Must read Info for New Turbo Regal owners.

[RUQWKNF]

Getting to know the LC2 can be a very daunting task. There are tons of wires, hoses, sensors and relays all over the place. The good news is, you are at the right place. I recommend you go here and start reading.

http://www.gnttype.org/maint/sensors.html

http://www.gnttype.org/maint/turbox.html

http://www.gnttype.org/maint/basics.html

http://www.gnttype.org/maint/malf.html

http://www.gnttype.org/resources.html

It will give you the basics and really help acclimate you to the motor and the car. There is a ton of info on that site​

The Scanmaster is the #1 tool that you need, to help you not only learn how to properly tune your car, but to also help diagnose problems that will come up. The very first screen that comes up on the Scanmaster, tells you your O2 milivolts and degrees of knock retard. These two readouts will help you keep from blowing your new car up. Which is very important. I always found it best to tune for .780 - .800 Mv and no more than 2 degrees of knock that goes away after a second or two under WOT. In a perfect world, you want zero knock under WOT. (Wide Open Throttle) The Scanmaster is a simple 3 wire scantool that is absolutely a must have for these cars. It also includes a very good instruction manual that teaches you how to read and use it. Absolutely a must have.

The factory LED boost gauge is very in-accurate. Although it might say you are only running 10psi, you could be in fact running 17psi. Typically when the cars where new, they would run anywhere from 12-15psi, depending on ambient conditions. With today's gas, a bone stock car really needs to keep the boost under 14psi until everything is sorted out.

Here are some things that you need to sort out.

- What chip is in the ECM? The ECM is located in the lower kick panel on the right side of the lower passenger side footwell. Once the ECM is fished out of the plastic holder, there is a small plate that's bolted down with two screws. The large chip is your EProm. To determine which chip you have, first, disconnect the single orange wire that is located behind the battery. There is a quick disconnect electrical connector in this orange wire behind the battery, be careful with the connector as time and heat can make it brittle and it can break. With the orange wire disconnected, fish the ECM out of the plastic kick panel holder, remove one screw and loosen the other so you can rotate the cover up and out of the way. Now, carefully pry the EProm chip out of the ECM in a rocking side to side manner. Typically, there is a label that aftermarket chip makers either write or print the chips specs on, that is on the bottom side of the chip. Never place the chip on carpet as static electricity can damage the ship. Give us this info, or take a picture and post it up and we will be able to help tell you what chip you have. This is very important, because it will help us tell you what the chip is, how much timing it has and if it's correct for your setup and or matched to your injectors. The bone stock chips, even the recalled ones from years ago, had too much timing in them for today's ethanol blended 93 octane fuel, vs what we had back then. So if it is a 100% stock chip, you need to either upgrade it to a Turbo Tweak chip, or go through your fuel system so you won't have problems. You might already know about this, but I'm just repeating for others in the future.

http://www.turbotweakstore.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=1000

- What fuel injectors does the car have?

- Does the car have an adjustable fuel pressure regulator or a stock Bosch 231 non adjustable regulator?

http://www.kirbanperformance.com/pr...ADJUSTABLE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR #6547.html

- Does the car have a fuel pump hot wire kit installed? Or stock fuel pump wiring?

http://www.kirbanperformance.com/product/229/FUEL PUMP FEEDER KIT #6751.html

- Does the car have an upgraded fuel pump installed or stock?

http://www.kirbanperformance.com/pr... IN-TANK REPLACEMENT FUEL PUMP KIT #1540.html

- Has the car ever had a Spring Cleaning done to it? Plugs? Factory fuel filter changed? O2 sensor changed? Age of the plug wires? Factory coil pack and ignition module?

- Does the car have the original turbo on it?

- Does the car have a 160* thermostat in it?

http://www.fullthrottlespeed.com/itemdesc.asp ic 4301508 eq Tp

http://www.fullthrottlespeed.com/itemdesc.asp ic 505MTO0001 eq Tp

- Does the car have the factory air box? Or a K&N cone filter attached directly to the MAF sensor?

http://www.kirbanperformance.com/pr...R and MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR BRACKET #1547.html

- Does the car have the stock flexible MAF hose from MAF sensor to turbo, or a hard steel or aluminum MAF pipe?

http://www.kirbanperformance.com/pr...coated ALUMINUM MASS AIR FLOW PIPE #6719.html

http://buickgn.com/mafpipes3INCH.htm

- Do the valve covers have K&N breathers or just the stock breather connected to the turbo on the passengers side and the fill tube with cap on the drivers side?

http://www.kirbanperformance.com/product/243/Passengers Side BREATHER BY-PASS KIT #1580.html

http://www.kirbanperformance.com/product/241/Angled Billet OIL FILL TUBE and BREATHER KIT #7097.html

- Did the previous owner know about the importance of running ZDDPlus oil additive at each oil change? If not, you could be looking at some internal repairs very soon. Not running a zinc phosphorus oil additive in normal off the shelf oil, can and will lead to wiped cam lobes and eventual bearing failures. If it absolutely vital that you run the oil additive to protect your cam, motor and the turbo.

http://www.kirbanperformance.com/product/445/ZDDPLUS 4-OUNCE BOTTLE (1) #7176.html

- I completely agree, you gotta replace the timing change with a nice double roller timing chain. Especially with high mileage. And don't reuse the timing chain tensioner if you go with a double roller. Also replace the cam button with a Torrington roller bearing cam button. The stock nylon cam button wears a hole into the front cover with age. When you tear into the timing change replacement, it is very important that you inspect the front cover for wear from the nylon cam button. It might be worn to the point that you will need to replace the front cover with a new one.

http://www.fullthrottlespeed.com/itemdesc.asp ic 1851014 eq Tp

http://www.fullthrottlespeed.com/itemdesc.asp ic 001CB100 eq Tp

http://www.kirbanperformance.com/pr...NG CHAIN COVER with New Timing Tab #7437.html

http://www.kirbanperformance.com/products/5/ENGINE, FUEL and IGNITION PARTS.html?cur_pos=18

These are things we need to address, so that you do not do any un-expected damage to the motor just driving it normally.

- If the car does not have an aftermarket boost gauge and you are only relying on the factory LED lights under the RPM lights, your boost could be off by as much as 5 psi. This can lead to detonation issues. Typically, on a properly sorted out and good running 86-87 Turbo Buick, you can run 14-17 psi of boost and 18-20* of timing under WOT with today's regular 93 pump gas.​

http://www.kirbanperformance.com/product/113/VDO COCKPIT SERIES 30 LB. BOOST GAUGE #6627.html

http://www.kirbanperformance.com/pr...E A-PILLAR WINDSHIELD GAUGE HOLDER #1530.html

- Does the car have the stock turbo downpipe, stock catalytic converter and stock cat back exhaust, or have these parts been upgraded? These are parts that are typically upgraded for horsepower and performance.

- Has the drivers side header ever been repaired? The factory drivers side header always cracks between primary tube numbers 3 & 5 and need to be repaired and or replaced if it's beyond repair.

And lastly, if you have questions about any part under the hood, simply snap a picture and post it up with your questions. I can assure you, you will get a very helpful answer very shortly. This website has been and still continues to be the # 1 source of info about Turbo Buicks. There's tons of information on here in the archives, as well as a huge knowledge base from all the users.
Welcome aboard.

Patrick​