Has anyone ever heard about a chip for an 88 2.3L manual. If so who makes and what kind of gains would you see.
1. Yes. 2. Search 3. Very, very little. For the cost of buying a namebrand chip, you can get all the equipment to do it yourself. Problem is, you won't get any gains you can feel on a stock 90hp engine.
You need an EPROM programmer, J3 port tuning board, and software to edit the fuel map(binary file). This is the cheaper way of doing what a TwEECer does, which costs about as much a standalone Megasquirt, wtf? I will say that buying a chip is a lot easier, but I really think you will be disappointed. A K&N filter and a Ranger header will get you more power for probably the same cost and they won't have to be send back for reprogramming when you change something. When you get into more advanged tuning, you can use just about any external parts you want if you know how to program them into the ECU.
Don't waste your time or money on a chip.. buy some real parts for the engine. As mentioned, a Ranger header and opening up the intake tract will do a lot more than a chip will. Most of the power in that engine is hidden in the cylinder head.. port that and you'll see big gains.
I am now a firm believer in the J3 and programmer after my trip to the track thursday. However I made it into the 12's with a bone stock LA3 so I would say you have "a few" other mods to go. You can swap a turbo motor in and running cheaper than you can buy a J3, programmer, and a wideband.
i put a jet performance chip in my 87 2.3L car which is used in scca racing and i did feal a good difference. she pulled even harder from the 4000 rpm mark.i'm very satisfied.
Im not going for strip performance. this is my daily driver and i was just looking for some extra kick
You can get them cheap on EBAY and they have the design of a shorty style header. They flow better and are lighter than the stock manifold. Also give a throatier exhaust tone. I've got a long tube header, check it out on my webpage.
