Where's the power?

[TURBOELKY]

i'm sure Lou could get your car tuned right. I hear he's really good at tuning, plus you'll get a peice of mind, maybe some sheep too!(from what i've heard ) i'm sure somebody local has a gauge to sell you for cheap. You might be overboosting! that factory boost gauge is waayyyy off. it shows boost when you revv it come to think of it, how do you know how much boost your running?

 

[meanchicken]

i'm sure Lou could get your car tuned right. I hear he's really good at tuning, plus you'll get a peice of mind, maybe some sheep too!(from what i've heard ) i'm sure somebody local has a gauge to sell you for cheap. You might be overboosting! that factory boost gauge is waayyyy off. it shows boost when you revv it come to think of it, how do you know how much boost your running?

Thanks, TurboElky.
I was worried you might blow a gasket or burn a bearing with all those red faces in your last post.

I honestly have no clue how much boost I'm really running. The pretty lights go way up to the very last one when I floor it, and only about half way when I'm half into it.
If I am overboosting, how can I adjust it down?

For fuel pressure, I am using a $40 diagnostic gauge from Pep Boys on the rail port. I will be getting one that I can tape to the wind shield from one of our vendors soon so I can watch the pressure under load, etc., and will order the boost, temp and volts soon also.

Whatsay if this knockatapinging I'm hearing has done some damage....what kind of symptoms would I notice?
Right now, other than the knockatapinging under load, and possibly a slightly high idle speed, the car runs like a champ, and the oil and coolant are staying within their own realms.

Are there any good diagnostic/data logging programs (free or otherwise) out there that are compatable with Windows Vista?

Uh...I've heard about Lou's (what a great guy he is) sheep in the SouthWestern section board...I also heard that he can somehow become my Daddy if I'm not careful.
After my first visit to his shop, he told me he might not let my car back into his shop if I don't get rid of the Monte Carlo looking tailpipes that the last owner put on it....I might have to try my luck after I install the ScanMaster and Hotwire.

Tim.

 

[TURBOELKY]

nah, no burnt muffler bearings, or blown brake gaskets, just worried about ya man. trying to keep you from getting those 5 knuckles to the eye before the holidays from the local guys I'm sure the car is fine, just get that boost gauge before any. Besides, you dont want to see that low oil pressure!
you can turn the boost down on that wastegate actuator if its adjustable, turn the rod out/make longer. Until you get the rest adjusted, thats your best bet to keep it safe.

 

[meanchicken]

Er....rookie question....I think I know where it is, but just in case...where's my waste gate?:redface: I'd hate to find out that I just turned the oil filter down....

Once positively ID'd...I'm pretty sure it's the OE wastegate, so probably not adjustable. Most everything on this car is original.

 

[Junior Samples]

Woke up from thread nightmare but it could be this damn gleep i caught, throat is swollen shut but anyway

Good thing you do have the pump on Tim, I was freakin when I read it, hot wire is easy install and you need that full 14 volts. Stock pump draws like 7 amps and new one draws about 11 so you need to do everything you can to get more voltage to that pump

I have local friend who lent me tons of back issues of GSxtra plus i picked up the power pac and performance engine book which are are little out dated but still very informative read which is a must...research

if you look at your turbo from straight on, look at bottom, you will see the wastegate actuator with rod, rod attaches to little arm on exhaust elbow, little arm is part of the puck, rod if stock is non adjustable and set at factory 15#?

see lots of adjustable ones in for sale section.

But even what I thought was a simple swap when i went to new style maf/translator put me way pig rich...fouled my plugs and o2 so i went back to stock maf untill my 4inch with built in maf comes on monday from full throttle.

So my observation on these motors is they bitc* more then any women ive ever met but man does it pull hard and i just have itsy ta49 turbo upgrade.

 

[TurboMonte 2]

Boost gauge def'ly a 1st priority; followed by a FP gauge (liquid-filled) w/ braided hose extension to tape to windshield while testing....volts & water temp gauges can wait as this info will be adequate from your Scanmaster which YOU WILL BE INSTALLING SOON---R-I-G-H-T!

 

[Ttype83]

You are on the right track...install that hotwire kit and scanmaster now.
next a good boost gauge.
I see you checked the trans mount..good ..now check your motor mounts.
Once you have all your parts on and tuned, it'll be time to pull off the turbo elbow and port it.

You need to replace the valve springs asap as well. stockers didn't even last 50k miles.
my 86 has the basic bolt ons and when I got it, it was stock except for a K&N filter.
I did (had done before picking it up)
fuel pump
hotwire kit
TT chip for alky
razor alky kit (best bang for the buck)
50lb injectors
boost gauge
scanmaster

Now I've added 3" single shot exhuast
rebuilt trans (blow up the old one )
12" pats 2800 stall tc

car run 13.6 @ 97mph on 20psi falling flat in the upper rpms.. I need to change the valve springs, replace broken passenger mount and cracked driver header.

 

[TurboMonte 2]

Tim, I think it's time to take this in a new direction. And, I think that is you are likely overboosting & don't know it's even ahappenin'. Did you:

1) check/replace vac hoses turbo to wastegate controller(WGC)?--(if a leak--or orifice is plugged, you will overboost/go lean/knock

2) check WGC--does the rod to the puck move with application of pressure (perhaps diaphragm is busted)

3) WG solenoid kaput?

I am in doubt--since you asked earlier where the WGC was even located! :frown: You could 1st start by simply hooking up turbo to WGC directly (tuner style)--in case lines or WG sol are bad...If overboosting then, WGC is likely bad...

Ok, I'm outa here for turkey day in D.C. area w/ inlaws. Perhaps I'll catch a line there to ck status/progress.

 

[meanchicken]

Thanks.
I'll check that out next time I'm under the hood. Probably after TG.

I kinda knew that was the WG...just like to ask a good stupid questions from time to time to keep ya'll on your toes.

Check out these pix of a couple of the nastier looking old injectors.
Is the burnt color/shading telling me anything?

 

[Junior Samples]

Check out these pix of a couple of the nastier looking old injectors.
Is the burnt color/shading telling me anything?

Yes they were saying Retire me! IM tired

 

[meanchicken]

Yes they were saying Retire me! IM tired

Ha!
They might be dusty ol' farts that we're one the job well past retirement age, but they sure could wrastle. I really had to lean on them to pry them outa the intake. Then getting them out of the fuel rail was round 2...made me speak some unclean words...

Actually, I was wondering if that burnt hue might be telling me that my tired valve springs might be letting the valves float long enough to let a little fire into the intake...?

Tim

 

[Junior Samples]

I forgot how many miles on your purchase?
And new springs arent that expensive, Postons has em for like 40 some bucks a set so other venders on here prolly in same price range.

did ya get scanmaster hooked up yet? and for sure that hotwire

 

[meanchicken]

It's got 98K on it. Most of them are pampered miles. The first owner likely drove it like he stole it. While I was bench pressing my gas tank with three gallons of gas sloshing around in it, I discovered that he even boxed the control arms. The guy I bought it from owned it since 91 and babied it. I've known him for about 6 years and I know he would get into it from time to time, but any time I saw him driving, he had his hands at 10 and 2 and was cruising along at 5 under the limit. His brother was the one that put the old school chip in it several years back.

I'm thinking as I go through things, it's best to replace some or all of the sensors as I go along. Maybe the knock sensor is bad and pulling timing out prematurely? (or
the reverse, it is not pulling any timing out?)

The MAF is a couple years old, and so are the O2's, but the rest are all original. Before I started making the changes listed in the thread, the car passed the Cali smog test with flying colors. All it's issues have been at WOT...and now at anything over 3/4 throttle or about 10lbs of pretty lights.

Along with checking the additional things you guys gave me to look at, I'll be installing the ScanMaster and hotwire first thing after the TG holiday. Till then, I'm not going over 5-7 lbs of boost on the pretty light bar. The knock-a-ta-ping (when I heard it) starts at over 10lbs.

How difficult is it to replace the valve springs?
Looks like getting the passenger side valve cover off is a bit tricky.

Can it be done without pressurizing the cylinders with compressed air or pushing wads of string in through the spark plug hole to keep the valves from falling into the cylinder like they would on my big block (clink....DOH!!!!)?

Tim

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

nope. gotta pressurize the chambers. is this V6 any different than your V8? (besides making about 200 lbft more torque lol)
If the rear arms are boxed and the ecm chipped, it was raced. (ie. dogged)
So pay close attention to things as you go thru em. Racing one of these, without a bit of knowledge on charge air systems, will EASILY ruin one of these things. The owner before me also run her hard. And now I have to go thru and correct sh it. That's ok, I enjoy workin on her anyhow. I hope for your sakes you do too Good luck, keep us posted, and happy thanksgiving.

 

["Turbo-T"]

Fuel pressure regulator, it's on the end of the fuel rail. Factory one is not adjustable. Replace with an adjustable one so you can control your fuel pressure and tune the car, keep it from running rich or lean.

Hey how can I tell if my car has one of these?

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

[/IMG]

See the little black cylinder contained in the red circle? thats your fuel pressure regulator. all gn's have a little black cylinder lookin thingy there. Whether or not its adjustable, depends on if the previous owner installed one. see the little screw contained within the yellow circle on top of the pressure reg.? if you dont have a screw there, yours isnt adjustable.

If theres no screw, put this on your christmas list. ALL buicks MUST have one. Thats not an option.
http://www.fullthrottlespeed.com/itemdesc~CartId~{60B37EVERESTA5C-605F-4DAC-8378-2893819BC024}~ic~001BUREG~eq~001BUREG%2DFTS~Tp~.htm
(when cutting and pasting this address, get rid of the space between the t and the m at the very end.)

 

[TURBOELKY]

[/IMG]

See the little black cylinder contained in the red circle? thats your fuel pressure regulator. all gn's have a little black cylinder lookin thingy there. Whether or not its adjustable, depends on if the previous owner installed one. see the little screw contained within the yellow circle on top of the pressure reg.? if you dont have a screw there, yours isnt adjustable.

If theres no screw, put this on your christmas list. ALL buicks MUST have one. Thats not an option.
http://www.fullthrottlespeed.com/itemdesc~CartId~{60B37EVERESTA5C-605F-4DAC-8378-2893819BC024}~ic~001BUREG~eq~001BUREG%2DFTS~Tp~.htm
(when cutting and pasting this address, get rid of the space between the t and the m at the very end.)

nice battery

 

[graza002]

How difficult is it to replace the valve springs?
Looks like getting the passenger side valve cover off is a bit tricky.


Tim

Pass side is not hard to take off. I have become an expert at it, after re-TQ my heads 10,000 times and pulling the actual heads off :redface: :redface: too much boost on a stock HG will do that to you.

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

nice battery

hehe ya like that? i took it off the shelf at work, to start my car one time, and was going to put it back, but decided to just keep it lol. shows ya how much i drive the car huh.

 

[TURBOELKY]

hehe ya like that? i took it off the shelf at work, to start my car one time, and was going to put it back, but decided to just keep it lol. shows ya how much i drive the car huh.

next battery I buy i'm gonna leave the wrapper on too! so I can also be cool