1994 Pontiac Trans Am Spark Plug & Battery Upgrade - Back On Track

After the timing cover is removed, the timing gear is taken off with a 13mm socket and a puller.

It took some time, but eventually the gears on the crank and cam were liberated.

Unfortunately, the water-pump drive gear was frozen on, and with no way to get better leverage without causing damage, we decided to leave well enough alone.

The dowel pin on the cam went MIA somewhere in the process of removing the timing cover, which had broken off as the main gear was flapping about after the bolts backed themselves out of the cam. The threads on the screws, which were holding it in place, were mostly ground down, as you can see here. We are not exactly sure how this happened, given that the cam and timing set are bone stock and so most likely have never been out of the car. Since the timing set greatly affects ignition timing, we thought we found our elusive pink elephant.

The oil pan gasket needs to be replaced prior to installing the new timing set and cover. The front edge of the oil pan (where it meets the timing cover) needs to be resealed with a gasket maker, as well.

A new dowel pin for the cam was provided by Golen Engine Service, and hammered into the cam with a mallet before the timing set slid into place and bolted down. The water-pump drive gear requires 9 ft-lbs of torque and blue Loctite on the Torx T27 screw, while 21 ft-lbs is good for the new Grade 8 0.5-inch bolts Perez purchased for the cam gear. The bottom crank gear is hammered onto the snout with a mallet and brass chisel.

Replacing the oil pan gasket gave us the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, as the Formula was due for an oil change anyway. The 100,000-mile bearings were treated to some Royal Purple 5W30 (and a fresh K&N oil filter), for their tireless service (knock on wood). When we finally got the 'Bird back on the road with the new valvesprings and timing set, it was surprising to learn that the high-rpm hesitation or misfire was still present--though the car ran a whole lot smoother.

Later we discovered that there was an installation issue with the March underdrive crank pulley and balancer that TTP Performance fixed with fresh bolts in just a few minutes. Once the March/stock balancer assembly was correctly installed, the knock retard was finally gone.

After leaving TTP's Passaic Park, NJ, shop with the Formula, we headed down to South Amboy, NJ, to strap the Formula down to the dyno we used before-Crazy Horse Racing's Dynojet. The dyno quantified what was obvious by the seat-of-the pants feel, which was a respectable 288.6 hp and 311.3 lb-ft of torque. Since the last clean dyno pull the Formula made before the headers, rockers, underdrive pulleys, and ignition was 265.5 hp and 297.5 lb-ft of torque, this meant the LT1 had picked up another 23.1 hp and 13.8 lb-ft at the wheels. Next time we'll show you how we plan to get that added power to the rear wheels and down the track.