2.3 turbo swap doesnt run right

[mike cliff]

Originally Posted by mike cliff
i hear that it will work with stock ecm just cant run high boost... like 7 psi
what a vam? thanks


You've been misinformed
i got this from this site.

 

[Bill G]

Mike,
Lets start from the begining. From what I have gathered from your posts is that you have swapped in a few turbo motor parts including the single plug head. What turbo are you using?

You are also using your stock Mazda fuel injectors and ecm from your N/A 2.3. The ECM is not the same as the Ranger.

Are you running a distributor or the DIS coil packs? If you are running a single coil how did you wire it?

What are you using for a boost gauge and a fuel pressure gauge? These need to be monitored.

What are you using for boost control. Internal or external wastegate? A Gillis valve or electonic boost controller?

You need to provide as much info as you can to get help. Pictures would be helpfull also.

 

[88gt]

another way to get your truck to run right is to use a chip from sct. go to http://www.turborangerforums.com
there is a big logo on the top of the screen. the manager of tha website is a SCT dealer and has a ton of tunes that are ranger turbo specific. with that chip you can run your coil packs, stock ranger computer, and stock ranger harness. you will need to upgrade your fuel injectors. your fuel pump will most likely be ok. but you are going to need a boost guage, air/fuel ratio guage, and assorted other goodies. but what you need to properly run your particular setup is a good turbo tune. go to that website and root around. ,there is a ton of information there...read up. hope i helped! best of luck

 

[mike cliff]

whats the fuel pump psi on a 1995 2.3l ranger??? and what the fuel pump psi on a 1987 tc??

 

[AllanD]

Actually I think you cherry picked out of context suggestions
and with coupled with an incomplete understanding of how
the management systems work have created an "unhappy" system.

I'm not saying anyone here misinformed you.
I'm saying that through positive thinking you seem
to have misinformed yourself.

"misinformed" doesn't necissarily mean "wrong" information,
it can also means "incomplete" information.

I that wasn't the case then your engine would be running right... Is it?

Now for fixing your problem?
you just have to provide detailed information about your setup before you start asking questions, because if we don't know what you've got we can't tell you what to do.

That being said be informed that asking questions without
providing requested information wears on the patience of
most (if not all) of the people who have the answers you need.

We won't get out the thumb screws to extract the specific information
WE NEED to answer your questions, we'll just ignore you.

Do you just tell a doctor that you are sick and refuse to
answer any of his questions?

Please detail your EXACT setup
leave nothing out answer ALL the questions people have
asked you and we'll try to sort things out for you.


AD

Originally Posted by mike cliff
i hear that it will work with stock ecm just cant run high boost... like 7 psi
what a vam? thanks


You've been misinformed
i got this from this site.

 

[scotts90ranger]

the stock ranger fuel pump is sufficient for a moderate amount of boost I believe

 

[mike cliff]

right now i got my stock mazda injectors in (red tops) and it runs pretty good with turbo off. (t3 turbo). i have the brown tops but didnt think the fuel pump in my mazda would work becuse the psi is different i thought?? im useing coil pack i have one coil going to plug. and the other one grounded. im getting a boost gauge in a day or two. and i will get a fuel psi gauge (if its important) i have the stock wastegate. wicth should blow out aat 10 psi. it a internal wastegate. i have the tc computer, and a ranger 2.3 computer. (not mazda) i hope this helps thanks

 

[Bill G]

right now i got my stock mazda injectors in (red tops) and it runs pretty good with turbo off. (t3 turbo).

Using those injectors will limit you to maybe 5 psi and that is pushing it.
I'm not exactly following you by what you mean by "with the turbo off" How are you shutting it off. Are you disabling the wastegate?

i have the brown tops but didnt think the fuel pump in my mazda would work becuse the psi is different i thought??

The brown tops only will work with a turbo coupe ECM. Your fuel pump has nothing to do with it. As far as I know the factory turbo coupe and Ranger fuel pressures are the same.

im useing coil pack i have one coil going to plug. and the other one grounded.

Please tell me what exactly you did with your wiring here. A picture would be very helpfull.

im getting a boost gauge in a day or two. and i will get a fuel psi gauge (if its important)

A boost guage and a air/fuel meter are must haves. I run a fuel pressure gauge just so I can see what is happening.

i have the stock wastegate. wicth should blow out aat 10 psi. it a internal wastegate.

10 psi should be correct depending on what the wastegate is set at.

i have the tc computer, and a ranger 2.3 computer. (not mazda) i hope this helps thanks

Which ECM are you currently using in your truck? Did you change over to a Ranger ECM?

 

[AllanD]

right now i got my stock mazda injectors in (red tops) and it runs pretty good with turbo off. (t3 turbo). i have the brown tops but didnt think the fuel pump in my mazda would work becuse the psi is different i thought?? im useing coil pack i have one coil going to plug. and the other one grounded. im getting a boost gauge in a day or two. and i will get a fuel psi gauge (if its important) i have the stock wastegate. wicth should blow out aat 10 psi. it a internal wastegate. i have the tc computer, and a ranger 2.3 computer. (not mazda) i hope this helps thanks

Ok, first off the "Brown top" factory turbo injectors are low impedence injectors, meaning they are power hungry... it takes a big gob of current to fire them.

And the other computers not specifically designed to activate them will suffer failure of the driver transistors in the computer (in relatively short terms)
because it's like putting a 300watt light bulb in a night light socket...

There ARE high impedence injectors that will flow more fuel
but getting them... just plain ugly...

As for fuel delivery? the facory ranger in-tank
fuel pump is adequate for most purposes as it is
in essence identical to the stock Thunderbird
turbocoupe pump.

People are usually suprised to learn that the stock pump in most turbocoupes was only an 88lph pump.

The same pump used in most 89-91 Rangers
And most 5.0 mustangs.

It doesn't take all that much fuel to make 200-250hp,

AD

 

[mike cliff]

I'm not exactly following you by what you mean by "with the turbo off" How are you shutting it off. Are you disabling the wastegate?


i ha

 

[mike cliff]

I'm not exactly following you by what you mean by "with the turbo off" How are you shutting it off. Are you disabling the wastegate?


i have the turbo free wheeling. notthing hooked up. and i have the stock intake pipe on.


Please tell me what exactly you did with your wiring here. A picture would be very helpfull.

plug wires are grounded to motor.


Which ECM are you currently using in your truck? Did you change over to a Ranger ECM?


im using the mazda ecm i have a ranger should i use that??

 

[Bill G]

i have the turbo free wheeling. notthing hooked up. and i have the stock intake pipe on.

So you are saying you have the turbo hooked up to the exhaust manifold but you have no piping hooked to it other then the down pipe?

plug wires are grounded to motor.

You have your spark plug wires grounded to the motor? That's not going to work at all.

im using the mazda ecm i have a ranger should i use that??

I don't think that the Mazda one will work. If you are going to wire in a computer you might as well use the turbocoupe computer.


You really need to post some pictures on what you are doing. If you don't have a camera you should borrow one and host your pictures at photobucket or something. I'm really having a hard time following what you have done and I am worried you are in a over your head.

 

[mike cliff]

the turbo is just sitting there nothing is hooked up on it.l last night i unpluged the plug wires and left it like that its running the same. i will try to get some pic posted. i have never done it becore lol i dont think im uver my head. i have swap a 350 in a 1994 s10 before and keep it tbi. but it way different than this.

 

[mike cliff]

anyone know were i can get a ecm made for my 2.3 ranger turbo? or maybe a chip? i just need the run the brown tops injection and the maf

 

[mini274]

first off you should of left the 8 plug head on they flow better than a 4 plug... I would really suggest wiring in the TC computer for the simple fact of the fuel maps are totaly different than a ranger or mazda and it will work better trust me on this my 91 still has the ranger ecm and it was a bitch and a half to tune. the truck isnt running rite cause more than likely your computer wont let it ( the 4 plugs you have blocked off... the brown tops are great for boost your stockies not so much im surprised your head is off rite now you have probably detonated at least a couple of times and this swap is nothin like a chevy your using boost witch is much more potent than a na