Why a 180-degree thermostat & extra trans cooler?
 

Briefly describe why these two modifications should have priority.

Cooler motors make more power, the formula is roughly 1% more HP for ever 10 degree drop in the temp of the Air Intake Charge, and many of the 3800 series II's have plastic intakes that have a tendancy to crack. The 180 degree thermostat will help with that some.


Heat is the enemy of Auto Trannies and since the trannies in these cars can be rather finicky an extra tranny cooler is a great idea. There is a line graph at my shop that shows the lifespan of tranny fluid in hours compared to temperature. At about 300 degrees F tranny fluid will last less then one hour or so before it is worthless. This is one reason we recomend people who do lots of towing or that own motorhomes should switch to synthetic fluid since it does not heat up as much. I have seen a couple of vehicles that switched to synthetic have 100 degree drops in transmission temp.

OK. I'm new to 'newer' Pontiacs. At almost 47, I'm guessing I'm one of the older guys on this board...and, I don't have any pictures of my audio equipment, either. Yet.
I'm looking into the sections on this board and using the search function to find out what I can.

My '92 with 49,000 miles has the Series I engine.
What type of intake does it have?
Other than a K&N filter for the stock housing, what else can I do to help it breathe just a little bit?

At the low mileage this car has, should I opt for anything in the way of a shift kit; special filter; different than factory type fluid?

I'm also checking out the exhaust options, such as a more free flowing muffler with something on the order of ANSA resonator tips or Hooker resonator tips.
The other idea I was thinking is definetly old school, that being a crossover or "H" pipe up front to equalize the flow ahead of the stock converter.
In conjunction with the K&N and a little bit better muffler, I should pick up some torque and better power without dumping a wad of $$$ or screwing up the computer program (..or, maybe not, I don't know, and that's why I'm asking).

The answers are appreciated, thanks.

You have the oddball EGR year. You are EGR-less. Be watchful of burnt exhaust valves. Opening up your exhaust and dropping in a 180 stat will help with this, as well as an extra tranny cooler. The Series 1 ADTR intake is waiting to be test fitted in my car. As soon as it fits, it'll be available. This is your best option. Don't waste your money on just a K&N. It doesn't breathe well enough, especially if you're thinking of exhaust. I'm not aware of any shift kit for the 4T60E tranny, but most Performance chips will do this for you, and you may find a module just for the tranny.

It sounds like your thinking is right on track with the 'big three' for our cars. Intake, exhaust, 180 stat/tranny cooler. From there, it gets more expensive.

EGR-less?!

Sounds like homeless. :P

Can't make it EGR-compliant?
With the car at the 50.000 mi. mark, when do burnt exhaust valves start to rear their ugly heads?


Simple modifications to make the car perform better than stock and be ultra-reliable and long-lived are my main objectives.

Ok, I have a 93 SSEi with an EGR, but it hasn't stopped me from thinking of this. I was thinking of using a vacuum controlled EGR from an earlier 3800 motor, so the PCM doesn't control it (your pcm isn't programmed for an EGR). That way you have the benefit of an EGR, and your PCM doesn't care. I've really been looking for a 92 SE or SSE to 'take one for the team' on this. The 92 SSEi had the same digital EGR as I have.

Is this something you're interested in? With 50k on the motor, you're a prime candidate to gain full benefit of this. If you're interested, let's talk, and I can get you started in the right direction. Jrs3800 will be a big help on this, too, since he's intimate with the older and newer drivetrains.

I may be interested in tackling this if it's cheap and easy.
Gimme a while to talk to my buddy, 97BonnSSE, who is much more mechanically inclined than I am. He'll be the likely suspect to assist me in the project.

synthetic oil and trans fluid is a must for [b], yes [b] car