first_t_type
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I went to the track today and my fastest time was a 19.065. It was building boost but i dont know what to do. Any help is needed
Help!!!! Went to the track today
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^^^I second that!
Did you let the car cool down prior to making your 1st, 2nd and so on, runs? I was told that you have to let the engine and trans cool down for at least 30 minutes prior. when you launched the car...did you idle launch or did you power brake? dont feel bad...my 1st time with the car...I did 17s using the powerbrake method
. And I went straight to the staging lines right when I entered our race park.
Did you let the car cool down prior to making your 1st, 2nd and so on, runs? I was told that you have to let the engine and trans cool down for at least 30 minutes prior. when you launched the car...did you idle launch or did you power brake? dont feel bad...my 1st time with the car...I did 17s using the powerbrake method
. And I went straight to the staging lines right when I entered our race park.first_t_type
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its all stock. i let it cool for at least an hour. and the mph was only 70
how much boost is the car running? is there a aux boost gauge in there? the led boost guage isnt that accurate...you'll need a mechanical boost gauge if you dont have one installed yet. are you heating up the tires? dont go into the waterbox...just do a dry burnout for a few seconds. how are you launching it? are you launching it at idle idle or power braking it? meaning...are you stepping on the gas while depressing on your brakes? when was its last spring cleaning? oil change, filter changes, fresh spark plugs, new wires...etc? basically all the things you need for a dealership tuneup. dont get intimidated by the crappy times. it will get better and faster.
racemybuick
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ehxaust?
Do you have a clogged cat? what are the regular driving conditions? did you drive the car to the track and drve normally, ie no blue or black smoking?
John
Do you have a clogged cat? what are the regular driving conditions? did you drive the car to the track and drve normally, ie no blue or black smoking?
John
first_t_type
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the turbo is spooling but i am not sure if it is getting the boost to the intake. I did a burn out in the water box and then i did lauch {using the power brake} no unusual smoke. I dont have a gague yet its just the crappy led lights.
Did you just get this car? If so and you havent done any maintenance then definately do so (as already suggested). This aint nothing special, just what you should do with any used car you just bought, so you can at least know where everything stands. Do plugs (AC Delco CR43TS gapped at .035 will get you going). Check your wires also. If they need replacing, either go with some new Delcos or with a type sold by a reputable TR parts dealer. These cars are rough on just any plug wires. Change/get a good fuel filter (important). Check your PCV valve. Make sure your air filter is in good shape. Change your oil (use good oil, remember this has to do with the life of your turbo too).
After the maintenance stuff your next step should be making sure the car is breathing. The point about the shape of your catalytic convertor mentioned above, is a good one. Make sure your exhaust doesnt have any restrictions (i.e. the cat). You will definately want to upgrade your stock exhaust sometime to something more free flowing but for now thats not the issue. You need to just identify your problem(s) and get the car performing like stock should (high 15's @ high 80 mph (88), instead of 19 sec @ 70). Again, this doesnt have anything to do with your current problem, but you will also want to upgrade your air intake setup in the future. Get a K&N cone and get rid of the stock air filter assembly.
You definately need some way to read what your car is doing. Get a boost gauge and a fuel pressure gauge. It would also be good to have a oil pressure and water temp gauge. You need some way to know if your getting detonation/knock retard. A scantool is a must. If you dont want to shell out for a laptop and Tlink or Directscan, then get a Scanmaster (which actually is easier to deal with on an every day basis than the laptop). At the least get a knock gauge of some sort. The simplest would be Casper's audible knock gauge which lets out a LOUD obnoxious beep to let you know you need to back off the pedal.
The #1 issue you need to worry about is the condition of your fuel system, which should be the FIRST upgrade you make (get a Walbro 340 w/ hotwire kit, and adjustable fuel pressure regulator; as you continue to mod, you will want to upgrade injectors aswell). Again, as long as you are able to monitor fuel pressure (make sure your FP is matching your boost pound for pound) and knock (via scantool or knock detector) this is not something you should have to do to run the good stock times, but something you definately need to do for the future.
Detonation is what your first concern will/should be. The catalytic convertor is something to check. The other thing I can think of is your tranny (how is it shifting?). Burn outs and how you left from the line isnt going to be the cause of why your car is 3+ whole seconds slower than stock.
Good luck.
After the maintenance stuff your next step should be making sure the car is breathing. The point about the shape of your catalytic convertor mentioned above, is a good one. Make sure your exhaust doesnt have any restrictions (i.e. the cat). You will definately want to upgrade your stock exhaust sometime to something more free flowing but for now thats not the issue. You need to just identify your problem(s) and get the car performing like stock should (high 15's @ high 80 mph (88), instead of 19 sec @ 70). Again, this doesnt have anything to do with your current problem, but you will also want to upgrade your air intake setup in the future. Get a K&N cone and get rid of the stock air filter assembly.
You definately need some way to read what your car is doing. Get a boost gauge and a fuel pressure gauge. It would also be good to have a oil pressure and water temp gauge. You need some way to know if your getting detonation/knock retard. A scantool is a must. If you dont want to shell out for a laptop and Tlink or Directscan, then get a Scanmaster (which actually is easier to deal with on an every day basis than the laptop). At the least get a knock gauge of some sort. The simplest would be Casper's audible knock gauge which lets out a LOUD obnoxious beep to let you know you need to back off the pedal.
The #1 issue you need to worry about is the condition of your fuel system, which should be the FIRST upgrade you make (get a Walbro 340 w/ hotwire kit, and adjustable fuel pressure regulator; as you continue to mod, you will want to upgrade injectors aswell). Again, as long as you are able to monitor fuel pressure (make sure your FP is matching your boost pound for pound) and knock (via scantool or knock detector) this is not something you should have to do to run the good stock times, but something you definately need to do for the future.
Detonation is what your first concern will/should be. The catalytic convertor is something to check. The other thing I can think of is your tranny (how is it shifting?). Burn outs and how you left from the line isnt going to be the cause of why your car is 3+ whole seconds slower than stock.
Good luck.
first_t_type
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Thanks for all of your help. i was wondering if it could be the coumputer at all? The turbo spools up but i dont know if it is getting to the intake or not. What would i check on that end of the spectrum?
racemybuick
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turbo
Your turbo is mounted directly into the intake...no matter what, air is getting into the motor, however, if your intake impellor is damaged, this could lead to searious complications. The best way to tell the condition of the impellor without getting messy is to remove the intake pipe leading into the throttlebody, and with a flashlight, open up the throttle body and look at the fins on the impellor. If they are broken, or have jagged edges, you defiantely want to let us know. If they look normal, as one can be seen on GNTTYPE.ORG under technical articles, then your prob obviously lies somewhere else. Let us know about those fins!
John
Your turbo is mounted directly into the intake...no matter what, air is getting into the motor, however, if your intake impellor is damaged, this could lead to searious complications. The best way to tell the condition of the impellor without getting messy is to remove the intake pipe leading into the throttlebody, and with a flashlight, open up the throttle body and look at the fins on the impellor. If they are broken, or have jagged edges, you defiantely want to let us know. If they look normal, as one can be seen on GNTTYPE.ORG under technical articles, then your prob obviously lies somewhere else. Let us know about those fins!
John
Do you have the analog or digital dash? If it's the regular analog, what's the factory boost guage reading? No matter how you launch, with a 70mph trap speed you're not going to get much better than a 19 sec 1/4. The trap speed and 1/4 is about right if the car had no turbo. Even if it's getting a little boost it should be quicker than that. You can tee in to the fuel pressure regulator vacuum line (it's probably the easiest for temporary use). Use a boost guage or even an old fuel pump pressure guage and run a line into the car just for testing. Is the car running ok other than the lack of power or is it missing or poping and backfiring?
first_t_type
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I am thinking that it has to be the impeller blades because there was a lot of play in it when i first got the car so the are most likley the problem. I have a stock turbo i bought for it for a 150 bucks so i will put that on and let you know how she runs after that. Thanks for all the help and tips on modifing the car.
Gauges and some way to get readings would also be best before trying to race even with a different turbo. I know someone on this board that has been running wide open boost and mysteriously continues to blow up motors or have major issues. You really need to know what your settings are and play it safe until you have all the correct tools. Just don't like to see people blow their cars up... 
racemybuick
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Get the other stuff first
Hey, one last idea, get the guages, and get them done right, then put the turbo on. You dont want to fool around and then loose a valve or head gasket because of sumthin dumb. I had my car two weeks and all I kept buying were guages from Summit.---Fuel Pressure, Oil, Boost, Water Temp, Air/Fuel Ratio, and a Monster Tachometer. Then it was off to the motor work! Just like a hospital monitor, every bit of info is vital, get that done, and you will be well on your way to a quick buick!
Keep us posted!
John
Hey, one last idea, get the guages, and get them done right, then put the turbo on. You dont want to fool around and then loose a valve or head gasket because of sumthin dumb. I had my car two weeks and all I kept buying were guages from Summit.---Fuel Pressure, Oil, Boost, Water Temp, Air/Fuel Ratio, and a Monster Tachometer. Then it was off to the motor work! Just like a hospital monitor, every bit of info is vital, get that done, and you will be well on your way to a quick buick!
Keep us posted!
John
