1987 Turbo T TRACTION CONTROL?

[TIMINATOR]

OK. Now on my third 1987 Turbo Buick, and I've been doing a lot of reading lately since purchasing this last Turbo T Limited, both previous cars were GNs, the first, new, and these last two used. I have read in old magazine articles that these Buicks had "traction control," I've never heard of this before. Was it just that the wastegate bleeder solenoid wasn't operated at low speeds, limiting the boost, or was/is there an actual traction control setup? There are no wheel speed sensors, so how would that work anyway??
Pardon my possible ignorance, but I'm an engine and suspension guy, not a computer nerd.
Magazine hype?
Turbo lag?
Wishful thinking?
My lack of paying attention?
In my defense, I have replumbed the wastegate port to the upper plenum, threaded the wastegate rod for an adjustable end, and deleted the boost solenoid within MINUTES of purchase of all three of my Buicks. Yup, even the first new one.
TIMINATOR

 

[hensleyt]

I have never read that but sure some one could have made-up such a wild story. Don't worry the computer in a OE Buck you don't need to be to NERD.

 

[John Larkin]

I would say it was a loose reference to limited slip differential. Not sure anyone had a traction control setup at that point. The earliest I can remember is in the early 2000s, Mercedes developed one.

 

[TIMINATOR]

In the articles that I saw, all appeared in "peripheral-wanna-be-car-dreamer-rags," not mainstream "we-actually-know-about- what-we-are-trying-to-write-about, TRUE car mags"
Since almost the same verbiage was used (parrotted) by several of them, I guess it is reasonable to assume that the first "writer" had no idea what he was writing about, and subsequent "writers" just repeated what they read without checking the validity of the article they stole from.
That was my knee jerk reaction from what I read, but I wanted to get input from others that know more than I.
I have researched the option codes, and factory press releases that I was able to find, and never found any references to any traction control systems anywhere.
It could be that the first writer had never driven a turbo car, and just assumed that the turbo lag was a factory engineered "traction control."
Just another case of the Marvin Gaye, "HEARD IT THRU THE GRAPEVINE" song syndrome:
"Believe half of what you see,
son and none of what you hear."

If the voting public would only follow that advice.....
TIMINATOR

 

[Grumpy]

There has been a traction control in all the Buicks = feathering the gas pedal

 

[TIMINATOR]

That's the only one that I was aware of....
I hated the factory one in my H1 Hummer!
It took all of the fun out of off road DRIVING the truck! It did work excellently on acceleration and braking tho.
I drove it up the mountain (Flagstaff,Az. 7400+ feet) and drove on a frozen lake with about 2 dozen other peeps. I was gonna do donuts on the several foot thick ice. Nope. It would set you back in the seat, and never spin a tire! From a dead stop on glare ice! OK then, how about stomping on the brakes and doing a slide? Nope. Wouldn't lock 'em up then either.... on ice!!!! BORING!
I sold it after only a year or so.
Low oil/ change oil lite.
ABS
Low tire lite (I get that, the inflation pressure is written amongst two paragraphs of other crap in letters anyone over 30 needs a magnifying glass to read!)
CHECK ENGINE lites instead of gauges
Geeze Louise, it doesn't even tell me what to check!
Push to cross street button
Close cover before striking
How about a return to Darwinism, survival of the fittest?
Used to be, if you were stupid, you died!
Now, you can vote, at 18, and need the owners manual to tell you: "don't drink the contents of the battery."
Someone said:"you get the government you deserve." We old folk didn't vote for all of this s--t, and we don't deserve it!
Luckily we have our old muscle cars to keep us sane(r).
You turn a millenial loose in any of our cars, and he's gonna die!
TIMINATOR ranting as usual.....

 

[T-type Jones]

I have Traction Control on my late model Buick, as for the GN, I don't need it with the G80 RPO code option, Just need tires that can handle all that ground shaken torque

 

[TIMINATOR]

Great, as far as it goes, u gonna do the I.C. mods?
I'm thinking of making up a kit for it to have several adjustments available.
Currently gauging interest.
TIMINATOR

 

[TIMINATOR]

Got a few of these left after the dragster tranny exploded. I walked away from that one...

 

[TurboTGuy]

That's the only one that I was aware of....
I hated the factory one in my H1 Hummer!
It took all of the fun out of off road DRIVING the truck! It did work excellently on acceleration and braking tho.
I drove it up the mountain (Flagstaff,Az. 7400+ feet) and drove on a frozen lake with about 2 dozen other peeps. I was gonna do donuts on the several foot thick ice. Nope. It would set you back in the seat, and never spin a tire! From a dead stop on glare ice! OK then, how about stomping on the brakes and doing a slide? Nope. Wouldn't lock 'em up then either.... on ice!!!! BORING!
I sold it after only a year or so.
Low oil/ change oil lite.
ABS
Low tire lite (I get that, the inflation pressure is written amongst two paragraphs of other crap in letters anyone over 30 needs a magnifying glass to read!)
CHECK ENGINE lites instead of gauges
Geeze Louise, it doesn't even tell me what to check!
Push to cross street button
Close cover before striking
How about a return to Darwinism, survival of the fittest?
Used to be, if you were stupid, you died!
Now, you can vote, at 18, and need the owners manual to tell you: "don't drink the contents of the battery."
Someone said:"you get the government you deserve." We old folk didn't vote for all of this s--t, and we don't deserve it!
Luckily we have our old muscle cars to keep us sane(r).
You turn a millenial loose in any of our cars, and he's gonna die!
TIMINATOR ranting as usual.....

Oh, Darwin's rule is STILL out there alive and well!

I see kids born in the 80,s 90's, millennials and even kids born later do some of the dumbest shit I've ever witnessed and they don't have a clue!

And I did some STUPID shit in my day! But, I knew going in, it was STUPID and dangerous, I never intended to live this long........ Now it all just makes my body hurt.

These kids ACTUALLY think the warnings somehow indemnify them from harm and/or responsibility.

"Ya pays yer money and ya' takes yer chances." That was my motto back then.

I've mellowed a bit. , but not THAT much.......

Don't you doubt it.

 

[TIMINATOR]

We have met.
We both have respect for what we do, have done, lived thru, and decided what was a bad idea, and did anyway!
We calculated the risk, the probable fun,
the possible consequences, and KNEW nobody was gonna bail us out or pay the Dr./hospital bills, but us.
We did it anyway.
I have a permanent limp, been shot at and missed, shit at and hit, done a lot of hospital time and E.R. visits, all on my own terms, and with my own cash.
I only hope that as I'm dying, I have enough time that my life memories flash by, in entirety! That's all I need!
That, and not using MY tax dollars to rescue, treat, and support dumb shits!
TIMINATOR
I earned the nickname, and the scars!
And for most of the scars, I have a great story! Most of them....

 

[JayC]

Having poured through the code in the ECM pretty extensively in my 20 years of chip making, I can safely say, thats a no.

 

[TIMINATOR]

Got off track, again.
But thanks for the info.
I couldn't see that there was any sensors to make it work, but I read it, so it must be true!
At least we old guys ask and try to verify.
If I can find the copy again, I'll put it up for a laugh!
Thanks again!

 

[JayC]

Got off track, again.
But thanks for the info.
I couldn't see that there was any sensors to make it work, but I read it, so it must be true!
At least we old guys ask and try to verify.
If I can find the copy again, I'll put it up for a laugh!
Thanks again!

Please do. I saw the other day where someone has the only "production" twin turbo GNX. Sureeeeeeeeee you do.

 

[Chuck Leeper]

Please do. I saw the other day where someone has the only "production" twin turbo GNX. Sureeeeeeeeee you do.

That was mine at 1 time.
I got it from the Buick Special projects lab and Bernie Santavy.
The deal was made thru Jim Ruggles.
My friend Buddy Ingersol helped me sort the tune.

 

[TurboTGuy]

Please do. I saw the other day where someone has the only "production" twin turbo GNX. Sureeeeeeeeee you do.

I thought only the FBI had those..........

 

[TIMINATOR]

Bill Nye the Science Guy helped Ruggles tune the last 20 of them. I know because I worked for Bill in 1931 thru 1865. We were also working on the "Way Back" machine at that time, so my recollection is kind of fuzzy.

 

[TIMINATOR]

Ya know, Dylan Mulvaney is also Hunter Biden's love child with Elton John, and that's why dad Biden won't acknowlege any of his kids....

 

[~JM~]

I thought only the FBI had those..........

How many times have you had to endure the FBI tale?

I just reply with: "I heard something like that"

 

[TurboTGuy]

How many times have you had to endure the FBI tale?

I just reply with: "I heard something like that"

I always react with "Tell me more" and then shut them down with "Really, no way You have been SO lied to!".....Sarcasm is my middle name.....