Car seems way too slow HELP!

[1987RegalTurbo]

I have an 86' GN that has a few odd issues. First, every time I start the car, it defaults to the metric system on my digital dash?? Secondly, every once and a while the car will stall after a pull, but start right up after I pull over and restart it. I replaced my IAC motor and set the IAC count to 25 @ full temp in park, then set the TPS accordingly, still has a stalling issue. Lastly, the car doesn't seem near as fast as it should. I have a TE-44 turbo, fuel pump, 42lbs injectors, front mount IC, LT1 MAF with translator, 3" DP and full 2.5" exhaust, TT chip with 20/18 degrees timing and 16-18psi on 93 octane. Fuel pressure is set properly as well. The only thing that seems odd is my WG flapper. I've noticed that with the rod arm off, it occasionally, seems a bit "sticky." The car makes around 16-18psi in 1st and 2nd gear. In these gears it seems like the power just isn't there, but once I hit 3rd the boost drops to around 15psi and the car seems to come to life. The tires won't even think about spinning off the line. I'm starting to get frustrated as I've methodically combed through the obvious stuff. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Best Regards,

Derek

 

[turbows6]

I'd be looking for boost/vacuum leaks first.... You're not running the factory valve springs and old spark plugs etc? Is the fuel pressure rising with the boost reference? Are you sure your MAF translator is set correctly? That setup should make respectable power. In my opinion these cars are old enough that you should replace every belt/hose/sensor with a quality replacement if you don't know how old it is or have verified that it's working properly with a scan tool. There are several things that could be causing your issues.

 

[BuickMike]

This really reminds me of how my car ran when the #3 exhaust lobe went flat on the cam, which is a common problem due to the lifter bore being centered over the cam lobe which prevents it from spinning properly. You may want to check that out. My car was slow to get power / boost off the line, and would have weird knock issues, but only on pump gas. Race gas or alky would mask the problem. Mine was bad enough that I was able to see it by removing the drivers side breather and notice that the #3 exhaust was lifting noticeably less than the #1 intake. The #3 exhaust is towards the back of the hole.

 

[Chuck Leeper]

What are you using for data recovery?
18psi could = retard.
15 psi could be no retard, and thus better performance.

 

[1987RegalTurbo]

I haven't had the valve covers off to verify any of the above mentioned however, I did have my car at the Full Throttle Speed open house a few months back and was told by Mike Licht that he'd be willing to bet my car has a 208/208 cam. I have a Scanmaster to monitor the car. All of my values look good. I'm not getting any knock retard in 1st and 2nd at 18psi. On longer highway pulls I've seen 1-2 knock retard. I've replaced MOST of the vac lines with a quality silicone replacements. I do still have the stock hoses on the vac block on top of the throttle body. My plugs have maybe 500 miles on them and they looked good as of 3 days ago. NGK UR5's set @ .32

 

[1987RegalTurbo]

My MAF translator dip switches are set to ON-ON-ON-OFF, Knob 1 @ 3 (For LT1 3" MAF), Knob 2 @ 0

 

[Chuck Leeper]

Next stop... A Powerlogger to capture the "issue{s}...

 

[1987RegalTurbo]

Will do. Thank you Chuck. Can you recommend a good place to pick one up?

 

[Chuck Leeper]

Will do. Thank you Chuck. Can you recommend a good place to pick one up?

I got mine from Scot, at GNS Performance.

 

[BMR]

Is the converter factory stock?