Actually if you take a stock "C" to "redline" you are beating a ded horse, they stop making effective power by 4800. So you just go slower. Second, engines will go to redline occasionally but wear increases with the square of the rpm.

This is part of the reason that cars of the 60s and 70s ran 3,000 rpm+ at 70 mph and were worn out at 100,000 miles while modern engines turn 2/3 the rpm at the same speed and go double the miles.

As I keep saying, the secret to going fast is not the peak hp. While hp may indicate top speed, it is the area under the torque curve that decides how fast you will get there. This is why some engine/trans combos respond well to "short shifting", shifting well below the redline.

In my V-8 Sunbird I usually started out in second gear because with short tires, a 2.98:1 first, and 3.08 rear gear, the limit was how quick the engine could gain rpm, not how fast the car could go. This is why five pound flywheels (much less rotational inertia) are popular in drag cars but would be impossible to drive on the street with one.

The "C" engine is like that - the torque peak is at 2000 rpm so past 4800 rpm in 1st you would actually be putting more "tractive force" to the ground in second.

Well, I've already gone ahead and read your guide there Padgett last night... I do not think I have the capabilities to do that at all. I'll admit that working on the IAC was very very easy for me, just a pain screwing in one of the screws... but it was easy. However something like this is going to be way more in depth and I worry that I may try and kill my car trying to fix this. *Sighs*

Well you could print it out and take to an independant mechanic you trust. If they are willing to do it (and can tell him that it has worked on many cars in the past, the key is to get the sprocket and hole really clean). It should not be very expensive.

Agree, check the sensor also but every time I hear of it happening near redline it has been the magnet parting company with the sprocket.

Dealer is going to tell you that the timing cover must come off since that is the factory way. Mine is going on three years now.

Redlining a car is not that big of a deal BUT, you have to remember the age of these cars, I mean come on now. The same thing happened to me on my 1990 SSE with less that 200,000kms on it. I was actually passing someone, not even at the redline, and the check engine light came on. Code 41. It leads back to an older car and probably a weak spring. The spring and or button on the timing chain cover were weak and with higher RPM'* the cam started to walk and the spring couldn't hold it bad and that was all she wrote for the magnet.


While they were in there I asked them to check the timing chain and gears and I think it was all still good in there, but I may have had them change something, ( can't remember cause we did alot of work on the car)

if/when you do have it apart, also remember to look for the magnet, and grab it.

Yes, I do realize the age of our cars.. but if they were well taken care of, then you shouldn't have anything to worry about. If the car never went past 3k and it has 100k+ and you let it shift at redline, it'll burn oil the next day. Other than that, there isn't anything wrong with going to redline. Personally, I would never not do it.. like I would not hold off on the throttle just because I didn't want to redline her. Remember, there are driving situations where you need to speed up to get out of the situation. Cars are meant to be driven, and they need to be pushed around every once in a while.

We are getting off-topic though. We need to help punk-rocker over here. No matter what we discuss, nothing is going to change the fact he has a Code 41.


-justin

except for a magnet replacing

Right, but we are getting into an argument of whether or not it is good to redline a car. Not necessary, what is done, is done. Not to mention he works at a Fire Department, so he can't drive like a granny to a fire. Would you want your house to burn down because somebody doesn't know how to step on it? Settled.

Now, let'* help this guy.

He also suggested for me to go in there, and give him the instructions on how to do it. Well, that isn't possible at this point, just because like I mentioned in the other Code-41 thread, I would replace the Cam Sensor, Interupter, Timing Chain, Harmonic Balancer, and the Crank Sensor while I am there. And if I can't afford $1.59 Spark Plugs, I know I can't afford the above. Maybe someone has some good instructions on how to get in there.. because I know he'* worried about doing it. Maybe with some more info he can do it, like cleaning the IAC or extracting his codes. But since I haven't the faintest clue as what to do.. maybe someone who has, can.


-justin

hehe thanks bro. Yeah, anything that is easy to do I may get the courage to do it, or at least I can explain / show someone else how to do it that knows what they're doing on cars. This way should anything go wrong [I'm also curious what'* the worst that can happen] I will at least know what steps I did and if someone does wind up helping me, they can reverse the process and fix the car.