LA3 swap

[Chuck]

Factory RPM fuel cut for the LA3 is 6500, same as PE.

I'm sure that plays a part too.

So fuel is cut OFF at 6500? Wow, what a rev limiter concept.

[SvoRoLo]

Also unplug the knock sensor if you keep the inline intake with an la3 or pe ecu. It will pull a timing much more as the ecu is designed for a later style square intake.

[NavySVO]

Also unplug the knock sensor if you keep the inline intake with an la3 or pe ecu.

Umm, no, don't. Get a square style intake and run the car safely.

[Alex L]

Umm, no, don't. Get a square style intake and run the car safely.

and that requires a lot more work then swapping injectors and moving 6 pins. i started down this road when i did my swap, got to the fuel lines, threw my hands up in the air, and put the inline intake back on. been running that way ever since. then again, my engine isnt the quietest thing in the world, and the stock computer would pull timing across the rev band.. next time the fuel line tool makes its rounds, ill likely pull off the intake and swap over.

i did notice that the ranger roller would ping with the la3 until i pulled a few deg of timing up top around 2-4krpm/2 load. with the 1.9 cam, airflow doesnt pick up till 4k, keeping the load low enough to keep the stock timing tables (so far).

[Alex L]

Technically, that's called being lazy. Sometimes referred to as doing things half-azz'd.

Just sayin'...

and id agree with ya

[NavySVO]

and that requires a lot more work then swapping injectors and moving 6 pins.

This may be true, but swapping to the square style is cheaper than replacing engine internals.

It is especially cheaper when it is not your car to start with and you recommend defeating a feature that is incorporated to protect the engine from being destroyed from detonation (refering to quote below). If someone wants to run with the knock sensor unplugged, then that is fine, it's their car. I just don't think it is cool for someone to recommend it as a "normal" way to operate the car.

Also unplug the knock sensor if you keep the inline intake with an la3 or pe ecu.

[svobud]

Umm, no, don't. Get a square style intake and run the car safely.

You speaking from personal experience or theory because you like the concept of a knock sensor for someone who cant keep their car in a good state of tune?

My personal experience, the inline intake makes more TQs. I 'safely' ran my stock inline (KS unplugged) on my old 85 9L for years with a LA3 before I sold it. 288rwhp/365lb rwtq - stock turbo, 35lbers, head/cam, FMIC, exhaust.

[Alex L]

for a daily driven car, most definitely do it right and swap intakes. its definitely not 'normal', but swapping ECUs isnt considering 'normal' if you do X (swap LA3), and dont do Y (swap intakes), you must do Z (remove KS) otherwise, it will run like crap.

has anyone actually figured out the difference in KS program between the square and inline intakes? is it possible to alter the LA3 bin to take a knock sense input form an inline intake?

[NavySVO]

You speaking from personal experience or theory because you like the concept of a knock sensor for someone who cant keep their car in a good state of tune? .

I am speaking from experience, and also speaking out for the fact that someone should not throw out blanket recommendations without also speaking of the reprocussions of said recommendation.
Yes, the inline has the torque benifits, and can be used with the LA3. Torque numbers are also what moves the car......HP numbers just sells the car.

[svobud]

I am speaking from experience, and also speaking out for the fact that someone should not throw out blanket recommendations without also speaking of the reprocussions of said recommendation.

What car did you do a LA3/intake swap?

[SvoRoLo]

The reason I did it the "half-azz way" was because I never noticed the extra hole in the head till just a month ago. I always thought that you had to drill out a hole but another local svo owner pointed out that my head actually did come with the extra hole even though it was an inline from birth(at least from what i know). Also when I bought the la3 swap kit mine didn't come with the egr tube. Keeping the knock sensor connected (on an la3/pe swap with inline intake) would pull more timing on an inline intake than it would on a square style intake because the locations of the knock sensor on both intakes are different and the ecu is designed to hear knocking in a certain location depending on what intake the ecu is designed for.

But I do apologize for not mentioning that running without a knock sensor can be dangerous, especially if you don't know what knocking sounds like. As for the intake I'm waiting for the new one Bo is coming out with.

[Chuck]

So now that I'm in the LA3 club, what did I gain? I'm going to have to sell my wife on an 8.8 swap so I'd better know all about the recent LA3 swap. It DOES seem to run stronger after the swap.

[indiana dave]

I run an LA3, 35#ers and inline intake. I unplugged my knock sensor long ago beforethe LA3 swap, because with the big exhaust, and urethane tranny mounts, and al the rattles my car had, it was picking up too much that wasn't actually detonation. I've been running it this way for ten years. I rarely have my stereo on, so keep an ear open for detonation. Since installing the Kirban AFPR, I've never had a detonation issue.
Now that I have new rubber enging and tranny mounts, and have fixed most of the rattles, I ought to plug the knock sensor back in to see what it does.... When I have the gas tank back in that is. LOL

[Alex L]

So now that I'm in the LA3 club, what did I gain?

Bigger injectors (vs 84). Faster ECU. Slightly different timing maps/tune. J3 port.

[Desi]

Talk about making a guy paranoid...I've got an LA3 in mine with an inline intake, I found the sensor and it's unplugged...if I reatatch it what will that do/cause, vs leaving it off?
I'm still new at the 2.3t buisness...now, I DO have a square style intake I was eventually going to install, but whats this about an extra hole in the head?