Hello again!
Regarding the construction of the 1.8 SOHC and 1.8 SOHC Turbo.....are there other major differences other than the turbocharger <obv
>, the fuel injection system, and the compression ratio? There's lots of posts regarding performance, but few that pertain to my question. Unless I missed something, which is definitely possible.
Thank you!
Cody
1986 Buick Skyhawk T-Type
1.8 Turbo (LA5)
4-spd manual (M19)
Cody.... lots of mail for you this morning :>
Turbo pistons are forged units and they are coated, made by Mahle.
Camshafts are different, but the cylinder heads are the same.
Compression was "adjusted" with a deeper dished piston crown. Head chamber ccs. are the same.
Intake manifold-fuel system and computor will need to be swapped for turbo spec stuff. Don't forget a boost gauge so that you can adjust maximum psi correctly.
Naturally you'll need the exhaust manifold-turbo and downpipe. While going that far, replace rest of system with a larger system out to the back of vehicle.
Don't forget that the turbo vehicles had the sport suspension package and wider tires. Take a ride in a turbo vehicle and you'll know "exactly" why this package was required !
PM me for any questions or parts you might need....... Alan
Cody-
Nice to see another LA5 manual car on here. How is your neutral safety switch holding up? I had a pretty fun time geting mine restored to operation when it failed. Lets just say it is not the best design...
Seems to be holding up ok, thanks for the heads up! I'll be modding this particular T-Type quite dramatically over the next few years. (money talks
)
Did you install an intercooler on your LA5? Thinking about it...
Also trying to decide on conventional or synthetic with the 1.8. (about 170k on it) What are you using?
Cody
1986 Buick Skyhawk T-Type
Cody-
I would check that switch. I would almost be it is bypassed.
I had an intercooler on mine for a while and found it really reduced the streetability of the car (I am still using the stock turbo). I also removed my ac for it so that kind hurts too. I would be will to trade you your ac stuff for it if you were interested. It is off of a regal grand national. I had smaller necks welded on and had it pressure tested so it is in good shape.
As far as oil goes, I am just getting back into the routine after a major oil leak. I have had this car for a while (22 years now). I ran 10w30 dino for years changing at 2500 mile increments. I then switched to run 20w50 blend for a couple of years. I am planning on switching to wal-mart synthetic 10w30 for my next change.
Just my 2 cents worth - 'cause everyone has they're own brand of poison....LoL
I've been doing this for many, many years now. I just buy the cheap house brand oil (10w40") at WalMart, but I change it often. I put around only 3k /year/per vehicle on mine. I change them twice/year - so it works out to about 1500 miles an oil change. My oil rarely gets black and nasty. My thinking goes that fresh oil beats the synthetic with a lot of miles on it because dirt is dirt - and I can't understand how synthetic with a lot of miles on it and a filter full of crap can keep the internals in better shape.
Again, just an old country boy's thoughts
.
Good points Orlen. I used to be a "Mobil 1" guy, then came around to love the wal-mart oil.
.
Cody I believe the compression is 8:1 on the turbo motors, which is lower thatn the N/A motors, which are at least 9.1:1. Multiport Fuel Injection vs throttle body, although there are guys who use large throttle bodies for extreme mods.... The motor I'm using in my Sunbird LE conversion is an '86 turbo that came out of an 86 Buick Skyhawk with 59,000 miles on it. It suffered a turbo failure, and, as with some of those cars, was parked after that. Must have been one hell of a failure tho.....had some fan blade parts in the bottom of the pan that went through the oil suction tube; motor looks fine. Still need the red turbo piping for this build.........
