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Poll

What took the ol' TC down for the past month?

Total Members Voted: 11

Topic: The car is running again (Read 1208 times) previous topic - next topic

The car is running again

So who here can guess what simple and stupid thing I missed when I went over the engine bay over a month ago?

After fixing the problem I drove it to our new house, down the highway. The first time the TC has ever stretched its legs on a real winding, rising, dipping, Nova Scotia highway, and it ate the 316 right up. I humbled a blindingly yellow late model Z24 and scared a few joggers too.

The car is running again

Reply #1 –
Don't remember the original problem, but it's good to hear the Bird is flying again...

The car is running again

Reply #2 –
i don't know what the problem was, but i can tell you that my 85 sat for a month because i couldn't figure out what was wrong with it after a head gasket swap.  got it all buttoned up, and timed, and no fire.  turns out that i never adjusted the distributor when i was setting the timing... it was WAAAAAAaaaaaaaayyyy off.  haha!
91 ranger 2.3 turbo - nowhere near stock
87 thunderbird turbocoupe
06 pontiac g6 gt
:birdsmily:

The car is running again

Reply #3 –
Thanks Tom.

It couldn't idle, kept falling on its face, but would run with throttle holding it at about 2500. Once you started moving it would run smooth until 2000, then it would buck like mad, spitting black smoke, and couldn't rise above 3000. If I shifted early it would run right again, up until 2000.

The car is running again

Reply #4 –
sounds like your timing is off... well, was off.

*edit*  just saw the poll.
91 ranger 2.3 turbo - nowhere near stock
87 thunderbird turbocoupe
06 pontiac g6 gt
:birdsmily:

The car is running again

Reply #5 –
Oh you didn't give us a silly option :(  I don't remember it originally not running so I duno.
One 88

The car is running again

Reply #6 –
Is it too late to add a silly option? :(

*edit*
Yes it is. :P

My brother in law (who gave the old bird cheap rent this month) said he saw a chipmunk run up into my engine bay once or twice.

The car is running again

Reply #7 –
OK I voted...

The car is running again

Reply #8 –
I think I know what Tom Voted. And he'd be right.

It's kind of a trick question. One option causing the other.

The car is running again

Reply #9 –
so an intercooler hose popped off?  you couldn't hear the boost leak?  upper or lower?
91 ranger 2.3 turbo - nowhere near stock
87 thunderbird turbocoupe
06 pontiac g6 gt
:birdsmily:

The car is running again

Reply #10 –
Upper. And I couldn't hear anything but 'BAAAH-BUPBUPBUPBUP-BAAAAH-BUPBUPBUPBUP'

After having the knock sensor go off a couple of times at 18psi I decided to 'turn the boost' all the way down to keep from hurting anything. So I turned the screw in all the way. I drove it again and I was getting full boost, but it fell on its face when I parked it at the in-laws. A quick look around and I saw nothing wrong (yes, I missed something obvious), but started thinking about the spring and ball berring and realised I'd cranked the boost rather than dropped it.

The nut holding the IC bracket was barely on the thread, so when it overboosted that last time it must have pushed the IC far enough away from the TB to get free.

The VAM was reading no air, so it wouldn't idle, but if I forced it the turbo spooled (but not boosted) enough to suck the VAM open.

Funny how it all makes sense after the fact. :P

The car is running again

Reply #11 –
on the gillis valves, turning the screw clockwise will increase boost... but it looks like you figured that out. 

as far as the intercooler bracket goes... take it off.  you don't need it and those bolts back out all the time, causing the knock sensor to do funny things. 

from now on, anytime your car is down on power, check for boost leaks first.  it'll save you a lot of down time.
91 ranger 2.3 turbo - nowhere near stock
87 thunderbird turbocoupe
06 pontiac g6 gt
:birdsmily:
 

The car is running again

Reply #12 –
I'd rather get a thread locker on that stud than remove the bracket. Had it been tight, the hose never would have let go.