list.

I then described what I saw... burnt cardboard looking flakes, the substrate rattles and spins loose in the cat, as well as my symptoms.. They said it is shot.

Eitherway I need new CATs so... In a brilliant move (not) I cored the CAT and am now in th eprocess of hooking it up.

I should be testing it in a few minutes.

I will report back