Hey Guys - Picked Up A Set of Stage 2 level zero motorsports cams for my ecotec. Wondering if I can use these with a stock head, Other mods include - 62MM TB, Injen SRI, Pacesetter Header 2.25" Mandrel Bent Back, and Alum. Crank Pulley, Car is an 03 Grand Am Ecotec Thanks A Lot
gonna run rich is my verdict. mine ran rich until i got my header and full exhaust done and then the codes gradually went away but my car would still stall out.. but a p&p head would do wonders with those cams.
MY 2003 SUNFIRE 15.6@86mph
"A N/A ecotec is not gonna give Honda's and Mitsu's that much of a run for their
money unless their blown or bottle fed.GM is still smokin crack!"
~1QWKZ24
www.streetracing.org, 08/2001
So Get the matching stage 2 head and I shouldnt be throwin too many codes?
John Albers wrote:So Get the matching stage 2 head and I shouldnt be throwin too many codes?
A Stage 2 head like what I have would open up airflow much more and you would more than likely stoich out. The problem with the cams you have is that when people were putting them on, they were getting idle codes and rich codes and some people didn't even experience much power gain with them. I'm not sure if that had to do with having fuel issues or the actual cam grind.
Also, I'll quote myself from the
Full ECOTEC Build Guide:
NJHK's ECOTEC Tips wrote:2. Camshafts: I have seen from person experience and from countless others that our computers are sensitive when it comes to our cams. Too big of a grind and your computer says "wait a minute!" and can throw a series of too rich codes & possibly have knocking issues. If you read above in the "camshafts" section, I wrote that the Stage 1 camshaft grind is the "safest". When I say "safest", I mean it doesn't throw any codes (or shouldn't if installed properly). Getting the Stage 2s, you are running at a higher risk of atleast throwing a Too Rich code.
I will say this from my person experience as well...
I have the JBP stage 1 camshafts. At the time, that was the only motor modification I had. After installation, I noticed a powerloss in my top end. Well come to find out I was running Rich and I had used an SAFC-2 to tune it down later on to fix the problem.
Time goes by and I have my Patriot Performance Stage 2 Head installed and it was a good gain but I noticed there some powerloss in parts of my powerband. Well I hadn't had any opportunity to take my vehicle to an dyno shop so I was playing with my SAFC myself to find the best tune I could get. Come to find out, when I left it at "0" (which is stock computer settings) that it was the best setting. My computer which before the head was making it run really rich (but didn't throw a rich code) now was ok because I was supplying more air with my bigger ported cylinder head.
Will this happen to you, probably...if you need anymore advice or have anymore questions, just ask.
One last thing, have you asked people about where their powerband lies with the Stage 2s? When I ask that, I mean as far as when do they start to notice that the cams really "come alive". Mine do at 3000 RPMs everytime but I have the stage 1s. Just keep that in mind.
www.kronosperformance.com / 732-742-8837
when i had stage 2 cams in i didnt notice any gains until around 5k
MY 2003 SUNFIRE 15.6@86mph
"A N/A ecotec is not gonna give Honda's and Mitsu's that much of a run for their
money unless their blown or bottle fed.GM is still smokin crack!"
~1QWKZ24
www.streetracing.org, 08/2001
You won't feel the full effect of aftermarket high lift, long duration camshafts without a port and polish on your head. And depending on the camshaft specs, yes your powerband will shift
I was a retard, and now I'm permanently banned.
Spotabee Racing (The Fake Z24) wrote:You won't feel the full effect of aftermarket high lift, long duration camshafts without a port and polish on your head. And depending on the camshaft specs, yes your powerband will shift
Very True
www.kronosperformance.com / 732-742-8837
