ENGINE AND COMPUTER CONTROL

While the factory design of the Buick Turbo Regal computer system helped elevate these cars to superstar status, technology has advanced since the mid 80's. www.fullthrottlespeed.com offers some great products to enhance the performance of our Turbo Regals. The MAF sensors for the Buicks are now discontinued by GM and the rebuilt units don't seem to be reliable. They have come up with a great idea that many of us are taking advantage of. You can now use a Chevy late model MAF sensor in either the 3" or 3.5" size and you their Translator so the Buick computer recognizes the signals it is sending. These sensors are very reliable and affordable.

Full Throttle SPeed also offers some other items that work great too. I have their Scanmaster 2 and Boost Commander controls on my GN as well. All of these items are shown below.

TRANSLATOR & EXTENDER CHIP

The Translator + is a stand alone unit that attaches to the stock wiring harness of a Turbo Buick. It's simple operation allows you to adjust the air/fuel ratio and spark timing across the RPM band. Timing can be advanced or retarded up to 14 degrees. Timing can be advanced at the low end and then retarded at higher RPMS or it can be tailored in other ways to suite any needs. The air fuel ratio can also be tuned using the Translator to make different parts of the RPM bands richer or leaner. An MAF limiter is included to stop high MAF code to stop ECM MAF reset on Turbo Buicks. The Translator will also allow the Turbo Buick to convert from the now discontinued stock MAF sensor to the new style high flow 3 or 3.5 GM sensors. An extender chip for the Turbo Buick will double the MAF range of the stock computer from 255 gr/sec to 512 gr/sec. This will provide much better fuel control than any other system when using the stock computer.

I bought the Extender chip to take advantage of being able to adjust the fuel curve and other features of the chip. One of the limitations of the stock computer is that it can only measure 255 grams/sec of air. A stock Turbo car can just about max the meter and a slightly modified one will for sure. What does that mean to you? Well after the meter hits 255 the computer no longer adds fuel since it can no longer measure more air. Full Throttle Speed developed a new computer chip that when used with the Translator Plus will double the range of the stock computer to 512 grams/sec of air. What this will do for you is give much better drivability with large injectors and give you the ability to tune your cars fuel delivery with the turn of a knob inside the Extender unit. These chips also have many other advanced features built into them, false knock ignore, MAF dropout eliminator, learned BLM at WOT, extra advance in low gear, faster turbo spool up, loop control so YOU can select open, closed, or open loop idle operation, shift light and more. No need to swap back and forth between different chips anymore! Just pull off the Translator Box cover and turn the dial to adjust the fuel and spark advance. I mounted mine behind the windshield washer tank on the driver's side fenderwell. You can also mount it in the car if desired using extension wiring harnesses. I also offer custom covers for the Translator box that cover up the gaudy sticker they have on it. Probably a good idea if your car is a daily driver.

Follow this link that explains the functions of the switches and buttons in the Translator Plus. This info was compiled by TurboMike Smith, Translator Information Page

SCANMASTER

This is the most popular, self contained, Turbo Regal scan tool available. A scan tool is a MUST for tuning your car. No self respecting Buick Turbo Regal owner should drive his or her car without some sort of scan tool. Instead of bulky laptop computers or cumbersome scan tools I went with the Scanmaster 2 by Full Throttle Speed. Imagine a small box (like a radar detector) sitting on the dash or radio pod that will display knock, O2 voltage, MAF, block learn, coolant and air temps, RPM, MPH, TPS, IAC, and more. Find out if your car is rich or lean, find out if it is knocking so you won't damage the motor. This very easy to use unit allows you to PROPERLY tune your car for maximum performance and drivability. It is very easy to install. I mounted mine originally on top of the radio pod but didn't like the fact that I had to always look down to read it. I then moved it to the top of the dash over the speedometer. The problem then was that the sun would wash out the LED display and at night the reflection on the windshield from the display would drive me crazy. I came up with a simple solution by creating a shade hood that double tapes onto the Scanmaster. These are available from my online store. Click on any of the pictures to take you to the page if you are interested in ordering one.