Roush 511 problems - Page 3

Karl Bebout · #1 (**permalink**) 10-08-2008, 02:36 PM

Yo Fitz, the air cleaner wasn't the only "issue" you had with that engine, was it? Ha

greg schroeder · #2 (**permalink**) 10-08-2008, 05:01 PM

What computer is being used?

csx4910 · #3 (**permalink**) 10-08-2008, 06:50 PM

The air cleaner looks great on that car. Apparently it is only a problem on the csx cars since the superformance hood is a bit taller with a larger opening. If the intelligent engineers at Roush cannot figure something out I will be giving him a call. It sounds like enthusiasts that have a d" do what it takes attitude" can often trump an engineer. I had someone make me a set of the screens for the trumpets but that will only the leaves and the low flying rodents! To put any miles on the car I will have to have a filter system.

SandyC · #4 (**permalink**) 10-09-2008, 02:19 PM

The Roush guys who flew out here from the factory for this were able to consistently duplicate the issues I described with the engine, whew - intermittent problems are the worst. They ended up having to adust the timing, throttle bodies, fuel/air curves and the IAC (idle adjustment control) on my engine. Evidently they put about 50 miles on the car shaking it out and testing it with a computer on board monitoring the action in real time (hope they had fun

). Charlie says they now have the tuning dialed in and the engine runs great. They also had to replace the spark plugs before any adjustments were made because they found them fouled due the above being out of whack. The car now has close to 500 miles on it so I'm having the routine 500 mile check on it done where the oil filter is sliced open and the oil is analyzed. Assuming that doesn't show anything I will pick up the car tomorrow (Friday) morning and ride like the wind.

So again, hats off to Roush for their GREAT customer service -- just extraordinary. This was all done at no charge under warranty. I'm gonna give Todd Andrews at Roush a call and give him a thank you and a big verbal pat on the back. Anthem Motors came through on this too and were invaluable in their help, so a big thanks to John and Charlie at Anthem Motors too.

SandyC · #5 (**permalink**) 10-09-2008, 04:12 PM

Oops, I spoke too soon. After an analysis the Roush guys say the IAC servomotor is too small on their FE-EFI engines and they're going to change out those IAC's with new larger and improved ones. Evidently this servomotor gadget helps at startup and cold idle. I was wrong on my previous post on what IAC (pronounced "I-yak") stands for, it really stands for Idle Air Control. They are overnighting the improved one to Anthem, but on the engine it's a pain to get at since it's located under the electrical harnesses and the stacks. So, probably no car tomorrow because of the difficulty in installation and then it has to be tested.

Stentor · #6 (**permalink**) 10-09-2008, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SandyC

So again, hats off to Roush for their GREAT customer service -- just extraordinary. This was all done at no charge under warranty. I'm gonna give Todd Andrews at Roush a call and give him a thank you and a big verbal pat on the back. Anthem Motors came through on this too and were invaluable in their help, so a big thanks to John and Charlie at Anthem Motors too.

With all due respect, with the money you have in your Roush FE, you should expect that kind of service. Roush makes great engines, but it sounds like they might need to iron a few wrinkles out of their FE engines (based on the recent posts regarding trouble folks have had with them).

Good luck getting the car up and running correctly. I am sure it will run great once you get it dialed in.

mikiec · #7 (**permalink**) 10-09-2008, 01:43 PM

Ron,

Check out these.... http://www.verycoolparts.com/Stack.htm Look towards the bottom of the page.

Added the following pics:

You might want to give Wayne a call.

I forgot to mention this to Charlie when I was there yesterday.

Mike

mikiec · #8 (**permalink**) 10-11-2008, 04:04 PM

congrats to both....

Mike

brettco · #9 (**permalink**) 10-11-2008, 05:13 PM

So-why won't the problem come back-these engines all ran good in the past and then had problems.What was fixed?

Spoooky · #10 (**permalink**) 10-11-2008, 06:17 PM

Glad to see and hear the you both are up and running great. My motor comes out next week and gets sent to Roush. I hope that they also get mine dialed in and I'm up and running, enjoying the nice weather. You both gave me some faith.

SandyC · #11 (**permalink**) 10-12-2008, 08:53 AM

Brettco,

My engine ran but had misfires and idle problems under certain circumstances from the beginning. These problems were identified soon after first start. After Roush made the adjustments it now runs right all the time. But I agree with you in that it could go out of adjustment again, although Roush says it won't. Like I said, time will tell the tale.

My opinion:
These are pretty radical high performance engines with sophisticated computerized EFI and there's only so much you can do on a dynomometer. They really have to go in cars in the real world under different environmental conditions to tune them properly. Roush probably could have done a better job of distributing these engines out on a "beta test" program first to dial them in before a general release and that's why I ended up dealing with these issues. I was an inadvertant beta tester as it were, but I suspected that going in so I kind of knew what I was getting myself into. I would guess now if a person were to buy a new 511 iR FE from Roush he would't have to deal with these issues because all this new info has been downloaded into Roush's database. Like manufactures of many other products the factory does the best it can but you never really know until it gets out in the marketplace for awhile. The process I went thru is the downside of being an early adopter.

greg schroeder · #12 (**permalink**) 10-12-2008, 09:33 AM

There should be some Scottsdale Exotic Car Club drag days coming up if any of you guys want to test out your monster cubic inch motors. I'll post the date when it comes up here soon as winter draws near. The drag days are pretty lenient on tech inspection as they are club events.

Great Asp · #13 (**permalink**) 10-12-2008, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SandyC

Brettco,

My engine ran but had misfires and idle problems under certain circumstances from the beginning. These problems were identified soon after first start. After Roush made the adjustments it now runs right all the time. But I agree with you in that it could go out of adjustment again, although Roush says it won't. Like I said, time will tell the tale.

My opinion:
These are pretty radical high performance engines with sophisticated computerized EFI and there's only so much you can do on a dynomometer. They really have to go in cars in the real world under different environmental conditions to tune them properly. Roush probably could have done a better job of distributing these engines out on a "beta test" program first to dial them in before a general release and that's why I ended up dealing with these issues. I was an inadvertant beta tester as it were, but I suspected that going in so I kind of knew what I was getting myself into. I would guess now if a person were to buy a new 511 iR FE from Roush he would't have to deal with these issues because all this new info has been downloaded into Roush's database. Like manufactures of many other products the factory does the best it can but you never really know until it gets out in the marketplace for awhile. The process I went thru is the downside of being an early adopter.

Sandy,
If nothing else is certain, the commitment from Roush is.

Glad you got your car back, and quick!

Eric