LOUD exhaust backfire after head/cam install....????

[phat_ridegt]

LOUD exhaust backfire after head/cam install....???? SOLVED

so im working on a buddies truck its an 05 4x4 gmc truck. we swapped in a low mile 5.3 that i put a 220r cam, and prc stage 2.5 cnc heads. also put pacesetter lt headers. currently its setup open headers because i need to get it to the exhaust shop to mate it all up. every time i start the truck it backfires like a shotgun.

i know its open headers but ive never ran into this before. I don't have a base tune in the truck because i can't even get it running long enough to do anything with it. i dont have much experience tuning ls motors. anyone have any suggestions on what to change right off the bat? stock intake and injectors for now. my concern is i'll tow it to the exhaust shop and then still wont be able to drive it home.....

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[Eagle]

Sure the timing chain is in the right place?

 

[phat_ridegt]

i didnt degree the cam i just installed it straight up...im 99.99% its lined up. ill go back and look at my pictures

 

[Eagle]

Sounds to me like it might be off a tooth... but I could be wrong.

 

[1quick]

are the ls motors supposed to be #1 at tdc when you install them straight up, ive seen someone line it up dot to dot and forget to do the tdc part before on the v6's

 

[phat_ridegt]

yes #1 was tdc when i installed it.

 

[Eagle]

Yep, #1 @ TDC and the dots pointing towards each other between the gears.

 

[1quick]

ground connection? i had a bad back fire/ miss and a high idle with a shitty ground once

 

[phat_ridegt]

never thought of that....wonder if the one ground strap on the drivers rear head ever made it back on?

 

[1quick]

you can throw a couple of those test wires with the clips from a motor bolt to the body and find out real quick

 

[Eagle]

never thought of that....wonder if the one ground strap on the drivers rear head ever made it back on?

That ground SUCKS!

 

[phat_ridegt]

you can throw a couple of those test wires with the clips from a motor bolt to the body and find out real quick

yeah ill do that when i get back to the shop

 

[phat_ridegt]

just double checked the timing pics its good

 

[ktraver97ss]

I remember my LT1 backfiring like that after doing LTs, before hooking the catback up.

 

[Eagle]

There's a difference between an exhaust "pop" and a full on backfire. Not being able to keep it running also made me wonder on the timing chain. Let's hope its the simple ground issue.

 

[phat_ridegt]

yes this is a full blown backfire that sounds like a shotgun! working on the ground now

 

[ktraver97ss]

ooops didnt read that he couldnt keep it running.

 

[phat_ridegt]

installed that ground strap and a new battery terminal bolt (which was stripped) and it seemed to run a tad better but it still backfired and stalled. it starts back up but just wont fire. smells like raw fuel. think im going to tow it over to the exhaust place next week and get that finished up and see what happens. fml lol

 

[phat_ridegt]

so ive been talking with jim at speedinc, and he said the tune shouldnt stop it from running with stock maf and injectors. so i decided to hold the throttle open a bit and when its over 1300ish rpms, it runs fine. no backfiring at all. its picking up a misfire on one cylinder so im going to solve that first but it seems maybe the misfire in combination with the open headers is my problem......hmmmmmm

 

[phat_ridegt]

fwiw

1

 

[Turbocharged400sbc]

LT's are the potato gun for unburned air/fuel

 

[Shibby50]

Put something on after the headers. I found out the hard way you need at least "10 of tubing after the o2 sensors or they read the air coming in the other way. It ran fine for a min. Took it to the track and barely got it off the trailer. It would idle fine around like 1-1300 anything over it was shit and if I let off it would die. Put the mid pipe on and all was right in the world.

 

[Shibby50]

Unless the rear o2s are shut off or tuned for

 

[Gone_2022]

Hook the exhaust up first..... Then I am guessing it has not been tuned yet? If not the car may die as soon as it tries to go into closed loop. Same thing happened with my Camaro. Ran ok during warm up open loop. As soon as the warm up cycle completed boom it would die.

 

[Gone_2022]

Btw. Those 2.5 prc heads change the engine compression as well as they have the larger intake and exhaust valves. Changing the compression could be your issue right there without a tune or degreeing your cam