Little help please with my 86 SS GN swap..

Jim SSX

New Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2015
Hello guys,
Looking for some help with a problem or something i overlooked.
Long story short this was a running drivetrain till now. I have did my best to wire it in with my factory SS. My problem now is that she wont stay running. it seems to be loading up real bad or something.
If I pull the chip she starts rite up in limp mode and runs. I put chip back in and it farts, pops, stalls..
Quick little info on setup is that its highly worked up. Stock ECU was sent to Quad Air (Red Armstrong)by last owner. Its was moded to except any injector and has the R93 chip in it. After calling Red it has 55lbs injectors. I told Red my problems and he says its not the Chip. Car wont stay running long enouf to set any codes. I pull chip and keep it running only code is for no prom.. I have tried different MAS, ECU (with and without the chip) and it does same thing. I other ECU i have had a chip for 42lbs injectors only. With the 42# chip witch i know is not rite it all still does the same thing.. Hmmm? So is it something i did? Something may of went bad in year it was all sitting around? Any help would be great..
Thanks Guys Jim..
 
Check the chip pins. Also pull the calpak (small chip) and check for corrosion. Pull the ecm plugs and look for bent, missing and corroded pins.

Engine grounds good?
 
verify the injectors in the motor , if you have stock injectors with a 55# chip its not going to run with a chip but it should run on the calpack
injectors that sit usually need cleaning/testing
try a known good set of injectors and a matching chip
are you using a scanmaster
what are the maf /o2 readings
 
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Thank you for the reply.. i have tried all of the above. There is 55# injectors in it.. the combo ran in doner car.. i don't have a scanmaster. I have tried with snapon scan tool. Since it wont run at a standstill everything is reading as it should. . So im lost here.. trying to locate a chip local to test with. If not my next step is to send this one out and it is what it is.. but since it runs in limp mode everyone seem to feel its a ECU issue?
Thanks for all your help, Jim
 
in limp mode its providing fuel for 28# injectors ,if motor has 55# injectors its commanding a lot of fuel on limp mode close to 100% more than than the motor should need ..whats the fuel pressure ?
 
Fuel pressure was set at 50# for it to run in limp mode i dropped it down to 40# as thats as low as i could get it. During testing i bump it back to 50#
 
Fuel pressure should be 43# with van line off.

Have you changed the MAF? Is that what you meant by MAS?

Did you remove the cam sensor? Maybe it’s installed 180* off.

check all you spar plugs and wires.

D
 
So when you say you did your best to wire it into the SS wiring, does that mean? you didn't use the GN under dash harness?
 
87GNSteve is thinking what I was when I read your windup post: if it wasn't a GN/T under dash harness, that is a red flag. And I only know cause the one car I have now was a normal regal limited and I initially left the under dash harness that was in the car alone. Figured they stamped out regal bodies en masse and when one got the turbo option they got the motor and the firewall "forward" harness. Boy was I wrong. Had like 3 hots and 5 grounds missing (or something like that lol). Put a factory turbo fuseblock harness in and solved most of my problems. Not saying you didn't do a good job or account for everything you need to, but it opens the door for error a little further the more you have to mod and refeed. Will also throwout when my ecm took a crap and it took my chip with it, it ran BAAAAD. Wideband was slammed rich as far as it could go and would run stumble and cut out (existing chip in new ecm). Replaced the chip with another for my setup and good to go. Never removed chip and ran it off the calpak alone. Like pacecarta said, calpak is programmed for 28# and I had 60's in it. Fear of washing the cylinder walls with too much running like that.
 
One of the MAGNA guys from jersey had a Monte ss converted it even had a tan interior stock with the turbo-t wheel and a scanmaster and this car was done like the factory made it that way , all the regals were lined up and then I saw it and thought
That was done right , try to contact them down below and good luck
Chris
 
One of the MAGNA guys from jersey had a Monte ss converted it even had a tan interior stock with the turbo-t wheel and a scanmaster and this car was done like the factory made it that way , all the regals were lined up and then I saw it and thought
That was done right , try to contact them down below and good luck
Chris
that monte used a caspers hybrid engine harness so the turbo dash harness wasnt needed
 
that monte used a caspers hybrid engine harness so the turbo dash harness wasnt needed
Oh I understand are you a MAGNA member? I always loved the design of the ss but that motor was anemic my mom bought one new in 86' when I was 16 but the first time I saw a black gn next to us I was blown away when it sounded like a jet so from then I wanted one until I saw the turbo t colors so I got me a gray one but that Monte was like a dream car it's the best of both worlds to me
 
NJ rep for Magna
that black /tan monte SS had a stockish 3.8lc2 but that is out and was replaced with a 14bolt gn1 aluminum headed girdled and stroked 4.1 , 76 turbo , precision FMIC ,atr headers and a husek dual fed 2004r and now has xfi ,alky and msbc-1 boost control

theres also another Magna member with a black cherry /tan monteSS hybrid LC2 that came from south jersey
 
NJ rep for Magna
that black /tan monte SS had a stockish 3.8lc2 but that is out and was replaced with a 14bolt gn1 aluminum headed girdled and stroked 4.1 , 76 turbo , precision FMIC ,atr headers and a husek dual fed 2004r and now has xfi ,alky and msbc-1 boost control

theres also another Magna member with a black cherry /tan monteSS hybrid LC2 that came from south jersey
Wow nice when I saw the Monte it was 2013 when I first got my turbo t
Back then I was learning by the day about these cars I was impressed by your group and you guys were friendly to me I'm from philly btw I hope to see you guys at the kirban get together this month I'll keep my eye out , Chris
 
Like to start off by saying thanks for all the help. Sorry been busy and not been on here or did much with the car. I did however find the problem. So stupid how it was overlooked so many times. It was the interrupter ring in the cam sencer. Looked at it, looked fine. I came across the kirben cam fix kit and then knew I overlooked something. So now running rite, just need to do a few things to get her on the road. Guys thanks again. Will be posting pic's soon.
So what is Magna?
 
Mid Atlantic Grand National Association ..NJ, PA(eastern side) DE, MD car club for turbo buicks, Turbo trans am and hybrids buick turbos but anyone is welcome to come out and join us when we get together ..
monthy get togethers and we hold a huge car show in Cecil MD http://www.magnabuick.com/events/show/

there's a forum on this board , a page on facebook and our website http://magnabuick.com/index.shtml
 
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Like to start off by saying thanks for all the help. Sorry been busy and not been on here or did much with the car. I did however find the problem. So stupid how it was overlooked so many times. It was the interrupter ring in the cam sencer. Looked at it, looked fine. I came across the kirben cam fix kit and then knew I overlooked something. So now running rite, just need to do a few things to get her on the road. Guys thanks again. Will be posting pic's soon.
So what is Magna?
Hey Jim MAGNA is the mid Atlantic grandnational association they're a club based in the jersey area across the bridge from philly where I'm from
I run my turbo t down the shore a lot cause it's only 90 miles from my house to the shore towns it's a great drive clears my head and gives the car a good run and I try to attend they're get togethers but they're all over south jersey but all they're cars are really clean and done right
 
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