Throttle Body Coolant Bypass Mod - LS1 - Does it work?..

In this video we lower the intake air temperatures of the 2000 Pontiac Trans Am WS6! We install a throttle body bypass kit that I bought from "Potz Speed & Performance". The kit can be found here:
/ potz-speed-and-perform...
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The install is extremely easy, and yielded good results. Especially for the money! I do realize that OBVIOUSLY the throttle body would have been cooler after re-routing the coolant lines, but I had never seen any measurement of what impact this install actually has on an engine.
I was pleased to say the least!
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The car had the following modifications at the time of doing this:
Brian Tooley (BTR) Stage 4 Camshaft and supporting modifications, 10% Underdrive Pulley, Speed Engineering Longtube Headers into a Borla Catback. UMI Rear LCA's/PHB/LCARB's/SFC's and Bilstein B6 Pro Shocks. MGW short throw shifter, Tick Master Cylinder/Ram Slave Cylinder, Lightweight Flywheel and a Grip Force Stage 2 clutch.
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The music used in this video can be found here:
Track: Unknown Brain - Inspiration (feat. Aviella) [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds.
Video: • Unknown Brain - Inspir...
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Track: T-Mass - Ignoring My Heart [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds.
Watch: • T-Mass - Ignoring My H...
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[@AIrobut5323]

Quite awhile back I did the throttle body bypass at an auto zone, lol.An employee was curious and was running back and forth with tools and hoses for me. Fun times.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Good stuff!! The cool part is you would easily be able to do the coolant bypass in any parking lot.

[@bobbyprd]

I like doing stuff like this and seeing others do stuff like this. Good job dude!

[@Greenlightfilming]

Bobby Perdue thanks! I know it's about as "bro science" as it gets but i think til give someone a rough idea of what this mod actually renders.

[@AIrobut5323]

The cutout in the airbox is a pretty good free mod as well

[@Greenlightfilming]

Yes, it is!!

[@davebarron5939]

This will be an excellent mod to add as I am finally doing my LS swap. It is a "summer only" vehicle. Thanks.

[@downhilldaddy9346]

I believe it works. And well it doesn’t hurt the engine in any way

[@Greenlightfilming]

Agreed. I feel that there's more to gain than lose doing it.

[@JMPK23]

After reading in forums I wasnt going to do this. But after watching this i think I'll do this. I'm wondering how the temps would read in the hot summertime

[@Greenlightfilming]

I would think the benefit of bypassing the throttle body would be just as effective in the summer time. I'd say go for it!

[@alexandermcdole8464]

I've also heard that the lt1 radiator is better because it's bigger than the ls1. I've already did the by pass but they say it definitely will run a lot cooler with an lt1 radiator

[@Greenlightfilming]

I'll keep that in mind if I run into cooling issues. So far it's been good!

[@vans1107]

Am I the only one who caught the math mistake? You said after both 24 mile drives your temperature difference was 16.65 degrees lower after the coolant bypass, however 96.0 minus 73.35 is 22.65 not 16.65. So really it lowered the temp more than you originally calculated.

[@Greenlightfilming]

vans1107 no, someone caught it on LS1tech first lol. Unfortunately you can't edit a video once it's uploaded. Good catch though!

[@lapper345]

I just did one on my 2000 Honda CR-V. I put a new 3 row aluminum radiator in and of course the throttle body inlet wanted to leak. I couldn't find a gasket so I has to make a gasket. I put it back together and lo and behold I got another leak under the throttle body in a different location. So I just bypassed it with one long hose out of necessity. I already have a cold air intake now the hose just goes directly to the idle control valve. So I'm going to see if I gain any performance if any.

[@michaelblacktree]

One of the first mods I do to a car is delete the throttle body heater, if it has one. Here in Florida, throttle body icing isn't a concern.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Personally, I think it's worth doing as these cars are only driven when its nice out 99.9% of the time

[@jdirt1982]

I just got a free 97 trans am formula ws6 It's pretty rough.... Looking forward to cleaning it up ....

[@Greenlightfilming]

Free is a hell of a price! Score. Good luck on your project

[@robertcampos4204]

I believe this Test should have been done in The Summer speaking of 80-100 degrees outside and in Traffic

[@Greenlightfilming]

I would tend to agree with you on this. That being said, I happened to do the mod at the end of the year right when it started snowing lol.

[@robertcampos4204]

@@Greenlightfilming Nice I see, Well I say this because I would like to Know would this have Worked in Summer weather, Because I live in Desert land and i plan to get this For my Trans Am.

[@Greenlightfilming]

@@robertcampos4204 I would bet there is a difference in hot weather, yes. Its pretty common practice to keep the hot coolant out of the TB. It's so cheap, it doesn't make sense not to.

[@briandennison1462]

Beautiful bird man,I got a 99 Camaro SS myself..fun cars to mod & play.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Thanks man! You got that right. They are a lot of fun to mod.

[@petercarey6883]

Cool video. No pun intended. lol New subscriber so this is the first I've seen your Trans Am. Very, very nice, love the squared away engine bay. Is this by-pass something you would do on the Vette as well? Thanks and Save the Wave.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Peter Carey I would have to look and see if they even did this on an ls2/ls3. But yes I definitely would. Thanks for checking it out!

[@joedatuknow]

Does that one have plastic AC lines an plastic locker for the lines? They fall apart an leak all the time an the line isnt worth fixing if it goes bad

[@joedatuknow]

An the line ur working on now idk i think not haveing it is just as good in less your pulling loads of power out of it then the air would cool its just as much

[@waynesanders1406]

Next step: put a 2 gallon jug of water in the trunk and pump ambient water temperatures through those TB lines to drop the temperature 30 more degrees.

[@kevinc.8869]

Is there any reason why I couldn't simply install a valve inline and close it in warm weather and open it if I experience icing in very cold weather?

[@Greenlightfilming]

You want coolant to flow from one end of the circuit to the other. I wouldn't cap/valve it.

[@kevinc.8869]

@@Greenlightfilming That was my thought too. Thank you.

[@sucapizda]

Those dirt bag scientists. Love it!!👍👍 I’m doing this to my mellow yellow 02. Thanks.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video! The science wasn't exact, but hopefully it proved the point haha.

[@gtojoe8990]

Found your channel on ls1tech. You going to eventually do some track videos? Either way you got a sub man!

[@Greenlightfilming]

Havoc Racing yes I am! I'm a little bit worried with a 315 on the stock 10 bolt haha. The pinion has a slight leak, and the nearest track is over 2hrs from me.

[@gtojoe8990]

@@Greenlightfilming lol yeah def on borrowed time. You need a tow rig man. What kind of work do you do?

[@Greenlightfilming]

Havoc Racing you're telling me! Haha. I really need a nice truck and trailer to go racing. I work in the trades.

[@khalidfathallah6619]

There’s never been a debate over this mod cooling your throttle body. The issue at hand is will it affect the intake air temperature enough to make a horsepower difference. You have to measure your IATs

[@Greenlightfilming]

Agreed, if I did it over again and happened to have HP tuners or a scan tool at the time I would have tested it that way.

[@georgelewis2537]

Is the reason for bypassing or in my case a hole appears in it. So I'd like to bypass for the time being

[@georgelewis2537]

Oh, will this hurt my engine?

[@lzeta28pep90]

Sick video bro. Air intake temp is before the throttle body so its going to read the same regardless.

[@Greenlightfilming]

LZETA28 pep haha you make a good point. I guess I hadn't really thought that through. 😁

[@billymz28]

You can go to oriellys buy a brass house barb for couple bucks. That's all I've ever did. It's the exact barb u got

[@johnnylambeth2439]

What cam is in your car please?? Love the car and channel!! Keep it up!!

[@Greenlightfilming]

Thanks! It has a Brian Tooley Racing Stage 4 Cam.

[@dniksich]

What car/truck is your intake tube from? I've been looking for 1 to fit my car that I swapped a LS2 Intake/92MM tb onto. I'm also running SD tune so I have a pvc pipe replacing that but it's a bottleneck now. Thanks

[@Greenlightfilming]

Dan Niksich ummm..... I guess I'm not entirely sure. I bought the car with it already being speed density.

[@dniksich]

@@Greenlightfilming Yeah, I subscribed and found out watching your videos that you bought it like that, thanks for replying though. Awesome car by the way, same color as mine.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Dan Niksich thanks for subscribing! Hope you enjoy the uploads. I didn't see anything in your channel with your car. Its the best color on these in my opinion... When I get a chance, I'll take a look at the pipe and let you know what it is if there's anything on it.

[@dniksich]

@@Greenlightfilming Appreciate it, never did upload any videos of my car. Din't think about recording the dyno tuning until after it was done, duh. Thanks for checking that when you get a chance.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Dan Niksich will do! Thanks

[@naranjoceidy]

I've seen other videos and people do put the lock nut between the tower and brace

[@lb9gta307]

The actual reason for the coolant through the throttle body is to reduce carbon build up in the throttle body. The TB coolant bypass is a thing for TPI cars too. I haven't done it my self because I don't think the intake air spends enough time in the TB to make much of a difference in performance. It'd be interesting to see befor and after (same day) dyno or time slip numbers.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Nicholas Rodrigues interesting.I hadn't heard that reason before.I was under the impression that it was to prevent icing, but that makes sense with the factory emissions stuff being connected.

[@Greenlightfilming]

I searched about this quite a bit the last day and I still haven't found any supporting info on the carbon buildup aspect. Link?...

[@lb9gta307]

@@Greenlightfilming that's from text books and manufacturer specific technician training so I have no links. But basicly what it does is prevent condensation from forming in the TB behind the plate which carbon deposites stick to.

[@1991tommygun]

Nicholas Rodrigues interesting!

[@frankiebrown5882]

hi

[@alphasaiyan5760]

You could get a cheap obd2 code scanner and monitor the iat

[@Greenlightfilming]

Absolutely. I wish I had my HP Tuners and laptop when did this.

[@stevenarseneault1972]

Bought a stubby OBD2 reader for $11 that operates via bluetooth and connects to Torque App lite which is free to download installed on my phone or tablet.

[@oscarverdugo8603]

noticed u dont have a MAF. how did u do that??

[@Greenlightfilming]

The car runs on speed density

[@bobfearick2297]

Tthank you, results are pretty good.

[@vetteluvnh]

I live in New England and drive my 99 Z28 year round. Would this be a serious problem when it get -20*F in the winter?

[@permabulk1454]

Yes lol. Your area is precisely what this favored setup is for

[@lancelafonde5240]

Good video, I've seen a few of your videos before, good info interesting content. Really enjoy watching trans am videos while I'm stuck in the deep freeze we call Saskatchewan. Add me to the list of subscribers. Keep you the good work.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Hey thank you! Glad you enjoy the videos. I'm just south of the Canadian border in Minnesota, so we must have similar weather. Its a tough time of year lol.

[@zachmehus5553]

So what exactly was gained?

[@Greenlightfilming]

The idea is you are no longer circulating 180* coolant through your throttle body. There's no reason for that in the summer when most people drive them. Worst case scenario, is that you have less plumbing to fail, and your throttle body won't be super heated for no reason. In the end, you should have a slightly lower IAT than it otherwise would be. Every little bit helps.

[@catfish4957]

@@Greenlightfilming My neighbor bypass his TPI. Instead off capping off the ports he ran both hoses to a pump sitting in a ice chest. So weird watching TPI sweat but it works for him on hot track days.

[@Ladco77]

The throttle body temp is irrelevant with regard to engine performance. What you need to measure before and after is the change in Intake Air Temp.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Ladco77 i think the throttle body would have some effect on the air temperatures in the intake manifold. Whether it is 1* or 30* when fully heat soaked is another question. Personally, I don't think that the effect is as big as you might perceive it to be. The air would be moving through it quick enough that I bet the thermal affect isn't much on the moving air stream. That being said, it's common knowledge that lower intake temperatures are better.

[@Ladco77]

@@Greenlightfilming Yes, it can affect the intake air temp, but the temp of the throttle body only matters due to it's effect on the intake air temp. If the IAT is 50ºF, the engine doesn't care if the throttle body is 50º or 200º. Measuring IAT tells you what difference the engine is seeing. If you don't already have one, pick up an OBD-II bluetooth reader and the Torque app for your phone. It will give you a wealth of information as well as the ability to read and reset SES codes for about $20 for the reader. The app has a free version you can try. The "pro" version is ad-free and cost about $5. It's a great bang for the buck. I use it frequently on all of my OBD-II cars.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Ladco77 i do have an obd2 scan tool. Really handy for reading and clearing CEL's for sure. It does have a live data streaming feature that I hadn't thought to use on the car when doing the testing. I believe the IAT sensor is before the throttle body though, so I doubt you would measure any difference?.. Idk. You seem to know more about it than I do. What do you think?

[@Ladco77]

@@Greenlightfilming Excellent point! I had forgotten the IAT sensor was before the throttle body. You are correct, that would measure no difference. Ideally you want some way to measure the change in the intake air temp and I wasn't thinking about the entire flow and where the sensors are located. I don't think there's any sensors that can easily measure the before/after difference. MAF and IAT both being before the throttle body doesn't help. I'd be really interested in seeing direct air temp measurements to see exactly how much difference in makes. The air goes through the throttle body so fast, there's limited time for it to heat up, but I'm sure it has some effect. Even if it had zero effect, it does clean up the lines around the throttle body.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Ladco77 haha I hear you man. I hadn't considered that either until someone else pointed it out to me. *doh*.... Like you said, I'm not sure how to measure the effect but I'm sure it has SOME effect, but how much? No idea. Its still bro science to me at this point haha.

[@beachsidebum]

wish it cuda been measured with a dyno to see if/what the RWHP changed

[@Greenlightfilming]

It should ultimately make the engine not reduce power if anything. It wont be much but every bit counts.

[@jay.0621]

@ 11:49 to 11:50 What is that tapping noise?

[@Greenlightfilming]

jay.0621 hmm... Not sure if you're hearing the exhaust or the subframe connectors creaking lol

[@jamesjackson8667]

3 cpu heatsinks on top of the throtle body takes it down about 15°

[@shifthappens8475]

Explain your sorcery?

[@peterwindle4453]

you got proof?

[@butch4481]

What exhaust are you running on that

[@Greenlightfilming]

It had speed engineering lingtubes and a borla catback.

[@jkil218]

How much HP would tht give?

[@permabulk1454]

This wouldn’t give horsepower. This is the equivalent of running a catch can. Nothing to do with horsepower directly. Just keeping the engine running at its best

[@adamfredrickson7908]

Sucking cold air. You would see more performance increase on a hot day.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Adam Fredrickson that's what I was thinking. Wasn't sure if the difference would be more or less dramatic on say... An 80 degree day.

[@donstevens7847]

Dude! Great video! My 2000 SS is that same color. I bought the kit but got so frustrated with the (mine was aluminum) connector that I got a long piece of hose and did it that way. Your motor sounds great! What do you have done to it? Never mind I’ll check your other videos lol. Great job!

[@Greenlightfilming]

Congrats on the purchase! Doing it with hose is a good way to do it. The engine is a stock LS1 with a Brian Tooley Racing Stage 4 Cam and bolt ons.

[@TJsVette]

Looks like the guy who was selling these isn't on ebay anymore and his fb page hasn't had a upload since 2018. I want to do this but I'm going to have to go to the parts store and rig something up lol

[@Greenlightfilming]

You will get it done picking up a barbed coupler in the plumbing section of most hardware stores

[@TJsVette]

@Greenlightfilming I just ordered them online and they will be ready for pickup in about an hour. Going to get this done today! Thank you for the video. Being in florida I don't think mine will ever freeze up hahaha

[@PipeWagonTV]

Great vid, do you still have your LT1? If so, check out my TB coolant bypass vid, we show how to keep the stock TB even cooler for a few extra ponies 🐴🐎

[@Kal-el23]

What wheels are those?

[@Greenlightfilming]

American Racing Torque Thrust II wheels

[@Kal-el23]

@@Greenlightfilming Thanks!

[@Greenlightfilming]

@@Kal-el23 no problem!

[@gregorykusiak5424]

Cooler, denser air will mean for more oxygen at the 02 sensor, triggering the injectors to open longer for more fuel to compensate. More fuel = more power.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Agreed. If the engine's coolant/oil can stay cooler longer, the ECU won't pull ignition timing either. . It's a small modification to do, but vey worthwhile in the big picture. It can be done for almost free.

[@gregorykusiak5424]

@@Greenlightfilming yeah, I had a vehicle with a water jacket on the intake manifold. A couple of vacuum caps, a double hose barb and some hose clamps like that cost me $5-6 but made driving a lot more fun.

[@jp-rp6nj]

hp gain? what does that do if anything when your cars cooling system is working properly

[@Greenlightfilming]

It prevents coolant from heating up your throttle body and consequently your IAT's

[@cathylozano5565]

I wanta do that thx

[@Greenlightfilming]

Sweet, good luck! It's a great DIY.

[@mitchtavio]

This is one of those mods that LS guys like to do because they think it is helping in theory, but in practical terms it does nothing. No way you would feel any HP gain from this, and I doubt it would even be measurable on a dyno if you factor in variance between dyno pulls.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Should everyone leave it hooked up?

[@alphasaiyan5760]

You could go to the local hardware store for those 3 parts lol.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Lol yeah. 99% of people just order the kit because it's easy.

[@Shhhh2212]

and it looks better

[@roysimpson6625]

Doesn't mean shit unless you Dyno it and actually get a power reading

[@1991tommygun]

Delete that factory power steering cooler, trouble waiting to happen

[@Greenlightfilming]

It's been deleted. They all seem to fail.

[@gititgotitgood]

less than $20 at parts store

[@Greenlightfilming]

Yep

[@siempre825]

WTF that is just like a simple garden hose coupler that you can get at any hardware store for $ 5.00. it's just a different size. That's all. HaHaHa. GreenLightFilming, what size diameter is the coolant hose?

[@permabulk1454]

Im thinking 11/32

[@GOOGLEUSER-js3vf]

@@permabulk1454 Thanks, man. What did you use for the plugs on the tb? Where did you get them?

[@juancamaney3562]

I did this to my 1986 toyota van 2 years ago , because there is this dud on youtube showing this glass fyll of fuel and he try lighting it on fire , he had a hard time , he then spray the fuel in the air with a lighter and the fuel lit .......I guess hot air evaporates cold gasoline faster.....This technique help my mini van pass the smog test....I never put this on youtube ....Sorry.....SHIT!....PS .....If your vehicle is equipped with a electronic throttle body , would it decreases its life ? do to the fact the engine is attached to the intake and the intake is attached to the throttle body and the heat is more because of the bypass?......Electronics hate really hot shit.

[@stevenarseneault1972]

NOS. :P

[@adamfredrickson7908]

Dirtbag! LOL

[@adamfredrickson7908]

Your throttle is going frezze and stick.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Adam Fredrickson it can't freeze if it's parked all winter.... Haha

[@Ladco77]

@@Greenlightfilming Keep in mind it can freeze with ambient temps above freezing. The pressure drop from the air passing over the throttle blades will cause the air temp to drop below ambient briefly. I doubt it's a big risk, but something to be aware of.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Ladco77 no doubt! Where I live, there's zero risk of it freezing while driving lol. Once it gets that cold out its probably snowing and the car will be parked til spring.

[@rockroll9513]

Freeze? You mean vapor lock? It would have to be pretty cold to do that. I ran my car in the winter and never had a problem. He doesn't seem to run his car much in the winter so there won't be a problem there.

[@Ladco77]

@@rockroll9513 Throttle freezing and vapor lock are two different things. Throttle blades freeze when moisture in the air freezes due to the drop in pressure across the throttle blades. Vapor lock is when fuel boils in the fuel line, causing the fuel pump to not be able to maintain fuel pressure. (virtually eliminated on fuel injected cars due to the higher fuel pressures. Was pretty common on carbureated cars.)

[@RP-dv3pw]

I really like the vids. But the montage with that music is just terrible.

[@Greenlightfilming]

Yeah, I got it. At the time there was almost zero music you could use without getting your audio muted or your video demonetized. I've got different music now. Thanks

[@RP-dv3pw]

@@Greenlightfilming I would like to hear your comments during the install.