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Just bought one

WS6

WS6

Stay thirsty my friends
I just purchased my first TTA, it was the one on e-bay in IL. with 30K miles. It's been slightly modified with a chip, AFPR,fuel pump and fuel pump relay harness. It has a different convertor and adj,wastegate.

It also has this "knock alert" box that beeps when knock is detected. What I need to know about that is that it beeps quite a bit under moderate to heavy acceleration. Does that mean there is too much boost? What do I need to be looking at to solve this.
 
Congrats. How much boost are you running? Is your TPS set correctly? Do you have a chip from Turbo Tweak yet? Fuel Pressure? False knock?

I would change the fuel filter soon as well. These are just some things to check. I am kinda new too. The other TTA members will help you. Take care.
 
I saw that car on ebay, it looked pretty good, way to go, you'll have lots of fun. Careful of too much boost, listen to that knock sensor!!!! If not you might blow a gasket like me... and that sucks. Ya turbo joe is right get a chip asap if you don't have one, and don't run too lean. Jarred
 
Thanks for the replies, as as to how much boost? The factory gauge says about 14 under heavy acceleration. And it does "beep" early on when the turbo is spooling up, then it's fine.
There's so much to ask about this car and I hope that you all will put up with my naive questions.
I'm no stranger to mechanical work but my experience is with pre ECM cars. I do have a 92 T/A with a TPI and I have some experience with that but nothing with a turbo and it's special needs.

BTW, I paid a little over $15K for it.

How did I do?

Rich
 
I was watching that car as well.....I dont think you paid too much for it.
Bettrer get some pics of her for all of us to see.
 
Hard to tune without numbers. What were your o2's at? How high was the knock?

Sounds like you have a very nice car. I would recommend not letting that black box beep anymore. ;) :fyou:
 
Not to say the obvious, but make sure you have good fresh gas in it. I recommend getting a scanmaster to really tell what's going on. Maybe I'm fooled by marketing, but I beleive that octane booster additive will help a bit. If you want to feel what the car really has at this point, get yourself about 5 gallons of 100-104 octane unleaded race gas, it makes a definate difference. Congrads on a cool ride. PICKS!:cheers:
 
" don't taze me bro"...I love that under you user name!

Anyway, back to the issue at hand.I was feelin' the same way about the gas issue. He put 200 miles on it in the last 14 months and he said he was using 91 octane. Soooo...I did buy some octane boost and if the weather holds out here I'll go and put 50 miles on it with my scan tool in the next few days.
About my scan tool...It's an older, real time data stream scanner that I bought back in 1992 from the Snap-on dude. It was a trade in and at the time it fit my needs for use on my then '86 2+2 aerocoupe. I don't recall the brand off hand )(MPSI 9000 maybe?)but it plugs into the ALDL and cig lighter. I input the vitals and it shakes hands with ECM and displays real time data such as error codes,O2 readings,TPS,BLM,Integrator yada-yada. Now, I don't know what a scan master is that you all are talking about other than a picture of one I saw mounted under someone's dash. If it does something different than my tool than I suppose I should be looking for that to buy as well.
I did plug it in this morning to see if there were any error codes(none) and I just briefly watched the O2 and knock counts(21) and see where the integrator/BLM were (132,I think?). This was all after it had gone into closed loop.
I need to check it when it's cold as it has unstable idle on start up. Also it doesn't start right up like my TPI car does, it takes 1 or 2 seconds of cranking to fire up. I was told it has a bulldog chip(whatever that one is) and I have the stock prom in the box of stuff he gave me.
Stuff that I know has been done to it; hot wire kit for the fuel pump,aftermarket fuel pump, adjustable fuel pressure regulator and an adjustable wastegate. B& M shift kit. Stuff I've been told was done; looser than stock torque conertor, new stainless steel valves and HD timing chain and gears,HD valve springs and a 3.42 gearset. The owner before this one tried his hand at racing and had 50lb injectors and a more radical chip burned for it and that is why,I'm told, the valve springs and head work were done. Now the next owner couldn't get it to pass IL emissions so back in went the 42lb injectors and the less radical chip and now that's where it sits as I own it.

Thoughts???
 
If this is the one in algonquin ,IL I noticed that he said it was being sold with stock, turbo and stock injectors. I'm new at this also but it looks as if the setup before was with bigger injectors and different chip. Like everyone else says, get a scanmaster, but maybe the injectors are bad and from what everyone says you need a chip from turbo tweak.

15k is probably a good price, there has been one on ebay that has been bid up to 17,500 with 44k miles and it didn't sell or at least at 17500 the reserve price was not met.

I just bougt mine last week with 48k and paid 11,500. perfect car but mostly stock, so I will be spending some money on stuff that you allready have.

The art car converter that you have in there is probably 800-1300 installed.

plus all the other stuff
 
1stTurbo said:
If this is the one in algonquin ,IL I noticed that he said it was being sold with stock, turbo and stock injectors.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's the car


The art car converter that you have in there is probably 800-1300 installed.
Click to expand...

really? that's alot of money for a convertor.


What exactly does this scanmaster do for me?




...
 
Well I guess it does depend on which one ( converter )

The art carr 16930 is 775.00 just for the converter plus tax and installation.
 
The scanmaster is just like your scantool you have but it is permanently mounted and is specifically for the turbobuicks. I bet it reads faster than your current one also.

You don't want to look at knock counts. You want to look at knock retard. Two different things.

Also, that bulldog chip is most likely an ATR pitbull chip. I have one sitting in a box collecting dust. The street version I have is burned for 26 degrees of timing. That is the equivalent of a c16 racegas chip...Please don't boost with this chip. Order a newer chip from www.turbotweak.com He is the man when it comes to chips.

Is the fuel pump internal or external?
 
Quiky One said:
The scanmaster is just like your scantool you have but it is permanently mounted and is specifically for the turbobuicks. I bet it reads faster than your current one also.
Click to expand...

Okay, I understand, I don't like the idea of one hanging under the dash though. Does it use an alpha numeric display that is readable?

Quiky One said:
You don't want to look at knock counts. You want to look at knock retard. Two different things.?
Click to expand...

Don't know if that is readable on my scanner, but I didn't scroll all the way through either.

Quiky One said:
Also, that bulldog chip is most likely an ATR pitbull chip. I have one sitting in a box collecting dust. The street version I have is burned for 26 degrees of timing. That is the equivalent of a c16 racegas chip...Please don't boost with this chip. Order a newer chip from www.turbotweak.com He is the man when it comes to chips.?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's it! pitbull not bulldog :dumb: duh.

Quiky One said:
Is the fuel pump internal or external?
Click to expand...

Internal, probably a walbro.




...
 
I mounted mine next to the apillar....Alpha numeric? Haha if that is code for LED's yes it does.

And if you scanner doesnt read knock retard don't bother using it. You need one that does.
 
Quiky One said:
I mounted mine next to the apillar....Alpha numeric? Haha if that is code for LED's yes it does.
Click to expand...

Crap...

Quiky One said:
And if you scanner doesnt read knock retard don't bother using it. You need one that does.
Click to expand...

I'll have to check.It specifically asked me if it was VIN 7, 3.8 turbo so that is part of the GM cartridge program. Hopefully that means it reads knock retard.

So, I'll be looking for knock retard in what range and it what throttle position?

...
 
Allright, so if the ECM sees knock and subsequently pulls back the timing that is bad, right? And any knock retard detected is a sign the ECM is reacting to that.

I was thinking that knock sent the ECM a signal to pull it down(timing) and that there was an acceptable range for that.

..
 
Correct but the engine knocks before the computer can compensate. When the computer is pulling timing the car is also taking a beating.

Just buy a good chip, tune it, and don't worry about knock. $80 is a lot cheaper than 6k.
 
Quiky One said:
Just buy a good chip, tune it, and don't worry about knock. $80 is a lot cheaper than 6k.
Click to expand...

Amen brother!

I'll take your's and everyone's advice and buy a turbotweak chip. I just e-mailed the former owner and asked for details about the convertor I just don't know and some other things that the turbotweak form asked for. So when he writes back I'll order.

One more thing...he told me he *thought* the previous owner to him changed the gearset from 3.23 to 3.42.There is a new cover on the differential so that leads me to believe somebody was in there for something and the little I drove it I sense that the pinion depth isn't quite right. Is this a common practice? and is 3.23 the only ratio offered for the TTA?


...
 
WS6 said:
Amen brother!

I'll take your's and everyone's advice and buy a turbotweak chip. I just e-mailed the former owner and asked for details about the convertor I just don't know and some other things that the turbotweak form asked for. So when he writes back I'll order.

One more thing...he told me he *thought* the previous owner to him changed the gearset from 3.23 to 3.42.There is a new cover on the differential so that leads me to believe somebody was in there for something and the little I drove it I sense that the pinion depth isn't quite right. Is this a common practice? and is 3.23 the only ratio offered for the TTA?


...
Click to expand...

Take a few pics of the rear end. And if you can get the part numbers off the injectors.
 
Quiky One said:
Take a few pics of the rear end. And if you can get the part numbers off the injectors.
Click to expand...

Okay..evrything look okay?
ttarear.jpg
 
Looks like a stock rear end to me with a balanced driveshaft, Bilstein shocks, a driveshaft loop, and a very nice exhaust.

Compare underside shots...

100_2847-2.jpg
 
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