GM Service Manual

Today I received the GM Service Manuals for my ’09 G8 GT!

Some may think that $150 is too much for a manual, but the amount of information that are in these books is just shocking. At first I thought they made a mistake and sent me more than one… stacked upon each other they are almost a foot thick! There is enough information in these books to take my car apart and put it back together again.

Looking inside there are very detailed descriptions and figures for everything. I really wished I had these when doing my GPS install… the manuals show the proper way to remove each of the pieces, where all of the clips are on all the panels (including the hidden pin that caused me to break a piece).

I’m sure I’m going to get a bunch of use out of these in the future!

Wiper Blades & Rain-X

I finally had enough! The driver’s side windshield wiper on my G8 (and many others as well) has been leaving about a 3″ streak directly in my field of view. It has been doing this for almost the entire time I’ve owned the car, but since it rains so little in California it’s not been top on my list to work on.

The recent week of rain has been getting to me, and I became fed-up with the streaking. When the wiper went up it was great, but it was the downward pass (the one that should make things perfect) that was a problem. Because of this I had to run the wipers faster than I’d like just to maintain visibility.

I went to the dealer to order the re-designed set of wiper blades (they should be here tomorrow, given they make it over the Sierra’s with all the bad weather). I’ll see if the work will be covered under warranty (the parts guy suggested it), but if not it’s not that expensive.

The other thing I did today was apply a few coats of Rain-X to the front windshield. I’ve never used the product before, but I’ve heard lots of good things about it.

After a good cleaning I applied the first coat, let it haze-up, and buffed it clear. I could really tell the difference in the way the towel slid over the glass after even one coat. I then repeated the application just for good measure.

When I went out for dinner it was raining lightly and able to see the difference the Rain-X made… WOW! When driving the rain just shot up the window… it reminds me of the ‘starry night’ screen saver. The wiper blades moved quickly and smoothly across the glass and there was absolutely zero streaking. When it stopped raining it was obvious the difference between the windshield (no drops at all) and the other windows on the car. I really want to put an application on my rear window, as when it rains there are always water drops that never seem to go away, and the other glass.

$300 later and the G8 is fixed

Cutting to the chase… when I installed my Volant CAI I started a chain reaction that resulted in where I am today.

The problem ended-up being a damaged wire harness leading to the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor. The wire was damaged when it came in contact with a pulley on the front of the engine. The resulting damage caused a short and damaged the fuse block. The second time the car died the fuse block wasn’t damaged, but the PCM (ECM?) went into a fail-safe mode (not letting the car restart).

To fix things the damaged harness was repaired and the PCM was re-programmed. The new harness is shorter and is being routed in a different position such that it will not contact the pulley.

So the problem is solved, but it wasn’t (really) covered under warranty. What am I talking about? Well, the car is covered under warranty, but only against factory issues. Installing after-market equipment (like the cold air intake) starts to get into the gray areas of warranties. Because the damage was caused due to the install of the CAI, it wasn’t covered… but the dealership worked with me and only charged me for the parts that were replaced ($300).

I tested out the car in the acceleration department on the way home and there is definitely a stock tune in the ECM. I haven’t been able to determine if the TCM was re-programmed as well. I would tune the ECM again, but (thinking they were being nice) the dealer filled-up the car with half-a-tank of 87 octane (Yuck!). Looks like I’ll have to burn-off what is in the tank before I can get things back the way I really want them.

In the end, I’m actually kinda glad that there was something that was fixed. When they first said that it was ‘just the fuse block’ and that everything would be OK… I still had some doubts that everything was going to be OK. Knowing that there was something broken (the MAF sensor harness) that was repaired gives me greater confidence that there will not be a problem in the future.

DashHawk Installed

I just finished making a custom bracket for installing a DashHawk in my G8.

I really like the way it looks from the driver’s seat. It is clearly readable, and doesn’t block the view of the road. I thought about ways to mount the DashHawk on/around the stereo, but it seemed like it would just get in the way. When the DashHawk and mounting hardware are removed all that is visible is a small ball. The bracket mounts behind the side panel to the dash using two factory screws.

The custom bracket was a fun project. Over the last few weeks I was able to make a template out of cardboard, transfer it to sheet metal, and form the sheet metal to conform to the side of the dash. I ordered a Pro-Fit VMS G3 bracket for a Toyota 4Runner that I figured could be modified to work with the bracket that I was making. It required some drilling (the metal was really tough), cutting, grinding, and re-shaping before being riveting to my bracket.

I still have a little work, like painting the little bit of exposed metal, and it should be good to go. I’ve posted some information on the G8 Boards and other are interested in the bracket I made. Looks like I’ll have to get some details for people if they decide they want to make something similar.

Merry Christmas

Christmas this year was very good for the G8!

Started off with a new sign for the parking spot (not that I can actually put it up in the parking garage):

The next thing I received was a large ‘old fashion’ Pontiac Service sign:

This is a really great, heavy, metal sign. It would be perfect in a garage, but like the parking sign I just can’t put it up in the parking garage. I think in the future I’m going to give my loft/office a complete automotive theme. I have some great motorsports memorabilia (like the spark plugs out of Tony Schumacher’s Championship winning Top Fuel Dragster) that will work nicely to fill-out the shelves/walls.

I purchased a helmet for when I go to the track/strip, but I didn’t purchase a bag for it. For Christmas I was given a great bag from Summit (along with some t-shirts, hats, and stickers). It’ll be great to not have to worry about dropping (and damaging) my helmet going to/from the car.

My Grandfather went through his basement and found several old Pontiac dealer awards he won… and he passed them on to me! It’s really cool having some of these old Pontiac plaques and stuff. More really great stuff for the office.

One of the Christmas presents from my parents was a custom Buillet Prototypes Catch Can.

This will be installed into the line that returns oil (from somewhere) into the intake manifold. The LSx engines are notorious for getting oil coating the intake… and the catch can will (like the name implies) catch it. I got a black anodized version with the knurled base and black fittings. I could have gotten something more flashy, but I’m not a person for under-hood ‘bling’.

The big present that I received this Christmas was a DashHawk!

The DashHawk is a gauge cluster, performance monitor, data logger, and all-around great thing to have. When I had troubles with my car after installing the headers, it was a DashHawk that told me what the CEL was for (misfire) and even what cylinder were giving the problems. It then cleared the codes and everything. I’m really looking forward to the gauges… being able to monitor things like Intake Air Temperatures (IAT), Spark Retard, Oil Pressure, and any other parameter that the ECU monitors.

It was a really great Christmas (not just because of the gifts)… I can’t wait to get everything installed on the G8!

GPS Silver Trim Upgrade

One of the problems with being an early adopter of technology (etc.) is that you often times don’t get the perfect final product. Being the second person in the US to get the trim kit (the first outside of JHP) meant that the parts that I received were what was available at the time… a black center trim piece. While I’ve never disliked the way it looked, the silver trim piece that has been made available more recently looks better.

I finally decided to order the silver trim piece from Crazy Paul’s (there is just something hard to stomach about spending a total of $65 on a little piece of plastic). I popped-off the black piece and put the silver one in place, but quickly found that the ‘stock’ piece needed some modification to fit flush with the rest of the trim. I tried using tape to hold things in place, but decided that the best method (and the same one that JHP used) was to heat and bend the plastic a little. After some delicate work with a torch the new trim piece fit perfectly!

I also took the opportunity to change out the inserts on the vent nobs to the silver ones that came with the stock G8. While it’s just a little piece of trim, I think the silver upgrade really makes things look like they would have come from the factory.

Bluetooth Upgrade

One of the downsides of getting the 2009 G8GT, rather than the 2009.5 version, was the lack of factory Bluetooth. There have been a few different options out there for adding Bluetooth to the G8, but none of them were really a ‘factory’ option.

The first phone option is to just use the OnStar phone service, but that requires paying a per-minute rate for the car. While I played with this on my free trial, and really liked the quality, the cost is totally prohibitive. I pay for a cell phone minutes, why pay for my car to have more?

The second option would have been to get the Garmin 765 GPS unit (rather than the 755) that has Bluetooth. This would allow me to use my cell phone hands free, but it doesn’t allow me to use my car’s phone related equipment/controls. I would have also needed to modify the dash pieces to allow the GPS unit’s mic to clearly hear my voice.

A near-factory option is BlueStar, which replaces the factory OnStar box with a new piece of hardware. This system would connect with my phone and allow me to use all of the factory hardware (mic, speakers, steering wheel controls, etc.). The biggest downside of this option is the removal of the OnStar box (and functions). I don’t really use many of the OnStar features, but I do want to keep the door unlocking and CEL/maintenance abilities.

So, what is the solution? A factory 2009.5 Bluetooth/OnStar box that is re-programmed for my VIN. Unfortunately, GM is not allowing people to order new boxes unless they already have a 2009.5 vehicle. Some people have been able to find these from wrecked/scrapped vehicles, but they are very hard to come-by. Today White Automotive & Media Services was able to obtain a very limited number of brand new VCIM modules (they are already sold-out), which they re-programed to plug-and-play with my G8!

It will be very nice to no longer need my sucky Bluetooth ear piece to be ‘hands-free’ when driving. I really can’t wait for this to show-up!

UPDATE: Due to technical difficulties, the order was canceled. Oh well, maybe something like this will come-up in the future. I know that it is a mod that I really want to get done!

Full-Sized Spare Tire

One of the really weird things about the G8 GT is that it does not come from the factory with a spare tire. Seriously, there is no spare tire! While there is an air compressor with ‘foam’, I’ve not been too impressed with the idea. It’s a bit hard for foam to repair a tire that goes out at speed on the freeway.

I purchased a used OEM 19″ wheel and tire to use as a full-sized spare. I’m also getting a space saver jack/tool kit that will all fit into the rear tire well. While the added weight isn’t going to help fuel economy, there is something about having a REAL tire to use as a spare.

GXP Rear Diffuser

I installed the GXP Rear Diffuser on the G8 tonight. Really a simple install… just pull out four plastic plugs and un-clip the old piece. Transfer the reflectors and pop the new diffuser onto the car. Total time maybe 30 minutes. Really a great mod for those looking for something simple that adds a little extra to the view from the rear.

Header Problem!

There is a problem with the headers. Turns out the sound that what I was hearing when turning was real… it appears the steering shaft is coming in contact with the driver’s side header. It only happens at a few points, and is more pronounced when accelerating on right turns (I think because the engine is shifting towards the shaft).

I was really worried that the shaft was putting force on the header causing an exhaust leak at the block or the mid-pipe. I checked all the bolts to make sure things were tight and it doesn’t seem there is any ‘slop’ for something to flex. I’ve also driven around with people listening from outside the car and they couldn’t hear anything (like would happen with an exhaust leak). Fortunately, it appears that the the steering shaft is only transmitting sound into the driver’s compartment… which is annoying, but shouldn’t be fatal.

I have contacted JBA and will be really interested in what they suggest doing. I wouldn’t mind putting a little dent in at the point where things are contacting, but that would require getting the car up in the air again (which I don’t have the tools for) and removing the driver’s side header/mid-pipe. If something can be fixed by adjusting motor mounts that might work, but I don’t have that ability either.

I will be sure to update everyone on how this goes…