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| Performance 84-86 Iron Duke TBI Units! (Page 2/3) |
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Patrick
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NOV 23, 07:21 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by cartercarbaficionado:
...it should beat out a stock v6 manual pretty easy.
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No. Just no.
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82-T/A [At Work]
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NOV 23, 07:27 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Patrick:
No. Just no.
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It's definitely not like my 85 GT 4-Speed that I bought from Darrell Morse... it had the heads decked (higher compression), and he'd swapped in a 4.10:1 4-Speed. It was crazy.
But this Iron Duke my daughter has... I am SUPER impressed with how it drives. I'm not going to make claims about beating V6s, but Patrick... I'm barely accelerating and it pulls quick. It feels like my Solstice GXP 5-Speed when it's not currently getting boost (like anything under 3,500 rpms).
I can tell it's running a little rich, so we're going to fix that, but otherwise I am sooo incredibly impressed.
I did the thing you mentioned (stuffing wire mesh into the baffle), and I dunno... maybe that made a difference? When I'm behind the engine with the decklid up, I don't hear the typical "clackety" sound I normally hear from a Duke.
It's really, really smooth.
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Patrick
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NOV 23, 08:07 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:
I'm barely accelerating and it pulls quick. It's really, really smooth.
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Todd, I love the fact that this duke is smooth, and pulls quick... but it's not, I repeat, it's not going to beat a 2.8 (especially one with a manual) that's running properly. I have several Fieros, including an '84 duke (with a swapped in 5-spd) which runs great... but there's not a chance that it would give my Formula a run for its money. I've autocrossed both cars. The Formula is much quicker, it's not even close.[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 11-23-2025).]
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82-T/A [At Work]
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NOV 23, 08:18 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Patrick:
Todd, I love the fact that this duke is smooth, and pulls quick... but it's not, I repeat, it's not going to beat a 2.8 (especially one with a manual) that's running properly. I have several Fieros, including an '84 duke (with a swapped in 5-spd) which runs great... but there's not a chance that it would give my Formula a run for its money. I've autocrossed both cars. The Formula is much quicker, it's not even close.
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Hahah... I know... but I do wonder what kind of power it's putting out. I'm not really sure... but if I had to pull a number out of my head... maybe ~110-120? It's so different than any other Duke I've owned.
This car still needs a bunch of stuff. Front suspension, doors, steering column (stalk, horn, ignition), and then some finishing details. We're getting close... but still needs more.
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Dennis LaGrua
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NOV 23, 08:39 PM
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A while ago Pfaff Turbo and High Tech Turbo made Turbocharger kits for the Fiero Duke Engines. They advertised that the kits with 5 psi of boost made 135 Horsepower. With the popularity of the 2.8L V6 increasing the kits became obsolete. The other thing that killed the kits was that after they were installed some owners loved the extra power and adjusted the wastegate to provide higher boost. The Duke engines did not react well and with more than 5 psi of boost they failed. Point is that these engines can take only LOW boost.
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" THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, P-log Manifold, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, Champion Radiator, S10 Brake Booster, HP Tuners VCM Suite.
"THE COLUSSUS"
87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H
" ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE " [This message has been edited by Dennis LaGrua (edited 11-24-2025).]
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82-T/A [At Work]
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NOV 24, 12:12 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua:
A while ago Pfaff Turbo and High Tech Turbo made Turbocharger kits for the Fiero Duke Engines. They advertised that the kits with 5 psi of boost made 135 Horsepower. With the popularity of the 2.8L V6 increasing the kits became obsolete. The other thing that killed the kits was that after they were installed some owners loved the extra power and adjusted the wastegate to provide higher boost. The Duke engines did not react well and with more than 5 psi of boost they failed. Point is that these engines can take only LOW boost.
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My experience with turbos is that they generally need higher RPM to perform well... unless it's just been my exposure to them. I know that turbo diesels don't at all have higher revving engines. I suppose it's a function of the design of the turbo. 135hp is not bad, but in my opinion introduces a lot of complexity to an otherwise simple and reliable motor. I'm debating a turbo... but not on this car. I may want to buy a more modern coupe and swap in a turbo into that.
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82-T/A [At Work]
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NOV 24, 07:41 PM
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Ok, we put another 40 miles on the car today after I was done with work. It runs really nice... but I went through almost a quarter of a tank. I'm getting a puff of white smoke when it's sitting. Not when I'm driving around, but if I let it idle for any extended period of time, and then blip the gas, I get a puff of white smoke.
I just did a ton of research because I was concerned about it possibly being something with the cooling system... but definitely not that. I'm not losing any coolant, and everything is buttoned up. I found several sites that said the white smoke is unburned fuel... which would make sense. "Unburned fuel turns into white smoke, which you will see coming out of the exhaust." I'd actually never heard of this, but did several searches and confirmed it.
I did a wild ass guess when I adjusted the fuel pressure regulator as I was rebuilding the TBI unit and using the adjustable fuel pressure regulator from the Corvette throttle body... so, our next task is to use the ALDL scanner that Paul Romsky built, so I can at least adjust the FPR to a level where it's normal.
We only put like 40 miles on it today, and I burned almost a quarter of a tank of gas... and it was almost all casual driving at 2,000 rpms around 35-50 miles an hour. No flooring it, and no crazy acceleration. Makes me feel a little bit better since I was starting to get concerned again (it's running amazing). It will be nice once I have the FPR adjusted and appropriately configured to match the increased bore.
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Patrick
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NOV 24, 07:55 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:
I found several sites that said the white smoke is unburned fuel... which would make sense. "Unburned fuel turns into white smoke, which you will see coming out of the exhaust." I'd actually never heard of this, but did several searches and confirmed it.
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To me, that doesn't make sense. Where exactly did you read that?
White smoke is water/condensation
Blue smoke is oil
Black smoke is excess fuel
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82-T/A [At Work]
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NOV 24, 08:34 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Patrick:
To me, that doesn't make sense. Where exactly did you read that?
White smoke is water/condensation
Blue smoke is oil
Black smoke is excess fuel
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I found several websites that showed that too much fuel in the engine can result in white / greyish smoke... and that it also has a distinctive smell.
One example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqytMA2zq_o
Most websites just assume / always that it's a blown head gasket... but I'm not having any issues at all like that. I do know it's running really, really rich though.
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Patrick
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NOV 24, 08:49 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:
One example:
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I'm willing to bet that the reported "white smoke, fuel dripping from tail pipe" was simply condensation/water. There's no way that was "fuel" dripping out of his tailpipe.
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