Turbo Charging FAQ 94 and earlier OBD1

[salating]

Turbo Charging the 94 and earlier 2.3L EEC-IV
(OBD1) Managed Motors


MAF Meter
Is my stock MAF meter ok? - NO
Stock MAF will not support any boost before maxing out. 90mm is a good MAF to upgrade to. You will need custom tuning for a larger MAF meter.

Injectors
Are my stock injectors ok for boost? - NO
Stock injectors should be ok for 5psi. I would strongly suggest to upgrade injectors. A good injector to go with would be the 42lb green top injectors. You should be able to get a set of 4 for under 200$. You will need custom tuning for larger injectors.

Custom Tuning
Will I need to tune my ECU? - YES
You will need to get a custom tune burnt for your ECU to match your setup.

A good choice is the J3 Chip.
http://www.moates.net/product_info.php?cPath=25_35&products_id=101

You will need a chip burner.
http://www.moates.net/product_info.php?cPath=51&products_id=48

Ford Programming Module
http://www.moates.net/product_info.php?cPath=25_35&products_id=73

EEC Computer Reading Interface
http://www.moates.net/product_info.php?cPath=25_35&products_id=74

There is software you can use to make the changes.
Binary Editor is one that I use.
http://www.eecanalyzer.net/product_info/binary_editor.html
You would need someone to create a definition file for your ECU in order to use this software.

I don't know of anyone who has used the Tweecer on a Ranger ECU, but it will work on the ones listed.
http://www.tweecer.com/products.htm
Its a bit pricey especially if you want to data log with it.

If you want a good wideband that data logs I would recommend a Zeitronix. It is decently priced. I have one and its works great. It data logs directly to my laptop.
http://www.zeitronix.com/

Intercooler
Will I need an intercooler - NO (but highly recommended)No matter how much or how little boost you run an intercooler will always be to your advantage. So you may as well install one right from the start. If you are under a tight budget and can't afford an intercooler that easy then I would strongly suggest you not to go much over 10PSI. I know guys that will say an intercooler is mandatory for any thing over 7PSI. However you could run a water methanol injection system to take the place of an intercooler, however I'm not sure if it will be as effective as an intercooler and it most likely won't be any less money than installing an intercooler.

Converting to SVO, TurboCoupe or Merkur Setup
First of all, all the EFI 2.3Ts are fundamentally the same. This includes the 85-89 Merkur XR4Ti, the 84-86 Mustang SVO, the 83-84 Mustang GT Turbo, the 83-84 Capri RS Turbo, the 83-88 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, and the 83-86 Cougar XR7. Enough so that if you find an early car in good shape for a donor, don’t turn it down. That said, the later you can get, the better off you are, except in the case of the Merkur (the intercooled cars are earlier but better).
http://www.rangercustom.com/pics/donorcars.jpg
I would recommend getting an entire donor car if feasible, because then you can see the placement of everything and all that.

Going this route, you will need to re-pin your ECU for the VAM and a few other sensors. You can use your Ranger Ignition system and not convert to a Distributor. In order to do this you will need to either put the forged pistons/rods into a ranger block or drill and tap the turbo block for the crank position sensor in the exacpt same spot that it is on the ranger block.

I have wiring diagrams for the Ranger, TurboCoupe and SVO ECUs.

[AJ_Fritz]

there are a ton of options here. that being said it can get very complicated, very fast.

once upon a time i thought the stock ECU's were total garbage. that was before i seen a chip burner and some experienced tuners. in one hour i saw a rough running ranger turn into a smooth operation. it wasnt perfect, but you could drive it about anywhere and with out worry.

MAF conversions on the Turbo ECU's are not that hard, it does take money allthough. not a bunch but some. you'll still be limited in what you can do but its a very reasonable option.

Turbos love open air. the more open you can make it the better they work. if you draw a vaccuum on the inlet it drives the outlet temps up unneccessarily. the higher the air charge temps the less ignition advance you can run and the higher the octane you must run. its a revolving door. one feeding off the other.

the freer the exhaust the faster the spool. if your turbo could talk and you asked it what kind of an exhaust it would like, it would say NONE! after the gases have went through the turbine its done. get rid of it as fast as possible. fit an exhaust system as large as fits and your ears can deal with. 4 inch is great but if your only planning on 250-300 HP stick with 3in or be prepared to be laughed at..... alot!

PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) systems! they suck literaly. if you dont need it for emissions throw it away. seriously throw it away. it wont help gas milage, it wont help with oil changes, and it wont make your dick bigger. blow by is a serious issue. you dont think you have any?! bull****! you have it you just dont know it. as boost pressures increase so does your blow by. i have yet to see a turbo car pushing 20 psi and not have a little. all it takes is a little. turbo seals are not positive. you put a half a psi in the crankcase your going to be spitting oil out the turbo shaft. another half and your dipstick is going to be a sprinkler.
can you get it to work with a turbocharger? yes....is it worth the hassel? no. that being said i'll tell you how to make it work. you need a check valve. not some plastic piece of crap you can buy at the auto parts store. a piston type check valve made of brass with a stainless steel piston. to be used in a vaccuum the outlet and the inlet are reversed. so if you need something threaded make sure you take notice. put it inbetween the Vaccuum source and the PCV Valve. this basically turns the PCV valve into a oriface. now there has to be one other vent in the system on the valve cover that is for fresh air. is must be filtered. now this system only works when there is vaccuum in the manifold. all other times it is ventilated either to atmosphere (best) or into the incoming air charge ahead of the compressor inlet(bad). why bad you ask..... oil has an octane rating of about 20 and a btu content of about a 150% of gasoline. so its really hot and when in a mist form is extremely volatile. yeah you guessed it detonation! pcv should be vented to atmosphere.
if you do alot of stop and go driving where the engine hardly gets to operating temps you should run a PCV. why? well glad you asked. combustion creates water vapor. it condensates on anything cooler then it. at sea level thats 212 degrees F. water in oil looks milky. to keep it in a vapor form all surfaces must be hotter then 212 degeees. oil heats up slower then water.