Original lawn mower on V8 guy here: See if you can get a reading on your ignition timing - my fear with this is that the ecm is going to open loop your ignition timing into a safe but late (less than optimal) setting which will hurt your economy. Can't wait for this though due to the sheer ridiculousness - really the only reason I did mine, absurdity. Thunderhead289
Due to your videos man I'm building a complete chevy c10 and plan on shooting for 35 mpg and will be uploaded a video and comprehensive testing in my own redneck way so feel free to give advice if you want I love that input from others
Hi Luke, I installed a OBDII scan gauge and took the coupe out for some baseline data gathering today. I kept an eye on the ignition timing as well as some other signals. The car got really good fuel econonmy in stock form, it will be interesting to see what happens with the lawnmower carburetor upgrade.. lol
It appears that you started a trend that could potentially catch on with other automakers. Bringing back the carbs one way of another, I'm down with that!
I hope this comment gets to you in time. I had this exact same problem on my 93 geo metro one day. I was delivering my newspaper route one day and it suddenly went right into the 3'rd gear and would not shift down. After researching the geo metro forums, I learned that the Transmission Control Module was prone to dying out. Apparently they was not very water resistant and even heavy humidity could cause it to fail. Ontop of that, the engineers placed it under the dash, practically above the peddles. Hope no one stepped in any puddles before hopping in? The good news is you can simply unplug the TCM and then manually shift the shifter to change gears. No cost, no crazy modifications, and it turns the car into a fancy manu-matic. For me, this was wonderful as many places on my route, I did not need to change into 3'rd gear as I was just going to stop again. I hope this helps, maybe you have a similar issue and this will allow you to change gears, even if its manually. But if this does work, maybe you could use it to your advantage! Instead of putting a new clutch system together, you could just attach an engine to the stock transmission and the crank to the torque converter. No belts, finicky rubber weights, just bolt n go! With that said, I would expect you to have to adjust the final drive gear tho. Again, if its anything like the geo, you can just replace two gears on the side of the tranny. But if not, well maybe smaller tires?
have you evet thought putting some snowmobile 2-stroke engine in to the saturn? that would be funny idea and would sound exeptionally hilarious with car lenght exhaust
Junkyard digs had a car with a sled engine in it. Had to open the hood n all to pull start it. I forget what car it was, but had a stick a CVT set-up also.
For sure you need to install the riding mower engine. It makes the most sense for this channel. We all know the parts car will have all the fun while the good car sits in the corner bored out of its mind.
Nice one Jimbo.... I love the replication of the lawn mower carb idea, something i saw a few months ago on the thunderhead channel and thought was very interesting.
Not sure what is holding your brake reservoir on, but I'd throw a metal strap over to the strut tower. 'plumbers tape' might even work Some of those just have the rubber seal holding it, some have a tiny roll pin, either way it'd be a bad day if you popped the reservoir loose.
If my car could talk she'd probably yelling at me to stop watching this lmao! Try mounting four of those carbies and make yourself a makeshift ITB. Incredible video, I can't wait for the upcoming Kubota swap!!!
Wish you were still in michigan. I would love to donate my time and mechanics skills because your projects look fun and are right up my skill level. Always looking forward to the next video.
My buddy had one of these when we were in high school. We were messing around in the rain, and while sliding sideways through a parking lot, we found a very deep pothole. It ripped the drivers side suspension clear off the car. His dad picked us up, brought us to a junkyard and about 3 hours later we were back on the road. These were great cars for their time.
“What I love about Thanksgiving is that it’s purely about getting together with friends or family and enjoying food. It’s really for everybody, and it doesn’t matter where you’re from.”
As a former owner of a 1994 Saturn SL-2 this brings back all the feels. My best friend had a 1994 SC-1. The best part, was that the locks had been worn down to the point where we could unlock and start each others car. I do love that most people will put EFI on a carb'ed car, and you are going in reverse.
There is something to be said about saturn keys. The addition of the coup and sedan make a total of seven Saturns that I have owned over the years..... all of them had "universal " keys... lol
I have a 2002 SC1, 5spd. It used to get 40mpg, but lost the front bumper when it kissed a wall, now it gets 35mpg, no matter if I drive it hard or easy! It has over 310,000 miles!
Ok i thought i was old school until i just watched you put a fuel soaked rag into the throttle body and I’m thinking that rag is gonna get sucked right in until it started and ran longer than just shooting starter fluid into the throttle body or dumping some fuel into it. 25 yr ASE certified master mechanic here and just gotta love how i can still learn a trick or 2.
Those fwd trans have a "limp" mode that will lock it in 2nd or 3rd when a code sets. Disconnect the electrical plug going to the box and Dropping the gear selector in low/1st should grab 1st, if it does not you have an internal valve or gear problem. Check fluid level during operation and retest. If still no 1st gear you have a garbage trans. There is no other required test
Yeah limp mode is 3rd. Shifting the gear selector to 2nd should put it in second. First is tricky in these transmissions. It's been awhile since we did our race car, but I think all the solenoids have to be on to get first, gear selector in 3rd or drive.
So you telling me that we get more episodes on more projects was already great news. But now I learn that you watch T-Head 289 and VGG? This channel keeps getting better by the minute \[T]/
I had a Saturn SC2 early model. Manual, dual cam, and pop up headlights. Good looking car. Blew up the engine attempting to go 90mph on the highway. It couldn't deal. lol!
I've taken my 01 SL1 over 100 a few times, I need to check the wheel balance because you can tell something is off balance when going that fast, feels fine at 80MPH though.
I LOVED this episode. As soon as you said the pump was bad I immediately thought "Hit the tank with a hammer!" which usually temporarily always fixes gm pumps. You went the other way, which is fantastic. Since that Saturn is OBD2, it would be pretty interesting to see via live data what the oxygen sensor, and ignition systems are doing. You can likely troubleshoot the transmission the same way. If whatever scan tool you have is bidirectional you may also be able to command each gear to rule out the transmission as the culprit, I don't know, early OBD2 cars aren't really that advanced. It would be extra cool to see a fuel economy test if you got the original system working and compared the two. I CANT WAIT TO SEE MORE! Thanks Jimbo!
The fun is just starting, We put the lawnmower carb on the red coupe and took it to the hillbilly proving grounds....We will have before and after data in the next episode, stay tuned!
Can’t wait to see more of the lawn mower carb stuff. I really want to see the 3cyl diesel though because that’s the engine that’s currently in my lawn mower and I have a small car that could use an engine lol
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”
love it, the long it goes the weirder it gets, and when it comes to little chinese crate engines that is only a good thing. honestly this video is even better given how things are going these days, getting an old write off running with a lawnmower carb is definitely a technique worth having around.
This is cool to see a fuel injected engine running on such a tiny carburetor. That 3 cylinder diesel would be awesome to see on the Saturn coupe with a small turbocharger.
I am absolutely obsessed with Saturn's!!! I would love to get ahold of either of them when you're done with them. Even if just for parts. The sc1 more than the sl1. You probably already know this but sc is coupe, sl is sedan, and sw is wagon. The 1 or 2 is just an engine designation for single or double cam. I have a 95 sl2 and a 02 ion coupe. I used to have a 02 sl2 but let me daughter have it. Can't wait to see what you do with them! I'm glad you appreciate the body panels as much as I do. Have fun 👍
“What I love about Thanksgiving is that it’s purely about getting together with friends or family and enjoying food. It’s really for everybody, and it doesn’t matter where you’re from.”
Brilliant, love it! As someone who was already subscribed to Thunderhead289 (Luke’s) channel and has been following his lawn mower card antics (as well as Uncle Tony’s Garage commentary and others), I got very excited when you showed the same experiment here on your channel. I’ve got a Ford 351W with a Holley Sniper 4 barrel EFI conversion and a Hyperspark distributor, which doesn’t work due to age related problems (such as the exhaust manifolds leaking, PVC issues…) so the possibility of eking out any additional fuel milage (especially on the old V8s) is an exciting idea. :D
@@derekmaxwell8164 If we can get the lawn mower card + ‘carb cheater’ to work on any kind of V8, SBF, Big Block whatever, then I’d take my Holley Sniper EFI back off in a heart beat and as you said, just keep the 1BBL Mower Carb for cruising/road trips and a 4BBL to swap out for any time you needed the power. :D I guess that’s the absurdity of this whole adventure… Auto manufacturers now and back in the 70s aren’t stupid, they pay millions of dollars in R&D to try and fix the latest hot topic at any given time (fuel economy, emissions…) so they must have thought of something like this surely? I guess its this logical thinking that most of the naysayers just assume without seeing the outcome of such great experiments that Thunderhead289 and Robot Cantina are attempting.
Yes yes yes! I watched thunderheads video and dropped your channels name in the comments. The fact that you emulated the lawn mower carb is so awesome… I can’t wait to see where you take it. Great stuff
That diesel swap sounds interesting! I love love to see that. I love your Honda Insight project, and am really looking forward to seeing what you do with these Saturns.
Even though people hate Saturn, I've always loved the SC coupe-- reminded me of a European sports car. Oh, and gas-in-rag trick is awesome! Never saw that before! Glad to hear the new adapter is a lot "gooder" :-) So, "sketchy is the word for today"? I thought it was the word EVERY day! ;-)
I miss my Saturns. Had a 93 SL2 my grandfather gave me, for my first car. Ended up manual swapping it with a bunch of other stuff. Also had a 95 SL2 I purchased from the forums that was turbocharged. That was honestly such a fun car to dd, wish I still had it at times.
I love JIMBO'S explanation too. However, He needs to explain more about the war between the squirrels and the gnomes..🧙♂🧙♂🧙♂🐿🐿🐿🐿 What is up with that?? They came up in the last video, by the way, and now we don't see them at all😘
I've been playing around with cars since I was 13, I'm 60 in a couple of months, never seen the fuel soaked rag before!! Never too old to learn something new.
I would guess if you work with rags like that you should keep a fire extinguisher handy, What kind of car projects have you worked on.... Any for the sheer crazy or to save on fuel cost?⛽😉??
@@IJ-E36 I have fuel economy on my mind lately, due to economic factors. I would say if any modification can be made it should be given some consideration.. and we have a lot to learn from those that have experience. ☺
@@kansasrose2909 the biggest single factor in fuel economy is how you drive, always have the fuel average display on the dash, you'll notice trends and can adjust your driving to the positive changes.. I do this in my daily that I tow the race car with, there are so many things people overlook that can make a difference.
It died of terminal transmission failure, the manual one. It happened just as GM killed the Saturn brand. They offered us a good value for the car even so driving it to the dealership was it's last run. So check all the seal on this manual.
Ahh, yes... Me and my wife went through 3 Saturns. A 93, 98, and 99. Check the gas- fill the oil. Saturn, the company GM killed by killing Oldsmobile and tuning Saturn into Olds 1.5.
Ok crazy idea... Like ITB but ILC Individual Lawnmower Carbs. One on each intake runner. It would be a pain to get throttle linkage but I think it would be cool
Two Stroke Yamaha 701 from a superjet as an engine swap. They used them for a bunch of Wave Runners in the 90s and the super jet for the last 30 years. If you want more power get a Yamaha 1100 or 1200 two stroke.
I love your projects, and i love the trials and tribulations you show us you go through to achieve your goals.. With your sense of humour is brilliant too! Also, marvelled at guy called 'ThunderHead289' that has done a series of videos on fitting a lawn mower carb (with a couple of extra little tweaks) on a Ford 302 V8.. And.. IT WORKS! Even gets him 40MPG! If you've not seen it, it IS worth watching for ideas/tips/tricks etc... 🤔👍 😎🇬🇧
Sometimes big outfits can get bloated with personnel and they need a genius like Jimbo to light a spark of ingenuity... Let's see how far he can take this.
Use the diesel!!! You can run them off vegetable oil, used motor oil, etc. And they are 1000% more dependable and built waaay better than any gasoline engine
Jimbo did a good job with this video.. however, we did not see any more of the gnomes or squirrels from the last video.... I felt sure they would have more screen time in this episode. Bring on the little guys. 🧙♂🧙♂🧙♂🧙♂🧙♂🐿🐿🐿🐿🐿!
I am also ready to try the lawnmower carb ideal on my old school ( 1971 Corvette) since the mower carb is gravity fed I might try an automotive 1 barrel instead such as the Holley 1904 type carb. As always I am entrained and educated by robot cantina. Note : I did see the original thunderhead mower carb build but the robot cantina test is much more scientific and repeatable
Journal or write 30 minutes a day I need to get my thoughts in order every day. I do that by writing. That helps me to focus on what matters to me. That’s why I journal.
Practice kindness & love We all treat our love like it’s a depletable resource. That’s false. Love is unlimited and never runs out. You can give it away as much as you like.
So give this a try. Realize that you have an unlimited resource. Give some of your love and kindness away every day. Don’t worry about keeping score. You have enough love anyway.
Walk 30 minutes a day If you can’t MAKE the time to go for a daily walk, you’re not in control of your life. I don’t even walk for the health benefits. Sure, walking keeps the body moving and is good for you.
It's nice to see someone do the things I always wanted to do. Right on. Also this guy is going to survive the apocalypse with all the skills he has shown.
Spectacular to see few of my favorite youtube channels coalesce, I've been binge watching Thunderhead289's vids on the maverick, and to have Robot cantina reference VGG is the cherry on top. Also, who in their right mind buys two Saturns? An absolute mad man, that's who.
Your automatic transmission is likely not getting power. On those transmissions I believe that with no power to the shift solenoids you get locked in to 3rd gear. With no TPS either, the ECU might not be able to determine what gear you should be in. Lastly, the engine can run with base spark direct from the ignition module and crank trigger so without the ECU operating at all it will run off of starter fluid/gas soaked rag.
Not only r ur vids quite interesting and entertaining, but, I gotta say it's impossible to watch and not b pretty darn impressed with what a very knowledgeable son-of-gun u r. Very curious, and anticipating ur builds and vids to come. Definite thumbs up, Jimbo.
Is he the one that got "high mpg" out of it? I think it's a funny project, but I have been hoping he'd redo a fuel test with a controlled fuel source since I don't believe the high fuel economy claims.
@B Tenold I don't think it's fake, I just want to see it done with a smaller fuel cell or fuel bladder. If you only drive a few miles you aren't getting an accurate reading, even by refilling from the same station. I'm not giving ANY personal attacks, I think it's an awesome project and he knows what he's talking about by the footage I saw.... I have also self tuned my vehicle for a few different circumstances (diy from gas to E85, and later added a supercharger, and also tried a lean tune for my works commute using the o2 to keep it at 18.0 while cruising)... It does help, but not enough to make an old v8 better than a new Corolla. If he's done a fuel cell run then I'm out of date and I understand, but until the cars fuel tank is cut out of the loop (or a large distance run is done) I can't accept any high mpg claims, there's just too much variance. Again, if I'm out of date then let me know, I only saw the "60 mpg?" Run video.
I really think the diesel swap would be really fun. I'd like to see how fast that tiny diesel would push the Saturn, and I think watching your process, would be fun to watch. Plus I'd like to see some coal come from it.
I freaking love your experiments! It’s like you’re unwittingly taking my own day dreams, and imaginings, and manifesting them into reality for me! Love it! ☺️ It’s also, especially reassuring that some of wildest personal mechanical musings, that I don’t have the time, resources, or sufficient incentives, to realize, myself, can indeed, actually work! You’re channel’s awesome, man! Love it! ❤️🔥
