Basic Hotair Info!

Sounds very much like you have it wired it backwards. Take the coils off the ignition modual and make sure where the wires underneith are going. You can hook them up backwards and it will work but not right.
 
Thanks for the reply..So in other words, When looking at the motor and coil from the front of the car, The 3 wires toward the back of the motor should shoot off to the right side of the motor and the wires off the front of the coil should shoot off to the left. That is Exactly opposite of what I have and what Ive seen in pics but then again my car isnt running right. Maybe I'm missing something but still doesnt sound right. Just to be sure here, The numbers on the coil and the motor correspond to where the wires go right? In other words, Coil 1 goes cylinder 1 coil 2 goes to cylinder 2 and so on.. That is correct right? Or am I reading this all wrong?
 
Thanks for the reply..So in other words, When looking at the motor and coil from the front of the car, The 3 wires toward the back of the motor should shoot off to the right side of the motor and the wires off the front of the coil should shoot off to the left. That is Exactly opposite of what I have and what Ive seen in pics but then again my car isnt running right. Maybe I'm missing something but still doesnt sound right. Just to be sure here, The numbers on the coil and the motor correspond to where the wires go right? In other words, Coil 1 goes cylinder 1 coil 2 goes to cylinder 2 and so on.. That is correct right? Or am I reading this all wrong?

There's only one way the spark plug wires are suposed to be run. I'm refering to the wires under the coils. You can hook them up wrong and then have running problems. Please repost this in the regular HA section and not in this sticky.:biggrin: Thanks.:smile:
 
There have been some questions regarding the 84-85 / 86-87 chips.
The larger chip fits in the 86-87 ECM
The smaller chip can be found in the stock 84-85 ECM

These are the main program chips.

Hey Jerryl,
The picture in that post is showing a thumbwheel style chip compared to a normal chip.

The actual type/size of the chip is the same for the 84 through 87, but the programming is completely different so you still can't interchange them.

Regards,
Eric
I stand corrected. :(:rolleyes::confused:



84-87 chip.jpg
 
Last edited:
For newbies--- here is pic of the adapter (old style) that is required to convert your 84-85 coil to the 86-87 style... my point is to show that there ARE ONLY 3 WIRES the same place... A, B, and C go straight across the other remaining wires ALL go to different locations-- so if your car won't start after the conversion that's probably why!! There is a newer version of this adapter that "hotwires" the pink power wire-- this changed because the 84-85 has resitors in the power wire to the coil-- the 86-87 did not!! So the hotwire version bypasses those resistors...


correct wire adapter.jpg
 
HA Production numbers

Just saw a question on this and located the info.
Posted by The Man. :cool:


You had to ask. I don't know if you have seen my other threads on guesstimates but I'll take one on astroroof 84 GNs.

OK I have a vast library of SPID labels I've collected over the years. By adding up the options I'm able to guess assuming everything is proportional. Here it goes. I have 9 SPID labels for 84 WE2 GNs and 5 for the W11 T-Type. CC1 is T-top and CF5 is Astroroof. It goes as follows
495542=no
500827=no
550015=CC1
574101=no
578019=no
591055=CC1
606311=CF5
612316=CF5
619232=CF5
According to my info that means 33.33% are Astroroofs and 22.22% are T-tops. Based on this we can guess that there could have been at least 667 GNs with the Astroroof option. BTW I found it strange that the last 3 VINs I had on file all had the Astroroof.

Here are the 84 T-Type numbers.
476808=no. Black car without the L-S seats
492317=no. WH1 car without L-S seats
571434=no. WH1 car without L-S seats
597453=CC1. WH1 car without L-S seats
611909=no. Brown car without L-S seats.

That means that 20% have T-tops with no astroroof which would mean that a T-Type with Astroroof and the L-S seats would be even rarer. The fact that 60% of the T-Types were also WH1 cars doesn't surprise me. Out of 3,400 T-Types more than 1,000 had the WH1 option.
 
How to tune your HA

Sooner or later, we all come to the realization that performance parts mean NOTHING without a good tune/chip in these cars. (Some realize this sooner than later :tongue:)

I have found through many documented experiments, that a HA chip is VERY different than an IC'd chip.
This is one of the reasons you need a specific chip for your set-up and application.

To make things easier, let your ECM take out some of the guesswork as uncontrollable variables change!! :cool:

http://turbobuick.com/threads/an-idea-decrease-your-hot-air-tuning-curve.251944/
 
Last edited:
For those wanting to convert a HA car to IC here is a list of required parts and related links
(this list also in Junkyard dog donor section "sticky")

Convert HA car to IC car- Conversion parts list
All front engine accessory brackets with pulleys and belt tensioner
Complete intake with all sensors
87 ignition module, coil, and all wiring for it
87 hard metal heater lines on top of intake
87 throttle body
87 throttle cable
87 MAF with air intake tube and air box
87 detent cable
Downpipe
87 catalytic converter
Drivers side oil fill neck
Passenger side header
Passenger side valve cover with vent tube
87 transmission dipstick and tube
87 heater core
87 alternator, ac compressor, power steering pump with remote reservoir
A/C lines
87 radiator hold down
87 radiator
Oil cooler lines
Main engine wiring harness
87 fuel lines
Intercooler with all brackets
Intercooler fan
Intercooler piping
Intercooler scoop
87 air dams and deflector
87Turbo
Turbo brackets and heat shield
Turbo oil feed and return lines
Electric fans
All hardware including any nuts, bolts, or fasteners needed

http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/threads/need-help-85-87-conversion.250756

http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/threads/ha-ic-conversion-parts-list-help.318759
 
how about flipping turbo over and plumbing in a intercooler and electric fans on radiator $100.00 harbor frieght tube bender some sand to pack tube bend and weld and make a bracket for front mount done! converted im thinking about doing mine its not rocket science

Try it . . . and start another NEW thread on it.
This is a sticky, intended for people who want keep their cars in HA configuration like the title of this thread and tech section states. :mad:

Maybe a mod can move this to your own "Its not rocket science" thread. :D
I will be more than happy to respond to that thread with some links . . . . . ;)



Meanwhile . . . . Some GREAT info for HA troubleshooting. :cool:
'84/'85 Trouble Shooting
 
Top