S197 BackInBlack Build Thread Profile - S197 Mustangs

[Dave_W]

Just FYI, I've occasionally experienced some "bucking" at low rpm and small throttle angles. Think slowly cruising through a paddock or parking lot and just tickling the throttle. If I let off the gas for a second of two, or give it a bit more throttle, it clears up. Only happened a couple times, but thought I'd mention it.

 

[BackInBlack]

Read mode 6 data from my car. Looks like cyl 3 is misfiring a little. Not sure if it's an issue. Just did datalogs for first AED tune so I asked Shaun about it as well. It ticked up slightly (from 8 last driving cycle to 11) after the WOT pull.

[Misfire Cylinder 1 Data]

EWMA misfire counts for last 10 drive cycles
MID: A2
TID: B
Value: 0 Counts
Min: 0 Counts
Max: 65535 Counts

Misfire counts for last/current driving cycle (calculated)
MID: A2
TID: C
Value: 0 Counts
Min: 0 Counts
Max: 65535 Counts

Cylinder 1 and Catalyst Damage Misfire Rate
MID: A2
TID: 80
Value: 0.00 %
Min: 0.00 %
Max: 24.50 %

Cylinder 1 and Emission Threshold Misfire Rate
MID: A2
TID: 81
Value: 0.00 %
Min: 0.00 %
Max: 1.00 %

[Misfire Cylinder 2 Data]

EWMA misfire counts for last 10 drive cycles
MID: A3
TID: B
Value: 0 Counts
Min: 0 Counts
Max: 65535 Counts

Misfire counts for last/current driving cycle (calculated)
MID: A3
TID: C
Value: 0 Counts
Min: 0 Counts
Max: 65535 Counts

Cylinder 2 and Catalyst Damage Misfire Rate
MID: A3
TID: 80
Value: 0.00 %
Min: 0.00 %
Max: 24.50 %

Cylinder 2 and Emission Threshold Misfire Rate
MID: A3
TID: 81
Value: 0.00 %
Min: 0.00 %
Max: 1.00 %

[Misfire Cylinder 3 Data]

EWMA misfire counts for last 10 drive cycles
MID: A4
TID: B
Value: 1 Counts
Min: 0 Counts
Max: 65535 Counts

Misfire counts for last/current driving cycle (calculated)
MID: A4
TID: C
Value: 11 Counts
Min: 0 Counts
Max: 65535 Counts

Cylinder 3 and Catalyst Damage Misfire Rate
MID: A4
TID: 80
Value: 0.00 %
Min: 0.00 %
Max: 24.50 %

Cylinder 3 and Emission Threshold Misfire Rate
MID: A4
TID: 81
Value: 0.02 %
Min: 0.00 %
Max: 1.00 %

[Misfire Cylinder 4 Data]

EWMA misfire counts for last 10 drive cycles
MID: A5
TID: B
Value: 0 Counts
Min: 0 Counts
Max: 65535 Counts

Misfire counts for last/current driving cycle (calculated)
MID: A5
TID: C
Value: 3 Counts
Min: 0 Counts
Max: 65535 Counts

Cylinder 4 and Catalyst Damage Misfire Rate
MID: A5
TID: 80
Value: 0.00 %
Min: 0.00 %
Max: 24.50 %

Cylinder 4 and Emission Threshold Misfire Rate
MID: A5
TID: 81
Value: 0.00 %
Min: 0.00 %
Max: 1.00 %

[Misfire Cylinder 5 Data]

EWMA misfire counts for last 10 drive cycles
MID: A6
TID: B
Value: 0 Counts
Min: 0 Counts
Max: 65535 Counts

Misfire counts for last/current driving cycle (calculated)
MID: A6
TID: C
Value: 0 Counts
Min: 0 Counts
Max: 65535 Counts

Cylinder 5 and Catalyst Damage Misfire Rate
MID: A6
TID: 80
Value: 0.00 %
Min: 0.00 %
Max: 24.50 %

Cylinder 5 and Emission Threshold Misfire Rate
MID: A6
TID: 81
Value: 0.00 %
Min: 0.00 %
Max: 1.00 %

[Misfire Cylinder 6 Data]

EWMA misfire counts for last 10 drive cycles
MID: A7
TID: B
Value: 0 Counts
Min: 0 Counts
Max: 65535 Counts

Misfire counts for last/current driving cycle (calculated)
MID: A7
TID: C
Value: 2 Counts
Min: 0 Counts
Max: 65535 Counts

Cylinder 6 and Catalyst Damage Misfire Rate
MID: A7
TID: 80
Value: 0.00 %
Min: 0.00 %
Max: 24.50 %

Cylinder 6 and Emission Threshold Misfire Rate
MID: A7
TID: 81
Value: 0.00 %
Min: 0.00 %
Max: 1.00 %

[Misfire Cylinder 7 Data]

EWMA misfire counts for last 10 drive cycles
MID: A8
TID: B
Value: 0 Counts
Min: 0 Counts
Max: 65535 Counts

Misfire counts for last/current driving cycle (calculated)
MID: A8
TID: C
Value: 1 Counts
Min: 0 Counts
Max: 65535 Counts

Cylinder 7 and Catalyst Damage Misfire Rate
MID: A8
TID: 80
Value: 0.00 %
Min: 0.00 %
Max: 24.50 %

Cylinder 7 and Emission Threshold Misfire Rate
MID: A8
TID: 81
Value: 0.00 %
Min: 0.00 %
Max: 1.00 %

[Misfire Cylinder 8 Data]

EWMA misfire counts for last 10 drive cycles
MID: A9
TID: B
Value: 0 Counts
Min: 0 Counts
Max: 65535 Counts

Misfire counts for last/current driving cycle (calculated)
MID: A9
TID: C
Value: 0 Counts
Min: 0 Counts
Max: 65535 Counts

Cylinder 8 and Catalyst Damage Misfire Rate
MID: A9
TID: 80
Value: 0.00 %
Min: 0.00 %
Max: 24.50 %

Cylinder 8 and Emission Threshold Misfire Rate
MID: A9
TID: 81
Value: 0.00 %
Min: 0.00 %
Max: 1.00 %

Regarding the WOT pull -- that was a blast First time I've had the car to redline since it was built. Something weird was going on though. I heard a metallic clickety-clickety-clack - CLUNK past 7000 rpm -- after that it went away. If I had to guess it's the damned weights on this centerforce clutch. I'm thinking maybe they were stuck off to the side and broke loose? Didn't cause any issues driving. Was also a little surprised at the grip I had with my 275 width all season tires. I didn't feel totally confident but I didn't slide! We'll see if I have less clutch chatter tomorrow...

Also -- noticing a code regularly showing up in my logs. No check engine light and the code is never active when I find it in the log, but -- U0423:68 - Invalid data recv'd from cluster. HVAC module. Never had any issues with the cluster aside from the stupid oil minder not working.

 

[BackInBlack]

Well, Shaun says I have an exhaust leak (or bad o2 sensors on both sides). 10% leak. Running lean at idle he said. I'm thinking exhaust leak b/c one of the previous owners of the donor car had removed and reinstalled the cats...

Now I gotta figure that out. Shaun didn't seem too concerned about the knock. He said I had one knock at WOT. He thought maybe bad gas... Anyway, glad I'm going through this process.

 

[BackInBlack]

Well, whaddya know! Took my car to have it tested for leaks (smoke test + stethescope + scantool) and while we didn't find any exhaust leaks, we did find a crack in the intake tube. The crack runs along the beginning of the sound tube connection. For now, I fixed it with electrical tape and zip ties! Car is running a little smoother. Gonna do another datalog soon and see how she's doing before I do any more pulls for Shaun.

Regarding my rattling Blowfish bracket, I checked under the car and saw that the bolts that connect it to the gen1 MGW shifter bracket had backed out. I pulled it off, cleaned the old loctite off of the bolts, and put dynomat around the shifter bracket and put everything back in. The under the car rattles are gone, but the shifter lever rattles a little more. I can live with it for now. I might try removing the blowfish and see how it works with just the body mounted MGW bracket. But ultimately I think I'll have to get the new MGW.

Anybody have a spare OEM BOSS intake tube? Apparently you can't get them anymore. I'll look everywhere for a new one, but if I can't find one I'll have to get an aftermarket cold air intake I guess. I really didn't want one! Any suggestions on aftermarket CAIs? My first thought was to see if I could get that Airaid intake hose only thing, but it looks like they don't make that for the BOSS. Found a boxed one from Corsa that looks OK...

You sure can fix a lotta stuff with tape! Feeling good for now. At least we don't have to tear apart the car to get to the exhaust manifold...

 

[BackInBlack]

Removed the intake tube yesterday. It's worse than I thought. The sound tube connector had a crack right down the middle where it connects that had been repaired with JB Weld! The JB Weld scraped off pretty easily and I was able to see the crack. There's also cracks around the outside of the PCV connector and the sound tube connector. The biggest leak is around the outside of the sound tube connector.

For now, I used overlapping rounds of electrical tape to seal the holes and then strapped them down with zip ties. It seems to be working, the car is running better than ever. But I need a more permanent solution. I looked at the aftermarket CAI options all of them are basically open air elements. This doesn't seem like the best idea for a BOSS that sees rush hour traffic in Texas. If I had to pick one, I think I'd go with the Airaid. I was thinking I might be able to get a coupler so I could connect their hose to the stock airbox. But I'd rather repair the OEM hose -- since there seem to be none to be found anywhere. And apparently they're brittle pieces of ... I did a lot of research, and my options for repair are:
1. Plastic Weld. Pro: Probably the best way to fix. Con: Only get one shot to get it right.
2. Industrial Hot Glue: Will leave a thick bead and not as strong as plastic weld, but it seems to be the strongest adhesion method. If it did come off, I think it'd peel like a gasket so it minimizes the chances of getting sucked through the tube and into the intake.
3. Industrial Epoxy: There are some specialized epoxies that will bond to HDPE (that's what it is isn't it?) -- but I wonder how strong they are. Will they dry and crack and get sucked into the intake? The JB Weld did seem to work, but it came off so easily I'm pretty sure my engine ate some of it.
4. Industrial Gasket Maker: Temporary solution, but like the hot glue, probably safer to use than epoxy. Leaves option to try other methods later if I want.

I took a picture of my sad, sorry intake hose. Will post it later. If you guys have any thoughts on the best way out of this, let me know!

Edit: Forgot there's one other possibility. I could try the GT intake hose that is still available. No idea what's different, but the throttle body connection is the same size and so is the stock airbox, so it seems unlikely that it'd have a larger diameter. Maybe one is longer than the other?

 

[mwjscn]

Airaid does make a tube that replaces the factory one, but retains the OEM airbox. It's part #450-946. A bit expensive for what it is, but it's listed to work with the Boss intake manifold.
Make sure to also local salvage yards and FB Marketplace if you want to try tracking down an OEM one. You can post a WTB ad in the S197 Mustang-specific FB BST Groups as well to hit all the people that may have one in storage but don't have a for-sale ad up.

 

[BackInBlack]

Airaid does make a tube that replaces the factory one, but retains the OEM airbox. It's part #450-946. A bit expensive for what it is, but it's listed to work with the Boss intake manifold.
Make sure to also local salvage yards and FB Marketplace if you want to try tracking down an OEM one. You can post a WTB ad in the S197 Mustang-specific FB BST Groups as well to hit all the people that may have one in storage but don't have a for-sale ad up.

I saw that one. I've been mulling it over. I talked to Airaid and was told that the difference between the BOSS kit tube and the GT tube only kit is the size. The BOSS one has a larger diameter. But I was thinking, the throttle body is the same so the throttle body connection will be the same size, so the size difference must only be where it connects to the open air filter. If I used a coupler on the BOSS kit to connect it to the stock box, I'd remove that advantage of the larger diameter, and limit it back to the original stock size. Which means -- I think, that it wouldn't make any difference if I were to use the BOSS hose or the GT hose...

I've also looking at the Ford Mustang GT hose. I can't be sure if it is any longer or shorter than the BOSS hose, but I was able to find that the little air reservoir underneath the tube has a different design... Maybe they aren't that different?

BOSS Hose:

GT Hose:

 

[mwjscn]

Worth a shot. GT intake tubes are $20-30 around where I am second-hand.

 

[BackInBlack]

Worth a shot. GT intake tubes are $20-30 around where I am second-hand.

Yeah -- I think I agree. If the diameter is the same, and the length is similar (I'll have to measure that in person) then I doubt that the design of the reservoir on the tube would have a huge impact on performance, seeing as how removing it entirely isn't a big deal either. But I would like to have whatever benefit there is that the car is designed to have from that component. Will report on how it works, and will be keeping an eye out for a BOSS tube.

 

[BackInBlack]

 

[BackInBlack]

Note on the Centerforce DF clutch. Chatter is reduced after having done the WOT pulls for Shaun. Looks like WOT was just what the doctor ordered! Apparently the weights were stuck to the side. I do like the clutch -- my favorite thing about it is the ball bearings that give it a very light clutch pedal. But it's probably a little more grippy than I need (surprising) and the weights on it can be a pain in the ass. Not sure what I'd pick if I had to do it again, but this clutch does have some benefits and functionally it works well.

On my shifter/blowfish NVH issue, it seems that the shifter handle now rattles quite a bit between 3500-5000 rpm. Not a big deal. I think it's preferable to the metallic undercar rattle I had before I put dynamat on the shifter bracket. But I think I will try removing the Blowfish sometime soon and see how the car shifts. This car has never driven with it off. If I don't have shifting issues, maybe I can get by with just a regular safety loop. Not sure if I even need one on the stock driveshaft. But long term I think I'll want to get the new MGW.

 

[BackInBlack]

Bah. Foiled again.
The GT intake tube kinda fits. It seems to be the same length. But b/c of the downturned throttle body you have to tilt it so much that the attached couplers stick up in the air. The BOSS PCV breather hose wouldn't reach. Might be able to make it work with a longer PCV hose, but the chamber on the bottom of the intake is resting on some stuff underneath. Would probably increase air temps if not melt the tube, and might make noises... I think cobbling together the original tube would be preferable.

Back to the drawing board. Next I'll try this:

Airaid Mustang Modular Intake Tube AIR-450-946 (11-14 Mustang GT) - Free Shipping

FREE SHIPPING! More Air for More Power. Your V8 Mustang's stock inlet tube is undersized with restrictive accordion-shaped walls and sound-canceling baffles tha

www.americanmuscle.com

Others seem to have gotten this to work on GTs with the BOSS manifold...

On the upside, I was recently convinced that my belief that the sound tube was an intake resonator was incorrect. The combination of @mwjscn's wise words, the fact that the 302S doesn't have one, plus this article:

https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/272914/how-does-a-side-branch-intake-resonator-helmholtz-work

And examining the system and thinking it over, convinced me. Since it actually is just a sound tube, and my car is plenty loud as-is, I decided to remove it. I did notice a significant decrease in engine noise coming into the cabin -- which is cool with me. Strangely, the test drive after removing the sound tube proved to reduce my vacuum leak even further! My damned sound tube was leaking air too. I don't see any holes ... but the connection at the firewall was pretty loose. Maybe air can escape there? Oh well. Now I know.

 

[BackInBlack]

Airaid tube installed. Seems okay... the breather hose seems a little loose. Did another idle datalog and my long term fuel trims are up. 1.11 on B1 and 1.14 on B2. Last datalog with the taped up stock intake tube showed B1 of 1.05 and B2 of 1.09... I have a new Ford crankcase breather hose. I tightened everything up best I could and couldn't get anything to change. Kinda disappointed... but my stock intake tube has cracks in it so I've gotta replace it with something. Not sure what I'm gonna do now. Seems like there must be something else going on other than unmetered air getting in. I'll call Airaid and see what they say.

 

[Dave_W]

Have you ever had the intake manifold off? Maybe one of the o-rings that seal the manifold to the head got tweaked. Check the TB-manifold seal as well.

I've forgotten the details, but there's an old-school trick to find vacuum leaks of spraying maybe carb cleaner (or starting fluid?) around the seals/gaskets and listening for an increase in rpm.

 

[BackInBlack]

Have you ever had the intake manifold off? Maybe one of the o-rings that seal the manifold to the head got tweaked. Check the TB-manifold seal as well.

I've forgotten the details, but there's an old-school trick to find vacuum leaks of spraying maybe carb cleaner (or starting fluid?) around the seals/gaskets and listening for an increase in rpm.

That's a good idea. I saw in the service manual that you're supposed to replace the throttle body gasket every time you take it off... I didn't do that. But it looked fine...

Things seem to have gotten worse since I started messing with things though.

 

[JDee]

That's a good idea. I saw in the service manual that you're supposed to replace the throttle body gasket every time you take it off... I didn't do that. But it looked fine...

Things seem to have gotten worse since I started messing with things though.

Yeah, that's why I stopped trying to be a mechanic. Seems like everything I touched got worse.....

 

[Bill Pemberton]

I have JDee disease and figured out years ago my fixes often involved having a Tech repair my mistakes. When you have a Motorsports Division as part of the Dealership you work at it also becomes addictive to have the skilled play with your car and since I was fortunate to be super busy in Sales I let them tinker on all my stuff. Now that I am retired I find I want to spend my time driving quickly at the track or autocross and not attempting to fix things that my aging body says , " That is not a good idea you old fart, save your energy for the loud pedal, brakes and steering wheel !"

 

[302BOB]

Things seem to have gotten worse since I started messing with things though.

You didn't have a guy named Murphy helping you, did you?....................................

 

[BackInBlack]

Took Airaid tube off and re-installed it. This time I made sure to clamp near the ends of the couplers and I tried to make sure the couplers were flush with the connecting areas of the tube. Found that I had shortened the tube about an inch by making it a little too tight. Took it for a drive. LTFTs at 1.09/1.12. A slight improvement, but not as good as the taped up stock tube. Will try the stock tube again to see if it's actually the tube...

 

[BackInBlack]

Took Airaid tube off and re-installed it. This time I made sure to clamp near the ends of the couplers and I tried to make sure the couplers were flush with the connecting areas of the tube. Found that I had shortened the tube about an inch by making it a little too tight. Took it for a drive. LTFTs at 1.09/1.12. A slight improvement, but not as good as the taped up stock tube. Will try the stock tube again to see if it's actually the tube...

Nope -- wasn't the tube. Tried the stock tube again and trims didn't improve. Put the Airaid tube back on. Thinking that it could be the throttle body gasket, I re-torqued the throttle body. Seems like it may have helped a hair, but I've still got LTFTs in the 1.11 ballpark, a couple points higher on bank 2.

Next up -- throttle body gasket! Sigh... If the throttle body gasket isn't it, we're going back to the mechanic.