Date:Jan 27 02
Miles: 568021
SW2 Modification History
Magnecor KV85 8.5mm plug wires (#45207)
Date:Jan 27 02
Miles: 568021
I have been noticing a misfire. Probably plugs are bad. Still have the OEM's in there. But why not use this excuse to replace the wires too. I am not convinced that expensive plug wires really improve performance or last longer, but these are sure better than stock. The larger wires just barely fit into the original cable holders. Included documentation had a couple of interesting notes. One states that plugs should be gapped at .040 regardless of the Emission Label in the engine compartment. The other states "It is important to route spark plug wires as closely as possible to the way the original factory were fitted. In particular, wires for cylinders 1 and 4 should be routed exactly like the factory wires, as the engine management system on 1996 and later Saturn engines relies on the proximity of these two wires to function correctly." This in combination with the new plugs fixed the problem.
NGK Spark Plugs (#5177) 
Date:Jan 27 02
Miles: 568021
In combination with the Magnecor wires I installed new NGK plugs. Apparently I am running plugs that could be a bit too hot. I should be running #6953. I'll have to have a look at the plugs and see how they are burning. So far So good....
KYB GR-2 Rear struts (#234056)
Date: Aug 10 02
Miles: 65385
OK, it is time to take this project car thing a bit more seriously. Lets start by reworking the back half. 65K, the shocks are pretty weak already, it's time to do some bank'in and yank'in. I didn't want a racing shock. Put some Bilstien's in a 76 Merc Capri. Great shocks, but had to buy a kidney belt. I want an aggressive road shock. This installation was done on the same day as the rear sway bar, tower brace and HotShot intake. I started my Saturday morning buy sleeping in till 7:30am. Made some coffee, looked over DriveTime in local newspaper. They were test driving the new NSX. While trying to keep the drool from escaping I explained to my wife that it really wasn't me, and that I loved my lil' Saturn. And look, they are $90K, why I could be really happy by spending a mere few thousand on my car. Oh, I am digressing, sorry. I borrowed a spring compressor from my ol' buddy (thanks Dan) and set about it. It took about 7 hours to do all of those tasks, including fabricating a support for the intake. The results are exactly what I was hoping for. Sure footed, no bouncing everything all over the back. I still need a wheel alignment and that should improve things even more. One point of interest. The KYB's have what looks like 6.5" of travel. The OEM struts had 5 3/4". You can visibly see the difference. It shouldn't change the ride height because the spring seats are in the same place. Now I can't want to replace the front shocks.
8/27/02 - I would consider the rear KYB's about 15% stiffer than the OEM's
SPS 16mm 3-way rear sway bar (SWAY2SPS)
Date: Aug 10 02
Miles: 65385
The sway bar shown has the old bar laying on top of it. It will give you an idea of the hole placement. SPS includes instructions that describe how to install the sway bar without disconnecting the brake lines. Apparently I am not good and following instructions. I did find that it installed pretty easily with the brake lines disconnected on both sides of the vehicle. I only left the lines disconnected for a moment. I blead the brakes when I was done, but the car felt like the rear brakes were not working. I returned and bleed them again with the same results. I then manually adjusted the rear brakes, they flet a bit loose when putting the drum back on after inspecting the linings. That seemed to do the trick. I installed the bar on the middle setting until I can test it for a while. You can see the completed installation here. The bar has done an amazing job of reducing understeer. I am being a bit conservative untill I get some decent tires. Oversteer on a front wheel drive car can get ugly real fast.
SPS front tower brace (STRUTBRC-64)
Date: Aug 10 02
Miles: 65396
This is what probably suprised me the most. I was not expecting this to make a difference on the striaght and level, and maybe my imagination is kicking in, but I think this has removed a bit of the dead spot in the wheel driving striaght down the road. It is also possible that the rear strut repalcement has changed the camber on the rear wheels enought to modify the steering. In any case, in a rough turn the car now goes the direction you point it, without momentary pause of indecision. Very nice (and realatively cheap). I wish I could find more information about how and why to preload. This is a 20 minute installation. Getting oil in is now going to take a funnel.
HotShot Powerstack Instake
Date: Aug 10 02
Miles: 65396
This was the last of the installations for the day. I mananged to escape the day with only two minor abrasions, no emergency parts runs or last minute tool purchases. I must say it has been a while since that has happended. The installation is pretty striaght forward. I fabricated a braket for the intake to rest on. The K&N RU-2820 high flow air filter sits nicely on the end. I have read some things that indicate that a cone filter may provide better flow. I will have to see if the Oregon Department of Enviromental Quality (DEQ) will call me on this modification. My registration and inspection is due in November 02. If I need to, the old airbox will go back in in less than 30min. This is were my keen senses are not quite sure what to believe. The intake should provide 3-10 horspower difference depending on what you read. I am expecting about 4. The question is, without running a dyno, can you really tell? The throttle response is better, but I can't really notice that the car is any quickier. This is a first move in cleaning up the airflow. I am planning on a exhaust manifold and CAT back swap soon. That is where this will pay off (I hope). It does provide a deep throaty sound when you open up the throttle. At least it sounds like your going faster. Probably more than my wife wants to hear, but she has her own car.
