New Here! First post... turbo question

[Phreakish]

being an '89 it also has (if its the original engine) what is known as a 'common block' which is much stronger than most, but wont have the really beefy rods IIRC.

If its smec (can't recall the year they went all smec computers) you can intercool with a garrett turbo swap (NOT expensive) and a decent intercooler (stock, dual core stocker, or aftermarket, SRT-4 IC's seem to be popular, I bought one ), and get a stage2 T2 ECM and run +20% a map clamp, and grainger it up to 18 psi and have lots of fun for a while

Reading around a bit will yeild more detailed info tho

[Shel-Game]

If the car is an '89, and it's definitely a 2.2, then it SHOULD be intercooled. If it's definitely NOT intercooled, then it SHOULD be a 2.5. I say should because who knows if the engine's been changed. It's impossible to tell the difference between a 2.2 and 2.5 from the outside, they look identical.

The computer used in '88 and '89 was the SMEC.

[Davan]

All right. Thanks again everyone for helping me out with all this info.

I picked up the car last night. It is a 1989 Lebaron GTC. Not sure if that helps determine exactly what motor it is... It looks like the intake, after the turbo, runs through the radiator...? Is that like some kind of intercooling? It's just like this picture:



Anyways... my first post said that it's not making boost. After driving it last night, it sure felt like it was boosting... It was running very strong, but very rich. The car was sitting for almost a year, so the battery was dead, but after connecting booster cables, it fired right up first try. Sounds very good, runs very strong. Not sure how many miles are on it, as the odometer hasn't been working for some time.

The only apparent problems I can tell so far, is a knock when going over bumps... maybe a wheel bearing or cv joints?

Also the odometer doesn't work, nor does the speedometer... the speedometer just jumps around like crazy... almost random like. Any ideas there?

Oh, and the stock boost gauge doesn't move... not a big deal, as I'm going to put in an autometer.

I also have to tighten the ebrake cable, as it is useless right now. Any tips?

That's all I can think of for now. I'll post up some photos in a minute!

[Davan]

Here she is. She needs a good name now.

[Shel-Game]

That's a 2.2 Turbo 2 (Intercooled). The radiator thing that the intake goes through is the I/C. Nice score for $100 (That's like $75 US!!!!).

The knock going over bumps could be a lot of things. On my car it was the sway-bar bushings. They're pretty easy to replace.

The speedo thing is probably a bad speed-distance sensor or the sensor drive gear. Also easy to repalce, but usually a little messy due to the oil/grease/dirt build up under there.

[t3rse]

you got that for 100$??? you bastard....

[87GLHS232]

Wow, what a come up.
If you look closely you'll see that the radiator and IC are next to each other. That's why it looks like its going to the radiator.

[OmniGuy123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by t3rse you got that for 100$??? you bastard....

No kidding.

Also the speedo jumping all around could also be a bad ground or two. I hat that problem when I did not hook a couple of them up after I put the motor back in my shadow.

The boost gauge is probably not working due to the vac line not being hooked up to it.

depending where and if the WG arm broke, the nub could be threaded, and a new piece of arm made to go over the SV. That is how I made the arm for my omni.

You might want to consider a custom vacuum block from one of the manufacturers, as it will clean up the rats nest of vacuum lines under the hood, and make for a much easier time diagnosing problems.

200HP to the crank will be no problem with your setup. It will probbaly be much more if you want to throw a couple of bucks at it.

Good luck.

[Davan]

Thanks everyone. Yeah, a hundred canadian dollars. The previous owner got a new job where she has to drive children around, so she wanted something newer and safer. This car sat in her backyard for almost a year before she decided she would just donate it to the kidney foundation for a tax reciept. That's where I jumped in and offered her a hundred bucks.

The wastegate actuator arm seems fine. A bit corroded, but it's not loose.

I think the only major issues I'll have to take care of before getting an insurance inspection is the clunking noise, the speedo, and maybe the brakes. They vibrate a lot during braking... warped rotors, I would expect?

Quote:

Originally Posted by cordes Also the speedo jumping all around could also be a bad ground or two. I hat that problem when I did not hook a couple of them up after I put the motor back in my shadow. The boost gauge is probably not working due to the vac line not being hooked up to it.

Could you give me a hint as to where I would expect to find the boost gauge vaccum line?

I think tonight I'll give her an oil change, change the spark plugs, and tighten the ebrake cable. Then start looking at the suspension and steering on the weekend to find the clunking culprit.

[t3rse]

you should be able to spot the vac line coming through the firewall near the driver side. use this for reference: http://www.thedodgegarage.com/turbo/turbo289.jpg

hit a junkyard for rotors: cheap fix, might want to go ahead and upgrade if you have the spare cash. I'm not sure what resources you are aware of, but check out:
http://www.thedodgegarage.com/
http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/
http://www.xmission.com/~dempsey/perform/
http://www.gusmahon.org/index_main.htm

[JandHbodies]

If its not rusting, thats a $1000 US car. Nice score! Good luck, I think the guys already have you pointed in the right direction.