Well I here that k&n filters and what not give a bit more of a lil boost in the higher revs...

but what about in the low revs... is there anything doable for a 2nd gen.. to get that quick start as soon as the foot touches the pedal?

I meen if i put the pedal right down to the floor... and ive only ever done it once.... it got to like 5500 rpm before i a backed off and it still didnt feel like i was moving and then when i backed off it changed into second....and NO i wasnt in nuetral ( incase of crazy comments lol )

TUFF TR may be able to shed some light on this, he just installed one in his car

try throwing him a pm :cool:

Putting your foot down in an Auto is different to a Manual. In a manual you usyally change down a gear then go WOT. With an Auto, you have to go WOT, wait for it to get the message, then it will change down.

Driving my mums auto verada, you would put your foot down.....wait.....wait.....CLUNK JERK VROOOOOOOM

I prefer my manual, much easier to get smooth acceleration.

As to it not going hard when you put your foot down, Ive heard a more free flowing exhuast can help it to rev out quicker. Aparently a K&N filter does this as well, to a lesser extent. To be honest ive not tried either so youl have to rely off other peoples experiences.

being a 4cyl the auto drivetrain will certainly hurt your low down acceleration, nothing much can be done and don't expect much but you'll notice the difference from;
cold air intake
k&n

after 4000rpms in the 4cyl auto theres virtually no power at all

after 4000rpms in the 4cyl auto theres virtually no power at all

Your not wrong Lol..

and with the cold air intake... i beleive i would be to scared to make one lol....

dont waste your time or money

Popping in from the 3rd gen side of things......

I have driven a few of the auto 4cylinder 2nd gens. You are totally right, they don't take off well, and the engines are asthmatic above 4200rpm. You do get fuel economy figures I can only dream about though, so it isn't all against you. If you want to keep the car for a few years, it's worth doing something to the engine, otherwise you might be better off getting a 3rd gen wagon with a V6, and maybe a manual.

The biggest problem in my opinion about the Astron engine is the head. It is very restrictive and doesn't breathe well. Also the stock exhaust is usually hindering performance also.

I would stay away from doing things like dropping in a K&N panel for now. Although good things, if you have been noticing the 3rd gen forums, many of us are experiencing a flat spot in the power and torque delivery between 1500-2500 rpm. It sounds like this is what you are trying to overcome - ie more torque down low.

Our problem is caused by the K&N panel flowing too well, and the velocity of the air through the MAS/MAF being too low for it to get an accurate reading. The engines run lean for a bit, then as the airflow speeds up with RPM, the MAS/MAF reads more accurate, the mixture is richer and we start making more power. It feels like a turbo taking off at times!

I'd suggest that if you need to do some engine work (say done 200-250K kms and the engine unopened as yet), I'd pull off the head, and get everything inside checked, including valve stem seals replaced. I'd get them to put the head on the flow bench, and just port it a little - not too much, just clean it up and look for easy gains. I would ask then to pay attention to the inlet side and if they can get it to swirl a bit, and no massive backcuts. I'd also take 20 thou' off the head too.

Then chuck it back together, new head gasket & bolts. I doubt you see any massive gains, but any bottom end increase will make the auto much better to drive. You can expect a decent amount more power up high - maybe making power all the way to 4500rpm!

I'd also be speaking to EzBoy about getting your throttle body flowed. Makes taking off form the lights much smoother. I've driven one car that has had this done, and I am going to get mine done too!

After that, a 2.5" exhaust will give you a good gain, and help the engine breathe. You could try a K&N panel after that, but it may make the low end worse as you have a very similar MAS/MAF setup on those engines by memory. If you go the K&N panel, also install a rising rate FPR to try and compensate.

The only other thing after that would be extractors, and that will mainly help in the high end of the rev range (3000rpm and up). Good luck!

Right..... :shifty:

so in the end.... modifying a 2.6L auto, could be/is, a waste of time ??? and money..??

Maybe i should stick with just doin interior and exterior.... and put a pretty lil exaust on it lol...

or save my money and buy a V6... 2nd gen... the wagons are so pretty :cry:

And so that way i can have a car with all show and just a lil bit of go LOL

you can pay around 7k for a v6 manual 3rd gen now, alot more powerful, but yeah the v6 2nd gens are cheap as chips...4k

you can pay around 7k for a v6 manual 3rd gen now, alot more powerful, but yeah the v6 2nd gens are cheap as chips...4k
But i really like the 2nd gen ones... your 2nd is v6... does it go alright???

i might just see what i can do with the engine... ( like drop a mivec in it ) LMAO :bowrofl:

and if nobody senses the sarcasm there... sorry :P

nah bugger it.... ill just waste my money on it...

yeah my car goes alright, beats most ecotec's, i have a top end problem though; ill tell you what the goe is when i get my chip put it.... but yeah the v6 manuals are pretty awesome.

the 3rd gens are at least half a second faster down the quarter and have much better top end... 2nd gens are good for conversions, killbilly has a fairly stockish DOHC diamante motor in his and its doing 14.8's about as quick as a vrx or maybe ralliart...

well then i might have to ask him some questions....

is also possible to fiddle around with the transmission and modify it so it can change earlier,???

I think i did hear somewhere that the gears change at a certain speed and not a certain amount of revs... i could be wrong.. and probably is...

does anyone else have anything to say about that.?

Okay, I'll answer some questions in no particular order.

Yes, it could be considered a waste of money to mod a 2.4 Astron'd Second Gen. However, if you think you will be keeping it for a while (3-4 years) then it could also be considered worthwhile.

The mod that will give the best results for what you want is the port & polish of the head, no doubt. This is the number one restriction with your car. Any further mods, like exhaust & panel filter, will experience a much better increase in performance than doing them without the head work.

Consider an FPR (fuel pressure regulator). They are like $200 for the Malpassi ones, and are widely available. Get your mechanic to fit it - you don't want a fuel leak in the engine bay!

Yes, I would look at the DOHC V6 conversion as done by Killbilly. If you come to MM05, you may even get a ride in said car (or you hand him the beers, you take his keys :badgrin: )
There is a really good thread on it, do an advanced search for threads by Killbilly with DOHC and find everything you need.

Sounds like you love the 2nd-gen, and that's cool. They have got a certain charm! Any more questions, just ask.

DOHC conversion cost: probably $7K-$8K
Port & polish, exhaust, panel, Rising rate FPR, transmission service - more like $2500-$3K

You would be the first 2nd gen wagon with a DOHC though..... :D

V6 manuals are good. Mine being a wagon is even better lol. I love it, and plan on working it severely. Currently in the research+saving up stage

You would be the first 2nd gen wagon with a DOHC though..... :D
Aaaaaaaaaaah no you dont. Im planning on having that title :P Ah well. Ill still have the first twin turbo wagon title :D

V6 manuals are good. Mine being a wagon is even better lol. I love it, and plan on working it severely. Currently in the research+saving up stage

Aaaaaaaaaaah no you dont. Im planning on having that title :P Ah well. Ill still have the first twin turbo wagon title :D

Well i dont think i could ever have it turbod... i meen id love it... but i want interior worked on the most as it will be an audio wagon.... but still need the go....


DOHC conversion cost: probably $7K-$8K
Port & polish, exhaust, panel, Rising rate FPR, transmission service - more like $2500-$3K

Should a regular mechanic be able to to do those things???

Also is it possible to chuck a turbo on the 2.6 or would it just break... i meen like id make sure the engine was made stronger and what not.. its just i like the 4.. somebody punch me if they must.

Just to add a few things..

1. I just think that everyone should know that when you put the DOHC engine into your car, your tacho wont work.

2. If you have an auto...you might have some problems with the overdrive and power mode, etc.

3. Get it done somewhere where they know what they're doing. I got f*cked over a few times in the process by idiots who just think they'll be able to figure it out as they go.

Its not as easy as just chucking an engine into your car and driving away, it takes time time do properly, so prepare to have your car off the road for a while.

well said, ive read KB's posts a few times and hes had a few niggles here and there, and you have to commend him for going though all the effort and pain.
if ANYONE was serious about doing anything like this, just read the DOHC conversion thread stickied at the top of this page

Well i dont think i could ever have it turbod... i meen id love it... but i want interior worked on the most as it will be an audio wagon.... but still need the go....I'm an audio guy too, I understand!

BTW, I am guessing your vehicle is around 200,000kms. Please correct me if I'm wrong.


Should a regular mechanic be able to to do those things???In order of how I think you should do it.....

Transmission service: Ask around for the best Auto transmission specialist in your area. They should do Transmissions and clutches as 85+% of the business. A full rebuild should be just over the $1000 mark on those boxes by memory. Get them to open it up and have a good look inside and be ready to pay this amount of $$$ if required. I'd imagine they would need to drop out the transmission, drain it (as much as possible), disassemble & clean it out as much as possible. They would the replace the filter, inspect gearset for wear, cleanout the muck out of the valves, and check the oil pump. I would have them replace the bands and also the clutches, especially if you are over 180,000kms. Get them to do a check on the torque converter too. Consider having this replaced - no idea on cost though. Then have a FULL set of new seals put in, and put it all back together. That should last another 200,000kms with 20,000km interval replacement of ATF.

Port and polish should be done by a specialist head place. They use a flowbench to measure the increases in flow on a per-cylinder and whole-engine basis. It's critical to get the flow as even as possible. A "Stage 1" port and polish is what you need to ask for. Also get them to do all seals (especially valve stem seals), and since you have the head off and in pieces, you could also consider a longer-duration cam, "Stage 1" should be enough. Check the valve gear while they are doing it, replace any bits that are worn. New head gasket & bolts, then you are away!

You are up for around $2k-$2.5K up to here......

Exhaust - I think a Redback bolt-on system is about right for you. About $380+PH on Ebay. Easy to fit if you have a mate to help you, or you can help your mate put it on for you, and then buy him a 6-pack. Or rope in your Dad if he can do this sorta stuff.

AND at the same time as exhaust

Extractors - highly recommended after a port & polish. If you go for these, get a decent exhaust place to do it for you. If you are doing the Redback exhaust, get them to fit that for you at the same time, or you could get them to make up a 2.5" (maximum, no bigger!) sports exhaust and fit that instead. Maybe a bit cheaper that way.

FPR - Yes. Buy it yourself and supply it to your mechanic. Malpassi's are good.

Send your Throttle Body to EzBoy for a grind. Better still, buy a new one and send that to him, get it flowed and stick that on. Donate your old one back to him!

After all that's done, replace your air filter, or go for a K&N panel. You should be able to do this yourself. If you say you can't, then I will slap you. Twice. :rant:



Also is it possible to chuck a turbo on the 2.6 or would it just break... i meen like id make sure the engine was made stronger and what not.. its just i like the 4.. somebody punch me if they must.If I slap you, it's not much of a graduation to punching you.....
The engine is not suited to turbocharging, for the same reasons that it doesn't make power now - it can't breathe!

Think of an engine as an air pump, sucks air in, mixes fuel with the air, combusts it, and forces air out the exhaust. If you have restrictions that impede the airflow, you will not make as much power as a similar capacity engine that has less restriction with all other things equal or at least comparable!

Turbocharging will help as you are forcing the air in under pressure, hence the air doesn't have to be sucked into the engine by the engine. But you would need to do a "Stage 2" port & polish plus a "Stage 2" camshaft on that head to make worthwhile gains for the money you would have to spend to turbo it.

Stage 2 opens up the head more inside, and the emphasis is on flow - lots of it. A stage 2 cam has longer duration and higher lift than a Stage 1 item. Stage 3 port & polish would be creating loads of swirl and back-cutting valve seats and other crazy stuff for maximum horsepower under pressure. Stage 3 cam would be very lumpy, very high lift, loads of overlap and plenty of power potential, but really only useful in a turbo application.

Also, on a 200,000km engine, turboing it should mean a full tear-down and rebuild of the engine, even on a low boost (say 7-8psi or so - forget 16-18psi!) install. We're talking full bearings, seals, crank out and tested and replaced if required, new conrods (I or H beam) and pistons, new oil & water pumps in addition to everything else mentioned! On a low km engine (under say 60,000kms) this sort of thing wouldn't be necessary (maybe just lower compression pistons & rods). You would also need full engine management (Haltech, Motec, Autronic or similar) whcih is likely to cost $1500, allow $1000 for dyno tuning, and probably $2500 to convert it to manual.

So a turbo conversion on this car would cost you $10K-$15K. You car is worth how much again? $5-6K? You wanna spend $3K on a sound system?
So yes, I think the turbo route is a waste of money.

Spend your $3K, get a good, reliable tranny, better breathing engine with extractors, exhaust and panel, and be happy. Or get a V6. Your call.

Sorry, long post.

Dont say sorry for the long post man... You have inspired me more lol....

my car has done 180,000km so by the time i do another 20,000 i should have more then enough money saved to do all that... (not the turbo stuff)

btw its gunna be a $20k audio system LMAO

From what ive heard, the astrons respond really well to exhaust and intake mods. Only trouble you are still stuck with is it being an auto tho

i got nothing agianst it being an auto... cept for the fact i cant change gears when i want... LOL.... im funny. :confused:

any who.... maybe a possible conversion is in the future.... or maybe im just better off selling it and finding one that is a manual.... its got to be white and a wagon lol..

it wouldnt be hard to find a white ks verada v6 auto, it's hard to find a manual v6 wagon let alone a white one, trust me a v6 manual would probably be faster stock than with those mods and with your car at 180kkms you could sell it for just a bit less than what you'd pick up a v6 for, verada nicer interior to start with...they go pretty well

I just seen a white magna wagon manual for $6000.... dunno if it a 6 or 4 yet... but is that a good price or ....??????

a bit pricey but you are meant to bring it down, find out if its a 6

Glad it inspired rather than sent you to sleep.

As said, the astrons do respond well to Inlet and exhaust mods, but the head is the major problem. Panel and exhaust might give you a 6-9kw gain in the high end with more revs, but you will be always hamstrung by the head restrictions. plus, you want the power down low.

Do the head and tranny first, also get all the engine electricals replaced (dizzy, leads, plugs, check other wiring, add extra grounds from your engine to the body - 4GA power wire, will help with the audio install later too) and you will see an improvement.

Once that is done, the other bits can be done at will. You could also look at maybe getting your injectors ultrasonically cleaned as well. If you do the engine and transmission work first, the better the gains will be latter when you add something.

Once you have it all together, you should consider piggy-back style chip (the haltech one, or maybe a powerchip) and have it dyno tuned. You want to know what gains yo are getting.

Once you are ready for the Audio side, Call me, s_tim_ulate or Magnat. We will point you in the right direction.

Yes, 3rd gen TE/TF Manual wagons are rare. Some of us have them, TecoDan springs to mind.

a bit pricey but you are meant to bring it down, find out if its a 6
Well its a 4... and he said hed take $2500 off the price for a trade...

and thats when i said screw you and ya car hippie... ( i didnt really say that but i was thinking it ) i actually well ill think about it LOL...

i think i might as well spend my money on letting it breathe more... atleast that way it will have a bit of go...

thanx to everyone that had their input in this thread... i hope it helped other people and not just my self...

GO THE 2.6L AUTO WHITE WAGON... WWOOOOOOO

If it's carbie, see about a webber. Exhaust and extractors, gives a bit more oomph, and a CAI always works wonders.

i know this is an old thread but i thought it seems on topic and reading it helped me a bit but i'm just wondering because i have a 2nd gen 2.6L carbie manual TR if i do the port polish and everything (not including the turbo) would it give better performance or should i change the carbie aswell.

The other thing is if adjusting the timing a bit would give a better performance or leave it stock.

Just on the performance enhancement for the 2.6 astron auto...i have a 2.5" cat back exhaust with extractors, K&N panel, cold air intake and no resinators. This seet-up has huge gains over the stock system and although not much there still are some gains in the low rev range. Most is higher up though.
These mods are i think the best to do to get the most out of the autos and i am getting much more cleaner, cooler air in. :D

Hope that helps a little bit with your decision to modify or upgrade

Dave: A port and Polish will help, but not as much on a carby-fed engine. I'm not up with the carb setups on magnas, but I imagine a slightly bigger jet would be required. Same advice as earlier, light port and polish (stage 1 level) and a slightly better cam while the head is off the engine (also aiming for stage one). Then it would just need a bit of carby work (like I said, probably a size or two up in jetting) and get it tuned. After that, look at extractors of some kind and a 2.5" sports-style exhaust. I'd recommend that you get the exhaust designed, made and fitted from an exhaust specialist.... that way they can try to match it to the extractors, and fit in one go.

Josh: Good to know that the panel and exaust help. It's amazing how just an extra 3-5Nm of torque makes these autos so much more driveable. Almost proves that to get more power down low, a port & polish is the only way to go. Add a lumpier cam for even better high end ;)

Sounds like a plan! I was actually thinking of a port and polish but cam never occured to me. Cheers!
Rob definately try some of these mods they really do make a difference on the autos.

Yes Josh, the port & polish will help the engine breathe alot better. Breathing = more torque and more torque = greater power potential.

Since you have to take the head off for a port/polish job, you may as well dump a new cam while you are there, will save alot of labour and parts costs (like new head gasket and head bolts - NEVER REUSE THEM!!!). Of course, get all the lifters checked, and if any of the tappets looks suspect, replace all the tappets.

Also shave the head 1/20thou" or possibly 1/10thou" for a bit more compression too. That makes a huge difference for your low end. Unless you are going to do a full engine rebuild - if it is over 250K kms, you should be looking at this.

If you do a full engine rebuild, I'd drop new pistons with slightly higher comp ratio instead, and leave the head alone, save fo a light grind to clean it up (1/40thou").... if you have 8.5ish:1 (by memory), then I'd look at the 8.8:1 area to keep it on standard unlead, but you *might* get away with 9.0:1. Higher compression is possible, but I should think you would need to run premium unleaded (95 octane) to stop it detonating (pinging). If you wanna pay for optimax/ultimate/vortex98, then go for a 9.5:1 or even a 9.8:1 set of pistons.... that thing would rocket!

Re-read all my posts in this thread, should explain things a bit better for you.

That does help thanks. And by the way stock its 8.8:1, and if i wanna get the port polish, new cam, extractors, cai, bigger carbie, exhaust, and new clutch, and fixed transmission (im having a problem now and im not sure wat) then i better start saving o and by the way my engines done 199000 kms so do u think that i should look at the rebuild or just port polish, keeping in mind i'm not someone with a lot of money in my pocket i'll look for the best job at the cheapest price even if i have to do the work myself. I'm just wondering how hard some of those things are.:confused: I have an idea:cry: lol

i drove a magna the other day which was ported, polished, had a decent cam, exhausts, and had 10:1 compression,as it was running straight gas. and the balance shafts removed (helping it rev out better) , trust me astron 2.6's go hard as, this thing got up to 100kph in second and went f&&ing hard as. and the good thing is he didnt spend much on it, in total it was around 2 grand if that.

I thought the 2.6 already had a 10:1 C/R?

Anyway, the 2.6 can certainly be made to go very hard. I've seen some pics/vids of these motors in drag cars doing 10's.

I thought the 2.6 already had a 10:1 C/R?

1st gen:8.8
2nd gen:9.2
nice for a turbo :P

Ah thanks, I just thought they were the same C/R as the 6G72 for some reason...cheers for that

well.. i still havnt done anythign about anything lol... except dream...

but one thing i have done is found a v6 manual for sale so im thinking about getting that if its in good nik.... sedan so thats a bit of a loss but im sure ill live...

defenetly mods are goin to happen to this if im lucky enough to get it...

Not sure if the TS airbox is the same as the TR but if it is a cheap mod is to rip off that damn snorkel on the front of the airbox, it's just for induction noise! I went further and put a 120mm pipe into the gaurd for psudo cold air intake. Sure there's still nothing up top but that now happens 500rpm further up!

120mm? how the hell did you squeeze that in? i barely fitted 80mm in, around the battery, and down where the wahser bottle is, down to the bottom of the bumper bar.

From memory just moved the battery forward about 20mms or so. And enlarged the airbox opening, as the magna airbox is not a bad design..... yeah ummm, after looking at your pic I just cut a 120 hole straight into the inner gaurd so didn't rout it around the batt. So it draws air from the space behing the plastic cover in front of the wheel, I also added a bottom cover with the ideal that Ididn't want to be removing the engine heat only to replace it with road heat.