2.4 Daytona made it to Carlisle!

[jonnymopar]

Well, after about a 600 mile break-in period, I grew enough balls to drive the Daytona 7 hours to the Chrysler Nationals in Pennsylvania last weekend. It made it there and back running like a top!! I had the boost at 11psi rather than going crazy with it just yet. I didn't want to push my luck. The only issue I'm having is that it's running a bit warm at times. When I was in traffic, I occasionally had to put the heat on and it was ok. I'm not exactly sure what I should do about it, but it definitely feels very rewarding knowing that it made it 390 miles out there and 390 miles back, with plenty of driving around while I was there!

What a difference on the highway between back when the car was a Turbo I automatic, vs now with the 2.4/A555 combo! Lots of torque in the mid range now. No downshifting to pass. Oh... and how does 33MPG sound?

[turbokid]

Sounds freakin SWEET!
Do you have a fan for it?
Maybe mounting a manual fan switch in the cockpit will help with it getting warm in traffic.
What radiator are you using??

[crazymadbastard]

congrats! we need pics or

what engine control?

more details please. About the overheating, do you have a fan shroud?

[speeduphoria]

I can tell you if you can swing a Griffin rad like mine or an aftermarket one, do slight mods to make it fit/work. You will not have any issues. My friend just swapped that rad in his new CSX, and loves it.

Heck I have crap all wrong on mine, your supposed to not have holes in the core support so air can't go around the rad, well I have holes. I have no seal for the cowl, big no-no for cooling. I have no air damn. My IC and trans cooler block most of my rad. I have no fan shroud. It runs too cool on the highway, like 170 deg max. If I beat on it then come to a stop the fan kicks on, or in stop and go traffic, rarely does my fan kick on at traffic lights(have to be long ones).

Anyway if you look at all the things I said I dont have above, try fixing those on your car if you can and it should help w/o getting a diff rad.

[jonnymopar]

Ok, so I don't get banned , here's a few pics. Trust me, the car looks alot cleaner than it actually is:




And here's a full-size picture that I'll just link to so the 56k modems don't melt. This is the 30 cars in the Neon club that I'm registered with (I usually take my Neon to this meet). Can you find me?:

http://www.highbrowmedia.com/jmopar/tmi2008.jpg

Ok, other questions: Yes I do have a fan on the radiator wired in to the stock location. It does come on and off properly. The manual switch is a quick fix that I've thought about, but haven't had much time since I came home Sunday night. I do not have a shroud on it, just the bare fan. I'm using the full-width TBI/Turbo I radiator, not the small Turbo II/III/IV unit. Now that I think about it... I never put the plastic air dam back on. Maybe that will help. I don't really have any holes around the radiator except where I removed material to fit the SRT intercooler up inside the nose, but all that space is taken up.

The car is running on a FWD Performance Stage 5 calibration with the distributor on the head. The distributor setup, along with the stock electronics, works PERFECT. Once I figured out everything you needed to do to get everything to work with the distributor spinning backwards (much gratitude to this forum), it's been a piece of cake to work with. As far as Megasquirt, as soon as I saw the price, I ruled it out. This car was inexpensive to build, even with a fresh engine, and I'd like to keep it that way. If it was my daily driver, I might not be so reluctant to put money into it. With the gas mileage I'm getting with it, it's pretty inexpensive to run as well!

Just a quick run-down: It's a 1998 Stratus engine with all SRT internals on the bottom end (everything except for crank and block), SRT turbo w/Forge Motorsport BOV, Neon DOHC intake, Caravan power steering pump, stock 2.5 alternator in a Caravan bracket, 2.5 turbo distributor on the head, Aeromotive 1:1 AFPR, FWD Performance calibration, SRT intercooler, full cat-less 2.5" exhaust w/28" Thrush glasspack, stock radiator, and it's all bolted to a 1989 A555 transmission with a custom shifter.

[turbokid]

Now thats a kick ass set up FOSHO!

[jonnymopar]

Thanks! Plenty of people have gone way crazier than me with 2.4 swaps. Hell, look at Rob Pachner's car! This is just a budget one, especially with that teeny little SRT turbo and stock electronics. Ah well, it spools instantly and goes pretty damn good. Although it's not a huge power and/or huge money build, it has definitely proven itself reliable and practical!

[lotsaboost]

Quote:

What a difference on the highway between back when the car was a Turbo I automatic, vs now with the 2.4/A555 combo! Lots of torque in the mid range now. No downshifting to pass. Oh... and how does 33MPG sound?

One of many reasons I've been sticking to 2.4's for all my projects. Nothing against the common blocks but that 2.4 is just an all around great engine.
And oh how I miss my 2.4 Daytona.

What a sweet setup you have, how about a few more shots of the engine bay? Also, if I can give you some general advice on the cooling issue that also helped me with my 2.4, make sure there is a "tunnel" directing all the high pressure air from the front of the car directly into the radiator so that it doesn't escape around it. You want it to be directed into the low pressure area that is the engine bay. As was mentioned earlier about the cowl seal and air deflector, anything that is altered in this area indirectly effects the cooling system. You, in effect change the air direction by altering both these areas. Anyway, I don't want to get too technical I just want to throw that in to help you out.

Carlos

[speeduphoria]

Carlos love your philosophy ,the 2.4 is just easier and nicer to work on IMO, oh and the broad power.

Daytona's have the front mostly blocked so they can suffer from heat issues in general.

[turbokid]

gotta love the DOHC for breathing.
Its like night and day vs. a SOHC engine

[JMVegas]

If it only gets hot in stop and go traffic, a fix that is cheap and easy to do is grab your wind shield washer line and point it to the radiater. Temp comes up, turn on the washer pump. Washer fluid is like 90 percent alchohol, you will be amazed at how fast it takes away heat. You don't even need alot. Think I'm crazy, try it for your self. You can even run the little washer bottle pump with simple switch mounted inside car. It works

[xtrempickup]

any up close pics of the motor, that one isnt doing it any justice

[speeduphoria]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMVegas Washer fluid is like 90 percent alchohol, you will be amazed at how fast it takes away heat.

More like 40% methanol but it would work

[jonnymopar]

Yeah, I'll snap some more pictures of the engine bay today. I didn't really get any while I was on the showfield. The washer pump is a pretty interesting idea. Either that or I could take some sheet aluminum and duct air toward it. The intercooler is right in front of it, which probably isn't helping. But I fooled at least a few people at the show because you can't see it at all unless you look through the "nostrils" on the nose .

[DblTrbl]

That 's great!