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Engine Management System:
Computer: All '83-'89 motors are controlled by the EEC-IV engine management system. It is the same basic system that the '85-'94 Rangers used. Here is where the swap can get interesting. Depending on your ultimate goal you can do any of the following:
1. low boost (6-7psi) a stock Ranger MAF system can handle this without major problems.
2. Moderate boost (7-12psi) you should either swap over to a turbo specific computer or have a custom chip burned for your stock computer.
3. 'Normal' boost (15psi) the turbo computer is recommended.
4. Wow level (18-25) and WTF level (25+) I'd strongly suggest either a piggyback system (EEC-tuner or EEC-tweaker, etc) or a complete stand alone system (Mega-squirt, etc).
There are two major types of computers, the P series (PE, PK-1, PC-1,etc) and the L series (LA2, LA3, 8UA) PK's and PC's were intended for non-intercooled engines but respond well when one is added. The LA3 was the latest and greatest of these computers but is not as highly sought after as the PE computer from the '85-1/2 SVO.
Sensors and wiring harness: Along with the computer you will need several turbo specific items
1. The Vane Air Meter (VAM) it allows the computer to read the volume of air entering the engine. SVO's and '87-'88 T-birds used a large one, all others used a small one.
2. Boost Control Solenoid (BCS) is handy to have but you can do without it. Having it attached is one less thing that the computer will complain about during a KOEO test.
3. Barometric Pressure Sensor (BPS) this looks exactly like a MAP sensor but is calibrated differently.
4. Intake Air Temperature (IAT) sensor (intercooled engines only) it's in the intake manifold and tells the computer how much the air charge temp has been increased due to compressing it.
All of the other sensors (TPS, EGR, KS, TFI module, etc.) are common to other 2.3's. If you decide to use the turbo computer you can either, re-pin the trucks existing harness and add a few wires for the turbos unique sensors or pull the harness from the car you got the engine from. If you wish to retain your 8-plug head or simply want to do away with the distributor you can adapt the 8-plug DIS system's module/trigger for use with the turbo computer. On a 4 plug head you will need to apply power to the secondary coil inhibit wire or either run the secondary coil's wires to ground or add a resistor in place of the secondary coils themselves so, electrically speaking, the computer doesn't even know that their gone. You will want to retain the 3-wire O2 sensor and if possible upgrade to the 4-wire sensor that came with '91 and newer Rangers. Also the early computers were calibrated for 30pph 'green top' injectors while later ones used 35pph 'brown top' ones.
There, that should net you a great start at the local pick n' pulls.
Last edited on Thu Dec 14th, 2017 04:12 am by 12° North Industries
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North Industries
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