Anybody ever put one of the Turbo Coupe engines in a Maverick? What it that engine a 2.3 Liter 4 cylinder? I wonder how that would do in a Maverick? The Maverick probably weighs a good bit less than the Turbo Coupe would'nt it? I'm thinking about selling the 302 I am in the middle of rebuilding and looking for a good turbo coupe engine to swap in. I'd hate to go through the trouble and expence of building a Maverick for my daughter's first car and then her not be able to drive it due to the rising cost of gas. I know the current shortage will get better but I'd bet the prices never go back all the way down. What do you all think about that swap? Thik it would pull OK when the turbo was'nt building pressure? Think it would throw you back in the seat when the turbo came in? Clint
Sounds interesting. The engine has the power to move a Mav pretty good, and if you put in the 5spd, it would really have a lot of kick. You would need a good gear to make it really efficient. Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.
Talk to mavman about turbocoupe motors. He has a Mustang SHO turbo that he has got to going pretty well. Im all for the swap, do as you wish, to best suit your needs.
I think it would work great in a Maverick. I have been doing alot of pondering lately on alternative engines for a Mav. I say go for it! With a 5 speed behind it, I think it would be killer.
These engine seems to be like looking for Hen teeth. I have looked at Ebay and several turbo groups so far and have had no luck yet. A buddy was trying to sell a whole car a while back but it's gone now. Sure wishing I had bought it now. I'll keep thinking about it and looking around. clint
What was the 4 cylinder that was in the early 90's Fox body LX Mustangs? My dad had a '91 LX Convertable for a short while a few years ago and it had some sort of fuel injected 4 cylinder in it. He got it with 130,000 miles on it for cheap because of a broken timeing belt. Fixed the belt and drove it daily for a couple of months and then sold it. That car would get up and go pretty good for a 4 cylinder and got great gas mileage. If that engine pulled that heavy Fox body Convertable that good, I would imagine it would work great in a Maverick for daily driving purposes... Hmmmmm...
Greasemonkey, what's the shape of this engine? Ready to assemble or need machine work? At least if it needs premium maybe it'll get 25 mpg or so. clint
A convertible fox body mustang is about 2800lbs with 145hp and 180ft/lb would run low 16's A maverick with a 2.3 would probably weight about 2300lbs and push it into the low 15's while getting 25mpg... sounds nice hmm...
It came out of a running car that we purchesed for parts,my buddy tore it down to freshen it up and just lost interest. It all appears to be in excellent condition.
Those little 2.3T's can make some serious HP. I know of a fellow north of here that runs one...stock bottom end, stock head (but with bigger valves and some porting) Holset turbo turned up to around 28 psi....ran an 8.00 at 128 mph in the 1000'...what is that? About 9.90 in the 1/4 mile? Seriously, pretty good engines, get good mileage IF (and this is the kicker) you can keep the boost gauge on the vacuum side of things. When you get it over 3000 RPM, it goes into open loop, adds fuel, and generally you'll have boost...thats where fuel mileage drops. My '84 SVO has gotten a best of 33, with the old engine (which I grenaded). They aren't much lighter than a aluminum headed 302 though, so don't plan on a Maverick in street trim weighing 2300 lbs with one in it. The shock towers might be in the way (again!) if you get an early 2.3T with the inline intake manifold (where all 4 runners are in a line as opposed to the later "square" intake) and the turbo may be in the way on the other side, but, you can flip the exhaust manifold over and that will move the turbo to the front and upward....which should work fine. You'll also have to scrounge up a 2.3 pan that will work with the rear steering on the Maverick. Yes, these little engines are very tall...taller than a 302 IMO, so you'll have to watch hood clearance. The '87-'88 turbocoupes had a shorter intake (which btw is a "square" intake)...which will provide a little better hood clearance, and they're easy to spot...the valve cover will have a dip in the center of it where the throttle body crosses over the top of it. Also, if you go to the junkyard, get the entire engine, wiring harness, and computer from the donor car. Also, you'll have to fab up some sort of electric fuel pump and return line. You won't want a "cheap" carb type electric fuel pump...these things are capable of using every bit of 60 psi of fuel pressure (40 base plus 20psi boost=60 psi fuel pressure). Yes, they can easily make 20+ psi on pump gas. Speaking of gas, it is possible to reduce the factory boost from 14 down to 10 by bypassing the boost control solenoid (BCS) which never works anyway...and BTW, they are no longer available from Ford. The SVO's had a fuel switch in them...as did some turbocoupes. With the switch turned to "regular fuel" it will control boost down to 12-14 psi and it will retard timing slightly...which can give better fuel mileage and let you run 87 safely. Turn it to "premium fuel" and it'll advance and increase the boost (BCS). I run mine on regular most of the time so I can buy the "cheap" stuff...but I no longer am using the BCS to control boost. I bought a Gillis valve which will allow me to increase boost to whatever I want by turning a screw. Other than that, it's been an idea I've had in the back of my head for years, but never found a way to go through with it. Maverick with a 200 HP 4 cylinder....that'd be cool, IMO. Just be prepared for an EFI swap..which isn't hard, but it is a challenge. You'll find that 2.3 turbo engines are fairly simple and easy to work with. Dont' let the EFI scare you....it's really simple if you sit down and think about it. http://www.turboford.org good site with all the info you need! Word of advice...use the search button, they tend to flame people pretty badly if you ask a question that's been asked a million times.
Thanks for replying to that Todd I figured you would sooner or later. Im sure you helped him out a ton. And your 4 cylinder may be as tall as a standard 302... but not my 302 w/ that BIG honky oil pan. haha
Thanks MavMan, alot of help. I think I'll try it. Might be those famous last words, kind of like "Hey Ya'll, watch this!" lol. EFI here I come! Better get a hold of Greasemonkey before somebody else gets it. lol Thanks everybody clint
