As always good work Jeff! I love the way it has the boost gauge set up.
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As always good work Jeff! I love the way it has the boost gauge set up.
Thanks! Unfortunately, the rpm and boost gauges in the dash are all but useless. They are both digital bar graphs and not at all accurate. The boost gauge may be close, but the tach is way off the mark.
so new gauges in the future?
I think he already did gauges a few months ago.
Had to look back, he did water temp and oil press. already. For some reason I was thinking there was a boost gauge in there.
Nice work. I would be tempted to roll back the milage. :firedevil:
He may be a lawyer but he's not that crooked! :lmao:
It would be easy to do, but the proof is in the pics - same mileage is shown at the start and end of the project. I need to tear into the driver door next and free up the lock mechanism a bit.
Chris - car came with an aftermarket boost gauge on the A-pillar.
Ordered up some more stuff for the Buick yesterday. I am going to update the chip with one from Turbo Tweak. Checking into things, the Kenne Bell chip that the car currently has is dated to say the least. Also going to install a Scanmaster 2.1 to keep an eye on things. It'll make up for the fact that I do not own a scan tool for OBDI - just the one I borrowed from a friend to check the IAC and such. The Scanmaster will dislay all of the following and is a simple 3 wire hookup:
O2 - Oxygen sensor millivolts
KR - Knock Retard
AF - MAF Airflow in grams/sec
LV8 - Load Value
BAT - Voltage to the ECM
INT - Integrator
BLM - Block Learn Multiplier
MPH - Miles Per Hour
CLT - Coolant Temp
ATS - Air Intake Temp
RPM - Current Engine RPM
TPS - Throttle Position in volts
IAC - Idle Air Control motor commanded position
CC - Oxygen Sensor Cross Counts
MAL - Malfunction Codes
What are good sites for these cars aftermarket motor goodies
Kirban Performance and Highway Stars are two good ones.
If you think this car looks impressive over the internet, try seeing it in person...and then driving it :D
Thanks Jon. Dawn and I both really enjoy this car. Going to take care of some cosmetic stuff on her over the winter hopefully.
Finally had a chance to work on the Regal over the holiday. Pulled the driver door panel and a little WD-40 was all it took to get the key lock working right. Things were a bit stiff, so I always unlocked the car on the passenger side. Found a build sheet for the door in damn near pristine condition - neat to find stuff like that. I elected to keep the ScanMaster mounted to the underside of the I/P surround with velcro. I had to remove the original strip I put on last year and cleaned the vinyl with some alcohol for better adhesion before slapping on a new strip. There is just no good place for it as the gauges occupy the space beneath the radio and HVAC panel. I then shampooed the carpet and floor mats before putting her up in the air to check the brakes and such. Inspection is up at the end of May so she'll be taking a trip this week to the local Ford garage where a friend works for a new sticker. We did drive it to a local cruise in last week where it received some attention.
Replaced the alternator this afternoon. The original sounded like it had a dry bearing on cold startup. I debated rebuilding the original, but with so many projects on tap it was easier to just buy one. I checked out the new one to make sure all the mounting holes and such were correct and then installed it. After everything was bolted back in place, I relieved the tensioner and slipped the belt back in place only to find that it was slack. Turns out the pulley on the new alternator is around 2" in diameter and the stock pulley is almost 2-1/2". Rather than go argue with the parts store, I simply swapped pulleys and finished the installation.
I fired up the Regal this afternoon and the alternator did nothing. Went for a test ride, and it still wasn't charging. Checked the factory manual and found that in addition to the main output wire, standard Regals have a two-wire connection and turbo Regals have a one-wire connection. Looked on-line and found two different part numbers, but no exlpanation as to the difference. Decided I had the wrong alternator, so went and ordered the other part number. On the ride back from the parts store... it started charging. Not a clue. I am going to run it tomorrow to see what it does.
In other news, I finally came up with a mounting solution for the OBDI interface:
http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/v...ps2b9b96a8.jpg
http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/v...ps121cf606.jpg
http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/v...ps601f6267.jpg
http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/v...psec0bc9f6.jpg
The last time you drove your car, the alt was working fine...correct? Then on your drive back home it started working again? It kinda sounds to me like you have a bad connection somewhere. Maybe in the wire harness that plugs into the alt? Or maybe just a bad gauge? Im sure you have already checked all of these things, because i have read plenty of your threads and i know you have an expansive amount of knowledge, but even the best sometimes forget the simplest fixes. Def not trying to insult you, just trying to help. Good luck man.
Only reason I changed out the alternator was that the bearing had a dry sound on cold startup. The car always charged fine and as we do drive it I didn't want to end up stranded if it decided to suddenly give out. It ended up being the wrong alternator from the parts store. Non-turbo cars have a two wire connection to the internal regulator and turbo cars have a one wire setup. Swapped it out for the correct style alternator and all is well. :)
I have had the Regal out since Wednesday and have been thoroughly enjoying it. This afternoon, we took a ride in it up to Watkins Glen and had dinner at Seneca Harbor right on the lake. The car ran great up and back and drew a few looks along the way. Good times. :)
I checked out the first few pages and learned a little more about the Regal. After seeing it in person and seeing these before shots of the engine bay, you put some good time into cleaning it up properly! Very nice.