[V8] V8 turbo?

[Nate Stuart]

Coleman, David wrote:

>I guess you figured you'd be inundated w/ these sort of questions -- and
>mine is 3.5-fold:
>
>What is it about the OE dual distributors that (a) might make them
>unreliable/complex w/ the 034 ECU, and 
>
a - nothing really makes them unreliable, but in my setup putting the v8 
into the 90q chassis it was much much easier to delete the distributors 
for clearance around the brake boster. That and the fact that I had the 
IIc ecu and no stock motronic ECU helped too ;) There are a couple of 
downsides to a distributored setup. You do lose some spark energy going 
through the distributors. You also are driving the coil harder since in 
the V8's case each coil is firing 2x as much as my coils are.

>(b) a poor choice for a TT application?
>
b - See above, spark energy and coil saturation are the main reasons. 
Those coupled with the fact that the IIc unit supports up to 8 coils... 
why not? If you're going to be TT'ing a V8 you're probably going to want 
a standalone ECU setup, and in doing so you might as well delete the dizzys.

>   And do I understand correctly that simply converting from
>the OE ecu to the 034 there's a notable power pick-up (no turbos)?
>  
>
c - Correct, I suppose I could put the '90 V8q on the same dyno and see 
just what the raw difference is from a bone stock setup to my 034'ed 
90q. My estimations are also based on the factory published 240hp, which 
may or may not be totally accurate.

>What would the downside be of doing the 034 ECU conversion to a stock V8
>motor?
>  
>
Depends on your goals for the car, if you want something flexible, 
tweakable, and easy to work with the 034 system is great. The install 
isn't bad at all, the biggest thing you need to do is add a 60-2 wheel 
at the front of the crank pulley for a timing signal. However, the stock 
crank sensors will probably be working at some point with the 034 ecu. 
The rest is pretty straightforward on the V8, you can use pretty much 
all the stock sensors, the stock injectors(though on the PT I was pretty 
much maxing them out in NA form, they're teeeeny), etc. Idle 
stabilization is about the only other 'hurdle' you can choose to deal 
with, You can make up an adapter plate to use an 034 compatible idle 
control motor, or just don't use one at all. I haven't had a need for an 
IAC yet with this ECU. You may have to play with the gas for ~5seconds 
when the engine first barks to life, but thats pretty much it.

>I guess it seems to me part of the turbo-related issues could be averted
>by starting w/ an ABZ motor...
>  
>
Not really, all you gain is a motor with coilpacks. The coilpacks are 
about the easiest thing in the whole project. You'll still need an ECU 
that can deal with much much larger injectors and positive manifold 
pressures.

Lemme know if you guys want anymore details!
-Nate