Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

OK, there was the thread on Pure Stockers. Well, what if you had a car? I've acquired an 1995 Olds Achieva. It has the DOHC 155hp (NHRA rating w/auto), 2.3L 4 cyl. It is a FWD, 2 door, auto trans. If the IHRA and NHRA hp ratings are the same, the car fits in I/PS. Using the 16.00 lbs as a minimum, NHRA guide shipping weight is 2619. So if my math is right, the car would weigh 2650 lbs. Looking at indexes, the 1/4 mile is 14.55, 1/8 is 9.45.

If I can find the time. I have an 1/8 outlaw track 6-7 miles from the house. May just have to throw the thing on the trailer and see how it really runs. Don't really have the time or space for another project but just what I need is an excuse to go to the track.

Next thing, a FWD car. What do you do with these things? Here's a picture of the car.

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

Its an intresting motor, I wonder who could do a ECU for it?

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

For better or worse, we're off to test the waters tommorow. Immediate goal is to baseline the car.

Other than a fresh oil change and fixing a few minor problems, I've done nothing to the car. It will be run as is. The brakes work, put some fuel cleaner in, it still has a 1/2 tank or so of "whatever" gas was last put into it. All the tires are even at pressure. Wish I had a scale, would love to know the actual weight.

No tach, no converter, it will be pretty simple this trip. Stage the car, hope to cut a decent light and stab it, try to be consistant? Try to record what the car does. See where it's at in relation to the I/PS index (9.45 in the 1/8).

I'll post results (good or bad) either tommorow or Monday. We'll see how feasible this little experiment is.

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

Good Luck! Sounds like you've got a well thought out plan.

I had gone by the track you're talking about last time we deployed to Camp Atterbury, but it was an off weekend.

Lew

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

Well it was an interesting day at the track. We made 4 practice passes with the car. First pass was an 11.801, second pass 11.712, third 11.731, fourth was 11.533. Only thing we could surmise, on the last practice pass, we allowed the car to cool for a longer period. First three passes were all made within 15-20 minutes of each other. Last pass the car may have sat for at least 30-35 minutes, maybe longer. We didn't record that.

For eliminations, we dialed the car at an 11.60. I cut a really crappy light. My opponent treed me, he ran a 8.61 on an 8.57 dial in. I ran a 11.607 on an 11.60. The guy was pitted next to us, he hadn't cut a good light all day, until we ran!

With the object being baselining the car for I/PS. We're way off the 1/8 mile index of 9.45. That's with nothing being done to the car. Just staging the car, leaving it in Drive and steering it down the track. Got work to do on our other cars. I may clean the throttle body (or whatever this thing has), maybe put a fresh set of plugs in it. Then maybe take it back in a couple weeks or so and see what those little improvements do. Unless I sell the car, then that frees up time and money to get my "real" cars finished, LOL!!!

Also got to meet another member of our board. Dennis Roberts and his wife Carol were pitted next to us with their H/PS Malibu wagon. I appreciate that he was willing to listen to my many questions. It's always great to leave the track and make new friends. He had some good tips for us, should we decide to pursue this car farther.

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

Front-drive cars are at a real disadvantage in Purestock because you can't take full advantage of the only two major performance enhancements that you can use. Gear ratios and torque converters. Pull off the exhaust, I think they unbolt ahead of the cat. Take off the P/S belt, put on the shortest front tire that you can find. Try for 20" dia. That combo is at the added disadvantage of not having a distributor so you're at the mercy of the ECU for max. timing.

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

Is that Achieva a 3 speed automatic or a 4 speed?

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

Correct...and they make better 1/4 mile cars for this reason.

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

After a couple days reflection. I'm more and more convinced, this car will be hard pressed to make the I/PS index(es). Don't take me wrong, I've got the car and for the most part, I have no real money in it. For right now, I'm going to do the simple and free stuff to try and improve it, see if we make any "real" gains.

One concern I had, we hadn't weighed the car. I took care of that Monday evening. I was a little stunned but not unsurprised. Weighed with approximately 3/8 tank of gas, still has full interior, including mats, spare and jack, pretty much as you'd buy a car off the lot. It weighs 2900 lbs. Using racer math, 16.00 x 155 + 170 = 2650. So, I would need to lose 400lbs from that car to make weight. Which as my thinking concludes, enough weight needs to be removed to compensate for a driver. For right now, this is a street car that I do need to sell, so, I don't really want to gut it.

Owen, yes it is an automatic. As I stated, I don't have a tach in, at present. We're just leaving it in Drive and letting it shift itself. If we decide to keep it for awhile, that's something I'll do, put in a tach and gages. Being able to control the shift points would give me some control over the car. A temp gage would be nice as well, knowing the engine temperature is a wonderful aid.

Billy, all of your suggestions were conversation points on Sunday. The IHRA rules require you to run a full exhaust. Something we discussed is the catalytic converter, I'm certain that is choking this car badly. We also discussed the belt. We mainly thought about the AC, wonder if there's a delete for that? The PS is a good idea, am sure theres a minute amount of HP to be realised there. And I was already looking at the tire situation before I committed to running the car last weekend. I've got to ask, were you referring to using Drag Radials or just trying to find some smaller street tires? Just for conversation sake, Nitto had the smallest set of drag radials. Common sense, a shorter tire will increase the gear ratio, a wider tire will be harder to pull. Regarding the timing, at present, making any changes is beyond my present capabilities, don't have all the right tools.

Mark, using my baseline information. 1/8 mile best is 11.53, converting that to a 1/4, puts us in the 18 second range. I'm over 2 seconds off the 1/8 mile index of 9.45. The 1/4 mile index is 14.55, being in the 18's, I definitely have my work cut out for me.

Unfortunately, at the current time, I don't have the time for an aggressive racing schedule. So, Like I said at the start. I'm going to try and do some of the simple and free stuff that can be accomplished in my spare time. Hopefully in 2-3 weeks I can take it back to the track and see if we make any gains.

Thanks for the input and replys.

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

There is a whole community that AutoCrosses these GM cars.
Performance parts are available including Headers.

In IHRA it is either open exhaust stock exhaust manifolds
OR
Mufflers and Cats with Headers.

Oversized stock pistons should be available.
The Crank can be indexed in Pure Stock.

For a Tune you should have ODB-1 PCM.
Contact Bryan Herter for a Tune.
http://www.pcmforless.com/

Torque Converter...you should be able to get one for your ride.
May want to try Yank or Edge converters.

Short Tires are available.
Barry Werner runs HF/SA and has a set.
His little Dodge with a 1.7 VW made engine runs a full second under in 1/8 mile.
On a good day

Also Bullet Cams can build you a IHRA Legal Cams.
Call IHRA and make sure they have the right specs for your application.

Plus LOSING 400 pounds is a huge advantage..
How you do that is another issue..!!

Dan

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

400 lbs. in that car is probably more than a second! P/S is probably 2-3 tenths. you can remove the exhaust fron the manifold back.if you use stock manifold.

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As I was telling Robert Sunday at the track, the thing hasn't had a set of plugs in it in who knows how long, the stock air intake is still on it and looks VERY restrictive to me. Full exhaust... Cheap gas... there ae a lot of little things that can be done.

I believe there is an idler to replace the A/C Compressor as well.

By the way, Bob did a darn fine job of driving considering it's been thirty years since he has done it. No tach or temp guage and we had passes with in .03 of each other and he ran .007 off his dial in... The kid that beat him dropped a nice package on him.

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I see a road trip to muince one saturday Bob.. and run it in the 1/4 mile. just to see what she can do. pick me up on the way up and i will go for sure. LOL

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I may be fairly ignorant about IHRA, but why a FWD car in Pure Stock?
What's the problem with, say CF/SA?

BTW, is this a Quad 4 or it's descendant ?

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

Road trip....

He owes us one since we didn't go to Georgia after the trailer that time...

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

Interesting. 1/8 index is same as I/PS, 1/4 mile index is 15.15? Frankly, was looking at this purely from the sense of not having a great amount of money thrown into it. Weight wise it's already close. Making it a full fledged NHRA car does open up many possibilities.

Yes, it's one of the 16 valve Quad 4's. I haven't done my homework yet, I guess there are more than a few versions of these motors.

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

Robert,
I just took a look at the guide engine is rated at 150 hp, the 155 is a V-6.

Was the 2900lb.s just the car ? If so it would fit in EF/SA for IHRA 1/4 index is 15.90 1/8 9.85 car would need to weigh 2850 + plus 170 = 3020. IHRA break for E is 19.00 lb.s It would be DF/S in NHRA 1/4 index 15.60 1/8 9.71

I had a friend with a Grand Am it was a `97 Quad 4 he used to run low 16s with it with some short street tires, a chip or something for the computer and not much else. It was about 10 yr.s ago so I can`t remember for sure all what he did but I know it was not much. It was his wife`s DD .

I would think you should be able to hit the index with very little money.

Best of Luck !:)

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I don't think front wheel drives are in pure stock anymore there used to be front wheel drive pure stock classes but they are gone and don't think they go in to regular pure stock.
I remember Ray Head and some others running rental cars in front wheel pure stock years ago.
Mike Taylor3601

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

Well, after your post, I went back to the guide. Seems seems my reading comprehension and research skills are lacking. I completely misread the guide. Even if FWD cars can run in Pure stock. At 150 hp, it doesn't fit. I saw the DOHC and made an assumption. We all know how that works out.

So, at 17.46, it factors out as a natural BF/S car. So, we're now staring at Mark Yacavone's suggestion of running the car as a CF/S at 17.50. Really the only logical class choice. Good news is, it makes the weight issue come into line with where the car is at. With the car weighing 2900, in CF/S it can weigh 2795. I'm looking at losing at least 300lbs, figuring I first have to lose a couple hundred pounds to compensate for my own weight, you're looking at losing an additional hundred pounds to bring the car to weight.

Where this really changes the game. In CF/S, this car falls into the realm of the traditional stocker. That puts this whole idea into a different cost level. That was the appeal of Pure Stock.

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

First of all you are looking at the NHRA breaks...

I mentioned CF/SA which is an IHRA class
In IHRA, it's a natural C car.

Now from now on it's a CL or SL model ..Nobody looks at what kind of seat covers you have. It it make you feel better, go to the boneyard and pop off a couple of emblems and glue them on.
That makes it a nat. D car so you go to E @ your current weight (15.90 index)
Doesn't that sound better ?
Most of the weight you remove would have to come of the front end...Not a good idea.

You need a real header and collector (call Billy),

Stocker cams and valve job,

A set of chain gears for the trans (Owen Quirrion)

Minimum 8" or 7" converter (call ME)

Some way to tune the computer (Ed Wright)

It ought to run under the index with a healthy short block.

If you're serious, there's a guy here that can help you (SS3011)

Now grab yourself a Rockstar and get to work !

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

Lets go....

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Mark,

Thank you for the information. I don't know that it's about being serious. It's how deep I can dig into my pocket. I really need to sit down and digest some of the information.

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

After our test run last week, we realised the car needed looking into further. First off, two things about this car show what a headache these can be when people that know less than I do, monkey with the wiring. It has an aftermarket alarm that is junk, don't roll the windows up and shut the doors with the key in the ignition, you lock yourself out. Typically of these cars, it has a loud, modern radio. The wiring is a mess! We've found plugs unhooked, a burnt fusible link, wires that go nowhere, you name it. It's an OBD 1 car. The two codes it's thrown, an 043 - the knock sensor or electronic control sensor. An 028 - which is a code for the fan relay, this code didn't show up until we started tracing and testing wires for hot or ground.

I'm pretty sure the temperature sending unit doesn't work, it was unhooked. The fan was also unhooked. Car never overheated or puked any fluids. Leads me to wonder if it has a thermostat? For my current purposes, I may look at putting a temp gage in it. We chased the wiring and can put a toggle switch in to activate the fan.

Anyone that has hooked a tach and gauges in these newer cars. Any tips or problems (other than the ones I already have) that I need to look for.

That's how I spent my Sunday. More fixing to do before this car sees the track again.

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Well it's time to fix the problems we've discovered. It's often interesting what a little digging and research can reveal. It appears these little Quad 4's are quite durable. This was my step son's car and he had driven it quite a bit. With the fan not working, it never overheated, threw any codes or puked any fliud? Apparently there are two temp sensors on these engines, one for the temperature and another for the fan control.

I'm going to hook up a seperate fan controler and run it thru a switch, that way the car can be driven as normal. Or we can manually run the fan in the pits.

Have a whole pile of new parts for this car. I was digging in the corner of one of my boxes that holds old unused or discarded parts. Lo and behold I discovered an old pair of never used 2" Sun gauges, both an oil pressure and a mechanical water temperature gauge. The boxes looked pretty bad. I'm not going to hook up the oil pressure gauge, not sure I want see that just yet, on this old motor anyway. I do want the temp gauge. With the nature of these engines, seems they do repond to temperature changes, as others on this board that run these small cars have informed us. Tested the temp gauge after Tod told me to boil a pot of water and see if it reacted. It ran right up. These things are probably 35 years old, guess they weren't a bad buy after all, LOL!

I'm going to put the sensor into the water stream in a hose. You can get some real nice aluminum hose adapters. After studying these for a few minutes. Most of these only have holes drilled for 1/8" npt threads. Did find one that would accept an 3/8 fitting. A trip to the hardware store and being somewhat resourceful, I made an adapter out of pipe fittings. It ain't pretty like the aluminum ones, it will get the job done. Didn't have to pay shipping to get it here.

A tach and temp gauge, a race car do not make. These little tools will give us some better undersanding of what the car is doing. Maybe help us to improve the times of the car, when we get the opportunity to take it back to the track. I purchased one of the Autometer tach adapters, I am being cheap, only got one of the Jeg's 5" tachs. If I do sell the car later this year, I can leave it in if someone wants it. Or recycle it to something else down the road. Hopefully it will be adequate for this car at this time.

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

I was always impressed with the quad 4s. My wife had a 1989 grand am with a 5 speed. It wasn't the HO, but I think it was 165 hp. I ran one run at cordova once and it went 14.97. It was bone stock.
She ran it in an autocross once too. The older guys running the event put her in a class with some triumph TR6s and she ate their lunch. They were pissed too. It was just for a ribbon! Sheesh, those Brit car guys don't have a sense of humour!

Anyway, it was a fun car, especially for the time. It always impressed me for a four banger. We traded it in for a Camaro and put around 70k on it with no issues. I did hear that they had head gsket trouble, but we never had any problems with it.

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All OBD 1 cars can benefit from a good low temp temp sending unit for the fans. I always use TS 136 Standard. My tech tip here.
OBD II cars use the computer for fancontrol.
I thought the 43 code was either rich or lean, but it has been a while since I worked on them. Brain fade..... That lil engine can take abeating too. have fun.
Chris

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

I bet a woman in an American car beating them made them NUTS lol.

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The quad 4 makes a lot of power. One thing you have to realize though. Is that the factory ecu will adjust itself away from any changes you make. When you change something I.E. engine temp etc. You must fool the computer into not seeing the change.
At least this is the way the turbododges get to run.

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

I know engine fan control in 80's on obd1 GM was controlled by a seperate fan temp switch then the ecu used. I used the above said switch TS136 on a few Camaros and Firebirds. I think the Achieva would be the same.

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

My poor little Achieva has turned into a pain. I had attempted to clean the TB. This is where I confess my ignorance of these newer FI equipped cars. Found out dumbly, you don't use carb cleaner and don't spray into the TB while the vehicle is running.

Now it's hard to start. Once it gets running, it idles terribly. It has the most awful sputter coming from the tailpipe. Checked the plugs, they have the tannish/gray color you expect to see from a running, not fouled plug. Although it did have some wetness around the bottom of the threads. Could be injectors not firing? Took it up the road, acts like it's completely retarded, timing wise. It has no power at all!

Since it's a simple change, put a new fuel filter on it in the vain hope it might just be some water or dirt in the fuel. In addition, pretty sure the filter had never been changed. No such luck. Still runs crappy. My buddy Tod, is coming up this weekend, we'll run a compression test, check the vacume lines, check for spark. Try to eliminate what is not the problem.

I have a scanner that does OBD1, the only codes it's thrown are 028-fan relay, we've solved that. It has thrown an 043-ESC, knock sensor. That wasn't even plugged in?

Anyone have any suggestions? I'm a stumped on this car.

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

Robert, fan control should be by the ECM. The code 43 will certainly set if the knock sensor is unplugged, has a poor connection, etc. Anytime a code 43 is set the ECMs pull 12 to 16 degrees spark advance to protect the engine. Might try plugging it back in, clear the codes and see if (how much) it picks up. Should be a very noticeable performance increase. To clear the codes just pull the ECM Batt fuse & cycle the key on & back off. Plug the fuse back in and your good to go. No need to trick the ECM into not "seeing" that you cooled it down.

If you used something like Berryman's B12 Chemtool to clean the throttle body, take a look at the spark plugs. Probably needs a set now. :-)

Good luck

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Oh no Ed, I was much dumber than that. This was regular off the shelf Gumout carb cleaner. I plugged my scanner back in to clear the codes. The lite hasn't come back on, yet. I will try the ECM Batt fuse. Where do I find the ECM Batt fuse? Would this be the same as the PCM fuse in the panel?

I thinking of changing the plugs anyway.

Thanks.

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

If it's a flash memory computer, it will be called PCM. If your scanner clears codes, that will take care of it.

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Thanks Ed. Yes, I pulled the PCM fuse. Did as you said. Switched the key on for a short time, switched back off, replaced the fuse. Plugged in my scanner and it's clear of codes. Car still runs crappy, LOL! I clumbsily;sic;) removed the injector clips, being old and very brittle, a couple broke and I need to fish out the clips. Pulling #'s 1 & 4, the car still runs, pulling #'s 2 & 3, the car starts to die. Have I got a couple of dead or clogged injectors?

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

That would be hard to answer. If you have a local shop with a bench top injector cleaner I would pull them to have them cleaned. The better machines can also flow test them. Have you looked at the spark plugs yet?

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Don't know of a shop that can do this, yet? I pulled the plugs earlier in the week. They had the tan/grayish color of normal running plugs. They did appear very "wet" on the bottom threads. It's been started numerous times since then, who knows. A new set, once I determine the injector problems, will be in order.


Wonder if spraying the throttle body, I've dislodged some gunk? The rough running started after I did that. Looks like I have more work ahead of me.

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

Good chance you did, most likely coated the plugs with that crap you sprayed in the throttle body. Screw a set of plugs in it, and your dead cylinders will probably go away.

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

Bob
Could be coil pack for 1-4 is bad. By removing the injectors in the firing cylinders (2-3) and the motor tried to die you still don't know why 1-4 aren't firing. Since the two dead cyls are paired on the coil pack it almost seems more likely its that. If it was say 1-2 that wern't firing you could rule out coil packs

I think Autozone can test coil packs

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Could be, strange that it happened when spraying the throttle body. Coincidences happen all the time.
Lots of shops with bench top injector cleaners/flow testers. I have mine done each winter. I numbered mine. I take an index card, numbered blanks 1 through 8, and Steve at Bob Creitz's old shop cleans, flow them and fills in the blanks. Sometimes he has to hit one or two a second time to get them back where they were. Money well spent with an EFI car.

Re: Pure Stock-1995 Olds Achieva
 

Point taken, but if Autozone will test for free I am thinking eliminate one possibility...

By the way, Robert and I appreciate all the help! This thing is driving us nuts