Saturn Vue ecomod thread
 

Since Im starting to really get into ecomodding my Slowpoke Vue. I thought it was a good Idea to start one thread and post all my ecomods here rather than all over the forums.

So I just finish my Warm air intake, not 100% satisfied with to way iy looks. I will changé the Black Tape for aluminium foil Tape other than that Im going on the road now to test it, so I'll post the results when Ill get home.

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Redid my Wai and tested it.

It is 42 degrees outside right now and I can't seem to get my intake temps upwards of 60 degrees. The Wai that the air right above the exhaust manifold.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-be...-wai-v-2-0.jpg

Kinda woried right now cause outside temps will get downwards of -15 this winter.

Another thing that bothers me is that, even with my front end completly blocked off, my coolant temp wont get to 232, it looks stuck at 205 and were still on the plus side températures.

Any hint or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

What are all the mods you have so far?

I ask because there is possibility that colder air from outside is getting into the engine bay through the bottom of the car. This could negate the wanted WAI effect and keep the engine running cooler. Or your car could have really good cooling ducting.

IMO, the solution would be a front belly pan the finish sealing off your engine bay.

To get your wai temps up you'll want to add a shroud of sorts. Right now you're getting air in the vacinity of your manifold. Try to pull air in such a way that, all the air gets drawn along very near to the manifold. Imagine you want to build a heat shield for your manifold, and then you take the air from the gap between.

Have you closed off the original inlet to the air box, so that all of your air comes through the wai? Is the intake air temp sensor still located in the air stream?

If you're successful in getting hotter air, I wouldn't trust tape to hold up, and would be curious about the source of the added plastic parts. That could be a reason to leave it as is. I built one that could add some good heat on the highway, but when I got stuck in some traffic it was too much- temps in the 150s and massive knock retard. So to go very far you'll want to have some sort of adjustability, or mix valve.

The others have given good advise on the WAI. I'd like to ask why you want to increase your coolant temp so high? 205 is probably where your radiator fan comes on to protect the engine and thats why you won't see temps above it. If you're hovering around 205 a lot your fan is probably running a lot and thats not really a desirable thing.

In fact my fan comes on at 220.

Earlier today I remove the passenger side mirror and changed the driver side mirror for a smaller motorcycle mirror.

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I just finished my 1St version belly pan. Sculpted à coroplast sheet to fit my truck's subframe shape and attached it with a couple of zipties.

I found out the truck's underneat is everything but flush and aerodynamic. All sorts of holes and shapes where wind gets in.

Next summer I'll rent à lift and do real eye candy stuff, Im still testing.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-be...-belly-pan.jpg

Went on a short road test to see it my Wai temps would stay higher. The truck was standing still for an hour when I departed.

Light trafic - Iat 103 Ect 194
35mph - Iat 90 Ect 205
Highway - Iat 82 Ect 200
City trafic - Iat 110 Ect 218

Better temps but its still in the 50s outside, I wanted to get the temps higher than that because Im sure we'll see temps lower of -15.

I'll have to make a shroud of some kind to get into the 120-130 intake temps.

What do y'all think?

Is yours a 5 speed manual?

I like the Vue and test drove one. I would have considered buying it, had it not had the worst damn shifter I have ever experienced. 1st gear was all but impossible to engage. I have read that others complained about it, but, I could not believe how bad it was.

Yeah the shifter is a pita! It likes it rough, everytime I "powershift" keeping the gaz pedal to the floor its shift flawlessly but when I shift slowly, there is a disdinct cluck clunck between gears. Its mainly because the synchronisers arent brass but more like the friction material you find on automatic transmission clutches, proog is, this Manual transaxle requires ATF. Wtf!!

After 2 years driving the Vue I got use to it but... I lose it from time to time. Other then the kinda cheap materials quality, I really love that truck, indestructible reliability, really Nice fuel economy.

I finally found the roof trims without the racks. It cost a wooping 40$ at my local car scrap yard. A monstrous 8$ for washers and pitch for the installation.

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Nice clean roof without ugly chromed roof rails. Hope I will see some results, but my driving is mainly city milage.

Now, all there is left I to do is,

Redo my belly pan, but this time try to fully close the engine bay
Make Wai shroud for hotter intake temps
Redo my mirror covers without the use of Tape for better look
Injection kill switch for Eoc
Lowering the truck's suspension (costly)
Weight réduction but I have no Idea where to save

If you cover the front with your hand its got a LandRover Defender kind of vibe to it:thumbup: Smooth!

Redid my belly pan yesterday. I took à bigger coroplast piece and sculpted it to match all the engine bay openings. Now it goes from the front bumper to the end of the frond subframe.

Couldnt close the back of the engine bay because the exhaust downpipe and catalytic converter are there. I dont like coroplast near thèse things, I dont want my truck to catch fire.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-be...y-pan-v2-0.jpg

Question: Why all my other pictures gone?

I ordered Lowering springs for the Vue! It states -2.5in front -2in back and it remove a solid 2in from wheel arch gap.

The're in transit, cant wait to install them.

Your belly pan looks great, very smooth and flat! I also cannot wait to see the lowering springs installed and their effects.

It appears that your links are broken between your thread and album. I can still see the links when I go to edit your post with the pictures. I'm not sure what to do though??

Today I installed an injectors kill switch. Thanks to the forum, I used an how-to I found here.

Took a 5 pin Bosch style relay
A couple of male and female connectors
A monentary normally open switch
14ga wires
Some loom

I cut the injectors power wire. Connected the relay in. Then I connected the relay to a 15Amps fused 12v and to the switch. Finally I grounded the switch.

I started the truck, then I hit the switch and the engine stopped. Yaaayy it works.

Now I have a problem with the Ultragauge. When I kill the engine, it kills the Ug too. I changed a couple of settingd in the UG, now it shuts off for like 2 seconds and come back on.

Well, I'll have to test it out on the road to see if the UG stills monitors my Mpgs. I can't wait to see my Mpgs go up as lots of people told my the ks was the best ecomod to improve fuel economy by EOC. I will need to get use to it, because earlier, I forgot to restart the engine on two stop lights.

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Wires coming from injectors power wire.

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Relay location... Under the dash.


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The kill switch, when I was done, has since been taped to the shifter knob.

Used the switch today, the UG seems to lose comm with the ECU went the engine stops and it stops calculating distance, speed and fuel economy.

Another drawback, the use of the switch sets P0200 dtc and the result of this code is tha the ECU disables the use of the Cruise control. If I clear the dtcs, the Cruise control is enable again.

Kinda disappointed, because any fuel saving from the use of the kill switch wont appear on the UG.

I had the same problem with my UG, no combination of settings would get it to work correctly under EOC, which is why I recommend SGII (with EOC friendly Hybrid mode). I have the opposite problem though, in that I've managed to make UG stay on (recording distance), but it takes a few seconds after restart before it registers MPG again, so if I do only short pulses, I can drive forever on 999 MPG!

Just went out to see how much of a difference the kill switch made.

Did my test run in the city, so stop signs and stop lights. Since my UG shuts off if I coast in neutral and kill the engine, I coasted in fifth gear coming to a red light. Cant figure why, but my truck dosent seem to enter DFCO.

Really happy with the numbers... My little trip was about 1 mile long and I managed to pull out 29.5 mpg, which is pretty nice for a city run. My personnal best was 27mpg in a mixed run.

Well thats about it folks, Im way past my bedtime.

It looks like you renamed your album and that changed the url path. I updated your old posts to the new url for you.

FYI, you can always attach the images right to the post.

Nice work !

I had to really look to see if you had grille blockers on.

Any plans for gap fillers around those tires ? ( in 'stealth' flat black of course )

Great job there! I'd like to do the same but can't find wiring info on mine. The doors want to lock every time I start off from a light if I do EOC with the push button starter.

Sometimes I think the alternator or AC cycles on and keeps me out of DFCO.

For the wheel arch gap, I ordered lowering springs. They drop the front 2,5in and the back 2in which give the truck a 2in cut in the wheel arch gaps. I dont plan on filling the rest of the gaps... Dont really like the look it gives... But I bought wheel covers and I plan on going the pizza pan way.

As for Dfco, I cant figure why, but my truck never enters dfco.... NEVER! Between shifts, the engine takes some time slowing down. If I shift àt 2000RPM the engine will rev up to 2100-2200rpm before slowing down. I dont know why, but on Saturn forums people say its normal for a Saturn. Will have to work on this because I think it might hurt my fuel economy.

200kms in since the last fill and Im in the 30Mpgs area. Still room for improvement, got to get use to the kill switch use.

Yaaayy!!!

Def. interested in this thread. My wife drives a Saturn Vue as well. It’s been a rock solid vehicle and she consistently averages 25mpg+ (regularly gets 28 in warm weather) in mixed city/rural driving.

Couple things I’ve found:
-I can’t help but feel the shifter issues some have experienced are a problem with the cable or shifter mechanism. Her’s has never been an issue to get into/out of gear and shifting is never more than ever-so mildly ‘notchy’.

-The RPM ‘flare’ when shifting is caused by your hand/foot timing. The Vue has a somewhat laggy drive by wire system and you have to start releasing the gas pedal probably a ½ sec. earlier than you normally would with a manual trans. Every time I drive her car I have to remind myself to roll out of the gas before actually beginning to depress the clutch or else VAROOOM between every gear.

-Cold weather really makes the MPG’s plummet in these things so I’ve VERY interested in seeing the effectiveness of your WAI.

-Also interested if the lowering springs make any discernible difference. These things do sit pretty high and for no real good reason.


I’ve done some research and one major job I’d love to see someone get some results on is a 5th gear swap. The Vue uses the same Getrag F23 transmission as the Cavalier/Cobalt/HHR and an assortment of other small GM vehicles. The difference is though, the Vue has a 4.41 final drive (which it needs to get this portly thing going!) and a .81 5th ratio. All other versions got a super tall .69 5th and an assortment of final drives ranging from 3.84-4.17; all other ratios and internals are identical.
I considered a final drive swap but like I said, this thing is portly and I feel a taller final might actually hurt in-town mileage. However, the crummy .81 5th has it spinning 2600-2700 (indicated) at 60mph and I can’t help but feel that is simply too high for max hwy mpg’s. Rolling into the throttle at 60 shows there is PLENTY of grunt at those engine speeds leading me to believe lower cruise RPM’s would be beneficial here in the flatter portions of the country.
Anyway, it’s a major job that requires splitting the trans and swapping out a shaft or two (some of the gears are integral to the input/output/counter shafts). However, donor transmissions should be plentiful and cheap. I would just use a donor and swap out the final drive to the Vue’s 4.41 but I’ve heard there are minor external case differences, I haven’t been able to confirm this though. Still, when I go to replace the clutch I’ll probably tackle this as it would drop hwy RPM’s by about 15%.

Here is a picture of my rear diffuser that sits up right on my exhaust pipe (keep in mind, turbo engine)

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opposite side, you can see the coroplast has BARELY melted away
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Well my kill switch just went south!! On a red light engine off was not able to restart the engine on the Green Light!!

Will have to work on it tomorrow! I have no Idea what happen the engine was working fine when I killed it!!

Kinda pissed because my Mpgs were going up with it and now theyre taking a dive!!

Edit: Already fixed!! Couldnt wait till tomorrow!!

From the manual:

Getting impatient with the shipping of my springs!! Would really like to install them right away with my pizza pan wheel covers!

Other than that, Im eyeballing the spare tire and jack... Thinking bout buying à 12v compressor and "patching" fluid, might shave 20 to 30 pounds off the truck..

Looking into kamback, but I dobt think there is a lot to gain as I drive mostly in town... I lilke the post about the fifth gear swap but thats a big job... Looked into lightweight flywheel but dont know if it would help or hurt Mpgs...

Im getting crazy... My girlfriend is concerned.. Haha

There has been a error by shipping compagny with my springs, but everything is sorted out and I should receive them this week.

Installed my winter tires today along with my wheel covers. Went on a short trip just to see if they made any différence. Im sure Im crazy, but my average got from 28.33mpg to 28.86. Half a mile per gallon seems a lot to me for simple wheel covers.

Still waiting on the spring to reduce that gigantic wheel arch gap and maybe have a more aerodynamic ride.

Ordered LEDs all around the truck and Hids to maybe have a lower current consumption from the battery and alternator.

Um, I think that means you're ecomodding just right:cool:

Received my HIDs 6000k from VVME.

Must admit, I dont think there is a better kit out there for the price.

65$cad with relay kit shipping included and 2 years warranty, cant beat that.

All there is left to do is align them so I wont blind people on the streets.

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I just installed 8000k HIDs from Innovited. The difference is amazing to say the least. You'll love them if you do any night driving, especially out in the country. I am aiming mine in such way that it may aggravate oncoming traffic, but I'll see deer sooner since I drive 95% rural

Well most of my driving is in the city and on the highway. When I do drive on a rural road, there is not much deers around because there is still lots of houses.

I want ti realign them to shoot Slightly on the right side of the road and to be sure they are perfectly leveled with the horizon.

Is 8000k really that much more Blue than my 6000k?

Received and installed my springs today and I must admit Im kinda disappointed. Not that big of a difference.

BUT, since I had problems with shipping, I filled a complaint with Ebay's customer service and I just received the decision:

Full refund of original purchase price and shipping cost.

Free parts YAAAAAYYY!!!

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http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-be...ng-springs.jpg

So lowered suspension on the cheap!! Best bang for the buck!!! Hahaha

One day you'll sell something on eBay and some one who's obviously happy with what they received will lodge a complaint (there's no 'decision' ebay automatically finds in favor of the buyer) and you won't be so 'YAAAAAYYY!!! Hahaha ' about it. :mad:

It was an error from Ebay's global shipping center. I never ask for a full refund, I ask not to be charge the shipping cost. I repeatedly said it wasnt sellers fault and that he shouldnt have to pay for pitney bowes error.

The seller sent the package to pitney bowes and they ****ed it up when relabeling and the sent my package to a dude in London Ontario and I live in Montreal Québec. I was patient, I worked it out with the Guy and he sent me my package. I mearly ask ebay to pay the extra shipping charge and THEY sent me a courtosey refund.

They told me the seller was protected with the global shipping program and it was on them.

And finally, I will never sell anything on Ebay I always deal face to face so nothing can go wrong.

They're slightly bluer than 6000k HIDs. Here is a picture for comparison. It's not the best for seeing the color, but it is the only one I have ATM.

http://s26.postimg.org/ambessdqx/IMG...153502_844.jpg

Put some miles on your new springs and they will compress to the full drop. Gotta break them in! It looks great anyhow!

Remember to get an alignment soon. Go with zero toe for better rolling resistance:thumbup:

Im really surprised how there is nearly no camber at all! None in the front and maybe 1deg 2 at most in the rear.

I have macphersons in the front, and coil and shocks in the back dont know if toe is ajustable on the Vue!

The toe/camber will probably worsen as the spring break-in to their full drop. This is just a thought, as I don't know exactly what will happen!

My car has MacPhersons all the way around, and my brother's Dodge Ram has coil and shocks up front. Both of them are toe-adjustable :thumbup:

Toe-in will be adjustable because it is done by adjusting the steering linkage.

Well its been a week now since the installation of the new coils so I tought I would share my opinion.

So here is a little review:
Megan racing lowering springs Saturn Vue 02-07
Front drop 2.25"
Rear drop 2"
Front spring rate 196lbs
Rear spring rate 270lbs

Before installing the coils, the truck had a soft ride and I could barely feel any of the road bumps, but in turns it had lots of body roll and couldnt really stay on course in curves at high speeds.

Being a ride comfort freak, I was really scared it might screw with it. Right after the installation, I was kinda disappointed with the results in terms of ride height, but I couldnt feel any kind of road bumps, so I was pleased.

Its now been a week since I installed the coils and it seems BabyDiesel was right, as the truck is definetly lower now the coils are breaked in. Ride comfort is obviously stiffer and camber is also more noticable. I tested how the truck handles in curves and man it is not the same car, if it wasnt the winter tires, it holds in curves like its glued to the pavement.

As for hypermiling, I dont think its a coïncidence, but I just filled up and I managed to pull my best tank ever. The truck is much more stable at highway speeds and is a lot less affected by cross winds. Head winds are still hurting my ability to coast, but I feel the truck can coast much longer before I have to pulse again. So on highways, lowered suspension is definetly and upgrade in aerodynamics and not that much in the city.

With this fill I got 477km out of 32.829 liters wich represents 6.88L/100km = 34.188mpg.

Very much happy with this new look and feel of my Vue and really satisfied with my tanks milage.

Had to share!
Ben A.