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Cars > Pyros777’s Garage > Blog

 

Pyros777’s Profile Photo

Pyros777

M –26
Houston, Texas
United States

 
 

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GM Stage 3 76mm Pulley

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

A day after uninstalling my GM Stage 3 PCM and sending it off to a professional to be cracked, I decided to install the Stage 3 76mm pulley I've had in the closet for the past couple weeks.

The butt dyno tells me there is a bit more power, and my ears tell me the supercharger is spinning faster sooner.

GM says it produces 250hp. Thats up from the 241hp of GM Stage 2's 77.9mm pulley.

Not a dramatic increase in power, but a nice addition nonetheless.

It's too bad I didnt get a chance to try it in combination with the GM Stage 3 PCM, but I couldn't let the opportunity to have its mysteries unlocked pass me by.

GM Stage 3 PCM

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

Today I installed my GM Stage 3 PCM.

GM Stage 3 FAQ: http://www.cr...-W57C196.aspx

It was purchased second hand from a GM engineer who flashed a GMC Canyon P12 PCM with the stage 3 calibration.

If someone could crack the operating system on this thing, it would be the ultimate solution for the cobalt.

- The High Octane Mode switch could be used to load an entirely different tune, from an extra aggressive tune to an extra economical tune.
- The Nitrous tune could be changed to facilitate meth injection.

The possbilities would be endless!

Cobalt Trunk Tray

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

One of my friends got me a trunk tray for my car since I've been travelling so much over the last 6 months.

It adds a nice touch to the appearance of the trunk, and makes it so much easier to slide luggage in and out.

Thanks!

Rebel Auto Worxs 3" Intake

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

Installed my intake tonight after the Wings Over Houston airshow. Fitment is perfect and NO check engine light after driving around town all night.

I love the whine!! It truly screams like a banshee now!

Hurst Shifter

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

I installed my new Hurst shifter over the weekend. Throws aren't much shorter than stock, but the look and feel make this thing great.

The gunmetal is the same color as my wheels, and the Hurst name on the sides of the knob are a nice touch.

Installation took about 45 minutes.

2 years. 20,000 miles.

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

Well today marks the 2 year anniversary of driving my car off the dealer lot!

It's been great so far, and I still get that 'new-car' feel every time I sit in it.

I still haven't modded it as much as I had wanted to by this time, but I'll get there soon enough.

GM Stage 2 Badge

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

I have never been a fan of adding extra badges to a vehicle, but I'd say my custom-made GM Stage 2 badge from streetbadges.net is worthy of making an exception.

It started out as an injector cover badge replacement, but since I happened to like the way the stock one looked, I had to figure out what to do with it.

Heres what it looked like before I cut off the "Supercharged" part:

Cobaltss.net Decals

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

My Cobaltss.net decals finally came in the mail today. Time to represent!

GMPP Stage 2

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

Well it took me long enough, but I finally took the car to the dealer and got the GM Performance Parts Stage 2 kit I bought a few months ago (P/N 17803229) installed.

The power difference is night and day from stock. I'm amazed at the way 40 extra horsepower has made my car feel like a totally different beast!

Gas mileage has actually improved (when I'm not taking it up to the new 7k rpm redline), and it takes less throttle effort on the average than before thanks to the smaller pulley on the supercharger boosting earlier and quicker than stock.

Most of all, I love the increased blower whine. Flooring it with the windows down all the way to 7k is nothing short of euphoric!!

10,000 Miles

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

Well I finally made it to 10,000mi on my way to grab some lunch today. Luckily I brought my camera along to capture this magic moment in my car's life. lol

GM Personal Audio Link (PAL)

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

Tonight I installed GM's Personal Audio Link, which enables the factory radio to manipulate any iPod with a dock connection. This is exactly what I never knew I wanted!

Paired with an 80GB iPod Video, I now have thousands of songs at my disposal, without having to find my mp3 player and look down to use its controls.

More info on the PAL: http://media.gm.com

GMPP Air Filter

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

Well today I finally got around to installing my GM Performance Parts air filter (P/N: 88967478)

The filter is non-oiled, which is necessary to prevent getting any excess oil on the MAF and throwing any codes.

It was a reasonably easy install involving a 3.5" coupler and some cutting of the filter's neck to allow the air box to close.

So far so good. I'm sure theres a minimal gain in power, but the most fun part is the increased blower whine. I'm definitely happy with this mod, AND its from GM! Thanks GM! :D

Crankshaft Position Sensor failure

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

My car died this morning. I had just arrived to work and was about 20 feet from my parking space, when the car just shut down. It didn't stall, just simply turned off.

After a couple failed attempts at starting the car, it finally turned over. The idle was VERY rough. There was an incredible amount of vibration from the engine bay, followed by a loud BANG as though the engine rocked itself against the firewall like a mental patient in a padded room, then the car died again.

I called onstar and asked for a diagnostic. Since the car has to be on, a full diagnostic could not be performed. Instead, a diagnostic with the car in ACC power mode was performed. The code that came up was an ignition failure.

After speaking with onstar and the tow service for approximately 15 minutes, I gave it one more try and it turned on as if nothing had happened, but my check engine light was still on. I moved the car into a parking space that would be accessible to the tow truck and awaited pickup.

UPDATE 04/13/2007:

Cause of failure was the Crankshaft Position Sensor. The report states the following:

"CRANK SENSOR INTERNALY SHORTED W PERF CHECKED AND PERF ROAD TESTS FOUND THAT LOST CRANK SENSOR SIGNAL WHILE DRIVING P PERF REPLACED CRANK SENSOR AND RECHECKED OK PASSED"

So I guess the translation of that is that it was an electrical problem. Not cool, but the car is back on the road.

If any Cobalt SS S/C owners read this, you can find more info here:
http://www.co....php?p=977583

I got screwed.

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

So I get home yesterday and notice my tire looks a little low. I bust out the air compressor and hook it up. The gauge reads 0psi!!! Holy crap it wasnt just a little low it was empty! I filled it up to 35psi (hot) and put it in the driveway since it was late and I had things to take care of.

I must have caught this screw in my tire somewhere on the way home from work, since I check all my tires before going anywhere and didn't notice anything at that time.

I took the wheel to Firestone today hoping it could be patched, but my gut was telling me I was screwed. Guess what, always listen to your gut. lol

The guy said none of the Firestone's in town had that tire (215/45/18 PZero Rosso Touring Asimmetrico), and that he wasn't sure if any of the other local places would have it, so I ordered up a new one at tiresavings.com for $223 shipped. That includes the road hazard protection in case this ever happens again.

Ah well it was bound to happen. Sucks it happened EXACTLY 2 months into owning the car.

One Month

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

Today marks one month of having the car, and its been GREAT. Coming from my cavalier its a world of difference. I couldnt be happier. :D

Traded her in.

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

Last day with the cav was October 23, 2006. I'll miss it, but at the same time I'm loving the new car. :D

Took delivery!

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

Yup took delivery on October 23, 2006! Loving the car so far. :D

Traded in the cav.

Altezzas = GONE.

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

After almost 2 years with them on. What was I thinking in the first place?? lol

Constraints...

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

Turns out there was a constraint on my cars production for X reason ever since July, as well as a week long constraint on ALL cobalt production from July 28th to August 7th, but I got another call from the inventory manager at my dealership today. I SHOULD have a build date in another couple weeks, and will be taking delivery in mid-october!

Build date coming soon!

By Pyros777

Filed under: /blogs/browse/t/vehicle/v//p

Talked to the inventory manager today. I'll have a build date in a couple weeks!

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