N4S, everyone's a newbie once, and this board's about getting info, so don't worry about 'dumb' questions. Better to ask than to start blowing stuff up.
I ran without a scantool for the better part of a year, just keeping the car in the same tune as I bought it. I did have an aftermarket boost gauge though, which is absolutely a must with these cars. I will take some pictures today if you wanna see mine installed, it's one of the easier gauges to do. If you have those "boost gauge lights" (mine don't work) they're useless. Yellow will come on about 5 psi, and red at 10psi. After 10 psi (which is really not much) you're on your own. Definitely you want a gauge, first and foremost.
To reinforce what others are saying, if you are hearing audible pinging and knocking on 94 octane, you're pushing the envelope hard. I've had well north of 5° of knock and not heard squat. Please, for the sake of the car and your own wallet, stay out of it until you get this diagnosed.
First off, do you have an adjustable wastegate??
http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/images/Adj_wastegate.JPG
Under the turbo, check if your wastegate arm has a pipe coupler. If so, disconnect the arm from the pass. side and loosen it 4 or 5 turns, making the arm longer. This will lower the boost at WOT by 4 or 5 psi, which is what you need now by the sounds.
Once you get the gauge and wastegate figured out, don't run over 14 or 15 psi on 94 until you get a scantool. They're $200-$300 of the best dollars you'll ever spend on this car. I run DirectScan and that tool (combined with the tools on this board, hahaha
) are the things that have kept my car running strong. Take your time now, it'll be WAY worth it later! Good luck!
Feel free to email me, I'm like the veteran newbie on this board.
