Worried about my GN. What should I do.

[yarbeau]

I bought the car in october of 2009. car sat all of winter waiting for the summer. i pulled the carpet out floors were gone. pulled the t-top seals and they were rusted bad.

new pans and overhauled t's and im ready to drive.

Im just feeling very anxious about this thing. I don't know much diagnostically about them and its really worrying me because i've spent so much time and money on it and really want it to last.

When i purchased it the guy had some mods.

snowperformance meth
turbo tweak chip/injectors
bigger turbo (unsure what it is but says garret)
replaced rad
boost, rpm, coolant, oil gauges
K&N Cold air intake
art carr tranny/ b&m shifter hard shift kit
transbrake

unsure of any other modifications that could be on it.

NO SCANMASTER. this is whats scaring me. there is a plug in that is empty that looks to me like it could have been for a scanmaster? I dont know if he removed it before selling or what.

I'm pretty out of the loop as to what to look for. I'm just nervous driving it because its so valuable to me.

it just started burning blue two days ago upon startup. only for a second or two. someone said its worn valve seals? how drastic of an impact does this have on the car?

one other thing my meth kit leaks out of the bottom of the meth reservoir. i just emptied it and dont have any coolant in it.cant get it to seal up at all. really bothers me... is this negatively impacting the engine or the snow performance kit itself?

i wouldnt mind pulling it apart and learning and making sure everything is right. but its been so long i just want to get some driving in.

what should i do. what should i be looking to upgrade and take care of with this car? the burning of oil/bluesmoke really is worrysome

ANY AND ALL HELP would be greatly appreciated.

Derek

 

[Abomb]

#1 get a new reservoir to replace your leaky one. I wouldn't try some half ass fix there, just get a new one. Probably have to contact manufacturer for a new one? I would also ask the manufacturer for instructions for the kit and make sure it is wired properly and learn about the settings on it. Make sure you keep that thing full enough of alcohol and always make sure your above a quarter tank of gas in the car if your going to push it hard.

#2 get a scanmaster learn what it is telling you (this takes time) and don't try to push the car hard until #1 and 2 are done. If you really have to drive it, then drive it NORMAL no pushing the car at all. You will hurt the car and regret it. With the scanmaster pay a lot of attention to O2 millivolts and knock retard. Detonation kills these motors real quick. And use the other readings to see if it's running cool enough and no codes.

As far as the smoking it's really hard to say. I would check your oil often and keep an eye on things to see if it's using a lot. If it's using oil and really bothering you, you could try new valve stem seals which is a little bit of a headache to do on the car and even then you might need new valve guides done which would require head removal. And even then those might not be whats causing the smoking at all you see where I am going here? lol If it's a minor annoyance and the car is not using a lot of oil I would forget about it and live with it. A little smoke on startup is not that big of a deal IMO.

Do all the above and make sure the general condition of the car is good and enjoy it. Main thing is don't lean on that throttle until you get a good handle on whats going on.

 

[Slow91z]

x2

A little smoke on startup isn't something that would concern me.

Probably the best thing you can do is try to get a hold of some of the Canadian guys that have Buicks and see if there's one close to you. See if they will give you a hand in getting your tune "safe" and showing you what you can and can't do.

You can ask in the Great Lakes, Canada section on this board, or you can go over to TurbobuickS.com I know several Canadian members hang out over there.

Also if you go here --> Vortex Turbo Buick Performance you will find enough info to make your head spin, but it's good stuff you will need.

 

[yarbeau]

ok working on obtaining a new reservoir.
what else should i do?
get it properly tuned before pushing to hard?

I dont feel comfortable driving this thing

 

[Slow91z]

ok working on obtaining a new reservoir.
what else should i do?
get it properly tuned before pushing to hard?

I dont feel comfortable driving this thing

That is correct if the tune is off and you go wide open throttle you will tear stuff up faster than you can think. You shouldn't feel uncomfortable driving it though unless it drives badly (worn out suspension, bad brakes, poor driveability, etc).

 

[Abomb]

Don't be a nervous nelly with these cars. As long as you don't detonate the motor, run it low on oil, or overheat it you won't hurt the motor just driving it around. Unless there is already something wrong with it. A CEL will come on or you will have driveability issues if there is a sensor bad or something is too out of whack. Check your fluid levels on everything, check over your belts and hoses, you know the kind of stuff you would do on any used car. If every thing looks good and it is driving good just stay out of the throttle until you get your scanmaster and your alky leak fixed. Also not knowing what cam is in the motor make sure you are using some sort of zddp additive with your oil changes (do a search on this if you are not aware).

And when you first get your scanmaster hooked up make sure your boost is turned down to a low level like 10 or 12 lbs and slowly start upping the boost and watch your 02 and knock retard levels. Make sure the alky kit is working and start upping the boost a pound or two at a time to where you feel comfortable. Look at your wastegate rod, it is probably threaded. This is probably how you will adj your boost. If you have some other sort of boost controller you will have to ask on here how it works. I would say 16-18 lbs is fairly modest with these cars especially with your alky kit. Julio has a good read in the Alky sect on tuning, check it out. Read and go slow with things and it will all make sense.

Cover your bases and read a lot about these cars and you will have a lot more confidence and won't be so worried about things. Save a lot of money in repairs too. But for now if the car is driving nice I would just enjoy it until you get you get the other stuff handled. Just keep out of the boost for now especially without the alky going.

 

[yarbeau]

thanks for the input guys i really do appreciate it. got the meth fixed how do i tell forsure if its actually working and injecting?

I'm reading and learning scanmaster is coming next paycheck

 

[Slow91z]

Don't know anything about Snow meth kits so can't help there.

 

[Chuck Leeper]

Google??

thanks for the input guys i really do appreciate it. got the meth fixed how do i tell forsure if its actually working and injecting?

I'm reading and learning scanmaster is coming next paycheck

How about looking at thier forum?? Seems there's some folks there that'll help.
Snow Performance: Forums

 

[Just a Six??]

How about looking at thier forum?? Seems there's some folks there that'll help.
Snow Performance: Forums

There you go!! Ask them where you can print out all the instructions etc.

Also, if you are not getting a service engine light when driving then just drive it & take it easy until you LEARN about these cars. Dont be playing road warrior just yet. Some nice easy miles to get a feel of the car.

 

[yarbeau]

thanks for all the input guys im cruising thru the forums on snow right now!

thanks guys