I am done playing games. Mark at Mazworx and Jay Meager both said I needed to change a few things back in 2020. They both also gave me some other suggestions. Those are getting implemented also. Moving on along.

Enjoy some old school music!!! I wouldn't let Nick tune my covered Wagon or my Radio Flyer. Just say NO!!! to SOHO.

I guess I am showing my age. LOL

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/..._AC_SX679_.jpg

I really don't want to get down and waller in the mud with the Pigs, so I will leave it at that.

Well, I guess I am wallering in the mud now.

When the SOHO intake was installed on my car, I got a call from Nick after he had it on the dyno. He said, "I think it can get it to hit 1000whp". I asked what the IAT's were. He told me 158 deg. What boost level, 29psi. I asked him to pull the car off the dyno and build me a proper intercooler. I told him what size I wanted. He said I didn't need it and but he would build me one like they build. I said OK. He then said it did something strange on the dyno and dumped at 7xxx rpms. I have the dyno graph for this. This is when the headgaslet was torched on cylinder 4. Mark had to take the MLS layers apart to see it. It was a small plasma cut on the inner layer. When I came and picked up the car I didn't drive it. My mistake of thinking it was right. When I brought it home and drove the car it had a bad stumble at 2800-3000rpms at partial throttle. I also noticed it was spitting coolant out the coolant reservoir. That was on the 17psi of boost setting, not even turned up. I thought I had overfilled it. I then went to Pocono, It keep spitting coolant out. Just a little bit at a time. Then the car overheated, I knew I had an air pocket and it was done. Headgasket problem. I parked the car, let it cool off, and bleed the cooling system out. Loaded it up on the trailer. I was pissed. I trailered the car straight home from Pocono. 14hr drive.

Next fiasco was taking the car back to them to install a pressure sensor to check for coolant pressure on the dyno. I bought a coolant pressure gauge and took the car to them. I ended up leaving the car so they could get it to work properly. The coolant pressure gauge wasn't the best of quality. They installed a sensor and hooked it up to the factory ECU with Ecutek. They got the readings and I came and picked the car up. Once I got home, I started having all kinds of drivability issues. The car started throwing O2 codes for bank 1 sensor 1. I installed new O2 sensors, new spark plugs, and it never corrected the issue. I unplugged the coolant pressure sensor and the car ran OK. The factory ECU was not having it. I had only driven the car a couple of times. I basically parked it and only putted to town a few times every now and then. The car was still acting stupid. I didn't drive it much at all during this time and didn't get on it because I knew it was hurt.

Well, that is my story. Like it or not I am the one responsible for the car. I won't be using SOHO ever again. Needless to say that new SOHO intercooler did nothing. The IAT's were about the same. They actually got to 168 degs at Pocono. The AFR's were 13.8. Lean big time. That intercooler does not work. It is way too small. I did miss 5th gear at Pocono. Revved the dang thing to 91xx rpms. Marks valvetrain mods held like a champ. I have dual valve springs on intake and exhaust since I have 1mm larger valves. I don't recommend doing that. I had never ever done that before.

So, what got my headgasket? Hard to say, I have no data. From pulling the engine apart, it is not conclusive. What did happen is this. At 28psi of boost it made 996whp. At 29psi of boost it made 1004whp. The turbine side was done on my turbos. For it to stop making power like that I hit a drive pressure (E MAP) limit. The other thing was high IAT's. You don't need to go over 150 deg. That is the danger zone. Mine was well above that. I would have made more power at lower boost levels with the correct intercooler setup. The tuner didn't know where to stop trying to make power. Nick at SOHO is just as guilty as what he claimed about someone else during the latest fiasco.

Glad you are sharing your recounts. I hate spending the proper $ and time, but still not getting the proper product. Hopefully this time is the charm. Good luck sir.

I have been holding this in for quite some time. I just want to be done with it and move forward. I would have switched over to a VR38 but I am too far down this rabbit hole. I might as well figure it out or get humbled again.

3rd mod that has never been done before is in the works. 2nd was done the other day. You will just have to wait and see what these are later. That's if MA posts them.

Mod #3 is done. Moving on.

Can I suggest that you look to a PWR intercooler. If you have a design, they can make you one.

I sponsored a PWR radiator for a race 370Z as well (intended to cool 600hp but not 1000 so might be a bit under-spec'd). Happy if you email me (I think you have my email address - if not, PM me) and I'll provide details.

PWR work with F1 on cooling systems (intercoolers, battery and ICE cooling as well)

We are kicking around ideas now. I will let you know.

Made the decision to custom build a large one. It will be less stressful this way so I know it fits. May have to break out the Sawzall. LOL