Chip Identification

istretch

New Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2018
Just purchased '87 GN. Ad indicated engine "professionally rebuilt". Don't know what that means, no build sheet, previous owner absolutely no help; has diff. turbo, intercooler, maf with translator, scanmaster. For starters, What do I look for to identify what chip I have, stock, aftermarket by brand or part number.
 
Just purchased '87 GN. Ad indicated engine "professionally rebuilt". Don't know what that means, no build sheet, previous owner absolutely no help; has diff. turbo, intercooler, maf with translator, scanmaster. For starters, What do I look for to identify what chip I have, stock, aftermarket by brand or part number.
Pull the kick panel on the passenger side and turn the ecm. Undue 1 screw to access the chip and take a picture of the top of it

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Thanks. As soon as I can. And thanks for responding. I think I have too much car here for me. I'm a Buick guy but old school 401/425 nailheads. I had to have a GN but I'm lost. I mean really lost. I'll start w/the chip.
 
We all have been there. The search function is your best friend. Stuff to read for days

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O.K. Here's the picture.
 

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Perfect it's a Turbo Tweak chip.

Now go under the hood passengers side undue the orange wire next to the battery. Then go back inside the car and remove chip and let's have a look at the bottom of it. The chip will have a ID on it and we can ask TT what it was burned for. That should help in finding out what you have

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Pull the kick panel on the passenger side and turn the ecm. Undue 1 screw to access the chip and take a picture of the top of it

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^^ x2

Thanks. As soon as I can. And thanks for responding. I think I have too much car here for me. I'm a Buick guy but old school 401/425 nailheads. I had to have a GN but I'm lost. I mean really lost. I'll start w/the chip.

Hopefully it has a Turbo Tweak chip so Eric (from Turbo Tweak) can tell you what it was programmed for from the ID number on the chip.

Post some photos under the hood, we'll see if we can identify some of the things.
 
O.K. I'm back. Here is a picture of the back of the chip w/some writing on it. Is this what you need?
 

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O.K. I'm back. Here is a picture of the back of the chip w/some writing on it. Is this what you need?
That should help you some. Send eric an email with that ID number and he can help you out.

Make sure you still have alky on the car that's for sure

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I think I would be happier with just a stock GN. Options, brands, types, upgrades, combinations, codes, problems, what are the right parts and where to find them; just too complicated for me to feel comfortable. At this point, I just want it to run well and look nice. Not interested in getting every horsepower out of this engine and I will never race it. Just too complicated with too many variables. Also, I want my local service shop to be able to repair it when something goes wrong. I'm overwhelmed.
 
The chip is burned for 60 lb. injectors, alcohol injection, 23 degrees timing in low gears, 21 degrees in high gears at wide open throttle, 23-25 lbs of boost.
 
Eric can give you the specifics on the information given about the build that the chip was ordered for.
 
Thanks you guys. Is all of that stuff good? Hope the engine was upgraded accordingly. I gotta lot of learning to do.
 
I think I have too much car here for me. I had to have a GN but I'm lost. I mean really lost.

It sounds to me like your car chose the right owner.
If you think your car is too much, then it's just right. Lol

Sadly, your local (non Turbo Regal) mechanic knows less than you do and probably won't take the time to read this site.

Add your location to your profile so guys know where you're from or post for help in your area of the regional section towards the bottom of the site.

Just start by searching spring cleaning and go from there.
Learning the Scanmaster would be next and as mentioned before, keep the alky tank full.
As long as you don't get any knock retard (KR) on the Scanmaster you should be ok. You don't have to run it wide open all the time.
Just drive/ cruise it and have fun while learning.
I hope your second hobby is reading.

Search for tps setting, iac settings and for alky pump maintenance.

Post any questions and we'll help as much as we can. The trouble is, at this point you won't know what to ask. That's ok as we've all been right where you're at.

I have faith in you. I have a feeling the car will be well cared for.

Cheers,
George
 
Post some engine photos from different angles to see what you've got.

Eric can look up the 8088 number on the chip, it may tell what cam, turbo, intercooler, torque converter or if it's got ported heads.

There is a lot of info he likes to know when burning a chip.
 
Thanks you guys. Is all of that stuff good? Hope the engine was upgraded accordingly. I gotta lot of learning to do.

Post some pictures of under the hood and some of the dash and maybe someone can tell if it has been upgraded.

If you can get part numbers on some items, it will help everyone better.

Jumped on a 1987 T myself just over two years ago and still do not have a good handle on it.
 
You can also have Eric burn you a chip to use without the alky. There is nothing wrong with alky but from what you’re saying you probably don’t need it. With the alky your car is set up to run 23-25 psi of boost and as long as the pump is working right the car should run good assuming you keep the coolant bottle with the alky cap full and test the pump frequently as the pumps will fail and you can’t safely run that much boost (or the timing that’s required with the alky) without alcohol injection. If you have him burn you a 93 octane chip you can run the car without the alky. You really don’t want any local car repair shops touching your car. Unfortunately even completely stock most shops should not be trusted with your car. Especially if it’s not running right. It’s too easy for a fuel delivery issue to end up costing you a engine ($5k plus) with these cars. There are several good options for people to help you with your car on this site. Your best option is reading and learning as much as you can so you at least understand the basics of your new car. There are plenty of people willing to help on here no matter what issues you encounter.
Here are a couple links.
http://www.vortexbuicks-etc.com
http://www.gnttype.org
 
That chip (#8088) was made for this combo:

86/87 Turbo Buick
60lb Injector
93 Octane
Alcohol Injection - Alkycontrol single nozzle
TE44 Turbo
Front Mount Intercooler
3500 Stall Converter
Stock Ported Heads
Lunati Mild Cam
High 11 second target 1/4 mile
 
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