Better Off Dead
The story behind some engines that shouldn't have been.
....Early Carbureted Buick V-6 Turbo
Trying to capitalize on the industry's switch to smaller engines and vehicles while the public lusted after power, Buick bet its future on the 231 cubic-inch V-6 turbo. Three years into unleaded fuel, a water-like 87 octane was the only thing at the pumps. You do not need a PhD in engineering to realize that a draw-through carburetor and a turbo with no intercooler was not the best thinking for the fuel and engine management technology of the day. The little Buick was even offered in two- and four-barrel turbo versions. The saving grace was supposed to be a "black box" that was a slow, analog timing/boost controller that resided on the top of the radiator fan shroud. Plagued with severe detonation, burned pistons, and enough turbo lag to create a five o'clock shadow, this Buick did little in the way of PR to have the public embrace the new engine technology. In addition, a poor intake manifold design not only added to the detonation but caused idle instability and erased Buick's reputation for silky smooth operation. Thankfully, the engine featured an even-fire crankshaft that eliminated the shaking of the earlier V-6. For 1984, port fuel injection along with a proper ignition and engine control system was fitted. 1986 brought further changes to the induction/management system with the repositioning of the turbo and the introduction of an intercooler. It is hard to believe that the now legendary Buick Grand National V-6 Turbo had such humble beginnings.
