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Tuning a 89 Bonneville 3.8L....?

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Old Sep 14, 2007 | 09:34 PM
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Default Tuning a 89 Bonneville 3.8L....?

hey guys...well the old bonneville still runs pretty well for its age its got around 151,400 miles and doesn't leak or burn any oil at all......i was wondering do they make chips or programer to tune her to little more performance?....didn't know if it was or not?.....
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Old Sep 14, 2007 | 10:00 PM
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No. And if you DO find any, they're not for real.

There are small ways to wake it up a little, but there is no direct aftermarket for our cars.

Need a 100% full tune up first.

Plugs (NGK TR55s)
Wires (Autolite Professional)
PCV
o2 (Denso or Delco)
Air Filter (Purolator OR K&N)
Seafoam (optional)
Fuel Filter
Clean TB
Clean MAF
Delco Coils & ICM

Thats about it. Not a WHOLE lot else to do without major modification.
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Old Sep 15, 2007 | 01:10 AM
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There are some things you can do to make the car respond better, like by having the torque converter lockup wait until say maybe 65 mph, reprogram your fans for a 180 degree stat (not really performance), remove the top speed limiter, have the ECM enter power enrichment mode with less throttle...but nothing that will really show up on a dyno
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Old Sep 15, 2007 | 02:30 AM
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Originally Posted by wjcollier07
No. And if you DO find any, they're not for real.
TunerCATs definitely has a definition file for that engine..

Ryan at Sinister Performance would be able to help you out with a custom chip.
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Old Sep 15, 2007 | 03:24 AM
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Originally Posted by F14CRAZY
remove the top speed limiter
IIRC there is not a limiter on these years. If so I don't think mine has it, because my car never cuts out or anything.

Also, what is changing the TC lock up to 65 going to do? The lock up just makes a direct link from crank to tranny. It reduces the "slip" associated with the shifts. I have just never heard of this is why I am asking
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Old Sep 15, 2007 | 07:04 AM
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how can u remove the speed limiter on 95 model year cars with out modifying the computer?
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Old Sep 15, 2007 | 07:09 AM
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Originally Posted by myfirstbonnie
Originally Posted by F14CRAZY
remove the top speed limiter
IIRC there is not a limiter on these years. If so I don't think mine has it, because my car never cuts out or anything.
HAH. You SURE? Because I KNOW there is. 108 is it. Try it. You'll see.
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Old Sep 15, 2007 | 07:53 AM
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My 89 has actually passed the 110 mark. Only did it once. I always have to see what the top is on all my cars. It never cut out, but it wasn't gaining much more either.

I know my wife'* 95 will actually cut out the motor around 107 ish.
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Old Sep 15, 2007 | 09:45 AM
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TC lockup at 65 mph will gain you no performance and will only cost you fuel mileage. The TCC won't lock up at WOT anyway.
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Old Sep 15, 2007 | 10:26 AM
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You wouldnt have to wait for it to unlock I suppose

And my tuner of choice is also Ryan of Sinister Performance
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