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TGPforums.com is now working again. It is still in archive status, meaning no new member registrations are allowed, but the forum is searchable without the need for a registered account.

I just dropped the tank on my Lumina a few days ago. Don’t cut a hole in the floor, it’s really not that hard, just kind of sucks to reattach the vapor lines. In a nutshell… -there’s an exhaust heat shield that had to come off. -unplug 2 fuel lines, 3 vapor lines, the electrical connection, and two fuel fill pipes at the tank. -15mm bolts on the straps, and it comes down. It took me all of 10 mins to drop the tank. I’ve replaced the tank and fuel sending unit twice (from rust damage from sitting) and a third to reseal the sending/pump unit. Delphi pumps are good, but buy a GM fuel sending unit gasket. Don’t use aftermarket.

Dude.... I own this car now.... Mine is exactly how your describing yours... From florida originally but Ohio car, hail damage, salvage title, center line wheels and the black hood and spoiler... Bro I have your car lol.

I've done it at least 4 times, maybe more. I'd recommend just dropping the tank. If the fuel pump still runs, I'd just use that to pump out the fuel to reduce the weight. Although if it were me, I'd invest in a fuel pressure gauge to make sure the pump needs replacing. Mine used to make loud howling sounds at half a tank and below, but it did that for over 12-years before I replaced it. No problem to do with just jack stands.

3100s were tougher. 94-95 3.4 DOHC still had socketed MEMCAL/PROM. 3100s on the other hand, I believe they were flash PCMs like the 96 OBD II PCMs. I don't know that anyone ever got into the flash PCMs.

Got ahead of the curve on this one. Last year I had my tired A/C Compressor swapped out for a new one. Bought an A/C Delco compressor new. Flipped the switch the first hot day around here a few weeks ago. Nothing. It was the "every year's plague" of re-filling the system with fresh R-134. Only this year this trick did not work. Nothing. Fortunately I have found a place that is willing to work on these 3.4 motors, a local Chevy Dealership with a mechanic that's got a 53 years experience track record who knows these motors. As usual I buck-shotted this repair, I sent the car in with a trunkload of NOS parts, even including another new Delco Compressor. Turned out the low pressure line and the valve was toast, major leaks. All is well (and cold) now, just in time for a long South Carolina summer. Which starts this week, going by the predicted temps. Looks like I get to put that New Compressor on the shelf for next time. And we all know that will be a next time down the road........

The softer the spring one uses the stiffer the dampening that's needed to keep ones ride from *floating*. Are these Rev9 shocks single or double acting?

Short answer, not really. Long answer, yes but I'm not nearly smart enough for that and I think the number of people that mess with the 94/95 ECMs is in the single digits.

For anyone who has visited the TGPforums.com website for the last few years, it is no mystery that the membership and posting traffic has slowed down to a crawl. The Turbo Grand Prix is slowly fading in to the past, and that has left me with a decision to make in regards to the future of that forum. Starting January 1st 2021, new member registrations will be disabled for the forum, and new topic creation will be turned off. Starting February 1st 2021, topic replies will be turned off. At this point the forum will enter an "Archive" status and will remain on the internet as a large resource for the Turbo Grand Prix. I will enable guest access to all previously hidden forums (with exception to administration forums), so all topics can be accessed without a registered user account. This has been posted as an announcement on the TGPForums, and I am cross-posting it here for informational purposes only. LukeZ34 Tgpforums.com Admin/Owner

very happy to see it back up and running. I just went on there the other day for some part numbers. Thank You Luke.

LED third brake light modification. To preface, my 1994 Z34 Lumina was driving down the road, and the third brake light trim cover fell onto the back seat. Upon a little inspection, the 3rd brake light housing was in sorry shape, and had been glued together in the past. Ordered a used light off eBay. So the factory bulbs are halogen 891 bulbs. There are a handful of sellers on Amazon that say they sell led versions of them. I was skeptical that they would fit in the housing. I had 194 led bulbs and sockets on hand, and decided to go with those. So the first thing, is to pop off the red lens, easy enough. Then use a uni-bit on a drill to open up the sockets to 5/8th inch From here, need to cut some lugs into the light housing for the 194 bulb sockets to thread into. I used a small 3 sided file. Took all of 15 mins to do. Then a little bit of wiring to do… splice wires and old connector together. Clean it up, snap the lens on it, and enjoy. This took all of 30 mins to do, with stuff I had on hand. I’m not a fan of the oddball bulbs that were in it, and glad I changed them.

Looks like a good mod to do. They use the same oddball bi-pin bulbs in the Cutlass Supreme spoiler rack as well. I would recommend using red LEDs, even behind a red lens. You'll get a better color, especially since LEDs are a cooler color than the original halogens and tend to look even more faded behind a red lens than halogens. The 194 socket will also fit larger T15 sized bulbs since they have the same wedge base. You can use 921 LED replacements for more brightness which is always a good thing with brake lights. I've tested some 921 LED replacements that are insanely bright.

Frame rot, damn. He said it was rust-free when he got it. I guess 8 years of Ohio winters was too many.

They installed plugs correct for mid to late 90s 3100 engines, not the early 90s 3.1L. The symptoms fit the extra large gap. I also installed new AC Delco wires and a new O2 sensor, but I’m thinking the plugs were the problem.

It should retract. Almost seems like it could be getting bound on something as you said it drops slightly below the close point. You can check for it getting mechanically bound by removing the fuse and connecting a multimeter in Amps mode in place of the fuse. When it stops moving, see if it's drawing any current. If it is, the motor wants to move it, but it's getting mechanically bound. If no current when it stops, then a switch or relay is electrically preventing it from moving further.

Well, that's not fun. Got all the aftermarket audio equipment pulled. Plugged in the factory radio and... sounds distorted on the left channel, right channel completely out. Pop sounds when I push the buttons. It worked fine when pulled 32-years ago, so I'm guessing something that ages has gone bad. Probably electrolytic capacitors. I've read there are some green ones that like to go bad and leak. I just learned today the amp/radio module is the same as used in GMT400 pickups. I guess that explains why these radios are modular and can be taken apart into smaller modules. Vehicles with the split radios used the same modules with cables connecting them.

Sweet! Sucks that you can’t make a new account though, searching the forum is cool but if I want to view an individuals account I can’t without my own:/ still great work keeping the site up though, great wealth of information

The booster is held on with a 1/4 turn lock. Make sure the locking tab isn’t holding it from rotating, (push/pull it into unlocked position.) then get a prybar on the master cylinder studs and rotate it off. It’s so simple it’s stupid. Just an odd ball design.

One should have the service manual within reach for electrical diagnosis.

Hi, I’ve just stumbled onto this forum, and i figure I’ll probably need to post here eventually acquired my luminator last year, 2nd owner from a grandma. 70000 (got w 55000)miles. Here’s some pics; thx yall

Here is info for the the swap based on my own experience of swapping my 88 cutlass w-body. 3800 swap w-body From 98/99 Monte Carlo z34/lumina LTZ with 3.8NA Needed - power steering lines (buy new) - Heater hoses (buy new) - Exhaust downpipe (or have one made) - AC system - all lines/parts from the engine bay (compressors can be from the gtp too) Best to have from the Monte Carlo/lumina but not mandatory - engine bay wiring harness - Cv shafts (buy new if you don’t have them) From gtp donor - motor - Trans - Trans cooler lines - rad hoses - Motor mounts - Cv shafts - PCM - Engine bay wiring harness Notes: cv shafts if using an HD trans you need to use the gtp passenger inner with the 1st Gen shaft and outer joint. If you get them from the Monte you can use the stock Monte drivers side. Wiring: if you can’t find the Monte Carlo harness you can use the gtp harnesss, and merge it into the 1st Gen c100 connector. With the Monte harness it comes with the c100 you just need to remove a few pins around and overall much easier but can be hard to find. You’ll need the GM service manuals for your donor harness and your original car to match the c100 connector. If using a Monte harness you will probably want to add the BBV wiring. This will also convert the car to obd2 PCM: you will need to get the vats/security removed(it’s possible it won’t be an issue but be aware it probably will be) and probably want to remove a few other codes. Rad: you could use your original, but the donor gtp rad will be bigger and fits into the chassis. I’d say it’s recommended but not 100% necessary.

Its likely a pre-production thing that never carried over, as that episode was filmed prior to the 88 cutlass being released.

Ive been getting water collecting in the spare tire well in the TGP and havent been able to figure out where its coming from. Thanks for mentioning the sealer failure, I will take a closer look.

So I was watching old motorweek episodes on the 1st gen W-Bodies, and grabbed some screen caps comparing the times motorweek got. I realize this isnt bible but its interesting nonetheless! Of note - the quad 4 manual cutlas was the fastest of all to 60, but had a lower trap speed than the TGP and Z34. Clearly the Quad 4/manual was a good choice for this car performance wise - and their commentary on handling was that it was excellent (the most praise of the four) The TGP had the quickest 1/4 mile time, but not trap speed. The video showed very little wheelspin which clearly aided it off the line. The Z34 5-speed had a ton of wheelspin and tire smoke which seems to have limited its 0-60, but its trap speed is by far the highest. Clearly without the wheelspin this would be the “fastest” w-body and demonstrates the best power to weight. The 90 STE turbo was painfully slow compared to the rest, and especially the TGP. Given that its the same powertrain and the coupes and sedans are negligibly different weight-wise, this was either on a very hot day, or they just didnt have a very fast example (maybe a “friday car”)

What they liked the best: The brakes. What folks complain about the most on this site: The brakes. I've said it before, I'll say it again: The biggest problem with Gen 1 brakes is not the brakes per se, it's the brake booster.

Gotta love that quality 80s GM fit and finish! And that Regal is very oddly equipped. Bench seat, manual locks and windows, no rear reading lights.....but it has alloy wheels. Then there is this: That cluster must be from a pre-production vehicle, as the tach was never red like that on any of the production ones. My old 88 Regal was a November 87 build, and the tach was green like the rest of the cluster.

Like the title says, I am a new member now, but I was a fairly regular member here around 15-20 years ago. My screen name at that time was Regal_GS_1989. I originally owned an 89 Regal GS coupe, a 92 Cutlass International Coupe, and finally a 2000 Regal Sedan. Life got busy, I stopped posting regularly, and the 2000 was sold off about 10 years ago for something newer and more family friendly. Time has marched on, and I am now in a position where I have the time and resources to be able to own a “weekend” vehicle. As luck, or possibly fate would have it, this beauty quite literally fell into my lap at the perfect moment… A 92 Regal GS Coupe. Black, Grey leather interior, low milage, One owner, garage kept its entire life, ordered new with every option box checked off…save for the sunroof. It’s truly worthy of the term survivor, and it’s exactly how I would have ordered one myself back in the day. Gotta say…it feels sort of strange to be back here posting again about a 1st gen coupe…but I can get used to that I am also surprised at how many screen names I still recognize as well!

Both of those pieces aren't available anymore NOS. A parts car or junkyard run will be your best bet. I actually found my pieces that way. For the door weather seal, it's part #10283235. For the windshield cowl base, that rubber piece is apart of that metal base where the wipers rest. That part # is 10122028. I actually have the door seal but I need it for my STE. Sorry, I think I might have got the last NOS one. I bought it 6 years ago or so. Possibly...a Lumina/Regal/Cutlass sedan might be the same? I don't know for sure though. Also, a local glass shop might have the rubber piece in stock or could order it for the windshield base. I'm going to the junkyard soon and If I find a good one...either one of those parts, I'll grab them for ya.

Just to prove I’m not full of it. Here from the parts manual is the entirety of the LG5 engine air intake system

HERE'S MY CAR AFTER ALL THE VISUAL UPGRADES

That's it in a nutshell, accurate cam timing is dependent on the condition of the timing chain, the chain will wear/stretch over time, the longer the engine (for example...original parts) has been in use the more wear the chain will see. It's possible for an extremely worn chain (under just the right circumstances) to jump a tooth on the crank gear. The attached pic is an example of a well worn chain. Pull up the tension on one side & the opposite is extremely loose.

There's a video on youtube that is really a shortened version of mine, but the same procedure. It's the video I used to do the job the first time, along with a lot of reading on here. What that video lacked, IMO, is all the little details. How to remove the steering pump, how to get to top dead center, how to "transfer the marks" to the new belt, how the hydraulic tensioner and pulley work together (because you assemble it by feel...can't see back there). It also shows how I struggled to do some things, which is normal. You don't need to be an expert to do this job. You just need to pay attention to the details. It's a long video, but the people who really want to attempt this will eventually end up watching every minute of it. I'm honestly glad it helped you decide not to attempt it. I think the video I watched originally didn't give me enough detail to make that decision so I went for it. Had you only watched that video, you might've gotten in over your head and nobody on here would want that for you.

OK Got this knocked out yesterday. Gave the TGP a rear suspension overhaul. For those that wanna do it themselves. 4 REAR gen2 lateral links work great, and are like $24 brand new off rock auto. the front ones have to be shortened by 1.5 inches to work properly and have a good range of adjustment. The guy who cut and welded mine put a piece of 1/2in round stock inside the joint (fits nice and tight) and chamfered a 45* angle on the edges before welding them. I am confident that they will hold up great. for reference I used RAYBESTOS Part # 5762115 but anyhow. here we go. and yes. you have to drop the rear subframe to get the old ones out, gas tank is in the way of the bolts coming out through the rear. I turned the rear bolts around so if i ever have to drop the links off again its not nearly as bad to do, pic of that shortly. maybe that is why my car was impossible to align. I'd bet some tow truck driver once upon a time did that old crap removed, new lateral links fit like a glove I am so happy with how this worked out, will be doing this to the z34 100% for sure.

VATS does not care about VINs. in fact, it has no way of determining what the VIN is that's stored in the PCM since it doesn't communicate at all, it only acts based on inputs.

Vats control Box is under the passenger side dash, By the airbag, mounted on the re-inforcment bar.. let me try and find a pic.. Top right By where the air-bag would be. I know this is the v-tas because i forgot to plug it back in when i did my wiring harness swap for hud and dic...

I'm not sure if there's room under the gen 2 intake. Never tried them, then went gen3. The can be made to work in a gen 3. You would need the following brackets. http://wot-tech.com/shop/all/l67-injector-rail-brackets/prod_119.html You'd also have to splice in different connectors. Might be more effort than it's worth for your application

yes. a 93 W with a 3.1 is OBD 1 and has the electonic tranny... so do the 91-93 3.4 cars

A junkyard. OldSkoolGP just converted his GP over to OBD-II. You may want to get in touch with him for any advice or tips.

For a conversion, youll need an OBDII wiring harness, all the extra sensors, the ports, computer. Sounds MUCH easier than it really is...

I'd take OBD-II over megasquirt. MS is really more of a hobbyist thing.. I wouldn't put it into something I drove every day.

I had the GTP programmed to ignore it, but then I didn't delete it, so I had it added back in as stock

I talked to the original owner Kevin a year after buying the car and he showed me old photos of it in Florida before it came up to ohio, guy definitely loved this car. Shame it's poptart crust now.

Sway bars just fell off the frame not too long ago and one of the front wheels is pushed up farther than the other one right where he said the subframe cracked.... Rear driver side has a decent hole through the frame too. Was told it was completely unsafe to drive at this point so I only drive it here and there. Will probably drive it until it gives out completely or part out within next couple years.

It's at around 151k right now, unfortunately with the frame rot probably won't make it much longer. I bought it at 135k so I had fun with it while I could.

I believe it has that dip or channel in it so that it locks to the metal base and follows it's curves.