what would I have to do, or change in order to run the stock ecu for turbo application? I know its a bad idea, but I want to know if it could be done, and if so how, and what to do so that it holds up? im thinking the only major difference between the NA and turbo comps is the fuel delivery......tell me if Im wrong


They said it couldn't be done, but that drives me to succeed!!!!!!
Project Turbo underway!

You would need to replace the MAP sensor with a 2 bar part and recalibrate the fuel and spark tables.

Or (much easier, cheaper, and better) get a MAP sensor and 1227749 ecm from a turbo Sunbird, which has boost control and boost specific spark/ fuel code.

Turbo engines generally need larger injectors and fuel pump as well as engine management

-->Slow

wrong Ive done this to my 92 I had to have the block bored to fit the turbo pistons and while Iwas at it had the head shaved and P&P
tou do need the injectors from a turbo bird and the MAP sensor and all you need to do is put a check valve in the line to the MAP so the boost doesnt hit the MAP.
They say it cant be done BUT it already has. Ive done it. also youll have to retartd the timing so it pumps more fuel into the engine.Ive got a t3 turbo on mine with 12 lbs of boost and it runs fine. after all the work was done Ive got around 325 hp so I know it can bee done

For reliability and long term use, you want to have things like intake air temperature based spark retard, boost based spark retard, the ability to add fuel if knock occurs, and the ability to reduce boost if excessive knock occurs. It wouldn't hurt matters if the cold starting and around town driveability were correct, too.

Back in the early days of efi people would do things like add a separate injector that turns on under boost, add MAP sensor check valves and bleed lines, and increase base fuel pressure. These tricks were all done because no one had access to the factory tuning values (same reason the OBDII guys do this). I know, because I was around when that was the way to do it. But the turbo Sunbird ecm has been cracked for about 10 years now. Buying the tools to burn chips costs less than the machine work listed in the post above, and junkyard shoppers can buy the MAP sensor, ecm, and injectors for $200 or less. There's no excuse to keep using stone knives and bearskins unless that's what you really want to do. There are far too many dead turbo Sunbird engines because the engine's owner played around with half-arsed ways of making more power.

-->Slow

i asked this question because I cannot find an 89-90 turbo wiring harness........ive been looking and calling around for almost two years now, and no one either wants to sell me one, or junkyards dont have them........i figured if I used the 88 turbo motor that I fully built and used the wiring harness and ecu from the old multiport motor and use a SAFC-II then maybe it'll work.
The 88 turbo harness doesnt connect with the wiring harness for the dash and headlights, thats why I need the 89.


They said it couldn't be done, but that drives me to succeed!!!!!!
Project Turbo underway!

I'll believe you, but I'm surprised. I've found several of these cars in the junkyards around here. What area are you in?
Have you checked car-part.com?
What would you pay for one of these harnesses?

Also, you could adapt an mpfi or tbi harness. I've done it before.

->Slow

i live in greenville, nc most junkyards around here hardly have sunbirds...........i would pay at anywhere from $80-100 for the harness, and throw some money in too for whoever found it for me! if you could find one for me, id pay you for your time and trouble, just know I need one for auto......ill do the manual swap later, but ill worry about that later, just need the car running.........

ive checked car-parts.com, and even called alot of the places, but none of them were turbo, but I guess if I adapted an mpfi or tbi they would have one.....how exactly would I do that?




They said it couldn't be done, but that drives me to succeed!!!!!!
Project Turbo underway!

Adapting the harness isn't too difficult, but it's an excercise in patience. You need the pinout for , the turbo ecm and the pinout for the wiring harness that you're adapting. You might also need a couple of connectors, but those can usually be found on Ebay or elsewhere. You go through the lists of pins and connections for your harness, and then figure out where they go in the new harness. There's about a $12 tool that you can get which will help you remove the terminals from the old ecm connector.

Ya know, this may sound like a lot of work, but it's not really. I make a list that looks something like this.

move wires from here	move wires to here 

A1-->		A3  

B1-->		C3

C4-->		A15

You'll get the idea as you look through the wiring pinouts. I've done this job several times, and have access to most of the pinouts that you might need, so lmk if you decide to go this route.

-->Slow

Try checking out www.megasquirt.info, you might not need to change you stock ecu.