Mustang50 Magazine Homepage

Stage 3 Methanol Injection - Spray and Play


 1986 Ford Mustang Water Meth System And Injectors
To ensure we will not have any air leaks between the spacer and manifold, Saul treats the spacer's surface to a light coat of silicone before he and Extreme's owner, Sean Roberts, position the intake in its lower portion and tighten it down.

Correcting our fuel-injector problem is mandatory. However, in our tests, we've also noticed that air, more specifically hot air, has also hindered the overall performance of our Mustang. The inlet-air system for the coupe's stroker/blower package doesn't include an intercooler or a heat exchanger, and thus, air-charge temperatures have been measured at approximately 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

To correct both problems, we're installing Ford Racing Performance Parts' 150-lb/hr fuel injectors (PN M-9593-E303) and the all-new Stage-3G Boost Cooler system (PN 20050; $599) from the water-methanol-injection lords at Snow Performance.

The Stage-3G setup is the center of attention in this tech effort, mostly due to interesting new technology called True 2d Injection Control. It definitely sets this version apart from previous iterations of the Boost Cooler.

 1986 Ford Mustang Water Meth System And Injectors
Each Stage 3G Boost Cooler includes everything shown here. The True 2d injection logic in the kit's digital variable controller, the way-cool LCD touch-screen display, and the optional 225-psi pump (a 180-psi pump is standard) are the main components that separate this system from Snow's Stage 2 Boost Cooler.

Unlike the Stage 1 (fixed shot) and Stage 2 (variable shot) boost coolers, which are triggered by boost or are mass air-voltage referenced, Snow's Stage 3G water-meth system is a self-tuning, variable-flow unit that uses fuel-injector duty cycle and a blower or turbocharger's boost signal to control injection.

Once the injectors are swapped and the boost cooler kit is installed, we'll connect our coupe to the Dynapack Evolution 4000 chassis dyno at Extreme Automotive in Canoga Park, California, where Harv will tickle the laptop's keyboard and dial in an XFI tune for maximum power with the new injectors, and then establish a calibration for the engine when it's under the influence of Snow's Boost Juice water-meth mixture.

For our application, we're not expecting a gargantuan increase in horsepower and torque when the spray is applied, because our blown 350 is run with VP's MS 109 E race gas as opposed to 91-octane fuel. Impressive power gains are usually achieved when water-methanol injection is introduced to boost-induced engines that run on pump gas, as we learned in our study on Snow's Shelby GT 500 system (Gorilla in the Mist," Dec. '07, p. 152).

 1986 Ford Mustang Water Meth System And Injectors
Our kit contains three two-stage injection nozzles (left to right: 175ml/minute for 250-300 hp, 375ml/minute for 350-475 hp and 625ml/minute for 475-600 hp) which represent the midrange to largest sizes available. Per company owner, Matt Snow's recommendation, we're using the biggest nozzle for our application. The combination of the large nozzle and optional 225-psi pump guarantees we will have a more than sufficient flow and spray pattern of Boost Juice into the blower's airstream, however, for optimal results we may have to add a second nozzle to our setup. Snow Performance offers 60ml/minute, 100ml/minute, and 225ml/minute nozzles as well. They can be used to further fine-tune water-meth levels.

In this exercise, we're installing the Boost Cooler with hopes that it will drop our engine's intake-air-charge temperature significantly lower than the 200-degree temps we saw in our last dyno session without negatively affecting the blown beast's horsepower and torque.

Speaking of horsepower and torque, keep in mind that our T-top coupe is a registered, insured, street-driven 'Stang. We're proud of the car, but we have to admit that with more than 800 horses, it's a handful on the street, despite the fact it sits on Drag Radial tires. Quite frankly, monster performance in a street car is a bittersweet thing. We love the feeling of being pushed back in the seat by power and torque, but losing traction and control of the car on a neighborhood street or highway (even the deserted ones) or being nailed for speeding are possible negatives for mega-powered street cars that aren't cool at all.

Fear not, the only disaster we've suffered thus far was the engine mishap previously detailed. The coupe's sleeper appearance makes the police drive right by, and its panels are straight. The plan is to keep things that way by driving the 'Stang with respect to the horsepower it's throwing down when we're cruising, and saving the opportunities to cut it completely loose for the dragstrip only.

Extreme's Saul The Surgeon" Gutierrez is taking care of the injector swap and installing the Stage 3G Boost Cooler's hardware, and your tech editor is responsible for doing the simple math required for dialing in gain for the water-meth shot. Harv has XFI tuning covered, so you're left with reading on through the following photos and captions to see how this project pans out.


 1986 Ford Mustang Water Meth System And Injectors
We found an open area on the firewall for Saul to mount the system's digital variable controller unit. Installing the controller in the engine compartment this way is fine, as it's waterproof. It can be done with Velcro or self-tapping screws. Once the controller is secure, its wiring harness is plugged in and its green, yellow, red, black, and gray wires are routed appropriately.
 1986 Ford Mustang Water Meth System And Injectors
Our good friend Danny Akre of Fast Intentions Custom Exhaust in Northridge, California, prepared our supercharger's stainless steel discharge tube with a welded-in bung for water-meth injector nozzles. A 1/8-inch NPT tap and a tube of E-6000 GOOP thread sealer are included with the Boost Cooler, so drilling and threading a mounting hole for the nozzle is fine if adding a bung isn't possible for your installation.
 1986 Ford Mustang Water Meth System And Injectors
This optional 7-quart fluid reservoir was positioned and installed in the coupe's trunk as part of our Boost Cooler kit's final installation. Snow Performance provides plenty of high-pressure tubing and all the 3/8-inch and 1/8-inch fittings required for plumbing the system from a 'Stang's stem to its stern.

Prev  | 1  | 2  | 3  | 4  | Next
Get free and easy new car price quote in minutes.

Related Photos

Related Articles

 
Mustangs & Mustangs Car Show - Plane Sight
Coverage of the 2008 Mustangs & Mustangs car show from Fantasy of Flight... more
 
2008 Twister Mustang - Twister Warning
R&A Motorsports 2008 Twister Special Mustang blows into our town... more
 
Mustang Gauge Installation - Digital Pro Shift System
We install Auto Meter's Digital Pro Shift System gauge in a 1994 Mustang... more
 
2008 Fabulous Fords Forever - Knott's Mustang Farm
Coverage of the 2008 Fabulous Fords Forever car show from Knott's Berry Farm... more
 
Ford Mustang Glass Roof Panel - Fortunate Sun
Classic Design Concepts lights up the boss's Shelby GT500 cockpit with a glass roof panel... more
 
Mustang Fuel Pump - Three-Play
Lethal Performance and Friends bring three pumps and 1,000hp capability to the S197 Mustang... more
 
1992 Ford Mustang LX - Friendly Fox
Had it not been for his friends, you might've never seen Mark Kennemer's 1992 Ford Mustang LX... more
 
1988 Mustang Project - Iron Plan
The Fox 500 1988 Ford Mustang gets its Shelby GT500 engine and an all-star supporting cast... more
 
Death Race Mustang - Frankenstein's Mustang
Jason Statham's killer big-screen S197 Mustang... more
 
2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR - Kingdom For A Horse
Ford SVT and Shelby Autos join forces to create a GT500 fit for a king's ransom... more

Mustang 5.0 Blogs

 
Glaring Omissions in Mustang Art and Fashion
Those folks who really know me pretty well, know that I have a strong loyalty to 1984 ('cause an... more
 
This Sleeper 'Stang Is More Rare than You Think
Derrick Coley has owned his 1988 LX Mustang since he bought it new 20 years ago. At first look,... more
 
Former Bassani babe dubbed NASCAR's Hottest Girlfriend
Always one of our favorite Bassani Babes, Athena Barber is baring more than her soul online. Check... more
 
We’re heading to Columbus, OH to check ¼-mile speeds
As the 2008 NMRA season heads down the stretch, the Columbus, OH stop promises to be a big one. I... more

Mustang 5.0 Forums

 
94-95 GT Perf Chip Help
I am a new owner of a 95 GT with auto trans, I like the car and just replaced the stock alternator... more
 
1994 MUSTANG GT
my 94 5.0 gt looses spark,sometimes it will shutoff and loose spark,then after it has set for a... more
 
Killer Combos
Greetings! I asked our Webmaster to add this topic to the forum, for you all to use it as a place... more
 
i need head(s)
i have a 331 stroker in a 94 gt. it has an msd ignition, trickflow street heat, and pro-comp... more