newbie need help

Topic: newbie need help (Read 1604 times) previous topic - next topic

newbie need help

July 31, 2007, 09:12:20 PM

hey guys im Matt from RI and i just bought a 88tc with 81k original miles on it. now i have a couple of questions b/c ive never dealt with a car that had forced induction. i have an 86 mustang so im used to N/A cars.
heres my question/ dilemma
i dont think that the turbo works in first gear. i didnt stomp the gas but i pushed it down quite a bit and i never heard it. also a little before and after 10psi the car jerks a little then continues to accelerate smoothly. what is causing this?
also, what are some good upgrades for hp gains for this car? its gonna be my d/d so im not going to do anything radical just some minor stuff for some good gains.

thanks for your help

newbie need help

Reply #1 – July 31, 2007, 11:01:28 PM

the jerking could be the tps being faulty at a certain throttle position. if you think it jerks about the same gas pedal position each time,, its likely to be the fault.

check out my diy link below and find the tps topic,, then scroll down for instructions on how to test.

newbie need help

Reply #2 – August 01, 2007, 09:50:53 AM

well that was helpful.... ill check it tonight. anyone know any simple mods. i know my way around cars i just finished building one :D.
also, how accurate is the boost gauge on these cars. and what are the chances that its not working correctly since the car is 20yrs old?

newbie need help

Reply #3 – August 01, 2007, 09:51:54 AM

oh and does anyone have an answer to my first gear turbo issue (see above)?

newbie need help

Reply #4 – August 01, 2007, 10:18:08 AM

You probably won't feel the boost in first gear without stomping on it on a stock setup. Stock TC t5's have a very high first gear, so it's hard to get enough of a load on the engine to really build boost without flooring it.

If you do a 3" exhaust and an intake of some sort, it'll boost a lot easier.

newbie need help

Reply #5 – August 01, 2007, 11:30:27 AM

by intake do you mean the manifold? or just getting rid of the stock box
and where can i get a 3" exhaust?
ive also heard of the t3/t4 hybrid swap. is that a direct swap?

newbie need help

Reply #6 – August 01, 2007, 03:52:08 PM

look up stinger they sell a 3 in down pipe, and full set up for these cars. Remove the stock ari box and mount a cone filter to the vam, and get a boost controler, and you should have plenty of fun with the car.

newbie need help

Reply #7 – August 02, 2007, 11:42:27 AM

whats the max boost for the current fuel system in these cars?

newbie need help

Reply #8 – August 02, 2007, 10:44:29 PM

Max boost you can really run on the stock IHI turbo is 18 psi, beyond that the turbo heats up the air too much because it becomes less efficient.

You'd have to step up to a bigger turbo to do more than that, although I don't think running more than 20 psi on the factory fuel system is a good idea at any rate.

newbie need help

Reply #9 – August 02, 2007, 10:51:03 PM

with stock car the max boost on a 88 TC is about 18psi, due to the limit of the turbo charger, over 18psi, is seem to heats the air up too much. run a t-3 turbo from early TC and you can run about 23psi.
the fuel system can handle very well. i added in a 255lph pump and a afpr and set my fuel to 42psi so is has enough fuel so no detention, just to be on the safe side.

invest in a gillis boost valve. and like the daboss351 said a k&n mounted on VAM is a big increase, the stock air box (as you can tell) has (3) 90* bends.
a full 3in single exhaust is the best route to go for max power, high flow cat and striaght throw design ler are best.

whast the boost gauge reading in fist gear, with my set up i see 18psi at 2500rpm all the way up to 5700 when i shift. iand my first gear is one of the lowest. if you didtn have boost the car woudl fell liek its pulling a trailer.

if you havnt already freshen the car up with a a complete motorcraft tune-up, these car go throw wires.. if you use some cheap wires you get a high rpm ,high boost miss.

if you maintain a TC they will run for a long time!

newbie need help

Reply #10 – August 03, 2007, 08:59:11 AM

I'm going to say that form my experience in stock form if you want a lot of boost in 1st then you have the slip the clutch on take off. That makes one hell of a difference. As for the 10psi jerk I bet that is some spark knock or something else getting picked up by the Knock sensor. Unplug it and go for a drive and see if it goes away. As for good cheap easy mods. The cold air intake. A large front mount inter cooler, a by pass valve/ Blow of valve, Manual boost controller, 83-86 t-3 turbo also a t3-4 hybrid or a holset.

newbie need help

Reply #11 – August 03, 2007, 10:45:25 AM

ok thanks for the responses will unplugging the knock sensor cause any damage to the motor or anything

newbie need help

Reply #12 – August 03, 2007, 08:19:25 PM

Yes unplugging the knock sensor could cause damage. You just need to be careful. If you unhook it then the computer isn't going to retard the timing when it does spark knock. That could lead to a holey piston that isn't good at all. With care you can unhook it and not cause any problems but it is up to you to let off when you hear that pop corn popping sound. If anything you can read and learn a lot more about the 2.3turbo over at
http://www.turboford.net/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=2
Have fun and search before you ask or people will be flaming you big time.

newbie need help

Reply #13 – August 08, 2007, 10:28:32 PM

ok didnt want to start a new thread.....
i drove the car today for the 45 min trip to and from work. on the way home i decided to see what my TC could do.... i stomped the gas and the car bucked like crazy and the boost only reached 10psi. the car drives and boosts fine under normal driving but when i tried to stomp it off the line it was less than enjoyable. any ideas on how to solve this problem would be greatly appreciated