Rough Running. where do I start?

[montecarlofast]

So I recently bought a 85 Regal T type that had sat for (from what the guy said) 10 years behind his shop. the car was sitting because I bill for a new transmission was never paid. so he leined the car. I bought it without the turbo on it because it had siezed. so new turbo and everything put back togeather, today I started it. It runs really rough and has a lot of white smoke. I do have good oil pressure (aftermarket guage in the car) So.. where do I start first? the gas in it is really old im sure that doesnt help but what should i do for a comprehensive tune up? I allready have replaced spark plugs and wires as well as new air cleaner and I sprayed the mass out with electronic contact cleaner. Some direction on this would be helpful. Thanks

 

[jimski]

The injectors may be gummed up from old gas and the fuel filter shot,clean each injector and possibly clean the fuel rail out and fill up with fresh gas.

 

[1986TR]

years ago o bought a 84 t type in similar condition (not running in years) well i did get it running real nice and smooth but you will need a SCAN TOOL and you need to go to gnttype and do the "spring cleaning" i also removed injectors and had them ultrasonic cleaned.that was actualy my first turbo regal and i learned that you need to be patient and read,read,read and read some more gnttype is full of info:biggrin:

 

[tpaul]

I may be wrong, but a car that has sat for 10 years may need more than a standard tune-up. The white smoke to me would say that you need to replace the head gaskets. Over the years gaskets rot. I would tear her down to the block, replace ALL gaskets and vacuum lines. If it's not leaking oil then leave the short block alone. Head gaskets up is what I would recommend.
Like the other guys said... 10 year old gas is bad! Pump that stuff out of the tank. Get rid of it, it will only cause you problems. Chances are, the injectors are plugged from sitting so long. Get your injectors cleaned or buy new ones.
Replace every filter possible and replace all fluids with new stuff. Clean the contacts on the coil pack with a very mild abrasive.
Drain the coolant, if you notice oil spots in it, then that's a sure sign you need new head gaskets. DON'T run the car until you fix these problems!!! You will only hurt the engine.
Welcome to the Turbo Buick club... you have just purchased one of the most complicated cars ever made! Yeah, it seemed easy from the showroom, then they started to break. GM dealers everywhere went "Holy ****, how do I fix this? Must be a bad turbo!" That's why we're all here. Good luck!

 

[montecarlofast]

These cars still aren't nearly as complicated as my 750il. Ill check the compression and see if the head gaskets need to be changed. The radator was full when I got the car and probably hadent been filled in ten years either. so i would bet it didnt have a blown head gasket when was parked but now who knows.

I may be wrong, but a car that has sat for 10 years may need more than a standard tune-up. The white smoke to me would say that you need to replace the head gaskets. Over the years gaskets rot. I would tear her down to the block, replace ALL gaskets and vacuum lines. If it's not leaking oil then leave the short block alone. Head gaskets up is what I would recommend.
Like the other guys said... 10 year old gas is bad! Pump that stuff out of the tank. Get rid of it, it will only cause you problems. Chances are, the injectors are plugged from sitting so long. Get your injectors cleaned or buy new ones.
Replace every filter possible and replace all fluids with new stuff. Clean the contacts on the coil pack with a very mild abrasive.
Drain the coolant, if you notice oil spots in it, then that's a sure sign you need new head gaskets. DON'T run the car until you fix these problems!!! You will only hurt the engine.
Welcome to the Turbo Buick club... you have just purchased one of the most complicated cars ever made! Yeah, it seemed easy from the showroom, then they started to break. GM dealers everywhere went "Holy ****, how do I fix this? Must be a bad turbo!" That's why we're all here. Good luck!

 

[turbo6x2]

White generally means water and not good. I'm with the previous post if you want it to run correctly then tear it down and see what you have. Anything that's sat that long isn't going to run trouble free and if you do that you can put in new bearings, gaskets, seals and whatever else that has rotted over time. I wouldn't chance it but that's me.

 

[montecarlofast]

sounds like if I was going to do a swap to a 86-87 style 109 block now would be the time. could a lot of water in the fuel cause that too? I was going to drain out the old gas, replace the fuel filter and such this weekend.

 

[tpaul]

As far as I know, the 84-85 and 86-87's run the same block and heads. The short block on these cars was pretty much the same. The difference was from the intake on up and out. The front end of the long block on an 86-87 was different with the serpentine setup.
Here's the difference between your GN and your 750il. Your BMW dealer knows how to fix your 750il. Your local GM dealership has no idea how to fix your GN! Thus leading to my comment about how complicted this car is. There are a limited number of shops that really know how to work on these cars.
Bad gas would not cause your car to blow out white smoke. Water in the fuel would make your car run like crap, if it would even run at all. Spend an afternoon and replace the head gaskets.