3100 to Turbo 3400

[steveromine72]

Now lets assume that I have allready done the 3100 to 3400 swap and lets assume that i have around $3500 to spend...what is the likelyhood that a 3400 turbo kit would fit into the engine bay of my 98 GAGT without major problems...im just going to assume the intercooler piping wont fit exactly how i want it to and will probably require some major fabrication but do you guys think everything else would work fine even though the kit is made for a 99+ GAGT

[azeniskid]

stick w/ your 2.3 and change it out to a 2.3HO

[steveromine72]

Oh...sorry i forgot to update that...that was my old grand am...i now have a 98 gagt

[azeniskid]

drop in a 2.3ho :)

[voyager]

the quad doesn't exactly "drop in" -- he has a V6. different mounts and automatic tranny. silly quad boy. quads are for 5spds!
=D

i think the kit is listed for 99+ cars not because of the difference in the engine bay, but the ECM tuning? if so just plan on spending more for a stand-alone engine mgmt. system, like a haltech or something, for tuning. maybe i'm wrong.. but hey, at least i took a stab at your actual question.

[azeniskid]

um.... it is a drop in... the mounts bolt in... it's all a bolt in...

[steveromine72]

How simaler is the 3100 to the 3400...are the heads similar...i guess my main question is if the exhaust manifolds are the same more or less...the big hassle i've ran into when turboing a car is getting a exhaust manifold made that will fit in without removing or moving many accesories. If the 3400 has the same bolt and port patern as the 3100 maybe i could just buy the exhaust manifold from this company and pipe the rest myself. Use a 5th injector with a pressure switch and tune it from there... i do know the battery must be moved to the trunk because thats pretty much where the turbo and piping must set. IMO theres really no point in buying a complete kit for that price when you can just piece one together. I can go to a exhaust shop and have the IC and exhaust piping bent and i can probably pick up a nice turbo for under 200 bucks and then have it rebuilt. The big problem that im going to face is the transmission, i've been looking around for a shift kit but theres none to be found. The stock shift points suck and i cant find anybody that can tune the stock ecm. I would really like to get rid of the speed limiter b/c getting shut off at 1XXmph sucks balls...it varies from 105 to 108...i really dont know whats up with that. I just wish i could find a company that can tune my ecm and get rid of those generic shift points that are meant for people like our mothers. BTW does anybody really know how much power the stock 3100 tranny can take...im having it rebuilt as i type this...i just tore 4th gear out in it and the torque converter was bad. I know these are a lot of questions and i hope somebody on this board knows some of the answers. Just a thought....what do dealerships use to re-program ecus with...could the hardware be purchased...i havnt been able to find any information on that either. I know a few computer programmers and a couple of people that are in school for electronic engineering so i think if i could get my hands on the ahrdware anythings possible.

[dziukap]

My friend that put a turbo in on his GA that had a 3100 had to put in a new tranny. Don't remember what kind. He also built the turbo, but he built the car from the ground up too after a salvage title. Safe to say that if you are tearing 4th gear out right now, you may turn your tranny to puddy after a few aggressive starts with turbo in it. Have you ever seen the "gold sludge of death" pour out a tranny?

[95GAinFLA]

anyone know how hard it'd be to drop a tc in my 95 ga 2.3L?

[SHOoff]

How simaler is the 3100 to the 3400...

Depends on the year. In 2000 the 3100 used the same top end and heads as the 3400. So you CAN swap them over and get a nice power increase. The 3400/2000+ 3100 top end can even be used on the old GenI V6 motors.
Use a 5th injector with a pressure switch and tune it from there...
Or a neat trick... a Nitrous fuel soleniod with proper size jet, and an RPM window switch. ;)
The stock shift points suck and i cant find anybody that can tune the stock ecm.
Look on the net for Digital Horsepower Inc. (DHP) If ya cant locate it... give me a while and I'll get a link for you. It's gonna cost you a lot. But I know of someone putting a 3800 s/c with 5spd in his Sunfire that had them remove all the AT controls, remove antitheft system, remove rev limiter, remove top speed liimt... and I think they tweaked it for a bit more power. Says it costed him 410 bucks + shipping. But, that's totally up to you.
BTW does anybody really know how much power the stock 3100 tranny can take...im having it rebuilt as i type this...
I'm not sure what tranny comes in the GA's. But if you're having it rebuilt... I'll say this. The pump... upgrade the pump. Make sure that you have something that's gonna flow enough under heavy load. Also have it upgraded to redline stainless steel clutch packs. So they dont burn up..... ever. Get a good high-stall converter. And add an extra tranny cooler. The get the AutoTrans interceptor (i think you can get them in the GA's like the J-bodies) and set it to MAX line pressure. With that much power, an LSD will be a great idea.
what do dealerships use to re-program ecus with...could the hardware be purchased...i havnt been able to find any information on that either
The dealership uses their Tec-2. YES the hardware can be purchased, but then again you're talking $$$$$$$$$$$. You cannot however, make custom programming with it. You can only put on stock programs. And you'll need VIN numbers to d/l the programs. I'd say the closest hope would be for you to run a program for a 3800 s/c motor.

[Azrael]

If the 96-98 GAs use the same tranny as the 94-95 then the 4t60e (or is it the 4t65e?) is supposedly rated at a maximum of 280lbs ft of torque. I doubt that rating being all that correct though.

[SHOoff]

J-bodies use the 4T40E.... does the GA use the 45E? That rating is a little low for a 60 or 65 I think. I know that's one upgrade for the 40 is to use a 60 or 65 diff. Cuz it handles a TON more power.