Need some advise from the 2.3 experts..

[LAZERREDGT]

I'm a neighbor from the 5.0 forums as you can see from my sig., my 16 year old son will soon be getting a 92 LX notch. He wants to do a v8 conversion but Iam not too crazy with that idea being he is only 16. I told him if he wanted more power than the stock 105 hp the 2.3 has we could maybe add a turbo setup.

And here is where I need your help, what parts would I need for this turbo project and from what car? This would be a simple with most stock parts still in place, besides the turbo what else would I need.

Thanks for any info/advise

 

[sleeper_inc]

Grab a complete engine out of a merkur, or turbo coupe (SVO if the body can't be saved) and just swap it in. All you need is the VAM, computer and VAM connector and its ready to go

 

[Red_LX]

If you're not too crazy about the V8 swap, I'm surprised you're considering the turbo swap.

Stock hp on them was 150-190, with quite a bit of torque (I think some of the later model engines had 250 ft-lb or so). Plus the turbo tends to be like an on/off switch on some engines, so the power comes on suddenly and if you aren't ready for it, it can do bad things.

Just a friendly FYI...I had an 88 hp '90 LX when I was 17 and I got into plenty of trouble with it

 

[1986Capri]

Try and find a 1986-1988 thunderbird turbocoupe, they might have the whole set up there for you. you will need to change the PCM as well and a few other mods.
try and get a junker and take all the parts off it.

 

[jjs6996]

sorry new-b

sorry for being off topic but i was wanting to no how relyable an 1988 2.3l is bc i am thinking about buying one for my chick? please and thank you for all and any help. sorry again :OT:

 

[Biffmeistro]

Reliable? Man, the 2.3 EFI is one of the most reliable engines ford has ever made. You take care of it, and it will likely never die.

The things around the engine may start to go, especially if it's an auto, but the engine itself may never need to be replaced.

 

[sleeper_inc]

Reliable? Man, the 2.3 EFI is one of the most reliable engines ford has ever made. You take care of it, and it will likely never die.

The things around the engine may start to go, especially if it's an auto, but the engine itself may never need to be replaced.

Like said above, its hard to kill the 2.3. I have overheated mine 2 times in 3 days to 250* It will run fine at that temp. Its very hard to kill these engines if you maintain them

 

[jjs6996]

thanks guys

thanks a lot guys, i apricate it

 

[Red_LX]

Yeah I overheated mine twice in TWO days in St. Louis one year (fan was dead, I didn't know), cracked the head, drove it all weekend and back home. Still drove it for another two or three years afterward and never fixed that head.

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

If you do the turbo setup....make sure you do some kind of boost controller setup and limit the boost to about 10psi...that'll make the car fun but not fast enough for him to really lose it. Like mentioned above, they may not be street demons by today's standards but 190hp in a decently light car is a lot for a new driver, especially if he gets into water or snow. My Merkur likes to break loose even on dry pavement if i get too deep into the boost, and that's with an IRS and stock gears.

 

[LAZERREDGT]

Thanks for the info guys! Need to do the basic tuneup first and go from there, also need to replace front bumber cover and left side fender. Then I will move to the turbo stuff in a couple of months, I'll keep checking in these forums to learn more on a turbo setup. Thanks again.

 

[65ShelbyClone]

Like mentioned above, they may not be street demons by today's standards but 190hp in a decently light car is a lot for a new driver,

The great thing about the 2.3Ts is how much torque they make. It is usually more torque than power up to around the 300hp range. However, tossing a 10psi turbo setup on a N/A 2.3 is not going to make 190hp. If I had to guess, I would say maybe 150. It took 15psi to push the 2.3Ts to 200hp. The non-intercooled 2.3Ts were only rated at 140hp.

Also be careful turning the screws to a N/A 2.3 with boost. The pistons are cast instead of forged like the 2.3T and the compression is up around 9:1 instead of 8:1. They are not forgiving if pinging starts to happen. 10psi with conservative timing and premium gas will be alright.

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Yeah i guess i kinda went by what i know of the Merkurs...the '85s were rated at 170hp/195tq, and i'm almost positive i read that by '88-89 they were up to 190hp, which is what i based my number off of. That's with 15psi and no intercooler (no XR4Ti came intercooler in the states).

 

[65ShelbyClone]

The '87-88 Turbo Coupes were rated(conservatively IMO) at 190hp; 15psi and intercooled. I can't speak for the Merks, but I'm 90% sure the '83-86 non intercooled 2.3Ts were claimed at 140hp. The ratings and setups jumped up and down so much between '83 and '89 that it's possible I have my specs miss-quoted.

 

[Dr_EluSivE]

I would not Build a 2.3t thinking its safer for a new driver. The boost can come on instantly and can be a little hair raising if you accelerate to hard around a corner and get full boost when you aren't expecting it. They are fast no doubt about it, and they do make excellent tq, not to mention just a few cheap mods and it would easily give your 5.0 a good run. That being said its a good learner car. You Really should swap the whole engine to do it right, turboing the stock engine is not recommended. It is a fairly easy swap, and the engine and electronics are pretty simple so its a good car to learn on and easy to work on. I think he would really enjoy the project, and there really is tons of potential in these little engines. He would have no problems building something to spank his import driving friends.