LittleBlue!

Took the canoe out on the lake and I was too lazy to take it off before starting to work on my intercooler and charge pipe. A cool look for little blue that I thought it was worth a picture

I started fitting the charge pipes today. I'm going to move the intercooler back (towards the radiator) a tiny bit for a better fit but I'm happy with the progress. This bumper literally snaps off and on, which has made this process a lot easier. 
 

Here's a short sound clip. I think it sounds better in person but I like it. I was really looking for flow more than anything. This is running on e85 so it might sound better if not. I am also still working on the tune and fueling specifically.
20190824_093513_001.mp4

You disable vats with hp tuners. Its literally a click of a button to disable

Hi all,
 
I have a 2019 Spark LS Manual. I want to be able to tune my ecm but my ecm is not currently supported by hp tuners and there is no plan for them to support the 2019 ecm. 
 
are there any other tuning options out there? 
 
can i purchase and install a 2017 (supported hy hp tuners) ecm in my 2019 car or will the ecm need to be adapted to the car for immobilizer? can a 2017 ecm be programmed for a 2019 car? 
 
any help or advice will be appreciated. 
 
thanks, 

 

The kit just arrived. Pretty simple to assemble. I may figure out a way to mount these with coil on plug boots if there is clearance. If not, I may just buy a good set of wires and modify the plastic Ecotec cover in order to run the wires through. I'll follow up once I get some more measurements. 

Well, I was able to fix this issue by simply replacing the temp sensor at the water inlet. The resistance across the terminals on the bad part read 1.8kohms as opposed to the new part: 2.5kohms when cold. I guess it's enough to trigger this error code. I ended up doing the swap without draining the coolant, just do the Indiana Jones style swap. Only lost a few small droplets. A/C is now blowing cold as well.  

Since the snow has hit, and I have no garage to use yet, this thread will be very slow. I've decided to add more to the turbo project and get the most out of the whole build.  Just decided to do a custom D585 LS Coil conversion. I can't take credit for the complete idea since someone has already done the conversion and the footwork for a Sonic. I will have a complete second set with bracket if anyone is interested. Just pm me.    

Imo, I'd look into the manual swap. It makes the car perform much different and they can be had for a reasonable price from a salvage yard or even eBay. I'm still wondering when 5th gear will be useful as a power gear, but being able to demand the power when needed is so much better. Sad to hear the problems your facing, but I have been there.  Here are a couple of links: Manual  and CVT /Auto

Hi
New to this forum. I just want to clarify about what was posted about doing the fluid change on the Spark. The filter that some are talking about is not the Trans filter. That is the Case Vent Filter. They are not the same. The Trans filter is in the pan and is part AC Delco TF 923. its bolted in and you will see it when you remove your pan. The Drain plug is how you set the level of the fluid while the car is in park on a level surface and running. When the oil starts to trickle out your level is set.  Here is a good vid to watch   Cheers 
 

Hello
I wanted to share that i bought ACDelco pan gasket and CVT filter for my 2016 Spark from Rockauto at half the dealer price. The cvt fluid I got it at the dealer because it's a has/mat item that makes shipping expensive.

Hi!
 
I am very glad that my post was helpful.  I feel that once the mystery is removed, a lot of anxiety goes away with it.  For tcbnfl:  The only thing that I saw
was the bottom of the valve body.  If we are talking about the same thing, it looks square and like where a conventional filter would go.  But, according to what info I have, it is the valve body.  The dealer said that the little tube filter is the only filter listed.  Anyway, you are good for another 45,000 miles!

Mine (LS '18) has 13,000 km and runs like a clock, too. I was used to Hondas, but a look
under the Spark's hood convinced me t'was worth a try : simple, well organized
components, exactlly what I look for in any mechanical contraption.
 
I had one freak problem with the block heater element toasting itself for no apparent
reason, so I decided to remove its cord's thermostatic gimmick and run it on a 
staight, normal extension after changing the element myself ( didn't wish to argue
with the dealer, see). Works just fine as I switch it on (@ minus 10 deg C) 2hrs  before go  from inside the house : no flashing ENG. light, no codes.
 
I do my own maintenance (years of working on bikes helps) and find it utterly simple to work on.
 
I see some people are up to 100,000 mi. without major issue with the '16+  Spark,
so fully expect mine to last a long time. 
 
Ah, I've thrown a couple of RustGuard cans into the innards, too, drilling holes
everywhere I saw fit  -holes make it lighter, faster haha.
 
Fuel mileage was an incredible 58 mpg during a 2,000km-
long recent trip to Québec city ! (95-100kmh  as I like it).
 

Makes sense since lube property of oil does not wear off for lots of miles. If engine is doing clean burning and not mis-firing, and not doing frequent short trips (which can cause rust inside engine from water condensate not evaporating off with an engine reaching operating temperature) oil can remain good for as many as 50,000 miles. .
On the other hand the filter gets clogged with stuff and when changed, helps oil from getting contaminated with carbon particles, which is the main reason to change oil.

Mine... 1.0 L (50kw), 2011 with 140000km on the clock :D

Thanks again for the info on the plugs. I did a quick double check and the one you recommended is perfect. Ordered a set for my car. I think it will help quite a bit

He probably just changes the filter and adds a little oil to compensate for what the filter held and what runs out of the galleries. Most of the oil stays in the pan.

i got a injen cold air intake for my 2013 spark, it looks nice and sounds good too. you have to remove the front bumper cover
though it wasn't too hard with 2 people doing it.

That's really cool.  
 

I did my whole winter journey last year with summer tires (Continental contipremiumcontact 5) and chains. No problem, you just pick the right ones, the ones that won't break after you force them out a little bit. If I have to choose again, I pick chains over those socks as I heard you can use them only once.
 

My seat of the pants guess is dirty carbon deposits on valves. 
That will cause misfiring and CEL (Check Engine Light) to pop up.
Has a compression check been made?
How about the spark plugs & coil?
First try using something like Seafoam engine cleaner.
Since the car was properly serviced, engine wear is unlikely cause.
If that does not work,
Find a good mechanic shop and have the valves cleaned if dirty
or replaced if pitted and burned.
Should be lot less expensive than a new engine.

Your mechanic may have told you this already but usually the P0300 codes are fuel related. In this case P0301 points to an issue with cylinder one. If you were getting a P0300 code then that would mean random misfires across all cylinders. Thats the advantage of using top tier gas. Typically they will have more cleaners and detergents in them to keep the system and injectors clean. 
 
A check engine light on can cause other weird issues. I had a 2002 Chevy Trailblazer that would occasionally set a light which in turn would disable the cruise control. So in your case maybe having a missfire can cause the traction control to interpret things wrong so GM programmed it to turn it off when triggered. 

The 1.2l Spark would use BR14ZC for a multi-spark plug. It's a colder range plug with a 12mm thread. I was just doing the footwork when you replied.
 
The injectors are a modified Bosch I believe with a 9 hole spread pattern instead of four. 29lb./hr Injectors.

I'm going to be making a fairly restrictive short warm air intake to get my car to drop the code. I'll post pics of the " law abiding intake " with tiny 60mm motorcycle  pod filter,  1.5" PVC S-pipe, modified MAF and new pcv fitting attached if it all works as intended.
 
Edit: Motorcycle filter was too restrictive and stalled the car out at idle.  I ended up keeping the PVC S-Pipe, creating an L fitting to go to the PCV breather, and attaching my stainless filter back on. The car isn't as fast but, the code hasn't come back. Looks like I'll be all set for inspection. Pic below is with the tiny motorcycle filter. ( When I ordered it, I imagined it to be bigger... Oh well, 

I wanted to separate this post as I have purchased the second set of plugs honestly as a test. After in depth reviews, Brisk plugs seem to be outstanding in tuning applications. The set of plugs I really wanted to try were not listed as an option for our cars. However, after a bit of research:  I found the model with the same thread, the same depth, and two heat ratings colder than the Autolite Platinum plugs for our cars. The best part - They are multi-spark, ( 3 sparks per cycle ) Silver core plugs, designed for a complete fuel burn. They are rated for mild turbo and supercharged applications as well. The three plugs listed on the Brisk site for the 1.4l Spark are direct fit options. I'm hoping my research pays off and the multi-spark plugs are a better option. ( Edited with closest plug fit since Brisk's site is incorrect )