I have just purchased a 94 FD with approx. 66,000 miles on it bone stock. The car has never had an engine rebuild and the most major problem it has had was a faulty power steering pump. I am planning to use my car as a daily driver and plan to make frequent trips every week which are approximately 150 miles one way from where I live. My only and main concern is the longevity and reliability of the car. I am not interested in building a race car. I have done some research via the internet and I have read up on the "reliability mods" and have already ordered an aluminum AST, a downpipe, and a Fluidyne radiator and plan to install these parts this weekend. I am also considering a Blitz stock mount intercooler and efini y-pipe. Will these parts help the engine last longer? If not, any suggestions? Will I also have to purchase the Apexi power FC/commander with the addition of these mods? Your input is GREATLY appreciated!

 

There have been many posts like this in the past. Try using the search feature it will help you out greatly. Congratulations on the purchase.
- Steiner

 

Well they certainly won't hurt your engine, but 66K miles on an original engine could be getting up there ... or it could just be a great engine. Basically here's what you're doing with each of the things you're considering, and possible "negative" side effects:

Aluminum AST: preventing a nice coolant leak and overheating

Downpipe: reducing underhood temps by removing precat, lowering spooling time, but also making the car a little vulnerable to boost spikes

Fluidyne radiator: lowering engine temps, good thing ... decreasing chance of detonation

BLITZ SMIC: lowering intake air temps, but more dense air also needs more fuel ... slightly increasing the chance of running lean

Efini Y: decreasing boost leak, but then again you'll be delivering boost more reliably so fuel delivery is an issue again

You probably want to consider doing the "hose job." With the things you're considering, you definitely don't need the Power FC. It's for more advanced stuff ... or so A'PEXi would like to make people think. You'll likely be fine on the stock ECU, but a minor ECU upgrade certainly wouldn't hurt. You're basically making the engine run a little cooler and your boost delivery be a little more healthy, so proper fuel delivery is the concern. Replace the fuel filter and perhaps have your injectors cleaned and you're good to go.

 

A agree do the hose job next
also get a water temp and boost gauge these are really important
I don't think you need an intercooler or the y pipe right now.
The next things you should think about are a turbo timer and intake. The intake will help get colder air into the motor. I would also say catback but you may not like that since it will be louder.
If you don't want to get a turbo timer I suggest sitting in the car for a couple minutes after you drive it hard. I let my timer run for a minute even after I baby the car every time I park.
I would also get an ecu but you have to think about what your plans are for the car. If you aren't ever going to want tons of power I would go with one of the cheaper ecus that are preprogrammed. If you are going to want more performance the pfc is the only way to go.
Just try to look ahead and see what your plans are for the car.

good luck looks like you are totally on the right track

 

Thanks for the great info guys! I was wondering who sells pre-programmed ECU or where can I get one re-programmed?

 

Actually I have to disagree with the hose job. If you are not having boost problems I would just leave them be and replace them in a few years when the engine goes.

 

I agree.

I would also add that if you are just using the car as a daily driver and don't have/want any need for serious performance..... I would skip the upgraded IC and stay with the stock ECU.

If you do that, heat will be your only worst enemy and there are many things you can do to help it out. Don't forget the fan mod and I would recommend a vented hood.

 

Rated R1 that's also a good idea but I was thinking by now his are probably needing to be replaced since the ones that can move around are probably cracked and it is hot in SC. But if you don't notice and problems then I would also leave them until you need to rebuild the motor. Hopefully with all these rel mods you are adding it will last another 66k miles that would be awesome!!
Be nice to the car and do all the smart things like reliablity and all other maintenance on it and then actually use the car. A lot of people do these things and never get all the fun out of the car and it dies on them any way. Take care of it and also have lots of fun with it. It enjoys a good thrashing every once in a while

I have the Pettit unlimited boost ecu it lets you run up to 14.7 psi which with all bolt ons and port should get you over 300rwhp. It bumps the timing and makes your car run really rich. Since you drive a lot I would not reccomend this one because I am getting about 12mpg on the highway going 75mph and not boosting at all. With the powerfc you can get a lot more power out of your car since you won't be running rich and you will also increase your gas mileage a lot. You can get the powerfc without the commander for 800 and I believe the pettit ecu that I have is 750 so the power fc is really worth it. There are a lot of other ones like the m2 ecu and I forget a few others. Basically the power fc is the best out there right now its just the money that it costs
search for ecus and you will come up with a lot

 

Not as really part of the set-up per se, but also remember to change your oil pretty frequently and add when necessary.

 

I have the $ for the PFC and I think that it would be a very good investment for now and in the future in case I want to do future mods. How will I know how to program it accordingly with my mods? Let's say if I decide to get a cat-back exhaust?

 

dude you NEED the pfc for the mods you are wanting. your gonna be running very dangerously with those mods. . . wait you have a stock exhaust. . . remember that the downpipe replacement is also a reliability mod. youll need a pfc after that. i and others would say that the pfc (or some other stand-alone ems) should be the first mod. if you want to program it the RIGHT way you need to take it to a respectable dyno that has a wideband. . . and if a friend has a datalogit then that would be VERY beneficial.

paul

 

I would recommend that you put some cash aside for a possible rebuild... Adding mods can increase the chances of blowing your engine and if you throw all your money into mods and blow it... *shrugs* Hopefully you have plenty of miles left to go, I'm hoping the same for my own car (58k today), but you can never tell.

 

Don't overheat, don't run lean, and be very strict about maintenance (frequent oil, coolant and fuel filter changes) and you engine will last another 66,000 miles.

Good luck.